Chapter 13: Pirates

The shouted alarm from the sailor on watch caused a great commotion on the ship. Everyone not on duty immediately ran to assist those who were. Cannons were readied, and weapons retrieved from the armory were distributed to the crew so they wouldn't have to leave their posts.

Sean dodged between the sailors running on deck, making his way to the rail. Nicholas was already standing there, a spyglass held to his eye. Lowering the viewing instrument, he handed it to Sean.

"Have a look," Nicholas suggested.

The spyglass consisted of three cylinders of increasing size from the eyepiece to the final focusing lens. Holding it up to his eye, Sean peered through the device. Previously only a distant boat on the horizon, the pirate ship became enlarged enough for Sean to see the murderous brigands preparing their own ship for battle. Flying high from the center mast was the traditional black flag bearing a skull and crossbones. Partially obscured from view, something moved behind the ship, and Sean noticed it.

"There are two of them," Sean told Nicholas, handing the spyglass back to him.

Nicholas looked again. "You've a good eye. If these are the pirates who've been raiding these waters of late, there will be more than two before this day is done."

Sean's nervousness about fighting pirates at sea intensified with the possibility of more ships entering the fray.

"Hard starboard!" the Duke commanded from the upper deck near the wheel, ordering their ship to veer away from the incoming pirates. The vessel leaned heavily to the right as it turned. The wooden boards of the hull creaked loudly as extra pressure was applied due to the forceful nature of the high speed turn.

Alison and Cassie emerged from below deck and headed for the wheel where Mike stood beside the Duke.

"Can we outrun the pirates?" Alison asked the Duke. He shook his head in denial.

"Their ships aren't weighed down by cargo," Matthew explained, "and they aren't as heavily reinforced since they don't have to survive countless ocean voyages. The compliment of cannons is also less as they prefer to take ships intact. You can't plunder a vessel at the bottom of the sea."

Sean watched the incoming pirate ships from the railing. As they drew near, he no longer needed the spyglass to see the pirates scurrying around on deck, preparing for the coming fight.

"Where are we headed?" Mike asked Matthew.

"It's known as The Straights," the Duke answered. "Two nearby islands are close together, and the path between them is filled with coral reefs in shallow water. If the channel isn't navigated precisely, the reefs will destroy the hull of any ship passing through."

"Won't the pirates go around?" Mike questioned.

"The islands are both several miles long," Matthew explained. "By the time they came around, we'd have a significant lead. They have no choice but to follow if they want any chance at catching us alone and unsupported."

Mike switched his gaze from the pursuing pirates to what lay beyond his own ship. A pair of islands were visible not too far away, and Mike estimated they'd reach the islands before the pirates caught up with them.

Saltwater was forced away from the prow in white capped waves as the ship drove forcefully into the narrow and shallow gap between the two islands. The trailing pirate ships didn't waver in their pursuit but followed unerringly behind. The limited width of the channel forced the two ships to proceed single file or neither of them would have made it.

The focus of everyone on the Duke's ship was instantly grabbed by the explosive sound of cracking wood. Looking back, they saw the second pirate ship listing heavily to one side. Its hull had broken and splintered when it had brushed the jagged edge of a reef, and water continuously poured in through the breach. The lead boat maintained its pursuit with no regard for the disabled ship and crew they left behind.

"It seems they anticipated our plans," the Duke mused, directing attention toward where their ship was headed.

The Jenkins family looked ahead to find two more pirate ships waiting where the channel between the islands opened back out into the sea.

"Ready all cannons!" Matthew shouted.

The covers on both flanks of the ship lifted up as the cannons behind them were pushed out and into firing positions.

"Stand by!" Matthew yelled.

"They have a net!" Sean shouted when he saw the edge of a rope net sticking out of the water. Strung between the two ships stationed at the mouth of the channel, the net waited to be raised up and ensnare the Duke's ship before it could escape.

"Brace for impact!" Nicholas added. An instant later, their ship struck the net. As the strong ropes snared the prow, it pulled tight around the forward hull. Tied securely on the two pirate vessels, the net also drew them in, slamming both of the smaller crafts against the sides of the larger one.

The sudden deceleration threw everyone forward, and they clung to their handholds or grasped for new ones in order to keep their places and not be tossed overboard.

A three pointed, curved hook flew up into the rigging and lodged itself among the ropes. Trailing a rope of its own, the grappling hook signaled more trouble.

"Stand by to repel borders!" Nicholas commanded, drawing his sword.

