by Ben White
"Oh?"
"Aye. Matter of fact, eight fresh frigates arrived a few hours back, and I've got more heading this way as we speak."
"Interesting," said Tomas. "Those would be your Highland friends?"
Pete chuckled. "You're a smart one, ain't ya. Let's see how smart you are once this dinky little town's razed to the ground and ye're weeping over the ashes of your home."
"Get off my island."
Miya was brought out of her sulk by the quiet anger in her father's voice. She couldn't see his expression from where she stood, for which she was somewhat glad. Badger Pete's expression, however, was clear—for a second Miya thought he might draw his sword then and there, but then he turned and walked away, his lieutenants following. Grace shot one last poisonous glare at Miya, then flounced off after her father.
"Proper gentlemen, you are," Pete growled, half-turning his head as he waited for his daughter to reach the dinghy. "I gave you a chance, Black. Remember that."
Tomas watched them get into their boat and begin rowing back out to rejoin their fleet, then he turned to his wife.
"Well?" he said.
"There's no way we can do anything else," said Queen Lilith. "We fight. To the bitter end, we fight."
*
It was still dark and still raining as Miya and her parents joined Sola and Heartless Jon at the house.
Heartless Jon looked up at Tomas as they entered, then nodded as his son shook his head.
"Ah, what'd I tell ya. Damned parleying's a waste of time. Did ye get a few good shots in at least?"
"I did!" said Miya. "That stuck-up Grace—" Miya noticed the looks her parents were directing at her and stopped talking. "I mean ... nothing."
Heartless Jon chuckled. "Ah well. Least ye got a look at the face of yer enemy. What'd ye make of him?"
"Hard to read," said Tomas. "Cold, though. A hard man. Lily?"
"He thinks he's clever," said Lilith, who had been examining Pete for the length of the parley. "That he knows better than other people. Judging by the competency of his captains, I would say that he's a poor judge of character and worth, and that he's arrogant enough to believe that his 'leadership' will compensate for any flaws in those below him. Of course, I'm sure that the pool of talent he's drawing from is rather shallow." Lilith hesitated, glanced at her husband, then continued: "I also can't shake the thought that he believes that all of this is for some kind of misguided 'greater good'."
"Ah," said Heartless Jon. "One o' those. Tricky, then."
Miya thought for a moment, then looked up at her mother.
"You're right," she said. "Grace said something about her father 'uniting' the islands—I think she even described it as 'noble'."
Lilith bristled.
"He was right about one thing, much as I hate to admit it," said Tomas, quickly. "We'd never win in a straight fight, not with those Highland frigates backing him up."
"Don't forget about the northern islanders," said Miya. "We can't sink any of his frigates with them on board."
"The northern islanders aboard the frigates may be more of an advantage than a problem," said Sola, quietly. He clasped his hands together as they all turned to look at him.
"What do you mean?" Miya asked.
"I was not the only one who paddled amongst Badger Pete's ships last night. Many of the other northern islanders here went out too ... but not all came back."
Tomas clapped his hands together once and grinned. "Sola, that's brilliant! Was that your idea?"
"I had some part in it," said Sola, smiling slightly.
"What do you mean? I don't understand!" said Miya.
"I think I do," said Lilith. "You snuck northern islanders on board the frigates, to mix with the slaves already there. The crew likely wouldn't notice a few more. Yes?"
"Yes," said Sola. "Their aim was to talk to the others on board, prepare them to fight back. But they will not do so until they know their families will be safe."
"Fair enough, too," said Tomas.
"There is one more thing," said Sola. "The northern islanders ... they will fight for their families, but no more than that. Do you understand?"
Tomas nodded. "They won't join in an attack. I don't blame them. But still, this puts us in a much stronger position, especially with this rain. Every ship out there's anchored, waiting for a break in the weather to start shooting again. While they're waiting we send a bunch of dinghies out, with maybe half a dozen of our best fighters on board each ... how many frigates out there are Pete's, seven?"
Sola nodded.
"And you got people on board all of them?"
