1670-

Bloody Bill Crenshaw smiled as he noted sails on the horizon. The rumors had been

true. A treasure ship headed for Spain was on the sea.

He didn’t know if that was the same ship as the one he wanted, but it was sailing in

the right direction.

And his ship was fast enough to catch any other ship on the open water. He knew it.

His crew knew it. Now that he had a boat sighted, all he had to do was lay out sail and

run it down.

“Ready the cannons, Henry.” Crenshaw took a sighting with his telescope. “I want to

be ready to shoot the sails as soon as we close. Then we should ready a broadside, for

our second shot once we have what we want.”

Henry shouted orders for the crew as he advanced down the deck from his captain.

Boarding actions would be bloody. The men had to be ready with flintlocks and

swords to do away with their victims.

The captain believed in no survivors. Anyone captured would be thrown overboard

to any shark that followed the blood trail across the Atlantic. They would sail to a

friendly port and offload the cargo for as much as they could get for it.

Henry had seen a number of actions under Captain Bloody Bill Crenshaw. He had no

doubt this one would run exactly as all the others. The captain’s reputation had spread

far and wide. Once they ran the colors, the Spanish would probably give up and beg

for mercy.

Crenshaw wouldn’t give them any except a blade to the neck, or a swim with the fish.

He tended to keep the women longer, but eventually they also were killed.

Henry watched as the men performed their tasks. They also knew what would happen

if they didn’t perform as well as the captain wanted. A blade in the guts was the least

horrible thing he might do.

“We’re ready to shoot with three of the cannons, Mr. Henry,” said Boynton, the

cannon master. “They’re loaded with grape. The other six are ready to shoot through

the keel on the Captain’s order.”

“Right, Bob.” Henry nodded. “I have to make sure the boarding crew is ready. As

soon as we get close enough, tear the sails down.”

“We’ll be ready.” Boynton nodded. “You have my word on that.”

Henry nodded before gathering a gang of sailors that weren’t needed doing anything

else as the Cloud Shark closed on its intended victim. They were already measuring

out lengths of rope and securing grapnels. Two men were loading flintlocks and

handing them out. They were single shot, but a volley might be enough to overwhelm

a defense long enough for blades to be used.

The rest depended on luck and skills.

Once they were on the other ship, they would either secure it, or lose. They had no

choice. The captain would be behind them, ready to shoot anyone who tried to retreat

from a bigger force.

Bloody Bill had earned his nom de guerre handily. And his reputation was such that

he could inspire men to walk to their own execution rather than face him in a duel.

Henry readied his boarders at the rails. Once they were side by side, the hooks had

to be thrown to secure both ships together. Then they would jump the rails to board.

“Run the colors,” shouted the Captain. He stood in the bow, telescope to his eye.

The Cloud Shark’s black flag ran up the mast. A white shark smiled on it with jagged

teeth.

Anyone who saw that flag knew they weren’t long for this world. The banner was as

famous as the Captain. Crenshaw spread stories when he was in port to build its

reputation.

Scaring people so they made mistakes was better than letting them think they could

fight back. Henry had been a part of a few boarding actions that had not gone the way

they should have. Losing an ear had caused him to be more cautious than the average

outlaw they had onboard.

“Ready the cannons!,” ordered the Captain. His shout was relayed to Boynton down

in the hold. “Ready the lines!”

Henry stood at the rail. This should be an easy raid. He held a flintlock in his hand.

He liked to shoot the enemy captain before the man could rally his sailors to repulse

the boarders.

The Cloud Shark closed on the ship. Henry waited patiently for the two ships to get

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close enough so he could get started with his part of the job. The Maria Santos

glowed on the stern. A man stood in the stern watching the approaching pirates.

Henry didn’t like the way he seemed to be smiling at them as they closed together.

What did the man think was going to happen when they got close enough to board?

He would be the first man fed to the sharks.

The Spaniard pulled a length of rope from his belt. He had a hook tied to one end. He

started spinning the hook as he watched the pirates close. Then he flung the hook

directly at the bow of the Shark. It hooked to the rail with that one throw.

Henry ran toward the bow. They had planned to board the other boat, but it looked

like their prey planned to board them first. One shot should fix that problem.

The other man swung from his boat toward the Shark. He pulled himself up the line

as he flew through the air. He landed against the hull with both feet planted. Then he

punched through the hull with his fist.

Henry paused. Wood fell into the ocean as the Spaniard plunged into the hold of the

ship. Then he heard screaming from below. This was wrong. What should he do?

“What was that?” Crenshaw headed for the ladder to the hold. He held a brace of

pistols in his hands as he ran across the deck. He couldn’t allow his reputation to be

ruined by one man.

