Pirates of the Storm (Stranded In Time Book 1)

by Fletcher Best

  “I think you mean por la cuerda, not la cuello. Unless you intended to tell this poor woman the knife was for her neck and not for the rope!” Captain Coxen corrected as he entered the room. “Perhaps I should handle this, Mr. Greene,” the Captain said, trying to speak over the woman’s screams.

  “Please do, Captain,” Jeff said as he stepped back from the bed. Coxen quickly managed to calm the woman down. By now, Captain Jamison and several other men were filing into the room, which set the frightened woman off again. Jamison quickly ordered everyone out of the room while Captain Coxen reassured the woman that no harm would come to her.

  Jeff joined Captain Jamison and the others in searching the rooms for valuables. Jeff entered what he figured to be the governor’s office and made his way to the large ornate desk that sat in the middle of the room. He rummaged through the drawers and found a small assortment of rings and other jewelry. When he got to the left side bottom drawer, it appeared to be either locked or stuck, and Jeff pulled his knife to try to jimmy it open. He soon realized that the drawer was neither locked nor stuck, it was just difficult to slide open because it was so heavy.

  In addition to miscellaneous papers, there were several small sacks. Jeff picked one up and his heart raced as he immediately recognized the heft and jingle of coins. He untied the strap at the top of the sack and carefully poured the contents out on the desktop. It was even better than he had imagined – the coins were all gold! He pulled the other sacks from the drawer and peeked inside each one. They all appeared to be filled with gold coins. In all, there were a dozen bags, each holding 15 to 20 large coins. He collected the coin sacks together and placed them into the burlap sack he had been issued for the raid. He was so excited by his find that he almost forgot to check the bottom drawer on the right side of the desk. Once again the drawer was heavy, and Jeff’s excitement grew. This drawer had even more coin purses in it, and again all of them appeared to be filled with gold coins. Just as Jeff finished loading the purses into his sack, Captain Coxen called out, “Mr. Greene, come here, you need to see this!” Jeff tied the sack closed and threw it over his shoulder and only then noticed the first sack of coins was still poured out on the desk. He quickly scooped them back into their sack and shoved it in his pocket as Coxen yelled for him again.

  Jeff returned to the bedroom, where the woman was now wrapped up in a blanket and sitting quietly on the bed with a glass of wine. Captain Coxen urgently waved him over to the window. “Mr. Greene, look!” From the second story window, there was a clear view out over the water. In the distance a storm was moving through… a storm with rapid bursts of pink and blue lightning that crackled instead of thundered!

  Jeff dropped the sack in astonishment. “Captain, I need one of the longboats!”

  “No, Mr. Greene, you’ll never make it on your own in a longboat. The storm is too far out for you to reach it in time. Come on!” Coxen ran to the stairs with Jeff right behind him.

  They met Captain Jamison at the foot of the stairs. “John, what the devil…”

  “No time, Jamison. I have to get Mr. Greene to the Wench. I’ll return within the hour and will explain everything then!” As they ran out the front of the house, they nearly knocked over Stevens and the other Stevens entering the house. Coxen yelled to them as he passed, “You men, you’re with us!” The two Stevens looked at each other for a moment and then turned and ran after Jeff and the Captain.

  As Jeff and Coxen reached the village, Jamison’s men who were keeping watch on the villagers jumped up in alarm. “What be the matter, Captain Coxen?!” one yelled as they ran past.

  “Not..to…worry. Be… as… you… were!” the Captain gasped back, winded from the exertion. When they finally reached the shore, the Captain was about to collapse. He and Jeff started to push one of the longboats into the water, but the Captain’s legs gave out and he collapsed on the sand.

  In a moment, the two Stevens arrived and they helped Jeff shove the boat into the water before helping the Captain aboard. Jeff grabbed one of the oars and the other Stevens took the other. The storm was a good distance off, but still within reach and it appeared to be moving slowly. Jeff and the other Stevens rowed hard as Stevens steered toward the ships. Captain Coxen was still breathing too hard to talk, but he was now sitting up and watching the storm intently. Within minutes, they were approaching the ship and the Captain had now recovered enough to yell to the crew onboard. “Mr. Crabtree, begin hauling anchor and prepare to set sail for that storm!”

