Cutlass Anne

Cutlass Anne - Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-two

I was halfway up the Jacob's ladder when the first cannonball splintered the wood next to me, leaving a large, round hole next to my head. I let go of the rung and began to tumble to the water. Christopher reached up and stopped me before I did though.

"Easy does it, Anne," he called up to me.

"A cannonball just blasted into the side of the ship!" I shrieked, holding onto the ladder for dear life.

"Yes, I know. Now you have to climb or we are all going to end up at the bottom of the ocean."

"Won't the ship sink with a hole in it?"

"Not when it is above the water line. Now climb!" he shouted up at me.

With my heart still pounding, I climbed. Once I reached the deck, I scanned the growing crowd for Flynn.

"Lady Anne! Welcome back!" Scully bellowed pushing through the men and grabbing me by the waist. He lifted me up and placed me on the deck.

I pushed through the throng of men, trying to find Flynn. I searched for his blue jacket and that ridiculous hat of his to no avail.

"Where is he?" I spun to face the men.

"Who?" Scully asked.

"Flynn! Who else?"

"Aye, the captain is at the helm waiting for ye'."

I shoved my way through the rest of the crew and saw him standing there. Tears welled in my eyes, and I ran toward him. He jumped from the helm on to the deck and met me halfway.

"I was worried about you." He enveloped me in a massive hug.

"I am so sorry I did not listen to you," I cried, burying my face in his jacket, inhaling his intoxicating sent of spice and sea air. The ocean had never smelled so good.

"Did he . . ." His voice trailed off as he gazed into my eyes.

"No. Thank God Christopher was there."

"Who is Christopher?"

"He is a spy for the colonies. He was working with your father in order to get information from English frigates."

"So he's a pirate?" Flynn asked.

"Spy. He saved me."

"How?"

"The masts that are down on The Cutlass. He did that."

"Oh. But you are sure you are okay?"

"I'm fine."

"At least my father has good taste in gowns," Flynn laughed before turning toward his crew.

They waited with excited anticipation. They knew a battle was coming. They had to defend the ship, and they were excited to save the damsel in distress.

"Can we not just sail away? They have two masts down; they would never be able to keep up with us."

"I can't let John Jacks get away with this," Flynn said, squeezing my hand. "Even if he is my father."

"But I am all right. He never hurt me."

"He kidnapped you. That is plenty."

"You two need to stop with this rivalry of yours," I shouted at him.

He spun on his heels and glared at me. I swear the fires of hell were in his pupils. "He is a lousy, no good pirate. He deserves to die. Of all people who should know this, it is you. He kidnapped you! If it wasn't for that guy then . . . I won't even think about what he would have done to you. He is a monster, Anne. He's not fit to breathe the same air as an insect, let alone sail the high seas."

"And right now he is blasting holes into the side of your ship. He has more firepower than you do. Do you honestly think you can beat him?" I asked, astounded by his stubbornness.

"It doesn't matter."

"How does it not matter? Are you seriously willing to sacrifice your entire crew to fight him? Are you willing to die? Are you going to let me die?"

He took a deep breath and put his head down. "Fine."

"Thank you."

He said nothing to me, just walked to the helm of the ship and stared at his father. "All right, men. We retreat."

He sounded so defeated.

"Cap'n?" Scully lowered his sword.

"Anne is right. We run today, fight tomorrow. There is no way we can overtake The Cutlass. Our ship was made for transporting, not fighting."

"What do we do then?"

He bit at his lower lip, searching the deck for something. I could only imagine what he was thinking about.

"Drop anchor."

"Sir?"

"Flynn? You want them to drop anchor?" I asked confused.

"Only drop the starboard anchor, and trust me. When I tell you, hoist as fast as you can, men." He held onto the smooth wood wheel and looked me dead in the eyes. "Hold on to something."

I nodded and wrapped my arm around the railing I stood near.

"Brace yourselves, men!" he shouted as the anchor hit the ocean.

He spun the wheel as fast as he could to the starboard side. A sudden jerk sent everyone flying to the ground. The ship quickly did a turn and was speeding toward The Cutlass. Flynn had just set us on a collision course with his dad's ship. As the ship began to turn more, he spun the wheel in the opposite direction, straightening it out as a few of his men quickly hoisted the anchor back up.

"What the hell are you doing?" I screamed at him.

"Running."

"We're headed straight for them!"

"Yes, I know. The Gilded Lady was built for speed. The Cutlass was made for fighting. Once we're past them, they will never be able to catch us."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

As we clambered to our feet, we held our breath. Not a sound could be heard from anyone on the ship. The water sprayed up the sides like an angry lover out for revenge. I watched the men on the enemy ship reloading cannons and readying ropes to invade our vessel. There was no way we would be able to avoid them.

"They're going to board us," I yelled at Flynn.

"No, they won't." His expression never wavered. He never doubted himself.

As the sterns of the ships were about to collide, Flynn spun the wheel to the port side. The ship cut out and added enough space between us that it was impossible for them to board.