Devil of the High Seas, page 22
“Oh, I’ll release him,” Blackspot crowed with a cruel laugh. He shoved the little boy off the side of the cliff. Sam’s faint scream was erased by the wind.
“No!” Gavin roared and dove for his weapons.
The fight broke out instantly as his men from the trees rushed forward to aid him. Sheridan stopped by Gavin and gripped his shoulder as he fired over Gavin’s head at one of the pirates, killing one with a well-aimed shot. “I’ll get the boy. You take care of these men.”
“The fall could kill you,” Gavin warned. “There are rocks directly below and a riptide.”
Sheridan laughed. “If the admiral of the fleet couldn’t kill me, this won’t.” The vicar ran for the cliff and dove over the edge, no hesitation.
“Gavin! Behind you!”
Dominic’s warning had Gavin turning just in time to parry Blackspot’s a lethal strike.
Gavin swiped the sword aside and ducked as Blackspot’s blade arced back over his head. He punched the pirate’s stomach, and Blackspot grunted hard as a woosh of air escaped him. Blackspot glowered as he raised his sword for a thrust, only for a blade to punch through his chest from behind. Dominic grabbed the man’s shoulder and shoved his sword deeper. Blackspot looked down in surprise, then stared at Gavin as his strength left him and he sank to his knees.
Gavin grabbed the man by the shirt and shook him. “Where’s my wife, you scurrilous cur?”
Blackspot laughed through bloodied teeth. “You’re . . . too . . . late.”
“What does he mean? Too late for what?” Dominic shook Blackspot’s shoulder. “Where the devil is my sister, you bastard?”
A distant sound of cannons echoed through the quiet jungle.
“Told . . . you.” Blackspot laughed, coughing up blood, and his body went limp in Gavin’s hold. Dominic’s face paled as he looked to Gavin.
“Brianna,” they said in unison.
They had to go, but first Gavin sprinted to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Two figures were swimming toward the rocky coastline below. “Sheridan has the boy. We’ll come back for them.”
Gavin faced the clearing and saw that all the pirates were dead and a few of his own sailors lay dead or dying. The gruesome sight and the cost of lives were a heavy toll on his soul. He wanted to stop and retrieve their wounded men and return them to the ship, but there wasn’t time. Griffin stood there watching him, breathing hard, his face splattered with blood.
“I’ll stay with ’em, cap’n,” one of the uninjured sailors from the Pixie volunteered. “I know a little about tending to the wounded.”
“Thank you,” Gavin said and clapped the man on the shoulder. “We’ll be back for you. Tell Sheridan that as well.” Every head turned at the sound of cannons firing again.
“Back to the ship!” Gavin shouted.
Josephine was shoved against the foremast of the Siren by one of Beauchamp’s men. Wind whipped through the unfurling sails above her head as the pirate circled her and the mast with rope. She pulled at the ropes, but the pirate backhanded her the moment she tried. The pain made her dizzy as she slumped against her bindings.
She didn’t dare look toward Beauchamp, who was prowling the deck. It had become frighteningly clear in the last few days how much he suffered from gold madness. It consumed him to the point that he’d ordered his men to fire on the other pirate ships in the cove . . . and to slaughter the crews and the villagers. That would haunt her the most . . . hearing the screams of innocent people being murdered by a madman. She was terrified for Sam since he’d been left on shore with a small group of pirates.
Most of Beauchamp’s crew hid nearby in the woods with a quick route back to the cove, while a small group of men had taken Sam away as bait. Beauchamp had fully expected these men to be slaughtered by Gavin, but he’d told her that it was a reasonable price to pay for the ransom he could collect for her. Then Beauchamp had given the signal and his men had slunk back aboard the Siren like rats climbing mooring lines. They’d only been spotted once they’d reached the deck and weighed anchor.
The ship that had come into the cove hadn’t been the Cornish Pixie, like she’d expected. It was a larger ship, one that had a dragon for a figurehead. She recognized it as Brianna’s ship that she’d seen from the docks in St. Ives Bay in Cornwall. If the Serpent was here . . . it meant her family might have come for her. Was Gavin with them? She could only pray he was. How else would her family know where to find them?
