Snippet #2633819

Abe stood, arrow nocked, watching the lines they had set up. If anyone got too close, he would take them out. One or two brave souls would come to close to the lines and get an arrow through the chest for their troubles. Evidently their captain hadn't realised that as he continued to give the orders for the lines to be cut.

Three, four, five. Abe's arrows were hastily dispatched.

As more men went on board, it became harder to tell friend from foe and Abe's arrows slowed. Not that the crew needed any help. They were doing a wonderful job of cutting down the Barley's crew on their own. He heard a cry off to his left. Abe turned and saw a line fall, a few good men with it. He pressed his lips into a thin line, searching for the soul who had severed the line. He saw a small, dark haired girl pulling on an axe. Frowning, he pulled the bowstring back, waiting for a clear shot on the girl. As he was about to release his arrow, she moved, lifting the axe and spinning away. Then she was gone.

Abe relaxed the bowstring, lowering his bow. From the corner of his eye, he saw another man reach for the line. Quickly and surely, Abe let his arrow fly into the man, keeping the line in tact. A familiar whistle sounded and the crew stopped. Abe lowered his bow and relaxed. They'd made it again.

"Captain Xing, the opening negotiations have concluded. The ship is yours!"

---

Leah held the nail steady, gently tapping it into the wood. She held another two between her teeth. How had they managed to break the bunk so badly? On second thoughts, she didn't want to know. What the crew got up to in their free time was down to them. Still, she thought, it would be nice if she didn't have to clean up after them. Leah hammered the last nail in, barely paying attention to the world around her. A war could have started there and then and she would have been none the wiser.

A loud crash echoed around the cabin. Leah started, looking around her. What? Oh, oh no. Leah scrambled to her feet, grabbing her axe as she did. She briefly remembered hearing that they were being pursued by another ship, pirates was the word bandied about by some of the more fanciful members of the crew. Whatever the truth, that ship had caught up with them and was now blowing holes in the ship; holes that she and her master were going to have to fix if they came out of this. Leah shuddered at the thought of that seat. She might as well cling to the side of the ship herself. She made her way to the deck, albeit reluctantly. All the way she could hear the cries of battle on deck.

Pirates.

Actual pirates.

Attacking the crew she had worked for for years. The same crew who had afforded her little respect because she wasn't as useful as she could be. She was just an apprentice. May their deities help them if she ever made it to master carpenter. Or would it be mistress? Who knew? More importantly at this moment in time, who cared? Leah gripped her axe, looking for the lines. If she didn't cut them, and the crew came out of this, she would be blamed for not helping. Leah sighed, heading for the lines. In the confusion of the battle, it became difficult enough to get close to a line without being killed. She swung her axe down, severing the rope and sent a handful of men into the ocean. She heard a yell behind her. Leah looked over her shoulder and saw a giant of a man coming towards her. Leah began tugging on the axe, trying to lift it free of the wood. She felt the head give and the axe came free. She spun, using her momentum to bury the axe in the side of his neck. He gave a strange, surprised sound. Evidently being killed by an elf girl wasn't on his list of things to do today. Leah pulled the axe free. Blood spurted from the wound as the man slumped. Leah looked down at her bloodstained clothes. Even when they died, men were filthy buggers.

Leah took a moment to look around. They were losing. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Maybe if she knew more about the pirates, she would know how she felt. They took from the rich, right? Wealthy merchant ships like this one. They couldn't be all bad. A whistle rang out and the pirates stopped. Leah shifted her grip on the axe, waiting for the next move. There were perhaps a handful of the crew left. Where was Jones? She cast a cursory glance over the corpses littering the deck, not looking at any one for too long. She didn't want confirmation of what she feared.

"Captain Xing, the opening negotiations have concluded. The ship is yours!"

Well, shit.