Ill Wind and Dead Reckoning: Caribbean Pirate Adventure (Valkyrie) (43 page)

I pushed my hat firmly on to my head – it made much more of an impression on defeated captains than the cotton headscarf I customarily wore at sea – then checked the pistols draped around my neck and blades stuffed into my sash. The rail guns were still manned, but Andy and the other gunners had joined me and were making their own preparations to board our first prize.

The
Santa Anna Maria
was made fast alongside, but was larger than
Valkyrie
and I couldn’t see her decks. I looked up into
Valkyrie’s
rigging. Annika and Baba had muskets trained on the Spaniards from their positions in the tops, and I trusted the captain was covered. This was where I would be most vulnerable, but, as ever, there was only one way to do this and find out if the strike was genuine – get on with it.

I threw up a grapnel hook and line, and led the swarm up the five feet of freeboard that separated the two decks, then strode towards the man I assumed was captain, my hands now bearing my pistols. He stood on the maindeck alone, slightly apart from the huddles of seamen around the decks, legs akimbo and wearing a fierce frown.

‘Call all hands on deck please, Capitán
,
’ I said.

He visibly started. ‘You’re a woman!’

‘Well spotted. All hands please,’ I prompted, realizing I was going to have to get used to this reaction. He nodded at one of his men who shouted the order down the main hatch.

‘Mr Gaunt, would you do the honours?’ He stepped forward with a coil of rope to restrain the Spaniards.

‘Carmen, take three and check below.’ Andy, Greenwoode and Obi joined her and disappeared down the main hatch to search out any hidden men and take a first look at her cargo.

‘Capitana
.
’ I turned to my Spanish counterpart, my eyebrows raised. ‘I surrendered to your attack in the hope you’d allow me to begin repairs to my ship immediately. You’re welcome to my cargo of coffee and cacao, but I beg you to allow me to save my ship.’

I thought for a moment.
Coffee and cacao?
I didn’t think so.

‘And what about the gold you’re carrying? Tell me where you’ve hidden it, and I’ll allow your carpenter and a working party down to your bilges.’

‘Gold? We aren’t carrying gold, Capitana, we’re only merchants carrying New Spain’s crops home.’

‘I don’t believe you. A merchant wouldn’t have run from an apparent Garda Costa.’

‘I didn’t believe your colours.’

‘
I
don’t believe
you
– you didn’t show caution, you completely ignored the colours. Nor did you show colours of your own, but ran for open water. Why?’

His face fell. ‘Very well, we do not have the, er, requisite paperwork for our cargo.’

‘Ahh, freebooters.’

‘I wouldn’t use so coarse a word.’

‘I would. And I don’t believe a smuggler would take the risk you ran for coffee and cacao alone. Where have you hidden your gold?’

‘Coffee and cacao fetch high prices in Spain,’ was his only reply.

‘Tell me where your gold is, and I will let you save your ship,’ I reiterated, the pistol in my hand underlining my point. We stared at each other, then he dropped his eyes.

‘The deckhead in the gundeck is false. There’s a cavity up there filled with coin.’

I nodded. ‘Thank you. Please show Mr Gaunt here exactly where to look, then I’ll arrange an escort for your carpenter.’

*

Three bells in the last dog watch, about seven of the clock. Night had fallen and we were nearly ready to cast off.

‘Get us away from here, as fast as you can, Mr Davys,’ I ordered. ‘Set the main-tops’l.

‘Mr Butler, see what you can do about the ruin of the foretop.’

There’d be no celebrating yet, not until we were well away from the prize and there could be no threat of retaliation. I watched the Spanish ship recede into the night, her jib and topsails flying to hold her in position close to the wind until they could jury-rig a new rudder. They had worked hard on their hull and it looked like the ship would be saved. The worst holes were patched with lead, and we’d left their carpenter working on the smaller ones, whilst the majority of the crew worked the pumps. Water spewed from her scuppers and she would soon be seaworthy, if without any helm, but that was their problem.

It was getting hard to make her out now, only her lanterns were visible, and then they disappeared from view and I told Davys to tack so she wouldn’t know in what direction we lay.

Now that we were out of sight of our prize, we could light our own lanterns and crack open a cask of fine stolen Spanish brandy. This was our first haul and nobody wanted to wait to count it.

‘Valkyries!’ I shouted, beaker of brandy held high and the chattering deck fell silent. ‘Congratulations!
Valkyrie
has made her first conquest!’ Carmen led the cheer. ‘Now I suppose you want to know what we’ve taken!’

Another cheer greeted Gaunt and Klara, who had been below decks where the loot had been loaded out of the way. They carried small but heavy canvas bags. I thought the occasion demanded a longer speech, but I no longer held anyone’s attention and, not a little relieved, walked over to them, grabbed a couple of bags and held them up to more cheers.

*

Each full share amounted to half a bag of golden doubloons and a full one of silver eight-reales coins, or Spanish dollars, and I got four shares. Not a bad day’s work.

‘Gabriella! Captain!’ Klara called and beckoned me over to the nearly empty brandy cask. I heaved myself to my feet and, rather unsteadily, walked over to her. At least the wind had dropped with the sun and
Valkyrie
was sailing on a pretty even keel.

‘What-is-it?’ I mumbled.

‘Look.’ She handed a sopping canvas bag to me. ‘I wondered why they were taking Spanish brandy to Spain, look what I found in the cask.’

She emptied the bag into my hands. Emeralds. Enough for two or three each. I laughed, and laughed. This just kept getting better. Soon the whole deck rolled with delight. ‘Salud!
’
I mumbled, holding my beaker up in what might have been the direction of our crippled Spanish prize. ‘You should have stuck with me, Leo,’ I added to myself. ‘Look what I’ve done.’

