Chapter 12

"Well," Pedro asked the moment Ishmael stepped into his cabin aboard the Hawk, "has he told you anything more besides what he told me?"

It was now late in the day and Ishmael looked very tired. After Pedro had spoken to Esteban, the young nobleman had handed the prisoner over to Ishmael to be questioned as second time. The second time had been more persuasive in comparison to what Pedro had done and it had taken a lot more time. While Ishmael was more than capable of conducting the questioning, the work was fatiguing and in truth the job was not something he liked doing. Thus it had taken a lot out of Ishmael.

"You should offer the man a drink Pedro," Ibrahim chided his former student. "Can't you see that the man is exhausted?"

During the time that Ishmael had been busy below deck, questioning Esteban and their second suspect, Pedro had retired to his cabin aboard the Hawk and he had seen to his own needs. The young nobleman had bathed completely and he had shaved away the beard and moustache that had grown on his face while he had been away. Once he had done that, Pedro had dressed himself in European clothing, choosing to reclaim his identity as a young Portuguese nobleman. While he had dressed, he had been entertained by Ibrahim who had come out to the ship bearing both refreshments and companionship. The old teacher was now reclined on Pedro's bunk, sipping wine from a glass goblet. He had a very relaxed look upon his face.

"Of course," Pedro stated in apology to his captain of the guard, "I should have thought about that myself. Forgive me Ishmael and come in and join us. There is food here as well. Ibrahim saw to it that I was properly provisioned for my stay aboard the Hawk."

"I remembered the awful food I had to digest on our voyage here from Lisbon," Ibrahim stated without hesitation, sitting up so that Ishmael had a spot to sit, "and I decided that Dom Pedro should not be forced to suffer it now that he has returned from the dead."

"A gesture that is greatly appreciated my old teacher," Pedro acknowledged with affection and a smile upon his lips.

"Agreed my lord," Ishmael informed Pedro taking a cup of wine from his hand when Pedro poured and offered it to him, before turning and smiling at Ibrahim. "It is indeed a greatly appreciated gesture. The day has certainly been long and I am in need of both food and drink and more importantly the company of friends."

Pedro sat to one side and remained silent while Ishmael drank and then poured himself a second cup of wine. He then sat by while the older man picked at some food and ate it. For the next fifteen minutes or so not a word was spoken by any in the cabin. Finally it was Ishmael who broke the silence and spoke.

"Thank you my lord for the food and drink," Ishmael said in a grateful manner, "and for your indulgence while I ate and drank. I needed it. Now however we should talk."

"So what can you tell us, my old friend," Pedro asked in a lowered voice, "about the two fish that we have caught?"

"First I will say that the second man, Rodrigo is his name, has no connection to Esteban," Ishmael stated plainly, speaking in a very solemn manner. "The man is a fool and a thief but nothing else as far as I can learn. He has been stealing salt and trading it to a few locals in exchange for goods and the use of women, but that is all. He knew nothing about Esteban and what Esteban had done and in turn Esteban did not know anything about him."

"And the man has signed a confession to this?" Pedro asked out of curiosity, raising an eyebrow as he spoke to his man.

"He has my lord," Ishmael reassured him without hesitation.

Pedro fell silent for a moment or two and then glanced over towards his old teacher. The old man was looking at him intently. Pedro sighed loudly a few seconds later.

"Should I spare the man," Pedro asked aloud, speaking to both men, "or should he be punished severely?"

"He is a thief and untrustworthy," Ibrahim noted aloud, voicing his view first, "and for that he should be punished. However the issue is not what the man has done but what you desire. Do you wish to temper your wrath in this matter? Is the man worth sparing?"

"I will answer that," Ishmael stated, speaking before Pedro could reply. "Rodrigo is a thief and it is clear that we cannot trust him for he has deceived us before, but I will admit that he is a good soldier and given our situation here I need every good soldier that I have. If we punish him, let the punishment be meted out with compassion."

