Voyage of the Lanternfish

by C S Boyack

  The mortars grew silent. The smoke blew away. Don Velasco put men on the grapnels and organized the riflemen behind them.

  Swivel gunners on the big ship tried to target the pirates. They went down in a volley of musket fire.

  The pirate's own swivel gunners targeted the ports where the cannons protruded.

  Grapnels flew through the air then landed on the merchantman.

  Merchant sailors came forward to cut the ropes. Riflemen from the pirate ship protected them.

  "Heave!" Don Velasco yelled. "Bring them together and tie them off."

  "Permission to go join the fight, sir?" The rear gunner asked.

  "Aye aye," James said. The entire gunnery crew headed for the main deck.

  "You too," James told the root monster. "Get your mates out of the crows nest, and tell them to get their weapons ready."

  The call of "I I I I" faded into the distance as the monster ran away.

  James glanced at the behemoth they'd lashed themselves to, then headed for the main deck.

  The deck was a flurry of activity. Planks came forward, and men nailed them into place. Blood and dead pirates proved the merchant's swivel guns weren't idle.

  Root monsters swarmed up the first plank. Screams reverberated from the merchantman's deck. The first men went over, and were met with a volley of musket fire. Many ducked, some fell dead in the sea.

  "Now! While they're reloading," James yelled.

  Pirates swarmed up the planks. Pistol fire and clashing steel rang across the decks.

  James got his musket and rifle men up next then followed them up the plank.

  Dan was in the thick of things. He crossed swords with a man much bigger than himself. James pulled his pistol and strode towards them. Dan maneuvered inside the man's reach, and used the slicing technique James taught him. The big man fell, then Dan moved forward.

  A cluster of men came from the rear quarters of the ship. They brandished swords, then charged.

  Fala stepped in front of James and knelt down. She fired her blunderbuss into the group, killing the first two, and dropping three more to the deck.

  One kept charging, and James shot him before he reached Fala.

  James grabbed her by the shoulder. "Fall back and reload. Get mates, then take the upper deck. Riflemen could pick us off from up there."

  As large contingent of men swarmed up from the lower decks. They all bore muskets and formed two lines. The merchant captain gave the orders, "Make ready..."

  Mal walked up the plank. He looked deliberately at his feet to insure he wouldn't fall in the sea. The top of his head was covered in hundreds of tiny white dots.

  "...aim..."

  Mal looked up at the merchant captain. The dots continued onto his face, making the image of a human skull. White streaks on his upper lip looked like teeth. He pulled a leather rattle from his bag and shook it at the line of musketeers.

  Both ships rocked to the side as something huge passed underneath.

  Everyone stumbled, including the musketeers.

  "Reload!" James yelled.

  The merchant captain regained his footing. "Make ready..."

  Water erupted like an explosion off the port side of the merchantman. The moving reef burst from below the sea.

  Growths of corals, some nearly ten feet tall protruded from its back. The great beast's tail vaulted over the top of its head until it faced straight down over the deck of the merchantman.

  Colorful fish rained down upon the decks, and flopped to get back to the sea.

  The moving reef opened its mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth as big as dinner plates.

  He bit down on the merchant captain. His momentum carried him over the sloop.

  The great tail, tore out most of the rigging from the merchantman, and his pectoral fins sliced off the forward mast of the pirate ship.

  The wave from the beast's impact washed over the sloop, and shoved both ships to the side.

  "Keep loading!" James yelled. "This fight isn't over yet."

  A officer kicked the merchant sailors back into line.

  Mal reached into his bag and brought out a palm full of rust colored powder. He blew it toward the line of musketeers.

  Short, fat, brick-colored vipers appeared along the barrels of their muskets.

  The musketeers stumbled back.

  James' pirates took aim.

  "They're just illusions. Fight for your ship, or the devil takes us all tonight," the young officer yelled.

  One of the vipers struck a musketeer in the throat. He dropped his weapon and stumbled back against the rail. His tongue swelled and protruded from his mouth before he hit the deck, dead.

