shafts not split, our vessel would have come under the same fate as those we were firing upon.
Moments after the balls released a brief moment of peace overcame the ocean. Within an instance of time which seemed to last forever the balls took free flight towards their destination. The sea was so calm that for much of their journey the two black pearls could be seen reflecting most harmlessly off of the ocean’s surface. We each stood staring in the tranquillity of the moment before two great eruptions broke the silence, and what we saw was as much disturbing as it was relieving. I had seen in practice the small scale by which the concoction Sollertis had created caused a wild explosion, yet on this scale ‘twas far more horrendous than anything I could have imagined.
As the two ships were hit it seemed their very wood work and construct were torn and split asunder, the thunderous explosion roared fire outwards from the ships’ interiors, the blast causing even the crew of Roselyn to cower so violent was the tremendous outburst. The galleons’ starboards were completely blown outwards into the consuming ocean, and before my very eyes men of the Spanish vessels became air born, tossed high up, their burning corpses splashed limply into the water below. ‘Twas almost with guilt I watched the vessel to the left of our starboard stricken so brutally it was literally torn in two before the crew’s gaze. Fire and debris rapidly covered the ocean’s surface as the horrendous blasts violently consumed all visible woodwork of the ships.
Sollertis breathed heavily and slid down the wall of the orlop onto his back without watching what his invention had done. Some of the crew drearily cheered, others simply gazed with amazement. Even Rike seemed stricken. He stared with astonishment through his spy glass at the destroyed vessels, stunned by that which he witnessed.
Looking out again into the sea I could see now the damage clearly. The flames consumed the vessel to our right, ‘twas nothing but a burning wreck, the vessel to our left was nearly sunk. The explosion seemed to have cause the galleon’s powder room to ignite, ripping the woodwork into an infinite number of pieces.
Every man bar Sollertis stood watching the galleons burn away for some time, the men onboard did not have a hope, I had never seen such damage caused by anything in all the days of my life. I dare not think of what may have been on those vessels, nor what the men on them experienced during the last moments of their time. What is done is done.
“Back to your stations, lads.” The captain at last spoke breaking the hypnosis.
“Sollertis, re-raise the mast and be showin’ the new crew folk ‘ow, we must be makin’ ‘aste away from these parts. It shall be nothin’ short o’ trouble should we take our time.” Still slouched the boatswain did not react. Rike approached him helping him up from the floor.
“‘Twas our lives or theirs, bos’n, they would not ‘ath ‘ad pity for you, matey, nor would they ‘ath appreciated your greatness.” Rike stared at Sollertis, who was stricken in a state of what was either relief or guilt. After some moments he slowly nodded and Rike padded him on the shoulder.
“Come, lads!” He shouted out, “much work to be done!”
Making my way to the upper deck, ‘twas apparent the day was becoming late, the remaining burning galleon would become a beacon in the fading light. ‘Twas vital we made our way into deeper seas as fast as the light breeze would carry us. I ensured our Jolly Roger was replaced and Sollertis made haste to raise the rear mast, he had a number of new recruits including May assist him in efforts to teach as many men on board the knowledge to do so.
Roselyn’s Jolly Roger was simply black with the face of a female painted upon it, who I had always assumed was the female whom the ship was named after, her face appeared slender and she had long cascading hair though little else was distinguishable.
On we sailed, into the unknown, towards what Sollertis had already promised the captain did not exist: The strange isle that was shown to lie in the midst of the Caribbean Sea, and the treasures that were hidden beneath its earth.
6.
‘Twas a peaceful night we sailed after the destruction witnessed at the hands of Sollertis. During quiet moments my mind had often strayed back to the site of those vessels, blown apart without a moments warning, nor hope. We were still sailing south at a western bearing in search of the captain’s island though I had great doubts in my mind that we would ever come across it. ‘Twas so small upon the stranger’s map, to find it would have been nothing but sheer fortune, if it did indeed exist.
As the very first strands of dawn’s light began to reflect upon the Caribbean’s surface, I recall as I sat at the ship’s starboard stroking Achilles a strangely dim, hollow sound, echoing in the wind. ‘Tis such a vivid memory for it caused Achilles to act most peculiarly, he seemed enticed as much as myself for ‘twas not the sound of the sea breeze.
