The Pirate Raiders (16 page)

“Ricardo, have you gone daft?" I asked him in a serious tone. 

He smirked at me, but his expression was complete bewilderment.  I could tell that he was unsure if I my words were sarcasm or an intentional insult.

"My friend, have you forgotten that your load is far heavier than mine," I added.  "Of course your ship was somewhat slower."

Ricardo thought a moment, and then nodded.  And with that the matter was dropped altogether.  He quickly changed the subject.  "I've got my men unloading my cats here," he said.

"Really?  Just where do you plan to put them?" I asked.

"I've got friends everywhere señor," he answered.  "However, I'm afraid that it is going to take some time to get all of the animals unloaded and settled in, I hope that you're not ready to set sail just yet."

I shrugged.  "At this point and time, I don't even know when I'm going to set sail, Ricardo.  Andrea has gone to question her uncle on the whereabouts of her father and now I'm trying to find her."  I thought of the chest and suddenly realized I'd never told Ricardo about it.  I contemplated filling him in, but ultimately decided to wait on it.  I didn't even know what the contents of the chest would be so I was unsure of just how significant it was going to be.  And besides, if Ricardo was going to need extra time to get his cats unloaded, then I could use that head start to go and retrieve the chest.  Andrea seemed to believe all along that the chest would be near New Providence so getting it should not take long.

"Well do you know where her uncle's home is?" Ricardo asked.  "We'll just go get her."

I took my hat off a moment and raked my fingers through my hair.  I was already sweating and the day was turning into a scorcher.  I knew that Andrea did not want me to take part in questioning Morgan, but as I stood under the hot sun I grew more and more impatient. 

"I think that I know where he lives," I told Ricardo.  "Follow me."

We quickly weaved our way through the increasingly busy docks and I scanned ahead until I caught sight of a shop with a large wooden sign handing over the door.  There was a black anvil painted on the sign and the words Bobby's Smithing were carved into the wood and painted white.  Just past the smith's shop, there was a narrow trail leading into the trees.  As we rounded the corner and prepared to make the trek up the hill we were met abruptly by Andrea.

I could see that she was surprised to see me and seemed rattled by my presence.  "I thought I told you to stay away!" she exclaimed.  "My uncle would not trust you and certainly would not have given me what we needed if you had been there."

I saw her clutching a piece of cloth in her hand.  The fabric looked old and tattered but she held it in such a way that I could not tell exactly what it was.  I assumed it was a map.

"I'm assuming you got what we came for," I said glancing at the piece of cloth. 

"Yes," she replied.  I saw her glance at Ricardo, and I hoped she'd keep the matter regarding the chest quiet.  She discreetly tucked the fabric away into her pants pocket and immediately went and embraced Ricardo.  "I never got a chance to thank you for your help getting Gordon," she said, clearly in an effort to deflect any questions from him about the cloth. 

"It was my pleasure, love," he answered, and glanced my direction.  "I owed my friend a debt and I was happy to repay it."

"Aye, and you did repay it my friend," I said.  "So there is no reason for you to continue on with this hunt for Captain Trimble.  You should go back to Tortuga…I'm sure Jane misses you."

Ricardo released Andrea and then put a firm grip on my shoulder.  "You know that I can't return to Jane until I've helped you set things right with Trimble.  There'd be hell to pay from her if I left you to this task alone."

"It wouldn't be the first time you left him alone to die," Andrea said, referring to when Ricardo and his crew were forced to leave me to the Royal Navy while they made their escape.

"And there was hell to pay when I got home," Ricardo quipped.  "I was not proud of what I had to do that day, but I had my own men to consider."

"There is nothing to explain," I told him, and I glared at Andrea for her insult.  "I was there and I know how dire the situation was.  There was nothing you could have done, and as we just discussed, you repaid that debt…if there was even any debt to repay to begin with."

"There is no reason to discuss this matter any further," Ricardo said.  "I'm going to help you finish this, so let's discuss our next course of action.  What's our heading?"

Before Andrea could answer, I cut in quickly because I was still afraid she might discuss the chest.  All I wanted to know right now was where we could find Trimble.  That was all Ricardo needed to know right now.

