Edward set his barrel down and helped Roberts drop the mount. Once it stood on solid ground, he glanced from it to the door leading outside. It looks to be just the right size. Perfect.
"So, what now?" Roberts asked as he caught his breath and rubbed his arms.
"Now we tie the gunpowder on the cannon mount, and move it to the front gate," he said before picking up one of the barrels again.
"You don't mean to…?" Roberts asked, looking at Edward with a stern expression.
Edward placed his barrel on top of the mount and held it there for a moment. "It's just a distraction. There should be enough time for the townsfolk to run away, and then we'll escape out the back and into the woods."
Roberts nodded at Edward's explanation and helped the other two place the other three barrels onto the cannon mount. They used rope from a nearby storage closet to tie everything down, and Edward placed fuses in each of the barrels. He took the fuses and tied them together beneath the centre of the mount so it was dangling on the ground.
After they finished, Anne and one of Edward's mates returned. They were sweating and breathing heavily.
"The back door is clear, Edward," Anne said. She looked between the three men at what no doubt looked like an odd contraption. "What is that?"
"It's what's going to get us out of here," Edward replied.
"Well, whatever you have planned, it must be done soon. They are about to clear the walls."
Edward walked over to the front door of the Bodden mansion and grabbed two lanterns. He turned one off and emptied the oil all over the mount. "Now, when I open the door, you must push that out as hard as you can. It needs to reach the gates."
Roberts nodded, and positioned himself behind their powder kegs on wheels. Edward placed his hand on the doorknob. Roberts bent his knees and put his shoulder on the mount.
"One, two… three!" Edward shouted as he opened the door.
Roberts pushed the cart forward with all his strength. The hundred-and-some pound bomb stood no match against the seven-foot-tall bear of a man. As he and the cart approached the door opening, he picked up speed. When he reached the opening the cart jumped over the threshold and bounced down to the stone walkway below. At the last second, he gave the cart one last shove with his shoulder. The cart tumbled down the walkway and smashed into the iron gate with a loud clang.
Edward took the burning lantern in one hand, reared back, and threw it as he had his sword not ten minutes ago. The lantern arched through the air, the tiny flame protected by glass. It landed just beneath the cart, and the glass shattered on impact. The oil spilled out from the lantern, and the tiny flame ignited it into a fair-sized blaze. The oiled wood of the cart attracted the fire, and before long it enveloped the mount.
The townsfolk saw the mount and the kegs and the flames and feared what would happen next. They ran away from the gate and the mansion, some trampling over each other to get farther away.
Edward waited until he saw the fuse ignite, and then closed the door. "Run!" he shouted.
His men, and his wife, ran through the Boddens' mansion to the back. Nassir and the other crewman carrying William did their best to keep up.
When they reached the back of the mansion, the thunderous roar of an explosion shook the walls. Screams, louder than before, filtered through from the outside.
Edward and the others left the mansion and continued their mad dash to escape. He kicked the back door open and held it for the rest of his friends. They ran through as quick as their tired legs would carry them. After Nassir and his helper were through with William, he rejoined them in their flight.
In front of them was a long stretch of cleared field, then grass followed by waist-high bushes, and only then did the forest start. Two hundred metres separated them from freedom, and it was the farthest two hundred metres Edward had ever had to travel in his life.
When he reached the grass, his legs were already burning. Halfway through the grass he was breathing heavily and his lungs were calling for more air than he could manage at such a pace. As they approached the waist-high bushes and shrubs, his body was pushing against him, telling him to stop. He couldn't help but slow down and look behind him, and when he did he noticed townspeople pointing in their direction.
"They've spotted us," he yelled between deep breaths.
Edward's group entered the woods and continued advancing as best they could amidst the branches, bushes, and roots. The dew of the morning wasn't helping either, adding slickness over the roots.
Nassir's foot caught on a spindly root, and he stumbled, nearly dropping William, but he held his grip firm. Edward helped Nassir up and they kept pressing onward, every so often glancing backwards. William, though still sleeping, didn't look well, and the travel was not helping.