The rope went tight as a pirate on the other end pulled out the slack before attempting to cross from one ship to the other. A single pass by Nicholas' sword severed the rope, and a splash moments later indicated they'd have one less pirate to fight in their immediate future.

The Jenkins family unsheathed the swords that had been given to them, and they raced about on deck, cutting lines and swinging at any pirate who attempted to climb onto their vessel. Mike punched one of the murderous thieves in the face, knocking him into the water, and Alison put her boot on one trying to climb over the railing, kicking him hard enough to make him lose his grip. She had already moved on before the splash sounded.

Cassie threw a bucket of water in the face of a pirate. It not only blinded him temporarily, but made the railing slick and difficult to find a secure grip. His hand hold slipped, and he fell off and into the ocean. Throwing the empty bucket to Sean, she let him use it to deter the trespassers on his side of the boat. Swinging the bucket by its rope handle, Sean creamed a pirate in the face and catapulted him off the ship.

Nicholas and Matthew led the crew as they battled the attacking pirates, but there seemed to be an endless number of aggressors. Every time one would be repelled or driven off, two or more would take their place.

"Fire all cannons!" Matthew ordered.

The massive cannons on either side of the ship fired at the command of the Duke. The weaker pirate ships were pressed up against the hull and took the full barrage at extremely close range. The velocity of the cannon rounds were not diminished by distance, so they delivered brutalizing damage against the enemy vessels. Hulls blew apart in clouds of splinters and shattered fragments of wood. Not made for durability, one of the ships broke in half and began sinking while the other leaned heavily to one side, taking on water.

Sean saw another force of pirates clamoring over the railing from the listing ship, and he realized they'd keep coming as long as they thought they had a chance to win. The criminals had invested too many ships and men to leave empty handed.

Taking a grappling hook down from the rigging next to him, Sean threw it over to the damaged pirate ship. Swinging across, he landed on the deck of the enemy vessel. The majority of the men onboard were gathered near the prow, intent on attacking the ship he'd just left, so none took notice of him near the stern. He slipped quietly down through a deck hatch and into the lower levels.

The dark corridors were lit only by the dim flicker of lanterns, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. Once he could see well enough, Sean proceeded deeper into the ship. His heart pounded, and his breathing was quick. Sweat glistened on his skin, and every step he took seemed to make more noise than it should. After hiding in the jungle from prehistoric predators, his cautious movements felt familiar but not comforting.

An extremely vocal conversation between two pirates, ready to lead their forces into the fight, alerted Sean to their presence. He ducked into a side passage and hid behind a pair of large barrels. The pirates, and their trailing forces of more than a dozen men, tromped past, their boots echoing against the wood planking of the floor. Sean waited a moment, trying to hear over his thundering heartbeat if anyone lingered in the corridor. While not a hundred percent sure, he felt confident enough to risk it and stepped out.

Although he held a sword in his hand and was well trained by his mother, Sean had never killed anyone in a duel, and he wasn't overjoyed at the prospect of starting now. If he could avoid the pirates, it suited him fine. Carefully checking to see if the cabin at the end of the hall was empty, Sean darted inside.

While the main battle had been raging, the ship trailing them through the narrow pass between the islands had closed the distance and stopped near the stern. Unlike their comrades, the pirates in the rear ship boarded quietly, intending to sneak up on the crew and catch them unaware while they were already occupied. The plan was devious and might have succeeded except for the unexpected arrival of another.

In a geyser of water, Nessie erupted out of the depths and landed with one of her front flippers against the hull of the trailing pirate ship. The wood beams had never been designed to withstand such abuse, and the framework caved in. Pirates fled, screaming in terror of the sea monster. Several cannons were pointed into her underbelly, and the pirates would have fired them if they hadn't been running for their lives.

Bending down, Nessie grabbed one of the fleeing criminals by his shirt and lifted him off the deck. A shake of her head back and forth rattled him considerably before she released her bite and hurled him away into the ocean.

What had been a battle turned into a full retreat as pirates scrambled to get away, abandoning their ship and fellows in a desperate attempt to escape. They dived into the ocean and swam for the supposed safety of the islands, hoping the sea beast wouldn't follow them. Nessie lowered her head into the ocean and snorted, sending a spray of water and bubbles after the fleeing pirates.

The sailors on the Duke's ship watched Nessie chase away their enemies. They'd believed in sea monsters before, but none of them ever expected to be helped by one.

Sean dived out a window and grabbed an unused grappling line. The powder he'd lit on the pirate ship burned its way into the armory and set off the remainder of the explosives stored inside. The already damaged vessel was torn apart by the internal detonation, fire shooting from every window and cannon port.

