973. Chapter 973

After Captain Kate and the Sorceress

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Je ne regret rein, except not owning Castle. Rating: M, here and there. Time: 18th Century

Kate looked down at her outfit. She still wore her pirate captain clothing. "Rick, you'll have to be Lord Rodgers for a bit. I can't let that oaf d'Schlemming see me like this. Esposito, you're the captain as far as anyone is concerned. Tell the crew to refer to you as captain. I need to go below and change."

When Kate got back to the quarterdeck, now wearing a demure calico dress, d'Schlemming was just coming aboard. Kate noticed that Princess Jasmine was now dressed in a chain mail shirt and a helmet. Her hand rested on the hilt of her tulwar, a grim look on her face.

"Don't take his head off with your sword." Kate whispered to her.

"I was thinking of removing another part of his anatomy. One that he'd miss more than his head."

D'Schlemming stamped up to the quarterdeck, his face purple with rage. "You have gone too far, Lord Rodgers, or whoever you really are. Attacking ships of a friendly foreign navy? It will take all of my considerable diplomatic skills to avert a war between the Maratha's and the Sultanate."

"Those were pirates." Rick said. "They are the enemies of all peoples. Captain Aziz, whose ship they took, identified them for us."

"Captain Aziz? Aziz, you say. The fellow is probably a rogue and looted his own ship. I intend to write to M. Foucoult and to my many friends in court. You'll soon be recalled in disgrace and you'll be lucky not to be hung."

Kate had noticed that the second boat had arrived and that two men were now standing just behind d'Schlemming. It took a second but she recognized one man as the owner of the captured ship. She had last seen him with a piece of sailcloth as his only garment, but now he was dressed in the silks and jewels common among the wealthy of the East. His companion, a tall rangy man was dressed even more extravagantly. His silken clothes were embroidered with jewels and pearls while he wore a large turban with a large, blood red ruby in the center of it.

As they arrived, the women who had been taken captive rushed out from below decks and gathered around the two men, all talking at once.

"Who in the name of the Good God are you?" D'Schlemming demanded.

The tall man bowed ever so slightly and spoke in excellent French. "I am Rostam Sassani, the Ambassador to the Court of the Sultan of Malabar from the King of Kings, Shah Husayn, of the Persian Empire. These women and the ship owner have confirmed that they were taken prisoner by those Marathas. I will be pleased to advise my lord, the Shah, that the French Governor of the trading post here has confirmed that the attackers were not mere pirates, but ships of the Maratha Navy. Doubtlessly, His Majesty will send a powerful army and a great fleet to punish these Marathas."

From the look on d'Schlemming's face, whatever plans he had did not include starting a war between the very powerful Persian Empire and the Marathas. "I may have spoken hastily. Certainly I have no actual evidence that the Maratha state was behind this outrage. It was just bazaar gossip. Please don't act hastily on my information. We should review all of the evidence before doing anything."

Sassani nodded. "Wise words, as one would expect from a seasoned diplomat such as yourself." He turned to Princess Jasmine. "If you will escort me to your father, I wish to speak to him in case an alliance between our two nations does become necessary."

"An alliance?" D'Schlemming squeaked. "That's not at all necessary."

"That is a matter between my government and the Sultan." Sassani said coldly.

"I shall be happy to escort you." The Princess said happily. "I'd like to bring my friends, Lord and Lady Rodgers along as well. Oh, and Captain Sorenson."

"If they're going, I should go to." D'Schlemming demanded. "I'm the Governor, after all."

Princess Jasmine looked at him coldly. "I invited them as my friends, not in their official capacity." She turned to the Persian. "Shall we go?"

Rick arranged for the women and the ship owner to be taken ashore and called for a longboat to take them all ashore. Arriving at the dock, they found a troop of some thirty cavalrymen waiting for them and four spare horses.

"I still do not have a sidesaddle for you, Lady Katherine, but I don't think you'd want one." Jasmine said mischievously.

"You're correct."

"I assume that you do not wish that creature d'Schlemming to know of your captaincy of the Sorceress?"

"I don't wish d'Schlemming to know anything."

Jasmine laughed. "I don't believe he does know anything."

"Don't underestimate him, Princess. I think he can be more dangerous than he looks."

They set off to the palace with the armored cavalry troop clattering along behind them. However, when they arrived at the palace, the Sultan was asleep.

An older gentleman with a flowing white beard approached them and bowed to Princess Jasmine. "Your Highness, I am the physician Moses ben Enoch. I have been helping to attend to your father."

"How is he?" She demanded.

"Sleeping comfortably. Doctor Lord Rodgers advised us of a mixture of the juice of the poppies and alcohol called laudanum. It is helping your father rest, but I fear that it will not cure him."

"Thank you, and thank you, Lord Rodgers."

Rick bowed slightly to the princess. "I only wish I could do more."

She turned to Sassani. "I'm afraid we won't be able to discuss anything with my father."

The Persian ambassador smiled. "But we should talk anyway. I believe the idea of an alliance between the Sultanate of Malabar and the Persian Empire would worry many people, including M. d'Schlemming."

"We can sit on the balcony and talk without any ears overhearing us. And, we have sent to the mountains far to the north for ice so that we can make sharbat."

