To be a pirate or a king's man?

Chapter 10 - Chasing the Hurricane

Chapter 10

The Stormprow broke the ocean at the bow, speeding though the waves at a speed of ten knots, the canvas of the sails being caught in the favourable wind as it flew, dancing across the ocean towards HMS Hurricane. Sam went to the captain's cabin, curious about the parts of the conversation he'd heard earlier. He knew Morgan was in the cabin as John was at the helm and Jeremiah was patrolling the decks. Sam knocked on the dark glass of the cabin's door. "Enter." called the voice from inside. Morgan's voice.

As he entered, Sam noted that the captain was sitting in his usual chair, poring over a map that Sam didn't recognise the contours of. He looked up, "Ah, Sam. What can I help you with?" Morgan asked.

"I know it's not my place, sir, but I was wondering about a few things that you said to Lyris yesterday."

"I imagine that you would be. What part of our conversation were you wondering about?"

"You kept mentioning a person just by calling him he. I was wondering who he might  be."

"Indeed?" The captain paused, puzzled. "Ah, yes. You've probably not heard the tale. The navy don't tend to mention him all that much. Take a seat, this may take a while." Morgan gestured towards the chair facing him and Sam sat. "Sitting comfortably? Good. Let's begin." Morgan grinned before continuing to speak, "There is an old but true pirate legend that mentions five 'Ocean Wolves.' The wolves were great shots, swordsmen and tacticians. Each had a representative colour; red, green, blue, gold and black, and each colour was in a ring.

"The ring that we're chasing down is one such ring; the ring of blood and my own ring. I am one of the wolves; the red wolf. Diamond Eye Jack was another; his was the green, but he was expelled from our order. You see, We were given these gifts, some call it a curse, and the rings by the master of the seas; Davy Jones. Jones is the black wolf, and the most dangerous by far. Jack didn't like that and so he tried to overthrow Jones and take the black for himself, but he was defeated and scarcely escaped with his life. His ring was broken as Jones cast him to the ground, and he lost the power that it granted him. Jones spared his life, but cursed him with being in a state of undeath and insanity forever. His skin stays as it was, but he could be thrown to the bottom of the sea and survive, and take a gunshot through the head as if it were nothing but a small stone. Jones' curse forced Jack to kill everyone that he had loved or even cared about; his family, the few friends he had and the woman that was going to marry.

"Jack can never again feel happiness, nor life in him. He is utterly void of compassion and mercy, forced to live with what he has done to himself and his loved ones. His crew are likewise cursed, but they are mortal, simply harder to kill than a normal man. In combat they are fierce, but it has been proven that my crew of organised fighters can defeat his rogues and murderers. His crew are still formidable though, every one of them, so don't underestimate them. The reason that Jack himself is interested in my ring is that he has found a way to lift his curse; he must gather the remaining rings, including Jones', and forge them together. When that happens, he will be mortal again, but with power over the sea and enough to rival Jones.

"Jack has already gathered the blue and the gold, killing the previous owners that were once his brothers, but only two are powerless for him, and so he needs a third - mine - before he can even think to attack Jones to take his. If Jack takes my ring, it will destroy me, breaking my mind before literally breaking my body, one bone at a time. I've seen it happen to Henry Crompton who owned the gold. I will kill myself before that happens, but with my ring on my finger, I can face Jack as an equal. The rings provide longevity and strength to their true masters, but will seem like common trinkets to people that are unaccustomed to their legend and properties. When we catch the Hurricane, you will have stand by and watch me as I kill your old commander, and you will have to kill your own crewmates. Every one of them must die, or the power of the ring will not fully return to me. In the same way, if Jack defeats me in single combat for my ring, you will have to die with the rest of the crew, probably in a very unpleasant way. Are you ready to face that?"

"I think so, sir." Sam replied. Fool. If you'd left at Tortuga you wouldn't have to fight for your life against a ruthless pirate. Sam was dreading the eventual confrontation with Jack, and really hoped that Morgan would be able to defat him in combat.

