I lay on the ground afraid to move. My heart raced with fear and excitement. There was something unspoken between the Captain and Rory. Their silence had nothing to do with me or the assumption of my Dutch origins. Then my eyes caught sight of Captain Blair’s pistol just a few feet away from where I lay. I made quick work of a plan of action determining how much time I would need to extract the pistol from Captain Blair, and shoot Rory, then the Captain. My fingers twitched with anticipation. I sat up, keeping my eyes bouncing back and forth between the two men.

"You dare stand against your captain?" Captain Blair took several steps closer to Rory spoiling any chance I had of enacting my plan.

"I and everyone aboardThe Libertine will stand against any activity with the enemy."

"Be careful, Rory, or you will not live long enough to speak of what you saw here tonight." Captain Blair pulled his flintlock and took aim. "Go for your pistol, and you'll lose," Captain Blair said.

Rory seemed to take no notice of the Captain's threat. He walked toward us with slow, purposeful steps. As if in some strange dance ritual, Captain Blair, and Rory circled one another. They stopped when Rory stood next to me.

“This is what pleases you?” Rory reached down and pulled me up by my armpit then wrapped his arm around me. He took out his pistol and held the muzzle to my temple. “I should put him down where he stands.”

I looked at Captain Blair, pleading with him to help. I knew my looks meant nothing to the man. He had no reason to keep me alive. I struggled against Rory’s grip, but the cold muzzle of his gun against my head and the sound of the hammer engaging halted my efforts.

“Let the boy go, Rory. He is no concern of yours.”

“I will release him once his had breathed his last breath.”

Captain Blair with effort fired his pistol. His aim precise as the bullet ripped through Rory's shoulder. The force of the blow threw us both off our stance. I fell to the ground as Captain Blair fired a second time striking Rory in his chest. His stark white blouse turned crimson as his blood and life leaked out of him. Rory looked at his Captain then at me. His eyes were not full of pain, or even shock. Hate hide in there, and he aimed it at me. He collapsed on the ground. His body shivered and convulsed. He gasped as he tried to speak. Captain Blair stood over his body and took aim once more. He pulled the trigger and lodged the bullet between Rory’s eyes. Rory’s body flinched and with a final gasp he died.

“You always were a fool, Rory. A worthless, no good powder monkey."

"You murdered one of your own, in cold blood," I said. I realized how ridiculous I sounded as if I hadn't done the same thing countless times for my country. I became aware of the incredible danger I had found myself in, and how sudden my life could end at the fanciful whim of the Captain. I knew I needed to play my cards with care and caution. While the Captain searched Rory’s body for anything of value, I remained on the ground and dressed.

"Rory, the poor sod, a worthless man, untrustworthy, and most of all a terrible powder monkey. He couldn't keep up with the demand. If you haven't noticed young Adam, we are at war with the Dutch Army." Captain Blair turned to face me. “No person shall bear witness to our acts and live to tell about it. You boy, get off the ground. You shall take Rory’s place upon my ship,The Libertine.”

"Me, sir?" I stood as ordered. "But how am I to replace him. I have no experience with weapons." I lied once again to continue my air of ignorance, knowing the less he knew about me, the safer my life would remain.

"For your sake, I hope you are a quick study. We are preparing to take these islands away from the Dutch. If you fail me, or The Libertine, your fate will parallel Rory's." He bent down over Rory's lifeless body and took the man's pistol. "Can I trust you with the weapon or do I need to bring you to the Libertine as a prisoner?"

"Over here men!" A voice called out from the top of a ridge, which lined the city where we stood. From the man's accent, I knew the Dutch had spotted us.

"It looks as if you don't have a choice." In the distance, I could see one of the soldiers drawing his gun. "Give me the gun, or I fear we will perish where we stand." I looked over Captain Blair's shoulder. "Now," I screamed.