Isle of Fire (45 page)

When the Brethren heard the explosions and saw the fire spring up, it did not take long for them to man their defenses. Brother DiMarco rang the church bell urgently, and Father Henry and Father Hoyt gathered their men at the Citadel's walls. In spite of the fire pouring down from the skies, the monks made their way to their posts.

Most visitors to the Citadel thought the square openings throughout the Citadel's walls, as well as those in its towers, were windows. They were not—they were cannon bays. And not just any cannons: Father Henry and Father Hoyt had nicknamed their heavy cannons “The Wrath of God” because each one fired twenty-five-pound cannonballs. They didn't have much range, but if anyone dared to get too close . . . it would be over before it started. When Father Henry and Father Hoyt gave the order, cannon muzzles appeared in those windows, and the Wrath of God was unleashed.

A twenty-five-pound cannonball slammed into a Raukar warship as it was setting up to launch a round of eldregn. The cannonball collapsed the ship's upper deck, and the eldregn canisters rolled into the gaping chasm. An explosion followed, sending a fountain of water laced with liquid fire spreading high into the air. The fiery flood came down on another ship that had been trailing near the first. It, too, went up in a fireball.

Thorne was livid. He took the wheel from his quartermaster. “Mister Teach, you're done here,” he growled. “Go to the cell deck and make sure Dolphin is safe.”

Edward Teach had just about had enough of being kicked around by Thorne. Still, he obediently went below.

“Brandir!” Thorne yelled. “Target the towers—those cannons have the greatest range!”

“Yes, Captain!” Brandir adjusted his dragon necks for the wind and fired.

Father Henry never saw the shot. There was a bright flash, followed instantaneously by a roaring explosion. And then an inferno poured into the tower.

Father Hoyt saw his friend's tower engulfed in flame and thought he saw the ship that had fired. He and three Brethren monks adjusted the heavy cannon and lit the fuse. The twenty-five-pound cannonball arced into the sky, heading straight for the hull of the
Raven's Revenge
. If it had had twenty more yards of range, it would have smashed out a section of the starboard bow. The
Raven's
Revenge
would have sunk right there. But the range was just shy, and the cannonball fell just short. Father Hoyt had already begun reloading, but it was too late. He, too, saw a flash of orange light.

Ross stood on the quarterdeck next to the helm and had much on his mind. On the ten-day voyage, Nubby had managed to remove the bullet from Commodore Blake's arm. Blake had recovered enough to resume command of the
Oxford
. Hack was disappointed, but he honorably relinquished the ship to its proper commander. But before Blake left the
Bruce
, he'd told Ross about Dolphin.
Amazing
, he thought.
All this time and she never knew.

“Her b' one terrible tempest!” Stede exclaimed, snapping Ross out of his thoughts.

“Can we get around it?” Ross asked, his voice high and desperate.

“Yes, mon,” his quartermaster replied. “I'll get ya round it, but we b' getting to Saba right before the storm hits. I b' thinking that.”

Ross looked over his shoulder. Only Anne, Cutlass Jack, and Blake were keeping pace with him. The Scottish schooners and sloops had all fallen way behind at sea. They just didn't have the sails to match the
Bruce
's speed. In a way, Ross was glad.
Perhaps,
they'll have the good sense to stay away from this hurricane.
He stared off the port rail at the curving black storm wall.
It's going to be a
bad one.

“They have abandoned the walls,” said Brandir.

“Good,” said Thorne. He looked at the burning walls, but the main buildings, the keep far beyond, were still unscathed. “Why aren't we hitting their fortress?”

“Wind and distance,” said Brandir. “The monks were smart to build their keep so far from the shore. The storm robs us of even more range still. Our cannons will not reach them from here.”

“Then,” said Thorne, “we'll have to take the battle to land. Brandir, see to it that the Berserkers are ready. I will signal the rest of the fleet.”

The main gate of the Citadel still burned and was uncontested. But when the Berserkers and other invaders came through it to the other side, they found more than they had bargained for. The monks had dug dozens of trenches, and the moment the invaders charged into the courtyard, the Brethren emerged and fired crossbows. The volley of arrows slammed into the attackers. Many fell. The Berserkers, numbed by their maddening elixir, took several darts each but still approached. They fought on, not caring or not realizing that they were already mortally wounded.

Ross saw the flames and smoke and feared that again they were too late. But as he looked through his spyglass, he saw that the Citadel's keep looked to be unharmed. The Raukar ships, including Thorne's, drifted ominously just off shore. But they had stopped firing, apparently content to let their ground forces finish the fight. But from the look of things, the monks of the Brethren were holding their own on shore.

Still
, he thought,
there are so many ships.

“We won't survive a fight with them,” said Stede.

“I know,” said Ross. “But we've got to try.”

Red Eye appeared by the captain's side. “Sir, if I may?”

“Of course, Red Eye, what is it?”

“I've been talking to that Hopper lad, and he has an idea how we can get Lady Dolphin back.”

“I'm listening,” said Ross. When Red Eye told the plan, Ross looked up sharply. “You can't be serious. In these seas?”

Red Eye nodded. “Jules can row through that.”

Suddenly, Hopper was right behind Red Eye. Ross looked at the brave young lad and shook his head. “I cannot allow this. You could be killed.”

“If you'll pardon my sayin' so, Guv'nor,” Hopper said, “we've all got to die some time. Might as well be tryin' to help someone as needs it. And I'm the only one who knows that ship. I know it top to bottom, sir.”

Ross couldn't argue that. “Go ahead,” said Ross. “But, Red Eye, don't—”

“I know,” Red Eye interrupted. “Don't kill unless I have to.”

“That's not at all what I was going to say,” Ross said. He stared at Red Eye and felt they had reached an understanding.

As soon as the cutter bearing Jules, Red Eye, and Hopper was gone, Ross gave the order. Jacques St. Pierre commenced firing. Cutlass Jack and Commodore Blake opened up as well. Ross hoped the diversion would work. He wondered if Thorne would notice that not one shot was aimed to hit the
Raven's Revenge
.

30
THROUGH THE SPYGLASS

Y
ou made the right decision, Cat,” said the Merchant. He stood by the helm of his ship, the
Perdition's Gate
. Cat was steering the ship through the rough seas two hundred yards from the Brethren's shore. “But I assure you, I am not very trusting.” He pointed to two very strong sailors who stood three paces from each of Cat's shoulders. “This is Mister Guinness,” said the Merchant. “And this is Mister Lambec. They will watch your every move. Should you do anything . . . out of character, you'll wish I'd killed you with my dagger.”

“Don't worry,” said Cat. “I know what I'm doing behind the wheel.”

“Very well then,” said the Merchant. “I propose a test.” He pointed out to sea, just beyond the
Raven's Revenge
, at the silhouette of another ship. “I believe that is the
Robert Bruce
. Take us in close, Cat. I want to send Declan Ross to the bottom.”

“Storm's comin' on now,” Edward Teach said to Dolphin. “You can hear the wind a'howlin', can't you?”

Dolphin lay in the corner. She did not answer. “Aww, you're no fun.” Teach threw a wood chip into an empty cell. He looked at his surroundings. “No fun at all,” he went on. “I can't stand it. ‘Teach, do this. Teach, do that,' Thorne says. I've a mind to slip a knife into his kidneys.”