Edward took one last glance at the warden, silently thanked Anne for her marksmanship, and returned to the dining chamber. "Right."
Anne ran to the west wall and kicked the door open. The west keep tower was a mirror image of the one on the east side. Weapons, stone stairs, an opening with rocks to throw, all there save for guards to use them.
"The guards must have been called down to the bottom of the keep or to the east side as reinforcements," William surmised.
Anne examined the western side of the castle through an arrow slit. "The bailey is clear too."
"That makes it easier for us." Edward headed down the stairs.
Edward, Anne, Sam, Henry, Charles and Edmond, and the remaining three prisoners out of seven, all ran down the stairs to the east side's set of identical double doors. The muffled sounds of gunshots and shouts could be heard from below, a small reminder of the battle being fought in the castle prison.
Edward pushed the doors open slowly on the off chance Anne missed something. A slight breeze was blowing across the castle walls imparting cold air on the small group as they trekked silently across the walkway.
The group moved into the depths of the west side of the castle to where the remaining prisoners were kept, and met no resistance along the way. The west side of the castle was eerily quiet, until they descended into the prison hold.
Through some sort of transference, the prisoners on the west end knew something was amiss. They were yelling and hollering obscenities so fierce and foul that Edward cringed. He could make no distinction between the mentally competent and unstable.
Edward did not spend any time dwelling on the situation. He took his golden sword and began slashing at the locks and bars. They cracked open with the force of the mysterious golden blade. The metal of the cutlass was far superior to the iron locks and bars.
Even so, Edward was in a weakened state, and after a few locks were broken his arm was tired from the strain.
"Here, let me take over," Henry offered. "You rest." Henry took the golden sword and continued freeing prisoners, eventually descending steps to do the same for the more dangerous ones.
Edward sat down, leaning against the wall of the prison, and closed his eyes whilst rubbing his arm. As much as he detested the prison, he felt oddly tranquil against the familiar stone wall.
A hand caressed his shoulder. "We're almost there, Edward," Anne said, her words bringing Edward strength.
Edward kissed Anne's hand. "I'm already there, Anne."
A flood of the oddest criminals ran up the steps, most notably a man both taller than Edward and larger in build than Henry, a hulk of a man with long chains dragging behind him from his arms and feet. A smaller man was atop his hunched shoulder, guiding the large man forward.
Henry returned from the deep soon after the large man passed by. Edward rose back up from his rest. "Ready?" Henry asked, offering the golden cutlass back to Edward. He accepted the weapon and nodded.
When Edward, Henry, and Anne returned to the main level of the bailey they could see the freed prisoners raiding another weapon storehouse on the north end of the courtyard. After loading up on weapons, some headed up the stairs, while others advanced to the inner courtyard through the east door. Sam was sitting down, munching on salted meat with nary a care in the world, beside Charles and Edmond.
Edward strode up the stairs and his crew followed soon after. Despite Edward's ragged appearance he was the image of a fearsome sea captain in his familiar black leather coat that reached to his knees and a tricorn hat.
"Forward, men! Release the drawbridge so we are rid of this prison!" Edward yelled to as he pointed his golden sword. The prisoners responded with hoots and hollers, and followed him to the north of the castle.
As Edward made his way across, the guards in the courtyard fired at him. Edward ducked down, but continued moving forward, while other prisoners retaliated.
Edward could see in the courtyard a wide open space with stables for horses, stations for the guards' quarters, and wagons of supplies. In the centre was a large fountain surrounded by a cobblestone road for horse-drawn carriages. Everywhere in the courtyard prisoners were fighting with guards, either out in the open or behind cover taking pot shots at each other. The courtyard was a mess of bodies, but Edward knew the prisoners outnumbered the guards.
Guards flew up the stairs of the northern bailey and met the prisoners as they reached the end of the walkway. Edward ducked below the bailey's inner curtain wall while the prisoners with muskets shot at the few guards and continued on.
