Kasey ran straight to me and hacked the bed post in half with his axe. The moment I was free he picked me up. Sterling pointed to the busted glass door, shouting for Kasey to take me out that way. Kasey carried me towards the shattered exit. As he plowed through the flaming chaos I shrieked, “I can’t swim!”
“Bentley came by boat,” he assured.
Amidst the raging brawl now filling the room, one of Derouex’s men knocked Kasey over. Upon our fall, my face scraped against the lavish rug on the floor. Quickly I arose. Seeing one of Derouex’s men charging at me, I hit him across the face with my cuff chains. As his head whipped to the side I pushed his limp weight into the man behind him and tried to run towards Sterling. My stride was halted by the sound of another ship coming alongside us. Hearing their roaring shouts echoing through the night as they boarded, I wondered if they were friend or foe. How much better, or worse was this about to get?
Just as I caught my balance, someone knocked me down. Through the smoke suffusing the rumbling room, I saw Derouex Baudin charging at me, bloody dagger in hand. The hate in his eyes was unstoppable. It was too late to run. He was going to kill me. Closing my eyes, I said a prayer and covered myself for the blow.
A hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me out of the way.
Lynden had saved my life.
When I saw the blade that would have ended my existence stab into the wooden floor, I screamed like Kathleen. Derouex’s will to kill me was so intense he fell over with the force. Before his body hit the deck Sterling kicked him across the face. Blood splattered out of his mouth as he flew back from the blow. Just as Sterling was about to finish him off, someone grabbed me by the hair and yanked me towards the door.
Neglecting his opportunity to kill Derouex, Sterling ran towards me but someone blocked his attempt to save me. Losing sight of Sterling in the smoke-filled room, I kicked and flailed under the hold of my most recent captor. Whoever the hell he was he managed to drag me outside. The misty night air cleansed my polluted lungs. Heaving with relief, I saw Faron Flynn charging at the man who had me by the hair. Faron crashed into him with tremendous force. With the man’s hand tangled in my hair I fell to the floor with them.
He continued to hold onto my hair as they wrestled about. Soon enough Faron ran him through with his sword. Though I was mortified by the up-close sound of ripping flesh and the sight of splattering blood, I was ever so relieved when the nameless villain finally let loose of me.
As Faron pulled the wet, crimson blade out of the dead man’s stomach, someone else ran up behind him with a bloody cutlass brandished. There was no time for Faron to defend himself. I was sure I was going to watch him die. Yet, in the glow of the blazing fire that was raging up the bulkhead behind me, I saw a knife fly throw the air and pierce the charging man’s throat. Gagging, painfully, he lost his momentum. Mary Daley hit him over the head with her pistol. My jaw dropped with dumbfounded admiration as she ripped her bloody knife out of the dead man’s throat.
Before I could say anything to her, someone grabbed me from behind. Coming to my feet, I turned around ready to smash yet another assailant’s face with my cuff chains, but to my greatest relief, it was Sterling. I was so glad I didn’t hit him.
The side of his face was covered in blood, and he had a terrible welt under his eye, but his expression was stone as he stoutly demanded, “Hold on to my coat and don’t let go.”
Grabbing on with all my might, I stayed right behind him as he slashed through the crowd of men with his cutlass. Faron was just as fierce walking next to me with his double blades and Mary was behind me, ready to take on the world with her knife and pistol club. The moment we reached the open deck, Faron called for his men to retreat. He ordered Mary to leave first. She saluted her captain and swung across to their ship.
As I watched her and the other men from Faron’s crew breeze across the gap on their lines, Sterling wrapped my cuffed hands around his neck and told me to hold on. We were going to survive. He saved me and we were together…
My delirious bout of ecstasy was brashly extinguished by another horrific sight. In the billowing glow of firelight I saw Derouex run his sword through Mister Shark’s back. I screamed with heartbreaking terror as Shark fell to his death. As I jumped and cried in Sterling’s arms he lost his grip on the line in his hand.
Derouex came charging after us.
