William and Anne glanced at Edward and then at Robert with confused expressions.
"I always believed in your innocence, Edward. Always," Robert said, his back straight, but his eyes still in shock.
"Until now?" Edward asked. Robert didn't answer. "What say you forget what you saw, for an old friend?"
Robert's eyes filled with anger. "How dare you put me in this position, Edward? You too, Henry. If we were any bit friends you would know I cannot do what you request."
Edward closed his eyes and sighed. "I know, but our distraction should be here soon, and you need make a decision: Either cause your two best friends to be captured and imprisoned, or give us Freedom."
Robert, not having witnessed the transformation of his friend as Henry did, was even more shocked by the betrayal and devious nature of what Edward was doing. "What happened to you, Edward?"
"People such as yourself happened," Edward replied coldly.
The sound of a cannonball being fired rang out across the harbour. Robert, Edward and the crew turned their gaze to the sound. The distraction had started.
Edward used the opportunity and punched Robert hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. Several crewmen grabbed Robert and stuffed his mouth with cloth while tying him up. The utter hatred in Robert's eyes towards Edward and Henry was overwhelming. Henry turned away, but Edward stared straight at Robert. Edward would not recoil from what he was doing, what he was becoming. He owed Robert that much.
After Robert was tied up, Edward turned away. "Let's go," he commanded.
The crew boarded the ship, but Henry lingered, glancing back and forth between Robert and Edward. Eventually he too boarded the Freedom.
Robert writhed and thrashed on the ground. Rage filled his eyes as he struggled against the bonds. He eventually managed to spit out the gag.
"What happened to our promise, Edward? Henry? Weren't we to meet again when our dreams were fulfilled?" Robert yelled as the ship was pushed out. "What happened to being a whaler? What happened to your dream, Edward? Huh? What happened?" Robert screamed as he lay on his side, the bonds keeping their hold on him.
Edward, watching from the poop deck, replied, "Dreams change."
8. The Cost of Freedom
Freedom was pushed out of the dock and into Fareham Lake. The wind was in their favour, heading southwest and allowing them to travel through the lake with ease.
"Set sail!" Edward yelled. The sails were let out and Freedom began moving. "Close-haul us south, Herbert. Let's help the Fortune and get out of here."
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Herbert replied, sitting in his wheelchair at the helm.
The men of the Freedom removed the marine disguises. Edward donned his captain's clothing, and William and Henry both removed their commanders' vests, leaving their white tunics on.
Pure pandemonium enveloped the docks. Citizens were clambering left and right, running out of their houses and trying to move as far away from the water as possible. The marines were trying desperately to man their ships, and failing due to the ship circling and firing on them in the harbour.
Edward's friends, the "distraction" he mentioned earlier, were pirates met long before Edward was imprisoned. On the right side of the other ship's black flag was a picture of a man holding the top of an hourglass and on the left the skeleton of Death held the bottom of the hourglass. The ship's name was the Fortune, and the captain's name was Bartholomew Roberts.
Edward and crew had met the giant Welsh Bartholomew and his crew after being caught in a particularly violent storm and landed on an uninhabited island. The Freedom had helped the Fortune out of a troubling situation with marines, and the crews became fast friends.
There, Edward and Bartholomew created the Pirate Commandments, a code each man on board must swear by and uphold. Bartholomew was a devout Christian and the idea for the commandments had struck Edward when he noticed the Bible Bartholomew carried.
In Fareham Lake, the Fortune was firing cannonballs at the marine ships in the harbour. Fortune was circling around to send another volley when the Freedom let out its sails. The Fortune fired all their cannons at the marine ships, and sailed ahead of the Freedom.
"Ready port and starboard cannons!" Edward commanded. When travelling south, port faced the marine ships. Starboard, however…
"Why are we firing starboard, Edward? There are no ships," Henry said, still in shock from what they had done to Robert.
"If we destroy those buildings, the soldiers who are about to show up could be slowed by forcing them to help the citizens."
"Those are innocent people, Edward! How can you justify attacking them?"