  “Aye, Captain,” came the reply from the shadows of the ship. Jeff could hear Crabtree barking orders and the noise of the crew pulling the anchor. As they pulled the longboat alongside the Wandering Wench, Jeff scrambled up the cargo net as the two Stevens helped the still-gasping Captain to his feet .

  Jeff ran to the cargo hold and began clearing a path to get his kayak out. As he moved crates and sacks out of the way, he could hear the Captain giving the order to set sail and he felt the sudden shift of the ship as the sails were unfurled. A moment later, Jenny appeared in the doorway of the cargo hold. Without a word, she started helping Jeff move cargo out of the way so he could get to the kayak. Jeff finally was able to yank the kayak out from behind some crates and Jenny helped him carry it to the doorway. They started to maneuver it through the doorway when Jeff stopped. “Wait! The paddle!” he said as he retreated to the back of the hold once more. Fortunately, the paddle was easy to find and he quickly retrieved it and headed for the doorway.

  Jenny was poised to pick up her end of the kayak when Jeff stopped her. “You can still come with me…” he started.

  Jenny sighed, “I will miss you, but my place is here.”

  “In that case, before we go out on deck, there’s something I need to do,” Jeff said as he stepped forward and kissed her passionately.

  “What the devil?!” they heard Crabtree exclaim from behind them.

  “Oh, Mr. Crabtree… I, uh, well… It is, uh… It is customary in my time when you take your leave of someone forever that you give them a kiss goodbye.

  In fact, I’m glad you’re here, because,” Jeff said as he stepped up to the big man and pulled Crabtree’s mouth to his and planted a big, wet kiss on his lips, before Crabtree pushed him away, sputtering, “Bloody hell, Mr. Greene!”

  “I shall miss you, Mr. Crabtree.” Jenny could barely keep from laughing as Crabtree wiped his hand across his mouth before saying,

  “Uh, likewise, Mr. Greene, but I could ha’ done without the kiss!”

  “Sorry, it is just a custom,” Jeff said as he and Jenny started to lift the kayak.

  “A moment, Mr. Robinson,” Crabtree said.

  “Take your time, I can handle this myself,” Jeff said hefting the kayak onto his shoulder and grabbing the paddle in his free hand before making his way towards the deck.

  Crabtree turned toward Jenny and said, “Not a word o’ this to anyone, Mr. Robinson!”

  Jenny was still fighting back laughter when she answered, “I won’t say anything if you don’t Mr. Crabtree.”

  “See that ye do not!” Crabtree said before turning to head out on deck with Jenny behind him.

  As Jeff reached the deck, he could see the storm ahead of them and they had definitely closed some distance on it. He set the kayak down at the rail and tied the paddle to it with a length of rope to make sure he didn’t lose it when he put the kayak over the side. Captain Coxen called to him from the navigation deck and Jeff quickly made his way up the steps to the wheel. “Mr. Greene, we should be within range of the storm in a few minutes. I will get you as close as I dare take the ship and then it shall be up to you to get your canoe the rest of the way.”

  “Thank you Captain,” Jeff replied.

  The Captain continued, “Mr. Greene, words cannot express how much I have valued you as a friend and as a member of my crew. I am happy for you that you have this opportunity to return to your own time, but you shall be sorely missed – especially since I suppose we will have t
o reinstate Mr. Graves as the ship’s surgeon!”

  Jeff laughed, “God help you! But in all seriousness, Captain, there’s no guarantee this is going to work, but if I do leave you tonight, I want you to know that I too have valued our friendship greatly. If I am not able to catch the storm, I could certainly do much worse than to continue my life here with you and the crew.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Greene. I trust you have said your goodbyes to Robinson.”

  “Yes Captain. Mr. Crabtree caught us in a kiss, but I told him it was a custom from my time – right before I kissed him!”

  “You kissed Mr. Crabtree!” the Captain exclaimed laughing, “I wish I had been there to see that! So, then he does not suspect Mr. Robinson’s secret?”

  “I don’t think so. He seemed a lot more concerned about me kissing him than kissing Jenny,” Jeff explained.

