Arm from the Deep (eBook)

A Cape pirate adventure, Book 13

Gerrie Radlof, Pieter Haasbroek (Autoren)

Pieter Haasbroek (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
84 Seiten
Pieter Haasbroek (Verlag)
9780000727442 (ISBN)

Infos

They called him the scourge of the Indian Ocean.

But what if the deadliest pirate was the only one telling the truth?

Plunge into the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1720), where the treacherous waters of the Cape of Good Hope are just the beginning of a worldwide adventure.

In the ruthless age of the Dutch East India Company, Admiral Rynhardt te Hoogen's brilliant naval career is destroyed in an instant. His crime? Believing the legendary pirate, Oloff van Wagenaar, may be a hero instead of a villain. Betrayed and framed by a ruthless rival, Rynhardt is stripped of his rank, exiled, and left powerless in a treacherous struggle for power on the high seas.

Meanwhile, the ambitious Gerhard Rheedert seizes false glory while the beautiful Rynette du Bois is swept into the crossfire. Kidnapped and entangled in a deadly conspiracy, she holds the key to a dangerous secret. One that could shatter empires and uncover the true legacy of the man known as Oloff the Pirate.

With the world believing Oloff is dead, Rynhardt must form a perilous alliance with the haunted pirate himself. To rescue the woman they both love, and expose a conspiracy reaching the highest ranks, they must risk everything. But can trust survive betrayal, or will their desperate quest end in a watery grave?

A swashbuckling tale of betrayal, forbidden loyalties, and high-seas adventure. Perfect for fans of Master and Commander, Hornblower, and Pirates of the Caribbean, this epic historical pirate novel delivers heart-pounding naval battles, dark secrets, and unforgettable characters.

Start the thirteenth book in the sweeping Oloff the Sea Pirate saga today, and set sail on an adventure you'll never forget.

Textauszug

13. ARM FROM THE SEA

Chapter 1

“Is there anything further you wish to state before sentence is passed upon you?” The sharp, dry voice cut through the great hall where a deathly silence reigned. There was a hint of malicious pleasure in the speaker’s words, as if it were entirely unnecessary, as if the sentence had already been decreed, and nothing that might be said could alter it in any way.

The single sentence echoed dully against the finely wrought woodwork of the galleries that extended along the sides and the back wall. The benches with their high backs on the floor of the hall were packed. The multitude held their breath. There was tension, but it was uncertain, like that of an audience in a theatre where the performance is approaching its climax, a culmination that is known in advance and which evokes an unsatisfying, bitter taste.

At a long table at the front of the hall sat five men. The one in the middle let his arms rest limply on the arms of his chair. His head was tilted back against the upholstery of the backrest, which loomed like the billowing sails of a ship. Through half-closed eyes, above a sharp, crooked nose and finely compressed lips, he peered at the man who stood proudly and upright across from the table.

From his expression, there was no doubt that, as far as he was concerned, the matter was concluded. Nothing could further influence the sentence.

“There is much that I could answer, Admiral Rynhardt te Hoogen,” came a clear, strong voice. But his young, robust countenance was slightly embittered, and his eyes showed distress and dejection, as if he were weary after the long hearing. His voice did not reflect this, but it was clear that he, too, realized that a further attempt at defense would be of no benefit to him. Yet he spoke with defiance and determination, for he was acutely aware of the injustice of the attitude being adopted towards him. He felt that the vast majority of those present at his hearing agreed with him that the accusations against him could not be substantiated. “But it would merely be a repetition of what has already been said,” continued the young admiral of the Dutch East India Company. “The man who was known as Oloff the Pirate was my friend. He was my friend because, through his actions, he proved his friendship to me. Therefore, I believed in his innocence and the explanation as to why he had established himself in Deelen Bay, the pirate’s nest on the coast of Madagascar. He...”

“Te Hoogen,” interrupted the man in the high-backed chair, “do you wish to waste the time of this court any further with such assertions?”

“You asked me if there was anything further I wished to say,” retorted Te Hoogen sharply, and almost with impatience. At the same time, there was an almost dissatisfied murmur among the spectators, as if they, too, found the actions against him unreasonable.

The thin lips of Mijnheer Rheedert, chairman of the Lords Seventeen, Board of Directors of the Dutch East India Company, curled downwards at the corners, as if irritated by the disturbance. Nevertheless, he restrained himself, and with a slight movement of the fingers of his left hand, he indicated that Rynhardt might continue.

“Oloff van Wagenaar’s father was murdered by pirates. Oloff tracked down and killed the murderers, and he took an oath not to rest until he had purged the Indian Ocean of the scourge of the pirates and destroyed Deelen Bay. To achieve his goal, he went to live amongst them so that he could ascertain their movements, and in doing so, he was able to save many merchant vessels. Systematically, he attacked one pirate captain after another, dealing the pirate force blow after blow. However, it was a protracted process.

