Ahoy mates! Thanks for still hanging in there on this story! Considering I know that you guys want this a lot, I'll just let you get straight to...
Smoke
Kat’s prediction ended up being correct. Before the sun had set, Scern had come back down to the ship and requested a number of the
Mercenary’s crew to assist in the transfer of supplies. Lawrence was careful to leave certain crewmembers aboard, such as Emily, who would be quick to ready the ship if the need came. Kat noted out of the corner of her eye Luckie sending Angel down into the ship before falling in line with the rest headed up to the fort.
Lawrence and Charles stood near Kat on the trek up the docks. The group, led by Scern and some of his soldiers, passed through the giant wooden doors and into a large field. Kat looked around in wonder at the feat the Crown’s military had pulled off on such a small island. Men stood in the distance, practicing formations led by an officer. Kat narrowed her eyes slightly towards them, but saw no figure that jumped out at her with recognition. She instead continued to follow the steady, well measured steps of Scern, her eyes glancing around, looking for a good moment to dart out of sight and begin her explorations.
The crew was led past the field and under another arch. Kat’s eyes picked up on a rather inconspicuous, yet heavily guarded doorway as her boots squelched through the mud of a nearby pig pen. She made note of the area, as well as the ramp to her left as they fell into the shadow of trees. The hill they marched up led to a town scattered with soldiers or black and gold EITC uniforms, along with the occasional common dress.
Scern began leading the group to the left, closer to a large, storage like building. Kat found her opportunity to break away from the group, so she tapped Lawrence briefly on the arm as she darted past him and into the crevice between two of the buildings. She pressed herself against the wall, listening to the men enter the warehouse. The door finally shut, and she let her breath go.
Her compass clicked as she brought it out of her pocket and flicked it open. Slowly it spun, pointing to her right, down the alleyway. Kat snapped it shut and crept slowly down the narrow hall, but kept it close in her hand. This wasn’t a place she felt like getting lost in.
The dark of the alley was short, and she emerged with the warehouse still on her left. The buildings were much more condensed on this side, but the area was empty. Kat glanced around, noticing guards stationed at the top of a bridge, and she shrunk into the shadows, silently watching them. They paid no attention to the ground below them, however, but instead stood there chatting with each other, bayonets held loosely at their sides. She walked slowly out into the area, glancing around her with her hand twitching to grab a dagger from her coat for protection. Across the small lane she quickly darted, the sunlight off a window blinding her for the briefest of moments. She was out of view of the guards, at least. Now it was just a matter of exploring the buildings around her to find her prize.
The door she was leaning on suddenly fell away, but Kat was able to catch herself. Her heart pounded with adrenaline rushing through her from fear. A large hand roughly grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She met closely with two dark, cold eyes.
“I thought I saw you from the window,” Randolph growled, sheer fury mixing with his words. His grip was too tight against her shoulder and pressing in just the right spot so she couldn’t move her arm. She was stuck as he pushed her against the wall of the doorway.
“You and your little pirate self, and your little pirate crew. Did you enjoy leaving me to die in the middle of the ocean? Did you?!” He accentuated it with a sharp squeeze to her shoulder, and Kat couldn’t help but gasp in pain. “I’ve heard of the mischief and the conning you’ve gotten up to the past three years, Katherine. Well,” he grinned maliciously. “Good luck doing that from now on.”
Without warning, his hand shot from her shoulder to her forearm, viciously pulling up the sleeve of her shirt. During his rant, Kat hadn’t seen the rod Randolph had held in his right hand, but she certainly felt it now as he burned a red-hot P into her skin. She screamed in pain, falling to her knees while Randolph stood over her, cackling.
He finally pulled it away, letting it dangle at his side next to her face as she moaned in pain. “How does it feel, Katherine?” he taunted. “Do I need to make it feel better, love?” His face turned into a sneer.
Kat didn’t let herself fall to his goading, instead weakly reaching into her coat. “You wish,” she hissed, pulling a grenade out and setting the fuse to the brand. It lit and she flung it with her good arm into the lane. She stood and kicked the metal pole into his face. The hot iron seared his skin, the embers burning what stubble he had. It was he who yelled in pain this time, and Kat ran back the way she had come while he was distracted.
Kat turned out of the alleyway, only to run into her crew, who looked at her curiously. “Back to the ship!” she yelled, gripping her arm tightly. She glanced behind her to see smoke rising, and Randolph coming through the alley. “Now!” Without waiting for confirmation, she began running at top speed down the hill and back to her ship, feeling the P on her arm jolt with little shocks of pain.
“They’re pirates! Seize them!” Randolph cried behind her. She didn’t look back, but she heard the drawing of swords. Whether they were friend or foe, she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was the need to run, to escape, to find something to get rid of the searing burn in her skin. Cries reached her ears along with the clashing of swords, but she just ran, down the hill, past the other warehouse, under the archway to the field. She saw through the far gate the sails of her ship being set up and could almost hear the anchor being raised. Some sliver of hope popped up inside her that maybe, just maybe, they could get out of this alive.
That’s when she made the mistake of turning around.
Her men had engaged with the Navy everywhere she turned. Their numbers were monumentally overpowered, and most had just begun fleeing back to the ship as she had been doing. The thing her eyes focused on, however, was the battle between a red haired, emerald eyed man and the swine she had once called a husband. As she stared at them, their blades became locked, sweat pouring down their faces in the Caribbean heat. Randolph suddenly raised a hard black boot and kicked Lawrence in the chest, knocking him backwards and stunning him. Lawrence fell to the ground, and Randolph’s gaze immediately turned to her. He began storming towards her, and Kat felt her legs were ready to pounce away from him, but instead Lawrence sat up from the ground he had been shoved onto and flung his dagger towards Randolph. The aim was true; the small blade sunk into the back of Randolph’s thigh, and he roared in pain for the second time in minutes. He turned from Kat, his leg buckling as he fell on Lawrence and soundly punched him across the face, then under his chin, and again in the ribs.
“Lawrence!” Kat cried, and she tried to leap to his aid, but Charles’ large form appeared and pushed her backwards.
“Go, Kat, go!” he yelled at her, but she shoved herself against his arms.
“Charles we have to help him!” Charles glanced behind him to see that two more soldiers had come to their officer’s aid, and were dragging Lawrence’s unconscious and beaten form up further into the fort.
“We can’t help him right now, Kat!” he claimed. Knowing prematurely that his sister wouldn’t give up, he kneeled down and flung her over his shoulder, taking off at a run for the ship. She tried to beat on his back, but hissed in pain at the burn on her forearm. That didn’t stop her from screaming obscenities and cries to be freed as they got closer to the ship, though.
“If we go back, we’ll all die!” he shouted as he boarded the
Mercenary.
“Set sail as quickly as possible!” he ordered the crew with the Captain still on his shoulder. She wiggled and screamed and tried kicking her way free, but Charles didn’t let her down until the ship had left port, and she was forced to watch the fort shrink in the flames of the setting sun.
And now I'll go off under my rock to avoid the slings and arrows of misfortune.
(If you got that reference, I love you.)
I have to thank Pieisbetter2 for a sentence used in this chapter. Can't be caught plagiarizing, now can I?
I know you all have waited for this chapter, but it was worth it, aye? I'd love reviews, especially on this chapter mates (minus the giant sword, if you please Em). It's good to know that as unreliable as my postings are, there's still people here waiting to read the story. So, I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!
-Kat Crestshot