Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates

by Philip Caveney

  'You'd use your sword on a defenceless woman!' asked Jenna, raising her eyebrows.

  'You've never met her,' said Cornelius darkly. 'Defenceless is the last word I'd use to describe her.'

  Jenna moved to the centre of the deck and waved an arm at Lemuel, who stood at the tiller. 'Turn us round, Lem,' she cried. 'A good wide turn. We'll drop astern of those sea rats and come up on their port side.'

  'Aye, aye, Captain.' Lemuel swung the tiller with practised ease, and crewmen ran to realign the sails.

  'With any luck they'll be too busy with the Marauder to notice us,' said Jenna. She gazed around at her crew. 'Lads, make preparations to engage an enemy ship. Hurry now, there's not much time! Prime the cannons! Prepare grappling irons! Let's show them that it's the seamen of Ramalat who rule these waves!'

  The well-drilled crew scurried to their positions, their bare feet thudding on the wooden boards. Jenna threw a sidelong glance at Sebastian and Cornelius.

  'You gentlemen may want to take cover below,' she said. 'It's going to get quite nasty up here.'

  Cornelius grinned. 'That's just how we like it,' he said.

  'Isn't it, Sebastian?'

  'Huh?' Sebastian stared at him. Once again he was experiencing a strange conflict of emotions. Part of him wanted to be rid of Leonora and her mysterious hold on him . . . But another part was quite ready to give his life in order to protect her.

  'What's the matter with you?' Cornelius asked him.

  Sebastian shook his head and tried to get a grip on his emotions. 'Nothing,' he said. 'I'm . . . I'm fine.' But he was far from fine. There was a thick film of sweat on his face and his heart seemed to be racing at twice its normal speed. Leonora was somewhere on that ship, the one being smashed to pieces by enemy fire. Soon he would be able to see her, speak to her . . .

  Max's voice came bellowing up through the open hatch. 'Yoo-hoo! Hello? What's going on up there?'

  Jenna grimaced and snapped a command at a couple of sailors. 'Batten down that hatch!' she yelled. 'I don't want that loud-mouthed beast alerting the pirates to our presence.' The men moved to obey her, swinging down and bolting the heavy wooden doors. Max's shouts were immediately muted. Jenna moved to the rail and stared at the two ships, which were now just a short distance off to port. 'OK, Lem, that's far enough. Let's turn her round.'

  Those crewmen who were not manning the guns below deck ranged themselves along the starboard rail, grappling irons and ropes at the ready. The Sea Witch was closing in now, Lemuel swinging the ship round in a great arc so that she could come up on the Black Hand's port side and move into position alongside her. Sebastian could feel the impact of the pirate ship's cannon as they roared in unison, again and again. The shots were pulverizing the Marauder's hull, smashing great ragged holes in her port side and sending lethal fragments of wood flying in all directions. Captain Trencherman's crew had managed to get their gun hatches open and were struggling to bring the cannons to bear on their attacker, but they had paid a high price for being so unprepared and already looked to be in very bad shape.

  Meanwhile Jenna's plan seemed to be working like a dream. The pirate crew were so intent on their attack, they had not even noticed the Sea Witch sliding into position, hatches open, cannons ready to fire.

  'Here we go,' said Cornelius with grim good humour. He pulled his sword from its scabbard and winked at Sebastian, who unsheathed his own sword, though the last thing he felt like doing now was engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

  Jenna was armed with her longbow and she raised it so every member of the crew could see. 'Right, lads,' she said. 'Let's show them how we deal with pirates on these waters.' Then she took a deep breath to yell at the top of her voice, 'Fire!'

  And the battle began.

  CHAPTER 17

  THE BIG BRAWL

  The impact of the big guns discharging below them seemed to make the deck leap beneath Sebastian's feet. Clouds of smoke billowed up from the open gun hatches, and through the haze he saw the pirate ship's hull being blasted open by a series of impacts.

  The pirate crew reeled in shocked surprise as they realized that the tables had unexpectedly been turned: now it was the Black Hand that was under attack. They hadn't even opened the gun hatches on their port side. One man ran towards the shattered rails and Jenna sent an arrow flying across the intervening space, straight into his chest, dropping his lifeless body onto the deck.

  'Fire at will!' roared Jenna.

  'Which one's Will?' asked Sebastian, peering at the pirates on the other ship. Cornelius opened his mouth to say something, but then another volley blasted out, the shots shredding the Black Hand's rails and bringing the foremast crashing down onto the deck, scattering crewmen in all directions and in some cases burying them under piles of heavy canvas.

  'Cease firing!' yelled Jenna. 'Grappling irons ready . . .' The crew took up their positions, arms lifted ready to throw. 'Now!' she screamed, and the heavy irons were flung in a series of arcs, trailing lengths of rope behind them, to thud down behind the ruined rails of the Black Hand. 'Take up the slack,' commanded Jenna; and for a moment Sebastian forgot about his apprehension and watched her in admiration: she really was rather magnificent in the heat of battle. 'Now heave!' she cried; and muscular arms began to pull on the ropes, drawing the two ships closer and closer together.

