Blacksouls

by Nicole Castroman

  CHAPTER 34

  Teach

  Easton was addled. As far as Teach could see, there was nothing special about the Killorn. There were no carvings or extra scrollwork in the wooden railings. The lines of the ship were smooth and well made, but the Triumph had been just as serviceable. The pirate had an overinflated ego.

  In the captain’s cabin, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the stark furnishings. A simple desk, chair, and an armoire were the only pieces of furniture inside the stuffy room. A hammock swung gently from side to side, swaying with the ship. The vessel was quite clean and well maintained, even with the repairs that took place.

  Easton’s shirt had been ripped open, his bloody shoulder exposed to the air. The bullet had missed the bone, burrowing through the flesh like a large earthworm. Somehow he’d survive. Teach wasn’t certain whether or not that was a positive. Easton sat on the desk, a dark brown bottle in his hand.

  Easton nodded to the single chair. “Have a seat,” he said, speaking to Anne.

  “Thank you, but I’ll stand.”

  Grinning, the pirate took a long swig from the bottle. He wiped his mouth. “Would you care for a sip?” he asked, pushing the bottle toward her.

  “I’m not thirsty.”

  “What information do you have about Webb?” The muscles in Teach’s hands twitched. He wanted nothing more than to wrap them around Easton’s throat. If the man wasn’t careful, Teach would finish what Nathan started.

  Easton’s amused eyes landed on Teach, as if he could read his thoughts. “Lots.” The pirate wasn’t in a hurry. After another lengthy drink, he took the bottle and upended it over his shoulder, letting loose a string of curses that would make a dock worker blush.

  Anne swayed slightly on her feet.

  Easton’s face twisted somberly. “I apologize. I’m sorry for offending you.”

  “It’s a bit too late for that,” Teach snapped. Turning to Anne, he noted the sheen of sweat on her forehead. Knowing how she felt about needles, he didn’t think it wise for her to be present for the rest of the ordeal. She’d already been through a lot. “Would you like to go up on deck for some fresh air? Benjamin could stay with you.”

  She drew in a shaky breath and sat down on the only chair in the room. “No, I’ll be fine.”

  “How about I hold your hand?” Easton offered. “Sometimes it makes it easi—”

  Teach clutched Easton by the shirtfront and dragged him to his feet, not caring about the pirate’s injury. “If you don’t want to lose your other arm, I suggest you keep your hands to yourself.”

  Toe-to-toe, the two men stared each other down, neither one willing to look away first.

  “Teach,” Anne said quietly.

  Teach looked over his shoulder. Three pistols pointed at him, a reminder that he was still on Easton’s ship. Loosening his hold, Teach slowly released the pirate. Easton’s eyes gleamed with triumph. Teach made a mental note to visit with Easton later. Alone. “You were talking about the information you have against Webb.”

  “Ah, yes. It’s not here. I mean, it is here,” Easton amended, pointing to his temple when he saw Teach clench his fists. “But who would believe a pirate? When I began to work with Webb, it became apparent that I’d need to document everything. At the time, Webb was new to this whole pirating thing and so he did as I asked.”

  “What do you mean, new?”

  “Before I came to Nassau, my crew and I had worked in the Indian Ocean.”

  Teach scoffed at him. “By ‘work’ you mean ‘stole.’ ”

  Easton hissed as the sailor stitching him up inserted the needle. Teach didn’t bother to hide his smile.

  “We came to the islands with a significant fortune in tow. The former governor of Nassau, Nicholas Trott, offered us refuge in exchange for some of the treasure. When Trott returned to England, Webb seemed eager to take his place. He gave me a list of ships he wanted us to attack. All of them English.”

  “Let me guess, you had a twinge of conscience.”

  “Not at all. I don’t feel an ounce of guilt taking money from those bloody merchants. And neither did Webb. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that I’d agreed to make a deal with the devil. Trott was corrupt, but the only word to describe Webb would be evil.”

  “What happened?” Anne asked.

