With sail damage, they were sitting targets.
He frowned as he surveyed the damage. The crew had done an admirable job patching the gaps, but they were working overtime to bail out the excess water. There was a risk that the ship would capsize.
He turned to Sean and the crew. “Keep applying filler to the leaks. Where’s the carpenter?”
“Here, Captain.”
“Take some fabric and make a sling for the bottom of the ship. We’ll use ropes to pull it underwater and cover the holes.”
“What about the merchandise?” asked Sean.
“Aye, move the goods away from the problem areas.”
As Maológ thought about his next steps, a ship’s assistant passed him a message. He tore open the note and turned to Sean. “The storm pushed us into shallow waters. We’ll need to wait for the tide to change before we can move the vessel.”
“How long?”
“The earliest will be tomorrow. We’ll have to finish the repairs before launch.”
“I’ll assign some more men,” offered Sean.
“Let’s discuss this in my quarters. Fifteen minutes. We’ll need the prince and colonel as well.”
Maológ frowned, wondering about the remainder of the fleet. Were they the only ones left behind?
A short while later, he was pacing in his quarters when the group arrived.
“Ah, good, you’re here. We need wood, canvas, and some metal to brace the hold. We’ll have to send a team inland to buy tin and other goods.”
“We’ll go,” said Drayaen, pointing to himself and the colonel.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Your Highness. Your trained army is vital for our security. The crew and cargo could be at risk.”
“I understand that, and I’ll leave most of my soldiers here. With our combined forces, you should be secure. But we have experience navigating through rough terrain.”
“What about your own safety?”
“Right now, time is the enemy. The sooner we leave, the faster we can procure the supplies and rejoin the fleet.”
“How many men do you need?”
“Ten will be enough.”
Maológ rubbed his brow. Their lives depended on a successful mission, but he worried about sending the pair off without an experienced sailor.
“Uncle, I’ll go with them,” declared Sean.
Maológ exhaled a weary sigh and turned to his nephew. “What about your duties here?”
“The other officers can cover for me. The prince and the colonel need a guide, and I’m familiar with the materials we need.”
Maológ tapped his fingers on the table and looked out the window. “All right,” he said, exhaling a deep breath. “One word of caution. Return within twenty-four hours, even if you’re unable to secure everything on the list. The longer our stay, the more perilous the situation.”
“That’s settled then. We’ll leave within the hour,” said Drayaen. I need to get back to Aisling, he thought, and nothing will stand in my way.
*
Aisling was scanning the terrain with her spyglass when she heard approaching footsteps.
Ryen was hurrying down the deck, his brow furrowed and hands clenched.
“Commander, it looks like the Cara is in trouble.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, the lookout teams have reported them missing.”
“We’re going back.”
“What?”
“Something’s happened. We’ll leave the rest of the fleet here.”
“Maológ is very capable. I’m sure he’s in control of the situation.”
“That’s what worries me. If this were a minor problem, they’d already be here.”
“But, Commander, we don’t even know where to start. There’s a lot of territory to cover.”
“I agree. It will be difficult. But we were in the straits before the storm hit. Bring out the maps so we can look at the last sighting. Signal the other captains and tell the crew. We’re going to search until we find them.”
As the officer retreated down the deck, Aisling looked out over the water.
“Where are you?” she muttered.
One thing was certain.
She wasn’t coming back without them.
CHAPTER THREE
THE GLOOMY FOREST
The prince and his entourage landed on a beach strewn with small rocks and pieces of driftwood. A gray drizzle permeated the air as the soldiers dragged their boats into a copse of nearby trees.
“This way,” said Sean, as he viewed the map. “There should be a village farther down the coast.”
“Let’s travel through the forest, parallel to the water,” said Drayaen. “We might be viewed as a threat otherwise. There should be a path nearby.”
“Over here,” called the colonel.
The men moved through the trees, scouring the terrain for signs of life.
After a few miles, they came across a large settlement at the base of a creek. There were several buildings, surrounded by rows of wood cabins. The prince motioned for the others to stay hidden. They watched as workers moved wood and raw material into storage units. It appeared they were unarmed.
He waved the soldiers forward.
“Split into two teams. My group will approach the camp. The others will help with the reconnaissance effort.”
“What if they send you to another location?” asked the colonel.
“Stay behind us, but don’t make yourself known. We’ll need you if we run into trouble.”
“Should we go back to the beach and look for other options?”
“We could, but these people seem to have the materials we need. If we hunt for another source, it will take more time.”
“All right, we’ll follow at a safe distance.”
Drayaen motioned to Sean. “You’ll need to come with us since you’re negotiating for the goods.”
“Aye, I’m ready.”
The prince and his men checked their weapons and headed down the path. A number of workers turned and stared as the group moved closer to the hamlet. A small crowd had formed by the time the visitors entered the enclave.
