Wrath of the Renegades

By Gerard Doris

When the King's royal vessel is savagely attacked in the dead of night by a pirate warship called the "Tombstone Maker," the only survivors must join forces to track the pirates down and rescue their loved ones.

Calling themsleves "Honourable Renegades" the four heroes must overcome a horde of enemies, betrayal, and a monstrous creature deep within the Amazon.

Loaded with suspenseful action, memorable characters, and exotic jungle locations, Wrath of the Renegades is a fast paced and fresh take on the classic pirate genre.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gerard Doris
• Release date: Dec 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781540191465

Gerard Doris

Thanks for reading!  I write adventure fiction that features treasure hunters, pirates, and renegades. I'm also a fan of NFL football, westerns, classic action movies, and anything that promotes genuine adventure. For some fun updates on my writing projects, you can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gerard_advfict

Book preview

INTRODUCTION: THE RUBY PATHWAY

(Early 18th century – Golden Age of Piracy)

The warm waters of the Caribbean Sea slashed across The Legend’s bow as the two hundred foot British warship began its long voyage home.  The skies and sea had changed colour from light blue to dark black, and a light fog slowly began to roll across the small yet growing waves.  But the still quiet and sombre atmosphere of the fog layered empty sea was contrasted by the sounds of dancing and music which echoed from deep within the decks of the mighty warship.   

The Legend was the British navy’s finest ship, a modified First Rate Ship of the Line, built in secret for King Daniel and Queen Olivia so they would be able to travel farther than most monarchs of their time. Equipped with over one hundred and sixty cannon, a combination of two hundred soldiers and sailors, three decks, fifteen elaborate cabins, and a grand ballroom deep within the centre of the ship’s hold, The Legend was by far the most powerful and luxurious ship of any European ruler.

The King and Queen had just spent ten days visiting England’s scattered Caribbean colonies, without fear of attack due to the unusual peace treaty they had signed the previous year with their traditional European rivals.  They had even spent two days visiting the French port of Guadeloupe where they discussed trade with the French colonists.   The only threat that remained was that of pirates, a threat which seemed almost impossible to comprehend.  Most pirate ships were fast yet small schooners that preferred to hug the coastline and hide amongst the thousands of inlets the Caribbean offered, waiting to attack only when success seemed likely.  No known pirate ship could match The Legend in size or armament, and King Daniel chose to return home by way of the Ruby Pathway, the safest known route for all commercial ships entering or leaving the Caribbean.  In five years no ship flying pirate colours had been spotted in the Ruby Pathway, and once The Legend reached the colder waters of the Atlantic they would be greeted by the Sterling Jaguar, Britain’s second most powerful warship as added protection for the journey home.

Deep within The Legend the grand ballroom was filled with one hundred men and women enjoying a popular country dance, while the King, Queen, their chief advisors and only son finished the finest English meal available.  After a few more rounds of dancing the floor would soon clear and the King and Queen along with their attendants would dance.

Johnny Redeye Braddock slowly stood from behind the head table and politely asked his Father, King Daniel, if he could step outside for a minute.  The King simply nodded his head in understanding.  Johnny quickly made his way through the crowd and stepped through the main doorway and up the thirty steps to the galley, up another flight of steps to the crew’s dining hall, then up the main stairway to the quarterdeck outside.  It was a trip that took almost two minutes to complete, due to the ship’s complicated interior layout.  As Johnny stepped onto the damp wood of the main deck he paused in surprise at the sight around him.  The deck was slowly being enveloped in fog, and a cold light rain had begun to fall.  The crew around him were busy adjusting the sails and in the distance the Quartermaster could be heard barking out orders, clearly angry that while the Captain enjoyed the banquet below decks he was instead forced to be outside in the rain.  The crew were belting out a simple sailor’s song as they followed orders and began to cover the cannons and anything else which needed protection from the rain.  Usually the Quartermaster would have ordered the men to stop singing but tonight he let them continue, hoping that any sound, even the off key voices of the crew, would drown out the sounds of the party he was missing below.

While the prince scanned the deck, far below him on the water’s surface a small and damaged sloop quietly approached The Legend from a hundred yards away, literally invisible amidst the fog.  Slowly, silently, the sloop sluggishly reached the ship’s hull, barely keeping pace with the warship’s four knot speed as it continued to gradually sink.  The warship’s hull drifted past the sloop until the small boat was close to the stern.  Suddenly a solitary figure leaped out of the sloop, grabbing the slick wood of the warship with both hands, and began to climb upward.  Within moments he had reached the half closed window of the now vacant Captain’s quarters, and seeing no light from within the cabin the mysterious figure crawled inside.  Far below him the sloop continued to take on water until it quietly sank beneath the waves, never once being spotted by anyone.

