fourth installment of the Heavy Burdens series. Not a stand alone book! You will have to get through Heavy Burdens, Black Wolf and Sparrow before reading this one.
After their escape from Castle Benton, Declan and Liz are being chased by the English...
The rain poured down on their heads and made it hard to see what was in front or behind them. Waves hitting Fortuna's ship, making the vessels hit from left to right and back again. If Declan was a lesser man, he would already puked his guts out by the brute movements the ship was making. The darkness surrounding them made the silence close to unbearable. The air was heavy with adrenaline and...fear.
They had spotted the other ships hours ago, right before night fell and Fortuna had gritted his teeth while he watched through his scope.
"The English?" Declan had asked and the captain had shaken his head.
For the first time since making their way South, there was worry on the man's face and Declan didn't like it. At all.
"Worse," Fortuna locked eyes with Harp. "The ship carries the flag of the Jolly Roger. The bones of the Devil himself on their flags."
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Fortuna had a flare for the dramatic, but this time Declan had stared into the distance towards the strong looking ship that seemed to approach them in a slow yet steady pace. He had hoped the pirates would not have seen them, but when night fell, the ship that was pursuing them, put out all of their lights. It turned them invisible and the pouring curtain of rain didn't help at all.
The captain was worried and soon, Declan ran downstairs to wake up the men. McTaggart was on his feet in no time, still drunk from the rum that Fortuna had stored when they went ashore in Dunkirk. The small crew they managed to pick up in France, were awake as soon as McTaggart rang the alarm bell that echoed throughout the deck below.
The whole ship was awake and on the upper deck in a matter of minutes when a gentle hand came to rest on Harp's shoulder. He was about to make his way above deck again after he grabbed a bag of weapons, ready to let the crew choose one to defend themselves. He still wasn't sure if the Pirates would enter Fortuna's ship. There was nothing for them here and Declan didn't have experience in battle on the Sea.
"What is going on?"
He took a deep breath before he turned to face Liz, Tala close to her chest wrapped up in a sheet. Elizabeth had bound the sheet around her so she could carry the baby against her without having to hold her. His hands swiftly cradled her face and Declan locked eyes with her.
"Take Kate," he said quick, "Lock yourselves up in the back, where the barrels of rum are being held."
Worry and panic crossed her features, both her hands rested on his shoulders.
"Declan?"
He kissed her on the lips and caressed Tala's head before he turned on his heels. "Pirates," he stated and heard Liz gasp behind him. "Do not open the door for anyone, but me."
With that he left Liz and his daughter to make his way above deck. Declan knew Elizabeth would do anything to keep their child safe. So would the maid that travelled with them ; Kate had proven to be a trustful ally in their journey and a good caretaker for Tala and Liz.
Above deck, men were standing side by side when Harp threw the bag on the floor. It fell open and revealed a collection of old weapons. Most of them meant for blunt melee, but a few pistols were in there too.
"Arm yourselves," his voice loud while his hands tied his hair back. The rain had made it wet and sticky around his face. If it came to combat, Harp rather not be blinded by his own hair. He glanced behind his shoulder to Fortuna who stared right in front of him.
After the men armed themselves, all choosing a weapon that they liked the most, Harp hoped they knew how to defend theirselves.
"Declan," McTaggart's voice made Harp look at his left. In the darkness of the night, it was getting hard to see where the Scotsman was standing. "I don't see or hear anything, eye. I might be drunk , but you sure there's need to get us out of our cots at this time of night?"
"My friends, don't let the silence fool you," Fortuna intervened from above them. "They're experienced in warfare on the sea. They're here and close. Want to send us to Davy's Locker."
McTaggart grumbled : "what's he talking about?"
Harp ignored McTaggart, tried to get a view through the heavy rain, tried to hear something.
Nothing was there. Only the sound of the rain hitting the wooden ship. Yet, his fists clenched open and shut. Something hung in the air that made Harp nervous, and he wasn't the only one that felt it. The dozen men around him, clenched their weapons close to them and turned their heads into every direction only to be met by darkness.
He hated this.
Declan was used to war and to fight, yet it was always in the open fields or in the woods that he knew by the back of his hand. Always, he had the freedom of space to move around in. Here, on this ship, it felt too small to be able to manoeuvre around.
The sound was sudden and if it wasn't so quiet, he wouldn't have heard it. It was like something was being thrown, followed by a loud thud once it hit the ship's deck. It took Fortuna a few seconds to react.
"Get to your posts," the Captain suddenly shouted, making everyone turn their heads to face him. "We are being boarded!"
Declan raised a brow, but didn't have time to think it fully through when a battle cries pierced the air. Ropes were now coming out of nowhere, tied at the end with something heavy so it landed easily on the deck.
Then the Pirate Ship lighted their lanterns all together and Harp did a step back out of surprise. The enemies ship was on their right, dooming up out of the darkness as a Sea Beast out of one of the tales his mother told him before going to sleep. The ship was easily half a size longer than theirs and it seemed like all the pirates where ready to make the jump to their ship.
His fist clenched again, his daggers close to him and a snarl escaped his lips.
They were with many, but before a fight, it was important to keep your calm.
An eerie calmness took over him and a smirk played around his lips. Maybe it was too long ago that he felt the rush of a good fight, maybe it was the fact that Lord Fisker chasing them over the Atlantic that made Declan yearn for a good rumble. Or maybe, it was the adrenaline that took a sudden hold of him to protect Elizabeth and his daughter.
Whatever it was, as soon as the first Pirate made the jump and landed his feet on Fortuna's ship, it was Declan who roared into the night before he attacked the man.
Below deck, Elizabeth held Tala close, Kate embraced both mother and child when they heard the noise coming from above.
Author's note : I have no idea how was able to pull it off, but I'm sure I made the deadline of end of May! Haha! Let me know how you liked the prologue! Hope you enjoy Liz and Declan's story in Little Wolf! XoXo Aysline
