Tee-ani's Pirates Read Online Free Page A

females.
    Trey kept his arm around her waist, tightly pinning her to his side as they traversed the last of the swamp. Finally, daylight peeked through the thick curtain of foliage, and they stepped into a small, dry clearing.
    The village that appeared in front of them looked appalling. The few natives who stood talking to Sarah looked gaunt, ill, and horrendously underweight. Tears welled in her eyes when she spotted a group of children lying listlessly in the shade of a crude mud building. Forcing people to live in such horrific conditions was despicable, but to deny them the medical aid they so desperately 24
    Rachel Clark
    needed seemed beyond unthinkable. The government of this planet had a lot to answer for. Tee-ani thanked her ancestors that humanity had long since learned its lessons on that score as she moved toward the children, desperate now to offer as much assistance as she could.
    A strong arm held her back.
    “Tee, you don’t go anywhere on this planet without me or Ben. Is that understood?”
    Again, she was going to round on him and very loudly put her foot down at his chauvinistic behavior, but she caught his eye a moment before he could hide the concern etched into his features.
    She nodded carefully. “Okay,” she said as her hand reached to smooth the lines from his brow. “I will stay close to you and Ben.”
    He exhaled heavily, almost like he’d been holding his breath in anticipation of her denying him the chance to protect her. She grabbed him in a brief hug and then turned toward the children once again, confident that he would follow her with the medical equipment.
    As she approached the children, one of the adults who’d been talking to Sarah broke away from the group and stalked toward them.
    He yelled something in his native tongue and made threatening gestures. Trey pushed her behind him and raised his weapon.
    The irate male planted himself between them and the children and continued to scream what sounded like abuse. Sarah hurried across the soft ground toward them and began yelling back at the irate man.
    It took several minutes and a number of seemingly vulgar hand gestures before Sarah stepped back and spoke to her and Trey.
    “He says they are not to be helped. That they are…” She hesitated, obviously trying to find an accurate translation for the word. “He says that they are lost. That their gods have chosen them and that we are not to interfere.”
    “That’s ridiculous,” Tee-ani sputtered. “How can I help anyone in the village if being sick means you were chosen by the gods?”
    “Apparently that criterion doesn’t apply to adults,” Sarah said in disgust as she turned back to the man and began arguing again. Sarah Tee-ani’s Pirates
    25
    was obviously fluent in their language, but it was one that Tee-ani had never heard before. The conversation sounded gruff and angry, so she was surprised when Sarah turned back to her with a smile.
    “We can treat the children, as well.”
    “How did you manage that?” Tee-ani asked bewildered. The entire scene had looked very aggressive and to have such an outcome had seemed just about impossible.
    “I explained to them that their gods led us here with medicines to help the ill and that if the children were truly chosen, then nothing you did would change that.”
    Tee-ani stepped forward and hugged Sarah quickly.
    “Thank you,” she whispered, a wealth of emotion leaking into two words.

    * * * *

    Ben watched as Tee-ani worked tirelessly to treat the children, and then the adults of the village. With Sarah’s help, she’d even managed to pass on enough information for a few of the villagers to be able to continue the treatments after they left.
    He glanced at Trey, realizing just how far gone his brother really was. The beautiful doctor had bewitched him with her loving heart, her passion for medicine, and her willingness to help as many people as she could. He was even G’trobian enough to admit to himself that