The Pirates and the Nightmaker (21 page)

A thought occurred to me.

‘Mr Flynn,’ I said. ‘Would it be possible that Captain Bass already knows that I have retrieved the astrolabe?’

Mr Flynn considered this. ‘He may, he may not,’ he said at length. ‘There is no way of telling what the captain knows or how he knows it. It’s a mystery.’

It wasn’t a mystery why I needed to leave the Cove, though. The matter of my departing the place was all at once a little more urgent, for I recalled that while I had flown swiftly from Cartagena, I had spent several hours sleeping.

‘In any event,’ I told him. ‘I must leave.’

Mr Flynn forked the last of his pie into his mouth and took a final draught of his tankard. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

‘If it is true that Mr Wicker is sailing back to the Cove
post
haste
,’ he said, ‘then I must leave as well. In fact,’ he added, ‘I must to my lodgings to pack immediately.’

We left the Rope and Gibbet together, Mr Flynn bound for his boarding house and I bound for the
Medusa
to see Sophie. It was now almost dark and the windows and doorways of the little pirate town were beginning to gleam with the soft glow of oil lamps and candles.

‘We leave on the morrow,’ Sophie told me excitedly when I arrived back, ‘on the first tide.’

I stared at her, for the moment sharing her excitement. The astrolabe was still hidden up in the crow’s nest. I would have to remove it. Once we were on the open sea, no doubt Jenny Blade would post lookouts, for these were dangerous waters and a watch would need to be kept for King George’s ships, the ships of King Philip of Spain and those of Louis of France, not to mention assorted pirates, privateers and sea dogs who were not averse to plundering each other if there were not better plunder to be found.

‘Sophie,’ I asked, ‘would your mother mind a passenger?’

‘I’m sure she would not,’ replied Sophie smiling, ‘especially one she could not see, hear or speak to, and one who would demand neither drink nor victuals.’

It was a perfect solution. The
Medusa
’s journey to Jamaica would start before the return of the
Firefly
. It was not likely Mr Wicker would be able to persuade Mr O’Keefe and the motley crew to follow Jenny Blade to Jamaica. I would be on my way, while Mr Wicker would be marooned in the Cove.

Later the next day the
Medusa
sailed out on the tide in a good breeze. I had half expected Mr Flynn to have secured a passage as well, given his determination to leave the Cove as quickly as possible. However, he was nowhere to be seen on board and Sophie told me that apart from the prisoners in the brig and me there were no other passengers.

I wondered at that point whether Mr Flynn would even need a ship. His arrival at the Cove was quite unexpected; it had only been a matter of days earlier that I had seen him on the
Astrolabe.
He was, after all, of the netherworld, and as I was learning, the rules were different for such beings.

Sophie had taken the astrolabe and hidden it under her bunk in the cabin she shared with Jenny Blade.

As I had suspected, because we were heading towards Jamaica and what was left of the English fleet after Cartagena, Jenny Blade was taking much more care and had stationed a seaman at all times in the crow’s nest.

It was a wise precaution as it happened.

Some hours after we had lost all sight of land there was a cry of ‘Ship ahoy’, followed closely by a second.

Jenny Blade herself was at the helm and did not seem particularly concerned at first, but when the man in the crow’s nest cried again that the two vessels were not following separate courses but appeared to be sailing in convoy, Jenny Blade passed over the wheel to her usual helmsman and moved to the quarterdeck to confer with Abel Griff.

‘What do you think, Mr Griff?’

‘It is interesting they should be sailing together,’ he said.

‘My thoughts as well,’ said Jenny Blade.

‘It could mean they are merchantmen combining for protection …’

‘Or?’

‘It could mean that they are navy vessels on some specific mission and again combining for protection, or extra firepower.’

‘I agree,’ said Jenny Blade. ‘So unlikely to be pirates or privateers?’

‘No,’ smiled Mr Griff. ‘Unlikely to be our kind.’

For some time the situation remained. The vessels were still too far astern to be identified other than that they were large square-riggers and making good progress. Then two things became apparent: they were gaining on us, and they were sailing on exactly the same course as we were.

Once this became obvious, Jenny Blade herself climbed as far as the bottom of the topsail on the mizzen-mast and trained her telescope on the ships. She studied them for some time before scrambling down the ladder and returning to the quarterdeck.

‘What do you think?’ asked Mr Griff.

Jenny Blade’s expression was a shade more serious. ‘I suspect they are Spanish vessels,’ she said, ‘and if so, they will be well armed. But they are too far away to be certain yet.’

I looked at Sophie, who was looking a little apprehensive herself. I hurried over to her.

‘Should I go and see?’ I asked quietly.

