Dead Man's Hand

Chapter One Blasted Desperadoes

As the Aquila entered Haunted Skyway, my thoughts drifted to what Sly Winkum had told me in Tumbleweed before we left.

"You've done your part, now I'll do mine. I'm not fond of recalling my pirate days. Blood was… a hard captain to serve." Sly Winkum said as we sat at the bar of the Desert Rose.

"Captain Blood's hideout was in the Haunted Skyway, in the old Motherlode Mine. You've dealt with the Wild Bunch, but there's another obstacle."

"What is it?" I asked, and Sly Winkum answered. "The hideout's entrance is locked, with just one key. It ended up with Blood's first mate, that Rat Sabatini who led the mutiny. Last I heard, he settled down at Fort McMurtry."

"Land ho, Captain!" David Clutterbuck shouted, bringing me back to reality as he pointed to Fort McMurtry, built on a small island off the bow.

Within a few minutes, we had dropped anchor at the docks of Fort McMurtry without any trouble from the guards that were on duty, and the fort looked just about ready to fall down, and the dark skies and gloomy air didn't help it to look any less haunted, pardon the pun.

We walked down the gangplank and into the fort, and as we stepped inside past the guards, a voice said, "Wait a minute… Who let you in?"

We turned to see a gray Rooster dressed in a green army uniform, a colonel judging from the silver eagle stitched onto the shoulders of his jacket. The Rooster introduced himself as Colonel Church, and we gave him our names as well.

"My apologies, Captain Exeter, my men must've mistaken you for one of my message runners. I'm sure your business is urgent, but Fort McMurtry needs you, and now!" Colonel Church said.

"Listen here – these blasted ghost ships have taken the whole skyway, and threaten to overrun the fort! We can't take another assault. I need every ship that can fly to go out and engage those undead desperadoes. Keep them from massing so we have time to build our defenses."

"I hereby conscript you in the name of the army to defend the fort. Now move or I'll commandeer your ship out from under you!"

We left Fort McMurtry to sail out into Haunted Skyway, and as we caught sight of the ghost ships approaching the fort, a bell was rung on the quarterdeck. "Beat to quarters!"

I brought out my spyglass from the inside of my coat and handed it to Rena, who brought it up to her eye. "How many of them are there?"

"I count twelve sloops, Matt." Rena answered as she handed me back my spyglass. I nodded as I put it away, and both Clutterbuck brothers shouted, "We're ready to fire!"

"Give me everything you've got, full sail!" I shouted, and with the wind astern, or behind us, the Aquila charged towards the lead sloop, like a knight at the joust.

Richard Clutterbuck roared as the starboard broadside fired its guns at the sloop, sinking her and her crew of skeletons, and the sloop to our port side soon followed.

The remaining ten sloops fired their four-gun broadsides, and we ducked to avoid the hail of cannonballs, sparks, and splinters.

Reload and give them hell!" I heard the Clutterbuck brothers shout as we stood up, and I heaved on the pilot's wheel so the Aquila could turn to port to come about.

"Bonnie, take the sharpshooters up to the top!" I shouted, and the Fox nodded as she led the men armed with rifles in climbing up the rigging.

As the next sloop approached us on the starboard side, Bonnie and the sharpshooters began picking off the skeletal crew to buy time for the men reloading the guns.

The Aquila's starboard broadside finally finished reloading, and she sunk the first sloop and another about to fire a broadside on us.

The swivel guns on the port side sunk another sloop with round shot, and the port broadside sunk two more sloops in a storm of cannonballs.

In a last throw of the dice, the four ghost ships moved in to ram us from the intermediate directions: northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, but the Aquila sunk them in a raking fire maneuver, and we sailed back to Fort McMurtry to report back to Colonel Church.

As the dockworkers began the Aquila's repairs, we walked inside the fort, where Colonel Church was waiting for us. "Well done. We're out of the woods… for a little while, anyway. Now, what brings you to this charming place?"

"What can you tell me about Sabatini? We were told he lived here." I asked, and Colonel Church answered. "Yes, he lives here, or rather lived here. He ran out of town about a week ago like his tail was on fire.

"I have no idea where Sabatini went, but I'll find out. You go help out Lieutenant Masterson, and I'll tell you when you get back."

I nodded my head. "Just tell me where to find Lieutenant Masterson, and we'll be on our way, sir."

A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short, you guys. Even with two quests combined…