Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates (29 page)

'Well, for once I have to agree with Max. It's true, I do like you.'

'Yes, obviously you like me. But, you know, he was trying to say that you
really
liked me.'

She glared at him. 'I
do
really like you.'

'Yes, of course, but he said that you really
really
liked me.'

'Oh, for goodness' sake!' Jenna drained her goblet of wine, wiped her mouth on her sleeve and set it aside. Then she took his goblet and put it down beside hers. 'Come here, Sebastian Darke,' she said. She grabbed him by the lapels and, pulling him towards her, leaned forward to kiss him—

Right on cue, the door burst open and Cornelius came running into the room like a madman. 'Land ho!' he roared. 'Land ahead – we've found the—'

He stopped in his tracks and stared at Sebastian and Jenna in amazement. 'What's going on?' he gasped.

Sebastian stared back at him. 'I haven't the faintest idea,' he said. 'I think . . . I think Jenna was trying to explain something.'

There was a pause. Then Jenna sighed, a long regretful sigh. Her shoulders slumped. 'Go up on deck,' she told Sebastian. 'I'll be there in a moment.'

'But—'

She reached out her fingers to his lips to still them. 'Later,' she told him. 'We'll have time to talk about this. For now, we need to see if this is the island we've been looking for.'

Sebastian shot a baffled look at Cornelius. But he got up from the sofa and followed the little warrior out of the cabin.

'I thought you said you weren't that interested in Jenna,' hissed Cornelius as soon as they were outside.

Sebastian looked at him blankly. 'I'm not,' he said. 'But between you and me, I think she might have a bit of a soft spot for me.'

Cornelius groaned and slapped his forehead. 'Oh, the croat's finally dropped, has it?' he said.

'Yes, well, I think that's what was on her mind. But, you know, when it comes to stuff like that, I can't stop thinking about Leonora. I keep seeing her eyes looking at me. I pretty much told Jenna that.'

'I bet that went down well. Sebastian, you have got to get some help,' Cornelius told him.

'Help? What, you mean to find Leonora?'

'No, you idiot! To cast her out of your mind for ever and start seeing what's really important. It's quite obvious that Jenna is mad about you. I've been telling you that for ages.'

'Have you? It's funny, because Max said pretty much the same thing.' Sebastian made a gesture of dismissal. 'But I mean, who'd listen to Max anyway?'

'You usually don't have any problem doing that,' Cornelius told him.

'Yes, but on affairs of the heart I think I know a bit more than he does. And you see, I just have this powerful feeling that Leonora and I are meant to be together. It's just our fate.'

Cornelius groaned again. 'Sebastian,' he said, 'it's tragic. You can't even think straight any more.'

'Oh, forget all that for now!' said Sebastian. 'This is
far
more exciting. Let's go and have a look at this island of yours. And I hope for your sake it turns out to be the right one. There are going to be a lot of disappointed faces around here if it's not.'

They made for the bows of the ship, where they found the Kid sitting on a crate, staring through the twilight mist at the approaching outline of a large island. Cornelius took a seat beside him and Sebastian went to lean on the ship's rail.

There was a long silence and then the Kid spoke.

'What's going on?' he asked.

'Well, let me see now, where should I start?' murmured Cornelius. He thought for a moment. 'Sebastian's under an enchantment, which makes him hopelessly in love with the most evil woman I've ever met.'

'You're a born exaggerator,' Sebastian told him. 'There must be much worse women in the world than Leonora.'

Cornelius ignored him and continued. 'And to make matters worse, he's having a romance.'

'A romance?' The Kid looked astounded. 'Who with?'

'Well, there's only one female on the ship, so take a wild guess.'

'Not Captain Swift?'

Cornelius nodded. 'Got it in one,' he said. 'I don't like these entanglements, Sebastian, they make everything so much more complicated.'

Sebastian rested his elbows on the rail. 'But we're not having a romance,' he argued. 'I think Jenna is interested in me, yes, but it's not as if I've done anything to encourage her.'

'
You're in love with the captain!
' sang the Kid, in a mocking falsetto voice.

