1670, Caribbean Sea. She's the daughter of a legendary pirate. He's a Spanish captain. Their countries are at war. Their fathers killed each other. And they were destined to follow on their steps.
But sometimes destiny isn't written in stone: it's w...
The letter awaited at Veracruz port. The Admiral read it as soon as they reached land. He sent for Hernan Castillano and his friend Luis Alberto Alonso, and showed them the message with the Viceroy's seal. The two young captains read it together and Castillano gave it back to the Admiral, setting his jaw to hold back his tongue.
"I'm sorry, Hernan," the Admiral said, patting his back. "Go home to Campeche, you've earned some time off. The Lion won't sail again for months."
Castillano nodded, grinding his teeth. Going back to patrolling the coastal cities on the mainland! For God's sake! Halfway to the officer's lodging, he told the coachman to change destination. He'd rather burn in hell than take those orders like a damn lamb.
The Admiralty officers didn't hide their disgust, forced to greet that officer showing up on his sailing uniform and still smelling of tar. But they had to invite him to take a seat. And they left him waiting for as long as they could before delivering his message to the Great Admiral of New Spain. To their dismay, the Great Admiral came out to welcome the officer personally, shook his hand with a bright grin and invited him into his private office.
Castillano finally made it to the officers' lodging by sunset. But before heading to his room, he dropped by Alonso's. His friend was getting dressed for dinner. Seeing Castillano's face, he dismissed his assistant and poured two glasses of wine.
"What have you done now, Hernan?" Alonso asked, handing him a glass.
He grinned and Alonso sighed.
"The Great Admiral assured me—"
"You went to see the Great Admiral?"
"Well, yes! What else was I to do? I was saying, he granted me that the Lion will have priority to be repaired. And I got him to give us a special mission as scouts."
"Us?" Alonso repeated, frowning.
"Well, not us. Me. But I thought you may want to join me."
"Explain yourself. You said scout."
"You've read the Viceroy's orders, Luis: the Fleet is back to its old route, patrolling the coast from here to Maracaibo and back. Well, I got a better route for the Lion: we'll follow the Armada from open sea, as scouts to spot possible threats. Considering our fame, the Great Admiral agreed that we'll be a good deterrent."
"Great! You'll still be able to take on the dogs! And why the plural?"
Castillano grimaced, hoping his friend wouldn't take offense at his offer. "Well, you know I need to complete my crew. Santos Herrera died in battle, so I'll be needing a new lieutenant."
To his relief, Alonso's face lit up with a smile. "Then here you have one, Hernan! I'll be damned if I care losing rank for a chance to keep hunting those sons of bitches!"
Castillano smiled too and raised his glass. "To the Lion!"
"To the Lion!"
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