That distinctive noise was not loud in the least, but in the dead of night it was easy to hear. For those not familiar with the sound, it could be brushed off as an animal or someone dropping something, but for those who recognised it, it was undeniable.
The two cloaked figures knew the sound of the gun cocking, and instantly looked at Edward. He swore to himself, and moved his index finger to fire before it was too late. The front cloaked figure unmasked himself.
Standing there was Alexandre, the surgeon aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, in all his baggy-eyed glory. He waved to Edward with a smile on his face before he motioned to keep quiet.
Edward let out a sigh and released the cocking of the musket. He gave an exasperated look over to Roberts, and Roberts shrugged his shoulders.
The ever-eccentric Frenchman Alexandre and his companion eyed the men keeping watch on the mansion for a few moments as they whispered amongst themselves. After a moment, the one at the back ran—while being inexplicably silent—over to the gate and knelt down while holding a shield above his shoulder. Alexandre followed soon after and jumped on top of the shield, then the other figure vaulted Alexandre up the side of the gate. He placed his hand on the top of the gate, swung his legs over, and landed on the other side with a roll. The other figure then ran to the edge of the gate where it met the stone wall and jumped off the side of the gate to the stone and back where it gave him enough height to vault over the side of the gate.
Edward's jaw dropped at the sight of it all. The event only took a matter of seconds, but the ease with which it happened was almost a thing of beauty. He hadn't thought that Alexandre was that dexterous, and had he not seen it with his own eyes he wouldn't have believed it.
Edward dashed back inside and to the second floor's main hall. "Open the door," he commanded his men.
They obeyed and let Alexandre and the other crewmate in.
Alexandre peered at his surroundings with squinted eyes. "I do not believe I've been in here," he said nonchalantly. His eyes opened wide and he raised his finger. "Non, non, that is not true. I have been here… perhaps."
Edward rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Alexandre, what are you doing here?"
"Le plaisir to see you as well, Captain. We came for a few reasons. First, we wanted to know if you needed help escaping, or if you wanted us to have the crew come to the rescue."
Edward thought on it for a moment. If they escaped, or attacked, then there was no chance to keep the town as their home base. The townsfolk wouldn't accept him as their leader if they couldn't trust him. Even then, the chances of them escaping were slim with all their numbers. Not all were as agile as Alexandre was.
"We can't take the risk. Our only chance is to convince the townspeople to stand down. The situation's not as dire as it once was, so I'm hoping tomorrow they'll listen to reason. Tell the crew to stand by in the harbour, captain's orders. We may still need to use force, but for now we're safe."
Alexandre bowed his head. "We thought that you might say something like that. We are also here because one of your crewmates has something to tell you," he replied, looking at the crewmate who'd come with him.
The crewmate pushed the cloak back, but it was a woman Edward didn't recognise. His jaw dropped open. A woman, one of my crewmates? But, only Christina and Anne are… He stared at the woman's face, and she stared at him. After a few seconds, it finally dawned on him. "Victor!"
The crewmates around them were just as astonished and voiced their amazement with several expletives.
Alexandre smiled, but the woman remained was expressionless. "Her true name is Victoria, but yes, Capitaine, you knew this person as Victor, my assistant." Victor punched Alexandre in the arm, eliciting a glare. "My partner," he corrected, although begrudgingly.
The news stunned Edward. Victor had been aboard his ship almost from the beginning, as far back as he could remember, and he had never seen anything out of the ordinary.
"Don't trouble yourself, Capitaine. She's good at hiding her identity. It even took me some time to figure it out."
Edward took a moment to review all of his and Victoria's interactions up until that point, and then he shook his head. "Why, why… why now? Couldn't this have waited for a better time?"
"No, Captain, it couldn't," Victoria said, the hint of an unfamiliar accent present in her voice.
Victoria's sober face and serious tone spoke to the gravity of what she needed to discuss. Edward nodded; there was evidently more to this than just revealing her true self.