'Am not!' said Sebastian.

'Are too!'

'Am not!'

'Are too—'

'Oh shut up!' said Cornelius.

They heard a creaking noise on the steps behind them and a big shaggy shape loomed out of the mist. They saw Max's mournful face staring at them. His nostrils were flared and he was snuffling the air, as though he could smell the approaching island.

'Did I hear someone shout "Land ho"?' he muttered.

'Yes. But how on earth did you get up here?' Sebastian asked him. 'The steps . . .'

'Very slippery,' Max assured him. 'It's a wonder I wasn't killed. I've a good mind to complain to Captain Swift.' He studied Sebastian for a moment. 'What did she want, by the way?'

'Never mind,' said Sebastian.

'I was right, wasn't I?' said Max triumphantly. 'She's after you.'

'She's not after anyone!' protested Sebastian. 'Look, could we please change the subject?'

'You
were
right, Max,' said Cornelius. 'I caught the two of them down in her cabin. Canoodling.'

Max wrinkled his nostrils in a show of distaste. 'I knew it,' he said. 'I could tell. It's a gift I have.'

'Will you all please just mind your own business?' yelled Sebastian. He turned at the sound of boots climbing the steps behind him, and there was Jenna, back in her more familiar garb of waistcoat and boots, strolling towards him, her face deadly serious. The Kid started to snigger and Cornelius jabbed an elbow into his ribs, silencing him.

'So, gentlemen,' said Jenna. 'The moment of truth.'

They all turned their attention back to the approaching island. In the approaching darkness they could see very little save for the outline of some rolling hills, heavily clad with jungle. A few dark shapes flapped silently above the treetops and were gone.

'Birds?' murmured Sebastian.

'Bats,' Cornelius corrected him. 'Filthy things. They come out at night and suck your blood.'

Max glared at him. 'Ever since the grundersnat, I can't tell if you're making stuff up or not,' he complained.

'Oh, I'm deadly serious,' Cornelius assured him. 'I've seen those things descend on a troop of men and suck them dry as husks in the blink of an eye.'

'You see,' cried Max. 'He does it on purpose! There I was, looking forward to being back on dry land, and you have to go and tell me something like that.'

'You'll be all right, old shaggy,' said Sebastian, reaching up and rubbing the buffalope's nose affectionately. 'No bat is going to get its fangs through your thick hide.'

Jenna moved in to rest on the rail beside Sebastian, but kept a discreet distance from him. 'It's getting too dark to do anything right now,' she said. 'We'll go ashore at first light.'

'So where exactly is the treasure hidden?' asked the Kid. Everyone turned to look at him.

'Who said anything about treasure?' said Cornelius. He glanced accusingly at Sebastian. 'Did you tell him?' he growled.

'I didn't say a word,' protested Sebastian.

The Kid laughed. 'There's no need for anybody to say anything,' he said. 'You've come to some mysterious island in the middle of nowhere. Of course there's a treasure. And I suppose you have a map?'

Cornelius patted his breastplate, making a dull clanking sound. 'Oh yes,' he said. 'There's a map. You wait and see. In a few hours' time we'll all be rich beyond our wildest dreams.'

There was a long silence and then Max sighed. 'I do wish people wouldn't say things like that,' he said. 'I mean to say . . . it's asking for trouble, it really is!'

The following morning saw scenes of feverish activity aboard the
Sea Witch
as the crew made preparations to send the treasure-hunting party ashore. They had begun by making slow passes along the shore, looking for the right place to land. Cornelius had sat up in the prow, watching intently, and suddenly indicated a stretch of beach.

'There!' he announced. 'That's where we go ashore!'

'How do you know this is the right place?' Jenna asked him, but he simply patted his breastplate and told her he'd explain later; so she ordered the anchor dropped and the longboat lowered.

It had already been decided that Jenna and the Kid would accompany Sebastian and Cornelius on the expedition, but naturally Max wanted to go along as well, and that was going to prove difficult. For one thing, the shallow waters that surrounded the island teemed with schools of kelfers; and for another, there was no longboat in the world that would carry Max without tipping over.