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THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST

Synopsis: Ahh, the big baddie's here-- now we get to the action.

"FORTUNE'S WIND", chapter 4

by Eric R. Umali

"Sunset"

Governor of the Royal Colony of Jamaica, Jeremiah Surd, sat in what could only be termed as a throne. It sat just below the helm on the main deck of the colonial forces' finest warship, the *Talon*. He sat back contentedly as the cannons of the ship continued to pummel the *Questor*. His lieutenant, an unctuous snake of a man named Lawrence, stood beside him.

"Governor, is it wise to fire upon a ship of the British Navy?" Lawrence asked.

"That ship," Surd replied, "stands between me and the destruction of 'Black Dog' Wildey. Besides, once she's sunk, who will say that it wasn't Wildey who sunk her?"

"Why, her crew, of course."

Surd's hand flew, clutching Lawrence's frilly cravat, and pulled his face close. "All hands will be lost," Surd hissed, then cast the man away. His thoughts turned to his impending revenge as his fingers found the jagged scar that ran across the right side of his face, closing one eye forever. *Soon I'll have them both...* he thought, *soon...*

**********

Surd's ship had approached with not just the battle as cover, but out of the glare of the setting sun. It's surprise was complete, and only luck kept the pirate ship from being the victim. With the *Questor* taking on water, the pirates of the *Bandit Queen* had returned to their ship. Jonny hurried to "Black Dog"'s side. Wildey watched the frantic actions of the sailors aboard the British ship, glancing often at the calm, deliberate motions of her captain.

"Cut us away!" shouted Jonny.

"Belay that!" yelled Wildey before the men could sever the ropes holding the ships together.

Jonny was confused. "Captain?" Wildey placed his hands on the young man's shoulders.

"Jonny, offer the crew of the *Questor*... asylum aboard the *Bandit Queen*."

"Dog, are you mad? They just tried to kill us all!"

"They didn't. Quest was trying to take us in."

"How do you know that?"

"Just do as I say, boy!" he said, and shoved Jonny away.

The young man ran off, bewildered, but obedient. He swung again to the *Questor*'s deck, scant feet in front of Captain Quest.

"How dare you return!" cried Jessica, straining against her father's grip.

"Enough from you! Captain Quest-- I have orders to offer you and what remains of your crew asylum aboard the *Bandit Queen*."

Bannon grunted. "A likely story, Captain."

The captain lowered his head. "Done," he sighed.

"Captain!" said Bannon, now as confused as Jonny. "They'll gully us as soon as we're clear of that other ship! For all we know, they're in this together!"

"Do not disobey my orders, Commander. Order the men to make for the *Bandit Queen* immediately. You may retrieve from your cabin a few personal items." He turned to Jonny. "Inform Captain Wildey that we gratefuly accept his offer."

Jonny shook his head and ran off. Sailors were scrambling over the railing, to the deck of the pirate ship. Soon, the twenty or so remaining men were all aboard the *Bandit Queen*. Bannon, Jessica, and Quest were the last to come aboard. Both Bannons carried small canvas bags, while Captain Quest carried the small chest from his cabin.

Once they were all aboard, Hadji and the men began cutting away the lines.

"Turn us hard to port!" shouted Jonny. "Unroll the main sail and get us all the wind you can!"

The *Bandit Queen* turned away from the oncoming warship. Captain Quest watched forlornly from the quarterdeck as the *Questor* began to sink into the water. The *Talon* had ceased its barrage, and was heading straight for them.

Captain Quest turned to Wildey. "Can we outrun them, Doug?"

"I don't know, Benton-- This is a fast ship, but we came from dead stop."

Everyone around stood open-mouthed at the two adversaries' familiar way with each other. The *Bandit Queen* picked up more and more speed, but Surd had too much of a head start. Soon, the colonial ship was nearly upon them. Pirates and sailors alike stood along the railings, rifles at the ready.

"Doug, what in the hell is going on? Why did the Royal Governor just sink one of Her Majesty's warships?"

"Surd may be Governor, Benton, but he's no royalty-- he's a snake, pure and simple, and all he's interested in upholdin' is his own stature."

"What does he want with us?"

"He wants what you're carryin', son." Wildey said, indicating the chest.

Quest's eyes narrowed. "I'm no son of yours, Wildey-- you were _Rachel's_ father."

"Aye, I _was_ her father, until you killed her... and her boy."

The two men were nearly at blows, each of them restrained by their respective first mates. The family feud was abruptly interrupted by an explosion, one of Surd's cannonballs having found its range. They scattered as it hit, flying in every direction.

Jonny shook his head. He found himself covered in debris, and kneeling over the unconscious form of Jessica. He brushed away the still-smoking wood from his back and felt her neck for a pulse. Finding it, he gave her a sharp slap. Her eyes opened, and she immediately shoved him off.

"If you think shielding me from that is going to make up for trying to kill me, you've got another thing coming!"

*Did I do that?* he wondered. *Let's see-- cannonball hit... big explosion... I grabbed her and... Oh, I guess I did.*

A shout from what was left of the quarterdeck prevented further discussion. "Jonny!" cried Captain Quest. Jonny ran up the stairs, followed closely by Jessica. Benton knelt by the prone, unmoving form of "Black Dog" Wildey. The front of Wildey's shirt was dark red and growing darker. He had taken the brunt of the blast.

"Doug, Doug-- it's Jonny."

"Jonny..." Wildey rasped. "The *Bandit Queen* is yours, now."

