Phoenix Rising (23 page)

She tossed her head in refusal. “This is the only way.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Why can’t you trust me, Toby? This is the best solution! I tell Nell about the map, she swaps a copy for a share of the solar panels. Then we can search for the island together.”

“Nell won’t make the deal you want, Ayla. She’ll attack the
Phoenix
and you’ll tell her exactly how weak we are, won’t you?” His lips twisted.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Well, are you going to tell her that Hiko is the only one who can read the map?”

Ayla hesitated.

“Thought so.” Toby made a grab for the bag and Ayla arced her body backwards.

“You haven’t even asked about Arnav, the old man you hit.”

Ayla winced. “Is he…?”

“He’s alive, so you won’t be in too much trouble. Come
back up.” Toby closed his hand around the strap and pulled. “If you take the map to Nell, she’ll come for Hiko.” Ayla slid backwards and lost her balance, falling to the seat.

“Why couldn’t you just give me the coordinates for the panels,” she shouted. She wrenched herself round and kicked his arm, dislodging his hold.

Birdie
rocked, dangerously and, as the
Phoenix
pulled ahead of them, Toby realized that they were in the open sea.

From the deck of the
Phoenix
even the largest junk didn’t seem so big. Now, on either side of his head, mountains of rusting metal and pitted plastic tilted crazily in the oily waves, threatening to crush them at any moment.

“How did you row through this?” he breathed.

The junk creaked and rocked in the swell, leaning towards them and then away.

“Bloody idiot!” The squawk came from above his head and Toby looked up. Polly was gliding towards
Birdie
. Hiko waved from the deck.

Ayla took advantage of his distraction, rose to her feet and swung at his head. Her arm, solid plaster, connected with his forehead and he flew back. The last sound he heard was Polly’s screech of rage, then his skull connected with the rowlock and everything went black.

Toby groaned. His eyes seemed to be glued together. He rubbed them with his knuckles but, before he could prise them open, warm water washed over his face. He sputtered, rolled and rose on to his knees, confused and disoriented.

“Is that any better?” Ayla’s voice.

Toby nodded but the light felt like metal spikes going through his eyes and into his brain. His eyes stung and his vision was blurry.

“My head!” He clutched at his temples. “Where’s Polly?”

Ayla was silent for a moment. “Can you see yet?” she asked.

Toby forced his eyes open and looked around. Ayla squatted in a grey passageway. She wore a fresh uniform and new boots. Her hair had been cut so that the singed ends were no longer visible. In fact, one side of her hair was chin-length, the other reached her breast bone. Her braids were back, the beads once more brightening her face.
But she avoided his bloodshot eyes.

Toby tore his gaze from her face and stared instead at the bars that separated them. The mangy cat crouched at her feet, staring at him with yellow eyes.

“Where am I?” The accusation in his voice made Ayla wince.

“You’re on the
Banshee
,” she whispered.

“I figured that out for myself,” Toby snarled. Automatically he felt for Nix, but his sword was gone.

“You’re in the brig.” Ayla fiddled with one thin braid and the cat purred.

“And where’s Polly?” Toby fought to keep his voice even.

“Captain Nell has your parrot-thing.”

“Ayla…” Toby struggled to keep himself under control. “Polly saved your life.”

“I’m doing my best to get her back. Nell has the map. She’s trying to translate it. She’ll swap a copy for the solar panels, I know it.”

“You hit me,” Toby finally snapped. “This is the life you want, is it? Well, you’re welcome to it. Let me out of here and I’ll get Polly, take
Birdie
and go.”

Ayla rose unsteadily to her feet, but made no move towards the cell door.

“Let me out, Ayla.” Toby’s voice dropped dangerously low.

Ayla shook her head. “I can’t. Just wait. Nell will let you out when she decides to send a copy of the map to the
Phoenix
. You’ll be sent back with the offer, you’ll see.” She retreated to the passageway wall. “She’s just mad because I was burnt. When she saw my arm, she went insane. She’ll calm down in a while. I have to go – I’m supposed to tell her when you wake up.”

