The Duchess out of Time

XXV

BOOM! Any spell between the Captain and Liz broke when the impact of the canon hit the waters beside the ship. The men all jumped to their feet, some tried and failed as the Captain with Edward and Liz on his heels raced to the helm. Taking out his spyglass he could see where the smoke had originated from, even though the ship firing upon them was trying to stealthily approach by having their lanterns diminished. A ring of curses could be heard from the enemy ship as they realised they had lost the element of surprise.

"Jennings" The Captain hissed as Edward went cold beside him before he looked down at his sister in fear. The Captain and Edward were quick to shout out orders amongst the crew. Those who had only had one cup of rum were quick to their assignments while those who had been enjoying a drinking competition struggled to stand straight. Edward and the Captain didn't waste time as they took it upon themselves to assist them in their duties. The Golden Empress lurched under Liz's feet in their attempts to get out of firing range as another canon blasted. The whistle of fire whizzed past her ears hitting the water on the far right hand side missing the ship by several meters.

Captain James Jennings of The Enchantress gave pirates a bad name and reputation. He didn't have a honourable bone in his body. He was a true psychopath. Jennings wasn't a Captain that saw reason; he was ruthless, he had no conscience and lived to strike fear in his own men. He took pleasure in torture and bringing pain to whomever he deemed fit. Whether a prisoner or even his own men. He left devastation and wreckage in his wake.

"Duchess!" The Captain caught her by her arm as she tried to help. It wasn't a tight grip like it would have been when she first arrived on the ship; it somehow felt like his grip was caressing her as she looked up at him.

"Take Henry, lock yourself in your cabin and try and get some rest" He told as she looked at him in surprise.

"Rest! Are you insane!"

"Yes rest! This is only the beginning of the chase. Get some rest you will need it if we don't out run him" He told her as she swallowed before nodding. She grabbed a hold of Henry and made it for her brother's cabin. Locking the door she struggled to control her pounding heart as the echo of canon fire continued. How was she supposed to attempt falling asleep when all she could hear was canon fire and men shouting out orders?

"Are the bad men going to kill us?" Henry asked as she pulled him in tightly to her chest.

"No Henry. The Captain won't let anything bad happen to you" She promised as she kissed his forehead. She knew she shouldn't make promises she couldn't keep but it was also a promise to herself. She knew Edward would die before anything happened to them and she knew the Captain would do everything he could to keep them out of trouble. At some point throughout the excitement she had managed to get some sleep, her nerves never easing, as she would jolt at the sound of every canon.

The chase between The Enchantress and the Golden Empress had gone throughout the entire night as dawn broke. The men were exhausted, some still trying to sober up from all the rum they had consumed the night before as the Captain looked behind him through his spyglass. Cursing under his breath he knew they wouldn't be able to outrun them, they maybe had an hour at most if they were lucky before The Enchantress was upon them.

"Men! Come about!" The Captain ordered as a series of orders rang out. He knew they wouldn't be able to outrun The Enchantress; it would be better if they turned and faced them. It would be better to force Jennings hand on the Captains terms before they had no other option. If the Captain was exhausted he didn't show it as he took two steps at a time quickly entering his cabin, scrambling around in a chest until he found what it was he was looking for. Liz jumped to the sound of a harsh pound on her door.