*****************************Chapter Two *****************************
Arianna and Betsy had been out to sea three weeks now and those weeks had passed reasonably easy. They had already been a few miles offshore by the time Betsy had woken her that first morning out. They had watched their homeland grow smaller behind them until it had faded out of sight that same afternoon. The previous night's storm had dissipated and the weather had been clear since.
Much of their time had been spent in their cabin playing endless rounds of rummy, with walks about the deck late in the evenings to break up the monotony.
Arianna had been asked to dine with the captain, a nice man named James Taylor, twice, but had declined both times. She had learned that she was the only guest invited, on both occasions and had not wanted to imply that she would welcome his attentions by attending. For that was truly the last thing she needed. To avoid the captain, Arianna and her maid had taken all of their meals in their cabin.
Betsy had been battling with sea sickness and was having an especially rough bout this afternoon. Arianna had tried to convince the girl that the fresh air on deck would do her some good, but the girl refused to embarrass herself, fearful of losing her stomach in front of any aboard. So as it was, Arianna was by herself this afternoon leaning against the railing at the bow of the ship, watching the dolphins play in the waves the ship created.
This had become her favorite spot of late, as none of the other passengers or crewmen came here, to this small front deck. She was laughing at the dolphins happy antics when a cry rang out, "Ship sighted, port bow!"
Arianna turned her head to the left and spotted the sails, which were truly only small white dots on the horizon. All of the passengers on deck began worrying aloud, the one word Arianna could make out was 'pirates'.
Arianna's heart leapt in her throat. Pirates!! She must warn Betsy!
The captain swung himself up onto the railing of the bridge and called out, "Please do not panic, ladies and gentlemen. This ship may or may not be pirates, but if it is, it will not be the first time our crew has had to run them off. Please retire to your cabins until it is once again deemed safe to return to the deck."
Arianna's feet were frozen to the deck. There was to be a fight? Cannons could tear them apart! The ship beneath her suddenly felt tiny, like a stick tossed about on a roaring river. She looked over the rail once more, at the dolphins below, wondering if it might just be safer to jump ship and join them now, before she was torn apart by splintering wood and cannonballs.
Deciding she was made of stronger stuff than that, she lifted her head high, and made her way to the cabin below.
"Told ya she was a highborn lady." Miles said to his captain as they watched Arianna cross the deck and descend to her cabin.
"Aye, you were right." His captain answered, before picking up his spyglass and zeroing in on the ship riding the horizon.
"She flies the Jolly Roger, Miles." The captain then turned to his crew who were all awaiting orders. "Men, ready your cannons! She'll be upon us shortly."
The crew responded instantly. Arianna could hear their scrambling on the cannon deck and the main deck above her, as she entered her cabin and locked the door behind her.
Betsy was asleep on the bunk and Arianna roused her quickly.
"Betsy.. Betsy, wake up. The ship will soon be under attack! They have spotted a pirate ship!"
Betsy sat up so fast in the bunk that she hit her head on the low ceiling above it. Rubbing her offended temple, Betsy turned to her mistress, "Did you just say pirates, my lady?"
"Aye, Betsy. We had best pack up our things and be ready to jump ship. I will not let them take us alive!"
**********
The Green Eyed Lady sat just out of sight of the ship they were tailing, and had been, since the previous afternoon. The ship was boldly displaying it's Jolly Roger for all the world to see.
That had been it's first mistake.
It's second had been it's sudden change in course, as if it had spotted prey. Derek laid in wait, confident that with the Lady's speed and agility, he could catch the pirate ship before much damage was done.
"She's nearin' the passenger ship, cap'n!" Davie called from the crows nest.
"Hoist all sails, gentlemen! Ready the cannons, let's give them hell!" Derek yelled out.
A round of yells answered him that would have rivaled the battle cries of the warriors of old.
Derek felt his ship lift on the waves, once her main sails were let open, and he guided her on her flight across the ocean.