"Oh, so you are fine with attacking the marines then?" Edward said, his utter calm piercing Henry to the core. "And what about the prison guards? The thought of saving me was enough to justify killing them, so think of this as the same, and set your mind at ease." Henry was dumbstruck with Edward's cold comments, and ceased his objections.
The Freedom arrived at the first of two marine ships. "Fire!" Edward yelled. The cannons let loose on the marine ship at dock and at the buildings across the lake. The ship, a frigate like the Freedom, was blasted once more as the crew tried to board and counter. The buildings were hit directly, the cannonballs ripping through their feeble structure, sending them falling apart to ruin. The inhabitants nearby ran from the chaos screaming.
Henry knew some of those men, women, and children would die, and the realisation haunted his step. He could not move as he watched the anarchy unfold before his eyes.
The marines returned fire against the Freedom, and the second ship attacked the Fortune. A few of the cannonballs hit the Freedom directly, sending splinters of wood flying, and injuring some of the crew.
Soldiers entered from the west, opposite the marines ships, and also fired upon the pirates. Bullets rained down on the two crews, but they kept fighting.
Before the marine ships could be manned and the sails let loose, the Freedom and Fortune both passed by. The two ships, Crown and Ruby, quickly brought their crew aboard and lay in a pursuit course for the pirate ships.
The Fortune and Freedom were approaching a small canal before their exit of Portsmouth. Two obstacles stood in their path: At the mouth of the canal were the army's defence line of cannons and two dozen men, and to the west, the marine ships in dry dock, unharmed as of yet. The docks were filling with water and the ships were being loaded with men and readied to deploy.
Edward unsheathed his sword for display, standing with one foot on the quarterdeck railing and holding onto a rigging line with his other hand. "This battle isn't over yet, men! Let's show them what real men are capable of." The crew's morale was boosted and they shouted their agreement.
The scene, if gazed at from above, would be akin to a small skirmish, a light battle between a few ships and nothing more. But, when viewed from the harbour or on one of the ships, it was hellish.
The Fortune was feeling the brunt of the attack as it led the charge through the canal. The soldiers stationed at the small fortresses fired their cannons on the pirates, and the Fortune repaid them in kind.
The Freedom was passing the dry docks when one of the marine ships, the Reserve, left the dock and headed straight for Freedom's stern. "Fire starboard!" Edward commanded. The bombardment didn't deter the Reserve as most of the shots missed or glanced off the front. "Brace for impact!"
The Reserve slammed into the tail of the Freedom, sending her off course. The jolt and resulting spin sent a few unlucky men of the crew to the floor of the ship. The two ships were then locked together side by side in the middle of the wide canal.
The marines sent over grappling hooks over the side of the larger Freedom. Men in blue uniforms swung over on ropes to the enemy ship and attacked. The starboard broadsides of the two ships fired at will upon each other, opening holes, breaking cannons, and breaking bodies.
"Cut those lines!" Edward yelled as he used his golden cutlass to cut one of the grappling hooks
off of the Freedom's starboard railing.
Pukuh threw a spear at a marine swinging across. The spear hit the man in the chest and he fell to the sole of Freedom with a thud. Pukuh unsheathed a knife and ran to the starboard railing, jumping and rolling over and through pirates and marines, and cut one of the hooks keeping the Freedom pinned.
William kicked a marine in the sternum. The marine coughed once and fell over unconscious. William gripped the rope of one of the hooks and pulled with all his strength, bracing himself against Freedom's railing. The hook went slack, and William threw it into the water with a grunt.
Anne, up in the crow's nest, aimed her powerful rifle at one of the hooks. The bullet hit straight through the middle of the rope. The twine unravelled and snapped with the strain.
Sam didn't pay attention to Edward's orders and jabbed at two marines with his cutlass, using the blade like a fencing sword. They deflected the blows. Sam took the cutlass in two hands and reared back to strike. The marines concentrated too hard on the jabs and were caught unawares. Sam knocked the swords away from the marines, bent his knees, turned the sword around, and swung the other way. He sliced open the marines' stomachs and they fell, dead.