"By local law his hand should be taken from him," Pedro declared coldly, "and based on his confession, I should take both his hands. That would leave the man helpless and impoverished, if he in fact survived the experience. It would leave him my responsibility given that he has no kin here in Eko and the locals would turn their back on him as both an infidel and a criminal."

"That is very true my lord," Ishmael admitted freely, surprised at his young master's train of thought. "So what would you prefer to do?"

"A public flogging," Pedro announced after a moments hesitation, "would serve as a warning to others and a lesson to Rodrigo. He will feel the force of my wrath while at the same time appreciate the leniency that I am willing to offer to any who repent and who choose to change their ways."

"A wise solution Pedro," Ibrahim acknowledged with an appreciative nod of his head. "You can put it to the man in that manner and give him the choice to accept the punishment willingly or to suffer the other unwillingly. I am certain that he will see the wisdom of your judgement and bend his back to you."

"And what about Esteban?" Ishmael asked out of curiosity, pushing the matter away from the actions of a petty thief to those of a traitor and a murderer. "Will you be so lenient with him?"

"Tell me what you have learned first," Pedro replied, his voice and manner going cold again, "and then I will tell you what I intend to do."

"The man confesses his crimes," Ishmael stated without hesitation, "admitting both the kidnapping of you and the murder of the priest. As you learned when you spoke to him, that act had not been intended originally, but when your blade blooded the priest's wrist and face, Esteban decided that he needed to act. He knew that the priest would talk if I had suspected him. As for his master, the man acted not under the command of the Condor as told you at first, but for another more important man. That man stands close to the throne in Lisbon and he is a threat to the king."

"And did he give you a name?" Pedro asked with a hint of impatience in his voice.

"He did my lord," Ishmael acknowledged. "He claimed loyalty to Dom Henrique de Menezes, the Count de Sesimbra. Esteban has stated that the Count and the Condor are in league together in this venture, with the Count de Sesimbra promising both wealth and position for the downfall of your family and that of King Manuel."

"Then we must protect his life regardless of what he had done here in Eko," Pedro stated without reservation, "and hold him until Dom Jose arrives with the trade fleet from Lisbon. We can then send him and Captain Santiago aboard Dom Jose's flagship so that both men can stand before the king and testify to the crimes perpetrated by their masters."

"Indeed," Ibrahim exclaimed in agreement. "With the documents held by your uncle, Dom Roberto and these two men testifying, the Condor will be taken and Dom Henrique will be brought to his knees."

"Perhaps," Ishmael muttered in a less than confident manner.

"Why only perhaps my sour looking friend," Pedro asked pointedly, gazing intently at his captain of the guard and wondering what he might know that had not been spoken of yet.

"Perhaps," Ishmael said tentatively, "because the Condor is a crafty man who obviously has resources. He has men deep in the Kingdom of Kongo mining diamonds and other riches for him and he has ships that can pirate the trading fleets of the King of Portugal."

"True," Pedro admitted quickly, interrupting his friend and soldier, "but we will soon raid that colony of vipers that he has planted to the south and vanquish them. As for his ships, I now own two of them and I will surely claim more before the year is out. To date the Condor has yet to score a hit."

"Pedro speaks true Ishmael," Ibrahim noted thoughtfully, "although not entirely. Don Hugo has struck a blow as we all know against the House of Alvarez. Pedro's father is missing and presumed dead and that is a grievous thing. Still we know this and we will soon take our revenge against the man and his machinations. We should be confident in our success."

"If Allah wills it, it will be so," Ishmael intoned with a sharp look at the older man, "but until that time we must show caution. Esteban was one agent. While we have not found another there might be more that we have missed. As well, Esteban has told me that he is expecting an agent of the Count de Sesimbra amongst the men sailing with Dom Jose and his fleet. Our enemies could still hurt us if we do not take care."

"This is grave news," Pedro murmured softly, his face less enthusiastic than it had been a few seconds ago. "Did Esteban confess knowing the man? Do we have a name for this agent of the Count's?"

