Dear Readers, Writers, and Precious Patrons,
Today on the All Authors Friday Rewind we bring you a look the book Pirate's Revenge by Douglas Boren, which was featured in Issue 4 of All Authors Magazine.
Blurb:
The tropical paradise known as the Caribbean was anything but peaceful
when settled by the nations of Europe. Perhaps the most destructive and
brutal terror was inflicted not by navies or armies, but by the ships
plying the waters manned by pirates.
Rafe Alexander fled England
at an early age to join the pirate crew of the Cutlass, and soon learned
of the brutal harm his mother endured at the hands of Ramirez, his own
father he had never known. Joining the fleet of the Black Widow, queen
of the largest pirate fleet to ever sail, he vowed to exact his revenge.
But
the Black Widow was also driven by the need for vengeance against
Ramirez, and she and Rafe plotted their revenge even as their fiery
passion consumed them. Together, they would become the most feared and
powerful force the Caribbean would ever see.
Is revenge truly
enough to sustain an empty heart? Can love replace it and soothe the
burning of the soul? As events would move Rafe towards the explosive
confrontation, he would find out...and his world would be turned upside
down.
Excerpt:
It was late morning under a blue sky, punctuated only with a
few high white puffy clouds. The sun was
bright and starting to assert its undeniable heat.
With the destruction of the Spanish fleet, the pirate ships had
gathered at the mouth of the narrows, about ½ mile offshore.
The Black Widow called for a pause, partly to refresh and rest
the crews who had fought so tirelessly, and partly to confer with her most
trusted and vital captains.
Rafe, Sands, Freeman, McDonie and Belcher assembled on the Viuda Negro’s aft deck. The Black Widow, as beautiful and menacing as
ever, paced, looking at them.
“Rafe, what’s the status of your squadron?”
“We’ve lost Whisper and Demon. We were able to rescue only eight or nine men
from the sea. Captain Simmons was among
them, but injured severely. There was no
sign of Captain Murphy. The Wydah is out of service. Her mast needs replaced or she’ll have to be
towed. Either way, she’s out of the
fight.”
“So you’ve six ships left.”
“Seven, counting Greylock.”
The Black Widow said, “My group lost only one…the Sea Witch. There were no survivors.”
There were a few moments of silence which was finally broken by
Rafe. “So if you fold the Revenge back into the group, you’ve got
a full force at your disposal.”
“That’s right. That’s
why my group will lead the attack. You
remain here as reserve, and protect the Wydah. If you see it goes badly for us, bring in
your group and finish the job. One way
or another, Ramirez must die
today! Understand?”
Suddenly there was an explosion, much louder than the constant
drone of cannon fire they’d become accustomed to. The Greylock
had lobbed an explosive shell deep into the north fort, where it caused the
powder magazine to explode. A shower of stone and masonry flew in all
directions while a mushroom shaped fireball rose 100 feet into the air.
Captain Belcher exclaimed, “Well that’s half the problem
done. Maybe the other one will go soon.”
The Black Widow shrugged.
“It’s hard to say the status of the remaining fort. We’ll give it another hour and proceed,
regardless.”
Captain McDonie was looking into the bay with his
spyglass. “Boss, have ye seen how
they’ve positioned their ships? There’s a solid line of broadsides facing
us. We’ll be hard put to even fire back
until we get right on them. It looks like suicide.”
The Black Widow’s temper flared, along with her nostrils. “We’ve not come all this way to be thwarted
by seven lousy merchant class ships. We
will destroy them as we did the others!”
An uncomfortable tension hung over them. Finally, after no one else spoke, the Black
Widow snarled, “very well. You have your
orders. We attack in one hour.”
As the longboat rowed Rafe, Sands, and Freeman back to their
respective ships, Rafe addressed his comrades.
“Bob, Colan…I’m taking the Devil’s
Claw in right after the boss’s last ship enters the bay. You stay here and guard the Wydah.
If and when you deem it necessary, send in the Queegah II, Viper, and Fancy,
but leave the Greylock and your ships
out.”
“Bloody hell,” Sands objected.
“What are you talking about?”
Rafe said tersely, “If it comes to that, it means we’ve
failed. Three more ships won’t
matter. No sense getting yourselves killed
for nothing. Go to Charleston. Start a new life.”
Freeman sputtered, “Rafe, I don’t…”
Rafe smiled and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Just do it, mates. It’s for the best.”
Links:
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