The Fortune, noticing Freedom's trouble, turned the ship around after destroying some of the cannon fortresses at the mouth of the canal. The second ship in dry dock, Assistance, was just emerging as the Fortune rammed her.
Herbert's sister, Christina, was watching the scene unfold and relayed the information to her brother. Being her clever self, she told Herbert to turn the ship hard to port. Christina could see what the Fortune was planning to do and how Freedom could help.
The Fortune pushed Assistance into the side of the dock. Assistance's stern swung out and hit the other side of the dock. With the pressure of the Fortune on the other ship's bow and no way to move, the wood beams on the bow snapped.
Water immediately filled the hull of the marines' ship, and it began sinking with each drop. The crew jumped off and into the water, or swam out the hole if they could. The few marines at the broken bow jumped onto the Fortune and fought the pirates of Bartholomew's crew, but were easily dispatched.
The Fortune moved from the decapitated Assistance and its starboard broadside was now facing the tangled mess of Freedom and the Reserve. Herbert, under Christina's instruction, turned the ship hard to port, causing the Reserve to be parallel to the Fortune.
Bartholomew Roberts, seven feet tall, with burly arms and chest, smiled at the sight before him. "God is truly with us, and Fortune favours us this day, men! Fire starboard!"
The Fortune fired all her starboard cannons at the Reserve. The large iron balls ripped through the hull of the Reserve, killing, maiming, and destroying with each shot. With the Freedom's volleys opposite Fortune, Reserve was sufficiently pumped full of holes. The Reserve took on water and after Freedom's crew released themselves from the grappling hooks the Reserve retreated.
Freedom joined with Fortune and the two ships continued to the mouth of the canal. The Crown and the Ruby were in pursuit, damaged, but not as badly as the Reserve and Assistance. The enemy ships were far behind now, and being a weightier class than the Fortune and the Freedom they were at a disadvantage with speed.
The final obstacle was at the mouth of the canal. More soldiers and backup gunners had arrived since the Fortune helped the Freedom out. The gunners manned and aimed cannons along the harbour at the two ships.
"Forward unto Freedom!" Edward yelled, his cutlass high in the air, and the cry was heard across both ships.
Bartholomew repeated the charge, "Forward unto Freedom!" to his crew. Others among the crew chanted the simple but effective war cry. The two crews quickly became in sync with each other and the sound of the battle cry could be heard by the army at the mouth of the canal as the ships approached.
"Attack!"
Cannonballs flew through the air, bullets drove from their guns, men cried out, and pandemonium ensued. The two groups warred with neither side giving up, but the ones standing still were forced to lose. In a few short minutes the Freedom and the Fortune passed through the mouth of the canal and left the army behind. The cannons kept sounding off, and the marine ships kept pursuing, but the ships were too slow to catch up.
After the pirate ships passed the threshold, and they were a safe distance from the cannons and muskets, the crews of the two ships erupted in a cheer of unparalleled joy. Their captain, whom they went to such lengths for, was now free, and they were a family again.
Edward grinned as he turned his gaze to the Fortune. He saw Bartholomew Roberts on the quarterdeck of his own ship, clapping and smiling. Edward took off his tricorn hat and bowed deeply to the man who was, without a doubt, the sole reason they were able to escape today. Bartholomew returned the bow in kind.
The ships separated, as had been the plan from the beginning, the Fortune heading northeast to wherever the wind would take them. The Freedom was headed southwest, then back to the Caribbean, performing repairs along the way.
At least, that was the plan, before tragedy struck.
After they had separated from the Fortune, Anne ran to Edward with a grave expression on her face. "We have twenty-two injured and three dead."
"Poor souls. We will conduct a funeral service tonight in their honour. John?" Edward said, turning to the quartermaster. "Make sure the names of the men are written down so we may send their families some coin." John nodded.
"Edward, you should see the men," Anne suggested, pulling his attention back.
"Yes." Edward's face was solemn as he treaded to his fallen friends.
A crowd surrounded the bodies. Edward touched shoulders and pulled others aside so he could reach the centre. Edward mentally prepared himself for when he saw the bodies, but it was far worse than he imagined.