************
"Second ship sighted, port bow!" The cry rang out across the Seahawk's deck. Captain Taylor raised the spyglass to his eye once more, he zeroed in on the second ship, which was approaching even faster than the first.
"She flies the British flag, but that don't mean much. She's fast, and big. Two decks of cannons, we may be out matched." Miles took the spyglass and confirmed what his captain saw. Aye, she was big. Aye, she was fast. And aye, if she turned her guns on them, the passenger ship with her four cannons, two on each side, would definitely be hit before she had the chance to fight back.
The pirate ship was close now, any moment she would fire her guns, and pirates would board their ship. The crew was as ready for them as they could be. Those on deck were armed and waiting, the others were below, waiting for the command to fire their cannons. The captain gave the command, and the guns boomed, placing twin holes in the pirate ship at water level.
The pirate ship answered the cannon's blasts with three of their own, two hitting their mark, but higher on the hull, the third sent up a plume of water into the air, showering the Seahawk's crew on deck.
Arianna and Betsy were in their cabin when the cannonballs hit their ship. The wall across from the bunk they were seated on, with their reticules in hand, was now gone, as well as half of the hallway, they could even see into the captain's quarters across the hall. Betsy had jumped when the cannonballs hit, but now she sat as still as a statue, and as pale as a ghost.
"We have to leave, Betsy! They are reloading those cannons!"
Tears began to well up in Betsy's eyes and she began to shake. Arianna rushed to the door, unlocking it. It felt odd to turn the key in the lock, as the wall next to it was gone, but so was the hallway outside it. Looking down to the ships lower levels, she could see water spilling in, every time the ship rocked. It was not much water, but it was enough to ensure that going further below deck to hide, as Arianna had thought to do if they were forced to leave their cabin, was no longer an option. Maybe a dip in the sea truly was in her future.
Throwing the door wide and checking the hallway, Arianna saw that they would have to jump to make it to a stable part of the floor, the planks before the door were broken and slanted down into the wreckage. Turning back to Betsy, who was now blue in the face from not breathing, Arianna slapped her face once. Hard.
Betsy gasped and locked eyes with Arianna, drawing in the oxygen she desperately needed, and color instantly flew back into her face. A deeper red, than the now flushed cheeks, outlined Arianna's handprint upon the girl's face.
"If I am going to get us out of this, I need you to trust me!" Arianna yelled close to Betsy's ear, as what sounded like hundreds of men, seemed to fill up every ounce of noise the air could carry with yells and calls. Betsy nodded to Arianna and grabbed her outstretched hand tightly. Arianna pulled her to the door, and yelled again close to her ear, as the sounds of swords and pistols punctuated the mens' voices that reached them, "I need you to jump. I will be right behind you!"
Betsy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She began to shake her head and open her mouth, but just as quickly she shut it again, and hardened her jaw. Arianna took a moment to be proud of her, but then nudged her slightly and yelled, "Hurry!"
Betsy took a deep breath, opened her eyes and braced herself. When the side of the ship their cabin was on was high, she leapt across the broken floor and landed safely on the undamaged planks. True to her word, Arianna was right behind her.
They neared the stairs, bracing themselves against the walls to remain standing. The ship rocked violently as it took on water, men's feet could be seen rushing by, and the sounds of swords reached their ears. Cries of pain, shouts of success and anger, as well as heavy footfalls reached their ears. But they had no way of knowing which side was winning.
Venturing up onto the deck itself was not a safe option. Yet, looking back down the hallway, out into the sunlight at the ship not thirty yards from them, they had no other options.
Arianna reached into her pocket and pulled out her father's pistol, holding it before her in her right hand with the barrel pointed up. She grabbed the railing on the left of the stairway and made her way up, hoping Betsy would require no more coaching to stay close behind her. She paused when she could see more fully out onto the deck, and Betsy ran into the back of her.
Arianna smiled as she checked the path to the front of the bow, the closest hiding spot she could think of. The small boats were kept up there, maybe they could climb into one and lay down to avoid notice. If the ship sank, they could always cut the ties and be safe. The way8+ seemed clear, so Arianna reached back and grabbed Betsy's hand in hers as they ran the rest of the way up the stairs and started across the main deck to the stairs that led to the bow deck.
