Brass Skies Vol. 1: The Battle of Chesapeake

Birth of a Pirate (part 2)

Catherine wasn't sure if it was even the same night when they came for her. One moment she was in the middle of eating the first meal she had been given since first waking up in prison, the next she was being half-dragged from her cell by Miles, James, and a young woman she recognized as Felicity Hearthstone, the wife of one of her youngest crew members and the daughter of one of her oldest. Felicity, to Catherine's amusement, was holding a pistol to Miles Avery's back.

"Come on. We have to go now," Felicity hissed.

The group ran through the corridor and to the door, where they were greeted by three men, led by Donners who held a couple of heavy dark red coats. He handed one to each of the women, instructing them to put them on.

"Report," ordered James.

"Sir, the rest of the men are gathering up their families and moving them to the rendezvous point. Jeffers went to send a coded telegram to his wife instructing her to hide until he can send word. He'll meet us at the rendezvous too."

"Good. Let's go," James answered. The group set out across the courtyard toward the gate to the inner wall. The fort when viewed from above was designed like a large box with large circular platforms at each corner. On each of these platforms rested one immense cannon fixed to a rotating platform in the center and several smaller ones on rotating platforms along the edge of the wall. There were also a number of cannon on wheeled carriages between them. Roughly thirty meters inside the outer walls were an inner set of walls that were much thicker. There were similar cannon platforms at the corners. Massive gates were located on the south side of both the inner and outer walls although there were two smaller doors built into the north side of the outer wall as well.

The prison was actually built into the west side of the eastern interior wall. Other sections of the walls scattered throughout the fort contained the magazines and storage rooms. The barracks, officer's quarters, mess, and administration buildings formed a kind of double horseshoe with the open side to the south.

The group headed south staying between the inner wall and the buildings that made up the eastern side of the horseshoe. They moved in a group with the women in the center. "Where's the rendezvous?" Catherine whispered.

"The river, down near the mill," Felicity replied.

They reached the edge of one of the buildings when James called a halt. "We have a problem," he said softly.

"What is it?" Catherine asked.

"The inspector is standing by the gate with a bunch of his men," James huffed. "We'll have to wait."

"The longer we wait, the greater the risk that someone realizes this runt isn't where he's supposed to be and finds her missing," Felicity pointed out as she jabbed Miles meaningfully with her pistol. "Can we sneak past them?"

"Not unless you leave me behind," Miles stated. "He probably wouldn't pay much attention to anyone else, but he will stop us for sure if he sees me."

"Is there another way out?" Catherine asked. "Aren't there gates on the north side?"

James shook his head. "Not on the inner walls. Only the outer. We'll have to wait."

Miles spoke up. "I have an idea. Follow me."

He turned around and started to head north. Felicity grabbed his arm causing him to spin around. She pressed her pistol to his chest. "Just, where do you think you're going?"

"Out of here," came his reply. "If you want to get out of here too, you are going to have to trust me." Taking a step towards Felicity he wrapped his hand around the barrel of the pistol. "You have two options, shoot me and get caught, or trust me."