Hesita’s Rescue.

  -BOOM!-

  A light fsh and the overwhelming smell of bck powder filled Ruby’s nose as her ship's test volley of cannonballs went racing to the well-built frigate in front of her. “Shit! Shit…Shit!” Ruby cursed and gave the order to reload. “Medusa let the cannoneers know I am turning hard to starboard and be ready to fire as soon as they see that damned ship!” Ruby turned her boat wheel hard and forced The Dancing Dagger into a hard right turn, the now infamous ship creaked and resisted as the water crashed on its hull sending small waves into the gunports.

  With sweat pouring from her forehead, Nerice kept the line of blue magic pulsing from her hand to give Ruby the benefit of the wind to catapult the ship forward. “Captain, We have the wind again.” Nerice took a heavy gulp of air and let her magic subside as long as she could. “Something has to give.” Nerice half-begged while trying to catch her breath. “I am on my st vial, Captain. Whatever we are going to do we need to do it-” Nerice stopped talking the second she heard a couple of explosions in the distance and covered her head with her arms.

  “Incoming!” Medusa announced and watched the others duck for cover as the small cannonballs splintered part of the bow and completely shattered the bowsprit, causing the red canvas to billow uselessly in the wind.

  With the wind still in her favor, Ruby kept the wheel turned so her ship could unch its full broadside at the bigger ship. Once she had The Dancing Dagger completely perpendicur to her target, Ruby gave the order. “Fire!” Within a minute of her command, the entire complement of the ship's thirty-two pound guns unched their projectiles with a deafening roar with every shot. Finally close enough to the frigate Ruby was chasing, her shots rang true and sent huge chunks of the enemy ship into the air. Like a dream come true, Ruby watched as the st cannonball hit the mizzenmast and toppled it off the ship with only the heavy canvas of the sails holding it to the boat. “Reload, prepare the swivels for suppression.”

  Slowly coaxing her ship closer to the listing frigate, Ruby noted the name on the rear of her test conquest, ‘The Iron Hammer.’ While she knew that the enemy ship would certainly sink, the captain hadn’t yet struck its colors and raised a white fg, meaning that he still had a trick up his sleeve to try and even the score. Ruby stayed behind the wreck as she inched closer. “What’s our damage, Patricia? Did we lose anyone?”

  No sooner had Ruby asked the question, a shot rang out and Ruby turned in time to hear the whistle of a small cannonball whizzing right at her head. “Incoming!” Ruby announced and found herself suddenly smashed against her port side railing with wood chunks all over the pce, to include one in her right thigh. “Shit!” Ruby pulled her bandana from her head and tied the piece of board pnk in pce. A second ter, a set of blue-scaled hands were under her arms dragging her away from the helm.

  With rapid clicks to get her bearings, Nerice had Ruby down to the main deck and dragging the helpless captain below deck. “Patricia, take the helm, I have the Captain.” Nerice yelled, and sounded like she was actually crying. “Don’t you die on me…damn you Tanya…”

  Barely conscious, Ruby didn’t have to try hard to stay awake since Nerice was dragging her and causing her damaged leg to bounce on the stairs as she was pulled into the small medical area Ruby gave her surgeon. “Shit! Ruby excimed in obvious pain. “I am not going to die, you are causing too much damned pain! Every stair is moving this pnk in my leg, Nerice be careful!”

  “Almost there you stubborn bck hearted woman.” Nerice tried their normal joke as a means to keep Ruby in the moment.

  “Some witch, can’t even heal a leg.” Ruby snipped in response.

  “Witches are not healers, Captain.” Nerice offered as she burst through the doorway. “Make way! I have the Captain!” Nerice barked at the surgeon. Once she’d helped Ruby to an empty table, Nerice handed Ruby her small fsk, “Drink…see if you can deaden the pain a little.” Nerice puckered her lips and chirped until she saw the outline of the surgeon. “You have about five minutes before she dies and I turn you into fish food. Get your ass over here.” Nerice demanded.

  Unaccustomed to the ship's navigator being so aggressive, the surgeon came over to Ruby and studied the pnk the best he could for a second, then tore away Ruby’s leggings and saw the full extent of her damage. “Natasha, there’s just too much. If I pull this board she will bleed out faster than I can stitch her. I need something to cauterize the bigger blood vessels.”

  Without a hint of hesitation, Nerice plucked Ruby’s dagger from her calf and jammed the knife point into her hand and watched as her blood coated the magical bde, causing it to heat up until the metal glowed. “When you pull the board, tell me where to press the bde.” Nerice summoned enough of her magic to outline Ruby’s injury and then waited for the doctor.

  Swiftly the doctor untied the cloth Ruby used to secure the board, and gently tied it around his captain’s head like she wore it. “Captain. You look like yourself with this on. Let’s get you stitched up.” Well aware of the blind woman’s capabilities, he held Nerice’s hand and touched the points on Ruby’s leg where he thought she would have to cauterize. “Natasha, you might have to use that little sound trick of yours to be completely certain.

  “Three minutes.” Nerice partly growled. “Quit wasting time, damn you.”