Overboard!

by Michael White

  The area seemed to be completely deserted, and as Daisy cast a look over her shoulder to the wall and the Black Tooth above them it was apparent why. Boom’s initial volley had weakened the wall but as they ran Daisy could see even more part of the wall collapsing, falling down into the sea to the north, down into where they had been standing but a short moment before. It looked to her as if the entire keep was going to collapse. Mister Boom had certainly made the volley count!

  The memory of Boom aboard the Magpie brought her back to her senses. The second part of her plan in case of incarceration and possible escape involved the removal of the quay at the easternmost edge of the Black Tooth, enabling the Magpie to slip into the bay a little further in case Daisy was in a hurry. The warehouses that they were currently racing past would give way in a short time to the quay itself.

  “Wait!” shouted Daisy, raising a hand as she came to a halt. The old man arrived seriously out of breath next, followed by Neep who still appeared to be in a state of shock. He did not gaze around or even look as if he knew where he currently was at all. His only instinct seemed to be for escape, and that alone was making him keep up with Daisy. “Mister Boom will be taking action against the Qua….” began Daisy as from the east they heard the loud booming of cannons and seconds later an explosion tore through the air near to hand. Near yet far enough to not be an immediate danger.

  “Get down!” shouted Daisy, taking cover behind a pile of wooden crates outside one of the deserted warehouses as the dawn was ripped asunder by the boom of cannons once again followed by an even louder explosion than before. It was nearer too.

  From the east flames rose above the buildings, becoming even fiercer as the night air fed the flames. “Mister Boom is destroying this section of the quay so that the Magpie can pull in nearer to collect us.” she explained, and the old man nodded, though Neep seemed as immobile as before. As if to emphasise this there was another loud explosion and the warehouses to their east collapsed in flame and smoke.

  As soon as it had begun though the attack ended. Great clouds of black smoke rose above the city as the section of quay just to their east burned, lighting up the night even brighter than before.

  “We need to skirt around the flames to the east so that Mister Boom can spot us. The warehouses will end soon and be will be easily seen on what is left of this part of the dock.” She pointed off to the north.

  “This way!” she shouted, and they were off again, racing along narrow lanes and passages worn by the tread of carts and wagons. They rounded a corner and Daisy estimated they had run as far north as the needed to and so at the end of the warehouse they were following to the north they spun on their heels and ran east again towards the sea. They flew past another warehouse and then suddenly found themselves in a large square. There were four exits, though beside the building to the eastern side of the square Daisy could see the sea. They were nearly there!

  The gap between the warehouses had obviously been some form of market place, though it was quite small. Daisy thought it may have been some form of animal pen judging by the straw on the ground, but she paid it little heed. As they ran across the ground however, she noted movement at the northern and southern exits to the square as red garbed soldiers moved to block their exit in that direction. Glancing behind her she saw more soldiers moving to close the exit through which they had just run. Spinning her head around she counted six soldiers at each exit, and so she drew to a halt as the final escape route to the east was also blocked by six soldiers. They were surrounded.

  Daisy drew to a halt and Neep and the old man did so too. She paused, trying to catch her breath, noting at the same time that each soldier at every exit was holding a musket, each gun being trained on them. Daisy reached for a weapon but knew it was pointless. All three of them were unarmed.

  “Going somewhere?” called a voice from the east and a small figure clad in black leather pushed past the six soldiers there, entering the square. He carried a small flintlock which was currently pointed directly at Daisy’s head. Daisy shrugged, and looked at the figure as he came a little nearer before stopping.

  “The Beak.” cursed Daisy under her breath and the old man stood unmoving, giving the effective ruler of the city of Nine Wells a long cold stare. Neep did not seem to register the man’s presence at all.

  “We thought we would get out of your way.” smiled Daisy. “It is getting a little noisy around here for my liking.”