Edward pointed to one of the guards on the door. "You, take my post. You two," he said, pointing at Alexandre and Victoria, "come with me."
Edward went into the Boddens' study and Alexandre and Victoria followed in behind him soon after. Alexandre closed the door behind him.
"This had better be good. Truly, I couldn't care less that you're a woman aboard my ship, and you should know that already. Why did you hide your identity from the crew?"
Alexandre was leaning against an alcove bookshelf, wearing a smug smile. Victoria, on the other hand, was as stone-faced as William.
"I hid it because of the crew I was with before this. I knew that if anyone found out, especially the young navigator and his sister…"
Edward clenched his fist. "You were on Calico Jack's crew?"
"A long time ago, yes."
"So I assume the crew has found out about who attacked the town?" Victoria nodded. Edward gritted his teeth. "Damn. I was hoping we could have this resolved before Herbert found out."
"Oh, the boy knows," Alexandre said. "Do not worry yourself, he is sleeping right now on the ship."
Edward nodded. "So, what was so urgent about your previous captain that you needed to tell me now?"
"It's regarding the way he operates. I was with him for many years, and I've seen similar occurrences as what happened here. Jack Rackham is a calculating man, and he would not have left, and allowed the townspeople to live, if he didn't expect this to happen," she said, motioning towards the town. "He knew that this was your town, so he sowed the seeds of discontent to ensure the people turned on you. There could even be some people he paid to see that things progressed this way. This is his snare, his trap, but so far you've managed to save yourself from the noose. His goal is to make it so you no longer have your safe haven, and will run in fear."
"What would he have done if I was in town?"
Victoria looked at him as if he were the village idiot and folded her arms. "He would have killed you, of course," she said. "This was his backup plan."
Edward scratched his face sheepishly. "Yes. I should have known that."
"Now, what you do with the information I've provided is up to you, but you may be able to convince the townspeople of Calico's plot and stop the riot." Victoria pulled her cloak up over her head, and made her way to the door to leave the study.
"Wait, where are you going?" Edward asked.
Victoria turned around, the same look plastered on her face. "I'm going back to the ship. I don't want to be here should you fail," she said before turning around and leaving. She muttered some further things under her breath Edward couldn't make out.
Victoria's candor had caught Edward off-guard, and left him speechless. Before she got too far, he said, "We're going to have to talk more on this later." She waved the back of her hand to him without turning around. Edward glanced from her to Alexandre, who still wore a grin.
"Yes, Captain. She's always like that," Alexandre said before pushing himself off the bookshelf and walking to the door.
"You seemed to enjoy that, didn't you?"
Alexandre turned around and walked backwards, still with the wide smirk on his face. "Of course. She's entertaining, and a bit challenging. I like that in a woman."
"I know the feeling," Edward said, mimicking the grin. Before Alexandre was out the door, Edward grew serious. "Keep an eye on Herbert for me."
"Oui, Captain."
Edward went back to his po
st and relieved the crewmate. He watched as Alexandre and Victoria went back the same way they'd come, jumping over the wall and sneaking off into the shadows.
Victoria's comments about Jack Rackham helped Edward plan what he would say to the townspeople if they were still incensed about the attack. He would have to discuss Victoria's allegiances, and broach the subject with Herbert, but that would be for another time.
As night turned to day, Edward and the others had no more disturbances. The sun gently poked up from the horizon and illuminated the town in a clear light. The birds of the morning sang their songs, and the sound of footsteps and various voices drifted up from outside.
The townspeople, just waking from their slumber, were returning to the mansion in droves. Many yawned and stretched as they walked alone and in groups up the small hill. Despite the many that were gathering, no children were attending, and with good reason. Edward was glad for that at least. If it came down to shedding blood, he didn't want children in the way.