Nassir was knelt down, clutching a body, tears streaming down his face. The body was his fifteen-year-old boy, Ochi. He had taken multiple bullet wounds and died from his injuries.
The only sounds were the hissing wind, the flapping of the sails, and the slow sobs of Nassir. No one could offer words of consolation to Nassir; the crew could only watch the awkward spectacle and search for words which would never be uttered.
Someone pushed through the crowd to Edward's side. Christina emerged beside him to view the scene. Her eyes widened in disbelief at what she saw, and then slowly narrowed as the truth and shock sank in. The young man she had grown so close to was dead in front of her. She caressed a carved wooden rose around her neck.
Christina tried to take a step, her eyes focused on Ochi, the crew's focused on her, but she collapsed into Edward's arms. Edward eased Christina to the floor of the ship, holding her close as she watched Ochi's lifeless body. Tears fell silently down her cheeks, her fingers still on the carved rose.
Fingers quickly turned into a fist, and silence into screams.
9. Resolve
Nassir peered from his sorrow to see the crew around him, watching. He saw Edward and his eyes filled with rage. Nassir set his son down and rose up to his full height. "You are the cause of this!" he yelled to Edward.
Anne, beside Edward, took charge of the situation. "Nassir, please, how is Edward the cause of this? Did he shoot the gun?"
"No, but he caused the gun to be loaded. He is equally at fault for this!" Nassir pointed at Edward.
Edward gently pulled Christina off of him. Still in grief, anger was far from Christina's mind. "As Anne said, I did not kill your son. We are here today because of me, and I am partly to blame as my weakness caused these men to die, but none were forced to be here."
Nassir reared back and punched Edward in the face, sending him to the deck. "My son is dead and you blame him? Blame me?"
Despite Nassir's anger, Edward remained calm. He slowly lifted himself back up, but stayed sitting. "I am not blaming anyone but myself. I was merely stating that everyone is here of their own volition and knew the dangers. I do not believe I am the one you should be focusin
g your anger on. However, if this will help you ease your pain…" Edward closed his eyes, waiting for what was about to happen.
"Now you mock me?" Nassir punched Edward again and again, but Edward did not fight back. Anne, along with many others, could do nothing but turn away at the bitter display. Nassir's punches slowed and weakened until he gripped the clothing on Edward's chest and shook him. Edward hadn't moved since Nassir started. "Ochi, my son!" Nassir cried, sobbing into Edward's chest.
Jack pulled Nassir off Edward and embraced him silently.
Several minutes of agonising silence passed. Jack consoled Nassir, Anne consoled Christina, and the crew watched mutely, unable to help those who were hurting the most.
"We will perform a funeral service tonight," Edward whispered, rising to his feet.
"I do not want my son to burn. He will be buried in NiTalaa at my home of Calabar. If you do not take me I will go myself."
"We will take you, Nassir."
Henry emerged at Edward's call and, with Jack's help, Henry took Nassir downstairs to the crew cabin. Anne took Christina down as well, and she stayed with them for a bit. Edward went to the helm to tell Herbert the news.
Herbert was still unaware of what had occurred as the crowd, and his height disadvantage in his wheelchair, had prevented him from observing the scene. "What happened?"
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, Herbert, but Ochi has passed in the fight."
Herbert's eyes, so similar to his sister's, at first held disbelief, but quickly grew wide with urgency. He abandoned the helm, climbed down to the waist, then crawled to the lower decks.
Edward manned the helm as some of the men returned to work and others wrapped Ochi's body. The earlier victory was marred by the tragedy, and morale was low.
That night the Freedom was let to drift and held a funeral service. The two crewmen who passed on were put in a small boat on the starboard side. Ochi was wrapped in cloth and placed on a wooden platform beneath the quarterdeck.
"We are gathered here to honour and remember the dead," Edward said. "They lost their lives defending us, and our being here is thanks to their sacrifice. They are gone, but we remain. Their dreams remain, their families remain, their regrets remain."
Blackbeard's Revenge (Voyages Of Queen Anne's Revenge Book 2) Page 9
