Ocean Blue Ch. 07

"If we're spotted, run and jump ship. If the gulls I hear are any indication, we're close enough to shore that we can swim it."

"I wish I believe that."

Philip nodded his agreement to Katherine's statement as he turned and squared his shoulder, stepping out onto the deck as he mentally chanted over and over to go slow, make no sudden movements, and for God's sake, don't get caught. In the shadows, it seemed that they weren't noticed, an impossible feat considering the people that surrounded them. They were lax in the heat of the day, cheerfully going about their business with no concern as to what was happening just next to them. It seemed to be working towards their advantage and the three couldn't have asked for better circumstances.

"Well, Captain Montard, I would hate to imagine that the accommodations that we so graciously gave you weren't to your liking."

The voice came from overhead, causing Philip's blood to run cold. All three froze, ther sun suddenly unbearably bright as crewmembers turned towards the sound of their captain's voice, staring at them out in the open. Philip turned only for an instant to stare up at Tobias Bega as he pulled his gun, pointing it at the three and shouting the call across the deck that there were prisoners on the loose.

Philip cursed the fact that he had no weapon, knowing that there was no way that he could protect either woman in his care. "Go!" He shouted, not waiting as he gave Katherine a hard shove towards the railing.

Katherine took off in a run, screaming when her path became blocked with men. She was suddenly separated from Philip and Anne, although she could still hear his voice shouting at her to run for it. She changed course, running through the mass of men that were grabbing for her, ducking and weaving until she had a clear path.

Anne screamed as Philip grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back as Bega pointed his weapon at the two of them. His attentions didn't focus on the man in front of him, but on Katherine as she ran across the deck, jumping onto a crate and launching herself towards the rigging as the three men grabbed after her in vain.

She pulled up on the rope latter, using all of the strength that she had to scale the height of the mast, jumping from rope to rope as if she had done it all of her life. The men down below cursed as one grabbed onto the rigging, pulling him up behind her.

Katherine hauled herself up onto the mast, balancing as she edged towards the crow's nest. The heights were far more terrifying now than she remembered them as a child. The boat shifted slightly in the wind, causing her to lose her footing, quickly sitting down on the beam as the boat steadied. The rolling waves combined with the steady wind that cause everything to dip and sway made her whimper, a stab of fear racing through her at the thought that she was far too high up to jump safely. She should have jumped ship from the deck, but it seemed that climbing was the natural thing to do.

"Bloody hell," She murmured as she held onto the wood tightly, her nails digging in as she thought of what to do.

She took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as she turned to go back down the rigging partway, knowing that she would be able to jump from there, no questions. She eased herself around, letting out a yelp of surprise as she saw one of the men close behind her. She cursed to herself, pulling herself to her feet and turning to face the man. As she stood up, the wood under her feet groaned and a slight cracking sound caught her ear. Katherine wobbled slightly on the mast, looking down in surprise as she noticed the hasty patch made on the mainstay.

"Backed yerself into a corner, now didn't you, Katherine?" The man said as he climbed up the rope latter, blocked her escape route. "Wot ya gonna do now?"

She moved her foot again, testing the strength of the ropes holding the fracture in the wood. It all wobbled, giving Katherine an idea. "Your right, I did do a foolish thing, didn't I?" She asked, crouching down slightly. "I'm just scared. I...I need to get down."

The man laughed and shook his head as he walked closer to her. "Stupid girl," He stated.

Bega watched intently from the deck at Katherine as she started to crouch down on the mast, a look of fear crossing her eyes. She wasn't scared, he knew that for certain after watching her climb along the ropes in her childhood. She was up to something and he didn't like it.

"If she escapes, she dies." He stated with finality in his voice, talking to no one in particular as his crew stood surrounding Philip and Anne, swords drawn as a few others tended to the wounded.

"He won't kill her, will he?" Anne whispered in his ear, her voice shallow and frightened as she clung to his tunic.

Philip remained silent, watching the scene above them, silently urging Katherine to jump ship. Katherine watched as the man stopped in the right point and she jumped, keeping her balance as best she could as the entire arm of the mast shook, causing the man to stop in an attempt to gain his balance.

When the man made a grab at her with his filthy hands, Katherine was filled with a rage that she couldn't explain. She wouldn't go back, never in a million years would she put herself back into that hell that had held her captive over the past few years. With an angry cry, she jumped, landing with her full weight against the fracture, having to jump once more until the wood groaned and split as the two began to fall.

"Out of the way!" Bega shouted, moving quickly to the side as the mast split in two, heading straight down for the deck.

The man let out a cry as the wood fell out from under his feet and he fell straight down onto the deck, lying limp where he landed. Katherine jumped out into thin air, grabbing hold of the rigging that was tied to the crow's nest, holding on for dear life as it swung round, suddenly free of the other half of the mast. With a cry, she bumped into the other stay, quickly hoisting herself up and to safety as the large piece of timber fell on the deck, falling through to the lower deck and seriously damaging the hull. They would flounder, she knew, but it would give her time to get away.

Anne let out a scream as the huge mass of wood began the fall to the deck and Philip acted quickly, pulling her behind him as he began to back away. Philip gripped Anne tighter to his back and out of the way of harm as he watched Katherine high above the deck.