“On one occasion when I was instructed to pursue Oloff the Pirate with a fleet and take him into custody, I fell into pirate hands. Then Oloff rushed to my aid and saved my life, and it was then that I realized who he really was and what his goal in life was. I promoted him to captain of the Dutch Fleet, and this was ratified by the Lords Seventeen.”

“That was purely on your word, Te Hoogen!” snapped Rheedert at him.

“My word was accepted,” replied Rynhardt coolly. “There was no reason to doubt it. There were sufficient witnesses.”

“Oloff the Pirate was known as the wealthiest of them all!” interrupted Rheedert sharply. “Testimony can be bought.”

Rynhardt te Hoogen did not reply immediately. He flushed red with anger, and then the color left his face until he was deathly pale, but with a cold calm, he looked at the others.

“That was not the opinion when I submitted my report,” was all he said.

“But in any case, that is not relevant now,” declared Rheedert curtly. “Those records have been removed and no longer exist. It has nothing...”

“It has everything to do with the motive for my actions,” Rynhardt countered. “That is why I responded when Oloff made contact with me and requested me to join him in delivering the final blow which, as was indeed the case, would have meant the end of Deelen Bay.”

Mijnheer Rheedert shrugged his shoulders slightly. He shook his head as if to indicate that the young admiral was insulting him and the others present by persisting with such assertions.

“It is to be expected, Te Hoogen,” he said almost reprovingly, “that you would wish to remind us of the fact that there were rumors at the time that Oloff the Pirate was, in reality, trying to render a noble service and that he was merely a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Naturally, you will try to use that argument to try and justify the actions of which you are now accused. You openly admit that you collaborated with the most ruthless of all scoundrels who have ever entered the Indian Ocean. In your own foolish trust, you practically placed your entire fleet at his mercy.”

“Deelen Bay has been destroyed,” replied Rynhardt simply, as if he wished to prove the contrary with that fact.

“We know that!” roared Rheedert. “Had it not been for the actions of Captain Rheedert, and the fact that you finally heeded his warnings and accepted his advice and guidance, Deelen Bay would still be there today, and you and your entire fleet would have been destroyed.”

Rynhardt te Hoogen turned his head. For a few moments, his gaze rested quietly on that of a young man who was sitting in one of the witness benches against the wall to his right. Gerhard Rheedert, son of the powerful director, smiled with a slight trace of malicious pleasure. His lower jaw and cheeks looked soft and heavy for his face. But the self-assured expression in his eyes lent him a personality that would not otherwise have existed.

Then Rynhardt lowered his head. He said nothing.

“The captains of your fleet have all testified here,” continued Mijnheer Rheedert as if he were now presenting the matter for the last time, “that you would have repeatedly led them into a trap if it had not been that Captain Rheedert had dissuaded you. It is he who planned the final assault on Deelen Bay, and he himself has told us how he sailed between Oloff’s two ships and had them sunk just inside the entrance to Deelen Bay. You, Te Hoogen, held a responsible post. You were not worthy of it. You have neglected your duty and have placed the lives of hundreds of Company officials in danger with selfish, reckless purposefulness. You are therefore relieved of your post. You are dismissed from the service of the Company! You are required to leave your homeland within the next month and never return here again. You may settle in one of the colonies or refreshment posts. But never again will you be allowed into our service. You can consider yourself fortunate that the death sentence was not passed upon you. However, my son, Captain Gerhard Rheedert, pleaded on behalf of his fellow officers that your loyal service of the past should be taken into consideration, as well as the fact that Deelen Bay was, after all, destroyed, and that Oloff the Pirate and his full crew were sent to their watery graves. You may leave, but your movements will be followed until you leave the country!”

He struck the table with a hammer and stood up abruptly. The four fellow directors followed his example, and they exited through a door in the back wall.

There was an excited murmur among the spectators. However, they spoke in hushed tones, as if they were still aware of their presence in this paneled hall, where the highest council of the Company laid down the laws and passed sentences. Many of them looked at the bowed head of Rynhardt te Hoogen, where he remained standing alone in front of the long table. It was as if some of them felt the urge to go to him and speak to him. But then they followed the flow out through the large doors.

The officers in the witness bench and the officials of the court sauntered, chatting through the gate in the railings that separated the benches of the spectators from the front part of the hall. They deliberately focused their attention on each other, as if they wished to prevent themselves from possibly looking Te Hoogen in the eye. With many, there was the attitude of someone who had done something about which he was not comfortable and thought that he could shake it off simply by turning his back on it.

But one man, quite elderly and dressed in a captain’s uniform, walked straight up to Rynhardt te Hoogen. He placed his strong, powerful hand on the young man’s shoulder and pressed it lightly.

“It could have been worse, Rynhardt,” said Stefaan Wiehahn in a muted voice, and when Rynhardt heard the underlying anger in the words, he quickly looked at his friend, the only one of the captains...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 27.8.2025
• Übersetzer: Pieter Haasbroek, Ai
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 9780000727442 / 9780000727442