Secrets of the New World (Infini Calendar) (Volume 2) (5 page)

“What makes you think he sabotaged it?” Frederick asked.

The prisoner started shouting, “
Viva la France! Viva la France!
”

“That’s why,” the captain of the guard said.

“A French spy!” Farahilde exclaimed. “I will execute this worm right here and now.”

“You’d better move quickly, then,” the prisoner said in a French accent. “My people know you are trying to forge an alliance with the Americans. That technology will be
ours
! You’re dead in the water, and my superiors will soon arrive here to finish you off.”

Any other person would probably have been scared by that threat. Farahilde, however, was excited. “Let them come! I will relish the chance to butcher more French worms. Who are these fools who dare challenge Farahilde Johanna?”

The saboteur gave a boastful laugh. “Who, you ask? Why, none other than the Ordre de la Tradition!”

“Who are they?” Frederick asked.

Farahilde responded by laughing heartily.
“The Ordre de la Tradition?
I remember them. They aren’t marauding vultures like you describe.”

He smiled defiantly. “They aren’t as nice as you remember, Austrian bitch.”

She calmly smiled. “That’s what you French people used to call my sister. The one you murdered.” She proceeded to rain punches down on his face, basking in his cries of pain. After breaking his nose and knocking out several teeth, she pulled him to his feet and dragged him over to the portside railing with the intention of throwing him overboard.

“Wait!” She turned around to see Leopold emerging from below deck. “I have not given any orders for an execution.”

“But, brother,” she protested. “This man has admitted to being a French spy. He has threatened members of Austrian royalty. He must die!”

Leopold shook his head. “I heard what he called you. He reminded you of Antonia’s death and that has angered you. That’s the real reason you want to kill him. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

“But—”

“No buts! The prisoner has committed a grave offense, it’s true. But he can still prove useful to us in the event that he is telling the truth and a French military unit is truly coming to ambush us.”

“Hmph. Fine.” She let go of the spy.

However, he suddenly launched himself over the side of the ship. She was too surprised to do anything but watch as he fell into the water below.

“You fool!” Leopold cried out. “He purposely provoked you into trying to throw him overboard to avoid becoming our prisoner. We’ve got to pull him out of the water before he drowns or swims away.”

Farahilde grit her teeth. She had been tricked by a French worm. This was only her second loss to the wretches of that nation. To them alone she could not bear to lose.

She savagely kicked the railing. Sharp pain shot through her foot, but she didn’t care about that in the slightest. She was completely occupied with her hurt pride.

Leopold was shouting orders to the deck hands to fish the French spy out of the water, but an announcement from the captain caused that to cease being a priority. “Pirates! Dead ahead!”

Farahilde forgot her anger and ran over to the telescope mounted on the ship’s bow. Coming directly at them was a trio of unfamiliar vessels. They weren’t flying any flags, but each one had obviously been patched to together from different materials. That meant they were obviously privateers or slavers.
They dare advance on us?

In response to this development, she did something few others in such a situation would do: She exploded into laughter. “Let them come! I’m in the mood for bloodshed!”

She didn’t even notice Frederick standing behind her. “You’re enjoying this?” he asked, incredulous.

“Of course!” she said. “After having been made a fool of by that French worm, I need to vent.”

“But shouldn’t we focus on getting to safety?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “And how, exactly, are we supposed to do that? We’re surrounded by water, and based on the smoke coming from those ships up ahead, they’re clearly equipped with engines. We’d never outrun them. I can happily say our only option is to fight.”

           He made some monosyllabic attempts to protest, but finally sighed and went below deck for something.
That boy had better not be thinking of hiding. If he tries it, I’ll gut him myself before the enemy even gets here.

***

“It looks like our man got the job done, Commander. The acceleration of the Austrian’s ship has slowed dramatically.”

“What about the pirates?”

“They’re moving into position now. They should be upon the Austrians within minutes.”

“Good. With any luck, they’ll wipe out the Austrian filth and we won’t have to do anything more.”

“It was a brilliant maneuver telling the pirates where a valuable ship could be found, Commander.”

“The pirates are also filth. We’re doing all of Europe a favor.”

“But what if the pirates are defeated?”

“We have been given our orders straight from the Emperor himself. And we will carry them out. No more, no less. If the Austrians win, we’ll have no choice but to move in.”

“I just wish we didn’t have to tiptoe around our enemies like this.”

“I share your sentiment, Vice Commander. If it were up to me…well, the
real
me…we would have blown them out of the water already. Irodium hull or not, they couldn’t possibly stand up to an attack from us.”

“I agree, Commander. However, you may encounter Farahilde Johanna down there. How do you plan on handling your ‘old friend’?”

“Please. That
chienne
is of no consequence. As long as Leopold II keeps her restrained, we won’t have a problem. She may not even survive the pirate attack.”