“Sailor sir! There be some floatin’ wreckage it seems ‘pon the ocean!” Fox yelled out to me, pointing outwards off of the port side of the vessel. “I think there be somethin’ amongst it, sir! It looks like a body! It could be some of the wreckage from the Spanish galleons!”
“Nay, there be no chance o’ that, lad. We ‘ave come far too far from those ships for their flotsam to be ‘ere.”
‘Twas not clearly visible to the eye so dark was the sky still, though I could make a dim outline of the floating wreck from my spy glass and it did indeed appear as though some life form rested upon the woodwork.
“Samuels! Steer ‘er portside! Fox, down from the nest, matey, come ‘elp me lower ‘er sails. Bill and Adams, sort the rear mast, lads, and be quick, we’ll get a boat lowered.” ‘Twas always an exciting prospect to make a discovery. Whatever was amongst the flotsam could have been of great worth, though ‘twas nothing any one of us could have imagined.
With excited minds we lowered a vessel down to the sea on Roselyn’s portside, I approached Rike’s quarters and lightly tested his door, he had been back and forth to the deck from his chamber upon that night so I did not fear I would disturb his sleep. With but a brief time passed Rike and I made our way down to the small craft and with thanks to Samuels’ skilled steering abilities rowed out but a small way to the wreckage which rested mysteriously in the midst of the Caribbean.
The light was still incredibly dim though ‘twas enough by now to see with ease by candlelight. As we approached an eerie silence came about the sea. Slowly we washed up by the waterlogged wreckage.
“What be that stench!” I nearly hurled for an odour unlike anything I had smelt struck my nose. Rike himself immediately barfed into the ocean, and slouching back in the small boat released a flurry of coughs.
“What do you see, ‘arvey?” The captain whispered to me covering his mouth and nose. I glared over the wood and ruined sails. Suddenly I noticed something alarming resting upon a piece of the wreckages woodwork, ‘twas a hand, though it led under a mass of wet sails.
“There be a body, sir, it must be a corpse for the smell be terrible.” The captain huffed quietly and seemed to think for a moment “See if it be alive, ‘arvey, no corpse I ‘ath ever smelt be none like that.” I paused at the thought. As my hesitance became apparent the captain whispered to me with a humorous tone to his voice, “don’t be a coward.” By now he had pulled his entire grey coat over his face to fend off the wretched smell in the air, shaking my head I stood up on the small boat.
“Try to get a bit closer, cap’n.” The craft came to a halt as the captain guided her into the wooden spoils. The oceans were deathly calm, not a sound could be heard other than the waves softly washing up against Roselyn and our small vessel. I leaned out of the boat, resting on the wreckage’s woodwork and reached over at the hand with the handle of my paddle. I am sure I was nearly shocked to death at that moment for upon contact with the hand the body sprang up and the hand snapped my paddle as though it were nothing more than a twig.
I yelled out nearly falling from the boat though the captain steadied my balance, quickly realising the body which I had stirred was in just as
much shock as myself. Rike appeared quite un-startled, he had drawn his rapier with incredible haste but sat slouched in the back of the small vessel clearly more concerned about blocking the stench in the air than the potential hostility of the stranger found.
With a swift recovery the body removed the sails that were layered upon it. He lifted the hand that had split my paddle in two to block the glow of the candle. The light seemed to reflect off of his glazed eyes in a most peculiar fashion. ‘Twas not until he focused upon Captain Rike that I noticed the entirety of his eye had been black for the brief moment before they adjusted to the brightness, I saw his pupils shrink to the size of a normal mans.
“Do you know where I be?” The male asked hesitantly, his voice was deep and rough. It sounded erratic, his eyes were covered in deep rings of red appearing as though he had not slept for weeks. The stranger looked to be middle aged, his skin appeared youthful and his hair was a deep shade of light brown. Still startled I held the candlelight up to get a good view of the man. He winced and covered his face from the light with his hand. Something was smeared in his beard and around his mouth.
“You’re in the midst o’ the North sea, lad.” Captain Rike spoke to the stranger who looked at us