Secrets from the Deep

Chapter 3

Annie trained the entire night with her uncle and cousin to know as much as she could about sailing before leaving land. After going back to her house to finish preparing for the quest, Annie returned to the docks the next morning and boarded the Night Wind to prepare for the journey. Meg was already there and shocked Annie when she saw her.

"What have you done with your dress!" Annie exclaimed, taking notice of the bottom of Meg's dress, which was now cut to be just below her knees. Meg's hair was also not in a bun but in a long braid that fell to her waist.

"This was an old dress, and I believed it would be easier for me to move around without the petticoats or former length," Meg explained as she helped Annie put her trunks on the ship. "Anyway, let's get this thing going!" Meg proclaimed once the last of the luggage was on the boat. The two cousins raised the anchor together, and the Night Wind slowly began sailing away into the mid-morning sun.

"So, how do we figure out which way either of the ships went?" Annie asked as Meg took the wheel.

"Luckily, I was able to see Captain Modi's ship sail off with Robert in the first place. So we shall go this way," Meg replied as she pointed due west. And they were finally off on their adventure.

"I've heard so many tales of the sea. I've never thought that it would feel like this while out there," Caden explained while taking a bite of a sea biscuit.

"So, Caden, do you have any idea of what we're going to do when we come into contact with Captain Modi?" Albert asked, sounding concerned.

"I was hoping to learn more about swordplay in the next couple of days, so when we do contact him, I will be ready to take him one-on-one and rescue Robert. Why do you ask?"

"Because he's right there!" Albert exclaimed, pointing in front of them.

"What? Everyone, grab a sword!" Charles exclaimed.

"Jasper, get to the dinghy and try to find help!" Caden called out to Jasper, another crew member of their ship, who also had a long white scar on his cheek. As Jasper made his way to the small boat to try and escape, the rest of Caden's crew grabbed the nearest sword, hoping to defeat the most feared captain of the sea right then and there. Unfortunately, Caden and his team soon realized that their adversary brought his entire gang along for the fight.

"So, you came to challenge the dreaded Captain Modi?" an older-looking man taunted Charles.

"Or are you here to rescue our captive?" another man asked Caden.

"Yes, and defeat the cowardly Captain Modi once and for all," Caden replied as confidently as he could to the older-looking man whom he believed to be Captain Modi.

"Well, where is your sword?"

"Don't play dumb with me. It's in my ha-" Caden began before realizing that the sword he grabbed was no longer in his hand! His opponent, the older man, had swiped it while they were talking. The next thing he knew, he was stuck to the mast of the Star Sailor by a sword that pierced his jacket. Sure enough, the rest of Caden's friends had been defeated by Captain Modi's crew, and some of them were also pinned or tied to the mast of the ship.

"Chris, Kevin, Mark, bring them onto our ship. The rest of you, check to see if there's any treasure on the ship," the older-looking man commanded. Sure enough, the entire Star Sailor crew was brought onto the Air Mando as prisoners.