"Did your uncle say where we can find your father?" I asked.

She nodded, and her eyes told me that she understood I was trying to keep the matter of the chest secret.  "Aye, he says that my father was just here two days ago to pick up a few supplies.  My uncle met with him briefly and was told that he was heading to a settlement he owns near Small Hope Bay.  I know where it is."

"Small Hope Bay?" Ricardo said, whistling through his teeth.  "He's obviously waiting on a Spanish treasure fleet making its way to Florida."

Andrea's eyes widened.  "That's right!  How did you know that?"

"I'm Spanish, my dear," he replied.  "The waters between Andros Island and the southern tip of Florida are frequently patrolled by English pirates looking to take Spanish treasure.  What the fools don't realize, however, is that we Spanish are well aware of this and the treasure fleets are heavily guarded through those perilous waters.  There was a time when it was an easy haul, but those days are long over.  The Spaniards have grown cautious and it would be suicide to try and overtake a treasure fleet so near the coast of Florida."

"Aye, it would be suicide unless you have a secret weapon at your disposal," I added.

"The kraken," Andrea said softly.  "The Spaniards won't stand a chance."

"Well, now we've got a heading," I said.  "We'll go and rescue the Spaniards, and maybe we'll take a little treasure for our trouble."   I smiled at Ricardo.

"Well, it seems the least they could do," he replied, smiling back.  "But Redd, I'm curious.  Just how do you plan on defeating Trimble and the kraken?"

I turned to walk back toward he docks and put an arm around Ricardo to lead him along with Andrea following.  "Leave that to me," I said reassuringly.  "You're not the only one that keeps a few tricks up your sleeve."

Chapter 13
:

Just before sun set,
Neptune's Castle
was once again sailing across the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.  Before leaving, I decided to tell Ricardo to take his time getting his cats settled into wherever he was leaving them in New Providence.  I instructed him to plan on meeting up with us at Small Hope Bay on precisely the second morning after we part.  He assured me that he would be there, and although I'd meant what I said when I tried to persuade him to return home to Jane, I was secretly very grateful for his assistance.  I anticipated that it was going to take a tremendous amount of effort and planning if there was going to be any chance of taking Trimble down without suffering vast casualties on our side.  Any help I could get was going to help significantly. 

Once Andrea and I managed to find a moment of privacy in my cabin, she finally revealed what I desperately wanted to know.

"My uncle gave me a map of an island that shows exactly where my father's chest is buried," she said as she unfolded the piece of fabric she'd hidden in her pocket and laid it flat on the table.  "I know this island…I've been there before."

"Well where is it?  We need to get Langley to steer us in the right direction," I said.

"Relax," she replied.  "We're already heading in the right direction.  It's on a tiny scrap of land between here and Small Hope Bay."

I stared at her a moment waiting for more information.  I could tell there was something troubling her…something she wasn't telling me.

"Okay, does this island have a name?" I urged.

She took a deep breath.  "Yes, Isle of Blood," she muttered.

Now it was my turn to take a deep breath.  "Are you sure?" I asked, in shock.

"Yes, I swear I didn't know.  Please believe that."

The Isle of Blood was well known in the Caribbean as an island inhabited by a vicious tribe of cannibalistic freaks.  Some said that it was nothing more than a scary story, and although I'd never been to the island--or even seen it for that matter--I'd heard enough stories about it that I'd believed it to be a real place.  The more I thought about it, the more it did seem to be a perfect place to hide something you desperately did not want another person to find.  No one wanted to visit a place like the Isle of Blood.  I glanced at the map and the drawing of the island was quite detailed.  It seemed that there was a lot of thick jungle in the islands heart, and all of that was surrounded by wide, sandy beaches.  I was thankful that Trimble had not gone to the trouble of burying the chest within the jungle, as evidenced by the large 'X' scrawled on the southernmost beach on the map.  

"Alright, do you know anything about this island?  Have you ever seen it?" I asked her.

"Aye, I've seen it," she replied.  "My father showed it to me once before.  He was very adamant that it remain a place I steer clear of.  I could see definite fear in my father's eyes when he spoke of it, one of the few times I ever saw fear in him."

