DOGS. Legacy Saga II

51

"Thrust the bowsprit behind her waist, De Neill!" the girl commanded. "Everybody, hold tight! Shooters ready! The rest with me!" She turned to Robin. "You stay here."

"Like hell!"

Marina fought back her urge to slap Robin. "That's the best master and commander of the Caribbean! And you've never been in a fight! I can't save your moronic privateers if I have to babysit you!"

Before Robin could argue, Marina jumped over the handrail with Morris and they ran together to the bowsprit.

Alone on the bridge, Robin wielded his sword and stood there, breathing heavily, struggling between humiliation and excitement.

Ken had made it. His men had thrown hooks at the brigantine wherever they could, and climbed up the transom to the taffrail, letting their patache be dragged by the brigantine. De Neill turned west, only enough to get a better position, and then turned south again, on a collision course.

At the bow, Marina, Morris and a dozen pirate climbed up the bowsprit and held to the stays, pistols in hand. At the girl's command, all the pirate shooters fired against the brigantine's crew. The Spaniards responded with a musket discharge. Jean fired the chasers, just in time to crack the brigantine's starboard side before the Phantom's bowsprit rammed into it.

The Spaniard had a moment of utter surprise when they saw Marina and her men jump on them from the bowsprit. And while De Neill maneuvered to lay the Phantom alongside the brigantine, the rest of the filibusters threw hooks from the gunwale to keep both ships together.

But the girl noticed they were ready to face an attack on two fronts, and they were positioned to fight on the starboard side and the stern. She also saw that even if they didn't wear military garments, they wore something like a uniform.

"TORTUGA!" she shouted, charging against the swords that replaced the unloaded muskets in her enemies' hands.

Ken and his men understood the filibusters' plan and fought their way to the Phantom. But they whole Spaniard crew stood between them and their goal.

Appreciating the irony, Marina acknowledged that the Spaniards fought like lions, with much more courage and drive than anything she'd ever found on the Burgundy Cross warships. The battle was thick, and the filibusters had a hard time breaching in. Soon the fight spread below deck, where the Jamaicans repelled the gunners trying to join the battle in deck.

"Pearl!" Morris called then, nodding to the Phantom's bridge.

"Darn idiot!" Maxó snarled when they saw Robin jump to the Spanish ship.

The Englishman joined the Jamaicans, and was dragged with them down the aft hatch. Marina and Morris, leading the charge hardly past the mainmast, saw him go down backwards, defending himself with sword and knife.

"I'm going for him. You finish here," the girl grumbled.

The fight below deck was just as thick as in the open. From the companionway, Marina spotted Robin's frizzy hair as he moved behind a cribbing, apparently fighting against a Spaniard that had the upper hand.

"Robin!" she shouted, seeing him get an ugly slash along his left arm, that made him drop his knife.

She rushed to him, pushing Spaniards and Jamaicans out of her way. She reached the cribbing at the exact moment when Robin staggered back. She clasped his arm and yanked him further back to take his place, just in time to block a blow meant to split his head open.

The Spaniard stepped back with a surprised interjection and Marina met Castillano's blue eyes, gaping at her like she were a ghost. Loose the golden mane, his face sprayed in blood, the shirt open on the chest nobody but her had ever hurt.

The girl ignored her own shock, her racing heart beating in her throat, the chill running down her body to shake her knees. She took advantage of his bafflement to disarm him in two strikes, and she turned to Robin, who tried to stop the blood gushing out his wound.

"Let's go, Robin!" she cried, circling his waist with her arm to guide him to the companionway.

Morris had sent Jean with a large number of filibusters to clean Marina's way. They met her and surrounded her and Robin, allowing them to reach the weather deck safely. The girl ordered Gerrit and two more to take Robin back to the Phantom and ran back down the companionway, determined to end that bloodshed.

Castillano had retrieved his blades and was fighting against Jean. Marina hurried to them.

"Jean, stop!"

The pirate pushed Castillano back against a cribbing and put the tip of his sword on Castillano's chest to keep him from attacking again. Marina added her own sword to her master gunner's.

"Surrender or I'm killing every one of your men," she said, holding his furious glower.

Castillano clenched his teeth, agitated and sweaty but unharmed. His voice filled the crowded space, overcoming noises and yelling. "Men of the Lion! Stop!"

Spaniards and Jamaicans hesitated, and Jean deployed his men all over the deck. Marina kept her blade under Castillano's chin and raised her eyebrows.

He dropped his blades with an angry growl. His men did the same, as surprised and furious as their captain with that defeat. Until a voice yelled among the cannons.

"The New Lion doesn't surrender! Kill the who—!"

A shot cut the shout off, making the Spaniards cringe. The man dropped dead, a reddening hole between his eyes. Marina turned to Castillano, the smoking pistol still in her hand.

"No wonder. The crew reflects the captain," she said scornfully. "Jean, take them up."