Anne, Pukuh, Nassir, and the rest of the crew also rose from their slumber to join those who had taken second watch. Anne and Pukuh joined Edward, while Nassir and the other crewmates joined Roberts. Edward called Roberts and his crewmates over to his side.
"Did you sleep well?" Edward asked Anne.
"Yes, despite how little of it I managed, it was pleasant to be on solid ground again," she said.
"After all this time you're not used to sleeping on a ship?" Edward said with a smirk.
Anne folded her arms. "It's not that I am not used to sleeping on a ship, it's just that I'm accustomed to certain… luxuries from my former life. I claim no responsibility for the things my mother gave me. I was simply privileged, and it will take me more time to become accustomed to the constant waves, and… and… shut it, you big brute," she finished with a pout.
Edward laughed at the look on Anne's face, and she smiled back.
Roberts, Nassir and Edward's crewmates joined him on their side of the balcony. "Have some of the Boddens' men—" Edward started, but stopped when two of the Boddens' men walked onto the other balcony. "Forget that. Prepare William for transport. I want him ready to leave on a stretcher at a moment's notice."
Two of the crewmates nodded and went to find a stretcher for William.
"Do you think it will be necessary, brother?" Pukuh asked, glancing at William and then the crowd.
"I don't want to take any chances," he replied. "To that end, perhaps it would be best to arm yourselves."
The group nodded, and everyone save Pukuh and Nassir left to retrieve weapons. Nassir prepared William for transport, and helped clear some of the sweat from his brow as Pukuh, with his spear in his hands, walked over to the balcony edge.
"The gods laugh at you, Edward. They have given you the gift of making everyone hate you."
Edward chuckled. "At least that would give me some peace of mind. Then I would know the reason why we can't seem to have it easy for longer than a month at a time." Pukuh laughed with his friend. "I'm glad to see you in better spirits."
"Sleep is a friend to a weary mind and a troubled heart."
"That it is," Edward concurred.
Pukuh took on a sombre look as the crowds were almost finished gathering. "Something your mate said helped." Edward looked at Pukuh, eager to hear what he had to say. "When we were discussing it, she said that the seas could have changed him from the time with my father… You know, in the Maya, we have no god for the sea?"
Edward grinned. "No?"
"We have a god for rain, lightning, those things, but not the sea. Maybe one of the lesser tribes had one, I do not know. If there was to be a god of the sea, I would imagine him to be a great serpent. A serpent that loves to create and ride the waves, but also enjoys the calm, still waters of sleep. When it strikes its fancy, I would imagine he would jump from the sea to the heavens, perhaps angering his brother, Kukulkna, the god of the wind. When the serpent lands back in the sea, he causes great waves in his wake, and his brother sends winds of anger his way so that together they create the storms."
Edward laughed with a wide smile. "Did you come up with that just now? It sounds like it could be real."
Pukuh shrugged. "Perhaps it is, who knows?" he said. "The sea is like this fickle serpent, and those who ride in its wake are forced to withstand the storms, or be broken by it. I feel that Benjamin was too kind a soul, and those storms broke him. Now, he is Calico Jack, a broken man desperate to withstand the next storm."
Edward stared at the sea, and at the Queen Anne's Revenge with his precious family aboard it. "I wonder if we will be able to withstand that storm."
Pukuh chuckled and slapped Edward's back, then looked at him with wide eyes. "Brother, you are the storm."
I am the storm? Edward was speechless as he stared at Pukuh, the Mayan warrior prince. I am the storm.
Edward turned towards the gathering crowd. It appeared that all that had been present the day before had returned, and brought more with them. They watched him, waiting to see what he would say or do.
"People of Bodden Town," Edward began. "You know me as Blackbeard. Perhaps you may think of me as a pirate, a scoundrel, scum who steals from others so he may gain. What you may not know is that my name is Edward Thatch, and many years ago my dream was to own a whaling boat, as my father did before me."
