Chapter 40
Port of Venito
The pirate ship was smaller than the Spirit of Taz but seemed to be more maneuverable. Rabar shouted orders in the Taz language and the crew sprang to the nets fastened to the masts. The pirate ship was running on an in-coming tide, closing fast. The Spirit of Taz had her anchor and shore boat already brought up. The Taz crew quickly hoisted one sail to help move their ship around to face the pirate ship and prevent being rammed broadside.
Both ships' crews began to shower one another with arrows trailing burning lines. The Taz seamen picked the arrows from the sails before they could burn large holes. Avor, high up in the rigging, directed his burning arrows to the tops of the pirate ship's sails where the pirate crew could not easily reach them.
Rabar waited until the pirate ship came along side before he gave the order to raise the big sail and the Spirit of Taz lurched forward, catching the wind.
The pirates were intent on throwing grappling hooks to pull the Spirit of Taz in close enough to be boarded. Electra and other women who were well enough to help, slapped the grappling hooks away in mid air with oars and long poles. The pirates were shouting in a language that Electra was glad she could not understand. Their facial expressions were frightening enough without the accompanying threats.
One pirate took a running jump and caught hold of the railing of the Spirit of Taz. Had he dropped his sword he might have been able to pull himself over the rail. He chose instead to hold on to his sword, dangling with one hand until one of the women pried his fingers up with an oar. He slid into the water between the ships.
Electra used her oar to try to push the pirate ship away but one of the pirates grabbed the end and tried to use it instead to pull the Spirit of Taz closer. The pirate was forced to let go when an arrow hit him in the shoulder.
Electra looked up at the rigging to see her brother smile.
The Spirit of Taz was almost clear of the pirate ship when the pirates managed to throw down a large plank attached to a grappling hook which caught the Spirit of Taz at its stern. The stern ends of the two boats were thus attached end to end and began to swing in a wide circle as the pirates all ran to the stern to jump on the plank and run across to board the Spirit of Taz.
A few pirates were already aboard the Spirit of Taz, fighting the crew hand to hand with swords and knives, when the two ships were halfway through their circling arc. Suddenly the wooden plank connecting the two ships exploded and the gap between the two ships began to widen.
The few pirates who had made it on board were now vastly outnumbered and most either jumped or were pushed into the water. Those pirates who had been on the plank when it exploded were done for.
All eyes searched for the source of the explosion. Avor shouted down from the mast.
"Down there on shore. Barburee archers with exploding arrows."
"Are they your three Fernland men?" Rabar shouted up to Avor.
Avor looked again, shielding his eyes. "No. Five men. Their clothes make them Barburee soldiers."
The pirate ship was making a wide turn, lining up for another pass at the Spirit of Taz. Rabar shouted up to Avor. "We have to head for the open sea. We can out run the pirates there."
Avor gave a salute to show he understood. Muller, Hilgard and Tandor were on their own if they made it to Venito. Rabar would have his hands full saving the ship and all aboard from the pirates.
Rabar put his ship on a tack to catch the wind and the pirate ship did the same. The pirate ship was smaller and faster but their sails had been more heavily damaged. For a time they seemed to be gaining on the Spirit of Taz, but when they reached the open sea, the pirate ship fell behind and finally veered off to return to Venito.
"That was too close," Electra said as she slumped down against the ship's rail.
"They are a villainous bunch," Rabar agreed. "Looking for hostages to ransom, no doubt."
"Avor and me."
"Very likely."
Electra stood up. "Have we any casualties?"
"I think nothing too serious. Perhaps you could check. I want to bring down our mainsail and repair it now we're in the clear."
Electra found three crewmen with arrow wounds and four with slash wounds. One of the men still had the arrow intact through his leg. She asked a crew member to cut the shaft close to the flesh so there would be less to pull through. After giving the man willow bark for the pain, she pulled the arrow out and bandaged the wound.
The other men only required stitches to close their wounds. As she made her rounds she found two new cases of scarlet fever among the children and moved them to a more isolated area of the cargo hold before treating them.
By the time Electra met Avor in the galley she was tired but feeling very fortunate to have escaped the pirates.
"It was us they were after," she told Avor.
Avor seemed still full of fight and bravado. "They will not make that mistake again."
Electra tried to relax and a shudder ran from her shoulders down her back. "They would have had us in the shallows if not for that lucky shot from the Barburee archers."
"That was not a lucky shot. Their long distance archers could shoot five times that distance," Avor insisted.
"With that much accuracy?" Electra was skeptical.
"It was a good shot, but not uncommon." Avor paused to reflect. "We must have those exploding arrows for Fernland. I wonder if Muller was successful in finding the white powder."
"What will they do, now we've left them stranded?" Electra closed her eyes briefly as though trying to imagine what they might do. "Do you think they will find another ship back to Fernland?"
"They have to. Without the exploding arrows, Fernland is at risk."
Electra looked at her brother and for the first time saw him as Fernland's future king.
Princess Electra Book 3 Gypsy Music Page 40
