“Captain,” shouted one of his crew, and T’ruck looked up to see Pocket alive and well. It brought him much joy.
“Cut the ropes and get us clear,” T’ruck growled to his first mate, already looking around for his sword and shield. The two ships were close together now, and his crew had all but cleared the deck of North Storm. The soldiers from the Man of War were crowding their railing, still trying to stab across at the pirates.
“Captain, we can’t keep her afloat much longer,” Pocket said frantically. “Water’s coming in faster than we can bail. She’s going down.”
T’ruck looked across his ship and then back to the Man of War. Pocket was right. They were sinking, and quickly.
“All hands,” T’ruck roared. “Abandon ship! Let’s fucking take theirs!”
T’ruck scooped up his shield and a nearby axe and ran towards the railing. He leapt across to the Man of War, leading the charge and crashing a hole through the defenders.
T’ruck laid about, swinging left and right, blocking and barrelling through his enemies. He took wounds, feeling them all and ignoring them all. The pain only helped him feel more alive, and he had to live. He was no longer just living for himself, not since taking North Storm. Now he was living for Yu’truda as well. Now he was living for his clan as its sole survivor.
T’ruck lost track of time. Lost track of the number of men he maimed or killed. One moment he was fighting alone amidst a sea of hostile blades, and the next he was surrounded by his crew, their ferocity bolstering him when he began to tire.
Somewhere, far away, a horn blew loudly, its cry echoing across the waters. T’ruck planted his axe in a man’s skull and kicked the body away, wrenching the dinted blade from the corpse as it fell. He turned, looking for another fool to die by his hand, but the remaining crew of the Sarth Man of War were backing away and laying down arms. They were surrendering.
T’ruck stalked towards a soldier who was leaning against the main mast. The man winced and dropped to a knee, one hand held up as if to defend himself.
“Get up,” T’ruck screamed. “Fight me.”
“We surrender,” the man cried, his eyes full of fear.
“All of you?” he roared. “There must be one among you not a coward. Come at me.” He threw his shield away. “Come at me!”
None of the soldiers made a move other than to cower and look away.
With a roar, T’ruck flung his axe as hard as he could out to sea. He looked out at the battle. Ships were on fire. Ships were sunk or sinking. Ships were locked together. The sky was just beginning to darken, and not from the smoke, though there was plenty of that.
North Storm was sinking on the other side of the Man of War. T’ruck could no longer see his ship’s deck, only the masts and the men and women still scrambling aboard the new boat.
The witch, Lady Tsokei, glided past him. The woman was as graceful as she was dangerous, even surrounded by armed pirates on a deck slick with blood. She looked out across the battle and then glanced back, motioning to T’ruck.
“What is it?” he growled as he joined her at the railing. He had no stomach for accepting the soldiers’ surrender, instead trusting Pocket to secure the prisoners.
“Do you see the flags?” Lady Tsokei said.
The blast of a horn floated across the sea again, and T’ruck squinted against the low sun. Ships were fleeing the carnage – not pirate ships, but his enemies’. White flags were rising on those that remained.
Chapter 70 - Starry Dawn
“You mean to kill me then, brother?” Elaina said, her head held high despite the shitty situation. If she was about to die then she would bloody well go out fighting and do her best to take Blu with her, not cowering in fear and pleading for her life.
“Yes,” Blu replied with a grin.
“Thought we was taking prisoners?” said one of Blu’s crew, a large man with long hair tied into a braid. “To hang. A, uh… What you call it? A gift. Ain’t much of a better one than the queen.”
“Aye, we’re taking tributes back to King Veritean. Not her though.” Blu’s lip curled upwards into an ugly smile, the same one their father wore when he got violent. “Too dangerous. Gotta kill her.”
“What about Da?” Elaina said. “Ya think he’ll just let this go?”
“No. But then, not even Tanner Black can rise from a watery grave. Old bastard ain’t dead yet, then he will be soon. Doubt he’ll be taken alive for hanging though, probably just gutted on his own ship.”
“Nice and neat, eh? Everyone but you dead.” Elaina knew she had to buy time. Blu loved the sound of his own voice, and she hoped to keep him good and talking. With any luck another ship would stop by to even the odds. “You were the traitor all along, weren’t you?” A horn echoed across the water. It was far away, but some sounds carried for miles on the open ocean.
Blu laughed. “Aye. Ya nearly had me a while back, little sister. Remember that Acanthian fluyt? Captain was a Guild man through and through, spotted my ship docked up in Land’s End. Luckily for me, you killed him long before he could talk.”
Elaina swept her gaze over Blu’s crew. They were vicious bastards one and all, and they looked like they were just waiting for an excuse for a bit of violence. They were also pirates, and pirates didn’t like working for free.
“Just what are you getting out of this, Blu?”
“A pardon for my crimes. Land and a title in the Five Kingdoms. Legitimacy. No more of this risking my life to make other folk rich. Starting myself up as a merchant in a world without pirates. Seems fairly lucrative to me.”
Elaina laughed. “What about them?” she said. “What’s your crew get out of this?”
“Pardons and a place on my first merchant ship. Good pay and no risk.”
“And they’re content with that?” Elaina was looking not at Blu, but at his crew. “Content with giving up their freedom to live off whatever scraps you throw them?”
A few of the crew started to whisper among themselves.
“They’ll live, and they’ll live well. Better than dying here, nothing but food for the sharks and worse. Now, if you’re quite done talking, little sister, I’ve been wanting rid of you for a very long time.”
Elaina readied herself to leap at him; she doubted the bastard would kill her himself, but if he did she’d tear out his eyes before he was done.
A second horn blasted out across the water.
Blu paused, his head cocked to the side as if he expected more, but after a moment he shrugged and turned his attention back to Elaina. He advanced upon her with two of his crew at his side.
“Cap!” Four-Eyed Pollick called down from the nest. “The bastards are turning tail.”
“What?” shouted Blu, his eyes darting upwards.
Elaina grinned and punched Blu hard in the face. The bastard went down in a stunned, bleeding mess. Elaina shook the pain out of her hand. She was still faced by Blu’s crew, and they were still armed.
“Navy ships are fleeing,” Pollick shouted. “Those that can. White flags are rising on others.”
Blu shoved away the hands that were trying to help him up. “Kill ’em all!” he sputtered, pointing with his sword in Elaina’s direction.
Ocean Deep’s crew hesitated. It was all the delay Elaina needed.
“Fight is done,” she shouted. “Navy lost. We won. Ain’t no reward waiting for you now, Blu.”
“They know too much,” Blu said as he struggled back to his feet, addressing his crew. “Kill ’em or we’re all…”
“Pardons,” Elaina said, pitching her voice louder than her brother’s. “I offer you all pardons. Amnesty for your recent traitorous transgressions.”
“You…” Blu’s voice cracked a little.