‘I think that would be a good idea,’ she whispered.

We had been making good progress ourselves, for the breeze had not died down as it often did when the sun climbed higher and the heat descended. Still, as I rose into the sky and headed south towards the unknown ships I could see that they were narrowing the distance quite quickly, being fully rigged with royal sails above the topgallants to make even more of the wind.

First I reassured myself that neither vessel was the
Firefly.
I had wondered whether Mr Wicker may have had some intuition about where his astrolabe was and foregone the Cove to pursue us directly.

However this was clearly not the case. As I drew nearer the ships I saw that Jenny Blade was right, these were Spanish naval vessels. The royal ensign of Spain flying proudly from the masts announced that decidedly. I did not think that Mr Wicker, in the disguise of the traitorous Captain Lightower, would have had the influence to commandeer two vessels of this magnitude and power, for as I flew even closer I could see that these were ships of the line, and they were bristling with cannon, perhaps thirty-five on either side.

I could not explain why the ships were following the
same course. It could only be coincidence. All the same, it did look very much as though they were in fast pursuit of the
Medusa
. The only way to determine that would be for Jenny Blade to alter course drastically and see whether these pursuing ships altered course as well.

I flew back to the
Medusa
quickly to tell Sophie what I had discovered.

She listened to my suggestion about testing whether the boats were in pursuit or not and shrugged.

‘I could advise this, but my mother and Mr Griff would not listen to me. In fact, I expect to be sent below soon.’

By now, the Spanish warships were quite visible from the quarterdeck where the atmosphere was growing even grimmer. As it happened, Sophie did not have to suggest changing course; that strategy had already occurred to her mother.

The order was given to turn hard to starboard and the
Medusa
for some time then sailed at right angles to the Spanish ships. But not for long. Within minutes it was clear that, as if taking part in some nautical gavotte, the ships in pursuit changed course as well so that they were maintaining their position dead astern.

‘So that is that,’ murmured Mr Griff.

‘We had best call action stations,’ said Jenny Blade.

‘Is there any point?’ asked Mr Griff, looking back over his shoulder at the Spanish vessels, ever larger as they drew closer. ‘Look at the size of them: ships of the line. There’ll be hundreds of men between them and more than a hundred cannon.’

‘I didn’t mean that we could beat them off,’ said Jenny Blade grimly, ‘only that we must be prepared.’

‘I agree,’ said Mr Griff, ‘but prepared for what?’

‘Anything and everything, I dare say,’ said Jenny Blade, raising her telescope to her eye once more. Lowering it she turned to Sophie and, as Sophie had anticipated, suggested she go below decks. Sensing the growing tension, Sophie did not attempt to argue, and obeyed at once.

I looked about as the orders were given and men took their stations, manning the
Medusa
’s relatively few cannon and arming themselves with cutlass and pistol. For a better vantage point I rose as high as the topsails and hovered there watching as the Spanish warships continued to bear down on us. It now looked as though they were separating somewhat and I realised they intended to pincer the
Medusa
between them, one a-port and one a-starboard.

I felt utterly helpless. Like Mr Griff I could see that the ships were so big, so powerful, and the
Medusa
so comparatively defenceless that any resistance seemed pointless.

The crew below were silent; the silence of foreboding, of fearing the worst and knowing it was going to happen.

As I hovered there I felt myself to be irrelevant. I was unseen, unheard and incapable of anything except being a witness to whatever horror might be about to occur and knowing there was utterly nothing I could do about it.

And in the depths of this helplessness I suddenly remembered the astrolabe.

There was something I could do.

I remembered how Mr Wicker had aimed it at the sun
and extinguished the light altogether.

The Spanish men-of-war were now a few ships’ lengths behind us and closing fast. I turned into a swallow dive and landed on the deck and ran below to find Sophie who, I guessed, would be in the wardroom.

As soon as she saw me she gave a brave little smile.

‘What’s happening?’

‘The ships are nearly upon us. They will be drawing alongside.’

‘There is nothing we can do,’ said Sophie, white-faced.

‘There is one thing,’ I said urgently, ‘but I must have the astrolabe and I must have it at once!’

‘The astrolabe?’

‘Sophie, listen. With this astrolabe I may be able to save the ship but you must persuade your mother to take no notice whatever of what might happen in the next few minutes. Tell her, insist on it, that she must continue sailing fully-rigged as fast as the
Medusa
can sail. Make sure the man at the helm knows this. It is our only hope.’

Sophie nodded. She turned and ran to the cabin next door and returned seconds later with the astrolabe.

‘Are you sure?’ she whispered.

I gave her a crooked grin. ‘As sure as night follows day, but you absolutely must persuade your mother,’ I said.

