The first man reached us and raised his sword. I lifted my own to meet it and was aware of Gabriella freeing the still-bound crew. I thrust at the man and kicked his kneecap at the same time. He went down. I finished him off quickly and looked up at Carmen, who hadn’t waited for his grip to slacken before she wrenched his cutlass away from him. She looked at my neck, then nodded at me.
“Where’s Gabriella?” she asked.
Confused, I looked up and saw her hurrying out of the square in the same direction as van Ecken.
“Van Ecken,” I whispered, my voice still not working. She didn’t hear. I pointed and tried again a little louder. “Van Ecken. Help her.” She understood and ran, and I stood to meet the next man.
When he was down, Greenwoode bent and took his sword. I turned to meet the next attack, and saw Cheval and Sharpe. Sharpe may have been an expert marksman, but as a swordsman he looked to be evenly matched with Cheval—their fight could take some time. But it was an old score they had to settle, I wouldn’t interfere unless I had to. Not that I had any opportunity.
Another man attacked and I parried his first thrust with ease, though I was getting tired and every breath hurt enough that I was struggling to find the strength to keep fighting. The man saw my difficulty and grinned. He launched a vicious attack, slashing first left, then right, then stabbing at me.
I jumped backwards, but was in an incredible amount of pain. Just when I wondered how I could defeat him, Jean-Claude charged at us and booted my attacker in the kidneys. I saw my opportunity and stabbed. He fell and Baba bent down to take his sword. I doubled up trying to get my breath.
Before I could thank him, Baba fell too, blood streaming from his neck. I looked at the man who had felled the man who had just saved my life, then threw my sword. Direct hit. He fell to the ground and I bent to pick up the cutlass Baba had tried for. Feliciano took the cutlass I’d thrown, and Jean-Claude grabbed another.
I looked about me—no more danger yet—although Sharpe and Cheval were still locked in battle. Cheval looked to be getting the upper hand. They moved closer to me, and Sharpe took a nasty cut to his temple and stumbled backwards. Cheval moved to strike the killing blow, and I slashed out at him. I would not allow Cheval to kill the man who had saved my, and probably Gabriella’s, life.
Cheval screamed as my blade sliced his swordarm and he dropped his weapon.
“You bastard! I should have killed you when I had the chance!”
I laughed as best I could to give Sharpe time to get to his feet. Even to my own ears it was a chilling sound, and I rubbed my throat again. Cheval looked at the two of us and at the cutlass at his feet, then turned and ran, shouting abuse all the way.
“He might baulk at fighting both of you, but I won’t.”
I spun round to see Blake’s sneering face, and Sharpe and Jean-Claude both stepped to my side. The man standing with Blake beckoned to Jean-Claude and raised his sword, Jean-Claude grinned and lunged. The man dodged, but I didn’t take my eyes off Blake. Sharpe raised his sword.
“No, Sharpe, he’s mine, we have an old score to reckon.”
“And what would that be? The only score to settle is mine.” Blake looked confused.
“Panama City.”
Blake raised an eyebrow in question. “What about it?”
“You killed my mother. I saw you. After you . . . after you . . .” I couldn’t speak the words.
Blake shrugged. “I killed a lot of women that day—bedded them too. Which one was yours?” He laughed. “Ah, I have you now, you’re that boy—the boy who watched!”
I couldn’t stand it and charged him. It was too rash, that was what he’d wanted. Blake struck out, and I felt a tremendous white-hot pain across my chest. My left hand flew to the wound and came away bloodied. I forced a deep breath down my ravaged throat. This man knew how to fight—he couldn’t have survived as a pirate, never mind a pirate captain, for so long if he did not. I’d have to take more care and use more wit to defeat him. I circled to give myself a little time to catch my breath.
Blake lunged at me and I jumped back, but hadn’t realized how close I was to the cart that had nearly become my hearse. I had nowhere to go.
Blake lunged again and I rolled to the side, hacking at him blindly. He missed and his blade drove into the wood. My cutlass caught his side. It was a lucky blow, I hadn’t had time to aim it, but it wasn’t deep enough to decide the fight. Blake wrenched his sword free of the cart with a roar and turned to parry my next attack.
