Chronicles of the Dragon Pirate (57 page)

“Go ahead,” Seth jeered at me as he struggled to be free of his bonds. “I ain’t scared of you. Hit me all you want.”

“What’s the point?” I replied, looking into his red-eyed gaze. “Will it bring back Belle-M’ere or Gran-Pere?”

“You hate me ‘cause I killed them,” he snarled, “like you killed my pet ‘cause you wouldn’t help her.”

“You’re right, in a sense,” I said as several things suddenly became clear. Seth stopped struggling and looked up at me in puzzlement as I went on. “It was a bad time when the swamp-water fever swept over St. Augustine, and I gave everything I had so Jeremiah’s sister would survive, when I could’ve used it to help other people.” I shook my head. “But your woman wouldn’t have been one of them. Not because I hated her,” I said quickly as Seth’s eyes narrowed, “but because there were other people Gran-Pere would’ve had me heal first.” Belle-M’ere would’ve never allowed me to help her, I also realized, but I decided to say nothing of that as I said, “But in your mind I should’ve given my strength to heal her, and because I didn’t help her, you hate me...because you loved Elisha.”

“I don’t care ‘bout her no more, I only want to hurt you, make you suffer.”

“But you did care about her once,” I said as I looked up at Arabella. “I never understood why Seth hated me but I do, now. I can’t think of anything worse than having Pepper die in my arms and not be able to do a thing to save her, and it must’ve been the same for Seth.” Remembering BelleM’ere’s face as she lay dying, my expression grew stern as the captain’s as I stared at him. “But it doesn’t excuse what he did. I don’t want to hit him, only see that justice is done.”

Seth’s face became his familiar look of hatred. “I gonna make you suffer for what you did, and when I get through with you...”

“Quill, Seth,” Arabella said. At once he clamped his mouth shut, and Arabella gave him an evil smile as he stopped struggling and looked down at the grey-wood planks beneath our feet. “I told Seth if he didn’t behave I would return his humanity and turn him over to the crew’s...tender mercy, before coming up with a suitably agonizing way to die.” Her expression turned more normal as she looked at me. “I will have him brought to Captain Black for execution, or see the deed done myself. You have my word.” I nodded, and she motioned towards my hand. “Pepper told me about your ring after I heard the tale from one of the crew.”

“I had to explain why you could move so fast,” Pepper said, “so they wouldn’t start this nonsense about you being an unnatural creature again. Khan thinks it’s why Captain Thorne became so obsessed: he thought you were secretly a pureblood, because only they have the ability to alter time.”

I nodded in understanding. “But because only I share half of LongMu’s nature, I can’t alter it without help, and thus Hob gave me her ring so I could.”

“I have never heard of a white bone Artifact before,” Arabella said, gazing at the ring intently. “I would like to watch it in action, and maybe see if I can give it strength as well.” Pepper crossed her arms and Arabella smiled. “I am content to wait until after the betrothal, when Tomas has rested...if you shall allow him any, that is.” She looked down at Seth with the expression of a governor’s wife coming upon a sailor covered in his own spew. “Up, Seth, and we will see if anyone else wishes to have sport with you.” Seth gave Arabella a dark look but rose to his feet and hobbled after her, his chains rattling as they walked towards the galley.

But they stopped as I called out, “What about you and Captain Hawkins?”

Arabella remained facing forward, only turning her head to the side. “Olde Roger will not give up his desire to make him into a true monster. Take a lesson from me and pray do not get too attached to him.” Arabella resumed walking, moving past the galley towards the stairs leading up.

I shivered, and Pepper put her arms around my waist. “You aren’t out of dangerous waters yet,” she said as she turned me around, “so back to bed.”

“Yes, milady,” I said as she steered me back towards the workroom, Master Khan smiling at us before kneeling back down next to Curly. We passed Samuel’s berth, from where prodigious snores were coming, and went through Master Khan’s berth into his workroom. I undressed and Pepper kept the hammock steady as I got back in then made sure I was covered by the blanket before sharing a long kiss with me. When she finally pulled back I stroked her freckled cheek. “I wish I wasn’t so tired.”