As Sean climbed back aboard, he found the battle had ended. The dead pirates were tossed over the side for the sharks, and members of the crew were already taking action to repair the damage the ship had taken. A large number of sailors were staring off the stern of the ship, and Sean went to investigate.

"Nessie!" Sean called out when he saw his pet chewing on some of the barrels of dried fish the pirates had been storing below deck.

The aquatic dinosaur turned her large head in his direction before wrapping around him with her neck. She rubbed the side of her face against his chest, and Sean scratched her under the chin.

"That's a good girl," Sean praised after seeing how well she'd done in getting rid of the thieves.

The sailors stared in dumbstruck amazement as the sea monster behaved as gentle as a puppy. It went against everything they knew. Suspicions of the strangers in their ranks would have grown at Sean's friendship with such a beast, but Nessie saving the ship and defeating the pirates quelled any possibility of mistrust. A single spoken question brought everyone's thoughts away from Nessie and Sean.

"Where's the Duke?" Nicholas asked, looking around.

The sailors joined in the search, checking every deck of the ship, even exploring the wreckage of the pirate vessel Nessie had smashed, but no trace of the Silver Duke could be found.

Cassie tried to hide her misery as she knew what had happened. Excusing herself, she retreated to her room to be alone.

***

The sailors spent the night anchored off the coast of the islands. Nessie swam nearby with Sean resting on her back, and the surviving pirates on the island stayed well clear of the boat. Getting off the island was not worth risking a second confrontation with the giant sea monster protecting the ship.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Nicholas asked Mike the following morning. "The pirates may come after you."

"We have Nessie," Mike replied. "If needed, she can float us to another island beyond their reach. We'll be fine."

"As you desire," Nicholas conceded. He shook Mike's hand firmly before bowing respectfully to the remaining members of the Jenkins family. "I wish you well."

"Thanks," Mike returned. "Fair seas to you and yours."

The Jenkins family, except for Sean, climbed down ropes to land in the shallow water near the beach. Sean was lifted off the boat and placed on the dry sand by the large jaws and long reach of Nessie. He hugged her face in gratitude.

The anchor was raised by solemn sailors. What should have been a victorious sail home had become a funeral procession in respect for Matthew Blake, the Silver Duke, who wouldn't be going with them. The sails unfurled, instantly catching the wind and billowing out to their furthest reaches. The ship drifted away across the ocean, and the Jenkins family waved goodbye to them.

"History fulfilled itself," Cassie lamented. "Even with our presence, things still happened the same way."

"Not exactly," Matthew contradicted as he stepped out from behind a cluster of palm trees.

"You're alive!" Cassie shrieked, running to him and throwing her arms around his neck in a loving embrace.

"History said I was lost at sea after a pirate attack," Matthew explained. "It never said I died."

Cassie released him and stepped back. "How did you know?"

"Your father explained things to me," Matthew answered.

"I believed if he was going to die, it couldn't hurt to tell him of what was to come, but if he lived, we would have other options," Mike informed her.

"I wouldn't have believed his fantastic tale if not for the evidence of your strange manner of dress when we met, the device your father carries, and the company you keep," Matthew said, looking toward Sean and Nessie.

"History said he doesn't come back," Cassie reminded her dad.

"True enough," Mike agreed. "However, if he were to vanish from this time and reappear in another, the timeline wouldn't suffer for it. Only his absence here is required."

"If not for your father's assurance of my disappearance being needed for time to unfold as it should, I'd never consider abandoning my responsibilities to my people," Matthew explained. "Since my leaving is necessary, your father suggested I might come with you to your time. Would this be agreeable to you?"

"Yes!" Cassie exclaimed, hugging Matthew once more. Tears of joy streamed from her eyes as she held him tight.

***

Four days passed before the time device was finally ready to be activated. The power indicator still burned a sinister red.

Nessie had grown too large to be encompassed by the temporal field projected by the time device. Sean said a farewell to the large dinosaur, hugging her lovingly.

"Goodbye, girl," Sean told her. "Be good."

Nessie licked him. Her breath smelled of fish, but he didn't care. Sean scratched her under the chin one last time before moving to stand with his family and the Duke.

Mike had adjusted the controls for what should be their present day, and he hoped it would take them home. Pressing the button on the lower panel, he engaged the time device. Flashes of electricity erupted from the component in his hands, and the bolts flattened at their ends, spreading out until the five humans were encompassed in a sphere of electricity. The sphere abruptly shrank away to nothing, transporting them to another time.