  “As you’ve seen, I assembled my crew from all corners of the earth. It doesn’t matter to me what a man looks like or where he comes from, as long as he’s willing to work, and work hard. I’ll take a chance on him. Webb isn’t as open.”

  Teach chanced a glance in Anne’s direction. Her mouth was set into thin lines and he could almost see the progression of her thoughts. Anne wanted to make Webb suffer.

  “At first, I just wanted to agitate him. You know, make him wriggle a bit. Whenever Webb came to my ship, I made sure he was treated to a meal that would only be served in Sumatra or Java. For someone who strictly enjoyed meat and potatoes, even the smell of the spices set him off. But one day, he’d had enough.” Easton’s mouth hardened. “It was the same day he came to tell us about the Deliverance. When he left, he asked one of my crew members to deliver a message. Fool that I was, I didn’t think anything of it.”

  “And?” Anne asked. Teach wondered if he should insist she go up on deck.

  It was clear Easton had the same thought. “The story isn’t meant for female ears.”

  Anne stood. “I’ve experienced firsthand the cruelty of that man. If you don’t believe me, ask Teach. He sewed me up after Webb and his wife were finished with their handiwork.”

  Easton swallowed. “Seems we all have a reason to make Webb pay. I’m not innocent. I’ve done my share of killing, but Webb’s different. He does it for sport.”

  “What happened to the messenger?” Anne asked. Teach hated to admit it, but a small part of him was curious as well.

  “Webb sent him to me in pieces with a note suggesting I use him in the next meal.” Easton didn’t even flinch when the needle pierced his skin this time.

  Nobody spoke. Webb had accused Easton of doing that very thing, but Teach was more inclined to believe the pirate. For a thief, the man was surprisingly honest. “So all the rumors about you . . . are they all a lie?”

  “Most times rumors are more exciting than the truth,” was all Easton said. “And if you make the rumors bad enough, people will fear you and the sound of your name.”

  The only noise in the room was the thin sound of the thread being pulled through Easton’s shoulder. In the distance Kitts could be heard yelling at his men.

  “You said you have documents,” Anne said. “Could they bring Webb to justice?”

  Easton nodded. “If it comes to that. Like I said, Webb asked me to steal from several British merchants.”

  Teach was beginning to understand Webb’s desperation to kill Easton. “Would those happen to be the same merchants Pelham has approached to join their venture?”

  “So you’ve heard about their scheme. Yes, those are the same merchants.”

  “Which is why you let everyone think you’re Spaniards,” Teach said.

  “That was Webb’s idea. At the time it was a good one. I’m sure he didn’t think that one day he might need to do business with the same men he’d robbed.”

  “I would have loved to see Webb’s face when Pelham first told him the names of their future associates,” Anne said. “Can you imagine how shocked he must have been?”

  Easton chuckled. “I’d like to think there’s a better way of going after Webb and thrashing him at his own game. Besides, I’ll be implicated if any of the information I have gets into the hands of a judge. My head is happily attached to my body and I would like to avoid the gallows.”

  “But it’s important for us to know what kind of arsenal we have at our disposal,” Anne said.

  Teach tried to catch Anne’s gaze, but she avoided looking at him. “Anne.”

  “What?” Her eyes flashed fire.

  Teach
didn’t want to have a discussion in front of Easton. Teach knew Anne was upset, but nobody had said anything about going after Webb. Teach simply wanted to free his men and Anne’s friends and leave Nassau as quickly as possible. “We can discuss this later.”

  “Why not now?” Easton asked.

  The man had a death wish.

  “I have some papers signed by Webb. Supply lists for the Killorn. In the beginning, Webb signed and paid for everything. He left a trail of bread crumbs leading back to him. But it didn’t take long for him to catch on. It didn’t matter. By then, I’d already managed to mimic his signature.”

  Teach gave a short laugh. “Which means the only evidence you have against him are forged documents. Nothing that would hold up in court.”

  “How good are the forgeries?” Anne asked.

  Easton winked at her. “I like you. If you were mine, I’d name my ship after you.”

  “She’s not yours,” Teach snapped.

  “She could be,” Easton said.