"Do you know anything else about it?"

She nodded.  "Yes, my uncle said that it is not a place to explore at night.  He said that if we must visit the island, it must be done in daylight."

"Very well, I think we can manage that," I said, rising from the table.  "I'm going to tell Langley now."

As I turned to walk away from the table, Andrea grabbed my hand and stopped me. 

"Redd, are you going to tell him the whole truth?"

"I'm going to tell him to head to Isle of Blood; he doesn't need to know anything more."

She frowned at me.  "I think that it is past time you let these men know what they are up against.  They still do not know about the ring my father has, do they?"

I turned away from her, angry that she even brought the matter up.  "I'll tell them when I feel the time is right.  I'm still not sure that I even completely believe the stories about the ring and the kraken," I confessed.

Andrea seemed surprised by the statement.  "Well then why are you even bothering with all of this?" she asked with a scowl.

I stopped at the door to my cabin and glared at her.  "That's a question I've began asking myself," I said.  "At first I was doing this to get a pardon from the governor.  Well after what I had to do to get Gordon, I think I can kiss that dream goodbye.  I can't decide if I'm continuing on this little quest because something deep inside me is truly fearful of what could happen when someone like Trimble has that sort of power, or if I'm doing this because I feel I'm obligated to help you set things right with your father.  Either way, I'm in way too deep now and I'm not going to stop until I watch the Sea Witch disappear beneath the water with all of her wretched crew aboard.  And besides, I'm not the only one on this ship that has an agenda here." 

Andrea arched an eyebrow.  "Oh really?  Do tell."

"Wait here," I growled at her, and I stormed out of the cabin.  If she wanted the men to know the truth, then I'd give her what she wanted.  I returned a short time later with the men I considered to be the leaders and most valuable of my crew.  A very drunk Oliver Langley stumbled into the room first, followed by Gordon Littleton, Robert Lynch, 'Jolly' Jack Porter, Joe, and the gentle giant carpenter, Hale Woodrow.  All of the men sat around the large table in the center of my cabin.  I took a seat at the head of the table, and Andrea was still seated on the other end, right where I'd left her.  I noticed she'd put the map away. 

"Thank you all for joining me for a few minutes," I began in a serious tone.  "There is a matter we need to discuss and I wanted the men on the crew that I feel are closest to me to meet with me and Andrea."

"What's this about Captain?" Robert Lynch asked.  I could tell that he was genuinely interested in what I had to say.

"I'm glad you spoke up first, Robert, because you're the main one that I wanted to speak," I said.

The young boatswain's eyes widened and he scratched his head.  "Me, captain?"  What do you want me to say?"

"I would like for you to tell everyone why you decided to be a pirate almost six years ago," I replied.

Robert shrugged and shifted in his chair.  "Well, most of the men at this table know the reason why sir," he said, confused about where I was going with this.

"Yes, yes, I know most of them know your bloody story, Robert," I exclaimed.  "But Joe doesn't know your story and more importantly, Andrea does not know your story.  So please tell them," I urged.  "Andrea needs to hear this.  Her father is Captain Winston Trimble."

No sooner had I said those words, darkness seemed to come over Robert Lynch.  The young man, whom had seemed innocent and jovial moments before, soon turned angry and foul at the mere mention of the name Trimble.  The candle light danced off the sharp features of his face and gave Robert an almost demonic look.

"Why hasn't anyone told me this is Winston Trimble's daughter?" he snapped.  "Captain please tell me we're not joining forces with such vile people?  If that be the case I'm afraid I cannot--will not--serve under your flag any longer.  That beast killed my father and I joined your crew with the promise that if the opportunity came about to avenge my father's murder, you would see that it happened."

"Relax, Robert," I said calmly.  "Andrea is only here because she believes her father to be just as much a bilge rat as you do.  You and she both want to see Trimble dead.  You can be certain of that," I said, and I glanced at Andrea to see her reaction.  I dare say she'd turned a lighter shade of white, and seemed frightened out how quickly Robert's mood changed.

"What was your father's name?" Andrea asked softly.  It almost seemed as if she was in a trance. 

