JAMES' ARMS BURNED from the rowing, but he ignored the pain. They needed to increase their speed to reach the ship since they left the docks later than Vivienne. Glancing up ahead, he squinted his eyes, focusing on a ship in the distance that seemed to have trails of grey smoke coming out. James could see that one of the sails of the ship were torn out.
Alarm rang through his brain. No other ship they had seen been in such a condition. He circled his hand, narrowing his vision field. He could vaguely make out the shape of a few bodies.
Turning to Gilford he asked, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Gilford paused from his own rowing, following James' gaze. Beads of sweat lined the man's face as the sun's rays were out in full force. "Yes, that seems to be the ship," he agreed. "However, it seems to me that someone else is onboard as well."
Just as the last words were said, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the ocean. James exchanged a glance with Gilford, "We need to get on that ship, now."
The Bow Street Runner nodded and the two began rowing once more. The waves were choppy, and water flickered into their small boat, yet they didn't stop. Eventually, the distance between the boat and ship lessened.
When they were only a few meters away from the ship, Gilford guided them to the right and grabbed a coil of rope James had not noticed before. James watched in silence well aware that every minute they delayed getting onto the ship, increased the chances of Vivienne being injured. Gilford threw the rope onto the deck of the ship only to have it fall back. Gritting his teeth, the Bow Street Runner tried twice more, finally succeeding in having the rope become taunt.
"We will use this to climb aboard."
James nodded, standing up and grabbing a hold of the rope that Gilford secured for him. Before he could grab on and launch himself out of the small boat, Gilford placed a hand on his shoulder. James turned, eyebrows raised, "What is it?"
"I know you are eager to save Lady Selina but be careful. If what you shared with me is accurate, we can expect French military officers aboard that ship."
James waved off his worry, even as his jaws hardened. "I do not need your warnings Gilford."
Before the man could say anything else, James leapt from the ship, grabbing onto the rope. His fingers burned as the rope scalded into his palms, but he blocked the feeling. Planting his boots against the ship's hull, he slowly began to climb, pulling from the strength of his upper body. Beside him, Gilford was doing the same. It took much longer than James expected but they finally made it onto the ship's deck.
The sails flew past them, dancing in the wind and hiding them from whoever was on the other side. The ship tilted, and James grabbed onto the side to support himself.
"This is not good," Gilford muttered from beside him. "If the ship is not sailing correctly, it means that the captain is not alive anymore."
"That isn't our problem," James said firmly. "We are here for Vivienne, once we get her out, I don't give a damn about what happens to anyone else."
The words might be deemed cruel, but he was not foolish enough to have a saviour complex. It was highly unlikely that they would be able to ensure the safety of everyone aboard the ship. Hence, his worry was only for Vivienne, he needed to see those green eyes peering at him once more.
"As much as we would like to rescue Lady Selina, I believe its quite important to ensure that the ship does not capsize. We can't save a lady if we are all drowning in the ocean."
"Fine, then you go downstairs and make sure that the captain is alive. I'll begin the search for Vivienne on this floor and then make my way down."
Gilford nodded, pulling out his pistol. James mirrored his move. They were potentially in enemy territory now and needed be careful.
"I'll see you soon," Gilford said he slowly pulled back the sail and descended the staircase to the lower level of the ship.
James nodded, watching the Bow Street Runner disappear from his vision. The wind flickered rapidly, waving James' dark hair wildly. He checked his pistol to ensure that it was fully loaded. As he raised his head, he heard a creak.
James froze, his eyes suddenly alert. Gilford had left the deck of the ship, which meant that there was someone else with him. His gaze narrowed on the shadow behind the sails. Taking careful steps to avoid alerting the person of his presence, he kept to the outside of the ship. If he needed to escape, he could do it easily by jumping back into the water and swimming to the small boat they'd anchored. As James walked towards the other side, voices became louder.
"You fool! I told you that I did not want her dead. You better make sure she is alive, or it will be your hide that I skin!"
James paused at the words. Whoever the men were, they must be talking about Vivienne. The probability of another female being on the ship was very slim. Pushing aside the sail slightly, James fixed his gaze on the other side of the ship. He saw three men standing over what seemed to be an unconscious woman. Her blue dress was ripped and there was a pool of blood around her, but Vivienne's blonde hair was unmistakable.