  “Indeed.” snarled The Beak. “Yet I feel disinclined to let you do so, Scarlet Daisy. There is the small matter of poor Mister Blade to account for. Not to mention my keep, which seems to be in danger of…” The Beak did not have time to finish his sentence however, as behind Daisy and off to the west there was a loud roar and crashing sound as The Black Tooth finally succumbed to damage and the pull of gravity, falling down into the sea and the warehouse district with a mighty crash. Great clouds of dust rose high into the sky, the sound of screams rising from the distance in the city.

  Daisy had to give The Beak his due. He did not flinch at all when the keep collapsed, but she was close enough to note a small twitch pulling at one of his cheeks, and slight evidence of a squint in his left eye, which he seemed to be desperately trying to ignore.

  “… Collapsing…” He finished. The ground shook as even more masonry fell from the keep, a great section of the city walls joining it too.

  “I rather suspect that I may need to make an example of you.” Sighed The Beak. “We cannot have the masses challenging my authority now, can we?”

  “Oh I rather think you have a lot of cleaning up to do and so I would not take any more of your time.” said Daisy.

  From the four corners of the square there rose a loud clicking sound as the safety catches of twenty-four muskets were taken off almost in unison. Daisy decided to stand very still. The Beak gave a wide grin, waving his pistol in a small circle at her in a taunting manner.

  “They have orders to shoot if you take but one more step towards me.” He said, and the smile increased. “Though in all honesty it may be a much more preferable end than what I have planned for you.” he smiled. “Especially you, Daisy. Mister Neep too. You also seem to have gained a recruit.” he waved his hand in dismissal of the old man who stood behind Daisy. “No matter. He will meet with a similar fate too. I am afraid that you and your little gathering have caused as much upset to me as I am going to allow. It stops now. Already a flotilla of ships sails to meet with the Magpie, captain. Soon your crew will be lying at the bottom of the harbour. I am afraid that you have rather overstepped the mark, as they say.”

  “I am afraid that it is you that has overstepped the mark, Beak.” Came a sudden deep booming voice from above their heads. The Beak looked around in confusion but Daisy had already spotted the source of the voice on the rooftop of the warehouse to the east, for there stood a dark figure silhouetted by the growing light of dawn. The figure there was clad in black, a tall dark shape of what must have been a man.

  “It is the man bat!” shouted one of the soldiers. “It is said that he is a demon!” The figure on the rooftop moved to the edge of the building, all eyes from those in the square upon him. Then the man spoke again.

  “I am afraid your pathetic rule of this city is over. Your career has come to an end in much the same way that your keep appears to have fallen into the sea.”

  The beak gazed up at the dark figure on the roof, a look of amusement crossing his face. Daisy stood unmoving, waiting for a chance for the scales to tip in her favour. “Just one chance.” she whispered under her breath. “Just one.”

  “I see.” said The Beak, raising the pistol towards the dark figure. “And who are you to pass judgement on me then?” he chuckled.

  The man on the rooftop hardly moved but suddenly he was in the air, somersaulting down towards the ground. He landed silently, almost casually performing a small roll before springing to his feet, a sword flashing into his hand as he moved. He was dressed in a black lea
ther jerkin and trousers, a small black mask covering his eyes. His dark cloak trailed out behind him and he wore a small neat black Gaucho hat on his head.

  Before he could move the man reached out and pressed something from his other hand onto the barrel of The Beak’s gun, smiling before stepping back again. He lifted his chin to face the tyrant and cut a heroic pose.

  “I am The Black Douche.” he said with a sneer as he stood before The Beak and silence fell.

  “The black what?” asked Daisy.

  “Douche.” Said the man, pushing his cloak off his shoulder in what should have been a gallant fashion.

  The silence in the square continued. There were a few suppressed chuckles from the soldiers around the square as well as a few and awkward shuffles too.

  “You do know what a douche is, don’t you?” Said the old man, looking as if he was happy to explain if the stranger did not actually know what it meant.