  The other musketeers tossed their weapons away then stepped back. They drew swords.

  The pirates cocked their own muskets, rifles, and pistols.

  "Well? James asked across the deck.

  The merchants dropped their weapons then held up their hands.

  Fala placed a hand on James' shoulder. "Captain, the ship is yours."

  A cheer went up from the pirates.

  James issued commands. "Gather them all on the forecastle, and search them for weapons." He looked over at Mal. "Can you help the wounded? Ours and theirs?"

  "I help." He picked up the vipers with his bare hands then tossed them overboard.

  "You certainly did." He looked around the bigger ship's deck. "Where's the Boss?"

  Boss wriggled from a cluster of root monsters. A pile of three dead bodies underneath them all. "Me Boss."

  "Take your men and search the ship. I don't want anyone hiding out that might blow up the powder magazine or some desperate move."

  "I I I I I I."

  Dan stumbled over.

  "Are you alright?" James asked.

  "Tired is all. Not a scratch on me."

  Fala reached out and removed Dan's hat. She stuck a finger through a bullet hole then held it toward him.

  "That was close," Dan said.

  "If you're up to it, search the ship. Make sure it's stable. The moving reef did quite a number on both ships."

  Johnny Jump Up sat on a crate across the deck and lit his pipe. James approached him and grabbed his own pipe. "Can you organize a party to find out what we've got? Maybe get Don Velasco to survey the rigging and figure out what repairs we need?"

  "Aye, sir. Just catching my wind. You should find the captain's quarters and see if there's anything you want. Miss Fala and McCormack can start an inventory. We might have to take the best and leave the rest. Our ship can't haul everything."

  "I'll take it under advisement."

  James worked his way to the rear. The merchantman was elaborate in the extreme. Large hexagonal lamps lit the poop deck, even if the glass had been blown out in the battle. Every baluster on the railings was lathe turned, and every newel was carved into the shape of an angel.

  The captain's quarters consisted of two rooms, one for dining and working, another for sleeping. They were open to each other via an arched entry with no door. A huge four-poster bed didn't come close to filling the bunk room. Both rooms had access to a huge covered porch out the rear of the ship. Carved wooden statues of women carrying vases served to hold the decks up, but one of them had been reduced to splinters by the mortars. He glanced over the railing at the name painted in gold, Der Goldbulle.

  James stepped around and over shattered window glass, and fallen items. This ship had charts, dividers, compasses, and more.

  Johnny Jump Up found him pouring over charts. "We've got tons of tea, pallets of brick, yards of pretty cloth, and more food than we can eat in a month."

  "Damn! No gold, silver, jewels?"

  "Nooo. Is that what you expected?"

  "Well, yes, in a way."

  "You're a merchant sailor. Did you ever haul that stuff?"

  "No. Coal, grain, rum..."

  "Oh, we have rum too. Cheer up, it's the biggest ship any of us have ever taken, and it has the best haul too. We're coastal pirates,
and we can turn a good profit on this one."

  James paused and rubbed his short beard. "You're missing the real prize here. It's the ship. With this ship we don't have to haunt the coasts. We can go anywhere we like. With her guns, nothing is out of reach. Look at this journal." He held it open with one hand. "She used to be a Saphish man of war, captured by the Hollish in the war."

  "'Bout them guns, mate. She only has six. Three out each side."

  "No."

  "Yes. Probably why she was avoiding the shipping lanes. No different than us painting guns on our sides. Look, we'll never get her up the river and under the bridge to old man McCormack's warehouses. Even the Prelonians can't miss the fact that she's a pirate ship."

  "Wait, McCormack?"

  "Yeah, you bought the ship from McCormack's dad. He runs the smuggling operation."

  "So we have six guns, two mortars, and a multitude of swivel guns?"

  "Aye. They're twelve pounders though. Good guns for us."

  "Ship like this can carry over a hundred. And four hundred men to fight and sail."

  "That's why we can't take her. She's too big for us."

  "But we could sail her. Take her somewhere and outfit her properly."

  "Where?"

