Ocean Storm (Queen of Piracy Duology #1)

Chapter 10: You never forget your first

I quickly landed on the fluyt's left edge and felt even more nauseous than before. Every single member of uncle Ruben's crew was fighting against a sailor. Shots, screams, and swords clashing were all that I heard... along with some bad words in multiple languages as well, of course. Maartje fought two sailors at the same time. I slowly walked towards the main deck, chewing on my lip and trying my best not to look afraid. Taking several deep breaths, I glanced from side to side to make sure no one would attack me. My senses suddenly enhanced. It was as if I could hear every single noise from that fluyt and see everyone's movements. I smiled since the pirates were winning, but gulped when two of them fell, severely injured, after fighting an angry sailor. When I was starting to get distracted... Boom! One of Uncle Ruben's cannons fired twice, damaging the fluyt's mainsail. My entire body was full of sweat once I reached the main deck. Part of the enemy crew had surrendered, whereas the rest continued fighting against us. I didn't count, but there were sixty men there at most, so it shouldn't be a hard plunder.

A man scared the hell out of me, "Why don't you abandon your pirate folks and be a woman as you're supposed to be?"

I laughed to show confidence, grabbed my cutlass, and narrowed my eyes at him. There was no way I'd let a jerk ruin my big day. Despite the challenges, I was determined to have fun.

"If I lose, I'll do that, but if I win, you'll bow and call me pirate queen..." I smiled mischievously. "Do we have a deal?"

He ignored me, as I expected, and tried to stab me in the stomach with his cutlass. My eyes widened, I defended myself and sliced his waist. My enemy winced and groaned in pain. Baring his teeth, the guy left a wound on my left arm, ripping my sleeve. I scowled.

Damn it, this was my favorite shirt!

The two of us kept fighting for a while. More sweat ran down my face as time went by. I was lucky enough to escape from all my opponent's attacks, except when he injured my right thigh.

I raised my brows, "So much for that compliment..."

My blade tore a piece of his right arm's skin, making him flinch. After that, I left a significant wound on his belly. When he glanced away for a second, I plunged my cutlass into his chest. With his eyes bulging, the guy fell to his knees. When I removed my sword from him, he crashed his head against the ground after falling unconscious.

I breathed fast with my eyes widened, "I can't believe I killed a man! Being a pirate is fun, but killing definitely doesn't feel good..."

At that same instant, a man pointed his blunderbuss at me. I ducked when he shot and struck a blow to his legs, making him fall on the ground. I gritted my teeth as the guy winced. When he was about to grab the pistol again, I shot him with my blunderbuss. I gulped since his blood wouldn't stop spreading on the floor. Guess what? Another man was killed by me... and I knit my brows, feeling terrible. After him, a third sailor attacked me with his cutlass, and we fought for a couple minutes. To forget that I had to kill my opponent eventually, I just focused on the adrenaline of the fight and enjoyed every second it lasted.

"Get out of here while you still can, you dirty pirate!" my opponent yelled.

The sailor aimed his cutlass at my neck. I pressed my lips together and we stopped moving for a second. That couldn't be my end. I didn't want to die... at least not in such a humiliating way.

Use your skills, Eva!

"I'd run if I were you," I smiled and raised my brows. "My friend is aiming his pistol at your head right now."

The man's eyes bulged and he started breathing fast through his mouth. Once he put down his cutlass and turned back, I punched him in the gut. The sailor screamed in pain and flinched after hitting his back against the ground. I got closer and pointed my sword at his chest while he laid on the floor.