“Me too, Swamp-rat. But I told Captain Hawkins the betrothal ceremony’s going to be the first night we’re on Tortuga and no later.”

I smiled at her. “Someone’s bold as a March hare.”

Pepper’s expression became serious. “It’s strange how Fate arranges our life. I made myself be bold to fit in, but after you came aboard I began to be more myself...and now being bold has become part of my nature.”

“It suits you.” Pepper gave me a skeptical look and I said, “I’m telling the truth or else I’d be taking it back.” Pepper smiled and I reached up to stroke her cheek again. “Alfonzo always warned me to be careful of wishing for a bold girl, for I might just get her...and I’m glad I have.” Thinking about Alfonzo I grew a little sad. “I finally understand why he had to be with BelleM’ere, and she with him, but I’ll never be able to tell him.”

“He knows.” I gave Pepper a puzzled look and she said, “Love endures. He never left you in all the time since you came aboard the Davy. Love endures, Tomas, even beyond the grave.” Suddenly she looked at an empty spot in a corner of the workroom and drew a deep breath. “Speaking of beyond the grave...” Master Khan appeared in the doorway and Pepper turned towards him. “I know. We’ll need sail cloth and sinew out of the ship’s stores, along with one of the heavy needles.”

He nodded, and I realized there were things about Pepper I’d never understand. But I also realized that wasn’t a bad thing either as I said, “Take care of him; I’ll be here when you get back.” A thought struck me and I grinned. “If I tried going anywhere I’d probably fall out of this hammock and break my arse.”

Pepper shook her head as she kissed the top of mine. “Jeremiah has the right of it: you are a sweet fool. I pray you remain that way, at least a little.” She walked to the doorway and followed Master Khan out into the crew’s hold. After they’d left I looked around the empty workroom, realizing why Alfonzo’s advice had always seemed so clear. I knew that he knew at last I finally understood him.

But in the quiet of the room I told him anyway.

The sun was barely peeking over the mountains of Tortuga when we reached the Pillars of Damocles. Tortuga was a rocky island with no safe place to anchor save Tortuga bay itself, a natural harbor formed by a half-circle of rock that narrowed to a small passage in or out, protected by two stone fortresses, each built upon one end of the half-circle. They were known as the Pillars of Damocles, and as I stood at the bow with Pepper, Jeremiah, and Redbeard, I saw why Tortuga had never been taken.

Each fortress had been built upon a natural outcropping of rock, so cunningly designed it was hard to tell where the rock ended and the fortress began. Each one had a small pier with a jolly boat tied up to it, with a set of stairs carved into the stone leading off the pier, and into the fortress. According to Redbeard, the passage inside went past several portcullis which could be lowered at a moment’s notice, before reaching the fort itself. Long, bronze cannons, looking out from gaps in the wall, winked at us in the rising sun as Jade’s voice spoke just off the starboard bow. “The Blackjack Davy has been granted safe passage by the watch-captain, under the authority of Captain Black, and the Sea-Witch as well.” I glanced off our port side where a large, black ship kept pace with us like an enormous shadow, as Jade went on. “I have informed the captain, and he would like the four of you to join him for a private meeting.”

I exchanged a speculative glance with Jeremiah before Pepper stepped between us and took my hand. Redbeard enjoyed a brief chuckle for some reason unknown to me as the four of us started aft, carefully stepping around the dragon-golem resting on the main hatch like a dog waiting for its master, blue ghost-fire flickering deep within its hollow eyes from the strength Jade had left inside it.

We climbed the stairs between the two cabins and stepped onto the captain’s deck where the others were waiting. Captain Hawkins was dressed as usual, his blue captain’s coat looking cleaner than it had. Selene, wearing a blue dress with her shoulders bare, stood beside him, while Samuel wore the good shirt and long black coat of a prosperous doctor and Mr. Smith had on a fine pair of trousers, ruffled shirt and boots, the long, puffy sleeves covering the tattoos on his arms and shoulders. Master Khan just wore a pair of leather trousers and the painted vest over his bare chest, his feet bare as Ezekiel’s, who wore only a pair of stained trousers but kept a firm hand on the tiller as we sailed between the two fortresses.

