The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron

Author:Briony Cameron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2024-06-04T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

JACQUOTTE FELT as though she was still asleep. Her head pounded and her eyes strained in the gloomy darkness.

The scouts had returned in the early hours. It was time. Jacquotte had just crawled back into bed when Alberto barged in with the news. She hadn’t even a moment to kiss Teresa goodbye before she was ushered out onto the streets of Rio de Janeiro.

The pirates traveled inconspicuously in small groups as they headed toward the outskirts of town. The farther they walked the emptier the streets became, until all she could hear were the sounds of boots pounding the dirt. Even Francisco was unusually quiet.

Miguel was with them. Normally, he would remain on the ship, but Blackhand had decided to keep Emilio there, as he was less experienced. Miguel wasn’t a killer. He was hardly a pirate. Though no one said a word, they made a silent pact to protect him.

The far reaches of the town were all but deserted. Jacquotte looked up as they walked through an enormous arch that felt almost deep enough to be a tunnel. The solidity of its construction felt untrustworthy. It seemed to signal the beginning of the end of town. The buildings beyond it were dilapidated, falling to pieces.

Alberto nudged her gently. “Look,” he said, pointing. Jacquotte followed his finger to the rooftops. They were cast in darkness, but a slight movement alerted her to the presence of the crew. As she peered up, she could see a huddle of their musketeers, lying flat on their stomachs, muskets loaded.

The site of the ambush had been mapped strategically. The confiscated gold and jewels would be passing down this road, following along to the docks, where the carrack awaited to carry them to Portugal. It was the only road wide enough to accommodate the carriages. There would be no alternative route.

The crew gathered in a raggedy circle. Jacquotte and her friends were amongst the last to join. Their captain was in fine spirits. His eyes were wide and there was a smile on his face, so unusual that it took her aback.

“Once the first carriage passes this house,” he gestured to a building marked with a black coal smudge, “we move. They’ve three carriages, but only forty men, as I suspected. Once we’ve secured the carriages, we shall meet back aboard The Marauder before the storm settles in.”

They all separated within the abandoned buildings. Jacquotte hunkered down behind a shuttered window. She had only just begun to get comfortable when she heard the trill of a bird, the sound unnatural. Too sharp and practiced. She knew what it meant. The carriages were approaching.

Jacquotte peered through the cracked slats. From her vantage she could see the first set of horses passing by. The contingent walked idly as their great wooden vessels rolled through the empty street. There was another sharp whistle as the first carriage passed the coal smudge. A shot fired from above. Then another. And another.

“We’re under attack!”

The Portuguese scattered, cowering from the shots that rang from above them.

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