Ill Wind and Dead Reckoning: Caribbean Pirate Adventure (Valkyrie) (37 page)

I had hardly slept after all the excitement of the night before, and left the group slumbering around the fire at dawn to wander down to the water’s edge. That was twice I’d almost lost
Valkyrie
already. I knew I couldn’t tolerate another threat, and now I’d agreed to sign all her attackers on to my crew, against Leo’s advice.

I looked at the carnage in the bay.
Freedom’s
fore-topmast hung overboard and
Awilda’s
single mast just topped the sparkling pink-tinged turquoise waves off her lee.
Valkyrie
, despite everything, was the only vessel undamaged off Sankt Jan Island.

I brought my attention back to the stinking beach, littered with charred turtle shell from last night’s feast and thought back. What had they used to set the sea afire? I poked at some of the sludge washed up on shore with a stick.

‘Pig bladders and whale oil.’

I looked up, startled, at Carmen who had walked up behind me, lighting her pipe.

‘Effective, wasn’t it?’ She grinned.

I relaxed. ‘You’re not joking, you had those pirates running round the beach screaming like frightened babes!’

‘A particular talent of Andy’s.’ As she spoke, Andy joined us carrying beakers of hot chocolate. I took one and received a nod in response to my thank you. Andy did not seem to talk much. ‘She doesn’t hear so well,’ Carmen explained around her pipe, ‘because of all the powder. She finds it easier to stay silent.’ She smiled at her friend and held her hand a moment after taking her drink, then they sat down to face the sea and enjoy the dawn. I watched them for a moment: one tall and friendly, with hair scorched white from the relentless sun, the other dark, strong and silent. The sun’s pink light touched their left cheeks and I wondered what had brought them both to the sea.

‘My mother was Spanish – I was named for her – but she died young and my Danish father had been a seaman all his life, there was nowhere else for us to go. For Andy, the sea was the lesser of two evils and it turns out she’s happy wherever there are guns. Why
Valkyrie?
’ Carmen changed tack. ‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw the name, she almost called to me. I’m from an old Viking family.’ She laughed at my unspoken question. ‘Hence
Awilda
– a Viking pirate princess.’

I laughed, liking her in spite of my misgivings, and told her about my life on Sayba and how I’d escaped. ‘
Valkyrie
was the only name for her, nothing else would be good enough.’

‘Sayba?’ Carmen asked, her laughter gone now, and she puffed furiously on her long, white clay pipe. ‘You introduced yourself as Berryngton, not van Ecken.’

‘Berryngton’s my maiden name. Would you use van Ecken’s name if you didn’t have to?’

‘Bastard!’ I looked at Andy in surprise. Her scowling face was red with fury and Carmen put her hand on her arm to calm her.

‘The Dutchman and his pirates killed my father,’ she explained. ‘I met Andy soon after it happened, and she’s very protective.’ She paused, drew on her pipe, then used it to point southeast.

‘We swore revenge on them and have sunk a few of their ships, but the place is a fortress and we haven’t found a way in yet.’ She stopped, wary of saying too much.

‘I can get in,’ I said, ‘and I think I can get out again too, with help. I may still have friends there,’ I added.

‘It’s not a place to leave friends,’ Andy observed. She obviously heard more than she wanted people to realize.

‘No, it’s not,’ I agreed.

‘Any plans?’

‘I’m working on it, and I think they may have just got a little stronger.’

‘Does Captain Santiago share your ambitions?’ Carmen asked.

‘He does – he has his own scores to settle.’

‘Not to mention having his eye on Dutch gold.’ Carmen laughed.

‘There’ll be enough to keep the men happy, that’s for sure,’ I agreed.

Carmen nodded. Andy had lapsed back into silence.

‘Do I take it
Valkyrie
hasn’t been in your possession long?’ Carmen asked with a smile.

I looked at her and smiled back. ‘Don’t get any ideas, she’s mine and she’s staying that way.’

‘I told you last night, we don’t mutiny. But we have experience, a lot of it. It appears we have the same aims.’

‘It does, doesn’t it?’ I mused.

‘You’ll find a loyal crew in my girls if you’re going after van Ecken, and we’d enjoy sailing alongside the larger ship and her firepower,’ Carmen said. ‘Are you sure about your decision to take us? Your man didn’t look too happy about it.’

