Owned by the Ocean by Christine Steendam Read Free Book Online Page A

and
on edge than to really challenge himself. Corbin was by no means an
expert swordsman.
    Their days were full, but when the day came to load up and
sail out, Brant was eager to be at sea again; eager to feel the
freedom and adventure and the satisfying ache in his bones after a
day of hard work. This season held a lot of promise. He had one
season under his belt, and he had done well. But now, with the
second season upon him, his goals were that much closer, he could
almost grasp them. He knew that there would be no more manning
cannons during a raid. He was good with the cutlass, he’d proven
himself time and again to LeFleur in daily lessons. He’d bested
nearly every man on the crew at one time or another, including
Karl. He was ready, and he knew it. LeFleur needed good sword hands
and he couldn’t afford to squander the skills he had at his
disposal; skills that Brant had worked hard to hone, not only with
the blade, but working hard to learn the science of navigation from
Corbin, something that was above and beyond his duties as a Sailor.
The BlackFox had
no Sailing Mate to work under Corbin. That job was there, waiting
for LeFleur to see Brant’s potential and promote him.
    Brant strolled
the decks with Corbin, pulling the second watch of the night. “This
is my last season,” said Corbin, out of nowhere.
    Brant stopped
his forward progression and looked at his friend. “What do you
mean?”
    “ Anna, she be pregnant. It’s time I went home and was a
husband to her.”
    “ Congratulations,” and he meant it. He felt a twinge of pride
for his friend, who was embarking on a new stage in his
life.
    “ Cap’n is gonna need a new Sailing Master. I talked to him
today, he is gonna promote you to Sailing Mate so you be ready to
take over when I leave.”
    “ When?”
    “ Soon.”
    “ Thank you, Corbin.”
    They continued
their watch, talking about what Corbin would do in the future as he
settled into a quieter life as a father and husband. But Brant’s
mind was stuck on the fact that he was going to get what he was
working towards, sooner than he expected.
    He was busy
mending a sail when Joseph approached him a few days later. “The
Cap’n wants to see you.”
    Brant jumped
up. He’d been waiting for this since Corbin had broken the news,
and was beginning to worry that perhaps Captain LeFleur had changed
his mind, that there was someone older, more experienced and better
suited to the position.
    “ You wanted to see me, Sir?” he asked, walking into the
captain’s cabin.
    “ Yes, Mr. Foxton. I’ve heard a great deal of good things about
you from Corbin and he seems to think you are in need of a rank
change… perhaps Sailing Mate?”
    Brant smiled
broadly. “I’d really like that, Sir.”
    “ He tells me that you’ve been learning the skills needed on
your own time. I’m impressed.”
    “ Thank you, Sir.”
    “ Which brings me to another matter: I don’t believe your
skills are best utilized on the cannon deck during
raids.”
    Brant’s heart
quickened. This was it. Only a few weeks at sea and he was getting
everything he’d hoped for.
    “ You’ll be on the boarding party next raid. I think you’ve
proven yourself more than ready.”
    “ Thank you, Sir. I won’t disappoint you.”
    LeFleur nodded
and looked back down at the papers spread over his desk. “Now, I
believe you have work to do.”
     
    * * *
     
    Brant’s opportunity to join in a raid came quickly.
The BlackFox followed heavily used trading routes, and were never long
between attacks. When the first cannon shot fired and the deck
shook beneath his feet he felt the first inkling of apprehension.
Each cannon blast only succeeded in escalating his fear. He glanced
around nervously at the waiting men, who seemed eager to spill
blood. A buzz of adrenaline filled the deck and yet Brant felt
himself shaking in fear. It was one thing to spar, never drawing
blood; it was completely different to take over a ship and kill men
for