  James unrolled a map and placed his finger on an island. "Here."

  "Lagarto?"

  "Why not? It's a pirate island. We're pirates. It makes sense."

  "We have to cross the shipping lanes to do that. There are battle fleets, well armed merchants, and pirates out there."

  "It's a big ocean. I'm willing to cut and run until we can outfit her properly."

  "Cut and crawl is more likely. She wasn't fast to begin with. Add in the cargo, destroy the rigging, and it's going to be an adventure just to get there."

  "I'll get an update from Don Velasco, but my mind is pointed toward Lagarto."

  Dan burst in. "James, we're taking on water. One of them mortar shells must have exploded near the water line."

  "Meet me on the forecastle." James rushed from the room and sprinted the length of the ship.

  Chapter Fourteen

  James approached the merchant officer and drew his pistol, cocking the second barrel. "Where's the bilge pump?"

  The officer crossed his arms and gave a smug look.

  James blew the man's brains out, then kicked his body over the side. He drew his sword and pointed at the throat of the next merchant sailor. "Where's the bilge pump?"

  "It it it's down below. I k k k kin, show ye."

  James turned to Johnny. "Two crews. One sets up the pump and keeps it going until further notice. The other starts on repairs. Use the merchant sailors. And chain them up. If this ship sinks, so do they. Understood?"

  "Aye aye, captain." Johnny waved his arms to divide up the merchant crew and set them working.

  Biscuit Bill shoved through the crowd. He carried a large piece of rope, with multiple fish strung on it. "No sense lettin em go to waste. Fresh fish for supper."

  "Yes, light your fires. We might be here a couple of days."

  James returned to the captain's cabin to go over charts. Various people reported in on the progress they were making. He spent extra time with Fala. "We need to figure out how to cashier the men, without silver and gold."

  "We found some. That part will be easy." She grabbed two mugs, a large one and a small one. She held them both forward. "Captain's share." She held the large one forward, "Officer's share." Finally the small one, "Crew's share."

  "I don't think they'll want cups of tea leaves."

  "We divvy up the coin, make a pile with unique things, and deal with that first. They'll have to wait until we sell the rest."

  "Is that the best we can do?"

  "Today it is. We sell the rest then repeat the process."

  "Won't the mates complain they deserve more than the rest of the crew?"

  "Probably, but I'll try to figure out something. Maybe an extra pick from the items or something. McCormack might know a trick too."

  That evening they all dined in the captain's quarters on poached fish and biscuits. The leak was stable, but needed more work to be seaworthy. James ordered the work paused and the merchant crew fed.

  "My leg went through the deck," Dan said. "Them mortars chewed things up pretty good."

  "We'll have to repair the decks then. Can it wait until we're underway?"

  "Probably, but we don't have enough wood."

  "Pull up the decks on the sloop."

  Johnny Jump Up said, "So, you're determined to take this ship to Lagarto."

  "Yes. This ship was a bold stroke, but we got away with it. We won't need quite as much luck to get to Lagarto, then we can sell our goods there."

  "Whole different market. Those are free men out there. Could be over run with tea."

  "That's the same thing anywhere else. What if Airstony doesn't need bricks? Would you dump them overboard? We take what we find and do the best we can."

  "True enough. I just thought we might go home."

  "Johnny, this is home... for now. And these are your family members. Maybe we need a bit of goodwill from the crew though. Fala can give an extra rum ration tonight, and that includes the merchants. We need men to move this ship, and they know how to sail."

  "Do you think they'll sign on?" Dan asked.

  "Some. We'll set the rest adrift in the sloop. They should be able to limp back to Airstony."

  "It'll take another day to move the mortars over here and set them," Johnny said.

  "Then it takes a day. I want my caravan too, so figure out how we're going to make a hoist at sea, then power it with our backs."

  "Capitan of the open seas needs a name," Don Velasco said.

  "What's wrong with James Cuttler?"

  "The ones who take the sloop, they will tell the story. Hollish will know you. They will be very angry. They could take revenge upon your families."