“You’re a fool, Ayla.” Toby grabbed the bars. “She’ll never let me go. She holds all the cards now. Open the door, before it’s too late.”

Ayla shook her head, backing down the passageway. The cat followed her, tail raised and swishing. “If I let you go, I’ll be the one who pays. Just hang on. Everything will be all right.” She looked at him one more time. “You shouldn’t have followed me, Toby.” She and the cat disappeared leaving Toby in the cell, alone.

Despite the heat outside, the brig of the warship was cold. For Toby, who was used to the warmth of the
Phoenix
’s boiler room, it was worse than being on watch in the North Sea. At least when he was nestled in the crow’s nest with his waxed hood pulled over his eyes he knew the day would end with one of Peel’s soup cups warming his icy hands.

This cold was deceiving. It started out with a slight chill on whatever part of Toby touched the floor and it grew
insidiously, until it was bone deep. There was no respite, only more cold.

As Toby wrapped his arms around his knees and shivered, he remembered that Hiko knew where he was. Maybe help was coming. Then he thought of the injured crew of the
Phoenix
.

It was selfish of Toby to hope for a rescue party, especially when he had betrayed them all. Why hadn’t he called the alarm when he realized what Ayla was doing? If Theo and Simeon had gone after Ayla instead of Toby they would all be home right now. Once more he had put Ayla before his crew and now he was paying for it. He had no right to expect a rescue.

Although the cold seeped into his chest and slowed the beat of his heart, Toby’s ears still pricked at the sound of Ayla’s voice growing louder and a flare of heat burned in his belly at the thought of seeing her face again.

“Fool,” he muttered to himself.

But it was not her face that was first around the corner. Ayla was backing towards the cells, waving her arms.

Toby sat up.

“You’re not listening to me,” Ayla was saying. “Toby saved my life! We could work together. The
Phoenix
isn’t bad, not like you say.”

“Stupid child,” Nell sneered, striding ahead. “You’re all of fifteen, what do you know?”

At Nell’s reply, Ayla flinched. Then she straightened, searching for dignity. “I’m your second in command, you should listen to me,” she said quietly.

Nell came to a stop outside Toby’s cell and looked in, her eyes stony. The same as her daughter’s, but without any of their warmth. Toby wondered, with a shiver, if Nell had ever laughed in her life.

“Captain.” Ayla held out a hand. “Please.”

“Begging now, Ayla? You know what that gets you on this ship.” Nell stepped close to the cell, not taking her eyes from Toby. She pressed her hands against the bars. “You have no idea how long I have waited for this.” She hawked and spat, forcing Ayla to step to one side. “Barnaby won’t be long behind his son.”

Toby shook his head and Nell cocked hers to one side.

“You disagree, boy? One thing about your father was never in doubt. He does love his son.”

Ayla caught her mother’s arm. “I-I don’t think anyone knows where Toby is.”

“Is that the truth?” Nell gave a shark-like grin. “Then, while Barnaby is distracted searching for his precious boy, let us ready the trebuchet. We take the
Phoenix
, the solar panels and anything else they have of value.”

“No.” Ayla gasped.

“Yes. We’ll capture the other boy alive, but the rest we don’t need. Go and give the orders. We’ll fire as soon as we’re in range.”

“What about the solar panels?” Toby clutched at the bars between them. “You still need those, right? The captain is the only one who knows how to find them.”

Nell threw back her head and made a sound that made Toby’s knees quake. She was laughing at him. “You don’t know?” She wiped her eyes. “Your father’s not the only genius at sea, boy. Before I was on the
Banshee
I worked with him at a St George facility. I was in charge of the last working computers on the planet. And now I’ve got Polly – the most sophisticated AI ever made. If Barnaby Ford knows where the solar panels are, so does your AI. Everything she’s seen is on her database. All I have to do is hack her.” She smiled thinly. “So, you see, the only crew member on the
Phoenix
of any interest to me now is the boy. I will let your father live … long enough for him to see me cut his son into pieces. Then I’ll strap him to the prow of my ship and let him starve. I need a new figurehead.”

