Poseidon's Guide: The First Adventure // #Wattys2018

Chapter 15

The sun began to rise in the east, it's orange glow reflecting off Maryanne's soft and agitated features. The Falmouth was ordered to halt, it's sails drawn up next to Poseidon's Guide. Edward sat on the edge of the Guide, the danger of his rest put Maryanne on edge. In her minds eye all she could see was Edward slipping into the blue ocean, never to be seen by Maryanne again. She tried to hide her feelings as she took the sturdy, creaky wooden steps down from Falmouth's helm to the main deck, barely five metres of distance between her and the Guide.

Maryanne leaned over the railing, starring at her distant reflection in the water. It was the same sight for two days, the constant sight of blue water in the horizon with no sight of land. From what Benjamin had shouted to Maryanne from across the ships, Angelina and Edward were getting increasingly frustrated with each other. Any peaceful conversation soon became a heated argument between the hot-headed Latina and tired pirate. Edward was also quite sick of it, the sailing to coordinates that ended up being nothing more than ocean.

"Deep in thought lass? Or are ya' just considering how quickly it'd take for you to drown in this forsaken sea..." Edward broke her contemplation, shouting across the ships. His voice was raspier and more exhausted than usual, his face was dry and burnt from the sun, his usually short stubble beard now slowly becoming a scruffy mess. "A good twenty minutes I reckon..."

Maryanne snickered. "You really think I'd only last twenty minutes?" Maryanne threw on a false tone of sarcasm.

"With your slender arms... Hell maybe only fifteen... If the sharks don't get ya' first." Edward chuckled.

Maryanne leaned further over the railing and said, "How long will we continue to sail with no idea of our destination? I am tired Edward, send someone over here who can helm the ship other than me!"

"Who? Benjamin? I don't think that's a great idea..."

"Then have Billy come over! I've been sailing this fucking ship for three days!" Maryanne snapped, her voice raising with a fiery tone, "You can't just expect me to keep going! I need to sleep Edward, I nee-"

"You need to shut up. Ya' don't get a choice Maryanne, I've been helming the Guide for three days also! Billy is a bloody Quartermaster as dull as a rock and Benjamin used to be in the service of good Commodore Hadly!" Edward jumped up, frowning with annoyance. "No one else has even the slightest experience! If we lose the Falmouth, we lose half our crew in a moment!"

"How would we lose the Falmouth?"

"Reefs! Isles! The British Armada for Christ's sake!" Edward took a short breath. "Don't pretend you haven't seen it..."

Maryanne looked over the edge of the Falmouth, at the hulking blur on the horizon behind them. She had seen it. What it was doing was obvious. At first Maryanne suspected it to be a trading vessel, off in the distance passing them by. But as the days drew on and the ship remained on the horizon, she drew the conclusion that it was following them. It would seemingly stop whenever they stopped, sail whenever they sailed. It was incredibly tedious.

"Why does it remain at its distance? We've halted, it should use its time wisely and intercept us." Maryanne said.

Her words fell upon ears not listening. Edward was starring out at the ship, his face without emotion. His mouth twisted into a smirk. "I know that ship... At least I think I do..." Edward paused, ordering a pirate bring him a spyglass. The eye piece extended and Edward peered through it. Once his eye was pulled away, his mouth no longer smiled. "Aie, know all about that ship I do..." Edward walked away, not satisfying Maryanne with the knowledge.

She ran up the steps to Falmouth's helm, opposite Edward at the Guide's. "What the hell Edward! Tell me what you saw! What ship is it?!" She shouted her questions like commands.

"We need to turn, face her in open battle. Drop the sails, prepare the cannons and be ready to board." Edward ordered his crew. He looked over to Maryanne. "That is The Salvation, good captain Charles' ship. You heard my orders, mirror the Guide's actions."

Both the ships turned around, beginning their course towards the distant ship. Maryanne peered through the spyglass to see the large warship drop its red sails and begin to glide across the sea towards them. Half of the Guide's crew were aboard the Falmouth, ready to engage The Salvation alongside the Guide. The ship grew larger and larger. Eventually it was larger than the Falmouth and the Guide, revealing itself to be a massive warship boasting at least eighty cannons from Maryanne's count. She gulped. The intimidating wooden beast began to slow, it's red sails rising.

The Guide went across the left side of the ship, Maryanne led the Falmouth to its right. The Salvation glided effortlessly in between the ships, slowing and stopping. All three ships formed a triangle, the Guide and Falmouth at the bottom and The Salvation taking the point. They could've decimated the ship from both sides before, as could the enemy pirates ship, but neither Edward nor Captain Charles gave the order to fire. Even from the sizeable distance, Maryanne could sense a great tension between both the captains.

"Ye can understand me shock and awe to hear tails of a one, 'Captain Langdon', helming Poseidon's Guide, the very ship I was promised by you Edward... Anything to confess boy?" Captain Charles snarled.

Maryanne looked over to Edward. "Sorry Charles, but I have a bigger prize ahead of me." Edward explained. "Something you could get a cut of... If ya' removed yourself from my path that is."

"Oh really boy? After I saved ye life? Twice!" The Italian chuckled at the very thought. "Ye die here Langdon. Mutiny is really something I hate..."

Edward snickered and then looked over to Maryanne. She caught his eyes, the right one winking before Edward's mouth twisted into a grin. "Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed Charles... PREPARE TO BOARD!"