I looked at her; enemy of mine enemy and all that. ‘Yes, I’ll take a chance on you, I’m short on both sailors and gunners, and female ones would be all the better, you’re welcome aboard my ship.’ She nodded. ‘And Andy?’ I prompted. ‘Your firesense will be essential.’

Andy nodded. I gathered she’d follow wherever Carmen led. Pleased, we shook hands, just as Leo joined us.

‘
Buenos días, ladies, I hope you slept well, there’s a lot of work to be done on my ship.’

‘Morning. We’re just discussing Erik and Sayba – Carmen and Andy have their own history with him,’ I said in greeting, then turned back to Carmen. ‘I’m pleased to have you aboard
Valkyrie
, but do not forget for a moment that she is my ship and I her captain. I will not put up with any nonsense. We sail in company with
Sound of Freedom
, and if you try and take my ship away from me again I’ll heave you overboard, throats cut, without a second thought – and there are fifty men on this beach who’ll help me do it. Do you understand me?’

‘Ja, reckon we do.’

‘That’s settled then,’ Leo said. ‘And take note of what Gabriella said. She sails with me and is under my protection, I will not stand any threat to her or to
Valkyrie
. We’ll sort the articles out after breaking our fast, and then we’ll see how well you work. There’s a mast needs replacing and a tangle of rigging to sort out on my ship. You felled it, you fix it. Your woodwork and rigging skills had best be up to the same standard as your fireworks.’

*

Freedom’s
fore-topmast had been felled by chainshot from
Awilda’s
cannon and hadn’t damaged any of the planking of the ship herself. Carmen and Andy helped Carrie, Annika, Jayde and Bess to clear the rigging, but
Freedom’s
crew stepped the new mast and handled the re-rigging themselves. It would be their lives that depended on it, after all, not those of the women. I spent the afternoon in
Valkyrie’s
longboat directing the salving of
Awilda
. Andy had more whale oil and other materials which
Valkyrie
might find useful, and wanted all her guns up before the salt silenced them forever. We also wanted Carmen’s navigational instruments and some other bits and pieces. I was surprised at the lack of gold and other plunder being brought up and wondered where they’d hidden it.

Whilst they dived, I stared at the water and the black silk that swamped
Awilda’s
masthead. I wanted that too,
Valkyrie
didn’t have any pirate colours yet.

‘You
haven’t
had her long, have you?’ Carmen laughed as we hauled the sodden material aboard.

‘A month or so.’ I laughed back. ‘But she’s a beautiful ship!’ She deserved more than an anonymous, plain black flag as well and I remembered Leo’s tattoo.
Maybe we should have a symbol
? It would set
Valkyrie
apart from the other pirates in these waters, and might help to band the new crew together. We were a bit of a motley mix, and I recognized I had a challenge ahead to bring together the women from
Awilda
and the old tars from
Freedom,
Gaunt and Davys
,
who had seen and done it all before. I knew they’d be instrumental in keeping order and my authority over an experienced captain and her crew, and I recognized that I’d be walking a tightrope between my old friends and my new. Then there was Butler and Greenwoode from the
Adelheid,
and Cartwright and the others from my slaver. If I was to command this crew effectively, I knew I had to prove myself in battle and profit, as well as seamanship, and I’d done neither yet. I was determined to do everything I could, and not make any more blunders.

*

Finally, we were ready for the off, again. My new crew started to haul up the anchor and the backed jibs swung
Valkyrie’s
stem towards the open sea. The anchor broke out and Andy and Greenwoode catted it whilst Carmen and Davys supervised the set of the sails. The jib was pulled through to leeward and we were free of the land, new colours at the mainmasthead. I stared up at the flag crowning my sails and grinned at the heart and cutlasses suspended over angel wings.

It struck home just how much my life had changed in the past year. I hadn’t been born to this way of life, far from it, and I hadn’t chosen it, it had chosen me. It was a far cry from my upbringing and previous existence of cruel men in nice houses. Was I really the same woman who had turned in disgust at the sight of a brawl spilling out of a drinking hole, whilst enduring worse at home?

I grew aware of
Freedom’s
crew looking and pointing at the new mast and colours, and my smile widened. I straightened up the helm, set my course by the wind for the moment rather than our destination – just for the joy of feeling it across our weather bow – and the deck canted with the increased speed and power. This was what she was made for, where she should be; where all of us should be. At sea flying with the wind, not beached or lashed to the shore, trapped by anchor or mooring warps. Out here we were free just to be.