Sweat beaded on Edward's forehead and cheeks. It slid down into his brows and beard, mixing with the blood and keeping it wet in his hair. He could feel the clingy moisture all over him, making his body heavy and his tongue thirst for water.
Edward could hear the townspeople behind them in the forest, but he couldn't see them when he glanced back, which was good. It meant they were also hidden.
Anne was leading the charge, taking them in a random route to best hide them. Edward could tell she was favouring the west to keep them in the woods yet still not far from Bodden Town. She was thinking ahead to when they would need to return to the Fortune once free of their pursuers.
William hindered their escape, and, if their angered shouts were any indication, the townspeople were catching up.
After they had been running for over an hour, there was a small rise of a hill which sloped to the south. Anne took them up it and travelled near the edge to give them a vantage point over their pursuers. When they reached the peak, Anne called a halt.
She motioned for everyone to kneel down, and she creeped over to the edge of the cliff. She went down on her stomach and crawled forward to get as close as she could.
Edward joined her cliffside. "What is it?" he whispered.
Anne pointed down to the forest below them, and Edward noticed some of the townspeople, this time with guns in hand. He recognised them as former militia-men. They were searching the area below. Now that Edward wasn't running, he was able to hear.
One of the men came upon the cliff, and let out a sigh. "Dammit all, we've been at this for hours and they keep getting away from us."
"It hasn't been hours," another replied. "They're around here somewhere, and they're bound to be tired. We'll catch them soon, you'll see."
"That's what you said twenty minutes ago."
The two men bickered for a moment until someone else came running through the trees to them. The two pointed their weapons at the newcomer until they noticed it was another townsperson.
"Need you… back in town…" the man sputtered through ragged breaths.
"We can't leave now, we've almost caught that bastard Blackbeard," the first man said. When his friend gave him a look he shrugged his shoulders.
The third man choked down air. "We need everyone back… some of the houses caught fire after that explosion."
"Fire?" the two men said, and then they started running back with the third.
Anne and Edward rose to their feet. "I suppose that explosion you caused was an even greater boon than we thought," Anne said.
"Yes, I suppose it is. I pray none were injured."
Edward said the words, but even as he said them he could tell he didn't feel it in his heart. He had been betrayed by the Boddens, yes, but he was also betrayed by his people. If they hadn't stormed the mansion the first time, or if they hadn't come back in the morning, this wouldn't have happened. He didn't feel any remorse for any loss of life that he caused; perhaps it was just for their betrayal.
Now that they didn't have to worry about being chased, they were able to rest and take their time heading back to shore. Edward was eager to see whether Roberts' crew knew what happened with the Queen Anne's Revenge. At the v
ery least he hoped that they knew where it went.
As they walked, Edward wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to dry his hair. The trees gave them no respite from the heat, and with it came flies. There was no end to the mosquitoes attacking him, despite his furious swatting. The buggers got everywhere, and he knew that soon he would itch all over.
Anne stayed back with William and did her best to feed him water while on the move. She kept his blanket and body secure in the stretcher, and even wiped the cold sweat off him. After happening upon a natural stream, she wet a cloth and placed it on his forehead.
After they had walked for an hour, heading southeast in a roundabout way back to Bodden Town, Edward and Roberts switched with Nassir and the other crewmen in carrying William. Edward was at the back, and Roberts at the front.
"He's gotten worse," Anne said.
"He has to get worse before he'll get better," Edward replied.
Anne stared daggers at him. "Does it not concern you in the slightest when one of your crewmates is on the verge of death?"
Edward scoffed. "Don't be so dramatic, woman," he said. She clenched her fist, and looked about to strike him. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "All I mean is that William is the strongest among us. He will make it through this. He's been through worse. Trust me, we shared a prison for almost a year."
Anne took a deep breath and unclenched her fist. "I hope you're right."
