Page 90 of Crossbones
I’m moving, cutlass in hand. Harrison tries to get to him but is sent flying as he’s batted away. I reach Blackwell who is now struggling to breathe. The Kraken has him wrapped around the mast with his arms pinned at his sides. I hack at the tentacle. Blue blood gushes from the wounds, slimy and gelatinous. It falls to the deck, causing the ground to become dangerously slippery.
“Watch out,” James gasps.
I turn, but don’t have time to move before another tentacle comes for me. Thank God it’s a smaller one than the one pinning Blackwell, but it still takes my breath away as it hits my side. I’m tossed a few feet away, landing hard on my hip.
There’s a shout from the other side of the deck as another Kraken slinks over the rail. A greyish-green arm wraps around a crewmember and before he has time to do anything it whips him up in the air. I don’t have any breath to curse as I struggle to my knees.
The Kraken slams him down angrily on the deck, again and again until the man is a crushed bloody mess. I stagger to my feet and rush back to Blackwell, attacking the tentacle with renewed vengeance. It falls convulsing to the ground and Blackwell heaves in air, clutching his ribs with one arm and turning to see the destruction on the other side of the deck.
“Fuck—” His voice is a whisper as he heaves in air. “Sail into the storm.”
“Drop another rum!” I shout. “Trim the main! Get us into that storm!”
Men rush to obey the orders and I shove Blackwell aside just as another tentacle comes for us. It slams into the deck where we’d been standing, easily the thickness of a man. I run to the rail and look down into the water. The surface is foaming but I can see the shadow of the beast just beneath.
“I need a bow!” I shout. “Someone get me a fucking bow and quiver!”
Flynt rushes over and shoves a bow and half a sheaf into my hands. I quickly notch, pull and release. The tentacles all twitch as my arrow embeds in the Kraken’s mantle. I immediately launch another two in quick succession before I lunge away; all of the arms come for me at once. I roll towards the bow of the ship and jump up; notching another I lean over the rail and let it fly. The ship lurches as the tentacles fall away and we shoot forward.
The sky has darkened and rain hits the deck, pattering on the canvas above my head. I move away from the rail but something slams into my back and I crash into the foremast. Stars explode across my vision and I slump down to the deck, fighting to breathe.
The wind whips through the sails as we approach the storm. The deck pitches and I slide towards the rail as we tip starboard. I’m on my hands and knees, the vertigo hitting me hard. I scramble to grab hold of anything but just before I hit the rail, strong arms grab me and haul me to my feet.
“To the rigging! Strike all canvas!” Blackwell bellows hoarsely against the wind.
I’m struggling to take a full breath, but at least the vertigo recedes as we stumble through the rain. He’s clutching me tightly as we move towards thedoor to the cabins. He fists my shirt as he yanks me close so I can hear him over the wind.
“Get below deck!”
“Fuck that—” I wheeze and shake him off, making it clear I’m not going anywhere.
“Captain!”
Blackwell grits his teeth as Harrison calls him from the quarterdeck.
“Go!” I shove him towards the steps. “I’m good—get us out of this, Captain!”
I grab a rope for balance as Blackwell glares at me once more, and heads up the steps where Harrison is battling the currents at the helm. I glance up at the rigging—the men are struggling with the sails but managing. I’m hearing depth readings being called out as best as they can be read during a squall. This storm isn’t as bad as the previous ones on open water—the shallow Straights make the waves less like mountains—but the worry here is getting run to ground. If we hit the sandbar, we’re basically fucked. The waves would pound us into driftwood.
I inhale deeply, my side protesting. I don’t think anything is broken but it still hurts like a bitch. The deck pitches, throwing me off balance as I follow after Blackwell towards the quarterdeck. Like hell am I going below until I know we’re safely out of this—until I knowhe’ssafely out of this.
JAMES
My ribs are killing me and it hurts to breathe.
But it hurt more seeing Caspian get thrown by the Kraken. I want him out of harm's way but he’s a stubborn bastard and won’t leave. From the way I feel his eyes on me, I know it’s because he won’t go below deck while I’m out here. I tear my attention off of him as I grab the helm. I immediately feel her burying into the swells.
“She’s riding low! Slack the jib!” I bark. I turn to Van and two of my crew hanging over the starboard rail. “I want constant depth readings!”
“Aye, Captain!”
I watch the men at the bow loosen the jib and she pitches up, riding high now. Depths are called out, and I’m reading the current in time with Van’s directions.
The next thirty minutes are harrowing. The Kraken are gone; they don’t like the shallow waters during a storm, but the Straights are giving me a white-knuckle experience at the helm. The depths vary drastically and are being called out at a degree that has me barking orders left and right until my voice grows hoarse. At some point, Caspian has found his way back up to the quarterdeck and is helping navigate with Flynt on the port side.
“Eyes on the color of the water!” I yell.
“Ten degrees starboard!”