I looked across at
Freedom
’s quarterdeck and waved at Leo, whose grin matched mine. This is where he needed to be too. I had a pang of regret. I wanted to embrace him, to share his joy as well as my own, but was unable to from this deck and missed him already. We wouldn’t have been in each other’s arms when working the ship away from shore anyway, but on separate decks it would be too long before we could come together as we wanted. I smelled smoke and turned to see Carmen lighting her pipe – a gesture I soon came to know as an indication all was well on deck. I remembered Leo’s advice to trust her sailing instincts and knowledge, but to keep her close and avoid giving her too much leeway. She was used to being in command and had coveted this ship, I had to make sure she got used to
me
being
her
captain.

‘How does she feel?’ I asked her.

‘The foremast needs a little adjustment,’ she replied. ‘She’s not quite balancing the raked main. It won’t take long, but we’ll need a calmer day to snug up the shrouds. Other than that she’s as fine a sailer as she looks.’

She took the pipe out of her mouth and whistled towards the bows, raised her right hand and clenched her fist twice in a signal to Annika to sheet in the outer jib to starboard.
Valkyrie
responded immediately and skipped a little higher over the waves. I knew she was in good hands.

It was frustrating to sail in the opposite direction to Sayba, but even I knew that I, not to mention
Valkyrie
, was not ready yet, and an attack on Brisingamen now could be suicide. I wanted it so badly though, I was desperate to cut Erik out of my life.

We headed south towards Martinico, east of La Isla Magdalena and where Leo had long-standing arrangements with a couple of merchants in Saint Pierre. They were keen to buy his goods and not too particular about where they’d come from, as long as they hadn’t come out of the holds of any of their own ships – Leo had long ago agreed to leave their trade alone. With a fair wind we could be back in the Northern Caribbees in a week, but at this time of year, northing could be hard to come by, no matter how much I yearned to be back, and the return passage could take much longer. On top of that, Leo had promised the men time to enjoy the entertainments of Saint Pierre’s sailortown; we’d been at sea or on deserted beaches too long for their continued compliance, and they missed their women – any women.

‘
Sail oh
.’

We were a week out and I grabbed Carmen’s glass to see for myself. Brand new and made with mirrors it put Leo’s to shame, although he wouldn’t hear a word said against his old one. I examined the sail off our port bow. A French merchantman – a large round-hulled ship, slow and heavy. Perfect.
Valkyrie
bristled with a variety of guns, thanks to Andy, and you’d never have known that they’d spent a night on the bottom. I also had two of
Freedom’s
small, two-pound cannon with their plum-sized shot installed at the bows either side of the figurehead, and we got ready to give chase. As the faster boat upwind, we would leave Leo and
Freedom
off astern; I wanted
Valkyrie
to do this alone, without him.

We had a strong breeze, the waves breaking with white, and I ordered the topsails down to avoid the merchantman spotting us too soon. With main- and foresails flying we had the speed we needed, and both Gaunt and Carmen nodded when I turned for their opinions. The wind was close-to this morning, so coming over our larboard foredeck, and we headed towards our prey and the Gadalupe coast. Whilst the wind was likely to swing round in the afternoon, we were early enough that it came off the island to the east, essentially trapping the vessel. Her only chance was to get close to shore somewhere with decent defences, but she had big problems. She was slow, having been designed to carry as much cargo as conceivable with the smallest possible crew, and her square-rigged sails couldn’t sail into the wind. She had to take a much shallower angle than
Valkyrie,
giving us plenty of opportunity to intercept her before she reached her safe harbour.

I hoisted our new colours once it was obvious she’d realized we were a threat to her, and set a collision course. When she was in range of the bow cannon, Andy fired at the rigging of the fleeing ship. Her second shot was right on target, and I gasped as I watched their mainmast shudder and slowly fall, bringing a tangle of canvas and rigging down with it.

‘Don’t celebrate too soon, we’ve still got to get aboard. I hope you’re ready to fight because I can’t see them asking quarter of women.’

