Swashbuckling in the Dark

Chapter Twenty-Eight

My feet rocked beneath me as the colossal explosion rippled through the caves. I shook my head as I realized that this was the "signal" Dark had been talking about. An effective distraction, indeed.

The group rode out the last aftershocks of the explosion, managing to stay on their feet. A peek through a hole in the rock from our hiding place showed me that Grimm's crew hadn't been so lucky. Through the smoke I could see the gaggle of confused pirates scrambling for their weapons, unaware of what had happened.

A feral scream tore through the chaos, and Kaspar emerged out of the smoke and rubble, sword flashing. He cut down two of the rival pirates without pause before Seymour and the rest of his team joined in the fray.

"That's our cue," Dark announced, drawing his own weapon. Raoul flashed his teeth in a shark-like grin and raised the hand-cannon. "Attack!"

A surge of movement carried me into the large chamber where Grimm and his crew were holed up. It was conveniently lit by torches, unlike the dark and damp tunnels we had precariously navigated to get here.

Focus on your mission, I thought to myself. Find Worthington's daughter. Taking a quick scan, I observed the scene of the fight. A tangle of the two pirate crews and the officers had created a chaotic flurry of motion, blood and metal that drew my eyes, but I forced myself to look for something else.

My eyes landed on Dark, fighting through the crowd in order to reach Grimm, who was standing at the far side of the cave. Oddly enough, his crew had abandoned him to join the fight.

Before I could wonder why the notorious pirate seemed to be unarmed and defenseless, a blade nearly sliced through my shoulder. I caught the movement in my peripherals, spinning out of the way and countering with an attack of my own.

Two of his fellows rushed to his aid when I knocked him down: one dark and lanky, the other bald and mean. I clashed swords with stringbean, disarming him with a flourish and socking him in the nose with an elbow. Blood spurted from his nostrils and he backed off.

Baldy kicked things off with a slash at my face, then proceeded to trip me when I bent backwards to avoid the blow. A spectacular collision with the rock floor severely winded me. I groaned as I felt every single one of my ribs creak; I was bruised, but not broken. Baldy clearly intended to fix that.

His heavy boot landed on my chest, pushing hard. I wheezed, my lungs compressed. My arms swung wildly to fend off his blows with my sword.

"Get off of me, you scumbag!" I stabbed at his leg, slicing it deeply. He howled in pain and stepped off of me.

Sitting up with difficulty thanks to my bruised ribs, I swiped at him again, catching him across the gut. With my left hand I whipped out the dagger I'd hidden in my boot, stabbing up and into the pirate's abdomen. I freed the small blade with a grunt, letting him stumbled backwards.

With a look of surprise, the lanky pirate made his move. For a pirate of Grimm's crew, his fighting stance was shaky. I spun and kicked his weapon hand, then hauled back and punched him in the cheek. He fell backwards with a crash while I cradled my aching knuckles.

"Where are you?" I grumbled, wiping my bloodied knuckles on my shirt.

Dark had reached Grimm's side, but the man didn't seem concerned. Another pirate kept Dark at bay while he stood by, too casually. What was going on here?

A female scream drew my attention away from the brawl. My gaze snapped to the left. I caught sight of a man's bare arm and a flash of a woman's fine skirt disappearing into the tunnels.

"Ryan! Kent!" I shouted while I made chase, combating my way through the throng of squabbling pirates.

I had expected the team to follow, but Ryan and Kent were the only ones who were able to free themselves from the fight. Tracing the path the pirate had taken with the girl, I found myself in another pitch black tunnel.