Brianna’s ship had opened fire, but the Siren was closer to the cove’s entrance and at just the right angle for most of the shots to fall short of the Siren’s stern. The bright flashes of cannon fire broke through the mists while their percussive booms ricocheted off the dense jungle hills that wrapped around the cove. Josephine wanted to cover her ears, but her hands were trapped.
The Siren had fled the cove, despite the Sea Serpent’s cannons firing at her. The last few hours had felt like an eternity, and now everything had become a blur of furious fighting and terror.
The pirate who was tying her to the mast tugged hard on the rope, which pressed hard against her ribs, causing her to scream.
“Shut yer mouth!” The man struck her hard enough this time that black dots clouded her vision. The mist surrounding the ship began to clear as the Siren caught a strong wind in her sails and began to fly out to sea, leaving the island behind.
Beauchamp stood on the stern, watching the island grow smaller and smaller before he turned with an evil grin on his face. His plan was working. He’d told her the previous night what he intended to do. He’d made her dine with him while he bragged about his grand, devious plan: to use the boy to keep Gavin on the island while Beauchamp escaped by sea and took her far away. Then he could arrange a ransom from her family for her safe return at his leisure. Her plan to distract him with more gold had worked a little too well, unfortunately.
She bit her lip to hold in a sob as the pain from her bruised ribs and the blow to her face made her ill. Beauchamp walked down the deck toward her, with that evil grin still stretching his lips. He’d wanted her tied to the mast where the crew of the Serpent could see her. It would make them hesitate to fire upon the upper decks or the masts.
“They won’t catch us. Castleton will have gone to the far end of the island looking for you, and he won’t be able to reach the ship in time, not once we’re out to open sea. No one can catch the Siren on open water.”
No one but the Serpent, she thought silently. Gavin had told her about Brianna’s ship, how it had once belonged to Thomas Buck, her adopted father and the previous Shadow King of the West Indies. Gavin had once said that a fast ship could still be beaten if the ship chasing it had a better captain and the right wind. And according to him, Brianna was one of the best captains alive. It had filled Josephine with pride to think that a woman pirate was one of the best captains on the high seas.
She’ll catch you, Beauchamp. She’s fast enough.
From her position on the deck facing the island, Josephine focused on the distant shape of the Serpent as it appeared. It helped distract her from the pain in her ribs and her shortness of breath.
“Cap’n! Sail!” the lookout cried.
Beauchamp paced the deck, flummoxed by this turn of events. “Jettison the cargo!” he ordered. The crew rushed to throw what wasn’t necessary over the side of the ship to increase their speed. Josephine feared that it would give the Siren the advantage in the race across the water.
Beauchamp then pointed to her. “Billy! Pour the oil!”
The large mute pirate named Billy grabbed an unlit oil lamp and approached Josephine. He poured the oil in a large circle around her and the foremast. Then he stared at her with a dark toothy grin before he walked away. She looked down at the circle of oil around her and then up at Beauchamp. The madman must plan to burn her alive if he thought he couldn’t outrun the Serpent. She struggled even harder against the ropes, but she’d been bound too tight to even move. Her hands already felt numb.
“Run out the guns!” The cry was relayed across the deck, and sailors rushed to prepare the guns.
The pirates on the Siren scrambled across the decks and up the rigging to unfurl the sails, but it was no use. The weather had suddenly turned against Beauchamp. Despite the pain she was in, Josephine managed a smile. It was as she’d always believed: the sea and the wind were female, and they wanted revenge.
The Sea Serpent now chased them across the open water. Josephine knew that Brianna would be at the helm. The ship was barely even touching the water as it flew toward them like a peregrine falcon diving toward its prey. Even though her life was in terrible danger, Josephine cheered on the Serpent.
When the other ship caught up with them, the deck of the Siren filled with pirates ready for a fight. A gunner shouted commands to ready the guns in response to the other ship. Josephine stared in horror at the black barrels of the Serpent’s guns, which were now aimed at the Siren . . . and her.
The Siren unleashed a salvo of fire at the same moment as the Serpent. Grapeshot ammunition tore through the bodies of men at the stern, far away from her on the foremast. Screams mixed with shouts as the gunner ordered the next round readied. Josephine tried to see through the thick smoke to the other ship. Was Gavin there? Had he made it back to the ship before the Serpent gave chase?