He flashed us a grin as Captain Hawkins said, “All is arranged. We’re to sail across Tortuga bay to Holystone beach, where the shares of plunder will be assessed and divided up amongst the crew.”

I gave him a puzzled look. “Sir, why do they call it Holystone?”

“Because,” Redbeard answered, “there be a small quarry of soft rock called Holystone there, which those not lucky enough to be having a goblin on board use to careen their ships.”

“I wouldn’t call having Hob aboard being lucky,” Captain Hawkins growled.

“That’s because you be the captain,” Redbeard retorted. “Of course, if you be having the gold to spend, Captain Black be having a dry-dock where his carpenters both careen and repair your ship while you be carousing among Tortuga’s wine shops.”

“Cholula certainly has gold to spend now, thanks to us,” Captain Hawkins said with a sour look. “What’s more, Arabella’s evidently friendly with Captain Black, who no doubt pays her well for the information she brings him, and he told her Cholula’s negotiating to join his fleet as a privateer, separate but associated with Captain Black, and answerable only to him.”

“Like she was when she belonged to Draco Dominus,” I said.

“Well, brace up, Harry,” Mr. Smith said in his deep rumble. “At least she’s out of our hair.” We passed the twin fortresses and Ezekiel pushed the tiller so the Davy moved starboard while the Sea-witch continued straight towards the white, stone buildings of Tortuga town, dead ahead of her.

“True,” Captain Hawkins agreed as he gave me a sharp look, “but we aren’t out of rough waters yet. Jade tells me Captain Black’s heard about Tomas, and wants to see for himself. So once his business with Cholula’s finished he’s going to join us at Holystone.”

Captain Black had been the subject of several seamen’s tales, saying he’d been a pirate for the Ming dynasty in China, among other places, and none of the stories had made him seem the least bit good. “Sir, what do you think he’s going to want?”

“At a guess, to make you one of his Dragons...though to be honest, with Captain Black you can never be sure.”

Jeremiah gave the captain a sharp look. “Sir, we can’t let that happen.”

Captain Hawkins’s expression turned sardonic. “I’m only acting captain until the shares are divided: after that, control of the Davy goes to Tomas... so the lot of you better put your heads together and figure something out.”

Jeremiah and I shared an incredulous look before he turned back towards the captain. “But you’ve fought to remain captain of the Davy almost seventeen years! Why give up now?”

“Because now he can finally be free of her,” Pepper said in a quiet voice. Captain Hawkins’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her, but she matched his gaze without flinching. “You’ve been trapped as her captain for a long time, and now Long-Mu is ready to let you go.”

“And why shouldn’t I go?” Captain Hawkins snapped. “You and Jeremiah have ties to Tomas now, Maccabee has reasons of his own for being at war with Olde Roger, as does Khan, and Dava just likes killing Shadowmen.”

“They be more of a challenge than the Spanish,” Redbeard said.

“On the other hand,” Captain Hawkins went on, “I don’t have a dog in this fight. When the shares are divided and I’ve seen Pepper betrothed, I’m going to take ship back to England and pray I die a peaceful death there before ships full of Shadowmen begin to arrive.”

Master Khan raised an eyebrow devoid of hair. “You will die of boredom, yes?”

“Better boredom than spending the rest of my life as Olde Roger’s hound.” Captain Hawkins looked back the way we’d come. “My war with Olde Roger died with Sir Francis.”

Selene put her hand on his arm. “I will return to London with you, should you still desire my company.”

Captain Hawkins turned away from staring back at things past and took her hand. “I would keep you with me save for one thing: Draco Dominus knows where you are.”

Selene gasped. “How could they...wait, the monk who informed them of Tomas knew of me as well.”

Captain Hawkins gave her a regretful look as he kissed her hand and let it go. “They’d take you before you even got off the docks in London, and I’d be powerless to stop them. Better you stay here and land on your feet than chance it back in the Olde world.”