Sola nodded again.
"Son, you may just have saved the day here," said Tomas. "Jon, what do you think?"
"Bloody good stuff," said Heartless Jon. "Good on ye, lad."
"Lily?"
"I can see a lot that could go wrong with it," said Lilith. "But it seems our best option."
"Miya?"
"Grace is mine," said Miya. Tomas grinned at her.
"I'm not—"
"Grace is mine," Miya repeated. Tomas held up his hands.
"Well ..." He looked at his wife, who nodded just ever so slightly. "Okay. But I'm going with you."
"As am I," said Heartless Jon. He winked at Miya. "Any pirate that can stand against Jean-bloody-Scarlet for more'n a minute and live to tell the tale's got to be worth seeing in a fight."
Miya failed completely at trying not to show how pleased she was.
"Still," said Tomas, thinking. "It'll be a big risk ... and we'll have to organise some sort of signal, communication between the teams—"
"I have an idea for that also," said Sola. He held up a small shell.
"Ula Se!" said Miya. She held up her wrist. "Like mine!"
"That could work," said Tomas. He grinned at Sola. "That could definitely work."
*
Within half an hour, another six teams had been organised and told the plan. Mostly they were made up of Black Navy captains who had lost their ships and the best fighters from their crews, although Little Willy Baker and his father had also volunteered, as had others willing and able to risk their lives for the sake of their home.
With the sun just beginning to lighten the skies and the rain falling heavier than ever, seven dinghies prepared to set out from the Blackport docks.
"Sola, are you sure you want to come?" Tomas asked. Sola nodded decisively.
"For my people," he said. "And for those who have treated me as if I were of their people."
Miya smiled at her brother, then checked her sword for the hundredth time.
"Nervous, lass?" Heartless Jon asked. Miya shook her head.
"Excited," she said.
"Good girl."
"Especially since it means I get to FINALLY fight Grace properly," she said. Sola frowned.
"Perhaps you should let our grandfather or father fight her, she—"
"What? Are you serious? No way! Grace is mine, NO ONE else gets to fight her but me. Okay?" said Miya, pointing her finger at the others in the dinghy.
"If I even think you're in trouble, I'm jumping in," said Tomas. "And no arguments about that. I'm not seeing you hurt."
"I won't get hurt," said Miya, a little huffily.
Tomas looked at his daughter a moment, worried, then smiled as Lily approached them on the pier.
"Almost ready?" he asked.
"Yes, very soon. Captain Pearl just said goodbye to her husband. I'd say—"
Lily was interrupted by a piercing whistle coming from somewhere in the harbour. She looked up as Tomas scowled.
"That's from the Journey Forward," he said. "Pete's had the same damn idea as us!"
"You think they've been boarded?" Lily asked. Tomas nodded.
"Aye, I wouldn't put my money on Pete's men, though, Betty'll give them a hard time of it."
There was another whistle, followed by shouts from elsewhere on the docks.
"The Midnight Lady," said Tomas, standing in t
he dinghy. "And it sounds like they've put men ashore here, too—wouldn't surprise me if they're coming in from the jungle as well."
"And what do you think you're doing?" said Lily. "Sit yourself down, man."
"But—"
"I'll handle the defences here. You have an important job to do."
Tomas looked at his wife a moment, watched her eyes as they flicked down to Miya and back to his. He nodded.
"Aye," he said. "Be careful, love."
"You too. I'll see you in a while. Miya ... I ..." Lilith hesitated just a moment, then smiled grimly at her daughter. "Fight well."
"I will, Mum. Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to Dad."
"See that you do. Go."
Lily untied the dinghy from the wharf and pushed it off with her foot. She raised her hand a moment, then turned and walked away, already shouting orders as she made her way up the pier. Miya watched her mother until she couldn't see her any more, then turned and smiled at her father, watching him row, his strong arms working the oars efficiently, making them seem almost weightless as he pulled them through the water.
The shouts from the docks quickly became lost in the sound of rain, and there was silence in the dinghy. For a time it seemed as though they were in their own tiny world, just a dinghy alone, four people cut off from everything else.
