The Pirate's Legacy: New Horizons

Chapter 20: Racing the Waves

Dread Robin had rounded his writing desk, flown past his first mate, and was out the double doors before neither Michael nor Matt could so much as turn their heads. Outside on the main deck, the majority of the crew lined the starboard railing. They were oblivious to the Pirate King's fury as he took the stairs three steps at a time. "My spyglass!" he commanded Joshua, who immediately relinquished the captain's telescope. Roger went to the starboard side and pointed it toward the direction at which the men stared.

Beyond the atoll, three ships headed their way. Matt's information had been wrong. There were two Draconian ships, recognizable by the black pennants emblazoned with the skeleton of a dragon whose tail coiled around a red circle, signifying Dragus's eye. Leading the Draconians was Black Death Mewbaran. He flew a black and yellow-spotted pennant with his signature white panther surrounded by Afrikaansian tribal symbols. Interestingly, only the Draconian ships accompanied their pennants with red flags, which indicated that no prisoners were intended to be taken. The Draconians were fighting to kill, but it would seem Black Death had room on his ship for survivors.

Roger lowered his telescope, revealing the dark scowl across his pale face. Of course, the Afrikaansian would love the pleasure of keeping him alive just long enough to crow about finally becoming Pirate King. As Roger stowed the spyglass inside one of his front pockets, his hand brushed against a piece of wet leather thong. He pulled it out. As his hands busily worked to tie back his damp wild curls, he turned around and took an inventory of his ship. The black sails were secured. The longboats, however, still hung from their wooden crane davits off the starboard side. As well, the anchor had been raised only halfway because the man had abandoned the capstan in favor of joining their fellows at the railing to stare at the incoming enemy.

Roger realized then, while his eyes passed over the main deck, why they had been found after all this time. He tilted his head back and stared up at the sky. It was dark with night instead of the cloudy ceiling to which they had been accustomed the past few days. The stars leered at the Pirate King while the scarlet moon of Dragus's eye shined down on his ship like a lighthouse's beacon. Except, instead of providing a marker for a ship to find land, the Draconians' god revealed the Pirate King's location to His followers and that traitorous Afrikaansian bastard, all because Joshua had failed to bank the burning lanterns when the ceiling of clouds had dissipated. Ugly curses bounced off the walls of Roger's mind. He rounded on the incompetent geezer and ordered him to extinguish all the lanterns. Then, the captain traversed the helm until he stood in the balcony. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, with no trace of muffle in his voice, "Listen up, you open-mouthed goldfish! If I don't have that anchor raised and the boats tied down smartly, I will make sure whoever is not seen working dies by my hand before a Draconian or Afrikaansian has the chance to lay even a grimy finger on you!"

The men were roused instantly out of their stupor. The tumult on the main deck rose to a fever pitch as the men shouted directions at each other or sent prayers up to gods who would not hear, much less care to intervene for the mortals. They took up capstan's long pegs again. The thick chain rattled as it pulled up the giant iron anchor. More hands worked to haul the longboats back onto the ship in order to be secured to the starboard side.

The first mate appeared on top of the left staircase. "Captain," he said as he walked over to stand by Roger's side. "Do we intend to fight?"

Those black eyes flickered skyward to meet Dragus's unblinking gaze for a moment before they dropped onto Michael's blue pair. "We have no other viable choice," said Roger. He and Michael turned toward the left staircase where two women's voices grew louder as their owners climbed up to the helm.

"No, Louise."

"My Queen, please! You are not well—"

"I am perfectly capable!"