"Many thanks, Princess. Certainly a delight for any Persian."

Once seated, Rick asked Sassani a question that had been bothering him. "You said that an alliance between Persia and Malabar would upset many people, including d'Schemming. Why would this upset d'Schlemming? If he can arrange for Prince Ismael to succeed his father, he'll be the power behind the throne here. Why would he object to an alliance with Persia? The Empire has a large, well equipped, well trained and well disciplined army, and a substantial navy."

Sassani managed not to look surprised by the question. "Your Highness, things here are not going well since your father's illness. Your navy sits in port and rots, your army is plagued by desertion and….other aspects of state have been neglected."

"You mean our spies are few and far between and generally worthless." Jasmine said tartly.

Sassani nodded. "We have found that d'Schleming has little interest in Prince Ismael, only in increasing his own wealth and power. If he thought it would aid his plans, he'd place Lady Priscilla on the throne of Malabar, if he could. D'Schlemming has been in correspondence with all of the powers in Asia: The British, the Dutch, the Portuguese, although they are not the power they once were, the Russians, the Ottoman Empire, the Marathas, the factions of the Mughal Empire…."

"And doubtlessly the Persian Empire." Jasmine finished for him.

"Princess Jasmine, you are very sagacious."

"And if Ismael, or any other Sultan, could count on a powerful ally such as Persia, he would not have to depend so heavily on France and d'Schlemming." Kate added.

"As with the Princess, Lady Rodger's beauty is matched by her intelligence."

"Spoken like a true diplomat." Kate responded. Kate saw that the sun was going down. "Princess, I know you offered us quarters in the palace, but I think we would all be safer if we stayed on our ships at night. You and your brother Hassan are welcome to join us. I fear that d'Schlemming is more dangerous than I had imagined."

Jasmine slowly shook her head. "It would destroy our credibility if we were seen hiding on foreign warships. Hassan must be seen to be brave as a sultan must be. I must be seen to be standing by my brother. I do have my own trusted guards, however, and I even have a few spies about to keep me informed. However, I should like for you and Lord Rodgers, as well as Ladies Alexis and Priscilla to visit me each day. I shall have a cavalry troop waiting at the dock each morning for you. And Captain Sorenson, of course."

Once back aboard the Sorceress, Kate began to make plans for defending her small fleet.

"Sorenson, I want you to anchor the Witch of Endor so that our sterns are together and then I want us both to rig a spring so we can turn our ships."

Although Rick had keen with Kate for a long time, he was still unsure of some of the nautical terminology she used. "A spring, my love?"

She smiled at him. "We'll use a stern anchor to keep the sterns of our ships together, then we'll put an anchor on a line well out to our port and starboard. Using the capstan, we can then pull our ships so that at least one of our broadsides will face any enemies."

Rick nodded. "A spring. A useful device."

Kate turned to Ryan and Esposito. "Have the guns loaded and keep four of them manned at all times. We'll need our lookouts doubled and relieved every two hours so they don't get slack. And send some marines into the rigging to fire down on any enemies.

It was indeed fortunate that she took those precautions.

A few hours before dawn, there was a knocking on the door to Rick and Kate's cabin.

"Captain?" Called Esposito." We have company. You should come and see."

The two quickly threw on their clothes and rushed to the quarterdeck.

"There." Said Esposito. "Just coming into the harbor with no lights. Those five ships look like the pirates we chased, and they're not headed for the commercial anchorage, but straight for us."

"They're under oars and they ride low in the water, as if they were carrying heavy guns. No, wait. The lead ship is not riding low in the water. A fireship, perhaps?"

"That would be the best way to destroy our ship."

She turned to Ryan. "Very quietly, rouse the crew and get them to action stations. And use the signal lamp to let Sorenson know that…."

"There!" Said Rick. "The stern windows of the Witch of Endor. Sorenson is signaling us."

"I can see men moving on the Witch. Sorenson is ready." Kate said with a smile.

"Mother? What's happening?" Alexis asked. Priscilla was standing beside her.

"You two should go below. There's going to be trouble."

"If there's trouble, our place is with you and Father, and nowhere else."

"Then at least get dressed. You're both in your nightgowns."

The two young women quickly went back below decks and came back dressed much as their mother was dressed, including a rapier at one hip and a brace of pistols tucked into a sash.

As the ships approached them, Kate waited for the proper moment to open fire. "They're going right past the Witch. She muttered. "As soon as Sorenson's broadside bears on them, we'll use the spring to move us so that we can fire our whole broadside from their bow right through to their stern. Right about….NOW!" She yelled.

First there was the rhythmic stamping of the sailors feet as they moved the capstan round and round, then the creak of the ship as it was moved through the water.

There was yelling from approaching pirate ships as they saw that they had lost the element of surprise. Someone on the fireship set it on fire. The ship itself was filled with combustibles such as tar, grease and gunpowder. As the ship caught fire, the crew leapt over the side and swam for the other ships.

As the guns slowly came to bear on the fireship, now burning brightly, the Sorceress' cannon balls smashed into the hull of the oncoming ship, but did not either stop it or sink it.