"We have none," Ishmael admitted with a sigh, "for Esteban claims not to know him. He has admitted that the agent was to contact him, when and if he so desired Esteban's assistance or a report to be passed to his master and that the man would identify himself with proofs that Esteban would recognize alone. These proofs were agreed upon by Dom Henrique and Esteban before he was sent to Eko two years ago."

"Then there is a chance to capture the man," Ibrahim declared with some enthusiasm, "if we are as you suggest, careful."

"True," Ishmael agreed readily.

"Then that is what we will have to do my friends," Pedro stated, his confidence returning. "We will be careful as Ishmael suggests and we will wait for Dom Jose's ships to arrive. We will also deal with the pirates as I had planned to weeks ago and who I have heard are of interest to the royal envoy in Benin City. Then we will prepare ourselves to sail south and deal with the Condor's minions. If all goes well, we will have our revenge within the year and we will give true service to our king."

"Master!" a surprised Asmara exclaimed as she found Pedro standing in the entranceway that led from the house to the patio where she was sitting. "You have returned."

Asmara had been sitting with the children that had accompanied him back to Eko. The children had been chatting with her, but they had not said a word about Pedro. Pedro had warned them not to speak to anyone regardless of their station about having been rescued by him. Instead he had told them to call him father in all their conversations, including between each other so that when they were alone they would not slip up and betray him to his enemies. While that danger was now past, they hadn't known it and they had continued to speak about their father bringing them to Eko to meet their Uncle Omar. As such Asmara was caught unaware when Pedro made his presence known.

"Yes my sweet Asmara," Pedro chuckled in response to the young woman's gasp of surprise and the wide-eyed look upon her face, "I am indeed alive."

Asmara was not the only one surprised to see Pedro. The children were surprised as well. During the time that they had travelled together, the young nobleman had dressed like them in an effort not to draw attention to him and to be accepted without being challenged as an infidel. As such the children had become used to Pedro dressed up in his homespun linen tunic and turban and his heavy woollen travelling cloak. They had even become familiar enough to recognize him in a crowd. Now they were shocked for while Pedro's voice was familiar to them, his bearing and attire was not. It made them look at him with surprise. That surprise did not go unnoticed.

"Do not be frightened children," Pedro calmly said to the three youths in an effort to reassure them, addressing them in Arabic. "It is me, Pedro, the man you have been calling father."

Asmara stood in silence as the children rose from where they had been sitting and they came and gathered about her master. She watched as each of them reached out tentatively with their small hands and they touched not only her master's garments but his body as well. It was as if they were seeing him for the first time. The middle child, a girl who said her name was Ekiuwa, held her master's face in her hands and she looked into his eyes. After a second or two she asked her master if he was her father.

"Yes Ekiuwa, I am father," Pedro declared with a broad smile. "Everything is all right."

"Master," Asmara murmured with some confusion. "How are these children yours?"

"It is a long story my sweet Asmara," Pedro said turning towards the girl and reaching out to her as he spoke, "and one that I will explain to you later. For now however I wish you in my arms so I can hold you tightly. In truth, I have missed you and your touch."

Willingly Asmara went to her master's arms and she allowed him to draw her to him. His touch was as tender as it had been before and the young slave-girl trembled with anticipation of pleasing her master in the ways that he had taught her. When her master leaned in and kissed her upon the lips, her body trembled as it had not trembled since her master had disappeared. That thought brought tears to her eyes and those tears streaked her ebony cheeks.

"Why do you cry Asmara?" Pedro asked as he stepped back from kissing the young woman.

Asmara opened her mouth to speak but she did not get to answer her master's question. Instead the middle child interrupted them.

"Mother?" little Ekiuwa asked tentatively, looking up at Pedro and Asmara from where she was standing next to them. The question made Pedro laugh.

"Perhaps," Pedro said to the young girl and her siblings. "We will have to see. Now go and play while I speak to Asmara."