A man screamed below decks. The sound made Henry pause as he tried to join his

captain. Crenshaw hurried down the ladder after tucking one of the pistols away. He

would deal with this boarder who didn’t know his place.

Henry ran to the top of the ladder. He tucked his pistol away in his sash, and slid

down the ladder. He waited for his vision to adjust to the dark before he did anything

else. Boynton slammed into the deck beside him and lay there.

The Spaniard appeared with a white sword in his hand. It glowed like lightning. He

blocked Crenshaw’s blade while punching another man in the face. The sailor went

down without a working jaw.

Henry pulled his flintlock. He needed to get rid of this man so they could get back to

raiding their victim. They would have to move the crew to the other boat with the

hole in the bow.

It was a miracle they hadn’t started taking on water yet. That wouldn’t last long if

they ran into rough seas.

Henry pulled the trigger on the flintlock. An explosion of smoke sent the ball at his

enemy. The man stepped out of the way, slicing the captain across the chest as he

moved. Crenshaw fell back from the slash, blood running down his shirt.

“I have been looking for the famous Captain Crenshaw for some time.” The Spaniard

advanced across the deck, sword glowing in his hand. “You have murdered many, and

I can’t allow that to continue.”

Henry pulled his sword and tried to slash this enemy. The captain could defend

himself. What would happen to the first mate if he didn’t try to do something?

“You are in my way.” The Spaniard blocked the cut, directing the blade away from

his body. His other hand came up as he spun. Henry went down from the slap. “El

Rey doesn’t have time for you today.”

Crenshaw tried to stab his enemy in the back. That was the proper way of dealing

with enemies. The Spaniard, El Rey, spun to let the point of the blade pass by. He

kicked the pirate in the chest.

Bloody Bill landed close to the hole in the bow. He looked out for a moment at the

sea lapping at the edge of the hole. He scrabbled for his sword. He couldn’t lose now.

“I have been looking for you for a long time, Capitan Crenshaw.” El Rey kicked the

ladder from the upper deck. Some of the crew fell to the deck. He kicked them out of

the way so he could keep advancing.

“I don’t understand.” Crenshaw grasped his sword and levered himself to his feet. “I

don’t know you. What’s this about?”

“I have been commissioned to kill pirates.” El Rey flicked the white blade he carried.

A scar on his forehead was a lightning bolt in reflected light. “You have been raiding

for a time. Once I put a stop to you, I can move on to others.”

“You think I will be beaten that easily?” Crenshaw drew his pistol and fired in one

swift motion. He heard the ball ricochet, but hadn’t been able to follow its flight with

his eyes.

“I don’t see why not.” El Rey advanced. “I’ve killed so many. One more won’t matter

to me now.”

Crenshaw and El Rey exchanged blows with their swords slicing the air as they

moved. The pirate tried to get away from the hole in the bow of his ship. He didn’t

want to be pushed into the water. Fins were cruising the surface as he watched.

Crenshaw charged forward, hoping to bull through his opponent. A fist stopped that.

Then he felt the bones in his face twist slightly. Pain shot from the boot print on his

face.

“Adios, Capitan.” El Rey grabbed the pirate and slung him through the hole into the

water beyond.

The sharks outside went into a frenzy as Crenshaw fell into their midst. His blood

from his wound attracted them to him. Then they began to bite and tear.

El Rey pulled his sword down the deck as he walked to the rear of the hold. He had

to get back above to the main deck before he went into the water with the pirates.

Crenshaw’s disappearance would be a mystery to the rest of the world. Only he and

his crew would know why the attacks had ceased.

He climbed the ladder as the hull separated behind him. He leaped on the top deck

and looked around. What remained of the crew looked at him in anger. His ship

floated next to the soon to be scuttled pirate ship with riflemen on deck and cannon

ready to fire.

El Rey smiled at the pirates as he walked to the rail. He leaped over the gap to his

own deck. He waved the man at the wheel to steer away from the Cloud Shark. His

job was done, or soon would be thanks to the sharks in the water.

He watched as the Cloud Shark slowly coasted under. The men went to dinghies and

dropped them into the water. They unshipped oars and began rowing away from the

sinking craft, and the Spanish ship.

Maybe they could make it to a shore and live. It was a chance. Certain death was what

waited for them if they stayed with the Shark. Fins followed the little boats as they

made their way from the scene.

“Should we sink them, sir?” Juan Hernandez, the first mate of the Maria Santos,

looked at the escaping boats.

“No. I want to see how many return to being pirates after this.” The King smiled.