A man jumped out into their path, stinking of body odor and old cheap liquor. He was everything a pirate would be, with his tattered, stained clothes and missing teeth, and a blade held between the few black teeth that did remain.
He had a cutlass in each hand and another tied to his waist, along with a horse pistol, twice the size of the one she carried, tucked into the front of his waistband. Scars marred his skin everywhere it was visible.
Betsy squeaked behind her, but Arianna just lowered her pistol, steadying it with two hands level to the mans chest, and then she squeezed the trigger.
As the boom sounded, a red fountain sprang forth from the pirate's chest in pulses and he brought a hand up over the wound. He flashed his black teeth at her, in what appeared to be a grin, before he looked down to see the dark red liquid spill through his fingers.
He fell backwards as stiff as a board, eyes staring unnervingly at the bright blue cloudless sky above, an astonished expression frozen on his face. His life's blood continued to spill out of him, but Arianna did not hesitate. She reached for the horse pistol at his waist, and then hurried Betsy up the stairs, on her heels the entire way.
It seemed the Seahawk's crewmen were at the advantage right now, but there were still many pirates left. And about half a dozen of them were headed their way.
The shot must have gained their attention.
Arianna ushered Betsy into the point of the bow and yelled, "If I back up into you, jump ship! I will be right behind you."
Arianna turned and trained each pistol at the top of the two sets of stairs that lead to the bow deck as the heads of burly pirates began to crest the landing. Betsy stepped close and placed a hand upon her shoulder, "My lady, I cannot swim."
"Would you rather be raped by pirates?!" Arianna yelled over her shoulder, Betsy stepped back and climbed upon the bottom railing. Arianna glanced over her shoulder and saw the third ship approaching along the other side of the pirate's ship from them.
This third ship sounded her guns, all firing at once, there were too many explosions for Arianna to establish how many there had been.
The far side of the pirate's ship exploded, sending sharply pointed chunks of wood of all different sizes in every different direction. Arianna dropped to the deck and heard Betsy cry out behind her.
********
Derek watched from his perch on the main mast as the pirate ship splintered under his guns. He clutched the rope in his hands tighter and bit down on the blade between his teeth. The anticipation of battle was a hot surge of adrenaline that spread through his blood to infuse every well honed muscle he possessed. The heady nectar cleared his head and he was able to take in everything before him clearly and analytically.
The pirate's ship was all but deserted, most of her crew were aboard the passenger ship, engaged in the battle with her crew. Across from him, on the passenger ship's bow, stood a large group of pirates around two females.
The one was small and injured, a chunk of wood sticking up from her thigh as she lay tucked into the bow. The other stood between the small girl and the pirates. She was small, although her figure more than filled out her plain dress. But there was nothing plain about the long, silky black curls that were fanned out around her. Some of the thick dark tresses spilled over her shoulders, but most of it ran down her back to brush against the curve of her bottom. He could see the fire in her eyes as she protected herself, and the child behind her, from the pirates with her pistols.
The one in her outstretched left hand was half the size of the one in her right, but her chin was high and her smile was dazzling, almost evil, daring the pirates to test her pistol's lead shots. She looked like an angel.. Well, not exactly.. Maybe an angel of death and darkness, yes, that was it. The glow upon her face and the horribly seductive smile were her siren's song, and she stood ready to deliver death to the first man to fall under her spell.
Derek cried out, and swung on the rope across to the deck of the rapidly sinking pirate ship, and then ran across the planks the pirate crew had lain across to the passenger ship. He heard a few of his men engage the pirates that were still aboard their sinking ship, but he continued across to reinforce the crew that fought the majority of the pirates.
The pirates had been about to take the upper hand of the battle before his ship had interrupted their fun, now they faced an enemy on each side, and their ship was sinking so fast that there was now water on it's main deck.
