Chapter 18:
For only a few moments there was silence. Between the Jackdaw and the large Galleon was a kind of heavy silence that James could only associate with as the calm before the storm. And then the Galleon fired and the Jackdaw rocked from side to side. James jumped into action.
Quickly he launched himself from the crow's nest. He stretched his arm out, and it wrapped around the coils of some rope hanging from higher up on the mast. He swung across from his brother's ship and onto his enemy's. His intended place to land had been the Galleon's crow' nest, but his swing had brought him just a bit short. James gripped the side of the Galleon's mast and held on tight as the Galleon rocked from the attack brought on by the Jackdaw.
As fast as he could, James scaled the mast. It wasn't until he was almost to the crow's nest that a shot almost hit him, making him momentarily lose his grip. His head shot to the right; there was Louis Dalton, reloading his musket and keeping his eyes on James.
Devil curse him, James thought bitterly. He held on to the mast's side tightly with his left hand. With his right he drew his flintlock and fired a shot of his own. It hit the wood in front of Dalton, causing him to jump back. James reholstered his flintlock and climbed the rest of the way up the mast to the crow's nest. When he had climbed up onto the wood, he looked to Dalton. James just barely dodged a second shot.
James emitted a low growl, his eyes scanning the space between the mast James was on, and the one Dalton was shooting at him from. Several coils of rope strectched between the two beams.
Quickly, not giving Dalton enough time to reload his musket, James leaped out onto one of the ropes, which were surprisingly taut, easily balanced himself and began to maneuver his way across the mast Dalton stood on.
It didn't take long for the traitor to realize that he was not going to be able to reload quick enough. Dalton tossed the musket aside, sending it into the open air to fall to the deck below. He went to draw his sword-
But James had moved too fast. He slammed into Dalton, tackling him onto the wood he stood upon. They both slid a foot, almost flew into the open air. James jumped onto his feet and extended his hidden blade; they were on too small a space for any kind of sword fight.
But Louis Dalton seemed to not want to fight in such close quarters without his sword; he drew it and swung at James, who easily sidestepped the attack. Dalton swung again, this time in a sideways arch, attempting to open James's throat. James blocked with his hidden blade and threw a punch. Dalton's nose broke like a piece of glass under the force of James's attack.
Dalton stumbled back, almost toppled over the side. He regained his balance and attacked James once more; once again trying to cut open his throat. James caught Dalton's wrist with his left hand and twisted. Dalton's sword dropped from his grip and clattered over the edge of the platform. James kicked him back, hoping to send him over the ledge as well. But Dalton regained his balance and tensed. The two stared each other down, both waiting for the other to attack.
"Pull them in!" Edward shouted. He turned to Anne.
"Are you ready?" He asked. Anne nodded.
"Let us send them to an early grave," she shouted over the din with a grim smile. She drew her sword. Edward nodded and the two moved to the side of the ship, preparing to board the Galleon filled with Assassin crew members.
This was one fight that Edward was not particularly excited to get involved in.
Dalton lunged at James and arched his hidden blade. James ducked under the attack, coming back up, stabbing at Dalton's abdomen with his left hand. But Dalton was quick; he caught James's wrist and kneed him hard in the stomach. The force of the blow took James to his knees. Dalton took a step back and planted his boot harshly agains James's chest, knocking him onto his back. Dalton hunkered down, over James and sat his knees on the rogue assassin's arms.
"I think I might have some fun before I kill you, Kenway." He said. Before James could spit a reply, Louis Dalton gripped his left arm and pulled it taut. He extended the hidden blade on his right wrist and inspected it for a moment.
"Should be sharp enough," Dalton said. And then he stabbed it into James's hand. The blade stabbed easily through skin, flesh and muscle. James let out an agony filled scream as he felt the hidden blade exit through the back of his hand.
Dalton leaned his face in close to James. "I have considered keeping you alive," he said. "Considered letting you watch as your brother and...lover are slowly destroyed. I would love to be able to look into your eyes...and see how empty they would be. But-" James had had enough. He jerked his head forward, slamming it into Dalton's. Blood erupted from his already broken nose. Dalton let out a scream and fell back onto his ass, his hidden blade ripped from James's hand, causing more pain.
As quick as he could, James clambered to his feet and extended his hidden blade, emitting a groan of pain as it flared in his hand. He spared a quick glance at it. He could see the wood beneath him through the hole Dalton had put there. James doubted he would ever be able to use that hand again.
