CHAPTER 29

C HAPTER 29

C ade didn’t want to sleep and miss any of the delight of having Tamsyn in his arms, but fatigue won. As Captain Jones had warned, the channel seas were rough, but the cutter was steady on her path north.

He was jolted to full wakefulness by a deep boom that echoed over the waves like a cannon shot. Damnation, surely it was a cannon shot!

Tamsyn also woke, asking sleepily, “What the devil was that?”

“I suspect it’s a revenue cutter,” he said grimly as he swung over her to get to his feet. As he yanked on his boots and coat, he said, “Stay here. I’ll go up on deck to see what’s happening.”

She muttered an oath and flipped the railing down, then sat up on the edge of the bunk. “I hope you’re wrong, but I don’t think you are.”

Andre rolled restlessly on the upper bunk but didn’t wake. Cade left the cabin at top speed, saying, “I’ll let you know what I learn.”

As soon as he emerged from the hatch onto the deck, he was hit by a fierce wind. A burly sailor stood at the wheel, fighting to keep the cutter on course. Jones stood beside him, facing the stern as he scanned the sea with a spyglass and a grim expression.

“Revenue cutter?” Cade asked.

“Not sure yet,” the captain said tersely. He lowered the spyglass, muttering, “They say it’s bad luck to sail with a woman on board.”

“Don’t blame Tamsyn for this,” Cade said in a hard-edged voice as he looked in the same direction as Jones. It was dawn and the sky was beginning to lighten, though a heavy overcast made visibility poor. “Surely revenue cutters are one of the dangers of the smuggling trade.”

“Yes, but not the only danger.” Jones raised the spyglass again, then swore. “I think it’s a French patrol ship.”

Cade frowned. “Is that better or worse?”

“Worse. Either side would prefer to capture us and our cargo rather than blow us to bits, but if it’s the Revenue, we’ll be taken to England. Maybe end up in jail, though you’d probably be safe since you’re a trapped Briton coming home.”

“And if the French capture us, every man on the ship will be arrested and interned,” Cade said flatly. God only knew what would happen to Tam as the only female on board.

Another cannon shot boomed, and Cade flinched as he saw a splash where the ball hit the water not far to port. A second shot tore through one of the head sails and barely missed the single mast. The cutter lurched and lost speed.

Cade squinted and managed to see the French ship in the distance. It was larger than the cutter with two masts, and it carried more sail. It was just a matter of time until the ship caught up.

Tamsyn’s voice sounded behind Cade. “I presume we can’t outrun the French. Does this ship carry any guns?”

“Nothing to match the French artillery.” Jones was grim-faced.

Cade swore under his breath. He should have known Tam wouldn’t stay below. He glanced over and saw that she had a secure grip on the ship’s railing. Behind her was Andre, his face pale and his grip on the railing white-knuckled as he saw his dreams of England slipping away. Trying to keep his voice steady, he said, “Grandmère told me the Sea Swan is a lucky ship. But maybe it isn’t today?”

“The French haven’t caught us yet,” Jones said gruffly. “But it wouldn’t hurt to pray for divine aid.”

Tam peered at their attacker. “It looks like a squall is coming this way. Could that conceal us from the enemy?”

“We might be able to do something with that,” Cade said, thinking it was time to see if he could change the weather even a little bit. He concentrated on the squall, willing it to draw closer and grow stronger.

They all stared as the squall indeed strengthened and moved between the Swan and the French. Tam said, “Cade, do you think we might be able to invoke stealth so that we seem to disappear in the squall?”

Cade inhaled sharply. “It’s worth a try.” He turned to the captain. “Did the French lady tell you that we three passengers are all gifted?”

Jones lowered the spyglass, frowning. “No, she didn’t, likely because she knows how some folk feel about them. I’m fine with gifted people if they do their jobs. Think you can do something to help us escape the French?”

“We invoked stealth when we were riding to meet you, and it allowed us to encircle the men who were waiting in ambush for us,” Tamsyn said.

“A ship might be harder to conceal,” Andre said, but his tone was thoughtful rather than defeated.

“What other choice do we have?” Cade said. “Captain Jones, are any of your crew gifted? For something like this we work by joining our abilities. The more power we have, the better our chances of escape.”

“My boy Jem is gifted,” the captain said. “So is my helmsman here and one of my other sailors, Matt.” He issued an order to Jem, who immediately went off to summon his crewmate.

Jones waved his helmsman away and took over the wheel himself. “See what you can do with them, Gibbs.”

Scowling, Gibbs muttered, “I ain’t got any of them weird talents.”

“You might not want to admit it, but you always know where the Swan is and where the best breezes are,” Jones said. “Those are powerful gifts for those of us who live on the sea.”

“Every bit of power helps, Mr. Gibbs.” When Tamsyn smiled at the helmsman and took his hand, his expression became more cooperative.