  Some of the pirate crew saw what was happening and, snatching up axes, ran to the port rail to try to sever the ropes, but Jenna's arrows dropped three of them in their tracks before they ever reached the side. As the ships drew closer, a couple of hatches on the Black Hand opened. There was a muffled roar of cannon fire and thick clouds of smoke billowed up from the gap.

  Then there was a heavy impact as the Sea Witch's hull thudded against that of the Black Hand and, exchanging her bow for a sword, Jenna raised the weapon high and waved her crew forward. She was the first to leap across the rails, through the clouds of smoke and onto the pirate ship. Sebastian was instantly scrambling after her, and then he had little time to see what was going on around him because he was too busy trying to stay alive.

  He came through the thick, choking smoke and dropped onto the deck. Immediately a huge, shaven-headed pirate came lunging at him with a heavy broadsword, unleashing a powerful swing that was designed to take Sebastian's head clean off his shoulders. He ducked and was horribly aware of the mighty blade scything a chunk of material from the top of his tricorn. There was no time for hesitation. He immediately struck, slashing his own curved blade across the pirate's chest. The man cried out and spun sideways, rolling over and over on the deck.

  Sebastian was just telling himself that now he really was a vanquisher of pirates when two other men immediately took his first opponent's place, dirty bearded fellows, one tall and thin, the other short and squat. They advanced on Sebastian, swords raised, and he squared up to them, unsure which of them to take on first. The squat man lunged, aiming a straight stabbing thrust at Sebastian's chest. He tried to retreat, tripped over a prone figure behind him and fell backwards. The little man was unbalanced too and couldn't stop himself from falling forward with the impetus of his blow. Sebastian grabbed his wrist, pulled him forward and whipped his own blade up into the man's stomach, impaling him as he fell; but the man's body was heavy and Sebastian realized that he was trapped, his sword stuck.

  The thin man was still coming at him, a gleeful expression on his smoke-blackened face. Sebastian started to grope frantically around for another weapon but found nothing. The thin man lifted his sword to strike but then his expression changed to one of pain. He stood there for a moment, mouth open, eyes staring straight ahead; and then he dropped to his knees, revealing Jenna standing behind him, a bloodied sword in her hand. She stepped over the fallen man, pulled the dead pirate off Sebastian and helped him to his feet.

  'Come along, jester,' she said. 'This is no time to take a nap.'

  'I wasn't napping!' protested Sebastian. 'And I already told you, I'm not a jester any more, I'm a�
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  He broke off in alarm as yet another pirate came leaping at them. Jenna calmly parried the man's blade with her sword, then ducked under his guard and punched him in the face with her free hand. The man went flailing backwards, hit the shattered rail and tipped over the edge out of sight. An instant later there was the sound of a body splashing into the water.

  'Some people,' muttered Jenna, looking ruefully at her knuckles. 'Any excuse to go for a swim.' She and Sebastian exchanged grins and then Sebastian retrieved his sword and the two of them looked quickly around the crowded deck. It was apparent at a glance that the pirates were already as good as beaten. The crew of the Sea Witch were now streaming onto the deck, and sailors from the Marauder had taken the opportunity to start boarding from the starboard side.

  The pirates simply didn't know which way to turn. Everywhere, they were throwing down their weapons and lifting their arms in surrender. But in the far corner of the main deck one battle still raged in earnest.

  Sebastian was astonished to see a small figure, dressed in the flamboyant hat, waistcoat and boots of a sea captain. He was fighting like a wildcat, even though he was surrounded by armed men. He carried a sword that looked several sizes too big for him and was whirling it round in a deadly arc every time somebody attempted to step closer to him.

  'Come on then!' he yelled. 'Who's next to feel the edge of my blade, eh? Who wants to be next to die?'

  'Who on earth is that?' asked Sebastian, amazed.

  'It's Captain Kid, of course,' said Jenna.

  'But . . . he can't be the captain. He couldn't be any more than . . . fourteen summers old!'

  'That's right. How do you suppose he got the name?'

  'I . . . I assumed he was a grown man who was nicknamed Kid.'

  'No. His father was Captain Jack Donovan, a very successful pirate. But he died a couple of years ago and the Kid took his place.' She smiled. 'It would seem we've both got something in common with him. Come on, let's sort him out. I've no wish to see such a plucky lad killed.' She led Sebastian through the ranks of surrendering pirates to where the Kid stood at bay, shouting defiance at the men who surrounded him.

  'Well, come on!' he roared. 'Don't any of you want to fight me?'

  'Throw down your weapons, Captain,' shouted Jenna. 'You are surrounded: you cannot hope to win.'

  'Can too!' retorted Captain Kid.

  'No, really, you haven't a hope.'

  'Have so!' The captain stamped one tiny booted foot on the deck in a fit of anger. 'Come on, I'll take you all on, one by one.' He stepped towards the big dreadlocked sailor, Cassius. 'What about you? You want to try your luck?'