Toby would have fallen if he hadn’t already been sitting down. “You worked with my father?”

“Your father and I were once very close.”

Toby’s head whirled. “He would have said.” Then he
remembered his father’s words;
I know Nell; she would do no such thing.

“But if you were friends, then why?”

Nell just sneered.

Ayla caught her arm. “It isn’t right.” Her voice revealed a high-pitched desperation that Toby had never heard. “We can
each
have a copy of the map. We can find the solar panels
together
. We can all find the island – share the riches. There’s no need for this.”

“We’re pirates. We don’t
share
,” Nell jeered.

“We could,” Ayla pleaded. “Aren’t you tired of living like this?”

For one shocking moment Nell’s eyes seemed to soften. “I’ve been tired of living like this for a very long time,” she whispered. Then she looked her daughter in the eyes. “Go and give the orders.”

“Mother.”

“Don’t
mother
me.”

Toby gasped as Nell raised her hand and backhanded her injured daughter across the passageway. “On this ship, what do you call me?”

Ayla stood upright, her cast by her side, her cheek reddening. “Sorry, Captain.”

“Go and give the orders, Ayla.” Nell’s voice was savage.

To Toby’s horror, Ayla nodded. Her mother’s handprint
stood out on her white cheek as she turned, unable to look into the cell where Toby now stood, shaking with cold.

Nell stayed, examining Toby, tilting her head one way and another as she took him in.

“As soon as you’re gone my daughter will get over her infatuation.” She shook her head. “I’ll hire a few younger crew members and let her take her pick. You may be the first boy, but you won’t be the last.” She turned on her heel and smiled back at him. “Think about that,” she said, as she started to walk away.

The door to the passageway sprung open before she reached it. “Captain.” A rangy crew member stood in the doorway. “We pulled these two out of a
Phoenix
lifeboat. They say they want to defect.”

“What?” Toby leaned as close to the bars as possible and Nell looked back at him. Then she stepped to one side so that his view was uninterrupted.

“Little boy.” Peel lifted one hand in a salute. “I bet they’ve got an operational oven or two on this big beauty.” He rocked on his heels. “You must be Captain Nell.” He smiled. “I realize that you might not be in the market for new crew but I’m an excellent cook and I have secrets to trade, oh yes, I do – the secrets of the
Phoenix
.”

“You said two.” Nell frowned.

Crocker stepped from behind Peel’s bulk. “Aye, there are
two of us all right.” He smiled. “Hello, Toby, you little shit. You look like hell. I hope I get to watch you die real soon.”

“Peel!” Toby clutched the bars. “We should have known you’d do this. The captain should never have trusted you. You’ll pay for this. Just you wait. I’ll
make
you pay.”

Nell watched the exchange with one hand resting on her long knife. “Well, well. I was wondering whether this was the rescue party … but it seems not.” She stepped towards Peel and took his arm. “Come then, Peel, was it? I have time to interrogate you.” As Peel’s eyes widened she smiled sweetly. “Oh, sorry, did I say
interrogate
? Of course I meant
debrief
you.”

And with a final glance at her prisoner, she escorted the defectors through the door and out of sight.

The great warship shuddered as she turned. Toby closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to the floor, feeling for the engines, wishing he could tell them to stop.

“Toby?” Ayla approached with the cat, Boudicca, once more at her feet. “You were right.”

“That makes me feel better.” Toby refused to look at her, keeping his eyes fixed instead on his fingers where he still tried to commune with the engine, pleading for it to just break down, run out of fuel, anything. “Peel give up anything good?” he asked in the end.

“Nell thinks so.” Ayla touched the bars. “She’s letting them out to fight.”

“Great,” Toby muttered.

“I-I don’t know what to do,” Ayla said suddenly. Toby’s head jerked up. Her eyes and nose were red and her hair in disarray. Beads were missing from her braids and her mouth moved as if she tasted something nasty. “Nell’s my
mother and my captain. I don’t even know
how
to disobey her.”

