X Marks The Spot (The Plundered Chronicles Book 6) Read online

  “What happened to not bedding women?”

  Sayyida laughed. “I am not any woman, am I?”

  “That, you are not.” Ignoring the bed, Quinn stepped out of her clothes and shook them off. “Do you think we can get—”

  As if on cue, three women entered, took her pile of clothes and waited for Sayyida to disrobe. Then they handed both women silk robes – one peach, one gold.

  “Even their material is kinder,” Quinn said softly, running her hands over the robe.

  “Why don’t you get some rest. You have never celebrated Turkish-style. We will be drinking into the early morning.”

  Quinn stared at the inviting bed. “Actually—”

  “I have some visiting to do. Go ahead and rest your eyes. You are safe here.”

  “You certain?”

  “Of course. I’ll be back before the celebration.”

  When Sayyida was gone, Quinn crawled on her hands and knees across the bed, doing a face plant on a pillow that smelled of mint.

  Every bone in her body thanked her for it as she instantly fell asleep.

  A light touch across her eyebrow woke her up.

  Quickly sitting up, Quinn was stunned to see an older woman standing over her.

  “Do not be afraid. I am Hurrem Sultana,”

  Quinn frowned. “Hurrem—”

  “Your people know me as Roxelana.”

  Quinn was on her feet, bowing at the waist, her robe opening as she did. “You are the Sultan’s wife. I’ve read about you. You converted to Islam to marry Suleiman. You are well-known as a woman more powerful than any of the queens.”

  She smiled and her face lit up softly making her appear younger. “Power is a double-edged sword, my dear. In the wrong hands it can change the world. Come. Walk with me.”

  Quinn jumped up and straightened her loosely hanging robe. “Like this? I mean—”

  “You look beautiful. Come. Hold an old woman’s elbow while we walk.”

  Quinn started to reply, then closed her mouth. Roxelana was older, but nothing about her was old. Her eyes were clear and intense, her skin, while slightly wrinkled, was mostly smooth and soft-looking. Her hair was up and showed signs of gray, but other than that, she appeared twenty years younger than whatever her real age was.

  Taking Roxelana’s elbow, Quinn walked along with her. The Sultana did not need assisting at all – she just wanted Quinn to be closer to her. “What do you think of our fine land?” Roxelana asked.

  “It’s beautiful. Colorful. Vibrant and exotic.”

  “Exotic. Yes. That is a good word.”

  They walked along and Quinn was amazed by how much of the coast was lit up. It was beautiful and inviting.

  “Captain Callaghan, do you believe everyone needs a purpose in life?”

  “A purpose? Of course. Why are we here if it isn’t to make an impact on the world?”

  Roxelana nodded. “I had a feeling you would say that. You see, Captain, you are not here by any accident. You are not even here because of my husband’s granddaughters.” Roxelana stopped and leaned close to Quinn. “You see, I know all about you.”

  “Me? You must be confusing me with Grace O’Malley. Everyone knows Grace.”

  Roxelana continued walking. “Oh, my dear, I know of Grace O’Malley. She is a most amazing woman. Strong. Fiery. A great leader. You seem to surround yourself with amazing women.”

  “Maybe I just know women who have identified their purpose.”

  “Quite. Have you?”

  “Identified my purpose? I believe I have.”

  Roxelana stopped walking and faced Quinn. “What is it?”

  Several heartbeats later, Quinn sighed. “I guess I thought I knew, but I can’t seem to put my finger on it or words to it.”

  “Perhaps it has changed. As we grow and change, so too, does our purpose.”

  Gazing into Roxelana’s face, Quinn’s eyebrows furrowed. “I… I used to think my purpose was to… to help protect Ireland from Queen Elizabeth.”

  “And now?”

  “Now, I believe it is too late for that. She will complete her father’s work and absorb the rest of the surrounding area into her empire. Ireland will fall.”

  “Does Grace feel the same way?”

  Quinn shook her head. “No. She will never give up. Ever. As long as Ireland lives and breathes, she will fight for it.”