  “Of course.” said The Black Douche. “Though I must say that I do like the sound of it. It sounds rather dashing!”

  “It sounds more like washing really.” Muttered Daisy as small chuckles began to ripple amongst the soldiers who now seemed to have a variety of choices of who to aim their muskets at.

  The Beak sighed loudly, an evil grin showing on his face as he did so.

  “One more nuisance who must be dealt with.” he said wearily.

  “I am afraid that will not be the case, my friend.” said The Black Douche. “Your reign of tyranny has come to an end, you foul leech. The city of Nine Wells will be freed from your yoke as of this day.”

  “Have you swallowed a lexicon?” asked The Beak incredulously. “Shoot him!” He shouted, shuffling off to one side to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

  “Down!” yelled Daisy and she, Neep and the old man fell to the ground. Daisy looked up to where The Black Douche was standing only to find that he was gone. There was a rattle of gunfire followed by confused shouting from the soldiers peering through the smoke from their musket’s discharge. Daisy noticed movement from her right and saw the Black Douche detach a small object which he threw in the direction of the northern exit. There was a loud explosion as the buildings at that end of the square were destroyed, taking the six soldiers with them. One man from the eastern exit stood forward, musket obviously reloaded and The Black Douche spun, releasing something from a sleeve and the man fell in a heap, a dagger lodged in his throat.

  “The forces of corruption will never win whilst The Black Douche is alive!” shouted the Black Douche, and another object exploded at the western exit, the bodies of the guards flying in all directions, blood splashing on the collapsed warehouse walls.

  Next the Black Douche pirouetted and from somewhere about his person there was a pistol in his hand. One shot took down one soldier at the eastern exit and then another shot took another. Daisy was astounded. He had not reloaded the gun!

  Resistance seemed to be crumbling as the remaining soldiers ran away but three of them ran towards the Black Douche, swords in hand. The masked man suddenly had a blade in his hand and Daisy had never seen swordplay like it. He was so fast! One man fell, gurgling blood as another turned and ran. The final one received a back handed blow from The Black Douche, dropping to the ground instantly. The Black Douche stood in the centre of the square, rubbing his hands together.

  The Beak stood in the centre of the square, his mouth open in disbelief. The Black Douche approached him and as he did so The Beak raised his pistol towards him.

  “I think you will find that when I touched your gun before, Beak, that I placed a small chemical compound of my own devising within the barrel, which would have effectively fused the barrel shut. Pull that trigger and I am afraid the gun will explode, and it is such a large gun for such a little man.”

  “Nonsense!” snarled The Beak. I intend to put you to the test, sir!” The barrel was slowly raised to the vigilante. “The Black Douche! What a ridiculous name!”

  “Oh I quite like it.” smiled the masked man, not moving in the slightest, a grin forming on his face. “I find it makes people rather underestimate me.” The Beak snarled and pulled the trigger.

  The barrel of the gun exploded, The Beak flying backwards through the air, his body blown apart by the force of the detonation of the blocked barrel. He lay there, eyes open staring lifelessly up at the sky.

  “Come Daisy and friends!” he shouted. “To the harbour!”

  Daisy did not need to be told twice.

  “Come on!” She shouted, and she followed The Black Douche out of the square and towards the ruins of the harbour, Neep and the old man following closely behind.

  They met token resistance as they went, The Black Douche’s blade flashing about him, soldiers falling at his feet as he cut his way through them. Daisy was startled to see just how badly the dock was damaged, but she could see the Magpie lying in wait for her, a small rowing boat beached on the sand that had once been the quay. They raced towards it, and as they approached it she saw Bones waiting for her with several sailors readying their oars.

  “Bones!” she yelled as the once again black robed figure embraced her. “How did you…” she began but Bones was already moving her into the boat.