  “I suspect that to be true,” the Captain said with a chuckle, “That was quick thinking indeed, Mr. Greene. Bravo!”

  “Thank you, Captain.”

  Coxen eyed the storm and said, “I wish we had a little more time, but we are getting close now, Mr. Greene. You should take your position at the rail. When I am as close as I dare be to the storm, I shall signal you. I will briefly turn into the wind to slow our pace and you may then take your leave of us. I shall look to see if the storm takes you, but it may be difficult to tell in the dark. If the storm passes without you, yell out and we shall come for you. Just to be sure, we shall wait until first light before we depart from Pueblo Carcel, so if you are not taken by the storm, we shall look for you to rejoin us.”

  “Thank you, Captain – for everything!” Jeff said extending his hand.

  “What, no kiss for me?” the Captain asked in mock offense.

  “I thought a handshake would be more fitting,” Jeff said with a smile.

  “Indeed,” the Captain agreed as he bowed and shook Jeff’s hand firmly.

  Jeff moved down the steps to the main deck and took a position at the rail next to his kayak, where a group of several crew members was waiting. Jenny stepped forward and said, “We shall miss you, Mr. Greene. Fair thee well!”

  The crew members each stepped forward to offer well-wishes. Even Crabtree, who was now recovered from the unexpected kiss, stepped forward and shook Jeff’s hand and said, “I be glad we did not hang ye that first day, Mr. Greene.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Crabtree. Coming from you, that is high praise.”

  Crabtree thought for a moment and replied, “Aye, that it be! Good luck to ye, Mr. Greene.”

  A moment later, the Captain called down, “Get ready Mr. Greene!” The crackle of the strange lightning was now getting quite loud and the rapidly shifting winds from the storm were whipping the sea into a heavy chop. The Captain turned into the wind and yelled, “Now!” Jeff, Jenny, and Crabtree lifted the kayak over the rail and dropped it into the churning water. Immediately, the small craft started to drift away. There was no time for Jeff to climb down the cargo net, so he leapt over the rail and dropped into the water feet first. He sank below the waves and quickly swam to the surface. The kayak was already several feet away, so he swam hard for it. He was thankful when he grabbed hold of the plastic hull and he quickly hoisted himself onboard.

  Jeff could see that the storm was already moving off and he needed to get after it. He quickly pulled in the rope and untied the paddle and shoved the blade hard into the water to turn the kayak toward the storm. He paddled as hard as he could and started to slowly close the distance. After some minutes of paddling at a frantic pace, his aching muscles forced him to settle into a more even stroke.

  To his surprise, he actually started to make better headway at the slower pace. It was then he realized that the storm had changed direction and was now heading straight for him. The flashes of lightning were nearly blinding to Jeff’s night-attuned eyes as the tunnel of clouds approached. Just as with his first experience, Jeff’s hair stood on end as he entered the storm. As the tunnel narrowed and the crackles of lightning intensified, Jeff’s skin tingled with electricity. He willed himself to keep his eyes open as the storm engulfed him, but the intensity of the lightning flashes were quickly too much and soon the tingling transitioned into painful shocks. A moment later, Jeff lost consciousness.

  Aboard the Wandering Wench, Captain Coxen was fighting to stay out of the path of the storm. He had allowed what he thought was plenty of room for the ship to escape, but that was before the storm changed direction and was now headed right for them. The flashes and crackles of lightning were now closing in on them and Coxen was trying to coax all the speed he could from the Wench. Just as the cloud tunnel started to close in on them, it suddenly vanished. The lightning was gone and the wind suddenly dropped.

  As the ship slowed to a crawl, Coxen picked up his spyglass and scanned the darkness for Jeff and his kayak. “Mr. Greene!” he shouted out in the direction where he had last seen him. Jenny, Crabtree, and the crew took to the rail to search for signs of Jeff. After some minutes of calling out and searching the waves, Coxen called down to the crew, “I believe he made it, men! Three cheers for Mr. Greene and may he now be safe in his own time!”

  In unison the crew cheered, “Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!”

