Gaspar's men reported that the leader and a handful of men left the Jappo village and headed North, arguing that it would be a good time to ransack the village and get even for some previous defeats. Gaspar spent several minutes in an angry tirade, explaining that if the leader would leave the village with a band of his men then there must be something far more important needed tending.

"Besides, even the women in that damned place fight like tigers. We'll follow the Jappos and see what's up."

From a safe distance among the trees, Gaspar and his crew witnessed the confrontation between the Jappos and the two that cost them their boats. It had been a fast-paced chase keeping up with the Jappos and now, thankful for a chance to catch their breath, they waited patiently while the burial of the village dead was concluded, then followed their quarry again, heading North into the mountains-right into Donnie Hauspie's territory.

Gaspar chuckled to himself. Dusk was fast approaching as they topped a small rise and saw that the men had stopped in a sheltered glade and prepared a small fire to cook Gaspar was leery of being so close when darkness fell and chose to circle around, traveling further in the same direction. In the morning, he could wait for them to pass by and then safely resume his pursuit.

Haito tapped one of his men on the shoulder and growled a brief command. The man bowed and slipped out of the glade, his crossbow fitted with a bolt and cocked.

"Is there something wrong?" Jak asked.

"There always something wrong when dealing with pirates." Haito replied. "It is a precautionary move."

Jak nodded. "May I compliment you on your use of our language. You speak it very well." The compliment received a simple grunt.

"Maybe if we could speak theirs things would go a lot smoother." Wyeth gnawed at a piece of dried chicken.

"Well I know that ah, Haha means mother, and so does okâsan, and we are Gaijin."

"How can two different words mean mother?"

"I'm not sure. I think it depends on whose mother it is."

"And what does Guygin mean?" Wyeth snorted as he said the word.

"I'm not sure I want to know." He looked up in time to see a smirk slip away from Haito's face. The scout returned, reporting to Haito in low but animated tones and they broke camp, quickly picking up the trail north.

*****

Donnie Hauspie lay on the cot in the grubby hut moaning and tossing from side to side. Two of his men squatted nearby, sharing a goatskin of rum and snickering softly with one another. Upon reaching their camp, Donnie had issued orders for sentries to be posted, food to be cooked and for no one to disturb him in his hut where he would be entertaining the prisoner, Kysoo.

Shortly after he had shoved her inside, the men heard an agonizing scream and watched with surprise as Kysoo stumbled from the hovel, clutching her face. Quickly a few subdued her while the others went to the hut. Inside on the floor, Donnie writhed in agony, his hands clenched and his legs drawn up in a fetal position.

"Tie her up," He croaked through gritted teeth. "I'll deal with her later. You two come back in 'ere in case I needs somethin'."

Kysoo sat in front of a small sapling, her hands bound behind its trunk and her feet hobbled to a wooden stake. The swelling on her face throbbed in an ugly purple bulge and one eye remained slightly blurry. In spite of her situation, she felt a certain pride and vindication for her response to the pirate's abusive advances. For now, she could consider her fate on hold, at least until the gross man could walk again. Kysoo shifted her position and sighed, blinking back salty tears as the memory of her family suddenly flooded her mind.

*****

Gaspar sat behind the boulder fuming. They had been waiting at least an hour since the Jappos would have broken camp and there was still no sign of them. He was positive that this was the trail they would have taken, but to make sure he had sent three of his men out to scout the surrounding area. Now they were all back reporting no sign of anyone or anything. Gaspar was furious at the thought of having lost them. Pulling himself to his feet, he glared around the circle of men and spat noisily on the ground.

"The first man to pick up their trail gets a bag of coin. This will be our camp until one of you find them." He pulled one of the men close, told him that he was to head north to Donnie's camp, make contact, and tell him what was happening. "Tell him I said to start combing the area near him."

The man nodded and turned to leave. A second later he was crumpled at Gaspar's feet, the bolt from a crossbow buried in his neck.

"Attack! We're bein' attacked!" Gaspar screamed, diving back behind the boulder. Another man screamed and skidded to a halt, gaping at the bolt protruding from his chest. He fell with a dusty thump beneath the panicky stampede of his companions as they dove for cover, loosing off wild shots in all directions. A third and fourth were picked off before Gaspar, tugging at his eye patch, frantically began waving a white cloth.

"Hold yer fire! We give up, don't shoot no more!"

"Toss out your weapons-all of them." Jak shouted from the shelter of the trees. "Then stand up and show yourselves."

Haito's men made short work of trussing up Gaspar's crew, tying them alternately, hand to foot with the next man, forming a circle around the base of a large Elm tree. Gaspar lay face down over the large boulder that was his refuge but a short time ago. Darkness covered the area and his bare back shone a sickly white in the glow of the torches Haito's men planted around the circle.

"What are you going to do with them?" Jak asked.

"We will pry loose every thought from their minds." Haito gave a short wave and two of his men came forward, standing behind Gaspar.

"Wait... please. Let me try before you- before..."

"You are a curious person, Gaijin, you carry anger in your heart but you are unwilling to spend its rage."

"Believe me, Haito, I have no love for this man or his crew, but as a soldier and a Captain in my Queen's army, I fight by a rule of honour... and forgive me, but I find no honour in- in torture."

Haito's expression was flat and cold. "Then you and your young friend ride ahead some distance and wait. "We will not debate the fate of men who murder women and children-they are not soldiers."