The DeCadia Code (The DeCadia Series Book 1) by Apryl Baker, Jonathan Yanez Read Free Book Online Page A

at his helm always brought a sense of mischievous joy to the conversation. “You only have to call me Captain when others are in ear shot.”
    “Right, your shouting doesn’t count as earshot.” The older woman spun the helm to the right, hard. With a blur of wood and arms, The Dragoon complied with her bid as it banked in the desired direction. Marm’s motion avoided a volley of return cannon fire from the pirate ship. “Whoever they have barking orders at them is quick to adjust. They are already losing their interest in the merchant ship and are turning to attack us. As we gain on them, it will be impossible to avoid all their shots.”
    As if to punctuate her words, the pirate ship sent another wave of shots in their direction, this time striking the broadside of The Dragoon . Stephen grabbed the rail to steady himself as debris and smoke filled the air.
    His ship groaned as the deck trembled and swayed. Perhaps he was taking his first conflict too calmly. “It’s all right: it’s all in the plan. The more time we can buy that merchant vessel to land, the better. Marm, line up a shot for Amil. I want that pirate ship’s engine room taken out.”
    The woman nodded an unspoken agreement.
    Stephen ran down the steps to the deck below where Amil had everything running like a machine. As soon as shots were fired, sailors were reloading the cannons at a rate that would impress even the most veteran soldier.
    As Stephen approached, he heard the familiar sound of incoming cannon rounds. The distant poof sound of shots exiting the pirate cannons, followed by eerie whistling filled the air with their passing.
    His instinct took over and told him to get out of the way—quickly. The shrieking cannon balls were getting louder, heralding the impact of the enemy volley.
    Stephen was running across the deck toward Amil. The only sailor near him was the blonde soldier Amil had made do pushups only a few minutes earlier. She was frightened, forcing herself to look past the fear and perform her duties. She was in the process of carrying a heavy cannon round to load one of their guns.
    The captain of The Dragoon picked up speed. His booted feet struck the solid deck underneath him at a steady clip. The sound of the oncoming enemy rounds was all around him. He had seconds, maybe a single second, before the round struck.
    As gently as possible, Stephen wrapped his arms around the unsuspecting sailor. Pushing off as hard as he could with his legs, he sent them flying through the air. His timing was impeccable. A moment later, the enemy cannon ball found its mark on the deck of The Dragoon . A smoking crater marked the same location where the female solider had been.
    When they hit the deck, Stephen twisted to ensure his body absorbed the brunt of the blow. His right shoulder struck the hard floor first, followed by the rest of his head and body. The sailor, wrapped in his arms, landed on top of him.
    Stephen’s first reaction was to look at the spot they had just escaped and release a sigh of gratitude. His second thought was to make sure the soldier he saved was indeed safe.
    The blonde sailor looked at him with an expression of shock, then thankfulness as her mind caught up with the events of the past few seconds. “Sir, I mean Captain. Thank—thank you. You just saved my life.”
    Stephen nodded, recalling the sailor’s name. “Private Baker, I’m sure you’d have done the same. Now, if you wouldn’t mind getting off of me, we have a fight to win.”
    The woman’s face went from a milky flush to pale ivory as she realized she was sitting on top of her Captain. “Oh, of course.”
    She scrambled to her feet and pointed a finger at Stephen’s right temple. “Are you all right, Captain?”
    Stephen regained his own feet. His hand traveled to the side of his face and came back sticky. Adrenaline was doing its job making pain seem like a forgotten memory. “It’s nothing. Get back in the fight, sailor.”
    Private Baker