Obediently the three children went back to sitting under the canopy and the trellis that covered the eating area. There they sat and watched as Pedro spoke to Asmara. When they weren't watching they were playing with each other.

"What do you mean perhaps Master," Asmara inquired as Pedro led her off towards the edge of the rooftop terrace so they could speak in private. "I do not understand."

"It was but a simple answer that pleased the children," Pedro muttered in a lowered voice so that the children could not overhear them. "The children are my responsibility. I saved them when I had just saved myself and since then they have been in my care and in some ways they have aided me in returning here. When I saved them, their parents had been murdered by bandits and they were on their own. I learned that they had no other kin that they knew of and while there were villages nearby that I could have left them in, if I had they would have been forced to beg for food and shelter and to sell themselves as prostitutes to survive. Knowing this I brought them with me back to Eko. They helped me find my way through the tributaries and the side streams of the great river and I now own them shelter and protection. While with me they learned to call me father in order to protect me from discovery and to them I have become that. Seeing you and I embrace makes them think that you will be their mother. Perhaps that will be so, if you wish it."

"But I am only your slave Master," Asmara protested feeling uncertain all of a sudden, "and I am not your wife. I cannot be their mother."

"True Asmara," Pedro acknowledged with a sigh that spoke strongly of how he felt, "and there is nothing that I can do about that. In my heart I love you and desire you, but I also know in my head that we can never be. I am a nobleman with responsibilities to his House and family. One day my uncle will choose a bride for me and I will marry her and she will bear me children. That however will happen in Portugal. While I am here though, then you are my mate and I will cherish you. With this said, if I keep the children with us, then you will be their mother."

Asmara blinked with surprise at that revelation and she fell silent, unable to speak in response. Pedro just smiled at that and laughed. Then tenderly he led Asmara back towards the children so that they could meet one another.

"Master," Asmara asked in a soft voice a few minutes later, "what will happen now that you have returned? Will you be staying here in Eko or will you be travelling again?"

"I will be travelling soon my sweet Asmara," Pedro replied, keeping his voice low. "I still have much to do before this factory is safe. I will still need to deal with the pirates and with my enemies in the Kingdom of Kongo. After that, we will have to see."

"And the women and children of the pirates;" Asmara asked tentatively, "will you make them slaves as you told me before or have you other plans for them?"

"For now I am still thinking about it," Pedro admitted to the slave-girl. "However my recent misfortunes have made me think better of enslaving at least the children of the pirates. I will have to speak to Ibrahim about the matter before I sail against their village. It is possible that I could establish an orphanage here at the factory where we could bring the children and perhaps some of their mothers. The children could be educated and trained to work here and in doing so they could become part of the community. It is an option."

"If so, then Allah and the Prophet who speaks for him will bless you Master for your kindness," Asmara declared with confidence. "Such an idea will please them both."

"We can only hope," Pedro muttered softly in surprised, drawing the slave-girl close to him so he could embrace her. When they kissed Pedro felt the love that Asmara had for him and in return, he showed her his.

The Hawk set sail two days later from Eko. The ship was provisioned and ready for action and crewed according to Pedro's instruction. Onboard it sailed Pedro, Ishmael, and Bartholomew. With them were a full crew and the raiding party that Pedro had begun to train before he had been kidnapped. Rashid and As-wad had continued the training at Ishmael's insistence and as far as Rashid was concerned, the soldiers from the factory were ready to serve. Additionally there was a pair of trading canoes and their owners with the company. The canoes were being towed in the wake of the Hawk, to be used once the vessel reached the location of the pirate village.

"I still wish you would've stayed behind, my lord" Ishmael grumbled openly as the lagoon disappeared behind them. "There is no need for you to be here."

Pedro sighed loudly on hearing those words again. Ishmael had muttered them from time to time over the last two days of preparation, speaking them almost as if they were a mantra to be spoken while completing a rosary. He was getting tired of it.