  Teach took a menacing step forward, but Anne placed her hand on his chest. “Stop. This is ridiculous. Circumstances have made Webb our common enemy. Now we need to work together to fight against him.”

  “All I have to do is take Easton and his men back to Nassau,” Teach said. “That should be enough to grant me clemency.”

  “You won’t take me back alive.”

  “Judging from the look of you and your crew, you won’t last much longer on your own.”

  For the first time Easton glared at him. “Does the sight of us starving to death amuse you?”

  Heat suffused Teach’s face. “I was simply pointing out that you’re fast running out of supplies.”

  “And do you know why? Because we didn’t deliver the Deliverance to Webb. Everyone had heard about Richard Drummond’s mighty ship, and Webb wanted to be the one to take it. Ironic, isn’t it? Once we captured it, we were supposed to rendezvous with Webb and split the spoils. He usually left supplies for us in the cay. But thanks to you and your men, the Killorn was badly damaged. It took us more than a week to get to the rendezvous point. But there was nothing waiting for us. And I knew then that we were all dead men. Webb wants me gone before the documents and papers I have against him can get into the wrong hands.”

  Teach knew that if any of the merchants found out about Webb’s dealings, they wouldn’t be so keen to join Pelham and Webb.

  “Which is why Webb sent Nathan with specific instructions to kill you,” Anne murmured.

  “I’m truly grateful you shot the bounder,” Easton said.

  Teach didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t convinced he wanted to go after Webb, especially not with so many lives at stake. But something had to be done.

  “There’s more,” Easton said.

  What else could there be, Teach wondered.

  “Webb’s just the beginning. As wicked as he is, he’s almost tame compared to his colleagues. They’ve scheduled a meeting in Jamaica and should arrive within three months.”

  “Seven weeks, actually,” Anne said.

  Both Teach and Easton threw Anne a surprised look.

  “I was at the tavern with Benjamin when Pelham stopped by one day. Pelham was upset that Alastair refused to join their group. They want to challenge the monopoly the Royal African Company has on slavery. Pelham said others would be arriving soon and Alastair would need to rethink his position.”

  “I know who those men are. And they all deserve to hang.”

  “But who would believe a pirate?” Teach asked, giving Easton a skeptical glance.

  “I know you don’t believe me, but I do have documentation of Webb’s crimes. In the beginning, he trusted me. Later, when Pelham arrived and told Webb his plans, Webb asked for the papers back, but I said they’d been destroyed. I don’t think he believed me. In fact, he had the Killorn searched twice. But I don’t keep any of those things on me. I keep ’em somewhere safe. I consider it a form of insurance, if you will.”

  “That was an awful gamble to take,” Anne said. “Especially now that you know how desperate he is.”

  “I know. But like a cat, I have nine lives.”

  Teach rolled his eyes at the same time that Benjamin appeared in the door, a relieved look on his face. “Captain?”

  “Yes,” Teach and Easton replied, simultaneously.

  There was a slight pause as Benjamin looked between the two until Teach spoke up. “What is it?”

  “It’s still my ship,” Easton mumbled.

  “The Triumph just entered the cay and is preparing to drop anchor. Looks like John is here.”

  “It’s about time,” Teach muttered. Turning to Anne, he motioned to the doorway. “Let’s go and see what John has to say about his tardiness.”

  “Should I be worried?” Easton asked, as the man at his side wrapped a bandage around his shoulder.

  Anne quirked a brow at him. “About what?”

  “That more of your friends have shown up.”

  An image of John fighting Easton flashed in Teach’s mind and he smiled. “Perhaps.”

  Just as Teach had finished speaking, a familiar hum burst through the air. A half second later, the deep boom of cannon fire shook the ship. The Killorn rocked, riding the waves caused by the cannonball.

  “Did your men just shoot at us?” Easton’s voice was incredulous.

  Shocked, Teach met Anne’s wide eyes. “There must be some mistake,” he said. “I never told him to open fire.”

  “Perhaps he’s worried because he hasn’t seen you,” Anne offered.

