Beyond the Starline by Austin Hackney

Author:Austin Hackney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Hackney
Published: 2016-02-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Harriet drew her blade. The deck of The Redoubtable echoed with the clash and snarl of steel on steel, hand to hand combat, the cries and stench of battle. After the first rounds of shot had been fired, the melee was too thick to give time to reload flintlocks. Using the armory of the pirate warship risked too much destruction, including that of its own captain, at such close quarters.

Harriet swung and stabbed bravely, but a month was not long enough to develop fighting skills. The crew closed tighter around her, forming a living barrier of flashing steel between her and the pirates. They were fighting not only to defend what remained of the ship, but her.

Captain Hardcastle fought at the forefront of the melee, leading his men; roaring orders and encouragement as he thrust and parried, his face breaking sweat with the effort, a man of books rather than action, but a lion in battle nevertheless.

Sam and Barney ducked through the throng towards Harriet. As the circle of attack closed around them, Sam gasped, “You’re too inexperienced to fight, Harry, keep back! Get you to a rescue rocket.”

“It ain’t right. Why should you fight for me? I should hand meself over, that’s what I should do.”

“No Harry, you’re one of us now. We fight for one, we fight for all. Courage! Now get away!” And they were gone, lost in the cut and thrust of battle.

Harriet backed away as the fight intensified. An ear-splitting explosion knocked her back. Surely they ain’t using the big guns with their own people aboard? The ship was on fire. Harriet gasped as the flames licked higher, black smoke billowing up in huge, evil-smelling clouds. If the fire gets to what’s left of the gas balloon that’s going to blow the whole thing up like a bomb, she thought. But there was nothing she could do to get across the rabble of swords and fists. “FIRE!” she yelled. No one could hear her above the clamor. They’ll see it, they’re bound to.

The front line of her defenders was being pushed steadily back and it was with a sickness in her stomach that she saw some of her comrades spill their blood and crash to the decks or tumble overboard, falling away into the void.

More and more pirates, villainous cut-throats and scurvy rogues to a man, swarmed like vicious, fighting ants, down from the nameless warship. The crew of The Redoubtable was outnumbered. The air stank with the odors of sweat, blood and fear, mingling with the ever-denser clouds of smoke. The flames leaped higher, ripping through the combustible wooden parts of the deck and hold. The heat was intense.

Over the clash and din of battle, Harriet could still hear Captain Hardcastle shouting orders, although she couldn’t see him. “Abandon ship!” he yelled. “To the rockets! She’s going to blow!” The ship listed further to one side. Everyone – her mates and the pirates both – were thrown violently over one another, crashing into the sides of the ship or bucked over the edge, screaming into the Dark Sea.

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