On deck above Johnny stepped forward and approached a red uniformed soldier who was standing alongside the rail and studying one of the 32 pound cannons.  Now what did you do wrong to be thrown out of the party?  The blond haired soldier turned and smiled at seeing the prince.  Same as you I presume!  Johnny laughed and warmly shook his best friend’s hand. 

At six foot four and a heavily muscled two hundred and twenty-five pounds, Major Brett Davis was the tallest and most powerful soldier on board.  He made the thin, five foot seven, red haired prince appear laughably short and small in comparison.  Furthermore, while they shared the same age, Johnny had enjoyed stability and prosperity all his life while Brett’s life had been shaped by violence and a constant struggle for survival. 

While only in his mid-twenties Brett had already survived two grisly battles on European soil and climbed to the rank of Major.  An orphan, he grew up amidst the chaos and violence of the street gangs that lived near England’s famous waterfront.  When not brawling and fighting for daily survival, he was given shelter and moral direction by a kindly Christian family who provided him with shelter when he needed it.

Tired of the meaningless gang violence that had plagued his life since becoming a teenager he readily chose to become a dock worker, helping to build the growing Navy’s war fleet.  But he quickly realized that being a dock worker was at times merciless work, and he would spend his evenings sitting atop the rooftops along the waterfront, staring across the Thames as the sun set wondering if he would ever escape.  Then at the age of twenty-two he got his chance to live a new life. 

A roving dockyard gang working for the Crown appeared one day on the docks escorting eight newly captured criminals.  They roughly kicked and battered the prisoners with clubs, each of whom were tied with arm chains.  Sitting high above the docks painting a newly built brigantine warship, Brett tried to ignore them having become sadly accustomed to their presence as they handed over their prisoners to the waiting British Officer.

But this time he couldn’t look away after seeing that one of their new prisoners included a young woman no older than him.  To his shock he watched ad she was kicked and beaten the same as the others.  He immediately pointed out to the other workers what was going on below, but everyone ignored him. Undaunted at their cowardice he climbed down then jumped the final six feet to the boardwalk, right in front of the six gang members.

These were not men you challenged.  But Brett challenged them anyway. 

He demanded that they stop hitting the young woman.  The leader of the gang responded by lifting his club and pointing it at Brett’s head, while his five accomplices slowly moved into position to attack.

Brett ignored the warning and in one quick motion ripped the keys out of one of the gang members’ hands and unlocked the chains of the woman with one twist of his wrist.  As the chains dropped to the ground Brett was immediately attacked as the woman disappeared into the crowd to freedom.

Despite the odds Brett fought well, until he was finally brought to his knees and an arm chain was locked in place.  A club was placed under his bleeding chin and he was forced to his feet.  The leader of the gang stared into Brett’s half closed eyes and said, None of us have seen stupidity like that in years.  But then Brett did something none of them had ever seen.  Without straining he ripped the chain in two, shocking the gang and everyone who had been watching, which included nine British soldiers mixed amongst the growing crowd.  Before the gang could react a shrill whistle sounded and the soldiers stepped in, ordering the gang to step aside and hand over their prisoners.  Angrily the gang complied. 

The officer in charge then looked down at Brett’s bloodied face and said, King Daniel is looking for honourable men to serve our country.  Are you interested son?  Brett knew he was asking him to join the military, and he accepted instantly. 

Since that day Brett had proven to be a natural soldier, rising in the ranks and even being awarded a newly created medal for military bravery.  It was this last honour which had brought him into contact with Johnny and the Royal Family, when King Daniel had awarded the medal to Brett at a military ceremony in the Royal Palace.  Having to stay at the palace for over a week, Brett quickly grew tired of the soft and removed Royal lifestyle.  But he immediately became friends with Johnny, one of the only people in the entire court who seemed immune to the artificial atmosphere.  It was Brett who gave Johnny the nickname Redeye after Johnny got an eye infection from swimming during the country’s top athletic competitions.  The puffy red infection quickly left Johnny’s eye, but the nickname remained.  They formed a strong friendship, and a year later when the King and Queen had decided to sail The Legend to the Caribbean, the young military hero had been invited to come as a guest.

