New Horizons (A Pirate Story)

Chapter 14: Old Friends

Several days had passed since Astryd's fighting practice, and every day in her spare moments, she practiced. She worked to perfect her fighting stance, she tried to follow through with her swings, and she tried to adjust to the weight of her cutlass.

It was her turn to stay in the crow's nest for a while. Astryd had already given chores for the swabs to complete. So in the moments that she was perched high above the deck and soaking in the sun's rays, she examined her sword.

It seemed more detailed than before, or maybe Astryd just never noticed. The hilt was one solid piece of metal with a domed half sphere protecting her hand from injury. The handle was leather bound and just the right texture for a sturdy grip. As for the blade itself, there were many fine designs etched into it. So small and subtle it was barely there. But when Astryd tilted the blade into the sunlight just right, she could catch a glimpse of the designs. It looked like sayings written in a language Astryd did not recognize. It was another reminder of how little she new about the world.

Astryd snapped herself out of her thoughts and reminded herself of her current duties. She looked south over the water. The ship had been following them for days. There was no doubt about it now. Astryd could now see that the ship was small and lean, similar to the Crescent, and designed for speed.

And it was closing the gap between them.

Everyone on deck seemed tense, but they wouldn't voice why. It just further frustrated Astryd how reserved everyone was being lately. Carmen was being stricter, and Kincade was spending more time pouring over his maps and charts.

Astryd also noticed a lot of the men were keeping weapons on them. Some of the crew did normally, but it got in the way of work. So, most of the men did not carry a weapon. There was no point in keeping daggers and guns on their person unless they were anticipating a battle to come.

Morgan was also working Tom double time. Astryd could see Tom's blond head scurrying around deck, checking all the cannons, and Morgan's deep voice was unmistakable.

There wasn't much for Astryd to do in that moment, seeing as the only other ship in sight had already been announced. So, she took the time in her limited amount of space to continue going through the basic fighting motions. She wasn't going to be defenseless again.

A few hours passed, and the ship was nearly upon them. It was beginning to move to the port side and was almost parallel with the Crescent.

Astryd decided there was no use in staying in the crow's nest any longer and descended through the tangle of nets and ropes that lead down to the main deck. The height no longer scared her. She was actually beginning to enjoy it.

As she neared the deck, she heard Kincade shouting orders. Kincade was taking over Carmen's duties and now had full control of the crew. That only meant one thing.

They were preparing for battle.

Astryd's heart started to beat faster. This can't be good.

This time, Astryd was ready. She understood every order given out and followed them precisely. Her main role during this time was to prepare the swabs. She guided them in the final preparations. All the young boys seemed less scared and more thrilled with adrenaline as the ship drew closer, and they followed Astryd's every command.

She made sure all the cargo was taken below deck and secured. She checked with Morgan to see if he needed assistance preparing the portside cannons, being that now they were of equal rank, and lent him a few of her swabs.

"Prepare to be boarded!" a man shouted from the opposing ship, which was now parallel to the Crescent. He wore regular work attire with the exception that he had a ridiculously large hat with an enormous feather on top.