The ships were close now, too close, in fact. With a chilling rush, Josephine watched as the Serpent crashed into the Siren. Both vessels groaned on impact, though neither hull broke. Through the haze of smoke, she saw men swinging on ropes through the vaporous clouds and dropping onto the deck of the Siren. She shouted Gavin’s name, hoping he could hear her.
“Leave none alive!” Beauchamp screamed, drawing his sword. Then she watched in terror as Beauchamp came toward her instead of joining the fray. He grabbed one of the lit oil lamps and smashed it at her feet. Josephine screamed as a circle of flames roared up around her, sealing her off behind a wall of heat.
Gavin and Griffin landed side by side on the deck of the Siren, along with the rest of the boarding party. The brothers had pistols and swords at the ready. Griffin took in the blood and death that now surrounded them and gave Gavin a nod.
“You lead, I’ll follow.” It had been something they had done as boys. Gavin had always led in mock battles with the other children, and Griffin had always followed. Not because Gavin was more assertive or brash, but because his brother understood the value of support. Together, they had been unbeatable.
They moved with panther-like grace across the decks, slaughtering any who stood between them and Josephine. When the smoke had cleared from the cannon fire, Gavin had glimpsed her figure tied to the foremast.
“Find Josephine! I’ll guard your back,” Griffin told Gavin as he faced the opposite direction, holding off a new wave of attackers.
Gavin spied Beauchamp just as the pirate stopped in front of Josephine. Too late, Gavin realized what the bastard intended to do as he smashed the burning oil lamp at Josephine’s feet. A circle of flames wrapped around her, and he heard her scream his name. Gavin let out a howl of rage.
He charged across the deck, pistols raised as he fired at his enemy. The shot missed Beauchamp’s head by an inch and buried itself in the wood. Beauchamp raced up the companionway to a higher deck, laughing madly as he went.
“Choose, Castleton! Your woman or me!” Then he vanished behind a wall of battling pirates and sailors from the Serpent.
“Go!” Griffin said, rushing for the fire. “I’ll get her!”
Just as when they were kids, the twins were of one mind. Gavin was the sword, Griffin the shield. One brother could destroy the threat, the other could protect. They knew who was best suited to deal with Beauchamp, and that meant Griffin could focus on Josephine. Gavin hated to leave Josephine, it cut him deep, but only he could protect her by destroying the threat to her. Gavin chased the pirate up the steps, drawing his sword as he tossed aside his useless pistol.
“Face me, you bloody coward!” he challenged as Beauchamp ducked behind a massive pirate who wielded a pair of sabers. Gavin recognized the man, Billy, yet another sailor he’d taken onto his crew at Beauchamp’s recommendation. With Billy in the way, Gavin couldn’t reach his target. Beauchamp escaped.
Billy made a deep huffing sound and lunged for Gavin. Gavin threw up his sword, deflecting Billy’s attack. He ducked as a blade swung over his head and dropped to one knee, spotting his opening to strike. He thrust up, sending his sword deep into Billy’s chest.
Billy grunted, staggered, his fingers fumbling to grip the hilt of Gavin’s sword as he tried to pull it out. Blood bubbled up around his mouth as his hands dropped from the handle. Gavin scrambled back as the big man fell, shaking the deck with his impact.
Gavin frantically searched for another weapon and found one of Billy’s sabers abandoned on the deck. When he got to his feet he glanced toward the foremast, only to find it empty. There was no sign of Josephine. Where was she? Where was Griffin? He had to fight his way across the deck for a few minutes, killing any man that got in his path. Each second he had a chance, he searched for Josephine and Griffin.
There! Griffin had his back to the railing, but he was trapped, Josephine hanging limply in his arms.
Beauchamp had gotten around him in all the confusion and now had a pistol aimed at Griffin’s chest, a triumphant sneer on his face.
No! Gavin vaulted over the railing of the upper deck and sprinted for the bow of the ship.
Griffin turned his back, shielding Josephine with his body. A moment later, a shot rang out. Griffin stumbled, then fell forward with Josephine still in his arms. Neither moved as they collapsed to the deck.
