"Hard astarboard! Sharpshooters up!"
While Briand shouted Morris' orders to the men in charge of the rigging, two dozen Spanish soldiers showed over the brigantine's gunwale. They opened musket fire, and the pirates responded right away.
"Starboard guns!"
The Phantom's ten starboard cannons shot one after the other, blowing the brigantine's aft chasers and tearing the transom to pieces. Assisted by another pilot, De Neill made the wheel spin at full speed. The Phantom leaned astarboard, dodging the brigantine's stern by inches in its sharp turn. With the rudder gone, the Spanish ship could keep up the speed, but it couldn't change course as fast as it needed, and the Phantom ran parallel to its larboard side.
Marina and Morris left the bridge now that they were in range of the Spanish muskets. With no time to reload the cannons, the gunners came out the hatches and ran to take shelter from the enemy fire behind the gunwale. They carried large three-point hooks tied to thick ropes.
With one last strike of the wheel, De Neill stuck the Phantom's side to the brigantine's. The gunners threw the grappling hooks to keep the ships together, while the rest of the pirates discharged their muskets one last time. Then they all grabbed pistols and blades and climbed the gunwale, howling like demons.
"Philip, the helm! Briand, you're in charge!" Marina unsheathed her sword and grasped one of her pistols. "Morris, Maxó and De Neill with me!" She ran to the starboard gunwale and climbed it among her men. "TORTUGA!"
The pirates echoed her cry on top of their lungs and jumped on the Spanish soldiers that tried to reject them. Marina unloaded her pistols as soon as she set foot on the Spanish deck and wielded her misericorde, throwing herself into the thick of the fight.
The push of the boarding forced the Spaniards to retreat. They tried to regroup between the mainmast and the bridge, a solid front bristling with swords and spears and axes, thirsty for the enemy's flesh.
Marina led her men to the center of the Spanish line and they were able to breach it like a wedge. Scattered and isolated from each other, the soldiers retreated further. But the pirates wouldn't allow them to reach the bridge, pushing them toward the starboard side.
"Stop!"
Marina's voice raised over the shouting and the fighting noises, forcing an unexpected halt. Spaniards and pirates turned to her in surprise, even though they didn't lower their weapons nor let go of each other. She stepped up to face the only Spanish officer she'd seen and spoke to him in his language.
"You're defeated, sir. Lay down your weapons and stop this bloodshed."
A murmur spread among the soldiers, who lowered swords and spears to gawk at her. Apparently, they'd just remembered the tales they'd heard about one Pearl of the Caribbean. The officer was about to answer when a hoarse cry cut him off.
"No! Kill the French whor—!"
The shout was abruptly interrupted by a thud and a growl of pain. Marina stopped Morris and some more that took menacing steps forward, and she turned that way. The Spaniards looked down and stepped aside, exposing one of them who was holding his head. The man by him grimaced at her and dropped the unloaded pistol he'd used to hit the other soldier with.
Marina flashed a quick smile at him. "Thank you, gentleman," she said, and faced the officer again.
The officer glanced at his men and nodded, dropping his sword for them to see. They did the same in an abashed silence.
"Jean!" Marina called. "Leave the officer. Disarm the others and lock them up."
"Aye, aye, pearl!"
The officer kept his eyes down while his men were searched and pushed toward a hatch. That way he saw Marina pick his sword up and pin it on the deck by the mainmast.
"It'll be there when you come for it. It's not your honor I want," the girl said.
The Spaniard looked up at her, not hiding his surprise.
"What or whom are you escorting, sir?"
The look in the man's eyes begged her not to insist as he pressed his lips together.
Marina smiled. "I see. Then before we part, sir, a piece of advice. Teach your men manners to match their courage. That insult could've cost the lives you were trying to save."
The man nodded, blushing up to his ears.
"Oliver! Take him with his men!"
"Aye, aye, pearl!"
"Maxó, find me what they're guarding."
"With pleasure, pearl."
YOU ARE READING
Lions of the Sea
Historical Fiction1670, Caribbean Sea. She's the daughter of a legendary pirate. He's a Spanish captain. Their countries are at war. Their fathers killed each other. And they were destined to follow on their steps. But sometimes destiny isn't written in stone: it's w...