Passing me off to Faron, Sterling met Derouex’s bloody blade just in the nick of time. Blocking the demonic villain’s course for me, Sterling hollered at Faron, “Get her out of here. Leave me if you have to, but guard her life with yours.”
Faron reeled me in with his large arms. I fought against his grip as he grabbed the line. I wanted to stay and help Sterling fight, but there was no escaping Faron’s hold on me.
There were only a few men left battling in the drizzle of rain. As we took flight I saw Sterling and Derouex’s swords gnashing together with pure hatred sparking between them. There was lightning flashing, thunder roaring, and smoke billowing from the raging fire, but as far as I was concerned the murderous fight between Sterling Bentley and Derouex Baudin was the only movement in the world.
While I cried and screamed for Sterling, Faron held me tight—mumbling about how women don’t belong at sea. Before we landed, a streak of lightning flashed across the cloudy night sky. As the electric glow lit the godforsaken scene below, I saw Derouex’s blade slash across Sterling’s side. I screamed a blood curdling wail of terror as I watched the hefty fabric of Sterling’s coat tear open, but then I lost sight of the fight.
Never seeing what came of the god-awful blow, and having no idea if Sterling even survived it, I continued to thrash and wail as we landed on the deck of Faron’s ship. Faron swatted me off of him and shouted to his crew. “Kennedy, steer her hard to port. Pete, ready the starboard guns, and fire afore them doggies do.”
No! With heartbreak raging through my very pores, I shoved Faron. “You can’t leave. And you can’t shoot at the burning ship Sterling is on! It’s all my fault! I jumped and moved, and he let go of the rope. We can’t leave him.”
Grabbing me by my shoulders, Captain Flynn held me stiff as a board as he demanded, “That’s enough, Charlie! He told me to get you out of there and I did. This is a time of engagement and you will do as your captain says.”
The domineering timbre of his voice easily silenced my outrage. As he flicked me off of him I landed in Mary’s arms. She held me close as I cried all over her black coat. The next thing I knew Lawrence was hugging me, too.
Just as the captain had commanded them to, the great guns began to blast. The thundering thump of the destructive shots echoed in the misty air. Wind filled the canvas sheets and we began to sail away. No! No! No! I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t keep breathing. We were sailing away from him and I would never know what happened. All the horrifying destruction spiraling in my lightheaded mind came to a head and thwarted my will to stand. With my eyes affixed to the burning Persuasion, the world darkened around me and I collapsed.
Chapter 12
To The Locker
As Told By Sterling Bentley
“Get her out of here. Leave me if you have to, but guard her life with yours.” Pushing Charlie to Faron, I turned around to meet Baudin’s blade just in time. I could hear Charlie screaming for me while Flynn swung her over to his ship, but there was nothing I could do about it. There would be no quarter given or taken in the fight I was facing.
Baudin’s force was outstanding but his eyes were crazed. He was losing his wit. Instantly taking advantage of his weakness, I feinted against his pressure and swooped around his back. Just as I hoped he would, he fell forward. But like a cat, he caught his footing and turned around to block the stealth of my swing.
He continued to parry my thrust. Soon enough he was the one forcing me into backing up. Working me into a corner, he tore past my sloppy parry. My slow evasion left me open for the blow. I felt the cut of his blade before it even touched me. My
life flashed before my eyes. With Charlie screaming in the distance, I braced for the pain and prayed for my soul.
His blade slashed across my side…but…it didn’t hurt. I was still alive.
Baudin looked just as surprised as I was. While we stared at each other’s confused expressions, I punched him in the face. I got him a few times. He was better with his blimey acrobatics but I easily overpowered him with my fists. Soon enough I clocked him good enough to throw him back. Before I had a chance to run him through he sprung up from his back to his feet with a ridiculously smooth maneuver. I didn’t expect his quickness. Though I turned to dodge the worst of his blade, I wasn’t fast enough. The tip of his sword ripped across the side of my neck. The cold slash of metal was quickly followed by the warm flow of blood.
