Sons of the Tide (mlm)

Chapter 32: The Battle Begins

Joseph

Joseph and Caleb slept until the early morning, when movement on the deck roused them. The sun wasn't even up yet, but Joseph could hear the hurried footsteps of his crew as they made final preparations for battle. Despite this, Joseph was calm. Hawke hadn't arrived yet, or there would be pounding on his door and sounds of canons being loaded.

Joseph turned his head to Caleb who was just beginning to crack his eyes open. "We should get up."

Caleb hummed and pulled Joseph tighter against his chest. "Five more minutes."

Despite his better judgement, he caved. He wanted to savor this moment of peace before blood stained the water they sailed on. He wanted to savor Caleb's body against his and the steady sound of his breathing as he fell half-asleep. Everything was going to be much different in such a short amount of time.

Joseph finally found the will to sit up in Caleb's hold. "Caleb." He ran his hand through his messy hair gently. "We have to get up now."

Caleb sighed heavily and opened his eyes. "I know."

As they got dressed, they were silent. A heavy weight hung in the air all around them, and neither of them bothered try and lift it. Today was going to be long and hard and bloody. No words would change that.

Joseph buttoned his shirt, but not all the way. He could move better with the extra slack the opening gave the fabric. As he put on his belt, his hands were steady when he expected them to be shaking.

So many things could go wrong. So many things. And he had more to lose than he did when he started this. Cecelia, his crew, Caleb. His crew had all known the terms of their service to him when they joined, and they were happy to die for it. At some point that hadn't bothered him.

Now, though, it did. They were his family now, and another thing Hawke could take away. And Caleb was only joining this fight because of him. His crew were joining this fight because of him.

If they died, it was because of him.

He stilled when he felt Caleb's hands take the buckle from his fingers gently and secure his belt snugly to his waist. He said nothing, but Joseph could tell he was in the same trance-like state he was. Expectant of the battle but not fully aware of what was to come.

Finally, Joseph broke the silence. "Have you ever been to battle before?"

"Not on this large a scale." He finished with the buckle and reached for Jospeh's gun, which was behind them on the desk. "I will be fine."

Joseph let him put the pistol in its holster and rest his hands on his waist. "I know."

He wasn't sure he believed that. But he would act like he did so Caleb didn't doubt himself.

Caleb lifted his chin with his finger and smiled softly. "Maybe say that with a little more enthusiasm next time."

Joseph swallowed and mustered up a laugh. So many things he wanted to say but no words to say them.

Caleb dropped his hand and laced his fingers through Joseph's. "No matter what happens, Hawke is dying today. He wont torment the seas any longer."

Joseph nodded stiffly. "We should probably get out there."

Caleb squeezed his hand. "I know."

They stared at each other for a moment, until Joseph finally found the voice he'd been searching for. "Caleb, I—"

Caleb leaned down and kissed him, then said, "Tell me after, okay?"

Joseph bit down his words and nodded again. He wanted to say it now, but it almost felt like it would be a goodbye. Maybe that was why Caleb stopped him.

Caleb squeezed his hand one last time, then went to the door and opened it. "After you, Captain."

Joseph took one last breath and walked through the door. The sun was just beginning to come over the horizon, casting a distorted reflection of orange on the water. Cecelia was standing at the wheel of the ship, her looking glass to her eye and her face focused.

When Joseph and Caleb joined her on the deck, she lowered the looking glass and handed it over to Joseph. "There are ships on the horizon. My mothers lookouts send warnings not long ago."

Joseph brought the looking glass to his eye and scanned the horizon. Sure enough, a line of ships were silhouetted against the rising sun. Many, many ships. "He'll be here soon. The winds are blowing towards us."

Caleb took a turn with the looking glass and crowned slightly. "There's so many."

Cecelia took her looking glass back and tucked it into her pocket. "Everyone is preparing. The Raptor is ready for us to board and get into position whenever you give us the word."

Joseph nodded once. "I need to talk to the crew."

Cecelia nodded and walked down the steps as she brought her fingers to her mouth. She let out a piercing whistle, and the crew, which were scurrying around the deck, all stopped and looked towards them. Joseph stepped up to the railing of the platform as Cecelia turned to look up at him from her new place on the deck.

"Today is going to be long, and bloody. I will not be with you on this ship during the fight." Joseph put his hand on his sword and ran his thumb over the textured hilt to calm his nerves. He still hated addressing so many people at once. "Caleb and I will be boarding the Raptor and taking down ships from the water. The Raptor is fast and agile, and we will be able to detrimentally damage ships on it while you fight from here. I am leaving this ship in the hands of our first mate, Cecelia." He felt bad for blindsiding her after already agreeing to her coming along, but he really did need her on the Tide. "I expect all of you to protect and support each other, as well as defend the ship and the cove with all that you have. I will not lie, Hawkes fleet is large and powerful, but we have something they do not—a whole lot of fucking hate."

That line earned him a few chuckles and smiles. He continued. "Each one of us hates Hawke and his crew for one reason or another. Today, he will die. His crew will die. Take their lives quickly, so not spend the time making them suffer because that is time they can turn things around on you. Hawke is ruthless and brutal, and has trained his crew in his ways. You need to be even more ruthless if we want to beat him." He paused, looking down at his crew. Every one of them had faces of determination, faces that told him they wouldn't lose if they were alive. "Let's go kill some assholes."

His crew cheered, and Joseph walked down the steps to the main deck. He took the hat off his head and placed it into Cecelia's. "I'm sorry. I need you here. Second mate isn't ready for this yet."

Cecelia sighed heavily and uncrossed her arms. "Don't die, okay? I want to kill you myself for this stunt."

Joseph smiled slightly and pulled her into a quick hug. She held him tightly for a second, then pulled back and adjusted the hat on her head. "Go sink some ships. Make my job easier."

Joseph nodded once and walked to the railing, where a rope leading down to the Raptor was waiting for him. With one last look at the horizon and the ships growing ever closer, he clutched the rope and jumped over the railing.

Caleb followed quickly, and untied the tether that kept the Raptor next to the Tide. Once they were loose, Joseph stood at the front of the tiny ship and clenched his jaw.

Now all they had to do was wait for the deafening cries of cannon fire.