Early morning and Alicia was called to the bridge by a worried Cafferty. She pulled on her boots, buckled her sword belt, and ran careless fingers through her hair on her way along the gangway and up the steps to the deck. A brisk wind swept her face and her hair lifted in a wild tangle.

"What have we, Mister Cafferty?"

"Sail amidships on the port side."

Alicia opened her spyglass and focused carefully on the sighting. A sliver of discomfort dragged down her spine as she recognized the ship. The Avenger. Did she sail into a trap? Did Henry get to the trader she made her deal with? All he had to do was threaten the others and eventually she would find the one he bought. She slammed her glass closed and called for Mullen.

Cafferty marched up and down behind the gunnery crew shouting orders and generally pumping up the moral. Word had spread that is was van Dught and they all knew there would be no quarter if there was a battle. Mullen was tasked with un-mounting the bow cannon, their biggest gun, and with the combined strength and effort of a dozen men, transported it aft and fastened it as best they could to the deck and transom rail.

Mullen checked it over, gave it an affectionate pat and squinted off to the approaching ship.

"Do we wait for an opening shot, Captain? With this gun I can take her at nearly a mile."

"Henry needs to come broadside, then he'll give us a full volley from all his canons. I doubt very much there will be any talking first. Have Mister Cafferty run up our flag, we may as well state our position." She opened her spyglass again and studied their pursuer. "As soon as he shows he's moving into position, Mister Mullen. We may not get a second chance."

"A round of chain shot first. Load! Second will be a double shot, and I want it out fast, lads." Mullen began setting the canon, following the passage of the Avenger. Nervous minutes ticked away as they watched Henry's ship close. He was waiting until the last minute to pick which side he would attack from; he was not aware the Queen had remounted their bow canon.

"They're breaking starboard!" The shout from the crow's nest set every man's muscles tensing. He swung out of the nest and rode the line down to the deck.

Mullen aimed the canon and gauged the elevation and distance. He held his breath, correcting the aim slightly and then gave the command.

"Fire!"

The roar of the long gun hurt their ears but right away they had the double shot rammed home and Mullen was readjusting the aim.

******

Henry nearly dropped his spyglass when he saw the puff of smoke then a few seconds later the crack of the gun. Immediately the chin load struck the Avenger's yards, splintering the wood into tiny bits and shredding the topsail and the top gallant. Pieces crashed to the deck scattering the busy crew.

Henry boggled at the damage and the fact that, not only had the Queen fired first, she had an aft canon that was foiling his attempt to come broadside.

Before he could decide on a strategy, the double shot load arrived, tearing away the deck housing and smashing through the base of the bridge. Splinters of the one once beautifully varnished deck and housings, shot through the air like arrows and the chunk out of one mast proved to fatal and it began a slow ballet collapse. Lines and sail careened down onto the deck and some of the canvass caught fire.

"Haul! HAUL!' Henry screamed at his helmsman, and the crewmen on the deck fighting their way through the debris.

Men fought their way through the damage to get to the anchor and before they managed to get it over the side, another round obliterated the maidenhead figurehead, punching a hole in the fo'c'sle. The Avenger began to turn slowly, her keel riding up dangerously toward the tipping point. When she was broadside to the Queen, Henry roared the 'fire' command. Only a few of the guns responded and their shot fell well short of the target. Smoke from the flaming sails was blinding the gunners and then the flames grabbed hold of the wooden structure and all attention went to fighting the fire.

Another double round blew right through the ship's side, smashing a full row of canon and all the men attending them. Henry stared in stunned shock at the devastation on his ship. Men screaming in pain. Flames hungrily lapping up the combustible woodwork. His once formidable sail structure a shattered tangle heap.

"Captain?" His officer came up behind him. "Should I strike our flag before they shoot that down as well? We will need their mercy if we have to abandon her, sir."

Henry turned and stared blankly at the officer. His mind couldn't process the fact that he was defeated, barely firing a shot . . . by a woman!

The officer, swallowed and put a steadying hand on his Captain's arm. "Sir, I will give the order to strike the flag. You need to get down to the longboat, these flames are getting out of hand and we have a gun deck full of powder."

Henry allowed himself to be guided down to the main deck. His mouth hung open as he stumbled through the wreckage and the flames, his eyes lingering with disbelief on the bits of limbs and dead crewmen. Battling to keep the fire from catching on their clothes, the officer shoved Henry forward and over the side onto the ladder. men in the boat helped to lower him down then cast off, rowing around the stern away from the Queen's gun.

