Chapter 4

There are very few sights on the open waters that will tug at the fear deep in someone's mind. Katherine had been on the other side of many chases in her time, usually with her father at command as he hunted down merchant ships in the straights between Africa and Europe, sometimes through the English channel. Most times, it was bloodless, the crew giving up before a shot was ever fired, but then there were times like this, when the crew would fight to the death. It was a something she had only seen once up close, two men fighting for her life and freedom, both losing their lives. It was the beginning of her long stay as a captive on the Ocean Blue, something that still sent shivers down her spine.

Katherine stood frozen in her spot, watching the horizon as she remembered the event vividly. Closing her eyes, Katherine could relive the moment as if she were a child again. It was pitch black that night, thick clouds covering the full moon and the ocean an inky color that hid everything. The tiny boat her father had gained access to moved slowly over the water, sloshing and creaking as it got closer to the Ocean Blue. Staring out over the ocean, Katherine watched the shore of the land twinkle in the soft lamplights. It had almost been her home, had that sheik agreed to the deal her father offered, but the man had no need for a fourteen year old girl and her sixteen year old brother. Things would have been different, she reflected, had that awful man just listened and taken them in.

She remembered her father grabbing her wrist in the darkness and pulling her carefully to the side of the ship, placing her hands on the rough rope ladder that ran down the side. It was in that brief moment that he hugged her tightly, his damp cheek pressing into her neck. It was then that Katherine felt fear. Her father, that strong stone in her life, was crying over their hapless situation. With a soft kiss against her temple, he gave her a boost up, telling her to be quiet and not to draw attention.

She was climbing up the rope ladder, Danny pushing her from below as their father whispered to them to keep it quiet. Katherine grumbled at her brother was she reached up over the side of the ship and gripped the rough wood in her hands, hoisting herself over the side. It was then that two hands grabbed her tightly and practically threw her to the deck. A short scream was stifled as the man grabbed and hauled her to her feet, holding her tight against him as the lanterns onboard where lit and her brother looked on in fear as she saw her father's angry face appear over the side of the ship.

"Where have you been, Captain?" Bega asked with a laugh and a grin as he brought out his pistol and pointed it first at Katherine then turning it to the hulking man who was pulling himself over the side.

"You'll never find out." He growled, his hands clenching tight in fear and anger.

Looking around, Jim knew there was no way out of this. His plan for escape had failed and all he cared about now was the well being of his children. He stared at Katherine, angered by the tight grip that Bega had on her arm and the pain on her face, his eyes calming and reassuring that everything would be okay. Looking back up, he noticed the faces of the rest of the crew, all with eyes narrowed. Mutiny, he cursed himself, they had mutinied while he tried to get Danny and Katherine to the coast. Of course, it didn't surprise him, but he still wished that he could have gotten his family to safety.

"You're right, Captain." He spit out the word with such distain that it practically stung. "I never will."

It all happened in a blur, the sharp pop and smoke causing Katherine to wince and shut her eyes tight against the scene in front of her. A howling cry came forth from her brother and then a thud followed by a gurgling sound. She shook from head to toe as the laughter began and she opened her eyes to behold the sight in front of her.

She felt the cruel grip on her upper arm, the feel of a gun pressed against her temple. The air smelled of gun smoke, the barrel of the gun hot as it pressed into her curls. The sight of her father laying motionless on the rough wood made her fight back tears. Looking around the deck, she could see the faces of men that she had once considered her family, each laughing at the sight of their dead captain.

She heard the click of the gun, men jeering and urging him to do it. Just pull the trigger, they yelled as Bega said nothing, just gripped her arm tighter as he glared over the top of her head at her brother. Danny stood there, his face full of fear and resignation, unable to do anything else. His blue eyes locked with his sister's, a tear rolling down his cheek as he squared his shoulders and prepared for his fate. He jerked for a moment, his mind racing as he thought he could run or grab something to defend himself, but with a deep breath, he let his arms fall limp to his side and looked at Bega.

Suddenly, the hand let go of her arm and grabbed her tight around the waist, the gun pulling away and firing straight at Danny. His blue eyes widened in surprise as a cloud of red mist appeared before him. He clutched at his chest, stumbling back until he hit the railing before tumbling over board to the waves below. A loud splash filled the still air as the crew started to laugh, the sound of many voices filling the young girl's ears as she stood there in shocked silence.

"Danny!" She screamed, her voice high and shrill as Bega laughed and began to drag her across the deck, towards the cabin that was once her father's. She let him drag her for a moment, too stunned to comprehend what had happened, but it only lasted a few short moments before she struggled.

She fought like a fury, wishing that she could escape this hell that she was living, but the man's grip grew tighter, his fingers digging into the soft flesh that was exposed on her modest neckline. She would carry the bruises for a week, but it wouldn't be the only time she was bruised and battered during the next few months. She twisted and turned, screaming and kicked her legs in the air, anything to stop him from his journey.