"Jon and I will go up first," said Tomas, breaking the silence after several minutes. "Then Miya and Sola can follow. With a bit of luck we'll get on without much trouble, and once the northern islanders on board realise what we're doing they should help us put down the crew. Miya, I know there's nothing I can do to stop you going after that Grace girl, but don't go alone. Make sure at least one of us is with you in case things go bad, preferably me."
"Dad—"
"Come on, Miya, I'm giving you a lot here," said Tomas. Miya clicked her tongue.
"Okay, I promise I won't go after Grace by myself. But you better keep up with me."
"I'll do my level best," said her father, the hint of a smile showing on his face.
"But I want a promise from you, too! Once we find Grace I want to duel her alone. No help, not even if I get hurt."
"What if—"
"No, all or nothing," said Miya. Tomas winced at the look in her eyes.
"You really do take after your mother in so many ways," he said, his voice low.
"Don't try to distract me or change the subject," said Miya. "Promise."
Tomas nodded.
"I do. I promise I will let you duel her without interfering—WITH," said Tomas, as Miya began a triumphant smile, "one condition. Should I feel at any time your life to be in genuine danger, if I feel that this girl outclasses you—"
"Dad, she doesn't—"
"—if I feel that I must—MUST—intervene, I will."
Miya thought for a moment. "All right. But you better give me enough credit. If she's about to put her sword through my heart, then you can jump in. Actually ... if it somehow gets to that point, PLEASE jump in. But anything less than that you just get to watch."
Tomas looked at his daughter, then nodded.
"Agreed."
"Agreed," repeated Miya, completing her triumphant smile.
"Before we get close to that, however," said Tomas, "we must get aboard. Miya, I want you to throw the grappling hook. You've got the best eye of all of us."
"No problem, Dad," said Miya, chest swelling with pride.
"We're near," said Sola, his voice low and certain. Miya looked around, quickly spotting the lamp burning atop the ship's mast. That was all she could see, however; all else was just rain and ocean.
"How can you tell that's the right ship?" she asked.
"I've been counting."
"Counting what? Raindrops?"
"No. Seconds."
"Oh."
"Quiet now, love," said Heartless Jon. He grinned at Miya. "I wanna give 'em a bit of a shock."
Miya nodded, excitement shining in her eyes. She checked her sword one last time, then reached for the grappling hook stowed under her seat. As Tomas brought them near to Grace's ship, Miya stood and swung the hook carefully, feeling its weight, dark eyes focused on the railing above. She smiled as she remembered the last time she'd done this, then took a deep breath, blinked the raindrops from her eyes, and let the hook loose. She watched it arc up clean and true, then jerked the rope hard as it passed through the railing, felt it bite into the wood. Miya pulled it tight and began tying it to the dinghy as Heartless Jon started climbing.
"See you soon, Coconut," said her father, patting Miya on the shoulder as he followed Jon up.
"G'day mate. Got a light?" Miya grinned as she heard her grandfather's voice from above. His words were followed by the sound of swords clashing, then a clattering—that'll be the crew member's weapon falling to the deck, Miya thought.
"I'll go up first," she said to Sola. He nodded, and Miya grabbed the rope, quickly climbing up the side of Grace's ship to join her father and grandfather above.
"Don't make pirates like they used to," said Heartless Jon, prodding with his boot at the pirate he'd disarmed. "Didn't barely even have to touch this joker, he tripped over his own feet and hit his head on the way down. Useless bugger."
Tomas glanced towards the main deck.
"Sola, Jon, you take the starboard side and head for the forecastle deck," he said, "Miya and I'll take the port side and focus on the main deck. If anything goes wrong call out, you know the one."
"Ka-ka," said Miya quietly, with a smile.
"See you in a bit. Come on, Coconut."
Jon and Sola disappeared down the stairs on the other side of the ship, while Tomas led Miya in the other direction. On their side of the main deck were a couple of pirates, weapons out.