Edward was about to descend the stairs, but noticed Anne climbing the outer curtain wall with a rifle. "What are you doing, Anne?"
Anne ignored Edward for a moment and searched the north-west field in front of the castle. When Anne found what she was seeking, she took a few deep breaths and fired the rifle.
"I signalled our transportation," Anne stated, jumping down from the curtain wall. "In the event we cannot escape as originally intended, the cavalry will pick us up." Anne dashed to the stairs and started her descent.
"Who is in this cavalry?" Edward asked, following Anne.
Anne turned and grinned. "You'll see."
In the lower level, the guards were being beaten to death by the prisoners. The security was lax, and Edward suspected the guards were spread too thin to gain control again.
Edward handed his sword to Henry to free the last of the prisoners in the northwest bailey before he followed Anne to a small alcove with the drawbridge lever. When Edward and Anne reached the alcove, the sudden dismay over what they saw sent chills down their spines and a wave of hopelessness washed over them.
"The lever is broken," Anne observed.
The wooden lever was cracked at the base and the mechanism underneath completely broken apart. One of the guards had had the forethought to break the lever sometime in the middle of the escape.
"Is there a moat? We could jump in and swim across."
"No, the moat was considered unnecessary and dried up after the castle was turned into a prison. We could take the original exit through the latrine hole, but I am afraid the old man Charles would not make the drop without injury and the hole is too small to carry him."
"What about rope?" Edward offered.
"I saw none in the armoury." Anne paused in contemplation, her hand on her chin, biting her thumb. "There is no other way. Someone must climb over the curtain wall and shoot the chains holding the drawbridge in place."
Edward ran his fingers through his hair. "Now the question is who."
"I can!" Edmond offered with glee, and without waiting for an answer he ran up the stairs of the bailey.
"No! Edmond, wait! It's too dangerous!" Edward yelled after him, but the young boy paid no attention.
Edward and Anne ran after Edmond, who was already at the top of the steps as they reached the bottom. As quickly as Edward and Anne could manage, one being physically weak and the other injured, they ran up the stone steps to the top of the castle. Edmond was atop the wall and making his way to the middle where the drawbridge was.
"Edmond, get down from there," Edward commanded.
"I'll be fine, Edward!" the boy asserted with the bravado natural to youth.
Edward let out a grunt of frustration and climbed the curtain wall along with Edmond. Edward tried his best to catch up with the youngster and stop him, but the little one gained too much of a head start.
Edmond was at the middle of the curtain wall when he stopped and peered over the edge. From the corner of his vision, Edmond noticed Edward trying to walk across the edge of the wall to catch him, and when Edmond turned further he could see the sun.
The bullet ripped past Edmond's cheek. He lost his footing and fell over the curtain wall, heading to the rocky ground below. Edward leaped towards Edmond, his arm outstretched. Edmond extended his own arm in an attempt to make contact. The tips of their fingers touched and slipped apart, and Edmond continued to fall. Edward watched, the ho
rror in his heart mirrored in Edmond's eyes.
Like a flame flickering as it is being blown out, grasping for life, Edmond's hands tried frantically to grab onto something. The boy's fingers found the drawbridge. Edmond held fast to a slight, overhanging lip of wood, either from a design flaw or the loosening of the mechanism over the years.
Edward let out a sigh on seeing Edmond's falling motion cut short. "Are you well, Edmond?"
Edmond, after a few breaths and a securing of his grip, laughed from the heart. "See? I told you I'd be fine." Edmond grinned. With Edmond's added weight, and the jolt of the fall, the slight opening of the drawbridge became larger. Edmond was able to see into the small gap. "I can see the chains." Edmond felt around his body while hanging from the drawbridge, but all his weapons he had been carrying had fallen to the ground. "Toss me a gun, Edward," the boy demanded.
Seeing no other way, Edward motioned for a pistol from Anne. She passed one on and he let the pistol fall into the outstretched hand of the young Edmond.