With a jerk on the door, Bega shoved her into the cabin, glaring as she stumbled and finally fell to the ground, her legs tangled in her skirts. Katherine leaned up on an elbow and looked at him with fear, his face so clear in the moonlight. He held no pity for her, his dark eyes narrowing at the young girl before him. It was as if he had never seen her before, no longer the girl that had grown up on the ship, but as a woman who was ripe for the taking. A woman with a secret that he would drag out of her, come hell or high water. It was that night that the face of Bega was engraved in her mind, the sound of the door slamming shut on the cabin the last sound that she cared to remember of that horrible event.

It was two strong hands clamping down on Katherine's shoulders that snapped her out of the memory, making her jump as they spun her around. She gave out a cry of surprise as she came face to face with the man, his coat and uniform instantly registering in her mind. Captain Richards looked down at her, his eyes set in determination but Katherine could see the fear deep inside. She met his gaze, hoping that any sign of the memory was wiped from her eyes.

"Get to your cabin and lock yourself in." He stated, giving her a shake to get her out of her stupor. "I don't need to tell you what would happen if..." He trailed off, his attentions slowly turning to the ocean as he looked out to the horizon. "If you ever meet a woman named Constanza, tell her ... tell her I always loved her." He whispered finally after a long silence, his eyes serious as he stared down at the girl in his grip.

Katherine stood in silence, just nodding. "I will."

He just nodded and gently pushed her aside as he began shouting orders to the frazzled crew, his voice strong as it carried over the deck. Katherine had no doubt in her mind that he would be the first to die if it came to that; his blue jacket and medals identifying him as a military man and as captain. Foolish pride, she thought, had been the undoing of many men while the sailed the seven seas.

Looking at the other ship one last time, Katherine turned and hurried as fast as she could across the deck, trying to make it to her cabin in time to bolt the door and hopefully wait the horrible may lay out. Men shouted at her as she got in their way, one shoving her roughly to the deck as he bounded over her body to arm himself. A surge of pain went through her arm as she tumbled to the deck, dress ripping on the rough wood. Stumbling up and holding her arm tight against her, Katherine dodged more sailors before finally making it to the cabin door.

Turning to look one more time at the ship that was just a few yards away now, she knew it was only a matter of time. From the doorway, she could see Philip standing at the railing, a slight smile on his face as he calmly watched the water, the Frenchman saying something in his ear that made him laugh. He turned his head, green eyes bright with merriment as he said something back to his friend. The sight seemed odd to Katherine, but before her mind could process everything, the door to the cabin groaned and opened slowly.

"What's going on?" Anne's voice asked sleepily as she pulled open the door, squinting in the sudden light.

Her voice brought Katherine out of her thought and she quickly turned around, shoving Anne back into the cabin as she slammed the bolt of the door home. Leaning her forehead against the door as she took in a shaky breath, Katherine could hear the men shouting from the other ship, a sort of warning before the slaughter began.

"Kate, what's going on? What's all the shouting for?" Anne asked, her voice high pitched with excitement and fear.

Turning to face Anne, she shook her head slightly. "Pirates. They're coming this way." Her voice was barely a whisper as she said the dreaded words. "We have to stay calm, Anne. It's the only way we'll survive."

"Stay calm?" Anne squealed, her voice making Katherine wince as it echoed around the small room. "How do expect me to stay calm when there are pirates out there. My god, we're going to die!" She wailed, tears flowing down her cheeks as she went into hysterics.

Katherine stared at the once proud woman before her in shock. Before she knew what she was doing, Katherine stepped forward and slapped Anne as hard as she could, the sound echoing in her ears as the cabin fell silent except for the shouting from outside. Anne's brown eyes were wide in shock, her hand gripping her cheek as she slowly stepped away from Katherine.

"Listen to me." Katherine began, her voice strained with barely controlled anger. "You have to trust me, as much as the thought disgusts you. I have been here before, not something that I wish to explain at the moment, but the only way that you will survive is if you stop your sniveling and act like the dignified lady that you are." She hissed through clenched teeth, watching as Anne's demeanor changed almost instantly.

"How dare you slap me." She whispered, her lip quivering with tears as she tried to slip into her aristocratic façade.

"It's a good start." Katherine said with a smile as she took in Anne's clothing. She was still dressed in her night gown, her feet bare and her hair loose around her shoulders. "We have to get you dressed. If they see you like that, you won't survive unharmed for long." Katherine whispered, her voice quivering with emotion as she walked over to Anne's chest and pulled out a purple silk dress and held it out to Anne.

"How do you know all of this?" Anne asked, pulling off her nightshirt and throwing it in a heap on the bed.

