The captain stepped back after affixing the gag and, hands on his hips, laughed uproariously.The captain stepped back after affixing the gag and, hands on his hips, laughed uproariously. "Sold the great Nicholas Elfbane once, indeed!" he sneered. "You'll keep that gag now, slave girl, until you are sold. I hope you don't have an aversion to sunburns, because you're staying right here where we can keep an eye on you. Cause me any more trouble and I'll make good my promise to cut you up for fish bait. Are there any questions?" The captain laughed again and left her to the sun and elements. Infuriated, humiliated and miserable, Jessica Harveld stood at the mast in the blazing late summer sun and fumed. She was thankful that her summer's tan was moderately deep but wished it covered more than her face, arms and hands. The days were cloudy, for the most part, and on a few, the sun never burned through the fog. She wondered often what would have happened had she followed the Dark Lord's plan for her escape. Certainly his plan would not have led her and her partner to this unseemly fate. At night, the stool and bucket were removed so that she could kneel on the deck to sleep, but each morning, she was ordered back to her feet and they were replaced. |