Demons & Pearls (The Razor's Adventures Book 1) (18 page)

I stepped back in shock and turned to see Rasmus racing back to the main deck. “Guns at the ready! Muskets, fire!” he called out, and I dashed back to my post and picked up my gun. I heard the first of countless shots as they whizzed over our heads.  When they finally stopped, we stood and fired on every man standing in our sights. The smoke and sulfur filled my eyes, which burned until tears ran down my face and I could barely see.

We all dropped back down to reload, when I heard the first great gun fire.  The
Demon
took five hits in her port side. I heard the screams of the injured as splintered wood and debris flew across the deck. We stopped and huddled together and buried our heads in our arms. When the smoke cleared a bit, I slammed my hat back on my head for protection.  I heard Rasmus call out, “Fire!” and the call was carried below. We were now loaded and ready, and we waited until we felt the ship shudder and shake as our guns returned fire. We then stood again and aimed at the deck of the
Thunder Cay
.

Through the smoke, we could barely see what we were shooting at, but anything that moved on that deck was a target. The
Demon
was drifting and turning from being struck, but as we rotated away, we were able to avoid half of
Thunder Cay’s
next round of shots. I heard Rasmus call out to raise sail and pull the anchor. I dropped my empty weapon and ran to help, when I was snatched up by the arm and pulled aside.

“Get below, now,” Rasmus shouted at me.

“Let me help, please!” I begged. “I got us into this. If I die today, then so be it.  But at least allow me the right to fight my way into hell!”

Rasmus stared down at me, and I believed he finally saw me completely. The truth in my eyes must have hit him hard, since he let me go and shoved me back at the group of men pulling the lines for the main sail. “Then get over there and help. We’re getting the hell out of here.”

We continued to fire on the
Thunder Cay
while we tried to make our escape. Rasmus had loaded up chain shot and called out to the gunners on the main deck to fire on her masts. I held on tight to the line as again, the ship trembled and shook.  I couldn’t look away from the damage we did, when I heard the loud crack from fifty feet away and looked up to see their foremast snap and tip slowly over. Then it broke free completely and crashed onto the deck.

“Reload! She’s bleedin’ gents; let’s drain her dry. Master Green, I do believe I’ve decided to grant your wish.  Sink her lads…for River Watts!” Rasmus called out.  I watched him pull two pistols from his belt and run to the quarterdeck. In the clouds of smoke and spray, I held onto that line and rubbed my eyes into my shoulder until I could see him standing there, as if he were waiting for something.

As I heard the wind catch the main sail at last, we started moving, and I noticed Master Green running to the helmsman. I watched as we tied off the sail lines, and he pulled hard and cut her close around the bow of the
Thunder Cay
. We were so close that we barely missed her bow sprit as we passed in front of her.

“That’s it, Master Green. Bring a spring upon her cable! I want to see the lights go out in his eyes when I kill him,” Rasmus shouted.

I thought for sure we going to ram her, but Master Green turned the rudder perfectly, and we passed her with no more than ten feet to spare. I could see from where I stood that, in spite of her broken mast, she was pulling anchor as well. When we were almost past her bow and coming around her starboard side, there stood Calvert with a musket, aiming at us, along with about a dozen of his crew.

Rasmus called out to fire as we came about side by side once again, just as I thought Calvert was about to fire on Rasmus where he stood. It was too late. Rasmus fired both of his pistols. I screamed as I watched Calvert fall backwards, but it was so loud from the firing of the guns that I couldn’t even hear myself. I ran through the scattered debris and injured men to the quarterdeck in time to see Rasmus falling. He was hit in the shoulder, and the blood was already seeping through his shirt. I leaned over and pressed down hard on it and looked into his eyes. He was wincing in pain but raised his other hand and asked, “Did I get him?”

I nodded my head at him and answered, “Indeed you did, Captain.”

I moved my hand away for a second and noticed the musket ball had passed straight through the flesh of his shoulder. I pulled off my hat, took the scarf from my bald head, and wrapped it tightly around his wound. “You’ll live, thank God. I’m not about to let you get off this easily. Now, stay here.”

“The hell I will,” he said as he held out his hand to me to help him stand.

“Hard-headed red-head, you are.” I smiled.

“I can handle this. Go make sure your cousins are alright.”

As I turned to go, I looked back and saw we were already at least a hundred yards away from the
Thunder Cay
. Smoke rose from her decks and she was taking on water. I saw her crew scrambling into the long boats.  I sighed as I whispered to myself, “For River.”  As I made my way toward the gangway to go below, I heard a loud whistle that snapped my head around.

“Ye going somewhere, laddie?”

I recognized Cassandra’s voice, and when I looked closer, sure enough, all three of them stood in front of me holding rifles. They were battered and dirty and the wide smiles on their faces infected me with so much joy I ran and leapt on them.

“Are you all alright?” I asked, checking them over.

“We’re fine now. After the first hit, we chose not to stay in the cabin…or rather, what’s left of it. So, we decided to take our chances on deck and managed to get off a few good shots,” Keara said.

“Hello, ladies,” Rasmus said as he walked up behind me. “I trust you’re having a nice sail with us today?” He smiled and rested his hand on my shoulder. “Ivan, may we have a word please?”