  “No time now.” he said quickly. “There are ships bearing down on us. We must flee. They are not ass fleet as the Magpie though, and with a good head wind we should elude them easily. Come! Mister Neep and Erm… whoever you are… into the boat!” The old man looked at the boat eagerly.

  “Oo. A holiday!” he laughed, clapping his hands as he climbed aboard.

  Daisy turned to face the Black Douche who was looking back towards the keep impatiently, as if he was eager to be somewhere else.

  “Thank you.” said Daisy and the Black Douche bowed deeply. He reminded her of someone, but she could not make the connection. She was surprised how much a mask would make a difference to someone's appearance.

  “Farewell.” He said simply, and then he turned and raced back towards the city.

  Quickly the boat eased into the water and the pirates began to row, heading towards the Magpie. A fresh day was rising around the city of Nine Wells as they moved away from it, but the keep of the now deceased Beak scarred the day also, tall leaping flames filling the new day with light.

  ***

  The Black Douche sat perched on the rooftops of the city, watching the destruction of the Black Tooth below by both the flames and the occupants of the city. Already the red robed soldiers of The Beak were casting down their weapons and either fleeing the city or joining in with the destruction of The Beak’s rule. He knew that there would be lots of work to be done over the coming months, and the vacuum left by the demise of the city tyrant would take some steering, yet he would be at hand to help. He hoped he would be equal to the task, for not everyone would trust either a nobleman or a man in a mask; in fact, he considered that quite a lot of people would find the two indistinguishable.

  Yet he would try. It was all he could do.

  “With great influence comes great accountability.” He suddenly said out loud, weighing the words for their suitability. “Not bad.” he muttered, “Needs a little bit of work though.”

  He stood and swung downwards, swinging east across the rooftops, heading for home.

  Chapter 24

  ~ “Don’t Become Like Me…” ~

  “I Killed a man.” Thought Neep, lying in his bunk where he had stayed since returning to the Magpie. Daisy had him placed in a cabin of his own and he was brought food regularly. He stayed below deck though, curled into a ball, his mind racing. Every time that he closed his eyes he could see Nick Blade as if he was standing in front of him, his head exploding, the scene on a seemingly endless repeat in his head every time that he closed his eyes.

  The cabin dipped and rose with the rapid passage of the Magpie as it headed across the sea. He knew from what Mister Bucket had told him that they had easily eluded any pursuit from ships from Nine Wells. Once the captains of th
e vessels had heard what had happened to The Beak the pursuit was no doubt called off, explained Bones on one of his visits. The only person who had not been to see him so far was Daisy. He had not seen her since they had boarded the ship.

  “The captain is very busy.” Bones had said. “I am sure that she will be along when she finds the time.”

  “I killed a man.” Thought Neep. There was a small knock at the door, interrupting his thoughts and Ensephilephtor Boom entered. He nodded as he came in, putting a small plate of food on the side table next to the bunk. Neep looked at it with disinterest. He was simply not hungry. “Killed a man. Killed a man. Killed a man.” he thought.

  Boom pulled up a chair and sat himself down, his face level with Neep.

  “How are you, Neep?” he asked, his face full of concern. Neep could not think of anything to say and he just lay there staring at Boom. “Everyone is worried about you.” Neep made an effort and propped himself up in his bunk.

  “Have you ever killed a man, Mister Boom?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the bombardier's face.

  “I suppose I must have done.” said Boom, pausing to reflect upon the idea. “I would be very surprised if I hadn’t.

  “What do you mean?” asked Neep seriously.

  “Well, a cannonball’s impact on a target is generally something you wouldn’t get to see close up is it now?” Neep thought about this for a second but Boom carried on. “Of course I have been on the receiving end many a time too. Not nice when that cannonball strikes. Broken ships and bodies; blood. It isn’t pretty Neep, and that’s the truth.” Boom stopped as he noticed that Neep seemed to have turned very pale.

  “But have you ever killed anybody close up?” Asked Neep, staring at Boom. “So close you can see their eyes?”