“Hello,” said Sean. “We’d like to buy some supplies. Can you tell me who’s in charge here?”
“I am,” replied a deep voice from the back of the crowd.
The entourage cut through the assembly and came face to face with the speaker. He was a young man with a muscular build and deep-set eyes. Drayaen observed him casting furtive glances at the woods behind them.
“My name is Sean, and these are members of our crew. We’re looking for several items,” he said, handing over the list.
“I’m the supervisor here. Where are you coming from?”
Drayaen flashed a warning sign to Sean. “We’re just passing through.”
The supervisor glanced at the list. “The wood and tin are no problem. For the rest, you’ll need to go inland,” he said with a smile that never reached his eyes.
“How far is it?”
“About a mile or so. Straight down this path. I can fill your order now, and you can pick it up on the way back.”
“Thank you, but we’ll pay and take it with us.”
“All right. It’ll be a few minutes.”
He motioned to his workers, who hurried to the warehouses and retrieved the supplies. Sean thanked him, and the crew headed farther into the forest.
Once they were out of sight of the settlement, the prince motioned for the group to stop.
“We’ll leave our cargo here for now, beyond those trees. Mark the spot and we can pick it up when we return.”
“Why hide the goods?” asked Sean.
“They’ll bog us down. I predict we’ll be attacked soon.”
“What?”
“The supervisor spent too much time inspecting our group. He was looking to see if we had reinforcements. Based on the supplies we ordered, he knows we’re with a ship. They may steal our cargo, or hold us for ranso
m. Either way, be alert.”
“Why go at all?” asked Sean. “Shouldn’t we just return to the Cara?”
“We could, but they’ll pursue us, either way. Why endanger the rest of the crew when we can surprise our attackers?”
“And if we’re outnumbered?”
“We have trained soldiers with us. Most of those workers looked frail. That will give us an advantage.”
He was confident their approach would get him back to Aisling in no time.
Drayaen signaled to Colonel Lex and his backup unit. Sean watched the men shift directions and disappear into the forest.
“Where are they headed?”
“They’re going to scout the area, and we’ll follow.”
“Aren’t we going down the road?”
“It’s too risky. We’ll move deeper into the forest and create a wide circle around the next camp. It should give us a better sense of what we’re up against.”
The group walked for a mile through dense thickets. As they crossed an inlet, the terrain turned to dangerous bog land. The prince took out his spyglass and scanned the area. Something caught his eye. It was a signal for help.
He held up his hand for the team to halt. One of the colonel’s men was running toward them. The soldier approached, out of breath and clutching his sword.
“What is it?” Drayaen asked.
“A pirate camp.”
“How large a force?”
“At least forty, all armed. They’ve taken hostages.”
“Ours?”
“No, they look like Europeans.”
“Who signaled for help?”
“It’s not clear. The captives are in a nearby cabin. It might have been one of them.”
“What’s the colonel’s assessment?”
“He thinks we should strike.”
“All right, we’ll move in after dark.”
The soldier nodded and disappeared into the brush. The prince sighed. If he didn’t deal with the thieves now, they would come after the fleet, possibly injuring or killing the crew. “That’s not going to happen,” he vowed.
He had one regret.
He’d be separated from Aisling awhile longer.
The moon disappeared behind the clouds, leaving the prince and his men in a thicket of twilight.
After wading through the brush, they caught up to the colonel.
“Any updates?”
“It looks like some of them are preparing to leave soon. They’re packing food and weapons. Their armory is well stocked.”
“We’ll need reinforcements.”
“What are you thinking?”
“If we can send a message to the prisoners and get them on our side, it will more than double our numbers.”
“What do you want to do?”
Drayaen scanned the terrain.
“Fog is coming in. We can use it to our advantage. I’ll see if I can make contact with the captives. Once I return, we can map out our plan. We’ll need to time this well or the whole camp will come down on our heads.”
“All right. Where do you want us positioned?”
“Stay here until I return. If I don’t come back in thirty minutes, send in the advance team.”
The colonel nodded. “We’ll be waiting.”
Drayaen checked his weapon and headed into the mist.
He paused, straining to hear above the wind. Something wasn’t right, he thought. He crouched in the dimness and waited.
There was a rustling sound behind him. Beneath the fog layer, he could see a large boot. Feeling a surge of energy coursing through his veins, he shot up and hooked his arm around the man’s neck.
“Don’t make a noise or you’re dead. Drop your sword.”
The man tossed his weapon. He was heavy set, with a ruddy complexion and light hair.
“Who are you?” Drayaen demanded to know.
The man eyed his opponent. “Are you a pirate?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“No. What are you doing here? Tell me now.”
“I’m Lars Baas, with the Dutch Trading Company. Members of our crew from the New Amsterdam are being held hostage, and I signaled for help.”