“But…?” Toby rose carefully to his knees.

“This isn’t right. We should be working together, like you said.”

“I’ve been thinking about it.” Toby edged towards her. “The traders wouldn’t have stood a chance against both of us.”

“We fought well together, you and I.”

“Our ships could fight together, too.” Toby leaned closer. “With those maps we stole no government could touch us. And imagine if we were first to find the island – to make the rules.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Ayla said again. “If Nell destroys the
Phoenix
or kills you in front of Barnaby, it’s over.”

“So what will you do?” Toby was afraid to push her too far in case he lost his chance at getting out of the brig.

“Nell isn’t thinking clearly. We can’t go on like this. It isn’t in the best interests of the
Banshee
to wipe out the
Phoenix
.” She wiped her nose and Boudicca wove around her feet. “I’m second in command, I have to make the right decision. I’m going to let you out. Take
Birdie
back to the
Phoenix
and run.”

As Ayla produced keys and opened his cell, Toby held
his breath, terrified that she might change her mind. When the door creaked open, she stepped aside and he ran out. Boudicca hissed and her hackles rose. Toby ignored her. “Polly?” he asked.

“Nell still has it.” Ayla shook her head. “She’ll know you’re out if I take it. You’ll have to leave it behind.”

“
Her
. I’ll have to leave
her
behind.” Tears of frustration pricked Toby’s eyes. “This was a mistake, I should never have followed you.” He backed away. “I should never have…”

“Never have what?” Ayla swallowed.

“I should never have trusted you,” Toby said quietly.

He ignored her outstretched hand, turned and ran down the passageway. At the end he stopped, not sure which way to turn.

“This way.” Ayla strode to his side.

Toby nodded. Together they followed the maze of passageways towards the deck.

“What are you doing?” A tattooed crew member glared at Ayla with his hands on his hips.

“Out of the way, Harris, I’m taking the prisoner to the captain.” Ayla shouldered him aside and, head held high, she grabbed Toby’s elbow and guided him ahead of her. “Don’t interfere with my business,” she shot back over her shoulder.

Harris said nothing as Ayla dragged Toby to the final door.

“Ready?” Ayla whispered and Toby nodded. “Head port side and you’ll find
Birdie
. Get in and I’ll lower her as soon as I can.” She shook his arm hard. “Don’t get caught, or she’ll make an example of us both.”

She spun the lever, cracked the door and looked out. “The crew is readying the trebuchet and cannons so it’s all clear. She’s expecting me in the bridge, but I’ll follow you as soon as possible. Go.” She pushed him out and Toby turned. He thought she might say goodbye, but the door was already slamming in his face.

Toby sped along the deck, keeping close to the housing. Sure enough,
Birdie
had been winched into the same place she had occupied the last time he had been on the
Banshee
.
Wren
, the little lifeboat Peel and Crocker had arrived on, swung a few bollards further on.

He was running to the boat when movement on the other side of the bridge caught his eye. He froze as Crocker and Peel rounded the corner. Both had been newly shaved and their heads glistened with oil and flecks of blood.

Beside Toby, there were a pile of weighted lines, used to gauge sea depth. Before he knew what he was doing, he had swept up the shortest and was running, not towards
Birdie
, but towards Peel and Crocker.

A cry slipped from his lips, and the line whizzed above his head as he swung it round, faster and faster.

Peel turned and his eyes widened. Crocker staggered backwards, lifting one arm to protect his face. They were not alone. As Toby sprinted, too late to change his mind, Nell stepped out from behind the housing, thrusting a rolled-up map into her coat pocket.

“Now this is copied, I will be locking the original up below,” she said.

“Toby, stop!” Crocker shouted and he ducked as Toby swung viciously at his head. The line smashed Peel in the shoulder and the monster staggered sideways.

“Take that, you traitors.” Toby bared his teeth and pulled back the rope.

Three more
Banshee
crew saw what was happening and raced to join them. Nell held up a hand, making them watch the former
Phoenix
crew members fight.