  "He's right," Johnny said. "You can use one that strikes fear too. Don't be Captain Bunny Fur or something."

  "Captain Mortar," Fala said.

  "Captain Cutlass," Dan offered.

  James speared a piece of fried banana and tucked it into his mouth. He stared into his water glass at the reflection of his bloody eye. "Captain Blood...water. Bloodwater."

  "Capitan, Bloodwater. Aye," Don Velasco said. "It is a good name."

  "From this day forward, it's Captain Bloodwater," Johnny said. "Don't let me hear none of you calling him anything else. We need those merchants to pick up on the name, then tell that story."

  "Then it's settled," James said. "First the leaks and making her seaworthy. Then move our things over here. Cashier the men and hope to convert some of the merchants. Then Captain James Bloodwater sets sail for Lagarto."

  James slept soundly, only waking to pick glass slivers from his bedding on occasion. The open air blew into his room from the missing windows.

  After breakfast he went looking for Don Velasco. The Boss looked up sheepishly from under the stairs. He pushed a fresh carrot behind a piece of broken wood. The carrot wore a dress he'd obviously made from some of the cloth in the ship's hold.

  James held a palm up to the Boss. "I don't want to know." He found Don Velasco on the forecastle.

  "Buenos dias, Capitan Bloodwater."

  "Good morning. Can we get more speed and maneuverability out of her with some jibs up front, maybe a lateen off the mizen mast?"

  "Yes, but there is problema. The bowsprit is damaged. She will not take the pressure. One of our shells cut into her. It destroyed the figurehead too."

  James looked over the rail at a pair of golden feet where the figurehead had been.

  "We lack wood to make the lateen boom, Capitan."

  "Then cut off the bowsprit, turn it into a boom for the lateen, and see if you can get some staysails between the masts. Leave enough canvas aboard the sloop so they can go back, we'll take the rest."

  "This I can do." He turned to make sure he was overheard, "Capitan Bl
oodwater."

  Days passed. Men placed the mortars on the bigger ship, and Fala saw to the placement of the caravan two decks down.

  On the third day, Fala had a crew pile the loot on the main deck, then gathered the entire crew.

  James stepped forward. "Before we start cashiering, I'm speaking to the merchant sailors. We need men like you to crew this ship. Anyone who joins of their own free will gets cashiered just like everyone else. You'll get your weapons back, and jobs to suit your experience. What say you?"

  Thirty two men stepped forward. Eighteen remained behind.

  "Get them on the sloop, then cut them loose." He turned to address those leaving. "There is enough food and water to get you to Airstony. After that, you're on your own. I left enough canvas that you can sail, but not fast. Farewell."

  He turned back toward the loot, then whispered in Johnny's ear. "Mix them in. I don't want them working together until we know them better."

  "Aye aye, Captain Bloodwater," Johnny said for the sake of those leaving.

  Fala went through her explanation of the cups, then invited James to step forward. He poked through the unique items and chose a carved wooden loading stand for his pistol. It contained a drawer with cleaning supplies in silver bottles.

  Fala handed him the mugs. He scooped each full of gold and silver, then held them up toward the crew. They gave a mild cheer. When he dumped them back on the pile, they gave three cheers for Captain Bloodwater.

  He took his loading stand, then stepped aside. Dan chose a second pistol, but kept his mug of coins.

  Fala gestured at Mal to step forward. He pointed at the broken topmast and said, "This."

  "I don't understand, honey. Can you show us?" Fala asked.

  Mal made some whist noises at the root monsters and pointed a thumb up the mast. The monsters scurried up the rigging, then went to work. A piece of blue coral dropped. Mal caught it, and it was the size of a grapefruit. He held it toward Fala, "This."

  "Alright, honey, you can have that." She offered him the officer's mug, but he dropped the coral in his bag and stepped aside.

  The cashiering went on through the afternoon. Fala chose a nice officer's cutlass, then Don Velasco picked up his own blunderbuss. Johnny Jump Up selected a beautiful hunting rifle with folding leaf sights for different ranges.