The roar that escaped Gavin’s mouth shook the entire ship. Beauchamp spun, his eyes wide as Gavin came down on him like a dark avenging angel.
“No . . . I killed you!” Beauchamp shouted, glancing back at Griffin’s body, clearing confused.
“You cannot kill a man already dead!” Gavin slashed through a pirate standing in his way as he fought to reach Beauchamp.
None of the crew except for Ronnie knew he had a brother. In the heat of battle, he and Griffin must have looked completely identical to Beauchamp.
Beauchamp and Gavin met in a clash of steel, their blades singing a hymn of death as the pair dueled. Beauchamp was a strong and talented swordsman, but Gavin would not lose this fight. This man had taken everything from him, his woman, his brother, his home, his ship. And the price Beauchamp would pay would be his life.
Gavin leapt back as Beauchamp swung his sword low, aiming to slash Gavin’s legs. He landed nimbly and thrust his blade, nipping Beauchamp’s arm, but his foe escaped the deeper wound meant for him.
The two crews fought for their lives, but Gavin saw only one man, only one heart that needed to stop beating forever. He was tired of life taking away those he loved. Beauchamp pulled a pistol off a dead man and fired. The bullet ripped through Gavin’s shoulder. He stumbled and grunted as the pain hit him like a falling mast. He caught hold of a nearby railing and forced himself to keep moving.
“You won’t be able to do that again,” Gavin warned as he advanced.
“One shot was all I needed,” the bastard hissed, raising his sword. Gavin had but one instant to strike before he would lose his strength.
The ship grew eerily quiet. Beauchamp looked around and saw that most of his crew had fallen, and more and more eyes were turning toward him. Toward Gavin. Clearly recognizing this as his last stand, Beauchamp grinned, eager for this last moment of glory. Beauchamp launched himself at Gavin just as Gavin lunged forward. They collided, and Gavin sank his blade into the man’s stomach, Beauchamp’s blade only grazing him. A gunshot echoed across the deck like the crack of a whip. Beauchamp’s eyes widened. They both fell to the deck, lying side by side as Gavin stared at the blood spreading around a bullet wound in Beauchamp’s chest down to the blood spilling around Gavin’s sword. The pirate’s eyes were empty of life.
Confused, Gavin lifted his head and looked around.
Lord Camden stood just beyond them, half silhouetted by smoke and sunlight as he held a pistol aloft.
“No one hurts my child,” Camden said in a voice that could freeze water.
Gavin groaned as his body surrendered to the pain in his shoulder and he collapsed on the deck, breathing hard. Camden approached and held out a hand to him and lifted him back onto his feet.
“Josie? My brother?”
Josephine’s father didn’t answer, but slung Gavin’s good arm over his shoulder and helped him walk down the deck. Gavin’s eyes sought out the two still figures lying upon the deck. No . . . Surely they couldn’t be . . .
The two people he loved most in this world weren’t moving. This ship had cost him everything. He stumbled down the steps and ran toward the crowd gathering around their bodies. Griffin lay half sprawled over Josephine.
He had shielded Josephine with his body. Gavin had always been the sword and Griffin the shield. But it was the shield that had saved the woman Gavin loved, not the sword.
He fell to his knees next to them. Brianna was there, blood splattered across her chest, though none of it was her own. She held Josephine’s hand and was leaning over her, checking her breathing. Josephine’s face was covered with soot, but she looked as though she were sleeping.
“She’s alive, Gavin, but I believe she’s taken in too much smoke.” Brianna’s hand moved to Josephine’s throat, checking her pulse. Her chest rose and fell evenly. Gavin fought to breathe through the fear that suddenly seized him as he turned toward his twin.
“Griffin . . .” He turned his brother over, seeing the spot where a bullet had passed through his abdomen. His brother was alive, but his breathing was shallow.
“Gavin . . . ,” his brother whispered, his eyes fogged with pain. Griffin tried to raise a hand. Gavin grasped it and held it as he brushed the hair away from his brother’s eyes. In that moment, he had a strange feeling that he was watching himself die as he gazed at his twin’s face. Their pain had always been shared, just like their joy. Would they share the feeling of death?
