The rain fell relentlessly over the region; a fierce wind swept through the jungle, making the trees and shrubs sway. Several soldiers escorted Toby toward the plaza while water streamed from their tricorns. They reached the officers' tent, which shook under the gusts but held firm, its ropes pulled taut against the ground.
Inside, the captain and his officers sat on campaign chairs, illuminated by candelabra whose flames wavered in the draft seeping through the canvas. In one corner, Magdalena sat silently on a folding chair; opposite her stood Sergeant Legazpi, hands clasped behind his back. The girl looked up when the soldiers entered with the pirate—soaked to the bone, shivering like a cornered rat. They positioned him before the officers' table, while the guards planted themselves at the entrance.
Officer Padilla adjusted his spectacles and readied his notebook. The captain rose, trying to appear imposing. Magdalena quickly stood and stepped forward to serve as interpreter.
"Toby… Toby… Toby," the captain began, while Magdalena translated. "Former member of the Black Skull, isn't that so?"
The pirate nodded.
"First under the command of Hawk, then under Rafael—the demon who played the saint."
Toby nodded again, eyes lowered to his mud-stained boots, where his big toe poked through a hole in the leather.
"Although others have told me as much," the captain continued, "how did you end up here?"
The pirate trembled, stammering. "We came… we were hired as mercenaries."
The officers murmured among themselves.
"What was your purpose? To strike against the Crown?"
"We were hired by… an association seeking a forgotten temple."
"And what happened?"
"There were… problems. We ended up here."
The captain pressed his lips together, inhaling sharply. "Very well. The details will be dealt with at the hearing. I only need you to tell me where the trading post, Xul-Kan, was—where that strange mineral was sold for rum and other goods."
He pointed to a map of the peninsula spread out on the table, lit by a candelabrum. Toby shook his head.
"I… I don't know that place. I wasn't in charge. That was all handled by Kwame Baptiste."
The captain frowned. "Are you telling me a runaway slave was responsible for an entire operation of exchange, for the management of profits, and that only he had access to the location?" he barked.
Silence fell inside the tent. Toby shook his head again. The officer slammed his fist on the table.
"Damn it all—!" he began, shouting curses among his men.
"Mister Tobias," Magdalena whispered in English, "you were the one in charge; Kwame only assisted."
"Don't tell him," Toby pleaded with desperate eyes.
"I'm only translating," she replied quietly.
The captain leaned forward, scowling. His foul temper seemed to echo the thunder outside as raindrops drummed against the canvas.
"I'll be plain with you," he said. "I'm sure all of you sea-scum are entangled in this operation."
"I was only overseeing the supplies," Toby stammered. "The storehouses, the inventory…"
The captain's face hardened. "Then give me the names of those responsible. You'd better speak, or I'll have you hanged at once—after the rack, if it pleases me. You have one minute." He drew his pocket watch; his officers mimicked the gesture.
Sweating profusely, Toby hesitated. He cleared his throat, drew a shaky breath, and said, "Edward Garrison…"
He began listing the pirates who had mutinied. Magdalena frowned slightly—it was clear that Rafael's revenge was unfolding as expected.
Padilla handed the list to Sergeant Legazpi, who immediately delivered it to a soldier. The man tucked the paper into his coat to shield it from the rain and, accompanied by a detachment, went to fetch the accused.
Minutes later, the prisoners entered dripping wet, hands bound, escorted by soldiers with leveled muskets.
"Good evening, gentlemen," the captain said with irony, and Magdalena translated. "I've had you brought here because your companion Toby has formally accused you of being responsible for the barter operations at Xul-Kan and the management of the profits."
At once, every gaze turned toward Toby, sharp as blades. The pirate went pale and began to tremble. Protests erupted all at once, drowning out Magdalena's voice; only scraps of translation could be heard amid the shouting and curses.
"That bastard was in charge!" one pirate spat.
"Toby's one of Rafael's men—he's the one who kept the money! This is slander!" another cried.
Magdalena turned to the captain. "They're all speaking at once," she said.
"Silence!" the captain roared. He fixed his eyes on Edward. "You—tell me where the trading post is. And whoever opens his mouth," he added, seizing a pistol from the table, "I'll blow his brains out."
Edward glanced at the others. "That rat," he said, pointing at Toby, "was the one who brought the cargo and the profits to the redoubt—always with Kwame."
"But last time you said Kwame was responsible. Were you lying?" asked the officer with the eye-patch.
Edward swallowed hard and forced a nervous grin. Toby glared at him, livid.
"Well… in truth, Toby received the cargo at the redoubt, didn't you?"
The pirates nodded together.