"Run, Kit!" He shouted above the chaos, his heart racing with fear for the woman that suddenly seemed so far above their heads.

As men scurried to steady the ship, Katherine looked out over the open water, hearing Philip's call. Land wasn't that far away, she could definitely make it. Taking a deep breath, she pushed off the main mast and ran as fast as she could before taking a flying leap to the waters below.

Katherine let out a scream as she plummeted through the air, kicking her feet at nothing as she brought her arms up to shield her face, the impact of the water rocking her to the very core. It stunned her, taking her breath away as she flailed in the water. She completely lost direction in the murky waters, the ship drawing her dangerously close to the side of the hull. In a moment of panic, Katherine couldn't help but think that she had made the worst mistake of her life.

Calmly, Bega made his way over to the side of the deck, looking over the water where she had jumped. Bubbles rose frantically as a speck of white in the depths told him that she was still there. Slowly, the speck became bigger and bigger until finally, she broke the surface, gasping for air.

"May angels sing thee to thy rest." Bega whispered softly as he drew his pistol and aimed at the girl. "Goodbye, Katherine Moore."

Katherine gasped when she heard a gun being cocked and she turned herself around to stare up at him. She told herself to swim, go beneath the surface and maybe be protected, but she seemed frozen in the moment, staring down the barrel of the gun into the face of evil.

Bega acted first firing a shot down at her, showing no emotion as she jerked in the water, sinking slightly as a cloud of red appeared around her. Her eyes were wide with shock as she stared at the wound, the bright red cloud that was slowly spreading around her in the water. He watched her for a moment as her body slowly turned and lay face down in the water, not moving and not breathing. He watched as it then began to slowly sink beneath the waves, the white speck becoming fainter and fainter.

"Get to work! I want a report in one hour!" He shouted across the deck, turning to face a pale Philip and a sobbing Anne as they clung to each other. "As for you, you cost me a very large amount of money and you will make it back or else you will face Miss Moore's fate."

"Damn you to hell!" Philip ground out, his anger flaring up as a staggering blow caught him on the back of the head, causing Anne to scream and back away as he slumped to the deck, his head bleeding heavily from the wound.

"I expect complete obedience out of you, Miss Mickelson." Bega said, looking up at her with no emotions on his face. "After all, I know that you're smarter than the two of them."

Anne just nodded, her heart pounding loudly in her ears as the pirate pushed past her, shouting orders to the rest of the crew. She watched helplessly as two crew members picked up Philip's limp form and dragged him below deck once more.

This was fear that she had never felt before, an icy chill running up her spine as she slowly sank down to the deck, her thoughts not turning towards rescue or escape that she thought she would find, but to the loneliness that welled up inside at the loss of her only friend. For the first time in her life, Anne felt shame at how she had treated Katherine after all of those years, and now she would never know how truly sorry she was.

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Night surrounded the small beach, no light to be seen except for that of the silvery moon as a man slowly walked down the small path, holding his lantern aloft as he made his way home that evening. His dog barked ahead of him, scurrying between him and the beach, spotting something near the shore line.

"Whatcha got there, Red?" He asked, squinting in the darkness as the dog nuzzled a lump on the sand.

Getting closer, the man's eyes widened slightly, taking in the form of the young woman laying limp as the water rushed around her. Her hair was almost black in the shadows, red staining the pure white of the shift that she wore.

"Wot in God's name?" He asked, rolling her gently over onto her back.

He tipped her up, supporting her as she suddenly coughed up the brackish water, taking in a shuttering breath as her eyes slowly opened, staring in a daze at him. Haunted blue eyes that held a slight edge of pain.

"Wot's yer name?" He asked softly, gently brushing the wet hair off her cheek.

"Katherine." She whispered, wincing in pain as she tried to move her arm.

"I'll take care of ya. Don't worry." He whispered softly, commanding the dog to go home as he cradled her in his arms and picked up his lantern.

Even in the darkness, he could see the wound in her shoulder. It was deep and stark against her pale skin, a mark that he knew all too well. Looking back at her pale face, he saw that she had passed out again, her head lolling back and arm hanging limply at her side. He hurried on in silence, worried about her as he suddenly remembered something from his past. The thought rolled in his head as he pushed open the door to his meager cottage, the dog spinning in excited circles as he gently cursed.

"Be gone with ye, Red. To yer mat." He whispered, laying Katherine down on his bed and staring at her wound in the lamplight. "Who in their right mind would shoot a woman?" He asked himself, shaking his head as he began to undress her, covering her body in a thick blanket as she shook with a chill. "Or treat her as such?" He murmured to himself as he took in her other injuries.

After bathing her wounds in fresh water then whiskey and wrapping them tight, he sat watch over her through the night, pressing a rag to her head as the first beads of sweat broke her brow. Her cheeks flushed pink with fever as she gently coughed in her sleep, wheezing to take in a breath.

"I may not 'ave been able to save yer father, but I swear to ya, Katherine Moore, I won't let ya slip into the night." He murmured, kneeling down beside the bed and folding his hands in prayer as he begged the Lord to spare her life so that he could make right on a promise he made so long ago.

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Coming soon: Ocean Blue Chapter 8: Does Katherine survive and who is this mysterious stranger?

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