Now he was backed up against the cart and I booted him in the groin, feeling the savage satisfaction of a blow well landed. He wouldn’t be raping anyone else for quite some time—never, if I could finish him off. He doubled up and I hit him—hard. Suddenly swords weren’t enough. I wanted to feel Blake’s bones crunch under my fists. I wanted Blake’s blood running over my hands.
Blake had other ideas though, and kicked out, catching my shin, and followed up with a fist of his own. I was driven backwards, losing my advantage, and Blake slashed out with his cutlass again. Hacking away at me he looked like a madman, blood pouring down his face from a cut above his eye. He slashed at me again, missed, and I realized he was blinded by the blood. I took the opportunity and struck, driving the tip of my cutlass into his heart.
Blake fell, dead, and I stared down at him, my chest heaving, my breath rasping in a throat that felt on fire. That was it, all three were dead. I looked up and met Sharpe’s eye. He’d killed another of Blake’s men, and Greenwoode’s was also dead. Jean-Claude and Feliciano were finishing off one other. No one else challenged us with Blake dead in the dirt. I bent double and tried to catch my breath.
Gabriella! How had she fared? It didn’t matter anymore that Blake was beaten, what had become of my wife?
I looked in the direction she and Carmen had taken and took a step to follow, but I couldn’t get enough breath down my bruised throat to make any speed.
Chapter 101
GABRIELLA
I followed Erik as fast as I could. He’d taken the road that led to Brisingamen, and I knew I’d catch him there. What I would do then, I didn’t know, but I had a sizable walk ahead of me to think of something.
“Where are we going?”
I turned in surprise at Carmen’s voice and was very glad to see her. “Erik’s running. I won’t let him escape.”
“Which way?”
“There.” I pointed at the path that led to my former home. “Hurry.”
She snorted with laughter, and I couldn’t help my smile. I was the slow one. But we made as much progress as we could and walked the next quarter of a league in silence, both conserving our breath—we’d not had much exercise locked up for a month, and whilst both of us appreciated being outside again, we found the going hard.
“Mistress Gabriella, stop.” Two dark figures stepped out onto the path in front of us. “Go back.”
“No, Hendrik, I won’t. Please don’t try to stop us.”
“Leave him to us,” the other man said.
“No, Hans, I need to do this. Please—let us pass.”
“We’re not Hans and Hendrik. We left those Dutch names behind us when we left Brisingamen, and you no longer own us. You cannot tell us what to do.”
“I’m not telling you, I’m asking you. And I know I don’t own you. Who gave you the chance to be free? Or have you forgotten?” I was angry. I would not be prevented from reaching Erik.
They stared at me, not saying anything, their loyalties conflicting.
“What are your new names?”
“They’re not our new names; they’re the ones our mothers gave us,” Hans spat. “I’m Kofi, he’s Ndidi.”
I nodded. “Kofi, Ndidi, Erik caused us all injury and pain. We can do this together.”
“We’re not alone. The others will not want two white women interfering.”
“We’re more than women, we’re pirates, with weapons and the ability to use them. And I will reckon my score with Erik v
an Ecken.” I spoke slowly and clearly. There could be no doubt I meant what I said, and both men recognized the unspoken threat. They looked at each other and stood aside.
“We’ll come with you.”
I nodded. They could do what they liked as long as they didn’t prevent me from killing Erik.
“How far ahead is he? Why did you let him through? Surely you left the square before he did.”
“Mmm,” Hendrik—Ndidi—said. “There are more of us up ahead. Many want their revenge on van Ecken. Over a dozen of us got away that night, but he caught four and killed them all—right in that square.”
“So you want your vengeance too.” I nodded.
“Mm. We all do. We’ve taken the big gun on the cliff and we’ve released everyone from the estate. Rensink tried to stop us, but we dealt with him.” He spat in the dirt. “We knew today would be our best chance—all the attention would be on you and your Spanish pirate. We knew you wouldn’t give in without a fight.”