"Captain," said Officer Pérez in Spanish, pipe in mouth, "I'd say they're not in agreement."
The pirates began shouting again.
"Silence!" the captain bellowed. "If no one speaks, I'll hang the lot of you!"
They fell quiet. Toby stood trembling, Magdalena shaking her head in quiet frustration.
"Begging your pardon, Captain," said a bearded pirate, "but the one who really knows… is Magdalena."
At the mention of her name, the girl's eyes widened. Sergeant Legazpi looked equally stunned. The officers exchanged glances and laughed.
"Aye, she knows everything," said Edward.
"That's right," another pirate added.
Magdalena frowned. "Filthy liars," she hissed. "You know exactly where it is."
"Careful, darling," Edward sneered, "remember your father's got a long tail—and it's tied up with us."
The captain shot him a glare. "And why would she know anything?"
"Because Kwame didn't speak English," Edward replied.
The officers exchanged knowing looks.
"Is that true?" the captain asked Toby.
Toby nodded nervously. "Yes, Captain. As Mr. Garrison said, I received the cargo at the gate… but Kwame organized it." He then began adding details, twisting the tale against the girl, until Magdalena stopped translating altogether.
All eyes turned to her.
"You were his interpreter, weren't you? His secretary," said the captain.
Magdalena remained silent, then nodded.
"Then you must have heard plenty of dealings. As these scoundrels claim, that's why you know where the operations site lies."
The pirates began whispering among themselves.
"Quiet!" barked the one-eyed officer.
Magdalena stayed motionless. The captain stepped closer until their faces were inches apart.
"Listen, girl… I know there are dark things in your little village. Your father might well fall under the Inquisition's eye. And as the Franciscans—whose graves I did not see—must have warned you, such trials seldom end well. Isn't that so, gentlemen?"
The officers nodded, all but Sergeant Legazpi, who watched tensely.
"Ask your daddy about the Night of the Feast," Edward said mockingly.
Magdalena met his gaze; he grinned.
"If they find out," another pirate added, "your father will burn first."
The captain noticed the look of outrage on Magdalena's face and the pirate's mocking smile. "What did that ruffian say?"
"He talks nonsense," she answered calmly. "He wants me to say they're innocent."
The captain raised his brows, exhaled through his nose. "Lies," he said, then turned to his men. "I tell you, there's some conspiracy between these wretches and the village."
The officers nodded in agreement. The captain turned back to Magdalena.
"Speak," he ordered, "or I'll hand you over to the Holy Office as a witch, like your healer— and I'll see to it your whole family burns on the same pyre."
"Her father's involved in all of it," Edward interjected.
"Shut your damn mouth," Legazpi snapped.
Magdalena fixed her eyes on the captain, then stepped forward and pointed to a spot on the map. "Here… the estuary of Xul-Kan."
The captain and his officers leaned over the map while the pirates stared anxiously.
"Are you certain?" he asked. "If you're lying, it will cost your father, your family, and your people dearly."
"I have no reason to lie," Magdalena said in Spanish.
The captain crossed his arms, studying her sternly. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"You hadn't asked," she replied.
The officer stared at her, then gestured toward the prisoners. "Officer Pérez," he said to the man with the pipe, "see that these filthy dogs are tied to the post to enjoy the night air—and as for Toby, send him back to the granary."
Pérez stood and gave the necessary orders to Sergeant Legazpi, who oversaw their execution. The soldiers began dragging the accused out as they shouted and cursed.
"If you speak against us," Edward shouted while being hauled away, "we'll confess everything—and your father will be—"
"Shut your mouth!" barked a soldier, striking him.
The rain kept pouring when the interrogation ended. The soldiers dragged the prisoners out of the tent; Toby was taken back to the granary and shoved inside. Once on the floor, the others surrounded him, demanding to know what had happened. Derek and Brian seized him and led him before Rafael.
"So they all blamed Magdalena," Rafael said mockingly after hearing the account.
"At first Edward tried to pin it on me and you," Toby said, "but he tripped over his own tongue and ended up bathing in the plaza." The others laughed.
Rafael raised his hand with authority, and everyone fell silent.
"What about the operations in Xul-Kan?" he asked.
Toby smiled.
"All the blame is falling on Kwame, the Black man—they're accusing him of everything and of keeping all the gold," he said.
The others murmured in agreement.
"Mr. Toby, I thank you for your loyalty," he said. "As the saying goes, a fish dies by its mouth. I have been praying to the Lord for guidance—He will show us the way. Trust in me. Trust in the Lord."
The men dispersed, leaving only Derek and Brian, who eyed Rafael with suspicion.
"I always land on my feet," Rafael murmured, a faint smile crossing his face. "Like a cat."