Edmond reached the pistol into the small gap only his hands could fit into and fired at the chain holding the drawbridge. The side Edmond was on lurched forward and the chain was severed. While Edward retrieved another pistol, Edmond moved inch by inch across the drawbridge to the other side. Edward moved as well, staying low to avoid being shot, and when Edmond was ready Edward dropped the pistol into his hand.
"Now, you must be careful because the drawbridge is going to—" Edward started to say, but he was cut off by the shot of the pistol.
The drawbridge fell to the ground with Edmond hanging onto the edge. The rocky moat and grassy edge were closing in by the second. Edmond turned his head to see where he was headed, the gut reaction overpowering the mind's knowledge. The thick and heavy wooden planks could easily crush the boy in two, and was nearing its promise. Edmond pushed away from the drawbridge with his feet, leaping backwards off the planks. He landed on his back, hard, and rolled away as the drawbridge crashed loudly in front of his feet.
"Edmond!" Edward yelled.
Edmond was on the ground, his small frame heaving with coughs and spasms of pain, but he was eventually able to give a thumbs-up. After a few seconds, Edmond rose from the ground and then began looking around.
What is he searching for? Edward pondered, watching the boy intently.
Before Edward could ask, his eyes caught something around the bend of the sloping road. Two somethings, in fact. They were carriages, each drawn with four horses, travelling at break-neck speed. The driver's and passenger's faces were obscured, but Edward had a fairly good idea of whom they were.
Edward ran back to the bailey, down the stairs, and into the courtyard with Anne following as the carriages raced into the castle. The drivers pulled the carriages around the whole of the fountain while firing upon the guards, save one passenger who threw knives and a spear. After closing the whole circuit the carriages stopped close to the exit.
Edward ran to the front carriage with Anne, Henry, and Sam still carrying his charge, Charles, behind him. The driver and passengers of both carriages pulled back their hoods, revealing their faces. "Herbert, Nassir!" Edward exclaimed.
The one called Herbert was a young man with glasses, and a strong upper body. In quite the contrast, his lower body was small and thin. He normally was in a wheelchair, navigating at the helm of the Freedom with unparalleled skills.
Nassir was a large, middle-aged negro with a shaved head and a thick African accent. His eyes were dark, and could contain boundless fury, but he was a kind man. He worked as carpenter aboard the Freedom, doing necessary repairs after each battle and in between. His experience was a valuable asset in keeping the ship afloat.
Edward's gaze turned to the second carriage. "John, Pukuh!" More comrades of his former life, arrived to save him.
"Captain," Herbert said, "your chariot awaits."
4. The Chase
Edward, Anne and William joined the second coach with John and Pukuh at the reins, while Henry, Sam, Edmond and Charles entered the first. As quickly as they arrived, and before any other prisoners jumped aboard, the carriages were sent back out the castle.
The sounds of battle cries, gunshots, and death throes could be heard a ways down the road before being overshadowed by the sound of the wheels against the earthy ground.
The carriages passed by small rolling hills with light grass and eventually into a forest with a wide road and well-worn path. Poplars decorated the entrance of the forest and quickly turned to birch and beech. The trees passed Edward's vision in a blur before he could catch glimpse of the branches.
Edward's face was beaming as he gazed upon the outside world for the first time in a year. I wonder what the expression on Edmond's face is.
"Happy to finally be free?" Anne asked, directing her question to both Edward and William.
"I am happy when you are, Your Highness," William replied with a slight bow.
Edward cringed. "William, don't bow until you shave. Being formal looks… odd… when you have a beard as full as mine." William ignored the comment.
Edward held Anne's hand. "I too am filled with joy, but I will not truly be free until I have the Freedom back," Edward said, referring to his ship. His free hand glided over his coat pocket, to the letter left by the previous owner. No, not yet. Edward moved his hand away.
"We have a plan to retrieve the ship as well. For now, we can rest until we return to the inn we reserved." Anne leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
"How is your arm?" Edward asked, leaning forward to inspect. The wound had long since stopped bleeding, but Anne's arm was caked with dried blood. Edward also noticed she was as pale as a summer cloud, and sweating.
