The DeCadia Code (The DeCadia Series Book 1) (6 page)

He was too slow. The distance was too great. The blare of pistols reignited the air as Stephen leapt on board. He caught a pirate in the chest with the pistol in his right hand and another in the face with the gun in his left.

He was out of ammunition. Motion to his right caught his eye too late. A pirate with a mess of crooked teeth raised his pistol and shot Stephen in the left shoulder. The bullet grazed the precise edge of his shoulder, taking a chunk of meat with it. Adrenaline filled Stephen’s body as he drew his sword and charged.

The few pirates who were still left and willing to fight raised weapons in Stephen’s direction. One after the other they fell to the sound of a booming rifle. The distinct sound of Amil’s firearm took them in the head one by one. Stephen never lost track of his target. The pirate with the crooked teeth fumbled for his own sword, eyes wide with horror. Stephen was on top of him with his own blade to his throat before the man could form any type of offense.

“I yield! I yield!”

***

Val coughed into the sleeve of her torn shirt. She and Tobias had managed to make it down the nineteen decks into the slave quarters of the ship. Fire from the boiler room explosion had eaten away at the entire hold. Tobias managed to get a nasty burn when he wasn’t fast enough to escape a falling beam. His shoulder was singed badly and Val was worried. He wasn’t complaining, but she could see the effort it cost him to keep moving. Tobias wasn’t a young man anymore and the burn was severe. She needed to get him to a healer and soon. Where the bloody hell was her ship?

When they finally reached Tobias’s makeshift room in the slave quarters, she could have cried. Fire had swept through the room, burning everything. The maps were gone—scattered ashes across the floor along with everything else. How was she supposed to find Atlantis now? All her plans hinged on those maps and now they were gone, just gone. Val rubbed her eyes and shook her head. She felt dizzy and her vision was a little blurry. She’d cracked her head pretty good and, combined with all the smoke, she too was having issues. They needed to find a way out before the fire caught them. No point in staring at lost opportunities.

“They’re all gone,” she told Tobias when he hobbled into what was left of the room. “The fire got here before we did.”

“Not all, girl,” he said. He made his way over the corner of the room and tried to move an old, metal trunk. Val hurried to help him when she saw him struggle with it. Together, they pushed the warped, burnt metal out of the way, careful to avoid the flames still flickering in the room. Tobias pulled out his pocketknife and began prying up boards. Val’s eyes widened when she saw the maps he had hidden there. Although they were in a cloth bag, she could see several sticking out of the top—at least a half dozen or so.

“Fire’s a nasty beast, ‘specially aboard these old merchant ships,” Tobias told her as he pulled out the bag. “Always put your most prized maps in a safe place.” He handed it to her and stood up, catching the side of the wall to keep from falling. He shook his head once and then motioned for Val to follow him.

He led her back out into the smoky hallway and down a corridor she hadn’t realized was there. It was small and dark; still they managed to get through without a lantern. She could hear the fire so she knew they were close to the worst of the flames, she only hoped they didn’t run smack into it. Fires were odd. They could change directions without a thought about anyone in their potential path. Fire was the worst enemy a ship could ever have. It spread fast and consumed everything in its way. People sometimes didn’t have time to escape. Val could only hope she and Tobias weren’t heading directly into the heart of the beast, still raging in the bowels of the ship.

Tobias stopped in front of a door and put his hands on it, palms flat against the surface of the wood. He closed his eyes and just stood there. Curious, Val moved closer and almost staggered back. Tobias was doing something and it gave off a kind of weird energy that slapped at Val: it pulled her closer even as she tried to run. It caused a feeling she didn’t understand or like. She shook her head and blinked. When she glanced at Tobias again, he was standing, hands at his sides, looking at her with concern.

“You alright, girl?”

“What did you just do?” she asked, ignoring his question.

“Do?” he asked, his face bland. “Didn’t do nothin’,” he denied. “We got to hurry, girl, that fires gettin’ closer.” Without waiting for her, he pushed the door open and hurried inside.

Val frowned, but followed. He had done something. She’d felt it. Why didn’t he want to tell her what it was? It made her even more determined to get the truth out of the old man. She didn’t like secrets, even if she had more than a few herself.

