The darkness left plenty of room to think. Archer checked her many lacings for the hundredth time and wrapped her greatcoat tighter against the damp chill. The sound of the rats carried through the hold, and she tried not to think about the other vermin against which she'd scattered pungent herbs. Archer was alone, quiet in the fog that seeped through the timbers.
The day leading to her crouching in the hold started to slip down around her, and she shook her head to clear the temptation of sleep. The irony of having to stay awake in a dream struck her, and she stifled the laughter that threatened to well up. Shouts rang through the night and she tensed, but it was only the guards on the dock gambling.
Once the fog had begun to roll in, it had easy to slip past the two of them unnoticed. The cutter was largely empty now, and Archer had explored below decks a while before deciding on a hiding place. She didn't know enough to know what would be the safest place come morning, when the fleet would give chase to the ghost ship due for an attack within a few hours. For that matter, she had no way of knowing the pirates wouldn't be exploring the Interceptor when they attacked.
A high whistle whispered past her ears, followed by another, louder one. Archer pressed her face to the wall, and saw the tell-tale flashes across the harbor announcing the approach of the Black Pearl.
The sound of the guns rattled the timbers, and the mingled shouts and screams from the shore battle carried too well. Archer thought it was taking too long, and was already sore from tension. The cutter bobbed in the waves, but she hadn't seen any company yet, for which she was thankful. If she pressed against the crack she'd found earlier she could still see the longboats on the beach sitting empty. She could still see flashes from the Pearl, and from what she could see of it, they were doing more damage than the Royal Navy was. She pulled the dagger from her side, and sunk into a shadowy corner. She was glad to have it, though she hadn't expected to come by it even that morning. Biting her lip to keep herself alert, she reviewed the day, looking for details she might need in the morning, if she was still around to face it.
Sparrow had been fairly direct about things, weaving around the wharf minimally before settling on a dock to explore. As soon as the red-coated guards jumped to intercept him, Archer had turned heel as casually as possible, and headed back into the town. She had thought Turner might be on the road to the governor's already, so she went to the red-light district first. The streets were relatively quiet that early, and she had found the shop she wanted after only two inquiries. Archer had braved the broken staircase and bargained with the matron she found behind the peeling green door. The woman hadn't taken Archer seriously at first, but she had pushed through anyway. It had taken several low oaths and the flash of a small coin to get the door closed, but when she left an hour later her purse was full and there was no turning back.
Archer had argued with Felicity the rest of the morning, trying to bring her around. She had brightened at the sight of the coins, though she mourned the sold hair that brought them. She had expressed good wishes for the forthcoming flight to the northern colonies, and Archer had to break the truth to her. Liberal though she had been to that moment, Felicity could not entertain the thought of joining pirates. She even threatened to report everything to the Master. The rest of the morning Archer spent alternately consoling and cajoling her, trying to convince her to come with her anyway. When lunch was brought upstairs and Felicity still hadn't consented, Archer gave up, and told her everything she remembered about the forthcoming attack, urging her to stay blockaded with the rest of the staff in a cellar from the moment the fog rolled in, no matter what.
Ultimately, Archer had to go to the forge alone, and without any assurance that Felicity would remain safe. Her timing had been good, and Brown had already gone to a tavern for the remainder of the afternoon. Turner had been working on a new piece, and she had to wait until it was safely cooling before they could speak. He had not mentioned the confrontation with Sparrow, but from his look she thought it must have gone exactly as she imagined.
He presented the sword, and it was exquisite. He took a few moments to let her try it out, and she found the added length compensated for her lack of reach against another cutlass, where the breadth and basket-hilt lent strength to confrontation with a rapier. After several turns around the shop, Turner had stopped the practice and poured tea for them both. He surprised her then, and brought out a matched dagger and fully appointed baldric. Archer had protested the inability to pay, but Turner insisted it part of the bargain. He forced them on her, and wished her a good voyage. His work was magnificent, and matched perfectly the vision she had described to him. She left him soon after that, heading directly to the wharf to wait for the opportune moment to stow aboard the waiting Interceptor.
Archer was already exhausted and cramped when dawn began to filter into the hold. Despite the gloom and damp of her hiding-hole, the light burned her eyes, and she scuttled deeper into shadow. She'd been listening to the noise of navy-men swarming the deck of the Interceptor and the ships near her since false-dawn, but so far had heard none in her level of the hold. Nonetheless, the moment she'd heard them on the dock she'd cast the spell she'd been holding through the night. Being a new spell, she didn't know how long it would last, or how much it would drain her to cast a glamour to mask her presence and sound. As morning wore on, and supplies filled the other holds, it began to seem an unnecessary precaution. From snatches of orders that filtered through the planks, it seemed the Interceptor would be running light, and followed by the slower Dauntless and a few supply ships. Judging by the mood of the men above, the Commodore seemed confident of a swift victory. Anything that gave her an edge on escaping the town was more than welcome.
Archer jerked awake when the ship began to move, pitching hard when the last mooring was slipped. Shouts were rising above her, and the thunder of the sailors getting underway shook the timbers. The cracks and squeals of the cutter nearly overset her edgy nerves, and she cursed and rubbed her eyes, trying to ward off the threat of sleep. If she judged right this was going to be the turning point of the adventure. Assuming her dream was following the thread of the movie. Assuming she hadn't overset it by contact with Turner. Assuming she remained undiscovered still.
Shouts rose up and the cutter rolled a little in the waves cut by the larger ship she was pulling aside. The high noise of ropes and grappling hooks finding targets sung through the air. Archer felt the lurch and dive as the Interceptor was jerked to the pace of the Dauntless, and tried to rub some of her bleariness away. Once the Interceptor turned pirate vessel she was going to need her strength. The movie hadn't spent much time on the voyage, probably because it was uneventful. This was her hope, and she listened to the crew scrambling to the larger ship, bracing herself against the dance of queasy pitch and roll the ship was performing. Knowing little of ships, Archer guessed the moorings and the sails were competing for control of the ship, and the result was nauseating. Archer shut her eyes and tried to brace herself against the slick, wide timbers. She could not let this make her sick – she had to make it to Tortuga undiscovered.
The ship lurched and jumped, throwing her balance off and she slid into a stray crate. She cursed and righted herself, resuming as tight a crouch as she could manage as the ship crashed over waves and headed out of the harbor. Hard though she tried to be the steady jostling was hypnotic, and she fell into trance. The Interceptor hit a deep trough at the mouth of the harbor and she fell over and into sleep.
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Finals are over and yes I am back from the ends of the earth. So, now I can write again. Here's hoping I'll have a few more chapters in the near future too.
Anyway - Back to writing!