I glanced over at Miranda, her head lowered.  It appeared she was crying. “Just one minute please, Captain?” I asked, nodding my head at her.

I walked to her and took her by the hands. “Mir, I’m so sorry about River. I don’t know what to say. He was a wonderful man and so brave. I couldn’t have ever gotten you girls away without him.”

“I know he was, and knowing all the things he told me about his life, he deserves at least one person to cry over losing him,” she said and walked to the gunnel. She reached into her pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a pressed flower and crumbled it between her fingers over the sea. It carried in the breeze and scattered.

“He gave her that the night you caught them together,” Cass said and then walked over to join her. I smiled at Keara and then ran off to find Razz.

“Hold your course, Master Green. Take us back to Port Royal. I don’t think the
Thunder Cay
will be going anywhere,” I overheard him say as he patted Green on his back and turned to Willy, who was seated on a barrel outside of the Captain’s quarters.

“So, I suppose you’ll be wanting your ship back, then?” Rasmus asked him.

“Ye outta yer fuckin’ mind, Red? She’s all yours, lad—I mean, Cap’n,” Willy said with a smile and an outstretched hand, which Rasmus shook with honor.

“Gentlemen, it seems I’ve taken a hit here. May I leave ye to see to the injured and the clean up? Green, how many have we lost?” he asked solemnly.  He held his shoulder and glanced about the main deck.

“Four. I will see to them, Captain, and we shall have a burial as soon as they are wrapped.”

“Thank you. I’ll join you immediately after I’ve seen to this wound.”

“Captain!” I called when I caught up to him.

“Little Ivan Razor, we don’t have a surgeon aboard, but we have a host of injuries. Would ye, by chance, be able to take care of this little scratch for me and help see to the others?”

“I’d be happy to, Captain and I can have the girls assist with the injured as well. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

xxx

Once inside the Captain’s quarters, Rasmus sat down at the desk, and I helped him slide his arm out of his shirt. The hole through the meatiest part of his shoulder was still bleeding, and I cleaned it with fresh water and soap. I’d mended the girls quite a few times over the years, but I had no idea what to do with a wound like this. We had been fortunate, at least, to live near a civilized town with an actual medical doctor, so our worst injuries had been tended to properly. Rasmus seemed to know just about everything and mending a man’s flesh was no exception.  With impressive patience, he led me through sewing his wound shut.

“Grab that rum over there,” he said, removing his shirt and tucking it under his arm. “Did Barclay have any medical supplies at all?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I answered.  He told me to pour the rum over the open wound.  Then, he snatched the bottle from my hand and took a long drink.

“Now, more water to rinse it well. I’m sure there’s a sewing kit somewhere in his wardrobe trunk. Bring it to me.” I found the small box containing needles and cotton thread, and I winced at the thought of pushing it through his skin.

“Light that candle, and then hold the needle in the flame before you start. The fire will help the needle pass through my skin.”

Rasmus watched as I did what I was told and then said, “Just like shaving, lass. Steady that hand.  Remember, you’re not sewing on a button or mending a hem. Just get it closed on both sides and wrap it tight.”

“I’ll take this kit with me to help mend the rest of the injured, if that’s agreeable with you,” I said when I’d finished mending him.

When I was through, I rummaged through Barclay’s things and found a shirt large enough to fit Rasmus and helped him slip it on. He showed me how to make a sling for his arm to help keep it still so he wouldn’t reopen the stitches I’d put in.

“Come here to me, little Razor,” he said as he leaned back in his chair. I walked over to him and he took my hand and pulled it to his lips.  I stroked his wild red mane away from his face and then tied it back for him. “We’ll be back in Port Royal by nightfall. When we arrive, I’ll find lodging for you and the girls at some place respectable. I’ll secure the room for as long as you need it.”

“What about the
Demon
? She’s yours, you know. You can do whatever you like with her,” I said.  I slid onto his lap and laid my head back against his good shoulder.

“You want me to keep her, don’t you? Never mind, you don’t even need to answer that. Pull the top drawer of the desk. There’s a book inside you need to see.” I did as he instructed, and found a leather-bound ledger.  I flipped it open and my back stiffened.

“Wait, what is this?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“It’s exactly what it appears to be, lass. It’s a log of every girl Barclay ever took, along with who she was sold to, when and where, as well as which merchant companies allowed their ships to be used in the trade.”

“I want them all. I want every last fucking one of them, Razz,” I said.  I turned each page and found the names, ages, and even a listing of hair and eye color of young women from as far away as England. Each page I turned enraged me more.

“We’ll discuss it once we reach Port Royal. Now, let’s get back to work. My first order of business is seeing to the proper burials of our men. From there, we’ll see about getting this ship cleaned up and repaired. We’ve a lot of hunting to do.”

About the Author

P.S. (Peggy) has always had a love of books and writing. She also paints and draws and although writing takes up the majority of her free time by choice, she loves spending time with her friends and family.

Her first novel “Fireflies” was published in March of 2013 with GMTA Publishing and her second, “Hope From the Ocean” was published in March of 2014, also with GMTA.

Peggy’s goal is to become a full time writer and spend the remainder of her days creating worlds, characters and stories that will carry on long after she’s written her last word.