The Santisima Trinidad didn't strike a single jib, keeping up her race north after the Phantom. Her captain, Lorenzo Carreras Dominguez, opened his telescope so he wouldn't miss a detail of the upcoming battle, which promised to be brief. Another swift, major victory of the Windward Fleet over the seadogs. He only regretted that they were too far off to take part in it.
By his side on the frigate's bridge, his two mates from the Academy, whom he'd picked up in Santo Domingo a few days earlier, looked weirdly gloomy.
And when he asked why, they replied the same, "It's the Phantom."
Castillano carried his left arm in a sling, and had to rest the end of his telescope on his friend's shoulder. Alonso too aimed his lens to the unexpected sight of a pirate ship running toward two war frigates.
The frigate sailing on the west side surpassed her companion to attack first. But her mainmast had hardly matched the other frigate's bowsprit when, from the Santísima Trinidad, the three young captains heard the distinct shouts of the pirates. Counting?
Suddenly the Phantom's hauled-down sails got unfurled at an amazing speed. The telescopes showed to the surprised Spaniards that three pirates jumped down the rigging with each sail, pulling the bolt ropes and holding them down while other men fastened them to the yardarms swiftly.
"There she goes," Castillano said. "Lope took the bait and he's about to lose his third ship."
"That's the new frigate, right?" asked Alonso.
"Aye, the one meant to replace the Lion and the Coronado," Lorenzo replied.
"And they gave her to Lope!" snarled Castillano.
The pirate ship seemed to jump forward, and the sails packed more wind as she veered hard to larboard. The Phantom's starboard side faced the first frigate, that wasn't fast enough to mirror the maneuver. The Phantom crossed right before the frigate and her ten starboard guns fired, shattering the frigate's bow at the waterline.
The damage was so massive and sudden that made the frigate bob forward, loading a swell of water into the main deck. The Phantom was only a hundred yards away and used her as a shield from the second frigate, that tried to circle the obstacle that kept her from firing against the pirates.
From the Trinidad, they heard smaller guns. At the first frigate, the fore and main sails showed small holes with black edges, which grew larger as the first flames ran over the rigging. Meanwhile, the Phantom turned further west and ran away before the wind.
Lorenzo Carreras lowered his telescope, gawking. Castillano glanced at him, his face clearly saying, "told you."
The pirates cheered like crazy that quick victory over the first frigate, which hadn't had a chance to fire a single cannon after the warning shot.
Marina's firm voice shut them up. "Ready for the double crossing! Gunners, reload!"
"They're coming," Morris said behind her, focused on the second frigate.
Marina glanced to the south. The third frigate was still too far to join the combat. Good. They'd deal with her later. She looked ahead again, checking the guns on the weather deck were being readied. However, she couldn't erase from her mind that third frigate. Not because she feared a sudden intervention. They'd be busy for a while, fishing survivors from the first frigate. But she had the ugly feeling that the Spaniards watched and analyzed her every move from there.
"Ready," Morris warned from the taffrail.
"Briand!" she called.
A simple shout from the bosun alerted the men at the yardarms and rigging.
"Now!" said Morris.
Marina and Briand repeated that single word and the pirates at the rigging moved in synch. The girl traded a look with Maxó, who stood on the companionway halfway below deck, his head showing out the hatch, ready to repeat her orders. The pirate nodded. She raised a fist and glanced back.
She kept her fist up while she watched with Morris how the second frigate ran before the wind toward them. It seemed like no Spaniard onboard had noticed that the Phantom was slowing down. They saw her correct her course to larboard.
A few minutes before the frigate caught up with them, Marina shouted, "Go!"
Briand repeated the order and the sails moved to pack the tailwind again. The frigate's bowsprit showed by the Phantom's bridge, only fifty yards away.
Marina dropped her fist. "Fire! Everybody down!"
The larboard cannons fired from the stern forward, and the gunners threw themselves down as soon as they shot their guns.
When the frigate tried to respond fire, her quarterdeck was already past the Phantom's mainmast.
Marina's voice rose among the smoke and the roaring of the artillery. "De Neill! Fore gunners! Ready by starboard!"
De Neill took the Phantom's bow near the frigate's wake, and let the ship run after her from starboard in a slanted course.
"Chasers against the rudder!" Marina shouted. "De Neill, cross her wake and full to starboard!"
The two fore cannons shot against the frigate's rudder as the Phantom crossed the frigate's wake. De Neill and Philip spun the wheel to turn sharply astarboard and leave the Phantom parallel to the frigate.
"Starboard battery! Swivel guns! Jibs and studding sails!"
The Spaniards responded to the Phantom's starboard broadside, and about ten balls hit the pirate ship. Until the swivel guns shot. The small balls were wrapped in tar-soaked clothes. When the gunpowder inside the guns exploded to shoot the balls, it set the clothes on fire, turning the balls into flames the size of a fist, which pierced the sails and stuck into anything they found on their path, setting fire to whatever they touched.
The Phantom finished unfurling all the auxiliary sails by the end of the broadside, and De Neill turned one point alarboard to bring more distance between them and the frigate, that couldn't chase them anymore.
"TORTUGA!" Marina shouted, laughing, as they ran downwind again into the strip of sea between Honduras and the Bay Islands.
"Hail the Pearl of the Caribbean!" yelled the pirates, their fists up high, patting each other's backs and laughing with her. Somehow they'd made it: they'd just faced off not one but two war frigates. And they'd won!
On the bridge, Marina jumped to throw her arms around Morris' neck. He held her tight, laughing out loud, and spun with her, her feet in the air like he used to do when she was achild.