Then I turned and ran out of the wardroom and up the companionway to the quarterdeck. I tried to hide as much of the astrolabe as I could under my jerkin, and then raced to the poop deck.

It was now quite clear what the Spaniards intended. They
would draw alongside and each vessel blast amidships, firing on the
Medusa
from both sides. Another few minutes and they would be in a position to do so. As I climbed on a hatch cover, I held up the astrolabe and turned it in the direction of the sun.

The ships were now so close I could see the men on board manning the cannon on the upper decks and I knew there would be dozens more preparing the cannon on the gun decks as well. It could not be long now before the first deadly broadsides would be set loose.

I turned around, hearing Sophie’s voice.

I hoped Jenny Blade would hear the determination in her voice and not the craziness of what she would be saying.

Sophie’s voice was strong, insistent.

It did seem, though, that she had powers of persuasion enough to move her mother, for Jenny Blade herself now ran to the helm and took the wheel.

I turned back to the astrolabe and carefully lined up the alidade with the sun. Closer. Closer. There.

At the very instant the pointer centred on the fiery orb, the world became dark, the deep dark of midnight, and the Spanish ships disappeared.

As on the platform of the castle at Cartagena this abrupt switch from daylight to darkness caused utter consternation. Not only could I hear the cries and confused shouts of those on board the
Medusa
, but from across the water I could hear the cries and the lamentations from the Spanish sailors on either side.

Our only hope was that their helmsmen would panic
along with the others, for all at once the darkness was punctuated with flashes of fire abeam from each of the Spanish ships. And then another barrage, and then another.

The fusillade had begun.

I was on the poop deck and I almost wept with relief as I realised that in the darkness and with a steady hand at the helm, we had nosed ahead of the Spanish ships. Moreover, as the
Medusa
was no longer between them and in their line of fire, the Spanish ships were aiming at each other.

Jenny Blade, still at the helm, looked back over her shoulder and, realising what was happening, whooped with delight.

Not only were the Spanish ships firing at each other, they were doing so to deadly effect. The cannon that had been aimed at our masts had smashed into the masts of each of the Spanish ships and we could hear the splintering of timbers and the crashing of canvas as each ship lost at least one of its masts. Through the darkness we could hear the panicked shouts of the Spanish as they realised what was happening, cries of fear and the shrieks of anguish of the wounded and the maimed.

Next and I suppose inevitably, although the fusillade had been halted, we could see the flames tonguing in the darkness as fires broke out, tongues of flame which grew and quickly caught: timbers, sails and everything in between.

Much closer I heard another voice amid the screams and cries.

‘Loblolly Boy?’

I looked about and could make out now in the starlight
and in the glow of the burning ships aft the figure of Sophie not far from her mother on the deck below me.

‘I’m up here, on the hatch.’

‘Did you do that?’ Her voice was filled with wonder.

‘What?’

‘The darkness.’

‘It was not me, it was the astrolabe. It has this power to summon night. That was why Mr Wicker desired it so.’

‘Will it stay dark?’

‘I know how to bring back the daylight, but we should really be safe before I do that.’

I leapt off the hatch cover and landed beside her. She grasped my hand.

‘Thank you.’

‘It was as well I remembered its powers,’ I said. ‘I’m sure their intention was to blast the
Medusa
out of the water.’

Both Spanish ships were now so completely ablaze there was no real need to bring daylight back, for everything astern was illuminated with a hellish glare.

‘I would think,’ observed Sophie, ‘that we are quite safe now.’

‘I think so, too,’ I said.

‘That would have been us,’ said Sophie, shivering.

‘But it was not,’ I said.

‘I think, Loblolly Boy,’ said Sophie, ‘that I would like the sunshine back.’

‘Of course,’ I said. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

I flew aloft once more and found the crow’s nest. At some point, perhaps when action stations were called or perhaps
when the darkness arrived, the watchman had descended. I stood there in the crow’s nest looking about me. Sirius shone brightly and I was about to point the astrolabe in its direction when I saw another light on the water.

The burning Spanish ships had drifted a considerable distance behind us now, obviously incapacitated, but their glow was orange. This new glow was far amidships to starboard and it was white. I had seen such a glow on the sea before and I felt certain what it must be.

Putting off bringing daylight back for the moment, I rose even higher and flew towards the light.

There again below me I saw the spectre barque, its tattered sheets wild in the wind and apparently sailing heavily angled in a heavy black sea flecked with whitecaps.

I drew closer and closer and, unafraid this time, dropped lightly onto the poop deck.

At the helm, just as he had been last time, stood Captain Bass, tall, heavy and glowing softly in the darkness.