“Toby, you fool. Stop!” Crocker yelled again, as Peel grabbed a knife out of the belt of the nearest
Banshee
pirate.

“Backstabbers!” Toby could barely see past a veil of red that had descended over his eyes. He burned with rage. Every muscle was tense, ready to fight. The anger of the last few days compressed to a diamond-hard point, aimed directly at Peel.

“I may be a dead man,” Toby howled, “but you’re coming with me.”

“Stop it!” Crocker ducked again. “This isn’t what was supposed to happen.”

“Yeah, you thought you’d be living the high life on the
Banshee
, while the
Phoenix
dies. Well, guess what, I’m here to make sure that before we go, you do, too.”

Toby’s rope weight was racing in a figure of eight now. Peel was dancing on his rubber soles, passing the knife from hand to hand, searching for an opening. Crocker awkwardly threw himself backwards and the weight whistled past his head.

“You don’t understand.” Crocker held his hand up again, but pulled it back as the rope skimmed skin from his wrist. “We’re here to help you!” he cried eventually.

“Shut up!” Peel spat.

“Is that so?” Nell’s head snapped up and in one movement she drew her knife and stabbed.

“Peel!” Crocker’s cry was torn from his heart and, as Peel dropped to the deck, clutching at the knife in his belly, so did Crocker.

“What do you mean, you’re here to help?” Toby’s rope slowed and he paled.

Crocker ignored him; instead he pressed his hands to the blood seeping from his brother, trying to stem the flow.

Toby got between Nell and the two
Phoenix
crew members.

“Tell me!” he yelled, swinging the rope as fast as he could.

“Everyone knows how you an’ us are,” Crocker sobbed. “The captain thought it’d be most convincin’ if we came over. If you didn’t believe we was here to rescue you, then Nell wouldn’t either. We were meant to distract her, while you were released from the brig.”

“You mean there’s someone else on my ship?” Nell shrieked. She turned to her crew. “Find them and bring their body to me.”

Toby swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, the adrenaline starting to ebb, leaving him shaky once more. “Who is it?”

Peel shook his head urgently and Crocker fell silent.

Nell stalked closer to Toby, her eyes on the swinging rope. “I wanted to kill you in front of your father, boy, but you can die now, as you seem to prefer it that way.”

She drew a second knife and the blade flashed in the sun as she traced a pattern. He was hopelessly outclassed. Nell was going to kill him.

He tried to step back, but Peel and Crocker were in his way. Frantically he kept swinging his rope, seeking some way out. There was a flash of movement from Nell and the rope flew sideways to smash into the deck housing. Toby stared at the cord fraying in his hands. Nell had sliced it in
two. Now she advanced and Toby was defenceless.

Although he knew it was futile, he threw the rope at her and dropped into the basic fighting stance he had seen Ayla use – one fist protecting his sternum, the other his face.

“Toby,” Peel rasped. Toby spared a swift glance to see Peel pulling Nell’s knife from his belly. He shoved it into Toby’s unresisting hand. “A fairer fight,” he gasped.

Toby lifted the knife in front of him and turned back to Nell, who was sneering with cold humour. “It only prolongs the inevitable.”

Toby stepped over Peel’s outstretched legs as Nell prowled closer. His eyes flicked from the knife in her hand to the map curled in her pocket. He was going to die, and yet his mind was racing, trying to come up with ways to take back the most valuable thing he had ever heard of.

“Toby, what are you doing?” Ayla ran along the deck, her coat flying, her face a picture of panic. “Captain, don’t hurt him.”

The watching crew of the
Banshee
laughed and a burly woman sneered, “Looks like Ayla’s got a fancy boy.”

Nell glared at her daughter and Toby took the opportunity to leap over Crocker and give himself some space. Nell saw him move and followed. But as she stepped over Peel, he caught her legs, dragging her off her feet.
After the briefest hesitation, Crocker caught her arms and Peel met Toby’s eyes over her struggling form. “Run, stupid!”