The prince looked at the man, who was inhaling short, quick breaths and sweating, despite the temperature. He was dressed as a sailor, and judging from his ill-timed trek through the forest, was not a trained soldier.
“How many of you are in the woods?”
“Four more. They’re waiting for my return.”
“My group is with another fleet. We can help rescue your sailors. For this to work, the captives and your men must be informed of our plans. We’ll need their cooperation.”
“There’s a side window that’s not guarded. I can get a message to them.”
Drayaen lowered his sword. “All right, let’s go.”
The two men neared the structure and crawled through the brush. The prince listened to the voices inside and motioned to his ally.
“Tell them to be ready within the hour.”
A few minutes later, the man returned and signaled. “They’ll be waiting.”
“Good, let’s go combine our forces. We’ll need all the help we can get.”
They rushed through the fog to plan their attack.
The prince returned to his men with additional soldiers in tow. The Dutch sailors had been on their way back to Europe when they were ambushed in the straits, and many had been killed. The survivors had been thrown into the enemy camp until the pirates decided their fate. There are a few possible scenarios, thought Drayaen, and all are bleak. He motioned to the colonel.
“This is Lars and his crew from the New Amsterdam. They need help saving their hostages and cargo.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Since we’re outnumbered, we’ll need an element of surprise.”
“I have an idea,” said Lars, “if you think it will work.”
The men talked in low tones, drawing maps in the dirt.
The prince gestured for Sean to join them. “Do you think you can make it back to the Cara?” he asked.
“Now?”
“We need to let Maológ know that we’ve come up against some pirate camps. He should be prepared.”
“All right,” said Sean. “I’ll take a few men if you can spare them.” He realized that, if done right, his team would give the crew more time to defend themselves against the enemy. His thoughts scattered as he considered the best path to the shore.
“Do you remember where we left the supplies?”
“I do. We can carry them back to the ship.”
“Tell Maológ we’re coming soon. At least he’ll be able to start on those repairs.”
“Aye. Good luck.”
Sean wished they could stay to help the Dutchmen, but his group had an important job to do. If the prince’s plan went awry, he could return with help. It was a possibility he didn’t want to consider. He signaled to his men and they headed south through the forest.
It was pre-dawn when Drayaen and his teams surrounded the camp and burst into the barracks. The pirates had little time to react. They were subdued and restrained in a matter of minutes.
The sailors were grateful for their freedom. After retrieving their cargo, the Dutchmen bid farewell to their allies.
The prince and his men mobilized in haste. They ran through the forest, scanning the horizon for intruders. We have a short head start, he thought. Something about the situation worried him. The enemy’s response had been weak, almost as if they were distracted. It was too easy.
“One thing is certain,” he muttered. “We’ve just made some powerful adversaries.”
They were the most treacherous kind of foe.
One with a long memory and nothing to lose.
At last, the men approached the shore as heavy mist obscured the first rays of sun. They trudged through the sand, exhausted from their rescue efforts and the frenetic pace of their departure. As they pulled their boats out from the cluster of trees, D
rayaen motioned for everyone to halt.
There were several vessels farther up the coast, filled with armed brigands, and it looked like they had just captured a fresh group of hostages.
The prince peered through his spyglass and was stunned. Sean and his crew were dragged out of the boats and onto the shore. He watched as a cluster of men surrounded something on the boat.
Or someone.
Aisling.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE CHASE
The prince clutched his sword. His heart was pounding as he saw one of the pirates grip the princess her by the arm and haul her out of the vessel. “They’ll pay for this,” he vowed. Never before had he felt such rage. He stared at the enemy until they disappeared into the woods. He motioned to Colonel Lex.
“We’re going into battle again.”
“What’s happened?”
“Aisling’s been captured.”
“What?”
“It looks like they have Sean and his crew as well.” He scanned the terrain, one hand running through his hair. “I don’t understand how this could have happened.”
“My guess is she came looking for the Cara,” said the colonel. “When Sean returned last night, she must have convinced him to bring her ashore. They might have thought we needed help.”
The prince ran his fingers over his furrowed brow. “They’ll demand a ransom. Or worse.”
“They may not know who she is yet.”
“It’s possible. We need to move fast. Her captors don’t know we’re still here, which could work to our advantage.”
He signaled the rest of the men and waved them deeper into the brush.
“The pirates have kidnapped the commander,” he explained, “along with Sean and several sailors. We need to get them out.”
There was murmuring among the men, and they all nodded in agreement.
Drayaen turned to the colonel. “Before we leave, there’s one more thing I’d like to do.”
“I can guess.”
After a brief huddle, an advance team sprinted through the trees until they spied the enemy rowboats. They used their swords to cut small holes in the planks.
A short while later, the men regrouped and headed straight into enemy territory.
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