Pirate Legacy
Chapter Two
"Beat to quarters, me hearties!" Boochbeard shouted. Within a few hours, we had already encountered an Armada patrol consisting of three gunboats and a frigate. Since Boochbeard couldn't sail the ship in his condition and Gandry was no pilot, I had taken the pilot's wheel while Rena became the powder monkey for the gun crews, meaning that she was the one who got the gunpowder from the powder store in the bow to the cannons.
As Boochbeard's crew loaded the cannons, the men manning the starboard swivel guns on the railings of the Flying Sloth were already aiming at the nearest gunboat. While the swivel guns were meant mostly for killing the enemy crew's members, they could also be used to sink small boats, like the one near us now.
"Fire the swivel guns!" I shouted and the gunboat was blasted into pieces by the swivel guns, the small crew of Clockworks manning it falling helplessly down into the clouds below.
"Make ready, boys!" The gunnery officer commanding the starboard cannons shouted as one of the other gunboats drew level with us. If the Armada thought they could outgun the much larger Flying Sloth, a galleon refitted to hold cannons in the place of cargo, they were dead wrong.
"Fire the starboard guns!" I called, and the gunboat went up in a burst of flame, its crew meeting the same fate as the other Clockworks.
The Armada frigate was circling us outside our firing range, so I decided to content the crew with sinking the last gunboat. As it sank beneath the clouds, destroyed by the port broadside cannons before it could even get into position to strike, the Armada frigate finally decided to make its move and as it drew level with our port side, we both unleashed a storm of cannon fire upon each other.
As we got up from ducking to avoid the hail of cannonballs, sparks, and splinters from the broken railings, I could hear Mr. Gandry on the main deck call to the crew: "Give me the damage reports straightaway!"
As the Flying Sloth turned around to pursue the Armada frigate, I called to the sail handlers: "Give me everything you've got, full sail!"
As the sail handlers let loose the sails to their full surface area, the wind began to speed us along towards the frigate. The Clockworks stood no chance against our port broadside cannons a second time, and they, along with their ship fell down into the clouds.
"Well done! That'll show 'em!" Boochbeard called as the men cheered.
"We've taken heavy damage, helmsman!" One of the crewmen called to me. I nodded as I steered the ship towards a part of the sky that glowed blue, like the aurora borealis I had seen with my uncle up in the northern reaches of the Spiral, in places like Polaris and Grizzleheim.
It was a Windlane, a glowing wind current that was strong enough to carry ships along without steering. I've heard tales aboard my uncle's ship that said that Windlanes were the friendly ghosts of sailors that wanted to guide their fellow skymen to their destinations.
As we entered the Windlane, the crew began to make small repairs to the ship. As the last of the repairs were being finished, Boochbeard said to me, "Set course for Skull Island, before anymore Clockworks find us!" I nodded as I took hold of the wheel again and steered her out of the Windlane.
A half hour after we had left the Windlane, I soon caught my first glimpse of Skull Island against the glow of the evening sun. The buildings were made of stone built in the same style as the buildings back home in Port Regal, which made sense, since Skull Island used to be a former colony of Marleybone, before, according to the rumors, that the governor lost it in a bet with a pirate. I could now see why the Monquistans, the first ones to arrive in Skull Island, called it so: there was a cave on the mountain that with its unique formation of white rock, it looked like a skull.
As we dropped anchor at the Skull Island docks, the crew lowered the gangplank and handed Rena and I two sacks filled with necessities donated by the crew, along with some money.
"Find Captain Avery, the steward of Skull Island – He's an old friend o' mine, always hirin' good Pirates for some scheme or other." Boochbeard said to me and Rena as we were about to leave the ship. "Good luck and good hunting!"
Rena and I both gave a salute with our pointer and middle fingers and we stepped off the gangplank onto docks. As we turned around to look at the Flying Sloth one last time, we saw Boochbeard, Mr. Gandry, and the rest of the crew waving at us as she raised anchor and began to leave port. We waved back before looking ahead towards Skull Island Town.
As we walked past the newer wooden buildings near the docks, I could smell good food being cooked in a nearby restaurant, and my stomach rumbled. Rena laughed. "Your stomach can wait until dinner. Let's go find a place to stay for the night, and then we'll go get something to eat."
"Yes, Captain." I said, and we both chuckled. As we entered the older section of Skull Island, I spotted a boy about three years younger than us struggling with a heavy-looking crate in front of a nearby general store.
He was thin and had black hair and brown eyes, and he wore glasses. He was wearing a leather waistcoat over a white shirt, black pants, and black shoes.
"Here, let me help, friend." I offered as I walked over and helped support the crate.
"Thank you. Help me get it into my shop and we'll talk." The boy said. As we entered the general store, I could see it was a plain and utilitarian affair. Two chalkboards were lying against the window on the windowsill in the lower-right corner, and a counter and a shelf stocked with goods occupied the right of the room. A wooden picnic table was in the far-right corner of the room, with a brick fireplace built in the back wall, the fire crackling merrily and giving the room a soft glow, and there was a stairwell in the far-left corner.
