The Complement

Chapter Four

Archer wasted no time in jumping the railing and turning to face the crew. "Silence on deck!" he hissed, then waved his arm toward the rigging.

Five men peered down at Archer, each nodded, then turned their attention to the man closest to the approaching ship. He leapt from his perch, swinging from a rope in a wide arc, out over the open water until the rope reached its furthest length. The sailor released his grip, plummeted, and landed lightly on the deck of the opposite ship. As soon as his feet made contact, the other men in the rigging followed. Soon enough, all five landed safely.

By this time, Archer had climbed the rigging and claimed one of the men's abandoned ropes. He saluted Caspian with a wink and followed his men. He had hardly landed when he let out a low whistle and sailors on Caspian's ship made quick work of tossing ropes across. The boarders lashed the new ropes to the railing and set off to explore the ship.

Caspian stood unmoving on the upper deck. The ship bobbed up and down in the water, the wind still billowing through, whipping the captain's hair into his eyes. With a frustrated sigh, Caspian quickly retied a ribbon around his dark hair and returned his gaze to the other vessel. A still hush reigned over both ships

Tillerson stood by the ropes on the opposite deck, keeping watch and on standby in case of emergency. Caspian shifted his weight from one foot to the other and then back. The stillness had the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

By far the worst part of these sorts of encounters was the waiting. The pregnant pause before action always had the captain on edge.

One by one, the sailors returned to the deck and huddled in a circle, conversing quietly. The soft mumbles carried over the wind, the sound settling eerily over the deck.

Finally, only Archer was missing. The other five men stood at their posts, now silent. One minute stretched to five, then to ten. At the twenty minute mark, Caspian was ready to board the ship himself and drag Archer out by his ear, when the lieutenant appeared back on deck.

After a hasty whispered conference with his men, Archer cupped a hand to his mouth and bellowed back to Caspian, "All clear! One wounded. We go to retrieve him."

Caspian nodded and Archer saluted before disappearing below with three of his men. The two left above called for blankets and rope and soon a compact package was swinging across the gap. Hawley caught the bundle and he and Tillerson began fashioning a makeshift carrier for the wounded person.

Caspian called for four more of his men to join. One disappeared for a moment, returning with an armful of wooden stakes. He dropped his load on deck and motioned for the other men Caspian had selected, "Lash 'em together to make a stretcher. We can swing 'em across."

Clapping the man on the back, Caspian grinned at him, "Excellent idea. Make quick work."

The men did so, creating a six foot stretcher in a matter of minutes, then attaching it securely to a pulley. Two sailors climbed the rigging and swung over to join Hawley and Tillerson while the remaining two sailors began hauling the stretcher into the air. With minimal maneuvering, they had the bed onto the other deck and Hawley jumped into action to cover the exposed wood with the blankets.

Archer and his entourage emerged from the hold, half dragging and half carrying a limp figure. Archer directed the men to place the body gently on the stretcher and Tillerson followed up, covering the wounded man and tying him securely to the bed.

Five of the men surrounded the bed and hoisted it into the air, waiting until the men stationed on the pulley had a chance to pull the rope taut. On the count of three, they pushed the bed back across the gap and into a receiving party of eight men.

Caspian descended to the main deck as the sailors began untying the bed. The man laying prone on the deck was covered in deep cuts and bruises marred his olive skin. His lips were dry and cracked and skin leathery. Caspian waved at one of the boys running across the deck. "Water in a ladle, boy. Quick!"

The boy scurried off and returned in moments, cradling the precious liquid as he approached the crowd surrounding the patient. "Back up, back up!" the boy's thin voice piped over the sailors. "Water here, back up!"

He reached the stretcher and knelt by the man's head, dribbling a small stream of water into the man's partially opened mouth. Nothing happened for a few tense seconds until the man started wheezing and spluttering feebly. Caspian shoved his way to the front and grabbed the man's shoulders, hauling him into a reclined position. Slowly the man's coughing subsided and he slumped back.

Caspian took the ladle from the boy and allowed a little more water into his mouth. This time the man swallowed it and licked his lips. His eyes fluttered, then opened. He flinched back as he took in the crew members flocked around him.

Caspian jerked his head back and the sailors all took a step back, granting the trio at the stretcher some breathing room. Caspian turned his attention back to the wounded man and offered him more water. He sipped eagerly from the offered vessel, then broke off and collapsed back onto the bed, breathing heavily. His eyes darted back and forth from Caspian to the boy to the other men.

"Still, man." Caspian soothed in a low voice. "You are safe now and we will tend your wounds. What happened?"

The man tensed, then went limp, his eyes rolling into the back of his head before he was able to regain his senses. His voice was crackly and hoarse as he struggled to speak, a bare whisper escaping. "P-pirates." This time when fell limp, he didn't rise again.

Caspian shoved the water ladle to the waiting boy and pressed his ear to the man's chest, then held his fingers to the man's nose. "He lives." Caspian heaved a sigh of relief and turned to his crew, "Take him below and have the healer see to his wounds. Give him small portions of water as often as he will take them."

The men standing watch jumped into action, lifting the bed as carefully as possible and spiriting him below deck. Caspian stood and looked about the deck for Archer. He spotted him next to the rigging and beckoned him over. "Report."

Archer moved swiftly and stood at attention before Caspian. "Captain, we found none aboard save the injured man. The hold has been emptied aside from a few empty barrels and boxes. The sails are missing. The rudder may be damaged but we did not explore that thoroughly. There is nothing of value on board. No other bodies were found."

Caspian stared at the deck, stroking the long stubble on his chin. "Why was this man left then?"

"Sir, we found him under an upturned table. I would not have seen him but for a groan he made. 'Twas fortunate timing. I had nearly abandoned my search. Whoever disposed of the other corpses must have missed him. A lucky chance for us."

"Indeed." Caspian's eyes unfocused as he gazed out into space, mind spinning with possibilities. After several long minutes his eyes turned back to the lieutenant. "Release the ship. We will inform the authorities when we make land."

Archer turned on his heel, bellowing out orders. The crewmen scurried into action and the deck once again turned into a beehive of activity. Caspian made his way back to the upper deck where Chancey waited for him.

"Chancey, see to it there is a boy in the crow's nest all day. We should be approaching land soon."

The sails rippled as they unfurled, catching in the wind and propelling the ship forward almost immediately. The wood creaked and groaned as the ship lurched, it's bow dipping toward the water.

Caspian dismissed Chancey and walked to the railing, leaning onto his elbows to watch the water swirl past as the ship cut its way through. Questions swirled in his head, echoing the turbulent waters below. The sun warmed his back, allowing his muscles to ease from their tensed state. He allowed his mind to wander and his body relax as he contemplated the day's events.

Unaware of the hour that had passed during his reverie, Caspian was torn from his meditation by the lookouts clear, high voice.

"Land ho!"

Word Count: 1,460

A/N: Do y'all prefer once weekly updates on a regular schedule or for me to post as soon as I am able? I have kids and work so I'm pretty busy and that might mean 2 or 3 chapters in a week and then nothing for a month. Let me know your preferences in the comments! Don't forget to vote 😉