I smiled at him, but my mind was still on Erik.
“Where are the others?”
“About a quarter of a league up the road, lying in wait. Even Jan.” Hans/Kofi glared at me.
“Jan? Klara’s boy? He lives?”
“Mm. No thanks to you and his mother. How could you leave him like that?” Ndidi sounded just as disgusted.
“We thought he was dead . . . we thought Sharpe had shot him . . . we’d never have run had we thought there was a chance he lived.”
“He was only wounded. At least he’ll get to see his mother again. Where is she? On one of those ships out there?”
My hands flew to my mouth in shock. I didn’t need to tell them. The two men looked at each other in distress. I could only imagine what my news would do to Jan. Thanks to me, his mother had left him twice, and there was no way of reckoning that.
“Wilbert?” I hardly dared asked.
“No. He was killed,” Kofi said.
We walked on in silence.
*
The awkward silence grew more uncomfortable with every step, and I was relieved when I heard shouts up ahead. I recognized Erik’s voice—I didn’t need to hear the Dutch accent, the disdain in his words marked him just as surely.
“Get out of my way! Who do you think you are? You’ll be flogged in that square before the day’s out, now get out of my way! Get off me, you hond!”
We walked around the bend and he silenced when he saw me, then: ‘You! Whore.”
I smiled. I had my cutlass in my hand, Carmen was armed and ready to kill at my side, and a dozen of his ex-slaves encircled him, all holding pistols. I knew Jan would be in the circle of men, but couldn’t look for him. I wouldn’t be able to meet his eyes anyway. I kept my attention on Erik.
“And you! Another whore!” He recognized Carmen.
“Hej, van Ecken. Told you we’d meet again.”
He went pale and looked about him. I enjoyed the look that came over his face and the slump of his shoulders as he realized he was alone and surrounded.
“Someone help me. I have gold. I’ll reward you well,” he pleaded.
Someone laughed. “We’ll have all the reward we want very soon, van Ecken. Then we’ll take your gold too.”
Erik stayed silent, his eyes darting about looking for a way out. There was none. His gaze settled on me.
“Gabriella, wife, help me. I’m your husband, it’s your duty,” he commanded.
I laughed. “Fire!” I said, calmly. I didn’t have a gun, but I could at least decide the moment of his death, and it could not come soon enough. The pistols fired. Erik dropped. I walked to his body prone in the mud and stared down at him. I felt only contempt.
“What are you planning to do with him?” I asked the men.
“Leave him—the animals can have him.”
I smiled and looked around the circle. I gasped. Jan. I walked toward him; he looked at the floor.
“I’m so sorry, Jan, we didn’t know. We heard the shots, we thought you were dead. We’d never have left if we’d known. Klara would never have left you.”
“Where . . .? Where . . .?”
“I’m sorry, Jan, she was killed fighting Hornigold.” I stepped closer and hugged him. He pulled away and turned to Ndidi. He buried his face in the man’s chest and sobbed. I’d never felt so guilty and helpless.
“Jan?” He ignored me. I didn’t blame him. “Jan?” I tried again, tears pouring down my own face, and very close to losing control to sobs. He turned his head and wiped his face.
“She was very brave. Brave like you were that night and like you’ve been today. She fought back and she was free. She never stopped thinking of you. Even when she died, she was talking about you and about seeing you again.”
“Well, she won’t will she? I’m here—where she left me.”
“I know, I can’t think of anything that would make her happier, knowing that you’re alive and free.”
He looked around him. “Free?” He laughed. “Living in the jungle with the whole island wanting to kill us? I’d hardly call that free!”
I looked at Carmen, she saw what was in my mind and nodded. Not that I needed her agreement, but being locked up together for the past month had finally settled our differences.
“If you want to be free, there are two ships in that harbor that need sailors and gunners.” I raised my voice. “All of you are welcome to join our crews—as free men. Earning equal shares in the profits we make! It’s safer and easier to hide at sea than in the jungles of this godforsaken island, even if Erik is dead. What do you say? Will you join us?”
