***
Any other woman may have fainted when they stood on a single plank that joined the two vessels. One wrong step spelt a slow, agonising death in the frigid sea foam below. Naval officers and pirates dashed along their respective railings hacking at the timber planks and trespassers with swords. Sandra had two choices awaiting her at the end of this plank. Becoming the Lieutenant’s dim-witted wife or dying for a band of pirates.
Sandra swallowed her fear and charged; launching herself into the air at the last moment. The brunette landed, but her momentum caused her knees to buckle. She sprawled across the deck like a rag doll before picking herself up and dusting herself off. On the upper deck, Hodari’s unmistakably large silhouette turned the wheel, the Outrunner struggled against the Duchess.
Sandra was on her own in the skirmish. Myrtle promised to stay in the cabin on the Duchess until the brunette returned for her. The sixteen year old surveyed the chaos. Both sides were as blood thirsty and skilled (be it in different techniques) as the other.
The sound was deafening until the brunette laid eyes on…him. Captain Murder himself. Golden locks billowing. Prancing as elegantly as a ballet dancer. He had abandoned the regal blue coat adorned in gold trimming, blue satin trousers and black leather pointy-toed shoes secured by golden buckles in favour of a frumpy, tight fitting shirt and baggy buckskin breeches. A bandana knotted around his head. Blood painted his lightly bronzed skin like war paint. Despite the change of wardrobe, Maxwell stole Sandra’s breath like a work of art.
This can’t be the same man. Surely?
Despite being smaller and significantly younger than the Lieutenant, Maxwell seemed to have more experience with a sword. Sandra crept closer, having memorised the Outrunner. Swords clashed like claps of thunder. Panting and grunting as they lunged and swerved. Maxwell delighted in sticking the blade of his cutlass into the chests and skulls of Navy men.
This is the man - the monster- I want to save?
Maxwell laughed like a maniac with each blow that landed; kicking the dead weight over the side. A vice grip on the hilt so he could continue his rampage. Sandra was as afraid of this monster as she was mesmerised by the gentleman that she nursed to health. The merchant she exchanged witty banter with daily.
Suddenly, the Outrunner spun like a spinning-top. Men rained from the rigging as they lost their footing. Splatting to the deck like spoiled fruits. Maxwell stopped slashing to look at the wheel; where he last saw Hodari. Sandra cried out, thrown off balance. Sandra landed on the seat of her trousers among bloodied corpses. Navy men poured over the side like a plague of rats- a common sight on trading islands.
“We don’t have enough men to hold them all back. Lord have mercy!”
Oh bother, this is going to require a LOT of bleaching.
Sandra picked herself up, thinking that Maxwell was staring at her. It took her a moment to realise that he wasn’t. Hodari was not at the wheel. He was on his knees near her, fighting a group of sailors with his fists, like an enraged gorilla. A broken cutlass jutted from his back.
Maxwell called out to him, decapitating men as he ran over. Skidding along puddles of blood with the heels of his brown boots.
Is there nothing this man cannot do?
“Stay back!”
“I don’t think so.”
“You are as stubborn as that woman.”
Maxwell laughed half-heartedly, offering his hand. Sandra felt a mixture of insulted and endeared.
“I am gone for a few moments…and look at this place. Disgusting!”
“Miss Swift?”
“Mister Bayne. Hodari. Hello to you too.”
“What are you doing here? You should not be here.”
“Why not?”
“Blood.”
“You cannot be serious? Who changed your bandages for all those weeks? A few fresh corpses aren’t going to scare or change me.”
“That was one man’s flesh wound.”
“A man indeed.”
“You’re-”
Their conversation was interrupted by the Lieutenant.
“As I expected. A pirate.” The words dripped with malice as Lewis’s gloved hand yanked Mister Bayne’s sleeve back, proudly displaying the branding to his crew and to Sandra. Maxwell looked away out of acceptance and shrugged.
“I thought that I recognized you.”
“You’re the one who ruined my life!” Maxwell protested.
“You’re the one who turned 1000 slaves free.”
“I’d do it again. 1000 times.”
“Wait until the Queen hears the last mutt was slain by the humble Lieutenant Lewis!”
“You are many things, but you are NOT humble.”
The lieutenant looked at her expectantly.65Please respect copyright.PENANAFrZHZgQSyn
“Can I help you with something?” The sixteen year old asked.65Please respect copyright.PENANAeS56dcFdm2
“Does this not frighten you?”65Please respect copyright.PENANAl5AomTxE15
“It may have, if this was my first time seeing it.”65Please respect copyright.PENANApnW0T1bpfR
The Lieutenant visibly deflated when she did not fling herself into his arms for comfort.
Sandra quickly noticed that she, Maxwell and Hodari were surrounded by naval officers. The narcissistic Lieutenant had company. Maxwell’s entire crew lay dead or dying. Hodari raked Maxwell and Sandra into his arms to protect them. Sandra buried her face in Hodari’s chest.
“Drop your weapon and we’ll spare the woman. She’ll make the perfect bride when I am promoted to Captain of the Queen’s Navy.”
Sandra lifted her head, pushing out of Hodari’s protective embrace. Maxwell bowed his head, throwing down his cutlass. Jordan smirked, kicking it aside. Sandra inhaled sharply, spitting at the blonde Lieutenant.
“You will do no such thing!”
“Kill them.”
“What?!”
“A waste of a pretty face if you ask me. Did these sullied pirates teach you to behave like this?”
Lewis dabbed spit off his cheek with a handkerchief that cost more than Sandra made in a year. Sandra did not see him pull his hand back. She was shaking with rage. He struck the brunette across the face so hard that she crumpled to her knees, nursing her cheek with a cupped hand.
“You heard me. Kill them. All THREE of them.” The Lieutenant growled at his subordinates.
“You promised to keep me safe!” Sandra reached for her stolen sickle. It was gone!
“Sadly, I was too late. Captain Murder got to you first. I tried everything to save your life.”
A pistol was brought out by one of his crew mates. Smirking, the Lieutenant loaded three shots. One for Maxwell. One for Hodari. One for Sandra. It was up to the heavens as to what order he fired them. Despite being an atheist, Sandra prayed for her death to be quick and painless.
“God forsaken. Sullied. Disgusting. Undignified. Rebellious. Sinful. Barbaric. P-Pirates!”
Maxwell offered his hand to Sandra.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Swift. You truly are an unforgettable woman. I wish I could have fulfilled my promise to you…and returned you to Isolation Bay with swashbuckling stories of your own to share with your Master and your household.”
The brunette took the hand Maxwell offered to her. Hodari grimaced. His silence conveyed the pain he was in as the adrenaline ebbed from his body.
“The pleasure has been mine, Mister Bayne. You are everything the legends said…and more. I could have spent the rest of my life serving your delightful and unorthodox crew. It’s a shame that you are the last of your kind. Honest, strong and caring men like you are hard to find.” She smiled softly; kneeling solemnly beside the notorious pirate duo.
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