Circle Sea 1: The Pirate Maze

Chapter 24: Homecoming

. He could hear the soft lapping of the waves against the boat and the murmur of voices in quiet conversation.

'Is it my turn yet?' he asked with a bleary voice as he rubbed his eyes and pulled himself into a sitting position.

Darnell laughed.

'I think you've missed it Master James,' he said warmly. 'If you look to your left you might see something familiar though.'

Jim turned to look where his teacher was pointing. The rocky coastline of his own island was only a short distance away, its tall cliffs towering over them like a protective hen. Not far away he could see the curving rocks of the harbour mouth and the tall round house where the Flints had once lived.

He wondered for a moment about Jedediah and Jessica. Their choices had taken them into the realm of piracy, and they were now on the wrong side of the law. How long would they survive if the Unicorn was hunted down?

He shook his head sadly and looked up at Darnell who was busy with the sails. Here was another familiar face who may now be living under a sentence of death...

He got up carefully and slowly adjusted his legs to the movement of the boat. He wished he had been awake during their brief voyage, but perhaps there would be another chance to get back on the sea...

'You snore,' laughed Mike who was working the tiller.

'No, I don't,' he protested, but he laughed and joined his new friend at the back of the boat.

Slowly the tiny vessel made its way along the coast. Jim thought they might enter the harbour, but Darnell took control and steered them towards a tiny mooring on the far side of the narrow opening. It was somewhere beneath the Flints' tall round house and couldn't be seen from the village.

They helped Darnell tie up the boat and then climbed the steep steps towards the harbour. Polly was chatting happily to Elizabeth about the village and all of the things she wanted to show her new friend.

'Up you go,' Darnell said to Mike and Jim. He followed them as they took the steps in huge strides.

When they reached the top they came to a stone wall which surrounded a small vegetable garden. It curved around the house before joining the buildings of the harbour. Jim smiled as he saw the familiar shapes of the warehouses and workshops, and the twisting edge of the village road as it stretched upwards toward the cliffs.

He turned and looked back at Darnell who was watching him from the top of the steps.

'You're not coming with us, are you?'

'No,' the teacher said as he shook his head sadly. 'I've done my bit now, and the rest is up to you... unless you want to pull a gun on me again?'

Jim smiled and shook his head in reply.

'Not this time,' he said. 'I know you can't come with us, but I'll miss you. There's so much more that you need to tell us... and I don't think this is over yet, is it...'

'You may well be right, young James,' the pirate turned teacher replied. 'There is more to come, and I suspect you will have a part to play in it... and I daresay, so will I. There are still pirates out there, and the King himself could return one day. No, it's not over yet. This, I'm afraid, is just the beginning.'

Jim turned to look along the seafront where his friends were already receiving looks from sailors and villagers. A cry went up from somewhere ahead.

'Will we see you again?' he asked.

When he turned his head, Darnell was gone.

He debated with himself briefly whether he should go after him, but knew it was better to let him go. The teacher would need to get away before he was spotted and arrested. Somewhere inside he knew that they would meet again however. He just didn't know when.