The room was dark and Val stopped to let her eyes adjust to the inky blackness. She hadn’t survived a shipwreck only to end up dead from stumbling around in the dark. After a moment, she could start to make out shapes and she saw Tobias across the room standing in front of either a wall or a door. She couldn’t tell from where she stood.

“Get yerself moving, girl,” the old man barked. “Time’s a wastin’ and we need to get out before that fire gets here.”

That got Val going. Tobias had a definite note of authority in his voice that made her feet move even as she frowned. No one had been able to give her orders for years. This old man still had the bite of a captain’s voice, though. He must have captained a vessel at one point. Slave masters couldn’t do what Tobias just had. His voice would have gotten the most seasoned royal Navy captain hopping and jumping to do his bidding. Just who was Tobias really?

Not having time to ponder, Val all but ran after Tobias’s swiftly moving form. She knew he was injured; in spite of this, the man was on the move and it was all she could do to keep up as he led her down narrow, dark passageways. Val could only pray they were heading away from the fire. She could hear it popping and snapping, feel the heat scorch her skin through the walls on either side of her, and smell the smoke beginning to curl around their feet. She picked up speed and ran for her life.

Lukas Swift stood. His dark blue eyes narrowed as he stared at the Royal Navy vessel, his crew quickly overpowering what was left of the sailors on board. The Navy had not expected a full pirate crew to overtake them. Stupid. Always be on the lookout for what was behind as well as in front and around. Valeria had taught him that. His eyes hunted the surrounding forest, his hackles rising with every moment. He did not want to tangle with the inhabitants of this island; still he had to find Valeria. She had probably already cussed him enough to set his ears on fire for an eternity.

It couldn’t have been helped. The Navy was out in full force and he’d had to skirt around them, which cost two days, and it took him another day to even catch sight of the merchant trader his captain was aboard. By the time Lukas saw
The Apollo
, it’d been engaged with the pirates while the Navy ship fired on the pirates in an attempt to save the merchant ship. It had been over and done with by the time he’d caught them. He’d put
The Emerald Queen
down on the beach and then moved inland to survey the damage.

The sense of being watched started as soon as he and the men were about a hundred yards into the tree line. The men, to their credit, hadn’t become jumpy. They’d taken a quick look around and then continued. They were intent upon rescuing their captain. She treated them like family, and so to them, that’s what she was and they weren’t leaving her. Once they’d started to board the ship, it had been easier than Lukas originally estimated. It was the long-range rifles that secured the easy victory. Valeria had secured one for each man on board some time ago. When the sailors on board the Navy vessel saw what was aimed at them, most surrendered. They’d only had to tussle with a few. No casualties at last report. The Captain would be pleased. She hated casualties amongst the Navy. Lukas didn’t know why, considering they’d execute her if they caught her. Made no sense to him.

Valeria in general made no sense to him, but he’d follow her into the bowels of the underworld itself. Who would get herself hauled in as a slave and
hope
the right merchant captain bought her? Foolish nonsense is what he called it, but she had more luck than anyone he’d ever seen. It’s as though she willed what she wanted to have happen and it did. He only hoped she’d survived the crash or wasn’t badly injured. That blasted woman. She was going to put him in an early grave yet.

“All secured,” Deeks said, as the youngster swaggered up. Lukas shook his head at the boy. He was acting like the battle was won. It was far from over. They still had to find and secure the rest of the Navy soldiers in addition to the pirates. Add that to the feeling creeping along his spine, it was far from over.

“Smitty!” he bellowed and the man appeared quickly.

“Aye, sir?”

Lukas grinned at the man. He was a good foot taller than Lukas’s own six feet and broader than a whale. He managed to keep the men in line as well. Not that the crew was a bad one, only sometimes if they were at sea for weeks on end, things could get a little sticky. Smitty settled the sticky.

“Take the youngin’ here and four others to secure the men in their ship’s hold. Keep an eye posted, too. Something’s here watching us.”

“I feel it too,” Smitty said, his own eyes scanning the area. “We’ll keep watch. You go find the Cap’n afore she decides to skewer us all.”

