Pete extended his strong, veined hand to Robert and effortlessly pulled him to the scalding hot deck.
“We gotta be quick, Sir.” Pete warned.
“I know.” Robert nodded. “Mr. Punch! Your Grace!” He began to holler. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes!” Punch responded.
Robert heard his friend’s voice below them, through the hot floor of the deck.
“They’re below us.” Robert grunted.
Pete looked around and spotted, tucked against the rail, a wooden box filled with tools which had hastily been left behind by one of the ship’s workers.
Darting quickly toward the box, Pete grabbed a large hammer which he then used to beat the floor with all his might.
“Cover your heads!” Robert shouted.
Below them, Mr. Punch pulled Marie by her waist against the wall. Marie shrieked as the ceiling above them began to splinter beneath Pete’s forceful blows.
Within minutes, Punch could see daylight above them through the smoke which had already begun to billow out of this new-found opening.
Soon, the hole was large enough to fit a body through it.
“Pick up Marie and hand her to us.” Robert shouted down.
“Who dat lady?” Pete frowned.
“It’s Marie Laveau.” Robert replied quickly.
“The Voodoo Queen?” Pete’s eyes widened.
“Yes.” Robert nodded.
“You want me to pull her up here?”
“I do. Please, Pete. She’s actually been very kind to us today.”
Pete snorted.
“She really has.” Robert urged his new friend. “Please.”
“As you say,” Pete shrugged. He reached through the hole while Robert held the man around his waist to keep him from falling.
Though it was a struggle, Punch picked Marie up by her armpits and held her as high off the ground as he could. Marie extended her hands and Pete grabbed them, pulling her up to join him and Robert.
“Thank you!” Marie sobbed. “Thank you so much!”
Pete sniffed and looked cautiously at Marie before reaching into the hole again.
Punch held up his arms but quickly realized that Pete couldn’t reach him.
“Can you jump?” Robert asked loudly.
“If I do, when I land this whole floor is gonna splinter ‘neath me when I land, it is!” Punch shouted.
“The trunk!” Marie screamed, pointing through the hole to a large steamer trunk which had been left behind by another passenger during their hasty retreat from the burning trip.
“Coo!” Punch mumbled, hurrying over and pulling the trunk closer to the hole. He could hear the floor beneath him groan and he knew he only had a few seconds before it gave way completely.
Standing on the trunk, Punch reached up and felt the reassuring grasp of Pete’s hands on his own. Before he knew what had happened, he found himself above.
Wrapping his arms around Robert he began to weep. “Where’s everybody?”
“They’re all safe.” Robert said.
“We gotta get off here.” Pete said firmly.
Pete helped Robert, Marie and Punch scramble toward the lower deck and to the long ramp which led to the dock.
Spotting his family on the pier, Punch began to run. Sprinting toward Marjani with his hands extended, Punch scooped up Colin and held him tightly.
Adrienne cried with joy as she watched Punch embrace his nephew.
“Me boy!” Punch swept. “Me boy! And, me kin and the Toby Dog.”
“We got your puppet, too, Uncle Punch.” Columbia said brightly.
“Here, that’s fine.” Punch nodded, tears running down his face.
“And, your jewel box, too.” Gamilla added.
“Don’t care ‘bout none of that.” Punch said. “All that I got can burn up, it can, long as me chums and my son and the waggy-tailed pup is safe!”
Robert and Pete joined the group, followed by Marie.
Robert smiled, “Everyone, this is Miss Marie Laveau.”
The group eyed her suspiciously.
“We’re very glad that you’re safe,” Adrienne said finally. “Charles tells us that you were very brave and kind to our family.”
“I done realized,” Marie began, “that I’d been wrong. I ain’t gonna tell ya that I’m a good woman cuz I ain’t. But, I hope you know that I mean it when I say I’m sorry for what I done.”
“We understand.” Cecil nodded.
Punch silently counted the heads to everyone, smiling finally. “We’re all here, we are. Nice and safe.”
“Not yet.” Marjani shook her head.
“How you mean?” Punch asked.
Marjani and Marie exchanged looks.
“What’s going on?” Cecil asked.
“We gotta get off this pier.” Marie nodded.
“But,” Punch protested. “We’re goin’ to England.”
“The ship is ruined, Your Grace.” Charles replied. “We won’t be leaving today.”
“Where we gonna go?” Punch’s eyes widened.
“Back to the house on Royal Street.” Robert shrugged. “I’m sure Meridian will welcome us back temporarily. We’ll make arrangements to leave on the next ship.”
“Oh no,” Marie shook her head. “You can’t go back there.”
“Why not?” Robert asked.
“Sir,” Marjani spoke next, “What of Edward Cage? If he sees Colin, he’s gonna try to…”
Robert raised his hand, shaking his head. “Say no more.”
“Besides,” Gamilla frowned. “There’s that Miss Evangeline over there. She ain’t done tryin’ for to make trouble.”
“You’ll come with me,” Marie smiled.
“You?” Gerard hissed painfully.
“I’ll protect all of you.” Marie answered.
“Last time I was at your house, you witch, you had me beaten to a pulp.” Gerard croaked.
“I’m truly sorry for that,” Marie responded. “But, you all gotta trust me now. I won’t let nothin’ happen to ya. You can wait at my house ‘til you find out when the next ship for England departs.”
“No.” Gerard snarled.
“I don’t think we have a choice.” Robert said quietly. “Marjani’s correct. If Mr. Cage knows we’re still here, he’ll come after Colin—he’ll come for all of us.”
“He’s been shot, he has.” Punch grumbled. “What can he do to us?”
“Have you forgotten that he has an army of men at his disposal who want nothing more than to do his bidding? Odo alone is enough of a threat.”
“What of Pete and his friends?” Gamilla asked. “We can’t just leave them here—not after all they’ve done for us.”
“We’ll be fine, Miss Gamilla.” Pete smiled.
“Nonsense,” Marie interrupted. “You’ll all come with me. I’ll see to it that all of you are safe. Please let me. I owe you all so much.”
“Coo!” Punch nodded. “We accept your offer, magic Chum.”
Did you miss Chapters 1-475? If so, you can read them here.
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