  “Interesting. But not you?” She resumed their walk.

  Quinn shook her head. “No. Not enna more. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ireland. I love my people, but soon, neither will be my Ireland or my people.”

  “Except on your ship.”

  “Perhaps. The crew is my responsibility now. Regardless of what Elizabeth does to Ireland, the men are my main concern.”

  Three men started to walk by when they realized who she was talking to.

  “Haseki Sultan,” one said, bowing his head.

  The other two followed suit.

  She spoke to them in Turkish and sent them on their way with a wave of her hand.

  “Haseki Sultan?” Quinn asked.

  “My full name here is Haseki Hurrem Sultan. Most call me Haseki.”

  “I apologize for being too forward if I called you Roxelana.”

  “No need. I assumed you might have known of Roxelana, but not Haseki since I hail from Poland.” She patted Quinn’s hand. “So perhaps a little history is in order before I speak further of my mission. Before my husband became Sultan, I was in a harem. I was barely fifteen years old when he fell in love with me, and soon, I was one of the top three receiving his affections. My rival, Mahidevran, showed me the awful ugliness of female jealousy. When I broke with longstanding tradition to have a second child by Suleiman, a son, it all but destroyed Mahid’s chances of her son being the heir.”

  “So you kept her son from being royalty.”

  “Not me. My love with Suleiman. She made the huge mistake of beating me, and that was when Suleiman decided to marry me. He is the first Sultan to wed in two hundred years.”

  “So, not only did he break a two-century custom, he wed a slave.”

  “We prefer concubine, but yes, he did.”

  “May I ask if it is a happy marriage?”

  “Very much so. He treats me with much respect and allows me to voice my opinion on matters of the world.” She chuckled. “And I have as many opinions on that as he has concubines.”

  “Then you are something of an advisor to the Sultan?”

  “His chief advisor, yes. I also make a daily salary of two thousand a day, or an equivalent of five hundred gold coins.”

  “Then Allah has blessed you with beauty, power, love, and wealth.”

  “Indeed. Which brings me to the reason for this walk and why you find yourself in my presence at all. One of the central principles of Islam is helping others. The Quran and the Hadith say that prayer and fasting are important but so, too, is our treatment of those less fortunate than us. And do you know who is less fortunate than we are, Captain?”

  Quinn shook her head. “No.”

  “Women.”

  This stopped Quinn in her tracks. “Women?”

  Haseki laughed. “I see I have surprised you. Well, if that little bit has caught you off guard, then this next piece will surely stun and amaze you.” Haseki lead Quinn down to a bench perched on a bluff overlooking the Golden Horn. Waves crashed against the rocks sending large plumes of sea foam into the air.

  What I am about to tell you is held in the highest secrecy. I need your word as a captain and a noble woman that you will not utter my words to another living soul.”

  Quinn blew out a breath. “Of course. Your secret is my secret.”

  “Very good. You see, your…activities have been noted by those of us in the Muliere Fortis Coniungere.”

  “Strong women unite?” Quinn’s heartbeat picked up.

  “Yes. You see, the MFC is a collective of women both powerful and powerless, from across the world who have banded toget
her to prevent the unthinkable from occurring.”

  “The unthinkable? Which is what?”

  “The disempowerment of our gender.” Haseki paused to allow this to set in. “Ever since the one male god destroyed the goddesses, women have been losing power. Inch by inch, we creep towards a world dominated by man’s baser instincts. The MFC works diligently to prevent this tragedy from happening and to keep women in power.”

  Quinn could not believe her ears. There was a movement afoot aimed at protecting the rights and powers of women? She was almost giddy.

  “We have watched your dedication toward keeping Mary of Scotland alive, and your efforts, though failing, were noticed by many.”

  “Aye. It was to no avail. Elizabeth executed her any way.”

  “Are you so sure of that?”

  Quinn slowly faced Haseki. “Of course she did. Why? What are you suggesting?”

  “What I am about to tell you will shake your belief in everything you think you know.” Haseki held one of Quinn’s hands in hers. “Have you ever asked yourself why Elizabeth would sign execution orders for a woman she’d managed to keep imprisoned for nearly twenty years?”

