Prologue
I love the fresh scent of the sea in the mornings. The sun slowly slips behind the thick gray clouds as the ship rolls with the waves of the sea. The sea breeze is a welcoming gift on my face. However, the cool metal of a loaded pistol currently being held against my temple isn’t a feeling I welcome at this moment.
The winds are picking up and the waves begin to crash harshly against the haul of the ship. I watch the incoming wave in the corner of my eye as it rises high in the air and crashes down on the deck. It soaks everything in its path, including me, and the pirate next to me holding the pistol against my skull. I use the distraction to push the pirate away and create some distance between us. I give him a playful grin when he tries to fire his pistol and it makes no sound. Wet pistols don’t work.
I flip my pistol in the air catching the barrel end and strike the pirate upside the head with the butt end. He stumbles backward, and before he can regain his composure, I kick him in the chest, sending him overboard to the water below.
Another wave crashes into the starboard side, adding another challenge to the battle. The ship pitches and I’m thrown towards the railing. I quickly plant my foot on it to stop myself from joining my attacker in the sea. Another pirate rushes at me and I kick off the railing, spinning, with my trusty double-edge cutlass in hand and welcome him with cold steel.
“Four!” I call out.
“Eight!”
“Eight?! How can that be? You cheat!” I glance over my shoulder and sure enough, the first mate runs through another pirate with his sword, a playful smile on his face.
“Nine!”
I lunge forward and thrust into another another pirate, causing him to stumble back into yet another pirate and they both fall off the ship into the sea below. “Ha! Six! How many kills are you at?” I shout across the top deck at the quartermaster. He’s a brute of a man with dark skin and loves a good fight.
“I lost count after Thirteen.” He lifts a pirate onto his shoulders and throws him over the railing to the water below.
“Thirteen?!” The first mate and I say at the same time.
The ship is being rocked by large waves and she’s heavily loaded with people and cargo, sailing north for the United Colonies. Hundreds of innocent people are anxious for their lives. They did everything they could to try and outrun the dread pirate Red Beard and his ugly crew. The most ruthless pirate since Black Beard, Red Beard and his pirates have been terrorizing the Caribbean seas for decades.
We weren’t too far off when we heard the cannons and gunfire. Then our lookout man in the crow’s nest spotted women and children on board, and we couldn’t just sail by and ignore it.
The crew agreed that we needed to offer aid and attempt to save their ship. Our ship wasn’t the newest or the biggest, but still she’s fast. She can hold her own when push comes to shove. We caught up quickly and surprised Red Beard with a volley of cannon fire.
We brought our ship up just behind the innocent sailing ship and a few of us leapt over the bow to assist the innocent ship and attack the unforgiving pirates.
On deck, I can feel the ship vibrate as multiple cannons fire at the enemy’s ship. I look at the chaos around me of men fighting other pirates and can only hope the women and children are safe below.
I glance over to our ship and our crew is obeying orders from the Captain and firing cannons to take out Red Beard’s ship.
Cannons are flying between the ships and debris and broken pieces of wood are thrown everywhere and I love it. I enjoy the stormy weather and the fresh sea air, and yet, most of all, I relish battling with my mates and the rest of the crew.
A pirate sprints towards me with his sword ready, I lose my balance with the ship’s movement and trip backwards over a loose rum barrel and fall on my back. He’s about to run me through when I see his eyes roll back in his head and he falls dead in front of me on deck with a dagger in his back.
“Saved your life. How many times is that now? Eight?” The first mate grins at me with his smug face.
“Not as many as saving your ass.” He chuckles at my reply and offers me his hand. I gladly accept it and he helps me to my feet.
“And I’m eternally grateful but what are best mates for?”
Three cannons fire in unison from our ship and strikes the main mast of the Red Beard’s ship and it topples down onto their ship’s main deck. Pirates leap to avoid getting crushed. I sigh in relief and the first mate smacks my shoulder. “Let’s get a move on while Red Beard is crippled.” I agreed with the first mate’s idea and he whistles a high-pitch tone.
This ship and our ship quickly sail out of harm’s way. I saluted Red Beard as we passed him. His ugly scarred face is turning red and matches the color of his beard. He can’t go anywhere without a sail. It could’ve been much worse and I’m happy I still have all my limbs. The crew shouts “Huzzah!” around the ship and is delighted we came to their aid.
We offered help around their ship and repaired what we could. Once we put out the fires and made sure everyone was safe, the crew of the ship thanked us for our support. They offered us food, sugar and rum for saving them. Our Captain happily accepted the gift of course. They wouldn’t have survived without our help.
When we return to our ship, and the other ship sailed off, the winds have finally died down and the sun is trying to come out between the clouds. We are exhausted and need to take care of our small cuts and wounds.
“Where are we heading again?” The first mate glances around the horizon and doesn’t spot any islands.
“We were on our way to the Island of Zara before we saw the ship getting ambushed by pirates. We should be there by nightfall.” The quartermaster pipes up.
“Oh yes! Well, polish my buttons! I’m very much looking forward to it.” The first mate wiggles his eyebrows. I shake my head at him and gaze up at the sails. Our ship is in need of some repairs. We better get a move on before the next storm gets here.