Everyone was quick to tire of walking. The flies were making a meal out of them all, and there was no end to them. The heat was oppressive, and seemed to be trapped beneath the forest's canopy. It was never this hot aboard the ship, at least not while on the weather deck. Perhaps in one of the lower decks from time to time, but Edward could escape from that. Here, he was stuck, and it was wearing on him.
Mercifully, after another hour, they were able to leave the forest. They were a mile out from Bodden Town on the lower west end, and quite near the harbour. When they reached open air, the sea breeze cooled them and renewed their spirits. Soon they would be on the Fortune; all they had to do was sneak into town and down to the harbour.
Edward and Roberts switched William back to Nassir and the other crewmate as they reached the edge of the forest. Upon stepping out from under the canopy, Edward's gaze first went to the harbour. He could see Fortune still docked, which lifted his spirits.
"Oh Father," Anne cursed.
Edward glanced at her, then followed her gaze. What he saw knocked him back a few steps as if he had been punched in the gut.
Towering flames reaching twenty or thirty feet high engulfed half of Bodden Town. The red and yellow inferno was taking over the town, and showed no signs of slowing. From Edward's small blaze, the entire town was being burned away.
Edward was stunned into silence. Despite his feelings on their betrayal, this was too much harm for retribution. The townspeople didn't deserve this. Not after they had already lost so much.
He also felt mourning over the work that he and his crew had put into the town. They had made it their own over the years, and it was all being destroyed in front of his eyes.
Roberts placed his hand on Edward's shoulder. "Come, there is nothing we can do to help them now," he said, pushing him forward.
Edward's steps became listless, and his gaze centred on the fire in the middle of town. The buildings soon covered his view, but they could hear the crackling and breaking of wood as the fire consumed the houses. It even felt hotter in town than outside, as if the heat from the blaze was able to reach them where they were.
No one was in the streets, so they were able to reach the pier in no time. In the centre of the pier, people had lined up in a human chain, passing buckets of seawater to each other in a futile effort to douse the flames. Others watched as their homes burned, either wide-eyed in shock or broken down in tears. More still were running around with their belongings in hand, boarding the only undamaged boats and ships to flee the devastation.
At the Fortune, a throng of people were pleading with the crew to let them aboard. Men, women, and children all tried to get aboard the ship, but the armed pirates kept them at bay. Hank was on the bow, looking at the people with sorrow clear in his eyes.
Roberts gave a loud whistle a few times to get Hank's attention. When Hank noticed and looked their way, he almost couldn't contain his excitement. He whispered orders to the crew, and twenty of them left the ship with muskets raised. Those twenty forced the begging crowd back. At the same time, men pulled in the mooring lines. Edward noticed the anchor had been raised already, so the lines were the only thing keeping the ship in dock.
As the crew pushed the citizens back, some fell off the pier and into the water. After a few minutes, they had moved back enough to allow Edward and the others to enter the pier and board. As quick as they could, Edward and his friends ran from their spot between the houses and up the pier and onto the ship. The twenty men with muskets followed them onto the ship.
After they were all aboard, the crew pulled the mooring lines in, and the ship floated away. Other crewmates tried to push the Fortune back with spars, but the townsfolk grabbed them and pulled on them.
Roberts motioned for Nassir to head downstairs to get William looked at by their surgeon.
Hank walked over. "Glad to have you back, Captain," he said.
"Let's save the pleasantries for later. Right now, let's get this ship moving."
Roberts' crew responded with a loud "Aye, Captain!" and got to work turning the ship around.
Some of the townsfolk jumped into the water and swam over to the ship as it was trying to leave. They clung to the sides, and tried to climb aboard. The crew pointed muskets at them to deter them, but some didn't stop. They had to throw a few families overboard, and kicked some men right off the side as they all screamed for their lives.
It took them twenty-some minutes to get the ship oriented and the sails to the wind, all the while dealing with desperate townspeople trying to board them to seek safer shores.