"His name was Nicholas Lynch," Robert replied.  "Your despicable father attacked his fishing ship and violently murdered him.  He didn't even take anything…my father's ship was discovered drifting aimlessly at sea.  My father was lying on his side, and he'd used his own blood to scrawl a single word on the deck: Trimble.  I was only a boy then, but I vowed to hunt down that man and kill him."

The other men around the table remained deadly quiet and I kept my gaze steady on Andrea as Robert told his story.  She remained in her trance-like state and listened intensely.  When Robert had finished speaking, she took a deep breath, rested her elbows on the table, and then dropped her head into her palms. 

"I was there," she said.  "I was there that day…I remember your father."

"What?" Gordon said, stunned.  "You were there…you remember Robert's father?"

"Yes," she replied, still resting her face in her palms.  "I remember the name Nicholas Lynch…I remember the fishing boat…I remember it all."

I let another long moment of silence pass before I spoke again.  I felt that I'd made my point.  "Do you understand what I mean now?" I asked Andrea.

"Yes," she answered, and finally raised her head up again.  I expected to see tears in her eyes but they weren't there.  She was visibly shaken though.  "There have been far too many nightmares left in my father's wake.  It seems everyone knows someone he has affected.  He must die…and he will."

"Now that all of you have been reminded of the importance of hunting down and killing Captain Winston Trimble, I feel it's time I also share something else.  Something I've kept from you."  I then glanced at Gordon and Langley.  "Something I fear I've kept from all of you."

"Very well," Gordon said.  "Let's hear it then."

Oliver Langley leaned forward and waited anxiously.

"Governor Winter's chose us to hunt down Trimble for a very specific reason.  It seems that Andrea's father has taken possession of a ring that the governor claims has a great deal of power."

"Power?" Hale Woodrow whispered.

"What sort of power Cap'n?" Langley asked.

I opened my mouth and then hesitated.  I was unsure on how they were going to react to what I was about to say.  I wondered again if it was even worth trying to explain. 

"Are any of you familiar with the signet ring of King Solomon?" I asked.

"Of course," Gordon said.  "It's supposedly been guarded by the crown for years, but I've always thought it to be an old wives tale.  I've heard a lot of nonsense about the ring giving its bearer the power to speak to demons and control animals…"  He paused a moment.  "Wait, are you going to tell us that Captain Trimble now has the signet ring of King Solomon?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you, mate" I replied.

Gordon began laughing; it was obvious he thought I was a fool for believing
such a story.  Jolly Jack joined him and even Langley shook his head in disbelief.

"Look, I do not care if you believe the story or not," I said.  "I'm just telling you what the governor told me--and trust me when I tell you that he is very much a believer.  He claims that Trimble is using the ring to control the kraken which in turn makes him unbeatable at sea.  I wanted the men in this room to know the full story before we meet up with Trimble."

I noticed Hale Woodrow shudder at the very mention of the kraken.  Gordon continued to laugh and pretty much dismiss everything I was saying as rubbish.

"What Redd is saying is the truth," Andrea said suddenly.  "I've seen the ring.  I've also seen what it can do."  She glared at Gordon.  "This is not a matter to take lightly."

I was completely taken off guard with what Andrea had confessed.  It was the first time she'd acknowledged that she knew of the ring's existence.  Suddenly, I was just as intrigued as everyone else in the room.  Gordon's laughter stopped immediately, and his smug expression was replaced by shock and disbelief.

"And just what have you seen it do?" Robert asked.

"I've seen my father call the kraken from the deepest depths of the sea and command it to destroy an entire ship.  I've seen the kraken wrap its long tentacles around a ship's waist, and mast and then turn the whole bloody thing into kindling.  I've heard men scream horrific howls of terror that I've never heard before and I've watched the sea around the ship boil red with the blood of its crew.  The power my father possesses is very real and very dangerous.  The sooner you all accept that fact, the better the odds are that you can actually do something about it."

The gentle giant Hale Woodrow was no longer shuddering…he was full blown shivering now.  I feared the large man would begin to cry and I found myself wondering why I'd even invited the simpleton into such an important meeting.  The other men sat still and stone-faced.  It seemed everyone in the room (including me) believed that the stories of King Solomon's ring were true now.