As we set the crate atop the counter, the boy went behind the counter and brought out a crowbar. He opened the crate to reveal leather-bound books with the title, "Poor Nikolai's Atlas."
"What books are these?" I asked as Rena eagerly reached out to take a copy before looking to the boy for permission, who nodded.
"These are no ordinary books! These are atlases. Copies of the first book I ever wrote. I had to have them shipped from Port Royal to get them printed" The boy answered. He cleared his throat and held out his hand. "Nikolai Volkov. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"My name is Matt Exeter, and this is Rena Raden." I said as Rena and I shook his hand.
"You two must be new to Skull Island." Nikolai observed.
"Why do you say that?" I asked. "You're still possessed of virtue. To stop and help someone like myself…" Nikolai said. "I don't mean to impose, but… are you looking for a place to stay? I have some spare rooms upstairs, and I'm sure we can settle on a fair price for your food and board."
"What a coincidence! We were just looking for a place to stay the night before we meet with Captain Avery in the morning." Rena spoke up as she looked up from the atlas.
"Ah, two aspiring Pirates, are we?" Nikolai asked. "I'll get dinner ready. Is a gold coin a month for your food and board plus expenses a fair deal?"
I opened the money pouch Boochbeard gave us and handed him a gold coin. "I'll take that as a yes, and feel free to keep the atlas, Rena."
We had a good and merry meal that night, consisting of freshly baked bread that was crusty on the outside and delightfully light and airy on the inside, and was an ideal tool for mopping up the delicious gravy of the stew.
Nikolai showed us to our rooms upstairs, which were small, but comfortable. I had a bed alongside a blue rug and chest at the foot of the bed, a closet, and a writing desk with a chair and wastebasket from where I could see the open ocean outside my window. After I had unpacked, I got dressed for bed and fell asleep.
I woke up to the sound of cannon fire, and I threw off the covers and quickly changed into my clothes from yesterday, and I strapped the scabbard of my sword to my belt.
"What's going on?" I asked Nikolai and Rena, who were already dressed as I reached the bottom of the stairs.
"I don't know myself, but you'd better go see Captain Avery and see what you can do to help!" Nikolai answered. "I'll stay here and hold down the fort."
Rena and I nodded and we dashed out of the general store and up to the white marble manor where Captain Avery's office was. We bolted into the office, which was lavishly decorated with souvenirs from all over the Spiral.
"We're sorry for intruding, sir, but my name is Matthew Exeter, and this is Rena Raden." I said as we drew to a stop in front of his desk. "We just escaped from the Armada yesterday."
"On the run from the Armada, are you? Well, I run a pirate haven here, not a charity. If you want me to hide you, you'll have to work for it." Captain Avery answered, ignoring the sawdust coming from the roof.
He had gray hair that was almost white and green eyes. He wore a black three-cornered hat with a gold trim and a white feather, and he wore a dark green coat with gold designs over a white cravat, a black waistcoat with brass buttons, black trousers and a scarf tied around his waist, white knee-length socks, and black shoes with brass buckles. His belt held a cutlass inside a scabbard, and he wore leather gloves. A white cockatoo was perched atop his wrist.
"One of my more… willful crewmen, a buccaneer named Finn, stole a Jade Amulet from me. I need it back!" Captain Avery said. "Fin fled to Skull Mountain, and roused the Troggies – now they're bombarding us! Get my amulet back. Report to Chief Rigby at the West Bastion. If you're to be a pirate, you'll need a ship. Do this right, and I'll give you one. You have my word of honor. Do we have an accord?"
I hesitated a moment, but Rena nodded. "Yes, sir, we'll be getting on our way."
As we left Captain Avery's office, we turned left and we arrived at the West Bastion, where the gun crews were firing cannonballs from the battlements at the jungle-filled island across the gap, with the only point of access was a wooden bridge held up by some ropes. Even in daylight, the stare of Skull Mountain was only a little less frightening.
One of the gunnery officers spotted us and beckoned us over. He wore a black three-cornered hat, a black eye patch, a black shirt, a hook on his left hand, tan trousers, white knee-length socks, and a wooden peg-leg. "Ahoy there, mates! Keep your head down, unless you're looking to be blown up!" "Are you Chief Rigby?" I asked as we hurried over.
"That's me. Blasted Troggies, they've gone mad, they have!" Chief Rigby said.
"We're here to help." Rena said. "Just tell us what we need to do, sir."
"You want to help? We need to stop this bombardment. Go find Bonnie Anne." Chief Rigby said. "She went across the bridge to teach the savages a lesson. You'll do more good there."
Despite its frail appearance, the bridge was actually very sturdy, and we crossed the gap with no trouble. Owning a ship has always been a dream of mine, and now an opportunity to get one has arrived on my doorstep, and I was ready to pry the amulet from Fin's cold dead hands (not that I would kill him, of course) if it meant getting a ship.