Pirate Nation

Chapter 10

Asha

The jungle is nothing but a green blur as we race down the narrow path to Driftwood Inlet.

Kai's arms are tight around my waist, nearly squashing the breath out of me. His face is buried in the back of my shoulder, eyes squeezed shut.

"Almost there," I tell him.

"Good," he mumbles against my jacket, refusing to look up.

I can't stop the corners of my mouth from tugging upwards at his reaction. I've seen Kai shimmy up the mainmast and dangle from the crow's nest without a care in the world. Yet, the idea of riding a horse has him frozen solid.

It's a good thing father insisted that I learn to ride, otherwise we would have been forced to run the entire way.

The horse leaps over a dip in the path, and Kai jolts against my back, banging his head on mine. I grunt, seizing a fistful of mane to avoid falling off.

The ground turns from soil to sand under the horse's hooves and we burst from the trees. White grains fly in all directions as we gallop across the wide beach towards the ocean.

"We're here," I shout back over my shoulder.

Kai straightens up, looking past me at the water. The surface glistens in the first light of dawn, golden streaks painted across the sky, and waves beat against the shore with a distant roar.

Sea spray whips across the air. I breathe in the salt, letting it fill my lungs.

A small boat rests at the shore, the bow up on the sand and the waves lapping at the stern. A figure stands up, silhouetted against the rising sun. As we near the boat, the familiar figure of my younger sister Quinn comes into focus.

The wind blows, sweeping her long black hair to the side. She straightens her arm, pointing it at us. A glint of light catches my eye and I realise there's a pistol in her hand.

Aimed straight at us.

"Quinn!" I shout. "Don't shoot, it's us!"

Kai twists around, looking behind. "She's not aiming at us."

I throw a quick glance over my shoulder, but Kai blocks my view. "What is it?"

"Your friend." Kai lets out a laugh. "Seriously, this soldier doesn't know when to quit. I didn't think they paid them enough for this."

I rein in the horse and she skids to a stop. I leap down from her back. Kai all but topples from the saddle, tangling his foot in the stirrup. He hits the sand with a thump, spraying it in his face.

While Kai spits and splutters, dusting the sand from his face, I turn around.

Grayson crouches low over the neck of a black horse, rocking in time with each pounding step it takes. His light brown hair whips back over his shoulder, golden strands gleaming in the light of dawn.

I reach for my pistol but before I can draw it, a gunshot sounds over my shoulder.

Grayson's whole body jerks backwards, but he somehow manages to keep his grip on the horse. But the horse rears up, eyes rolling with panic, and he is thrown from the saddle, landing in a heap on the sand.

I glance back. Quinn lowers her pistol, stowing it in the boat.

"Asha, come on!"

I cast one last glance at the soldier, now lying still on the sand. A bloom of red spreads across his left shoulder.

I turn away, splashing through the water to join Kai at the boat. Together we push it across the wet sand, the water swirling at our ankles. The boat lifts, floating, and we guide it past the first few breakers.

Quinn dips the oars into the water, holding the boat steady for a few seconds while we climb in.

Kai sits down beside Quinn, taking one oar from her. In tandem they pull, dipping the paddles into the water, propelling us away from shore.

I crouch in the bow of the boat, looking out to sea.

A ship materialises on the horizon. "There she is," I say.

Kai glances over his shoulder and lets out a whoop of joy. "The Red Vengeance. What a sight!"