Derek held his pistol in one hand and a sword in his other, a replacement for each weapon still about his waist. He shot the first pirate that rushed him, and took advantage of another's exaggerated back swing with a club, to run his sword between the pirate's ribs, and into his black heart.
He swung his sword, killing two more pirates quickly, as he made his way to the bow of the passenger ship to see how his angel fared. He reached the steep steps leading to the bow, after placing a bullet between another pirate's eyes, and ran up the stairs. He stopped still when his eyes landed on her. His impression had been right, she was an angel, one bent on death at the current moment.
"Well, are we going to stare all day, gentlemen?" Her voice was honey sweet, her smile was enchanting. He could see why the pirates were frozen, such beauties were few and far between. Ones that would stand toe to toe with pirates and.. And flirt?.. were even more rare.
"To hell wid it!" One pirate yelled, "She can only take two, maybe three o' us! Let's get 'er!"
Derek fired his pistol above his head, stealing the pirates attention from the angel. "It's time to step down boys, your men on the lower deck already have. Your ship is sinking and you are heavily outnumbered."
Men from both the Lady's and the Seahawk's crews began to fill in around him, adding truth to his words. Alejandro stepped up beside Derek as the small bow deck began to feel rather crowded. Derek met his mate's eyes and motioned to the women with his chin. Alejandro nodded, heeding both of his captain's warnings. The pirates all shared looks between one another, before the largest of the group dropped his sword, lifting his hands over his shoulders.
"Ya win, laddie. You had best enjoy the spoils fer us!" A hearty laugh erupted from the pirate, and a few of his men joined in.
"Fortunately, there are no spoils." Derek replied, before turning to the crewmen around them and calling out, "Who captains this vessel?"
Captain Taylor stepped forward. "I do, sir."
"Take these men, and their companions that still breathe, to your brig. Lock them up tight and throw the keys overboard."
"Aye," Mr. Taylor replied, "And who might you be, sir?"
Derek looked from the pirates still standing between him and his angel, to his angel. Her eyes were focused upon him, her taunting smile gone, replaced by an almost haughty regard. Good lord, she was beautiful. One delicate black brow was lifted, her vivid green eyes were so heavily lashed that it appeared as though she wore liner around them. Her cheekbones were perfectly positioned, her nose was small and straight, but heaven help him, it was those lips that caught his attention now. He had been right to compare her to a siren for she was just as majestically beautiful as the creatures of myth were rumored to be. Tearing his eyes from the vision, he turned back to the other captain.
"I have some fine rum that you and your crew are welcome to once these men are locked away. We will have a mug then, captain."
The man nodded to Derek and then began yelling out orders to see the pirates locked away, and for others to assess the damage his ship had taken.
Derek moved to his angel, the pistols were now on the deck at her side and she was kneeling over the unconscious girl. He knelt at her side and looked over the injury. "It will have to be taken out and cleaned. I assume you have a cabin aboard?"
The dark haired woman next to him turned her eyes from her wounded companion to fix them upon his. Her apple green orbs seemed full and unfocused. She closed them, and shook her head slightly, before focusing on him again.
"Yes.. No.. Well, we did, but it was hit by the cannons."
The thought of her being torn to bits by the cannon blasts sent cold chills through his veins... Odd that, he had never been afraid for himself, yet this girl.... "Then we shall take her to my ship. I have spare cabins you may occupy and she may be tended to in."
The angel next to him simply stared at him for a moment, obviously caught in a quandary of her own. A few moments passed before she replied.
"Alright, thank you."
Derek nodded, before rising to his feet and turning to his first mate, who was standing where Derek had left him. "Alejandro, would you find a cot? We will need to move her to the Lady."
"Si, captain." And Alejandro was gone.
Turning back to his angel he bent down next to her once more, sitting upon the heels of his shiny black hessian boots, "What is your name, angel?"
"Arianna Ken.." She visibly started and her eyes grew wide as saucers. "White. Mrs. Arianna White."
Of course his angel was married....
*************************************