"I can't have a think so, Wheelwright. You have to back me to the end, or every man on this ship will die if you fail to do your duty to me." Morgan replied. His face mirrored his mask; straight and without any of the humour and life that had been present when Morgan was his usual self. Sam understood that Morgan was truly afraid of Jack, and anyone that Morgan feared was a man who would not have mercy on his enemy's bo' sun.

"You have my word that I will fight till the end, for the ship and you, captain." Sam meant those words. Morgan may be a pirate, but he was a more honest and sincere commander than any he had served with in the navy, and definitely more so than Horatio Jones had been.

"Excellent. When you leave, could you take the helm and see that John comes in here, please." The life flooded back into Morgan's face as he clapped his hands and rose, smiling happily.

"Certainly, sir." Sam bowed and left.

When he had exited the cabin, he climbed the steps to the bridge and to the ship's wheel where John Clutterbuck was steering, "Captain wants you in the cabin, John. I'm to take the helm." he said.

"Righty ho, just keep her true and straight. The navigator will give you new instruction when we get closer to the Hurricane's patrol zone." John stepped back and went down the steps, and a while later Sam heard the cabin door opening and shutting. He gripped the wheel and kept it stationary, thinking about the conversation he's just had with the captain he'd grown to respect and fear.

That night, Sam woke from his sleep in his quarters, lying in his hammock which was swaying gently with the rocking of the ship. The quiet snores of the ship's surgeon rose and fell with the ship on the waves. It seemed peaceful enough, but Sam was restless. He climbed out from his hammock and dressed himself in the trousers, shirt and sword that Morgan had given to him earlier. He also had a plain brown leather coat that had been a promotion gift from Morgan. Once dressed, he stepped out from his shared cabin and onto the first deck of the ship. The steps to the ship's poo deck were ahead of him, and the door to the First Officer's cabin was to the right of his own. Sam walked ahead and climbed the steps, looking around as he took in breaths of the sea air. He hopped onto the rigging and climbed quickly, getting to the mainmast crow's nest within a minute of starting to climb. The Duchess' old cabin boy Jenkins was on watch. The keelhauling had scarred him all over and his eyes now held a knowledge of pain that no boy of thirteen should have. "Sir." The boy greeted him.

"Hello, Jenkins. Just coming up for a look around. Can't sleep tonight, and something feels wrong. Probably just nothing, but I'd like to check." Sam replied as he stood up on the flat wooden boards that made up the ship's crow's nest.

"Nothing seems out of sorts, but I'll agree that there's a chill in the air. It's like the night before the Duchess was taken, only worse." The boy commented.

"Aye, though it's not every day that two of the greatest pirates the world has ever feared are drawing up to fight, and some poor naval ship's got to get in the way. I might sleep up here tonight, seems like you'll need my help to identify the Hurricane anyway, if you do spot her. Besides, the surgeon may be a medical genius for saving as many of us after the keelhauling as he did, but he snores like a pig!" Sam joked as he sat with his back to the mast and stretched his legs out on the wooden boards, facing the bow of the ship. Within a few minutes, he was dozing and by ten minutes, he'd fallen into a sleep.

He woke to Jenkins shaking his shoulder and pointing out towards starboard. "Sir, I think that the ship we're looking for is over there!" he was saying excitedly. It took Sam a moment to figure out the words, but once he did, he sprang to his feet and grabbed the spyglass from the teenager. He put it to his eye and found the shape of the schooner. "Aye, that's her. Call the alarm whilst I raise the captain!" Without waiting for an answer, Sam was flying down the rigging, his hands and feet working in a blur to take him to the deck. He ran to the captain's cabin and hammered on the door. "The Hurricane's to the starboard, sir. We've got her within sight!" he yelled through the glass on the door. Within a minute, Morgan was out on deck, wearing his full gear and looking every inch the pirate captain from tales. "Turn her to starboard, Mr Wheelwright, we've got a hurricane to catch!"