Cutlass Anne

Cutlass Anne - Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

"Thomas, you are in for a real treat. These are the finest pirates the seas have ever known," the captain shouted as I approached him.

This was met with an uproar of "Arrs" and "Ayes."

I had no doubt that these pirates were the roughest and toughest on the sea. The cold steel of the dagger was pressed against my inner thigh, and it took all of my will power to not pull it out and murder them right then and there, or at the very least attempt to. I could have done away with one or two before they killed me. I glanced over my shoulder a few times, keeping an eye on The Gilded Lady. I could see Flynn standing at the aft of the ship watching. He slowly shrank as we drew nearer the pirate ship. He was right. I had no friends here, and I was completely alone. There was no room for error at this point. One misstep and it could mean my death, and Jane would be lost to the world forever. Sucking in a deep breath of salty sea air, I mentally prepared for whatever this adventure might hold for me.

A ladder was thrown down for us.

The captain motioned for me to begin climbing. "Up you go, boy."

On deck, I was amazed at how many men were already there. It was very similar to The Gilded Lady in style, but it felt much more evil. The air hung thick with tension and anger. My chin quivered, and I considered diving off the side and swimming back to shore. I backed up until I hit the railing of the ship. My heart was pounding.

"Thomas? What's wrong?" Captain John Jacks asked, seeing the fear and horror on my face.

"I just have never seen a pirate crew up close."

He threw his head back, laughing heartily. "Aye, they can be a frightening bunch."

"Aye, sir. They are."

"Well, don't be shy. Get to work." He shoved me toward the men. "Get ready to shove off, me hearties. We sail for Tortuga!"

All the men let up shouts of excitement. As if the seas knew what was going on, a sudden gust of wind blew through, helping us on our way. Water sloshed up on the deck, and a few men fell to the ground. I grabbed onto the mast that was in the center of the ship, staring dead ahead as we cut through the waves. I stumbled across the deck, trying not to step on anyone and felt my heart sink. The Gilded Lady wasn't behind us!

What the hell have I gotten myself into? Oh no! Flynn, please don't abandon me!

Panic settled in and I only hoped that I could survive the voyage to Tortuga. I still did not have my entire plan worked out. I still had no idea how I was going to convince the captain to tell me where Jane was. I did not know how I was going to kill them . . . all of them.

I tried to distract myself from thoughts of revenge and focused on the work at hand. I tied off a loose rope and headed below deck in search of the galley to fetch the captain a pint of beer or some rum. A gruff, dirty man hacked away at some sort of meat near a table.

"What ye be wantin', boy?" he asked, wiping his dirty, sweaty face on his filthy shirt.

"Rum or beer for the captain," I replied quietly, wringing my hands and biting my lip.

"His mug is o'er on the table." He lifted a fat arm and pointed to a far wall.

I grabbed the mug and headed for the casks against the far wall. Turning the lever at the bottom, I let the frothy, bitter liquid slosh in. As I handed the mug to the captain at the helm, I glanced behind us. There was a ship following. It was far back, but it was definitely there. I had never felt such hope and relief in my life. Granted, if anything were to happen on board, I was completely alone with no help, but once we docked in Tortuga I would have an entire crew to help me. I stood behind the captain, awaiting his next order.