Chapter 104: Reliance, Part 1

Charlisse peered through the spyglass. A curtain of rain concealed their advancing enemy. Wiping drops from the lens, she focused the instrument upon a fleeting dark shape. Orange flashes shot through the gloomy vapor.

"All hands down!" she roared.

The thunder of the ensuing booms confirmed her fears. The twelve-pounders struck the Reliance, blasting through her sturdy hull and pummeling sails, masts, bulwarks, and taffrail. The ship shuddered under the violent hammering.

One mighty ball zipped past Charlisse with an eerie whine before it crashed into the bulwarks beyond. She tumbled to the deck as shards of splintered wood flew in all directions. Screams cracked the billowing smoke. Stunned, she lay unable to move. The rough deck scraped against her cheek as the odors of sodden oak, gunpowder, and blood assailed her. Her heart pounded in rhythm to the thump of the frenzied chaos around her.

She must get up. She was the captain. These men depended on her.