  Quinn had, and slowly nodded.

  If you declaw and defang a dog, what would be the purpose of killing it once it was fifteen or twenty years old?”

  Quinn shrugged.

  “The men in the English Parliament continued to pressure Elizabeth to execute not only a woman who was her cousin, but another monarch – something that simply isn’t done. Elizabeth hesitated in signing the order given to her by Walsingham, who had already signed it, believing that doing so would set a precedent she did not wish to start.”

  “And in killing her, it just put James on the throne, so what was the point?”

  Haseki shook her head. “Precisely. Elizabeth would never have signed an execution order. Ever. Not Mary’s.”

  “Then who did?”

  “Walsingham, most likely. You see, they say she allegedly signed it on the first. Two days later, the Privy Council of England met without Elizabeth’s knowledge and decided amongst themselves to carry out the sentence at once.”

  “Wait. Without her knowledge?”

  “Yes.”

  Quinn felt her breath leave her body. All this time, she believed Elizabeth responsible for Mary’s death even though she never understood the need for it.

  “Elizabeth did all she could for twenty years to keep Mary alive. The history books will not look upon her kindly for what will, undoubtedly, show her as a cold and calculating monarch who executed her own cousin. When one looks at it from the correct angle, you will see it makes no sense to execute Mary when she was even less of a threat than ever before.”

  Quinn abruptly rose and paced over to the edge of the cliff. For a protracted moment she stood there, overlooking the water and feeling remorse about what she had known and what she now knew was the truth.

  “I am so sorry, Captain. I realize this must be quite a shock. Your hatred of Elizabeth, while well founded for what she strives to do with Ireland, is not warranted in the death of Mary of Scotland.”

  Quinn wiped her eyes as she turned. “Is there more?”

  Haseki folded her hands in her lap. “No one but the MFC will ever know how hard Elizabeth cried when told of Mary’s shameful execution, nor of the poisonous anger raging through her at the discovery that her own Privy Council carried out the orders without her consent.”

  “The MFC? Then… Elizabeth is…”

  “One of us? Oh yes. She became so shortly after this tragedy. She was hit sideways by the disloyalty and presumption of her male cabinet. I believe that was when she realized how easy it could be for her to become a pawn of men and, if you ask me, I would not be the least bit surprised if she never married because of it. Her trust in men…all men…is forever gone.”

  “I can understand how she might feel that way Rox…er…Haseki, but I doubt I ever will. I trust my men. Implicitly.”

  “One need not hate men to further a woman’s cause, Callaghan. Clearly, your men would be willing to give their lives for you. There’s no greater loyalty than that. I’m not asking you to hate men, Callaghan, any more than I would ask you to hate all jackasses just because one kicked you in the belly.”

  Quinn smiled at the analogy. She was becoming rather fond of Haseki Sultan. “You say us. Who all is part of the MFC?”

  “Unfortunately, we do not divulge this list as it would be detrimental to all of us if anyone ever discovered who we are. I can tell you about the women from my region, but that is all.”

  Quinn sat back down. “Region?”

  “Why yes. We are quite organized… and regrettably, quite secretive.”

  Quinn’s mind spun through her earlier history lessons.

  “I can see you are fascinated.”

  “Oh Haseki, that would be an understatement.”

  Haseki chuckled softly. “A woman in power who does nothing to help other women gain power might as well be a man.”

  Quinn thought of Grace a moment and then nodded.

  “Misabai, the great Indian mystic and poet, born into wealth, sacrificed it all to follow Krishna and is now devoted not only to him, but to our cause.”

  “Are there more?”

  “Of course, but as I’ve said, it is not safe to divulge a list, but I can tell you we are diverse in our strengths. We have poets, mathematicians, scholars, and even…” She smiled. “Pirates.”

  Quinn’s eyebrows rose. “Sayyida.”

  Haseki looked away. “Perhaps if she were one of us, it may explain why she brought you here and not back to Ireland, yes?”