“Let us hope she doesn’t.”

***

Farahilde emerged from below the deck of the
Hapsburg Pride
wearing a dark gauntlet with two lethal blades protruding from the knuckle area. She had gone down to her cabin to retrieve it in preparation for the fight.

And fight she would. She yearned for a physical confrontation. After months of inactivity and being yelled at by Leopold (whom she couldn’t very well strike without fear of reprisal), she was about to explode. Leopold was right about one thing: she was most comfortable in the midst of conflict.

Frederick joined her, saber in hand. So, he hadn’t run off to hide under his bed. Perhaps there was hope for him yet. “I stand ready to defend you,” he said.

That chivalry nonsense was wearing thin. “I told you, I don’t need your help. If anything, you need
my
help.”

However, he remained firm. “A man must come to the defense of women wherever he finds himself. That is what my father taught me.”

“Fine. Do whatever you want. Just don’t get in my way.”

“As you wish.”

Two of the pirate vessels had maneuvered to outflank them on either side. The third one remained about fifty yards off the
Hapsburg Pride
’s bow.

Cannons appeared out of the hulls of the vessels flanking them. Leopold shouted orders to hurry up and open fire. The pirates then proceeded to unload their shells into the hull of the
Hapsburg Pride
. Farahilde and Frederick dropped to the deck as the ship was rocked by cannon fire.

The ship’s irodium hull withstood the barrage, however, and responded in kind. Jagged holes were savagely ripped open in both pirate vessels.

Farahilde and Frederick stood up and looked at the pirate ship that was hanging off the port side. One of its masts had been hit, causing it to splinter and come crashing down to the deck. “Our situation is looking considerably more favorable now,” he said.

“Don’t get cocky,” she warned him. “You know what they say about wounded animals. The pirates will either retreat, or attack us with everything they have. Personally, I’m hoping for the former.”

“What can they do against us? Their cannons are useless against our armored hull.”

“That’s not their only weapon.”

Suddenly, the pirate in the crow’s nest on the portside ship began waving brightly colored flags in their direction. “Are they signaling us?” Frederick asked.

Farahilde looked across the starboard side of the
Hapsburg Pride
. The pirate ship on that side was also waving flags. “He’s signaling his comrades! They’re coordinating tactics.”

“What kind of tactics?”

In response, the pirates on both sides grabbed long ropes with metal hooks and threw them onto the railing of the
Hapsburg Pride
. Farahilde and Frederick, along with the crew members assigned to the ship’s defense, rushed to remove the ropes.

Nevertheless, they had mostly forgotten about the pirate vessel sitting off the bow. It quickly reminded them of its presence by firing a cannon volley off its bow.

Farahilde and Frederick once again dropped to the deck. One shell smashed a soldier into the deck, splattering his midsection. Farahilde swore loudly. “They have cannons mounted on their bow! They can keep us pinned down while the others board us.”

“You almost sound happy about that,” Frederick said apprehensively.

“For glorified carrion, they are turning out to be challenging foes.”

“Don’t you care about the mission?”

“Not really. This is my brother’s mission. I really couldn’t care less if we get to America or not. In fact, I’d rather not.”

They tried to get back to their feet when the sound of rifles rang out. The pirates off their bow were shooting at them with whatever guns they had on hand. No one was likely to get at that range, but many of the
Pride
’s crew members were lying low regardless.

“Cowards! You insult the name of this ship!” Farahilde yelled.

Within moments the first pirates boarded the ship, and Farahilde wasted no time greeting them. She gutted the first one she met with her bladed gauntlet, while Frederick ran through another one with his saber.

The pirate vessel off their bow fired another volley of steel shells at them. The attack was wide, hitting the water instead, but it still distracted the
Pride
’s defenders enough to allow more of the enemy to board.

“Stay strong, men!” Frederick shouted while in the midst of combat with a couple of brigands. “If they take this ship, rest assured your fates will not be pleasant!” He quickly maneuvered behind a pirate whose compatriot was pulling out a pistol. The rogue tried to shoot Frederick, but ended up hitting the young Prussian’s impromptu shield. Frederick then proceeded to cut down the scoundrel.

Farahilde couldn’t deny being impressed. “Not bad! Keep it up and I might consider changing my opinion of you.”

“Will do!”

           She cried out to the rest of the defenders (while parrying a pirate’s sword with her gauntlet), “Everyone, listen up! These bastards dare to threaten the royal family of Austria. This is an attack upon our very souls! To steal a quote from an old acquaintance: I am commanding you to rage as demons! Destroy the enemy! Crush them! Make them curse their mothers for birthing them!”

The speech had the desired effect, as a singular battle cry rang out across the deck. The ship’s crew, as well as the soldiers present, ceased being a disorganized band, and a new energy began flowing through them. They rose up as one and fought with united fury.