As the rest of his force blew past me, I knocked him over. Of course the wiry bastard sprung back up. This time he ran like a band of hungry Caribs were after him. I couldn’t let him out of my sight. Chasing him across the deck, I felt like an enormous lion tracking a damn gazelle through the wildfires surrounding us. The flames were storming across the deck, raging up the mainmast, igniting the sails. There was no hope for Persuasion. Baudin saw it, too. Jumping up on a barrel, he shrieked, “Damn you for ruining my precious ship, Bentley!”
Grabbing a crate off the ground, I hurled it at him. He fell back but landed on his feet and goaded, “But at least I had your woman before you did.”
I charged at him with a bearlike growl but he tucked and rolled out of range. He hid behind a flaming yard that had fallen. Like a little demon dancing around in the pits of Hell, he taunted from behind the flames, “She was the best I ever had. Those blushing cheeks and her wild moans, you should have heard her calling my name.”
While I looked for a way to reach him, I noticed the crowd of men surrounding Lynden. It sounded like they regretted taking his word on the failing mutiny, but that wasn’t my problem. On the other hand, the way Baudin was charging at me with his bloodstained blade aimed at my heart certainly was my problem.
The hate in his eyes burned as hot as the hellfire flames surrounding us. His appetite for my death was ravenous. Letting him strengthen off of his advantage, I acted aloof. The moment he drew near I twisted away from his tenacious swing and drove my sword through his side.
My force was impeccable. My precision was divine. I felt my blade tear through his waistcoat, slice through his flesh and rip right through his organs. His eyes grew wide. As he gasped with shock I yanked the blade upward to finish him off. Instantly feeling him weaken, I ripped my blade out of his gut and easily shoved him over. He was bleeding out quickly. As he trembled into his death, I put my foot on his chest and smirked. “I told you this would be the end of your story. Pirate.”
With his last breath of life Derouex Baudin whispered, “It was a beautiful tale…and at least I was…a pirate king.”
I had never been so relieved to see someone’s eyes roll back in their head.
My atonement was quickly detoured by Lynden’s accusatory shout, “Look! He just killed your captain.”
The wall of men who had him surrounded were suddenly charging at me. Running like the wind, I jumped over barrels and hurdled over flaming pieces of wood. The mob of hollering men rode all too close to my tail.
Reaching the gunnel, I looked out on the ocean to see that Endless Horizon was too far away. I’d never catch her. Turning back towards the angry mob—only steps away from me, swinging their swords and gnashing their teeth—I considered my odds. There were too many of them to fight. My ship was out of reach. I was doomed no matter what. But like Flynn said, I’d rather die by the hand of God’s nature than by the blade of a dastardly man.
Knowing I couldn’t turn my back on the charging men for a second, I figured I’d escape by back-flipping over the rail. The moment I sprung onto my toes I was hit from the side. Whoever the hell crashed into me tumbled overboard with me. Our graceless plunge landed me face first on the water. It felt like I landed on a damn rooftop.
Emerging from the dark sea, I struggled to stay afloat while gasping for air. When I saw Lynden surface next to me, I lost my damn mind. Suddenly powered with a new blast of energy, I splashed and cursed at him like a rabid seal, “I hate you! I’m going to drown you. To The Locker with you it is!”
He swam away from me so fast it seemed he was skipping over the surface. “Begad, Bentley, have you addled? I just saved your arse. Don’t drown me.” I grabbed his boot but he slipped out of it and practically screamed, “Get your kraken tentacles off of me and let’s go. She’s going to blow.”
I easily took his word. As we swam away he raved about the trail of gunpowder he left, and laughed about how great the explosion was going to be. He seemed thoroughly amused by his stunt, but I saw no such pleasure in the scene before us. After the ridiculous fight with that cat-witted captain and the terrible face slap on the water, I was in no mood for swimming. Even if I was, there was nowhere to swim to.
Lugging myself through the dark water, and away from the glow of the burning ship, my eyes began to adjust to the night. Delirious amusement struck my weary soul when I realized Endless Horizon wasn’t as far as I thought. She was hardly moving if she was even moving at all. Though she was still far away, she was close enough to give me hope.
My lungs were stretched to the brink of survival but I forced myself to yell for Flynn. Lynden joined my howl for help. As the moon made a slick appearance through the clearing clouds, I prayed for an entire breakthrough. If there was enough moonlight they might see us.