Back on deck Johnny came straight to the point.  I hear you’re considering leaving the military once we return to England.  Brett ignored the question and pulled the cloth covering back over the cannon lost in thought so Johnny changed the question, Ever seen a more impressive cannon than these 32 pounders?  Brett smiled, Like everything else on this ship it’s legendary.  "That’s why my father called this ship The Legend.  Everything is top of the line!" 

Brett quickly agreed, but then his face grew serious as he looked out at the growing haze of mist across the water.  I never liked sailing at night, especially when the weather’s like this.  "Father says the Sterling Jaguar should greet us tomorrow once we’re clear of the Caribbean.  If we can still see her in all this fog.  I know."

Brett opened a package of crudely made tobacco cigars.  I know you don’t want to alarm your father, but I don’t trust the Ruby Pathway.  Something has felt wrong ever since we left land days ago.  We haven’t seen a ship for days!  Brett pulled out two cigars and replied, That’s what seems wrong. Johnny grinned and pointed to the seemingly endless row of cannons lining the deck and said, "Maybe everyone is afraid of The Legend!"

Brett lighted his cigar and offered the other to Johnny as he asked, Why aren’t you in the ballroom using your princely charms to woo every pretty girl into dancing with you? Johnny lighted the cigar and answered, I decided to leave the party to find out why my best friend wasn’t doing the same thing.  Brett grinned and responded, As a matter of fact in a couple of minutes that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. 

He then stared out at the Caribbean Sea for a long quiet moment, the cigar smoke quickly disappearing above him as it mixed with the fog.  He took one long puff and finally decided to answer Johnny’s first question.  I am leaving the military.  Johnny nearly dropped his cigar and coughed.  But why!?  You are a shoo-in to become a General in the army. 

It’s for a girl.  A girl? What are you, engaged?  Brett smiled and nodded.  We’re to be married in five months.  I can’t continue travelling around the world and be a married man too.  It would be unacceptable for both of us.  But...the army...your career...you’d be giving up a chance to be a national hero!  She’s worth it, there’s no girl in the world like her. 

Johnny stopped arguing and instead took a long puff from the cigar, a look of understanding and acceptance crossing his face.  Will I get to meet her back in England?  Brett looked at the stairway leading to the ballroom below decks.  I’m to meet her right now.  

As the two best friends disappeared down the stairway, hundreds of feet above them the ship’s lookout tiredly stared out across the Caribbean Sea, sadly aware the rain was increasing as he shifted his feet in the growing pool of rain water inside the crow’s nest.  He sneezed and spit in disgust as he shivered in the growing cold.  While other men kept watch during the day and enjoyed an incredible view for hundreds of miles in every direction, he instead was forced to watch at night when there was nothing to report but rainfall, the beauty of the Caribbean all but invisible in the dark.  He slowly scanned the sea for any sign of life.  Nothing.  He then turned and watched with fascination the churning powerful wake The Legend left behind in the water. 

Unexpectedly a dark shape barely crossed his vision amidst the murkiness of the fog far behind the ship.  Startled he quickly looked up from the warship’s wake and stared intently for a full two minutes.  Was something trailing them?  He finally decided that it must have been his eyes or even a flash of sheet lightning far off in the clouds instead of a ship.  Still uneasy but content enough to turn away, he resumed his regular routine.    

Hundreds of feet below the crow’s nest, Brett and Johnny stepped through the immense mahogany door into the ballroom deep inside the ship.  Brett just nodded his head towards the far wall and stated simply, Follow me.  Together they walked through the crowded dance floor. Unexpectedly everyone around Brett and Johnny suddenly stopped dancing, and a dozen couples stepped aside to make way for a young woman to cross the floor to Brett.  Johnny froze in surprise as Jasmine Wright came into view.  With her shoulder length brown hair, matching eye colour, and ballroom gown, she was easily the most beautiful woman in the room. 

The twenty-five year old daughter of a powerful duke in London, she was also considered by many to be England’s most sought after and famous bachelorette.  Hundreds of upper class young men had spent the last year trying to convince the beautiful brunette that they were the one to marry her, and to assure her wealthy father that a marriage would bring even more money into the family estate.  But to everyone’s anger she always refused.  Now Johnny knew why, the whole time she had been secretly engaged to Brett, a man with no upper class social status.  But now that Brett was a military hero no one would dare to oppose their marriage.  Having never met her but now aware that she had chosen his best friend instead of the richest young men in Europe, Johnny now knew