“Aye, we will.” He turned and started gathering the men that made up his crew. They all checked their rifles and then set out to find their Captain before the dragons and whatever else lived in this forsaken place decided to greet their new visitors.

***

“Crewmembers lost or injured?”

“Just you. You’re crazy by the way. You do realize that, don’t you?”

Stephen looked at his sergeant with a smile. “We’re all a little crazy.”

Amil shook his head. He pointed to Stephen’s shoulder where the bullet had eaten his skin. “I’ll send the medic over to get you stitched up.”

“I’m fine.”

“Oh, I know you are, but what kind of sergeant would I be if I let my captain walk around bleeding all over his Royal Navy uniform? Plus, it would be better if the men didn’t see their fearless leader dripping blood across the deck.”

Stephen pursed his lips. He knew his friend was right.

“I’ll see that the prisoners the pirates took are released. We won’t have to worry too much about the pirates. I think we killed most of them. There are a few that are wounded, I’ll see they get care.”

Stephen nodded. “So much life lost for nothing. They could have just surrendered. Instead, we tore them to pieces.”

Amil shrugged. “They chose their own path. I say the more dead pirates, the better.” He turned and walked down the deck barking orders to the men and women under his command.

A moment later, a lanky private appeared at Stephen’s side with his black medical kit. “Sir, where did they get you? Shoulder?”

“Yes. The bullet only scratched me. Disinfectant and a quick stitch job should do it.” Stephen shrugged off his coat to give the medic a better look. His long sleeved shirt was torn and bloodied where the bullet had entered. Stephen would let the medic work around his shirt instead of removing the material. “It’s Wilmot, isn’t it?”

The private gave him an unsure look, not knowing whether the captain knowing his name was a good thing or not. “Well, yes, Sir, it is. I was just transferred to your ship.”

Stephen sat on the railing of the merchant craft as he carried on the conversation. “I try to get to know the names of my crew as fast as possible.”

The medic smiled again before opening his bag. “Well, that’s a great thing, sir, if I do say so myself. And if I can add—without being a suck-up—what you did was amazing.”

Stephen took his eyes from the deck of the busy ship. Amil was moving quickly. The remaining living pirates were already in chains. The merchant ship’s crew now freed and receiving medical treatment of their own. “What was amazing?”

Stephen sucked in his breath as the medic mopped his wound with a piece of gauze dripping with disinfectant. The disinfectant the Navy used was one Stephen was all too familiar with. The sharp sting took his breath away for a brief moment.

Private Wilmot continued as if he had missed the captain’s moment of weakness. “Well, I mean, how you charged the deck, sir. Guns blazing. I think that is a memory I will carry to my grave. Everyone can’t stop talking about it.”

The chemical stench of the disinfectant made Stephen’s nose cringe. The fire burning levels below in the belly of the ship was making its way to the deck. Even from where Stephen was sitting, he could feel the heat soaking through the wood floor.

The medic began sewing Stephen’s wound shut as he went on about the battle. “Well, I thought you were dead a hundred times over. Then when the smoke settled, there you were on the deck with a pile of pirates around you.”

“There was no need for anyone else’s life to be at risk besides my own.”

“Well, that’s an admirable thing to say, sir.”

Stephen looked down on the medic’s work. He was efficient at his trade. The long cut was coming together in a straight line of open, red skin and thread. The pain was manageable, almost nonexistent, as Stephen focused on the tasks that needed to be done next.

“There you are, sir. Better than new.”

Stephen gave him an approving nod. “Thank you.”

Before the private could pack up his bag, Stephen was walking across the deck toward his sergeant. So many factors still needed to be addressed. Foremost, in Stephen’s mind, were the eyes watching them from the shadows of the jungle foliage. He had come to the conclusion that it was only a matter of time before they would be attacked by the creatures prowling the jungle.

The enemy would not have dedicated this much time studying them if they did not intend a form of confrontation. Stephen’s senses were on overdrive as rustling in the jungle came at him from all sides. Normally, a few leaves moving could indicate a dozen different things: today, with the lack of wind, the movement simply meant another fight.

Stephen made his way to his sergeant while exchanging nods and salutes with every sailor that passed. “Well, if you wanted them to respect you, I think you have it now.”

