“Orders, Cap’n?”Durwin shouted from theResolute.
“Send Moses to retrieve the woman,” he shouted back with cupped hands.“Wait until the woman is on board and then weigh anchor and set sail for the other side of the island.If Allard is there, attack him with every gun you have.”
“Aye, aye!”came Durwin’s excited response, and soon Moses leapt over the railing into the bay.
Grabbing the hilt of his cutlass, Cadan spun his glance back over the jungle, listening for any shouts, shots, or any sound of battle.
He clenched his fists.The island wasn’t very large.Surely his men would encounter Allard any moment.
Splashing brought his gaze back to the cove where the lady flailed like a wounded duck in the water, her wings flapping, her voice squawking, her skirts floating about her in a halo of blue.Then she disappeared beneath the waters.
Cussing, he dove after her, surfacing moments later to see Moses holding the lady’s head above water.
Shots exploded like fireworks over the beach.Pop pop pop!At least two of Allard’s men emerged from the greenery, flintlocks in one hand, blades in the other.Cadan glanced at Moses and then at his ship.They’d never make it on board without getting shot.
Grinding his teeth, he shouted for Moses to bring the lady ashore.What was he to do with her now?He must join his men in the battle.
With one glance up at Pell, who reappeared at the bulwarks, he waved his hand toward the sea, ordering the man without words to go after Allard.He hated not being in command of his ship, especially during battle, but he trusted Pell.He’d seen him in action.He was a leader of men and more than capable.
Pistol shots rang through the air.
Ducking, he took the sodden woman from Moses and rushed over the sand, diving behind a group of barrels just as more shots struck the ground and flung sand in the air beside them.
Gripping her belly, Lady Fox leaned over with a groan of pain as Cadan dared peek above the barrels at their advancing enemy.Where were his men?
Surely they had not all been defeated!Alarm ignited every nerve.
The sounds of sailcloth fluttering and the anchor chain chiming resounded behind him.Good.TheResolutewould soon give chase.
Two pirates advanced upon their hiding place.
“We’s see ye, ye half-masted cockle.Come out an’ fight like a man.”
Rising, Cadan stepped away from the barrel.“Come and get me.”
One of the pirates, a squat man with bulbous nose and bright red scarf around his neck leveled his flintlock straight at Cadan…
And fired.
???
Were all pirates fools?Of a note, they called it courage.But placing oneself in the direct line of a flintlock, Gabrielle called utterly mad.Yet she suddenly wondered what would happen to her should the captain meet his demise.Not that his death mattered, but she’d certainly be in no better hands with his crew, perhaps worse.Nor would she be safe back in Allard’s evil grip.
She was trapped either way.
Heart pounding, she stared up at Captain Hayes, standing casually, one hand lounging over the hilt of his cutlass and a smile on his face.A fool, aye.
The gun fired.Her heart stopped beating.She waited for the captain to fall, but instead, he drew his blade with an eerie chime and said, “Come meet your fate.”
Rising from her other side, Moses also drew his blade and the two of them advanced upon Allard’s men.
With difficulty, Gabrielle got on her knees and peered between the barrels.
Tossing down his smoking flintlock, the pirate drew his own cutlass and met the captain’s swift strike with a jarring clang that sent him stumbling backward.Moses engaged the other man, hacking and slicing with his blade so ferociously the man retreated.
Gabrielle had witnessed many a sword fight in her life, had even seen men cleaved with those vile blades, but it didn’t take long to discover that the captain’s skills far surpassed most she’d seen.
He swooped upon his enemy with confidence, thrusting his sword this way and that so fast, the poor pirate could hardly keep up.As it was, his eyes grew wide, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.Their blades rang together yet again, and with expert speed and precision, Captain Hayes cleaved downward and sliced the man’s side.