  “Now, take your stations and prepare to make anchor at Pueblo Carcel. Captain Jamison is no doubt waiting for us to transport the spoils of the raid.” Coxen took one last look through the spyglass before setting a course for their anchorage.

  “Mister, wake up!” the voice penetrated the fog of Jeff’s unconsciousness. “We have to get out of here! Wake up!” Jeff blinked his eyes against the glare of a light. “Come on, get in the boat! We have to go!” Still only half-conscious, Jeff sat up in the kayak and felt a hand tugging at his shoulder. “Hurry!” the voice urged. Jeff turned toward the hand and saw the hull of a small fiberglass boat beside him. He grabbed hold of the side of the boat and struggled to his knees. As he turned his torso toward the boat two sets of hands grabbed him under the arms and yanked him in. A moment later, he heard the boat’s motor rev up and his head banged repeatedly on the deck as they bounced over the waves...

  ###

  Jeff Greene’s Adventures Will Continue In: The Corpornation - Stranded In Time Book 2.

  What follows is the first chapter…

  Bonus: Chapter 1 Of The Corpornation: Stranded In Time Book 2

  Jeff’s head bounced up and down on the deck of the small boat several times before he regained his senses enough to sit up. Salt water splashed in his eyes and stung them as he squinted against the blinding sunlight. He wasn’t sure but it looked like there were three other occupants in the boat. Things were still pretty blurry, but it looked to Jeff like there was a large man standing over him driving the boat, another smaller man in a seat just in front of the center console, and finally there was a woman, or perhaps a slender man with long hair, who was sitting in a seat in the back.

  “Otto, we’ve got a nice catch. The pelicans look like they’re about to cause trouble though,” the boat driver said in a loud voice, “Time for you to do your thing!”

  The boat was careening wildly across the waves, pounding across the choppy water, and Jeff realized he had simply traded a beating on his head for a beating on his tailbone by sitting up. He tried to struggle to his feet, but the bouncing of the boat combined with the residual wooziness from passing through the time storm made it impossible at first. Finally he managed to work his way to his knees and just as he did, the boat hit a big wave that tossed him into the air just high enough that he was able to get his feet underneath him as he clutched a railing on the center console for support.

  “Careful!” the female-sounding voice yelled out from behind him, “We don’t want you falling overboard!”

  Jeff felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned towards it. “Welcome aboard!” the burly dark-haired man at the wheel shouted, “My name is Manuel. That’s Rita back there and Sam up in front,” he said, shouting over the noise of the wind in hi
s face and a high-pitched hum Jeff assumed to be the boat’s motor, though it didn’t sound like any boat motor he’d ever heard.

  “I’m Jeff. Thanks for picking me up,” Jeff shouted back.

  “No problem,” Manuel replied, “We couldn’t just leave you for the ASF goons - they’d throw you in Gitmo to rot for the rest of your life.”

  “I’ve heard of Gitmo, but what’s the ASF? “ Jeff asked.

  “The Anaconda Security Forces,” Manuel answered.

  Jeff was still a bit fuzzy and confused. He figured he should be somewhere near Cuba and the fact that Manuel had mentioned Gitmo confirmed that, but he had no idea what the Anaconda Security Force was or why they would want to lock him up.

  Manuel noticed the look of confusion on Jeff’s face. “Sorry, I should fill you in. Since you’ve heard of Gitmo, I’m assuming you’re not from as long ago as your appearance would suggest.”

  Jeff nodded, “Well, yeah, these clothes are from way before my time.”

  “So what year are you from?” Manuel inquired. “Well, I just spent several months in the 17th century, but I started out in 2012.”

  “Wow!” Manuel exclaimed, “You get around! Two time storms?”

  “Yes,” Jeff replied, somewhat relieved that Manuel already had a grasp of his situation. “So, what year am I in now?”

  “This is 21... Shit!” Manuel yelled as the boat shot over a wave and slammed down hard, knocking him and Jeff almost to their knees. “Sorry about that! As I was saying, this is the year 2173.”

  Jeff struggled to get his feet solidly beneath him. “2173, huh? Well, that’s not what I wanted to hear, but since you know about the time storms, maybe you have a way to track them or some other way to get me back to my time?” Jeff asked hopefully.