In the cabin below, Downs was frantically trying to get the door open but it wouldn't budge and it was growing hot. Smoke began leaking in under the door and he looked about in a panic. The transom windows were fixed and he found a belaying pin on a shelf and began smashing out the glass. Thicker smoke made his eyes water and he coughed, uttering animal sounds and curses. The opening was too small to crawl through so he dragged the desk over and stood on it, kicking at the mullions and splintering the frame.

With the new source of oxygen, the flames breached the cabin door and crept across the floor, spreading and devouring everything combustible. he forced his head and arms through the space he had made but his pants caught on the jagged bits of the smashed frame and he couldn't wriggle free. He screamed for help as he felt the heat of the fire around his thrashing legs.

The long boat appeared around the stern and Downs began yelling even more frantically, arms and head waving in desperation. The men in the boat looked up at the figure jammed in the transom as the flames crept up over his back and head. Downs' hair caught fire and his screams grew louder until they stopped altogether and the boat crew gaped helplessly at the blackening human torch.

******

"I think you can cease firing, Mister Mullen." Alicia watched the destruction through her glass and she saw the two longboats easing away as the Avenger began to tilt by the stern. The tiny figures of trapped crew leaping into the sea and the fire on the water made her cringe inside. It could have been them.

"Come about, Mister Cafferty," she called. "Make for the survivors."

It took almost an hour to bring the Queen about and reach the two long boats, filled with wounded and dying crewmen, drifting together.

"All arms into the sea!" Mullen called down to the boats. "Walking wounded can come aboard first."

"We have our Captain here, but he is in shock.

"Send him up, then the others but I want to see those pistols and cutlasses going overboard first."

There was a loud explosion and they all stopped to watch the last of the Avenger disappear below the waves. Alicia wet her lips and said a silent prayer then began helping the survivors on board.

"Take Henry to my cabin, I'll follow in a minute." She found Terry, who was lining up the crew from the Avenger that managed to escape without injury.

"These men are to be treated decently but in the brig. If there isn't enough room, put some in the hold. We'll sort them all out later. Right now we have wounded that need attending and I must speak with Henry."

"Why are we helping them, they would have sent us all to the bottom if things were different?"

"'E's right there, Cap'n." One of the crew spoke up. "Old van Dught meant to do just that."

"See." Terry said.

"It's not who we are, Terry. And it wasn't your father either. Now do as a said."

"Bless you, cap'n." The crewman said, accompanied by muttered thanks from the others.

Alicia entered the cabin and relieved the crewman watching Henry. She took a look and decided he really didn't need watching. He sat, one elbow on the desk, his other arm hanging down between his legs and his eyes focused on nothing.

"Captain van Dught? Henry?" She touched his shoulder and his head came up slowly to look at her. She watched emotions swirl behind his eyes and suddenly something clicked. They turned to angry slits as his lip curled and he emitted a low growl, leaping up from the chair and lunging for Alicia.

She stumbled back but was able to ward him off with her arms. He hit the cabin wall and, continuing to growl, grabbed a sword that hung in its scabbard by the door.

"Henry! Henry wait, stop, we can talk. You're in shock!"

Wrenching the sword free, he tossed the scabbard aside and charged again. Alicia drew her own cutlass and parried the thrust, allowing his momentum to carry him past again. he turned and slashed at her, taking a large slice from the edge of her desk.

She tried yelling at him to stop but his rage was transferred to his actions and another thrust pierced the side of her shirt, stinging her side. She could feel the warm blood running down her skin. Another thrust and another parry. Alicia jumped aside on a third and put a boot to Henry's hip as she turned, driving him sideways over the chair and into a heap in the corner.

"Henry, don't do this. We can still sort thi-"

He hurled a small boot at her, catching her on the chest just below the jaw and she closed her eyes in pain, opening them again just in time as he stood and ran at her, sword arm outthrust.

The cabin door burst open and Mullen barged in, stopping short and holding up a helpless hand at the scene. Alicia was leaning against the wall, blood running down her side and soaking into her trousers. Her face showed a nasty bruise by her mouth and leaning toward her, Henry, with his head against the same wall. His arms hung down and through the back of his jacket Mullen could see the tip of Alicia's cutlass.

"Glory, Alicia! What happened?" He heaved Henry's body to one side, the cutlass wavering from his sternum, and helped Alicia to the cot against the side wall. He tore away her shirt, scorning any decorum, and looked at the wound in her side.