His heartbeat increased as his feet began moving of their own accord. He gritted his teeth, clenching his fingers into his palm to prevent himself from rushing forward and charging at the men recklessly. James needed Vivienne to be alive. He had much to apologize for and she could not leave this world when it was only the beginning for her.
James took a deep breath, focusing himself. The men were still muttering amongst themselves, their French accents floating past him. He ignored their words, instead focusing on their positions. He garnered that he could get a clean shot at one of them, but it was the other of the two that was worrying.
James was outnumbered. He could take the chance, but it could also backfire greatly. He glanced behind him, jaws tightening. Where exactly was Gilford? How long did it take to see if the captain was alive... unless the Bow Street Runner had also run into trouble?
James scowled; he did not need to be worrying about Gilford. Surely the man could take care of himself. He focused onto Vivienne and saw one of the men kicking her to try and wake her up. Anger, hot as lava poured into his body. His vision reddened, and a haze of mist settled over his mind. Not thinking about his actions, James pulled the pistol and fired a shot through the sail.
The man who had been kicking Vivienne fell back into a pool of blood. A sense of satisfaction rolled into James, even as the other man pulled out his pistol and grabbed Vivienne to prop her against the ship's edges.
"Who's there?" The man shouted.
James stepped out from behind the masts, pistol raised. "Let her go now," he said coldly.
The man, who had a terrible scar running down his eyebrows looked at James in a peculiar manner. "How did you get on the ship?" he asked conversationally as if they were both not holding loaded pistols. "I had my men cut off any access earlier."
James remained silent as he took in the man's uniform. Red blood painted the front of it. James was unsure if it was his or someone else's but he didn't care, "I will not repeat my request. Let go of the lady."
"For what reason, so you can shoot me? You take me for some fool boy? I've been in the French army longer than the number of years you've been alive."
James took a step forward, but the man was lightening fast, he gripped Vivienne by the throat and held her on the other side of the deck. James' heart hammered. She looked like a lifeless doll in his grasps, unable to defend herself.
"You shoot me, and I toss the girl straight into the water. She has been out for a couple of minutes anyways; I presume she is as good as dead. Her life isn't worth as much."
James' voice was cold, carrying with the sound of the breeze. "I do not need you to presume what her life is or isn't worth."
It was the truth. Vivienne's life meant more to him than his own, but he was not going to tell the French soldier that. Doing so would remove any advantage he might have. James calculated what to do next. He could shoot the man, but risked Vivienne falling into the water. He also took into account the pistol the solider was holding. Based on the manic look in his eyes, James was almost certain that the man would shoot him regardless of his actions.
He took a deep breath, Gilford had to be near now; he could really use the Bow Street Runner's assistance. Coming to a decision quickly, James relaxed his hand, lowering the pistol to his thighs.
"Now drop the pistol and kick it over to me," the man said, his eyes lighting up once he saw that James was following his orders.
Clenching his jaw, James dropped the pistol, even when every fibre in his body was telling him to do otherwise. His gaze did not leave Vivienne's body though. He was doing this for her. He needed to make sure that she was safe, even if it was at the expense of his own life.
Just as James went to kick the pistol, a loud gunshot rang through the air and the man holding Vivienne crumpled to the floor. James watched in horror as Vivienne fell from his grasps into the freezing ocean water.
"No!" he screamed, rushing towards her, fingers outstretched as if he could catch her. But he was too late. He looked from the ships deck and watched as her body, heavy with the layers of clothing fell deeper and deeper into the dark waters.
A hand grasped onto his ankle and James looked down to see the Frenchman cackling. Blood pooled out of his clothing, but he did not seem to mind. "You'll never reach her," he gasped, and James saw the satisfaction in his eyes.
Shaking off the man's grasps, James grabbed onto the railing before flinging himself overboard. His body hit the chilly water with a loud splash. He heard shouting from the deck of the ship, but he blocked it out. His only focus was retrieving Vivienne and ensuring that she remained alive.
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And I'm back! Sorry for the shorter chapter but I had to split it into two and it took me quite a while to edit. It seems that James arrived to save Vivienne but will he succeed once again? Who do you think fired the other shot? Thank you so much for the 40k!