Heart of the Abyss (A Pirate's Tale)

Heart of the Abyss (A Pirate's Tale) - Prologue

Prologue

The Chase to the Death

The high seas, 1670

It was a stormy night, and the crew of the pirate ship Emperor is in all desperation. On their tails is an armada of ships with a flagship they all came to fear, the Requiem, and despite the terrible squall, 'twas gaining with formidable speed.

Captain James Bloodrose was at the Emperor's helm, shouting orders left and right to make all haste to escape the fate they are so near to fall into.

"Cap'n," Ben Derwent, Ravenwood's second-in-command, called out as he ran towards the helm. "She's still pursuing. Another breath and she'll be board and board at port side."

Ravenwood's face went white, but his focus never wavered.

"Cannons at the ready!" he shouted, and the stricken crew loaded all the cannons available on board, desperate to live another day.

Derwent was right. It was not long before the Requiem were on their port side, its deadly cannons at the ready.

The moment they were board on board, a cannonade issued from both ships, the Emperor on the losing side.

"Captain-" was Derwent's cutoff shout before he was blasted out of the ship by a cannon fire from the enemy ship.

Bloodrose froze to the spot for a second. Without his second-in-command, he cannot win against the Requiem. Regaining his constitution, he turned his ship hard to starboard as a last resort to escape their doom.

Lucky for the ship, it got caught in a strong current, and was suddenly a hundred yards away from the Requiem. Hours later, they were on still waters with a light drizzle, and the crew of the Emperor gained a respite.

Wasting no time, he went down to his cabin, where his wife was waiting along with his eldest son, Faust, who was but ten years of age.

He darted to his bed, where he retrieved two things: a compass, and a map.

He gave the compass and chart to his wife.

"My love," he spoke earnestly to his wife. "Here I give the last act of the salvation of the pirates. The traitorous Requiem would be upon us all soon again, and we may not be so lucky to escape its hands again."

"What?" James' wife was wide eyed with fear. "Is there no hope?"

"That I cannot say," James said without inflection. "But what I can be sure of is that our second child," he looked softly at the baby cradled in his wife's arms, "would save us all."

He turned to Faust. "I entrust to you my only possessions that I hold dear. Take care of them." He tugged his son's arm and then his wife's free arm, but Faust remained steadfast and unmoving in his spot.

"Father," he spoke hard with resolve about something that James read as obstinacy at staying behind.

"You don't have a future if you remain with this ship," James was more urgent now. "Find it elsewhere, together or not with your brother and mother."

"But-" Faust was about to retort, but his father cut him off.

"None of that!" was James's final resolve. Faust and his mother and brother dared not to argue, but instead they followed to the deck where they found a dinghy that was being lowered.

"This is the Trading Company's territorial boundary," James explained as they both clambered up the boat. "A ship will no doubt pick you up. Faust, tell any tale you can to hide your identities, or all would be lost. My love..."

James then kissed his wife full on the mouth.

"Take care, I love you," was James's parting words.

Great were James's family's torment as they watched the masts and stern of the Emperor turn about to face a speck on the horizon that was the enemy. Soon, a cannonade was heard from afar, and a sudden red light swallowed both battling ships, and the waters around the dinghy holding the future of piracy was safe for another twenty five years.