At last, he came upon Ben, who was being violently sick as the blood sloshed around his feet.

'What's this!' bellowed the pirate. 'Not found your sea legs yet, my young buck?'

He laughed horribly and kicked Ben in the stomach. Ben rolled across the deck, clutching his shaking body, retching again as nausea swept over him He managed to stand and lifted his cutla.s.s high above his head, gritting his teeth as he faced o'Kane.

It was only now that he saw that the pirate had tiny twists of gunpowder knotted into his beard. They were each alight and flaring with an unhealthy green phosph.o.r.escence, as though he were some crazed Celtic demon brought to chuckling life.

Ben tossed his cutla.s.s from hand to hand, the way he remembered Errol Flynn doing in countless Hollywood films.

But this fight was real, he told himself desperately, and the huge man facing him would spill his insides as cheerfully as he had the other unfortunate sailor's.

Suddenly, O'Kane frowned and peered at Ben through the drifting smoke of the battle.

'I knows you!' he said, incredulously. 'Were you not the lad Ashdown brought aboard on the way to Dutchland?'

Ben felt suddenly cheered. 'That I am, mate. So we've no quarreI.'

O'Kane laughed his terrifying laugh, his fizzling beard shaking. 'No quarrel? You've deserted our ship, you swine!

And, besides, the captain tortured the truth out of Ashdown this morning. He knows all about your little visit last night.'

Ben swallowed fearfully.

O'Kane raised his cutla.s.s. 'I'll slice you open from your guts to your windpipe, so help me!'

He dashed forward, his cutla.s.s trained on Ben's chest. But Ben was nimble and neatly sidestepped, jumping on top of the pile of coiled rope as the red-bearded pirate swung round to attack again.

Their swords clashed and Ben felt a sickening vibration pa.s.s through his arm at the force of O'Kane's blow.

Immediately he riposted O'Kane's attack but the ma.s.sive man was ready for him, smashing against Ben's cutla.s.s and thrusting his great arm forward. The sword pierced Ben's striped T-shirt and ripped it apart along the shoulder.

O'Kane brought his cutla.s.s to bear again at once and Ben ducked down as the great steel blade sliced through the air above his head.

He jumped down from the rope and grabbed desperately at its tarred end. Keeping low, he managed to loop it around O'Kane's legs and pulled with all his strength.

The pirate crashed to the deck with a roar of anger.

At once, Ben s.n.a.t.c.hed up his cutla.s.s and raced forward, clutching the hilt in both hands. Beneath him lay O'Kane, his big face pale and sweating. Still, the gunpowder in his beard sizzled and burnt, but he looked somehow pathetic, like a great sun G.o.d brought to earth. His expression was filled with dumb appeal and Ben hesitated as he prepared to thrust his cutla.s.s into the pirate's throat.

It was the chance O'Kane needed.

He slid across the wet planks and got to his feet with surprising agility, hurled the rope around Ben's neck, and dragged him to the deck.

Ben let out a throaty gurgle as he fell and was instantly winded. O'Kane appeared, towering above him, his glittering cutla.s.s poised to deliver a killing blow. Ben closed his eyes, seeing, for an instant, images of Polly, Jamie, and the Doctor.

He would never see them now, never have a chance to say goodbye...

There was a deep percussive crash and Ben's eyes flicked open.

Captain Winter was swinging on a rope from the mast and had landed her feet squarely in O'Kane's back.

'Sal!' cried Ben delightedly, struggling to his feet.

Winter dropped from the rope and gave Ben a rea.s.suring smile. Then her cutla.s.s flashed from its sheath and she advanced on O'Kane, who was on his knees, his head sunk on his chest, breathing stertorously.

'Get up!' barked Winter, jabbing O'Kane in the back with her sword.

The pirate got slowly to his feet and placed his hands upon his greasy red hair.

Winter and Ben positioned themselves some distance away, next to the gunpowder barrels, before Winter instructed O'Kane to turn around.

'Now,' bellowed Winter. 'Tell us what your captain has brought back from Amsterdam.'

O'Kane merely grunted and looked out across the decks, which still hummed with battling men.

'Tell us!' barked Winter. 'Or, so help me, I'll have your lights for supper!'

O'Kane smiled ghoulishly. 'Nay, la.s.s. That's a delicacy not fit for the likes of you!'

With a roar, he propelled himself forward. Caught off guard, Ben still managed to lash out with his cutla.s.s, cutting O'Kane across the hamstring. The pirate howled with pain as he tried to get his big hands around Winter's throat.

Winter smashed her fist into the pirate's face and pushed him across the deck.

O'Kane tottered, slipped, and fell headlong into one of the open gunpowder barrels.

Ben looked at Winter. They paused for a second and then hared away towards the p.o.o.p deck just as O'Kane's sparking beard connected with the deadly powder.

There was a colossal explosion and barrel staves flashed though the air like curved wooden javelins.

Ben and Winter ducked down and waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, there was a big, headless pirate slumped on the deck beneath them.

Winter let out one of her characteristic throaty laughs and got to her feet.

'We've not beaten them yet, Sal,' croaked Ben. 'Come on!'

He began to move off but Winter held him back. The big woman scanned the deck with her good eye and frowned.

'Hold on a moment, Ben,' she muttered. 'My crew is battling well and young Hugh has the ship arights. What say you and me nip over to the Teazer Teazer to see what we may see?' to see what we may see?'

Ben was astonished. 'Are you mad? Your ship's being attacked! If we go over there we might not have anything to come back to!'