Katherine stopped for a moment, her blue eyes closing for a moment as a hint of sadness flashed across her face. Opening them again, she took a deep sigh as she helped Anne into the dress, lacing it up tightly as the sound of wooden hulls scraping together filled the air. "Just trust me, Anne." She whispered again, her voice wavering slightly. "Just trust me for the first time in your life, please."

Anne slowly turned and looked at Katherine with suspicion, one eyebrow raised as if to silently question the situation. Both women jumped as the sound of a scream came from on deck, followed by the sounds of feet running every which direction. Anne, in her fright, reached out and grabbed Katherine's hand tight in hers, squeezing it so hard that Katherine let out a whimper of pain. More screams came from the deck, men shouting back and forth to each other as the sound became almost too much to bare.

Anne started whispering a simple prayer, her hand shaking in fright as the fighting seemed to come closer and closer to their cabin, the sound of men dying filling the small space. Suddenly, the door started shaking as someone pounded on it.

"For the luv of God! Let me in!" The person screamed, as Anne let out a frightened scream, letting go of Katherine's hand as she moved backwards towards the wall of the cabin. "Kit, please!"

Katherine heard the name and snapped into action. Sliding the bolt to the side, despite Anne's protests, Katherine opened the door a bit to see Thom standing there, a dead man at his feet. Without a word, he shoved open the door and slammed it closed. He was covered in blood, his shirt soaked through. Katherine stepped back a bit, shocked to see him in such a state for such a short battle.

"This is bad." He whispered, giving her a look out of the corner of his eye as he slid to bolt home again. "They're killin' the crew faster than the devil 'im self."

"Oh, God." Anne whimpered, her back firmly pressed against the wall as she started sobbing again. "I just want to go home."

"We have to do something, Thom." Katherine whispered, hearing a man scream just outside the door, the sound making her wince. "We can't just let them do this."

Thom jumped back slightly, his eyes wide as the sound of someone falling to the deck sounded loudly with a thud. "There's nothin' we can do." He stated with a sigh as he turned to look at her, his eyes wide with fright. "Just stay calm and we'll think things through."

Katherine just nodded, to numb to let everything sink in. Yet again, she was stuck in the middle of a fight and this time she knew it couldn't end good for her. Not that the first fight she was in ended good for her, but at least it had given her valuable information about how to survive. She slowly made her way over to her bed, sitting down on the sheets as the fighting became fierce, the sounds of cannons firing making them jump.

"Why are they firing canons?" Katherine asked, getting nothing in response. 'Certainly they don't want to sink the ship.' She thought to herself, knowing that they were nowhere near land; her fear of the monsters below the ocean's surface growing strong in her stomach as another blast shook the room.

The three sat helplessly as they listened to the sounds of the battle raging just outside the door. Anne was whimpering and silently praying, the skirt of her dress tightly clamped between her fingers. Thom gripped his sword tightly in his hand, his jaw set in anger as he watched the door intently. When Katherine looked at his face, she could see the fear his eyes betrayed. She sat calmly on her bed, hands folded in her lap as she listened to the noise outside.

"How are you so calm?" Anne whispered, her voice holding an edge of anger despite her fear.

Katherine just looked straight through her, her blue eyes holding a secret that she wasn't ready to give up just yet. Suddenly, the screaming and sounds from outside stopped, replaced by a deafening cheer. Katherine stood up quickly, keeping her eyes trained on the bottom of the door. Shadows lazily moved from the deck and the sudden sound of wood splintering in the cabins just to the left told her what she already knew.

"They won." She whispered.

"What?" Anne shouted, her shrill voice filling the room.

"Shhh." Katherine hissed as the door rattled. "Thom, give me your sword." "Are ya daft, Kit?" He asked as the rattling intensified.

"Just trust me."

Thom turned to look at her as if she were mad as the first shove came against the door with jarring force. Anne screamed, pressing further against the wall, tears flowing down her cheeks. Katherine sighed in frustration and scrambled to find another weapon as the door flew open that sound of a pistol filled the air. Thom fell backwards, a wound in his chest as the sword clattered across the floor. Anne let out a piercing scream, backing across the wall until she hit the corner and slowly slid down the wall, a huddling mess of silk skirts. Katherine picked up Anne's glass perfume bottle as the man with the pistol stepped into the room, a grin on his oily face as he kicked Thom with his boot.

"Aye, looks like we found the lasses." He shouted to his companion who was holding a wicked looking saber. "Wot's yer name, luv?" He asked, pointing the gun at Katherine.

Katherine turned to face him, her eyes narrowing in anger as she looked from his face to the gun. Without a second thought, Katherine threw the glass bottle straight at the man as hard as she could, smiling slightly as it shattered against his face. He let out a piercing howl and dropped the gun to the wooden deck, clawing at his eyes as the perfume stung the cuts. As his partner stared on in shock, Katherine bounded across the cabin, picking up the gun and leveling it at the man.