  Cassius grinned but shook his head. 'I would rather fight someone my own size,' he said.

  'So would I!' snapped the Kid. 'But there isn't anyone my size, is there?'

  There was the sound of somebody clearing his throat and Cornelius stepped forward. 'What about me?' he suggested.

  Captain Kid looked at Cornelius in amazement. 'But . . . you're tiny!' he exclaimed. 'You're even smaller than me. A midgeling!'

  'Actually, I'm a Golmiran,' Cornelius assured him. 'And though I am small in stature, I do not much care for the term "midgeling". However, as you are still a child, I'll simply assume you know no better.' He took up a fighting stance and beckoned to the boy with the crook of one finger. 'Well, come on, Captain. Let's see what you're made of.'

  'Cornelius, take it easy on him,' said Sebastian. 'He's just a boy.'

  'Yes, I had noticed,' Cornelius assured him. 'And don't worry, I have no intention of—' He broke off in surprise as the Kid came running at him, his sword swinging furiously. Cornelius managed to block the first blow and push it aside, but an instant later, another came at him, then another and another, the blows falling with such dizzying speed that for a moment the arms of the two fighters were little more than blurs. They whirled up and down the deck, dealing blow and counter-blow, the blades striking sparks and neither opponent showing any dominance over the other.

  'You're good,' observed Cornelius. 'But I'm better.'

  'Says you!' retorted the Kid. 'Take that! And that!'

  He started lashing out at Cornelius with renewed vigour, and Sebastian was amazed to notice that the Golmiran's confident smile had faded somewhat and that he was having to work really hard to parry the blows. Finally even his endurance seemed to be failing and he had to resort to sleight of hand. He performed a lightning-fast flick of the wrist and the Kid's sword went flying from his grip, the point of the blade thudding deep into the mizzen mast and then shuddering from the impact. The Kid stared in amazement at his empty hand as though he couldn't believe what had just happened.

  'You . . .' he said. 'You . . .' Then he descended into what could only be described as a tantrum. 'It's not fair!' he cried, stamping around the deck in disgust. 'You cheated!'

  'I certainly did not,' Cornelius told him. 'I used a perfectly acceptable manoeuvre to disarm you.'

  'No way!' screamed the Kid. 'You're a big cheat!'

  Cornelius gave him a rather puzzled smile. 'I can assure you, Captain, that I beat you fair and square,' he said. 'And I must now ask you formally to surrender your vessel to us.'

  'Will not!' bellowed the Kid. 'Not going to surrender to a rotten cheat!'

  Cornelius looked at Jenna in exasperation and shrugged his shoulders, as if asking her what he should do next. But she was prevented from offering her opinion by the arrival of a deputation from the Marauder. This comprised a tall, dour-looking man with a disapproving face and a haughty way of walking that suggested he thought he was pretty fantastic. This had to be Captain Trencherman, Sebastian told himself.

  He was accompanied by what must have been his first mate, a big, powerful-looking man with a strangely flattened nose and a mouthful of yellowed, misshapen teeth. Trailing just behind them was a beautiful woman who Sebastian recognized only too well.

  She stood there, smiling dangerously, her big yellow eyes regarding Sebastian as though she could see into the very heart of him.

  CHAPTER 18

  THE CODE OF THE SEA

  It was Captain Trencherman who spoke first. 'Captain Swift,' he said. 'It would seem I am in your debt.' He had a cold, expressionless voice, which Sebastian disliked immediately but which seemed a perfect match for his slate-grey eyes and disapproving expression.

  'Do not trouble yourself,' Jenna assured him, her voice polite but distant, making no attempt to hide her contempt for the man. 'I was merely following the Code of the Sea.'

  'Well, lucky for us that you were so close at hand.'

  'Hardly lucky, since you were quite obviously following us.'

  Trencherman didn't answer this, but he did direct a nervous glance at Leonora, who stood there, saying nothing and staring intently at Sebastian. There was an uncomfortable silence, then Trencherman transferred his attention to the Kid.

  'So the little whelp's luck has finally deserted him,' he said.

  'I'm still big enough to give you a kicking!' retorted the Kid, raising his fists in a pugilistic stance. 'Come on, let's see you hit me, droopy drawers!'

  'Impudent cub!' snarled Trencherman. 'Still, small as he is, he'll hang as readily as his crew.' He turned to shout over his shoulder. 'Fetch ropes – we'll string these sea rats up now!'

  Sebastian was appalled by this decision. He took a step forward. 'You can't just hang him!' he protested. 'He's only a boy.'

  Trencherman's steely eyes appraised Sebastian for a moment; he did not seem to like what they saw. 'Sir, I do not know who you are, but let me remind you that this "boy" has just done untold damage to my vessel . . . so much so that we are taking on water and will have to return to Ramalat for repairs.'

  'Yes!' hissed Cornelius, raising a fist in a gesture of triumph.