“No Mama, please.” I didn’t look over my shoulder at Rusty. I’d put on pantalets and stuffed the crotch with old clothes since the blood wouldn’t quit coming, so I stood at an odd angle, with my legs wider than they should be.
I sucked in a breath and flipped the lock. “You stay here. I’ll be back with news of victory.”
“Mama!”
“What is it, Rusty?” I looked back over my shoulder at my adopted daughter and immediately regretted my harsh tone. I smiled at her. “Thank you for everything today. I don’t know what I would have done if not for you. You’re our blessing, child.”
Rusty’s voice was small. “I—I love you.”
I opened the door. “I love you, too. Lock this door behind me.”
The scene on deck was all it had sounded like from the cargo hold. Pools of blood left red rings in the thirsty wood. From atop the wheelhouse, someone roared. I drew my sword and spun on my heel. The world kept spinning and a roil of nausea surged. I hiccupped.
Red, you’re in no condition to fight. You’re going to get yourself killed.
Dark Water William glared at me. “Witch,” he seethed. “Only a witch could give birth to a monster. The devil’s seed. Then come up to fight.”
I backed up a step as Dark Water squatted down atop the wheelhouse as though he meant to spring down atop me. Something flashed in his eyes that gave him a beastly look. As I backed up another step, something hit my shoulder. Charles Swan’s foul breath, with a slightly fishy odor, met my nose. He made no move to shift out of my way.
“Witch,” he agreed. He twitched his nose. His greasy moustache moved across his lip like a limp worm.
I swallowed back the nausea and put my hand on my sword. Slowly, I drew it from its scabbard. My vision grew fuzzy and I suddenly wished I had something to lean against.
Outnumbered.
One of Blackbeard’s men crept up behind Charles, but all his attention was fixed on me. Without a second thought, I tossed my sword to Charles. “Behind you!”
Charles turned and stabbed my steel through the approaching pirate. Something changed on his face when he turned back to face me. His features were somehow softer, almost human. I think if I’d have been a man, in that moment, he would have pledged his allegiance to me over Dark Water.
He glanced up at his cohort, still crouched atop the wheelhouse, and jerked his chin. The tall African with the hate-filled eyes melted backward off the wheelhouse and disappeared into the throng of the fight. My insides chilled. Somehow, some way, this fight was just beginning.
Charles handed my bloodied steel back to me before disappearing behind Dark Water. I sank against the wheelhouse, not really sitting and not really standing.
It’s not over with Dark Water. Or Charles Swan.
“Redella!” Jack’s voice met my ears. “Watch out!”
Metal clanged together and my hair blew back in a whoosh as a hidden pirate’s sword met mine. His dark eyes flashed and his beard, so black it was almost blue, hung stringy from his face. Tiny shells and beads dotted the gnarled mess that hung from his chin.
“So it’s true,” he growled.
He slashed again, and with a flick of my wrist, I blocked it. “What?”
“Back from the Dead Red.” He reached for me, but I slipped out of the way. The world pitched again as I stumbled, but somehow, I found my footing.
“You’ll make a wonderful wench aboard my ship.”
I jabbed for his throat—but missed.
“I’ll have to share you with the crew, of course. But a girl like you won’t mind. Will you?”
My guts ached and I regretted coming up here at all. Still, my words escaped my tight lips in a growl. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
“That can be arranged.”
The cacophony that had reigned upon the deck as Blackbeard’s crew tried to take The Black Otter dulled to silence as I stared at the scarred pirate. I felt the blood escape my body and disappear into the cloth between my legs. The brief thought of being caught by the smarmy pirate and made to lay with the men upon his ship brought with it an icy trickle of fear down my backbone.
I’m not at my strongest, he may win this battle.
He took a step closer and tossed his sword from one hand to the other. I reached out with my steel and attempted to catch his and flick it away, but I missed completely. Everything went double in my vision. I blinked my eyes and flexed my fingers around my sword’s handle.
Blackbeard laughed, a mean spirited, cackling laugh. “Stupid girl. How long will you continue to try and fight me off?”
I’ll kill myself before he takes me alive.
I thought about trying to answer, but Blackbeard was moving his sword around slowly. It took all of my concentration to watch his blade. A chilled veil of sweat cropped up across my forehead and I sunk to my knees.
“Get up, wench,” he growled.
I struggled to focus on him, but everything went sideways.
Don’t faint, Redella. Don’t faint.
I jabbed blindly with my sword, as though I was fighting an invisible enemy. As his image drew closer, my sword met resistance.
Blackbeard growled and let go a string of curses. “How did you—” His voice was tinged in incredulity. “Me leg! You slashed me leg!”
“Just need to lay down—” The words sounded garbled even to my ears as I tried to watch death as it came for me in the form of Blackbeard’s steel.