Chapter 102
Most of them agreed. I was pleased—a year and a half ago these men had been my slaves, but they recognized my position had been just as horrific. I was touched that so many of them—including Jan—wanted to sail under my command.
But it would be different to before, very different. They would be there by choice and they’d be paid. If they weren’t happy with my command, they could leave at any time, or, if enough crew agreed, they could depose me by a simple vote and elect a new captain. I was honored that they chose to sail with me. No, I was humbled.
*
Some of the men went to the house to ferret out Erik’s gold and riches. That would be split amongst the current and ex-Brisingameners alone—they’d earned it. The other men joined Carmen and me in returning to the square. We wanted to make sure all Erik’s men—including Blake’s and the ex-Freyjamen—were defeated, and that Erik’s slave sheds were liberated.
I realized Valkyrie and Freyja may have much larger crews than they could cope with—I’d have to give everyone the option of settling on St Vincent with the existing community of maroons. I hoped most would stay though, we could do no better than these men and women from Brisingamen.
We reached the square, and I looked around. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Leo stride toward me, Sharpe still at his side. I sank into his arms, close to tears.
“Van Ecken?” he asked.
“Dead,” I said.
“So we’re truly man and wife?”
I laughed. “Leo, we always were, you know that!” He grinned and hugged me, and I belatedly realized I could hear him. He had a voice. It was raspy, but it was louder than a whisper. I leaned against him in relief and looked around. The square and buildings nearby had been decimated by our cannon—Eckerstad was hardly recognizable. I looked at the dead and injured lying in the square, then at the men still standing.
“Where’s Baba?” I demanded. Leo shook his head. I’d lost another life. “We have to find him, give him a proper Valkyrie burial,” I said.
“Of course. He’s over there.” Leo nodded to his left. “Greenwoode’s with him—he’s taken a blade to the arm, but it should heal. It could have been a lot worse.”
I nodded, the day’s events only now hitting me. I’d almost killed Leo, then participated in Erik’s killing instead. I thought of something else. “Blake?”
“Dead.�
�
“By whose hand?”
“Mine.”
“So that’s it then, they’re all dead, we’re free?”
“Sí, we’re free, querida.” Still in his arms, I leaned into him. Free at last. Our pasts dead, our future ahead.
“Andy!” Carmen and the gunner embraced hard, and I smiled at the depth of their friendship. I looked up—the square now swarmed with Valkyries and Freedom Fighters. We had the town, and man after man after woman greeted us, smiling, celebrating our win.
I was overjoyed to see Belinda, the housekeeper from Brisingamen, and hugged her in tears. She was barely able to speak—anger, worry and delight all warring inside her. When she finally let me go, I knew I was forgiven for leaving her.
Once the reunions were done, our crews raided what was left of Eckerstad. Gold, silver, jewels and anything else of value was carried to the shore and Valkyrie’s boats. The slave sheds were opened, and a hundred men, women and children ventured into the sunlight; blinking, confused, overwhelmed, free. I determined to give every one of them the chance to live with us at sea or safe on land with the St Vincentians. I would do what little I could to undo the harm my husband’s cruelty and arrogance had caused them.
I introduced Kofi and Ndidi to Leo and the others, and they took charge of the Africans and guided them to the boats. I was horrified at some of the reactions, and remembered my own terrible experience as a stowaway on a slaveship. I’d spent a week in a slaver’s hold cruising around the Carib Sea. What had they endured on the ocean crossing from Africa? I could only imagine the horrors etched into their memories, and wasn’t surprised to see a large group running away inland.
*
We eventually managed to load the boats—crew, passengers and plunder—and Leo and I climbed into the last one. I could hardly believe that, after everything, we were pulling out to Valkyrie. Had I really come so close to killing Leo today? Had our child really been in so much danger? How would he ever forgive me?
The Valkyrie Series: The First Fleet - (Books 1-3) Look Sharpe!, Ill Wind & Dead Reckoning: Caribbean Pirate Adventure Page 57