  “I suppose. Yes.”

  “You see, Captain, the world is changing. Men are becoming even more barbaric, even more power-hungry than even Caesar or Khan. Even Caesar recognized Cleopatra’s power and brilliance. Even he treated her as an equal, and do you know why?”

  Quinn shook her head.

  “Because she demanded it. Just like Elizabeth demands it from her male counterparts. But these kind of women are quickly being replaced, Captain Callaghan. Men fear what they do not understand and they have never understood women. Our goal is to help each other be agents of change not just within our own borders, but across the globe. In order to do so we need couriers and messengers we can trust. Someone who knows how to fight, travel the water, run on the land, and who is willing to die with our secret on her lips.”

  Quinn rocked back. “You… you want me?”

  “We do. My dear, you sailed up the Thames, in enemy water, facing sheer death in order to aid and assist your mentor, Grace O’Malley. You are raising the daughter of your former lover, and you sailed to the New World at the behest of Lady Killigrew to…well to take care of some business for her. If you are not the exact right woman for this job, I do not know who is.”

  “Is… Lady Killigrew—Quinn waved off her question knowing it would go unanswered. “I am incredibly flattered, Haseki Sultan, but I am not a political creature. I am a pirate, married to the sea, lover of the fight, sister to adventure.”

  Haseki took both of Quinn’s hands in her own. “Who donned men’s attire and walked away from a noble life to rescue a friend. You are so much more than a pirate, Quinn Gallagher. You are a woman with the power to help other women.” Haseki rose. “I will leave you here to contemplate what I am asking of you, but as you sort through it all, ask yourself this: What sort of world will you leave for your young charge? Will she be able to embrace a life of purpose or will she be reduced to little more than a servant serving in a man’s world?” Haseki bowed her head. “Think on it. Pray to whatever goddess you believe in. I will see you at the celebration tonight.” Haseki rose and walked away.

  Sitting alone, Quinn kept shaking her head. She was just a pirate, after all, who had very little interest in the political machinations of the world.

  But if that were true, why had she risked so much to help a monarch who wasn’t even her own? Why would sh
e do that if she truly did not care?

  Quinn had been sitting alone for nearly thirty minutes contemplating Haseki’s offer when Sayyida sat on the bench next to her.

  “You belong, don’t you?” Quinn said, peering through the moonlit night at Sayyida.

  “Does it matter if I do? Haseki Sultan, a very powerful woman of the Ottoman Empire sought to speak with you. You, my love.”

  “And it was your job to bring me to her.”

  Sayyida held Quinn’s hand. “Yes. It was my job to bring you to Vieste to get his granddaughters. Beyond that, I was to bring you to Istanbul as long as you wanted to come.”

  “So I am free to leave.”

  Sayyida tilted her head. “Free to leave? Callaghan, you are no prisoner here. You may leave whenever you wish.” Sayyida brought Quinn’s hand to her lips and kissed the back of it. “Have you been so long with men you distrust even your female allies and friends?”

  Quinn bowed her head. She felt shameful. “I… I apologize, Sayyida. I should not have—”

  “No, you shouldn’t have, but it’s neither here nor there. The only question is whether or not you will accept her invitation…whether or not you seek a greater purpose than pillage and plunder.”

  “I believe I am, but for what task? What is it she would have me do? Run hither and thither delivering messages? I can’t believe my men would be all right with that.”

  “Do you not run ‘hither and thither’ doing other women’s bidding all the time? Are you not here because I bade you to come help me? My love, this is what you do. It is who you are. You are the exact right person for the task.” Sayyida rose. “You think about it. I’ll not twist your arm. This is something you must absolutely want to do. There is no gray. I’ll not think less of you if you choose not to. Truly. It is not for everyone.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “The Sultan has asked to see me before the celebration.”

  “Does he know?”

  “Heavens, no. No man knows or we would all be killed.”

  “What would happen if someone did tell a man?”

  Sayyida shook her head sadly. “That would be unfortunate for everyone involved. You think on it, my love, and I will see you at the celebration.”