Swept Away (The Swept Away Saga, Book One)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Three cheers for Thomas Randall!"

The cry went up, met with a chorus of approval, the men shouting out in glee for their hero, the most daring man on board for the last two hauls.

Thomas himself stood in the center of the pit, basking in his newfound glory, a smug smile of accomplishment laid across his features.

The two ships we'd taken since leaving port had been massive. As instructed, I'd waited until the last moment to go and hide, no one noticing my disappearances. When the fight was done, I'd make sure to rub dirt on my face and a little blood from the splattered deck before joining the crew like I'd been there the entire time. Unfortunately, someone else had been there the entire time, and he was using it to grow the crew's favor.

Thomas Randall had been a beast to contend with on both raids, fighting harder and longer than any other man on board. He killed the most of the opposing crew, and he uncovered the largest of the haul, announcing it to everyone like he had climbed into the earth and discovered it himself.

The crew was devouring him. The captain was being painted as a drunk more often, some of the men even flat out refusing to follow his orders. Tristan was keeping it all together by a thread, threatening them all with painful punishments if they didn't keep up on their parts. We could feel them slipping, though, turning to the bloodthirsty Englishman and his devious plots.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they mutinied tomorrow," Tristan sighed, looking at me over the fire in the galley. "If he were to ask them to do it, they would."

"Maybe they just need someone to show them a better path," Alfonso suggested, shrugging. "You've led them well for years, Señor. Perhaps they forgot in their excitement."

"It's not hard to forget the people who've actually supported you when someone else is offering you something that sounds better," I replied quietly. "He's lying to them to gain their favor. Expose him!"

"I'll have to catch him in a lie first, lass." He paused for a moment, thinking. "I suppose I could challenge him to a duel in the pit, end it once and for all. But if the crew backs him as much as they appear to, it won't matter if I win or lose. They'll save him before anything can happen."

"There is no order here anymore," Alfonso agreed. "It must be fixed."

"Sails!"

Feet hurried across the decks above, cries of excitement reaching us down below.

"Hunting time!" a man crowed, whooping in delighted glee.

"Another one?" Alfonso asked.

"We've not been sustaining damage from our other hunts, so we can do more without going to port." Tristan shrugged, pulling the pistol out of his belt and checking to see if it was loaded. "You know what to do, Sam."

Nodding, I took out my own gun, following him above and joining the mass of excited men readying for a fight.

"We'll have her in ten minutes, Captain!" cried the man checking the ship's speed.

"You heard him!" Captain Rodrigues roared, spitting on everyone in the vicinity. "Get ready for war, ye mangy dogs!"

"Victory or death!" Thomas shouted, enticing the crew much more than the captain had.

Slinking backwards, I began my usual route to safety in the hull, weaving through the men and looking as battle hard as I could.

"Stations!" Tristan yelled from above, taking his place on the top deck, waiting to toss the grappling hooks over when the time came.