When it was over, Edward, Roberts, Anne, and Pukuh all flopped down on the deck, exhausted. Behind them, they could see in full the burning town they once knew as home. Somehow, distance made it appear not as bad it was, but Edward knew better. The town was gone forever. On the other hand, it had been gone well before the blaze took it. It was already gone the day Calico Jack attacked, and the day the Boddens betrayed him. They no longer had their safe haven, and now they too had to seek safer shores.
"What now?" Roberts asked.
"Now, we go after Herbert," Edward said. "I've lost my town. I will not lose my ship."
8. Influence
"All I'm asking is that you set aside some of your men to work during the night," Edward said. "I'll join them as well. I'm not asking them to do something for me that I wouldn't do for them."
"I am sorry, Edward. I will not have my crew run ragged to increase our speed by a whisker or two," Roberts replied.
Edward and Roberts were sitting in his cabin on opposite ends of a table. Roberts was drinking tea, holding the cup in his hands to stop it from spilling with the waves. The ship rocked up and down with the small ocean swells. Edward held his cup as well, but he was not yet interested in partaking of his host's hospitality.
"We lost hours in Bodden Town, and if we do not do this we will lose days. Herbert will be running my crew in shifts to keep the ship at top speed, and you don't know him as I do. His madness will drive him to coax more wind out of the sails than any other."
"I understand your desire, Edward, and I know what will happen, but this is all that we can do. We have a small crew, unlike yours. We can afford a few crewmates to watch the sails and warn of impending storms, but that is all."
"It doesn't have to be many more than that. I can—"
Roberts held up his hand, and Edward stopped his plea. "Let us move on to other business," he said. The look in Roberts' eyes told Edward to not say another word. He was slow to anger, but Edward could tell that he had pushed past what
was acceptable. "I am not one to be troubled over such things, but the crew has a right to know what you will do about their lost money. We, too, had invested in the town, and that was lost when you burned it to the ground."
"I will repay you all in full at a later date. There is some money aboard the Revenge, and we have yet to sell the plunder from our previous exploit. You may have all the profit from it instead of the half we agreed upon. That should put a dent in what we owe you."
Roberts nodded. "Aye, that it would. What say we call that even? I know the crew would not blame you for what happened, so I'm sure they will accept that as payment."
Edward leaned forward and finally sipped on his tea. "Thank you, Roberts. You are a true friend."
Roberts laughed. "You honour me. Truthfully, you have also done much for us. We are only returning the favour."
Edward shook his head. "No, it is more than that. You honor yourself by your actions. You could have left at any time, heading off to complete your revenge, but you didn't."
"Justice, Edward. Heading off for justice," Roberts said, lifting his cup.
"Yes, justice," Edward replied, lifting his cup as well.
Roberts took another sip of his tea, and then set it on the table with one hand holding the side. "I have to say, you have shit for luck."
Edward chuckled. "Perhaps," he said.
He glanced off to the bright interior of Roberts' quarterdeck cabin. The large windows and lanterns provided much light in the generous space. He could see the sea from the stern, churning and swirling in their wake.
"I cannot fathom what Herbert was thinking, nor how he convinced the crew to join him."
Roberts smirked. "He may have a bit of that Edward Thatch magic in him. A stirring speech and off they went," he said with the wave of his hand. "Something like that, perhaps?"
"Perhaps. I can't help but feel responsible somehow."
Roberts raised his brow. "How so?"
"I built my crew on one thought," he said, lifting his finger. "Freedom. Freedom to choose how we want to live our lives. Freedom from oppression. As you no doubt recall, as soon as we had our freedom, I called on my men to change that focus to revenge. Herbert's always wanted revenge on Calico Jack and his men, and gone to great lengths to get it. My shift in focus could have emboldened him to do this. He knew that your crew was still ashore, and that if anything happened you could come to our aid, and then follow after them. He's gone to such lengths just to gain a few days' head start on finding Calico Jack. For revenge. And, in a way, I taught him it was a good idea."
Blackbeard's Justice (The Voyages of Queen Anne's Revenge Book 3) Page 9