"Sure I heard something."
"Nah."
"I'm telling you—there!"
Tomas leapt forward, sword flashing. He caught the cutlass of the first pirate with his own sword and cleanly flicked it away, then kicked the second pirate's hand, disarming him just as neatly. He then threw his sword into the air, grabbed the two pirates by their necks, clonked their heads together, and caught his sword as it descended.
"What was that about keeping up?" he asked, as Miya gaped at him. "Help me tie these two up, would you?"
"You never did that kind of thing when you were sparring with me!" Miya cried, as she helped her father secure the two stunned pirates.
"Because you're my daughter who I love, whereas these rascals—" Tomas gave one of them a cuff behind the ears "—are part of an attempt to destroy our home. Do you think I ever used even a tenth of my strength against you?"
"I ..."
"Got one up against the forecastle deck, he were attempting to have a bit of an illicit ciggie," said Heartless Jon, stepping forward from the other side of the deck, Sola close behind. "Almost felt sorry for the little blighter, trying to get it to light in this downpour."
"Is that all? Most of them must be below deck," said Tomas. Heartless Jon shook his head.
"Say it's worse than that, son, say most of 'em are doing the same thing we're doin' here to your ships back there—bet a bunch of 'em are raiding yer town too."
Tomas's face spoke to his worry.
"It's okay, Dad," said Miya, "Mum's in charge back there. She'll defend the town. We have to focus on our mission."
"Right," said Tomas. He nodded. "Right, let's make sure this deck's cleared then head below."
They encountered little resistance on the upper decks, and only slightly more below. As Jon had predicted it was a skeleton crew, just enough on board to keep the slaves in check—but once the handful of northern islanders on board realised that Miya and the others were here as part of a rescue mission, they turned on their former captors in an instant. Much sooner than anyone had expected, they'd tied up the former crew in the brig and had captured the ship. Of Grace, there was no sign.
"What kind of a captain deserts her crew?" Miya stomped around on the
deck, sword in hand, slashing at the rain in frustration. "I come all the way out to this stupid ship and she doesn't have the common decency to even be here. Unbelievable."
She was interrupted by a loud, piercing sound from somewhere not too far away, one short blast followed by two long.
"That's Pearl's signal, she's taken her frigate," said Tomas, grinning. "Miya, you should sound yours, too."
"Well, I guess that'll be pretty fun, anyway."
As Miya stood in the middle of the deck, raising the shell to her mouth, her grandfather suddenly shouted out to her:
"Miya, ABOVE!"
Even with the warning, it was only Miya's reflexes that saved her from taking a cutlass full in the face—she just managed to pull her head back as Grace leapt down at her, the tip of the cutlass slicing through the left side of her mouth. Miya cried out as the pain hit her, blood already flowing from her wound.
"MIYA!" Tomas ran towards his daughter and her attacker, but Miya's outstretched hand stopped him.
"Mine," she growled, fury and pain in her eyes, blood dripping down from her mouth onto the deck, the scarlet drops quickly washed away by the pouring rain.
Grace stood back, smirking.
"You're ugly enough as it is," she said. "I'm almost sorry to mess you up further. Almost."
"There's nothing I could do to make you uglier," hissed Miya, and she attacked, running forward and slashing upwards at Grace's face. To Miya's great annoyance Grace was quick, dodging and spinning away, sending a spray of water up with her footwork.
"I see you've brought daddy along to make sure nothing happens to you," said Grace, as she and Miya circled each other, rain pelting down on both of them.
"I call him 'Dad', actually," said Miya. She spat blood onto the deck. "Because I'm not three years old."
It was Grace who attacked this time, Miya easily parrying and, seeing an opening, driving her fist into Grace's side. She followed this with a kick which Grace half-dodged, Miya's boot impacting against Grace's shoulder instead of her chest. As Grace staggered back, Miya refocused and resumed her stance, watching her rival carefully.
"You fight like a pig that's been taught to use a sword," said Miya, as Grace scowled at her and raised her cutlass once more. "That was very sloppy."