"No, Doug-- you're gonna live. You are."

"Don't be foolish, Jonny. Benton..."

"I'm here, Doug."

"Look after the boy, he's... special..." A soft breath passed Doug Wildey's lips.

Jonny's head dropped to the man's chest as the young pirate sobbed heavily. Jessica wiped at the strange tears she found forming. Bannon placed his arm around his daughter.

Benton rose, and whispered, "Fair weather, Doug Wildey. May the wind be ever at your back."

"How touching," called a mocking voice below them. Surd stood on the deck. More than half the crew lay dead on the floor, the others bound and restrained.

"Well, well, well-- it must be my lucky day! I've killed the most notorious buccaneer on the Caribbean, and captured his traitorous allies."

"Traitors?!" shouted Bannon. He jumped to the deck, and was immediately set upon by a dozen men. It took a dozen more to hold him down.

Surd walked casually up to Quest. "I'll be taking that chest, traitor." He grasped it, but Quest refused to release the box. Pistols were immediately placed at either side of his head. Surd snatched the chest away, and turned around.

"And, now... eh?" He spun on Lawrence. "Where is the boy?"

"Sir?"

"The boy, Lawrence! Wildey's little first mate! The boy who gave me this!" he cried, pointing at the red scar on his face.

Heads turned, searching for him. Bannon was able to twist around enough to note that Jessica had vanished as well, along with the dark-skinned young mate of Jonny's. He prayed silently for his daughter's safety, wondering why he hoped she was with the two young pirates.

**********

Jonny led the way as they rushed through the dark passageway. His hand firmly gripped Jessica's wrist, and they were followed by Hadji.

"Where on earth are we going?" whispered Jessica as she tried to twist from Jonny's hold.

"Trust me, there are lots of places aboard the *Bandit Queen* to hide," he replied.

"You hide aboard your own ship?"

Hadji chuckled. "Jonny is notorious for being able to avoid galley duty."

"Listen, Jessie--"

"My name is _Jessica_."

"Listen, Jessie--"

"Oh, very well."

"Listen, Jessie--"

"We shouldn't be down here, we should be on deck, rescuing my father and Captain Quest!"

"Listen, Jessie, if you want to go above and take on Surd's whole bloody crew, that's fine with me-- get yourself killed! Me, I'm going to bide my time, wait for the right moment, rescue Bannon and Quest, and take care of Surd for good!"

Jessie was startled. "You're planning on rescuing them?"

"Of course I was. What do you take me for, a bloodthirsty cutthroat?"

"Well, yes," she said honestly. "You're a pirate."

"And Sir Francis Drake? I'm sure you've heard of his heroic efforts on behalf of Queen and Country."

"Yes, but--"

"But-- to the Spanish crown and the crews of the ship's he's plundered, he's nothing more than a pirate."

"I never--"

"I thought not. Have you ever wondered where that gold comes from that goes to Her Majesty? On whose back is it mined, and loaded and carried?"

"No." There was no response.

They came to a small door. "What's this?" Jessie asked.

"It's a small room off the fo'castle gun deck. It's supposed to be an extra powder magazine," Jonny replied, as he pulled away a loosely nailed panel to reveal a fairly big closet.

"Ahh," said Hadji, "so here is where you go when we cannot find you."

"That's right," Jonny answered. "Now, I'm afraid it'll be a bit crowded in here with three. It is better than the alternative, though." He stuck his head inside, then reached in. A couple of apple cores and orange peelings were swept out, and he gestured to Jessie. "Ladies first," he said.

She very reluctantly climbed in. Hadji followed, then Jonny, who pulled the paneling back into place. It was cramped, but thankfully, well ventilated. Once inside, Jessie refused to stop fidgeting.

"What is wrong with you, girl?" Jonny said sharply.

"Nothing. But these are hardly the kind of quarters I've become accustomed to."

"You'll become accustomed to a jail cell, or worse, if we're caught."

She calmed, but remained nervous.

"You handle a sword quite well, Jessie. How did you learn to fight?"

"Mostly from my father-- I begged him to show me things all the time. I'm sure he assumed it was all a childish whim, and didn't know how much I practiced."

"And the rest?"

"I read a lot of books, asked a lot of very innocent-sounding questions. Not that anyone paid much attention to me, but I told people I was going to write a novel. They answered me, then politely laughed behind my back. I'm not exactly a model society lady."

"I hate society ladies," he remarked. "Your practice paid off. You're good," said Jonny.

"Just 'good'?"

"Jessie, that may be the highest compliment you will ever receive," Hadji explained. "The only other person Jonny has described as 'good' was 'Black Dog'."

Jessie's face darkened. "Then I'm honored, Jonny. Tell me-- was 'Black Dog' your father?"

"No. At least not the one who gave me life. But he gave me a home, a family, an education. I owe him everything." He turned away as Jessie stared at him intently. Their eyes never meeting the other's, her hand slid along the deck to cover his and squeezed it gently.

For the next few hours, Jonny went on to recall, at Jessie's insistence, dozens of the *Bandit Queen*'s exploits, with Hadji both filling in blanks and correcting his friend's often over-colorful descriptions.

As night darkened, the three were lulled to sleep by the boat's gentle rocking. Eyes nearly closed, Jonny felt Jessie turning and tossing nearby. He reached out an arm, and she quietly crept closer, curling up beside him. Jonny fell asleep, his head resting atop hers.

TO BE CONTINUED...