Davys was right, of course, we had only just started, we hadn’t won our prize yet. Looking around the decks at my crew, I saw them how the mariners across the water would see them, and I ordered the Awildas to hide their hair and loosen their shirts to hide their shape – hopefully this would be enough until it was too late for the other crew to do anything foolish. They’d be expecting men, and something so simple may just delay their realization of our sex until our swords and muskets were on them, and they were at our mercy.

Unwilling to risk their lives, they didn’t try to protect their ship, and we herded them into the forecastle and had a good look around. She had six cannon aboard, but all broadside – if she’d had even one mounted at her stern, this might have been a very different story. I left it to Andy as to how to utilise this extra firepower for the best now that I could return the rest of the guns
Freedom
had provided when we first took
Valkyrie,
and she immediately headed abaft to install a new gun at our own stern.

Below decks was a disappointment, they were still laden with goods, not silver, but at least we could stock up our food and drink supplies, and there were anchors and other gear that would come in useful, including all their spare cordage and spars. The spices and cloth could be traded at Martinico, but I’d really wanted to prove myself to Leo with a big haul of gold or silver. Not this time.

Now I had to face Leo. I knew he’d be angry that I’d done this myself without warning or agreeing it with him, but he
had
to see me as a pirate captain in my own right, and this was the only way I could think of to prove it to him.

He laid us aboard and crossed to the prize. I stood my ground and used all my determination not to flinch at the expression on his face – it was one I’d been much more used to seeing on Erik. I squared my shoulders, set my jaw and waited for him, ignoring both crews who had stopped what they were doing to watch us. He grabbed my arm and pulled me aft in a vain attempt at privacy.

‘What the hell did you think you were doing?’ he hissed through clenched teeth. ‘We work together, as a team, what were you trying to prove?’

‘I can do this, Leo, I needed to show that to my crew and yours, and yes, you as well.’

‘And make me look a fool in the bargain?’

‘No! Why do you look a fool? The only one risking looking a fool was me if I failed, but I didn’t. My crew worked together, and we took our prize. I needed to show everyone that
Valkyrie
is not a weak link, and we just proved that.’

Leo blew out a breath in frustration. ‘Next time, do you think you could give me a bit of warning? I didn’t get you this boat for you to risk your life in an unnecessary and solitary fight. We work together, you and I, and you still answer to me. Don’t sail off on your own again.’

‘You didn’t “get” me this boat, I won it, and if you think I’m going to be your little consort, your pirate concubine, you can think again! You freed me from one life, I won’t be shackled to another. I will always be grateful to you for bringing me to the sea, and it’s where I want to stay – with you. I had to do this. I had to prove to myself, to my crew and to you too, that I am a worthy captain of
Valkyrie
, and that I deserve to be on her quarterdeck. I cannot ask any of my crew to risk their lives if I’m not prepared to risk mine along with them, and I’m surprised you have a problem with that.’

‘You’re damn right I have a problem with that!’ Leo shouted, and I took a step backwards at the force of his temper.

‘I thought I’d made it clear – whilst you command that vessel, you are still a member of
my
crew, and you do what
I
say! You are my proxy on that quarterdeck, nothing more. You follow
my
instructions! You attack only the ships I tell you to attack and you do it in the way I describe! Do you understand?’

‘How
dare
you speak to me like this? And in front of everybody!’ I was furious and knew I had lost control, but could not stop. ‘How am I supposed to command the respect and authority of my crew if they only see me as your . . . proxy?’ I spat the word. ‘I will not be treated like this, you’re no better than Erik!’

He slapped me. Shocked, I could think only one word.
No
. My hand went to my belt and the hilt of the blade stowed there. God help me, I think I was prepared to use it.

He swallowed his own shock, moved his hand to his own blade, and hissed, ‘Take care Gabriella, your words and actions are close to mutiny. If you continue, I’ll put you in irons and lock you below deck. Do not push me further.’

Put me in irons and lock me away?
My heart chilled. I looked at him and saw another man trying to force me to his will. I pushed aside all the feeling I had for him.

‘Mutiny? I’ll give you bloody mutiny!’ I snarled, then turned and strode down the deck, shouting to my Valkyries to return to our ship. He could keep the bloody prize, I just had to get away from him.

We cast off and set sail as quickly as we could. I looked back once and wept when I saw his flag break in the breeze. He had sewn on his tattoo – a heart and sandglass – and added a pair of blades in parody of mine.