Then my laughter died in my throat. That captain had hidden the coins we’d stolen, and I realized now he’d given them up too easily. We’d only found the emeralds by chance – what else had we overlooked? Had I missed an even larger haul aboard the Spanish freebooter?

The Spanish smuggler had been the first of many conquests, and
Valkyrie’s
holds were full to bursting. It was time to convert goods into metal. Saint Pierre, Martinico’s main port, was sighted and we headed into the mouth of the Roxelane River.

I rubbed my left forearm absently and looked again at the pattern pricked out and stained with gunpowder. We’d all woken with Andy’s reproductions of the symbols on
Valkyrie’s
colours after taking the Spanish smuggler, but I was the only one who had the wings included and it still smarted a bit. We were all truly Valkyries now, although I have to admit I’d been a little nervous when she advised us to take care around naked flames for the time being, at least until the skin grew back.

We tacked again in the river mouth, and I couldn’t help but reflect that if
Freedom
had been with us she would have had to stand out to sea to wait for a fair wind. I grinned as
Valkyrie
worked her way in. Damn Leo, I didn’t need him, we were fine on our own and had filling treasure chests to prove it. I looked up at the sails and held on. We had both jibs flying, plus fore- and mainsails, and
Valkyrie
flew into harbour with a bone in her teeth – white water flung from her bows in a graceful arc. I knew we made an impressive sight.

I wanted to anchor a little apart from the other shipping and directed Carrie on the tiller, then shouted, ‘Helm-a-lee!’

She pushed the tiller across, forcing
Valkyrie’s
bows into wind, and she lost her way. The big sails above my head deafened as they thundered, starved of wind, and Gaunt struck the pin to let go the anchor we’d commandeered from the
Santa Anna Maria
to replace the bower we had left behind at St Vincent. As soon as it hit bottom, Jayde shouted for the jibs to be backed to hold us head-to-wind and slowly push us backwards until the anchor bedded in.

I’d wanted to make an impression and so we had: a beautiful boat brought to anchor perfectly.
Take that Leo!
But I’d already checked.
Sound of Freedom
wasn’t here.

*

I left Carmen to supervise stowing the sails, and sailed ashore with Gaunt and Obi in the pinnace. We had hardly put off before
Valkyrie
was surrounded by bumboats selling everything from potatoes and fresh fruit to women. Whatever they were offering, they’d likely do a good trade aboard
Valkyrie
. We’d not had a chance to spend our winnings, and I knew Klara was relishing the opportunity to stock up with fresh food; she was starting to despair of a diet of meat and rum punch.

I’d only been to Saint Pierre once before, and that had been with Leo before I’d taken
Valkyrie
. We’d spent a fair amount of time here though, and I felt quite familiar with the port. I thought wistfully of the nights we’d spent alone aboard
Freedom
.

I searched for Monsieur Blanchard’s warehouse, hoping he’d trade with me after having been introduced by Leo –
was it only six months ago? How things change
. My holds were full of all manner of cargoes, including cacao, coffee beans, indigo, cloth, cochineal, tobacco, and molasses. We stowed what we wanted for our own use, and selling off the excess would add a sizeable sum to the pot and pay for fresh provisions.

The fact that I’d be dealing with a man who may conceivably have news of Leo and
Sound of Freedom
was purely incidental. Honest.

‘Monsieur Blanchard,’ I greeted as we tied up outside his warehouse.

‘Madame van Ecken,’ he replied, holding my hands and kissing them.

I started in surprise, I hadn’t been introduced as Erik’s wife – but that was sailortown gossip for you, nothing stayed private for long.

‘Please, call me Gabriella,’ was all I said.

Blanchard smiled.

‘We’re here on business, Mewseur Blanchar.’ Gaunt came to my rescue. ‘Coffee and cacao, same terms as Captain Santiago, is thee innerested?’

‘Ah, will Capitaine Santiago be joining us?’ Blanchard smiled.

‘No doubt he won’t be far behind,’ Gaunt replied with a straight face. He probably believed it.

‘Well, I’m sure you know better than I. Last I heard he was drowning off Sayba, having crossed swords with Blake and Hornigold – for the last time. But you know how sailors exaggerate. I’m sure he’ll catch up with you soon.’ He smiled at me again. ‘Now, café and cacao you say, how much do you have to sell?’

*

We came to an agreement but my heart wasn’t in it. I kept thinking of Leo.
Drowning off Sayba? Crossed swords for the last time? Is he really dead?
I suspected M. Blanchard got the better of the deal, but truth be told I was glad to get the damned casks offloaded so I could head back out to sea.
Can it be true? Has Leo’s vendetta with the buccaneers killed him?

Back aboard
Valkyrie
, I came out of my daze far enough to appreciate the good harbour stow Carmen and my crew had managed on the sails. I knew it was time to let everyone go ashore and enjoy their spoils, but I had no stomach for it. I’d stay aboard to keep ship.

‘Have you heard?’ Carmen greeted me.

‘What, Leo and
Freedom
?’ I asked, weary.

‘No, not that – that’s just sailortown gossip, don’t set any store by that. No, Hornigold. He’s been here and he’s looking for us. He knows who we are and apparently he’s got his sails in a right twist over us. He wants us dead and
Valkyrie
scuttled. We need to get out of here before he puts back in.’

I nodded. ‘Very well, make sure the repairs are done. Give the crew a night ashore, and we’ll make sail in the morning.’

‘Gabriella, did you hear me? Hornigold has sworn to sink us.’

‘I heard. Don’t worry, we’re very nearly ready for him, and he isn’t here now. We’ll put out tomorrow.’

I knew I should be reacting with more urgency, but all I could think, despite Carmen’s easy dismissal, was that whatever, or whomever the cause, Leo was dead.