“How do we do this?” Jem asked as he returned with Matt, another young sailor.

“We join hands. Tam and I will each put a hand on the ship’s railing so that we connect with the Sea Swan. Then just relax and let your energy flow. I’ll direct it toward the ship,” Cade said. “This may take a while. If it’s too much for you, speak up so I can adjust as you leave.”

Tamsyn added, “You should be able to feel each person’s energy, and it’s a good feeling. Ready?”

Nods and curiosity all around. Cade closed his eyes and reached out to the others to join them into a cohesive group. The energies flowed together easily and he realized that the six of them together were generating great power. He also recognized how much of the smoothness of the joining was because of Tam, who clearly had a gift for blending energies. He and Tam and Andre were the most powerful of the group, but the three sailors made significant contributions that were tuned to the sea.

When he felt that he had full command of the energy, he started with a light touch on the squall. It strengthened immediately, and wasn’t that interesting? He needed to explore weather working later.

He shifted his focus to making the Sea Swan hard to detect. He envisioned the ship’s shape and its sails blending into the gray waves, impossible for their French pursuer to detect.

Cade heard an awed curse from Jones and sensed that the captain was changing the vessel’s course so they wouldn’t be where the French ship was looking. More westerly. That felt like a wise decision.

He wasn’t sure how long the group held hands and created stealth, but it was a long time. Then a moment came when it felt all right to release the energy. “I think we’re safe now, so we can let go,” he said, realizing he was shaking with fatigue.

“Well, that was interesting!” Jem exclaimed. He was on Cade’s right side and he released their hands, opening and closing his fingers to loosen them.

“If this is what it means to be a member of the Tribe of Tremayne, I want to join!” Andre exclaimed. “Do you do this sort of thing often?”

Cade shook his head. “It was a new technique for a dangerous new situation.” He surveyed the others who had joined the gifted circle. Gibbs, the helmsman, was impressed at what they’d done and seemed more willing to accept the gifted side of his nature.

Jem and Matt were very pleased with themselves and wanted to learn more. And Tam—when her warm gaze met his, he felt as if they had almost read each other’s minds while they were working so closely together.

“If we’re safe now, Captain Jones, I plan to return to my bunk and sleep,” Tam said as she leaned wearily against the railing. “We did good work, but I’m exhausted. I think we all are.”

The captain looked them over. “You look like a bunch of half-dead flowers. We can manage on this course for the next few hours.” He glanced at the sea ahead. “We’ll be landing farther west than I originally planned, but I know a good, safe place. Get some food and rest now.”

Food. What an excellent idea. As was rest. Feeling ready to sleep the clock around, Cade followed Jem and Tamsyn and Andre below to the cabin they’d spent the night in.

When they reached the cabin, Jem said with amazement, “That was something, it was! I feel like I learned a lot about being gifted.” He hesitated. “And maybe my gift is stronger now?”

“It might well be,” Tam said. “This is new for us, too!”

Inside the cabin, Jem picked up the food basket and lifted the lid. “Bread and cheese and hard-cooked eggs. There are a couple of jugs of ale here, too.”

“What about you, Jem?” Tam asked. “Surely you need food and rest as well.”

“There’s an aft crew cabin like this but larger,” he explained. “Gibbs and my friend Matt will already be there. Andre, would you like to join us? There’s more space there and we can ask you about being gifted while we eat. There are more bunks there as well for resting up.”

“I’d like that.” Andre glanced at Cade and Tamsyn. “That will leave more space for you two.”

What a very thoughtful young man Andre was. As soon as he and Jem left the cabin, Cade drew Tamsyn into his arms. As she leaned into him, he held her tight, needing to feel her warmth and softness and healing strength. They breathed together for long moments and he felt her restoring his strength and sanity. Then, because they were alone, he kissed her while backing against the door so no one could interrupt them.

Tam kissed him back with sweet enthusiasm, her mouth and body equally soft. When she pulled back a little, she whispered, “I can feel myself getting stronger. Or am I imagining that?”

“I feel it, too,” he agreed. “Sharing energy to accomplish a particular task has interesting effects.”

Tam bit her lip thoughtfully. “We’ll have to talk to Gwyn and Rhys about this.”

“And Bran since he’s the expert in analysis.” He smiled down into Tamsyn’s eyes. “For now, let’s eat and then renew our acquaintance with the bunk bed.”

“The sooner the better!” Tam gave Cade a shy glance. “Even though we now have two bunks, I’d like to share one with you again.”

“So would I!” Cade crawled into the lower bunk as he had the night before.. Tam joined him and latched the railing to hold them in place. She felt so utterly right in his arms. He wondered if they’d ever be able to fully consummate their love.

He hoped so, but for now, this was enough.