Winter tapped the end of her silver nose. 'I have a score to settle with Stanislaus, my lad. Everything else can go hang!'

'And what about the package from Amsterdam? We know they're up to something. We can't just let it go because you want Stanislaus' guts for garters.'

Winter considered this, her beady black eye disappearing under her furrowed brow. 'His guts would have to be wide to clap around these thighs!' she cackled. Then she laid her hand on Ben's arm and spoke more quietly. 'I might never get a better chance, Ben. Me against him. On the open sea!'

She gestured expansively.

Ben clapped her on the shoulder. 'Look, Sal. If we lose the Demeter Demeter, then we'll have nothing but open sea to look forward to for the rest of our very short lives. OK?'

Winter's face was a mask of concentration. Through the drifting fog of gunpowder she could make out her men valiantly fending off Stanislaus's gang of cutthroats.

She turned to Ben. 'I hear you, mate,' she said at last. 'But I wonder whether we might not be able to kill two birds with one stone.'.

She raised her cutla.s.s and fixed Ben with her remaining eye. 'Are you game?'

CHAPTER 7.

The depressingly short winter day was fading fast, darkness creeping in from the horizon like a chill curtain. The cold sun, sinking into the embrace of the hills, was perfectly mirrored in the broad, still waters of the Solent.

Hurst Castle stood in a bend of the river, as grim and unwelcoming as any place in the kingdom, its old walls broken with age, its facade peppered with nesting rooks. Their harsh cries echoed through the eerie stillness as Sir John Copper and his men advanced along the sh.o.r.e.

Copper reigned in his horse and swung down from the saddle, never taking his eye off the gloomy fortress nearby.

Benedict Moor walked over to Copper's side. ''Tis time, then?' he muttered anxiously.

Copper turned his cold grey eyes on him. 'Almost. But there is still much to be done. When Whyte arrives ah!'

He paused as two figures on horseback emerged from the gathering dusk. The sound of hooves hammering on the frost-hardened ground echoed like a drumbeat through the quiet.

Whyte's and Polly's mounts slowed to a halt and trotted side by side, but the handsome Cavalier was the first to dismount.

He nodded to Copper and Moor before raising his hands to help Polly down.

She waved him away and dropped from the saddle, shooting Whyte another suspicious look.

Copper took her hand and kissed it.

'A pleasure to see you again, lady,' he said, smiling sweetly. 'I am glad to renew our acquaintance in happier circ.u.mstances.'

Polly did not return his smile. 'You have news of my friends?'

Whyte intervened. 'I have explained to Mistress Polly that the man known as the Doctor has been sighted within the walls of this castle.'

Copper nodded. 'That is so. But we must use all our guile to get him out, my dear. You see, the castle is well guarded.'

Polly looked at the men who surrounded her. 'Is the Doctor in trouble?'

It would be surprising if he weren't, she thought ruefully.

Copper waved his hand airily. 'Our intelligence only extends to his presence in this place.'

Whyte shot her a rea.s.suring grin, which Polly didn't altogether like. She thought again of his blatant lie about Frances Kemp's brother.

'What's your plan?' she asked plainly.

Copper pointed across the river to Hurst Castle. 'We have contacts within, you understand? An arrangement has been made to subst.i.tute a serving girl. Our spy will make contact with your friend the Doctor and then you can slip in and be reunited.'

Polly frowned. 'And who's the subst.i.tute?' Copper's elegant digit turned to point to her. 'Me?' she cried.

Whyte moved closer to her. 'But you're the natural choice, my dear.'

Polly folded her arms defiantly. 'And what do you get out of this?'

Copper smiled benignly. 'The chance to help a lady whom we have wronged.'

Polly let out a snorting laugh. 'And?'

Whyte grimaced, sensing the game was up. 'And we would be terribly grateful if you could help the King escape while you're in there.'

'The King? He's in there too?'

Copper and Whyte nodded slowly. Then the older man gently took Polly's hand in his own.

'Will you help us, my dear? This is our beloved monarch's last chance. For, as sure as I stand here, Parliament will cut off his head before this d.a.m.ned year is out.'

Polly looked away. Surely, Parliament would do that no matter what her decision. But wasn't the Doctor always going on about the Web of Time? That history might be changed at anyone of a number of points? Maybe what she, insignificant Polly Wright, did now would have ma.s.sive repercussions for the whole of the future.

Then she thought about seeing the Doctor and Jamie again and maybe even Ben. She knew that together they could sort out any mess. And the Doctor was her only hope of escape from this strange world.

She nodded quickly. 'All right. What do you want me to do?'

Whyte came suddenly forward and kissed her on the cheek. She almost stepped back, still not trusting him, surprised by his sudden warmth and the tingle that raced through her body.

Copper opened his saddlebag and produced the map of the castle, which he had been studying back at the inn. Moor stepped forward with a lantern and the four of them stooped to examine the parchment by its pale glow.

Jamie shot the Doctor an anxious look and felt a cold wave of fear wash over him. 'Are you sure about this, Doctor?'

The Doctor stood on the windowledge outside their room, trying not to look down, his boots sc.r.a.ping on the frosty stonework.

'We can't wait for Richard Cromwell's permission any longer, Jamie,' he said with regret. 'I have to get that book back from him no matter what. The consequences are unthinkable. We could be in terrible trouble.'

He glanced down and saw the snow-covered ornamental gardens spread out like a doily pattern below. He snapped his eyes shut and flattened himself against the bricks. 'Possibly terminal trouble,' he added.