"I will be fine. Rest, Edward," she insisted.
I will let Anne alone. She needs this more than I.
Edward opened the carriage door and peered outside. He stepped onto a metal lip covering the wheels, then closed the door. Edward carefully stepped up to the coachbox, where Pukuh and John sat.
Pukuh, a six-foot-four muscular Mayan warrior, sat stoically, staring at the road ahead. He was intensely tan with long, deep brown hair which swayed in the wind. His strong jaw and fierce eyes painted the pure picture of a fighter. War Chief of his Mayan city where his father ruled as King, Pukuh left with Edward to learn more about the world so he too could be King one day.
"Brother!" Pukuh exclaimed joyfully, pulling Edward in for a hug. After a few seconds Pukuh pushed Edward back and examined him, his mouth a hard line. "You look weak."
Edward laughed. "Nice to see you too. I assumed you would have returned home after what happened."
"In fact I did. The crew were defeated, body and spirit. Henry and Anne both brought most everyone back together with much difficulty. Some are still missing, but all here are loyal to the man who gave them Freedom."
Edward smiled. "Good to hear. John, how are you holding up?"
John, a plump man with glasses, held the reins of the carriage and focused on the road ahead, as well as on the companion carriage. John was of nervous disposition when stressed in conversation, but on the battlefield no man was as calm. John had joined Edward from the beginning when Edward wanted to be a whaler. He had called Edward's father captain once, on a whaling vessel as well, before Edward's father disappeared.
"Oh, right as rain Captain. We have you back, and now our Freedom's all we've left to st-steal."
Pukuh's head shot up and he peered to the road ahead. "What's wrong?" Edward asked.
"We are soon to be joined by others," Pukuh replied, his brow low and his eyes and body shifting to see his unknown 'others.'
"More of the crew?" Edward asked.
"No, we are not to meet any on this road." Pukuh pulled out a spear but kept it hidden.
Edward leaned back and knocked on the door to the carriage. William opened the window of the door with a questioning expression. "Someone is approaching. Pass me a musket, if we have any. Prop open the door so I have some co
ver."
Anne opened her eyes, still heavy as they were, and rose from her seat. "No, we may be able to talk our way out of this. Get inside." As Edward complied, Anne pulled up the cushion and revealed a storehouse of weapons and clothes. Anne donned a red longcoat of impressive make.
The ride went undisturbed for several minutes until the horses slowed. The noise diminished as the carriage eventually drew to a halt, leaving the clop of the restless horses and the sounds of animals in the forest for them to hear.
Edward opened the window of the carriage and could hear people talking with Herbert. He started to rise, but Anne stopped him.
"Wait, Edward. I shan't need more than a moment."
Anne counted off the seconds in her head before she opened the door of the carriage and strode out in a huff.
What is she doing? Edward began following Anne, but was stopped by William.
"I believe it would be more prudent to let Her Highness handle this for now," William recommended, to which Edward yielded and sat back down.
"What is the meaning of this delay?" Anne yelled.
In front of Anne were thirty men on horseback, the local militia of the town closest to the castle, on horseback. They had no special uniform, but carried swords and an assortment of flintlock weapons at their hips.
"We stopped you because…"
"Because why? We are travelling a road passed by travellers every day? Because you assumed we were common merchants and wished to purchase our supplies? Out with it, man!"
The militia man was fearful that Anne was someone of importance, and if he knew the truth the conversation could be quite different. "The castle Gammond down yonder sent a raven telling of a riot needing reinforcements."
Anne rubbed her palm over her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Then what, pray tell, are you doing wasting time with us? Not only are you delaying our journey, but you are allowing criminals to run free in the prisons. Off with you before you ruin anything else!" Anne pointed to the road leading to the prison.
Blackbeard's Revenge (Voyages Of Queen Anne's Revenge Book 2) Page 4