The crew returned with a stretcher, and Anne and Roberts with weapons. Nassir quickly and gently placed William in the stretcher. Anne and Roberts stayed back, out of view of the townsfolk so they wouldn't see their weapons.
"My dream was stolen from me before I could even sell my first catch, and soon I found myself on the run. As I ran from men trying to steal my freedom from me, I found a new dream with the family I created aboard that ship you see in the harbour." Edward pointed to the Queen Anne's Revenge. "I found a new dream here, in this town. A dream where men and women could be free to pursue their passions without oppression and tyranny."
As Edward gazed upon the faces in the crowd, he could tell that many were responding to his message. Men nodded, and women listened with perked ears. Some whispered to their neighbours, and in those whispered to theirs. It appeared that he was winning them over.
"Calico Jack now threatens not just my new dream, but yours as well. He wants to tear down what we've built. He wants us to fight amongst ourselves. He wants us to rip ourselves apart so he doesn't have to. Do. Not. Let. Him."
The crowd seemed to be more riled up now. They were talking along excitedly, shouting words of agreement. Some still had their arms folded, but their heads nodded in agreement.
"You have lost sons, daughters, lovers, parents. For mercy's sake, do not lose yourself to the true pirate who seeks to steal your dream you've built so hard to protect. I vow to be your sword on the sea. I vow to be your veng—"
The sound of gunfire ripped the sound from Edward's voice, and he and the others instinctively ducked down and covered themselves. The men and women of the crowd gasped, and Edward heard the sound of many footsteps running away from the mansion.
Edward checked himself for injury, and when he felt no pain and saw no blood he rose back to his full height. His heart was beating like a drum in his chest. "Is everyone well?" he asked his crew. Everyone responded with various affirmations.
Edward looked over to the balcony, and noticed two smoking muskets lying on the table. Those were the Boddens' men over there, he thought.
A scream let out in the gathered crowd again, this time more focussed, more high-pitched, and more terror-filled than the first. Edward turned his attention to the crowd, and he could see two men, dead, pools of blood already forming beneath their bodies.
"Edward, look!" Anne shouted as she pointed to the harbour.
Edward followed Anne's finger, and saw the Queen Anne's Revenge in full sail, leaving the harbour.
Edward clenched his teeth and his fists. "Herbert."
6. Lure
Yesterday
A crewmate came run
ning up to the quarterdeck, where Herbert and Christina stood. "Herbert, you'd better look at this," he said, handing him a spyglass and pointing towards town.
Through the magnified gaze, he could see all the way up the main street of Bodden Town. A group of about a hundred people were heading towards the Bodden mansion. They appeared to have weapons on them.
"Oh Father, this isn't good," Herbert said as he peered through the spyglass.
"What is it?" Christina asked.
Herbert wheeled himself over next to Christina and handed her the spyglass. Tala glanced back and forth between the two of them, panting and unsure of what was going on, but riled up by the excitement. "The townspeople are trying to overtake the Boddens."
Christina looked through the spyglass. "First Edward is attacked, now they move on the Boddens? Why? Is it something to do with the attack? We had nothing to do with that."
"The townspeople might not see it like that. Whatever happened, they seem to hold either us or the Boddens responsible."
Christina gasped. "I think Edward is trapped inside."
"What?" Herbert looked at his sister with one brow cocked.
"Edward came to the gate just as the crowd closed in, and they had to lock the gate from the inside." Christina took her eye away from the spyglass and gave her brother a concerned look.
Herbert clenched his teeth and moved his wheelchair around so he could look over the quarterdeck railing. "Someone fetch Jack, and get our men ready for battle. Our captain is in trouble."
Two crewmates nodded and went to task. The others on the weather deck, near abouts twenty out of the crew, retrieved some muskets and proceeded to load them.
Christina started to leave the quarterdeck with Tala following behind her. "Where are you going?" Herbert asked.
Blackbeard's Justice (The Voyages of Queen Anne's Revenge Book 3) Page 6