"Killing you, it is going to be so gratifying," Dalton said as he stood, wiping the blood from his face with the back of one hand. Subconsciously, James could feel the blood spilling from his own wound and staining his hand crimson. Dalton tensed, preparing to charge James. The rogue assassin took one step back, felt the back of his right foot hanging off the edge.
Dalton charged. James sidestepped him. Dalton's momentum sent him flying over the side of the platform. James had only a second to celebrate this move before he felt Dalton's fingers grasp the fabric of his Templar armor, pulling James with him. The two fell rapidly.
Almost half way down, James threw his right arm out, catching hold of one of the coils of rope spanning the space between the two masts. He felt Dalton's grasp on his ankle. He tried to shake the traitor off, but he could not. James growled. He would have to get the both of them down to the deck before he would be able to kill this splinter in his side.
James looked down at the deck beneath them; they had fallen halfway down already, there was a good possibility that they could survive the fall from the rope he held to the ground beneath them. James took a deep breath and let go.
Edward and Anne had taken out a good portion of the crew; they just kept fighting, keeping all attention on the assassins they were fighting.
"How are you holding up, Anne?" Edward called, swinging his swords down and burying them in an assassin's shoulders.
"I'm fine!" Anne called back to him. Edward dodged the arching of a hidden blade and counter attacked, slicing open a throat.
"Where's James?" He called.
"And how exactly should I know that?" Was Anne's reply.
Both got an answer; two loud thuds momentarily brought their attention from their fight. Edward had just a second to register that James had slammed against the Galleon's deck on his back from somewhere above before he felt a sword slice his shoulder, breaking the skin and giving him a fresh wound.
Edward turned and reengaged his enemy.
James groaned; his entire body was one big mass of pain. All around him was chaos; the sounds of the battle filled his ears. But underneath that sound, he heard Louis Dalton moving, most likely trying to stand.
Come on Kenway, James thought, move! Slowly, James struggled to his feet groaning again, and biting back a scream as pain ripped through his destroyed left hand. He brought his attention to Dalton-and froze. He was staring down the barrel of a flintlock.
"It's time to end this," Dalton said.
James moved quickly; he reached into one of the pouches on his belt and threw the throwing knife there. It stabbed Dalton's wrist. He screamed and his hand jerked as he pulled the trigger, the round going off and missing everything.
James jumped forward, tackling Dalton to the floor. He extended his hidden blade and brought it down. Dalton caught James's wrist in both hands, tried to stop him. Both pushed, James down, Dalton up.
Slowly, inch by inch, the hidden blade began to move down. As the blade began to near his throat, Louis Dalton began to scream; from his throat came a billow of outrage. But his screaming did not stop James. With one final burst of energy, he brought the hidden blade down and sunk the steel into Dalton's throat.
He gurgled, tried to continue his screaming, jerked, and went limp.
A wave of nausea washed over James, and he was unconscious.
James had a headache; he ignored the pain as best he could as he swam back into a conscious state.
And there was Edward and Anne. The latter of the two, noticing James's presence, leaned forward and captured his lips with hers. James let her have her fill and when she pulled back he smiled.
"Did you miss me?" He asked, chuckling.
"It's good ta' see you alive, lad." Edward said.
"How long was I unconscious?" James asked.
"A day, roughly." Edward said.
"In that case, would either one of you mind getting me something to drink? Rum, preferably?" Anne stood and said she would be back momentarily.
"So," James said, "would you like to tell me what happened with the brotherhood?" He would have asked where he was, but the familiar feel of the hammock he was in, and the way the room seemed to rock told him enough. He was aboard the Jackdaw.
Edward cleared his throat. "Well, the assassins are going to start rebuilding. In the short amount of time that Louis Dalton was in charge he turned this branch of the brotherhood into a shadow of its former self."
"And who is in charge now?" James asked.
Edward shrugged. "They are still working on that." The two brothers were quiet for several minutes.
"So, what are you going to do?" Edward finally asked. "Going to keep working for the brotherhood?"
"I think I deserve some time off," was James reply. They both laughed.
"Well, I've convinced Anne to come back to London with me-only if you are there, as well." James smiled.
"I suppose I could stay in London for awhile." Edward smiled, and gently clasped his younger brother on the shoulder.
James grinned back. Finally, a chance to relax. And with his family.
The thought of that brought a wave of joy over James. He was going home.
AN: Well, that is the end of this grand story. But like I said, there will be a two-part epilogue, so stay tuned for that.
I have no questions for you this time. But please leave your thoughts and opinions on the story for me to read. I love it when people review my work. Until the epilogue: peace out.
~Exangellion