“We can talk about that later. How are we doing here? Are you ready for another fight?”

Amil took his words in stride. “We have four captured pirates and a handful of slaves and crew from the merchant ship. Do you want me to arm them?”

Stephen thought about the merchants with disgust. Owning slaves was something he had never done and would never do. The only people still owning them today were the ones too cheap to buy a modernized steam engine with enough power to fly a ship with minimal labor. They would rather save a few dollars and force men and women to shovel coal in the much older designed engines. “No, not yet. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Amil nodded. “I have a team scouring the lower decks for survivors now. They’ll be out in a few minutes. We’ll be gone before the fire below consumes the ship.”

“Good.” Stephen removed the pistols that hung from his back and began reloading them from a pouch at his side. “They’re too smart to attack us in the open. They’ll wait until we reenter the jungle. They’ll take us in their territory on their terms.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because that’s what I would do.”

“Who or what are they?” Amil asked as he reached for his own state-of-the-art rifle. He began loading the strange bullets he used into a compartment below the trigger.

“I don’t know,” Stephen said as he closed the chambers of his own large pistols. “But we’re going to find out very soon.”

***

“She’s not here, sir.”

Lukas cursed softly. Where the hell was Valeria? He’d sent three of his men to search out the prisoners and freed sailors and slaves from the merchant ship. They’d all reported back she was nowhere to be found. He refused to believe that she was killed in the fight or the crash. The Captain was too ornery to go out in a pirate fight. She was a bloody pirate herself.

No, she wasn’t dead. She put herself in this position to find someone who could lead her to what she was so desperately searching for. There was only one thing she’d go looking for – the road home. Maps. If the old man died and he had maps, she’d go after them. The problem was that the entire hold was engulfed in flames. They couldn’t get in. She’d have found a way out, though, that didn’t lead her straight back to the Royal Navy. She’d be in the area around the ship, not going to deep into the trees. She knew what was on this island as well as he did.

Even now, he could feel them watching, waiting. They wouldn’t let them go unscathed. It just wasn’t in their nature. Dragons were vicious beasts, even in their human form. He and Valeria had hidden the ship on this island once when they were just starting out on their journey, not knowing what inhabited this island. They’d heard stories, of course, about the lost colony, but they’d ignored them. Stories were just stories after all.

The Emerald Queen
had taken some damage to her sails and they’d set about repairing it as fast as they could. He and the captain had gone into the trees looking for food. They’d come upon a woman a few hundred yards in. He remembered how beautiful she’d looked with all her blonde hair floating in the wind and the silver dress she had worn was burned into his memory. She looked just like a princess. They’d tried to speak with her in several languages, but she’d only stared at them. He still sometimes wondered if their inability to communicate with her was the reason for what happened when he’d approached her.

They’d watched as her form contorted, her face becoming one of a monster. She’d grown to the size of a small mountain and he and Valeria had understood just how deadly this place was. She’d become a dragon: a vicious, fire-breathing dragon. They’d barely escaped the island with their lives and the ship had sustained more damage than when they’d first arrived. He had a feeling it was going to be a bigger fight to get out this time around. Previously, there had been only one dragon; now he felt so many eyes boring into him. There had to be at least a dozen people out there watching him and his crew.

“We need to check the area around the ship: go into the tree line,” he finally said. “She’s in the jungle.”

“Sir…maybe we should consider the possibility…”

Lukas turned before the words were out of the sailor’s mouth. “That our Captain is dead? Emerald is not dead. She wouldn’t leave us and we’re not leaving her. Do you understand?” The last word was snarled and the crewmember backed away slowly. His anger burned and he took slow deep breaths. He needed to stay focused on the danger around them and the search for Valeria, or Emerald, as everyone except he called her. “Move out.”

They tiptoed deeper into the tree line, wary of any movement out of place. Lukas heard things creeping around in the underbrush, yet every time he checked, he saw nothing except undisturbed black dirt. He knew something had been there, however there were no tracks. How was that possible? He and Valeria had often talked about what else might inhabit the island and they’d both agreed neither wanted to find out. The sentiment still held true. He just wanted to find his friend and get out.