Then Persuasion blew. And by God did she explode! We were far, but not far enough to be clear of the debris that would scatter from that size of explosion. All too soon a plank of wood and a few other small items came blasting over our heads. Aside from a few annoying pelts, we seemed to clear the wreckage just fine.
Blinded by my rush, I hadn’t noticed the moon was now shining brightly on the ocean. Endless Horizon was so close I could hear my crewmates laughing. Then I heard Charlie scream my name. She sounded just as crazed as I was. Hollering back for her, I swam in her direction—forgetting all about the weight of my exhaustion.
In the moonlight I saw the men lowering a longboat. Hallelujah. I swam to meet the dogs on their way.
Reaching the boat, I heaved myself over the side. Lynden swam up behind me, yelping his plea, “Let me in. Please. I’m on your side.”
Pete wrapped his hand in Lynden’s hair and pulled his face up so we could all see him. “What kind of blaggard ol’ piece of shark bait might we be having here, Bentley?”
“Shark bait indeed. Leave him to drown.” I sneered at the man who had been a major creator of this disaster I hardly survived.
“No. No. Please, Bentley. I saved your lady, you saw me do it. I didn’t have to…”
“Ah, you just did it to save your own arse.”
He kept whining like a lost little lassie. My conscience got the better of me. “Ah, take his weapons and put him to work.”
Pete and Kasey yanked Lynden into the dinghy and stripped him of his weapons. Once he was clear, Pete laid back and put his feet up on the bench. “You heard the man. Get to rowing, you blimey ol’ cannon-fodder.”
Coming upon the ship, I hardly had the strength to pull myself up the gangway. As I forced myself to the deck, I heard Faron slap Oliver on the back. “I told you that matey would swim to his bonny if he had to.”
When Charlie crashed into me with her wild hug I swooped her up in a mighty embrace and carried her abaft. Wanting nothing more than to collapse as she kissed all over my wet cheeks, I pulled her along with me as I dropped between two guns. She willingly tumbled into my embrace. As we sailed away from the smoldering heap that once kept her from me, everything was right in my world.
Before we even said a word to each other Faron peeked his fat head into my perfect kingdom and blasted, “What the bloody hell was all that, Bentley?”
“That was an excellent demonstration of
how not to run a mutiny, Captain.”
He started to rambled about the night’s events, but I shooed him away. “Thanks for coming after me, mate. We did good and we’ll have our gold in no time at all. Now, leave me alone to enjoy my plunder.”
Hooting about how The Lovers’ Treasure would be all ours, he went on his way.
As soon as I looked at my queen, I realized she was crying like a blubbering baby. Squeezing onto me for dear life, she was mumbling all kinds of things. I couldn’t understand her through her sobbing. Holding her tight, I tried to catch my own breath while she rambled on. Soon enough her words came clear. Blow me down, she was apologizing.
“I am so sorry, Sterling. I should have never run away. But you had been so distant, and then you were so scary that I didn’t know what else to do. Then Derouex told me you went back to the tavern and that you weren’t coming after me. I thought you didn’t care about me, and I was tortured by the thought of you moving on, so I thought I had to too, and I kissed him. I did. I’m so sorry! Oh, I’m so sorry! I even laid in his bed with him. I guess I am a hellfire temptress, but I’m just a temptress, not a slut. I wasn’t going to sleep with him and that’s why he attacked me. I only want to be with you but I don’t even deserve you…”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sink me, Charlie. I don’t need your apology. I’m the one who’s sorry and undeserving. I shouldn’t have scared you away. I didn’t want you running off but I went about it all wrong and I’m sorry for dragging you through this terrible mess. I don’t care what you did or what you said. I’m just glad you’re with me now. That’s all that matters.”
“I forgave you the moment you busted through that window.” She squeezed me tight. “I love you so much. I thought about you every minute—even when I didn’t want to. Oh, pretending I did not love you was the hardest thing I have ever done.”
Tarnished Persuasion (Justified Treason, Book 2): Endless Horizon Pirate Stories Page 21