  “Right. We’ll go up on deck and—” A second cannonball striking the hull of the ship cut off Teach’s words. That was no mistake.

  “Blimey! Get up there!” Easton yelled. “Before they tear my bloody ship apart.”

  “Stay here,” Teach said to Anne before turning to the door. “Easton, try to make yourself useful.”

  “I’ll keep her safe,” Easton called after him.

  Shooting the pirate a murderous glare over his shoulder, Teach raced up to the deck, his heart lurching in painful strikes against his ribs. His crew looked to him, waiting for orders, while Easton’s men busily loaded their weapons.

  Benjamin handed Teach a spyglass. He quickly scanned the Triumph. “I don’t recognize any of them,” he muttered, giving the deck another once-over. He strode to the railing in an attempt to make himself visible. And he waited. Where is John?

  Benjamin jerked his head sideways just as the sound of a musket shot exploded from the deck of the Triumph. The young man raised his hand to his ear, blood pouring down his arm. Stooping over, Teach hurried to Benjamin’s side, snapping the spyglass shut and reaching up to check the wound. “Are you all right?” Teach asked.

  Benjamin nodded. “It just grazed me.”

  Teach breathed a sigh of relief. “Go have Anne take a look at it. And tell her to stay out of sight. John’s not in command of that ship.”

  “What?”

  “There’s no sign of him or any of our men. I know they saw me and they still opened fire.”

  “Webb,” Benjamin said, his voice grim.

  They’d clearly underestimated the governor. Nathan had been right. “He must have had us followed. And now they’ve overtaken the Triumph.” Signaling to his crew, he motioned for them to follow him to the stairs leading belowdecks. To Easton’s men he called out, “Are your guns trained around?”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Good. You there, stay here and open fire with your muskets. Shoot for their portals and make them scatter. The rest of you come with me and prepare to cast loose your guns!”

  “But John could still be on board,” Benjamin said as they rushed down the wooden planks.

  Teach had already considered that thought, but he wasn’t about to sit around and wait to be blown out of the water. John would never fire on a sitting ship without first knowing where his friends were. It was possible John was already dead. Another cannonball
hurled toward them, the echo of the gun sounding across the open cay.

  “We don’t have another choice.”

  With a sad nod, Benjamin headed off in the direction of the captain’s cabin.

  The low ceiling of the gun deck caused Teach to crouch. Normally the crew had plenty of time to prepare a ship for action when the watch in the crow’s nest spotted a sail at sea. But they only had a few minutes to prepare for this battle. Teach called for his gun captains to work together and Easton’s men to man their own cannons. They were shorthanded, but Teach refused to consider the odds of them not coming out of this encounter alive.

  The men were quiet, waiting for their next command. “Level your gun and load with cartridge!” With a burst of frenzied movements, the men did as he ordered. “Out tampions!”

  Once they’d removed the muzzles of the cannons, all eyes were once again on him. “Number one and three guns, you fire on my command.” Teach paused only a fraction of a second, then, “Fire!”

  The world exploded around them as the guns let loose their deadly arsenal. Acrid smoke filled the cramped space, and the fading light of day had difficulty breaking through the wispy mists choking the men. The spongers immediately wiped out the guns, preparing for the next volley.

  Too slow. They were too slow. Three cannonballs shot from the Triumph, but only one broke through the hull of the Killorn, sending a shower of sharp, splintered wood in the air. “Fire!”

  The ringing in Teach’s ears intensified. He heard a shout.

  “Captain!”

  Teach turned to see Easton stumbling and carrying one side of a crate with his good arm and Benjamin carrying the other. “What are you doing?” Teach demanded.

  Easton dropped the crate and pulled up the lid, revealing short iron bars bundled together with a length of rope. Bundle shot. They were normally used to take down rigging and masts, but because it wasn’t very accurate, could only be used at close range. But they were also known to cause devastating damage to flesh and bone.

  “Where did those come from?” Teach asked.

  “I told you the beauty of this ship came from within. You didn’t believe me.” Easton’s men rushed the crate and removed most of the bundle shot, just as another cannonball struck the Killorn.