Already the
Banshee
crew were pulling Crocker off their captain. But Toby couldn’t leave; his eyes were glued on the map. While Crocker held Nell’s knife hand, Toby dived forwards, grabbed the map and scooted back.

“What are you doing?” Peel cried as he tried to roll Nell over, but she kicked at his legs and he groaned in pain, more blood running from his stomach wound.

“You’re no longer of use,” she screamed, as Harris and the red-faced pirate finally pulled Crocker away. “Keelhaul him,” she howled.

Toby clutched the map, backing through the closing gap towards the boat.

Nell stalked towards Toby once more.

“Don’t!” Ayla hurdled Peel and threw her arms around her mother from behind.

Toby glanced at the gap behind him. Then he growled with frustration, threw himself at the injured Peel and started trying to drag him along the deck, but Toby could barely shift him.

“Get off me.” Peel tried to push him off, but Toby dug his fingers into his shoulders and pulled harder.

“I’m not leaving you, so you might as well help me.”

Peel cycled his legs to get purchase on the deck, but he was too heavy and too badly injured to move quickly. He shoved Toby as hard as he could and Toby lost his grip, slipping on the bloody deck and falling backwards.

“Get out of here, Toby,” Peel groaned.

Nell opened both her arms, while simultaneously slamming her head backwards. Ayla saw the move coming and tilted her own head, but still caught a blow on the chin. Her arms loosened and Nell spun free. She clutched the knife in one hand and with the other she knocked her daughter across the deck. Ayla spun in mid-air and Toby winced as he saw her land on her cast. The colour fled from her face and she cried out in sharp pain.

Nell stopped in her tracks. She turned.

Ayla was lying on the ground, cradling her broken arm, shaking with agony. She stared up at her mother, ignoring the rest of the crew. Boudicca wound herself around her mistress, eyes narrowed, hissing wildly.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Ayla pleaded. “We should be working with the
Phoenix
. We can share the solar panels and look for the island together. Why destroy everything?” Tears were running freely now and she rolled on to her knees. “We could start a fleet. Think, Captain, the traders wouldn’t stand a chance. And imagine if we could surprise the Greymen for a change. Take them on
and win. We could do that with two ships.”

The crew murmured as she spoke and all eyes pinned on Nell.

“She’s right. We could work together.”

Toby gasped as Captain Barnaby pushed his way to Toby’s side. “I see you’re no longer in the brig.” He nodded at his son. “Sorry it took me so long to find you. It’s a maze down there. Where’s Polly?”

“She has her.” Toby nodded at Nell and Barnaby clasped his son on the shoulder as he passed, taking a position between his son and his rival.

“We’ll need to get her back,” he said, lowering his voice. Then he spread his hands, showing that he had no weapon. “Your daughter and my son are right, Nell. Why not work together? We could be great – the
Banshee
and the
Phoenix
, rulers of the waves.”

Nell snorted, but Barnaby pressed on. “We were friends once, Nell. We worked well together. Why can’t we do so again?”

Ayla lurched to her feet, wiping her eyes. She sidled past Crocker, where he struggled against the rope wrapped around his waist, and came to a stop next to Barnaby.

“Captain.” She held out her hand to her mother. “We can change our future.”

“Change our future?” Nell was shaking and Toby realized
with sudden horror that her laughter was sharp-edged with hysteria. “The only way to change our future is to change our past. You think you can change the past, Barnaby?”

Barnaby shook his head. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t you?” she spat, suddenly serious. “The only satisfaction I’ll have out of today is carving your son into pieces and making you watch.”

“At least tell us why,” Ayla cried. “Why do you hate them so much?”

Nell stopped, her head on one side. Her jaw tightened and she pursed her lips. Then she shucked off her coat, lifted her knife and held it to her own throat.

As Ayla opened her mouth to scream, Nell pulled her collar up, dug the knife into the thick, waxed material and, with a ripping of cloth, sliced her tunic from throat to stomach. As it fell open Toby gaped and Barnaby’s own gasp cut across the sudden silence.