The Time Pirate (32 page)

“Excuse me, madam,” Nick said, walking toward her, “we're new to this town and could use some help.”

“Help is my stock in trade, lad.” She laughed, her dark eyes flashing. She was even prettier when she laughed, Nick thought. “How about your handsome friend there, does he need help as well?”

“Yes,” Nick replied, motioning for Gunner to join him. “We both need help, to be honest.”

“Well then, you've come to right spot, laddie. I'm the most helpful girl on the island.”

“Eve ning,” Gunner said to her, tipping his three-cornered hat.

“And you the same, sir.” She smiled at him. “The boy here says you could use some help.”

“Indeed we could.”

“Exactly what kind of help might you gents be interested in?”

“Directions,” Nick said.

“Directions?” she said with a puzzled look. “What kind of directions?”

“We're looking for a tavern, ma'am. Called the Black Crow.”

“The Black Crow, is it? she said, laughing. “Well, I can direct you there, to be sure. I work there some nights as a bar-maid. Tonight's me night off.”

“What's your name?” Nick asked, extending his hand to her. “I'm Nick and this is my friend Gunner.”

“Sabrina's my name. Lovely to make your acquaintance, Nick. I had a boy, y'know, looked remarkably like you, he did. Same smile. His name was Henry. Died at age nine at the hands of drunken pirates nigh on five years now. Did it for a laugh, they did. A lark.”

“I'm sorry,” Nick said.

“The Black Crow lies in that direction, about four blocks. You see that footbridge over the canal? Right beyond that, you'll see it. But I wouldn't recommend that place.”

“Why not?” Nick asked.

“Because it's the most dangerous tavern in the most dangerous
town on the most dangerous island in the Caribbean, that's why.”

“Why?”

“Because a bloke named Billy Blood owns this town now. And there's nary a more dangerous man to cross that walks this earth. You've had your warning. Give ‘im wide berth and leave him be.”

“Is that his fleet in the harbor?” Nick asked. “Blood's armada, it is. Did you ever—?”

“We better be off!” Gunner interrupted. He was looking back up the street they'd just descended. Where the hill crested, a mob of angry men with torches and swords raised were marching toward them. A lot of angry men.

“What do they want?” Sabrina asked, warily looking at the mob, quickly moving Nick and Gunner out of the lamplight.

“Our lives,” Nick said. “We killed one of them. In self-defense, of course.”

“Quick. Come with me. I know a place you can hide. Fast as you can to the footbridge! Now!”

Sabrina lifted her skirts and raced along Harbour Road in the direction of the Black Crow. Nick and Gunner were right behind her. They could hear the swelling cries of the mob descending the hill.

Sabrina cried over her shoulder, “When you get to the bridge, leap into the canal. It's shallow, don't worry. We can hide under the bridge. But we must reach it before they turn the corner!”

Nick, who could run very quickly, raced ahead. A moment later he was vaulting over the railing of the footbridge, landing on his feet in the black water below. His heart was pounding. He knew Sabrina could make it in time, but what about Gunner?

A second later he saw Sabrina flinging herself over the rail. Gunner was right behind her, and the three of them quickly waded through the filthy, waist-high water, stopping under the old wooden bridge.

“Did they see you, Gunner?” Nick whispered, breathing hard.

“I took a quick look back as I reached the bridge,” Gunner said quietly. “I saw the light of their torches reach the harbor, but not one had rounded the corner when I jumped.”

“Quiet,” Sabrina said. “Here they come!”

Nick and Gunner both pulled their pistols from behind their backs.

T
he bloodthirsty cutthroats couldn't be more than fifty yards behind them. They were in a frenzy now, bellowing curses that echoed off the walls beside the canal. Then they were on the bridge proper, just three feet above Nick's head, and a stampede of wild horses couldn't have been louder than the sound of pirates' boots on that wooden bridge.

Nick tried to figure their number, but it took so long for all of them to cross the bridge, he gave up at fifty or so. As the last of them crossed and the loud shouting grew more distant, Sabrina put a finger to her lips, telling them to remain quiet. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a group of rowdy stragglers crossed the bridge, trying to catch up with the main body.

Then, silence.

But taking no chances, they stayed where they were, silent and unmoving, as the foul sludge of debris and garbage from the old town flowed past them and out into the harbor proper.

After ten more minutes Gunner said, “Any chance of getting out of this bleeding cesspool?”

Sabrina laughed and started wading away from the harbor. “Follow me. Only a short way.”

“Where's the Black Crow, Sabrina?” Nick asked, just behind her.

“Right here,” she said. “It's this very building on your left. To your right is the warehouse where Blood is storing black powder and ammunition for the coming war.”

“War? Who's he fighting?”

She laughed. “The whole bloody world, as far as I can make out. I hear things, you know. Keep my ears open.”

Nick looked up at the four-story tavern rising up beside the canal. It was built of crumbling old brick, oil lamps were burning in most of the windows.

“I think my sister is somewhere inside that building,” Nick said.

“What?” Sabrina said. “You must be joking. What's her name? I'd know her if she works there, believe you me.”

“Her name is Kate. She's only seven years old.”

“A child! What's she doing in a place like that?”

“Blood kidnapped her. He's holding her for ransom. That's why we're here. To rescue her.”

“You'll have a hard time rescuing anybody now, I'm afraid, with half the pirates in Port Royal screaming for your head.”

“We've dealt with Old Bill before, Gunner and I have. We're not afraid of him.”

“If you ain't afraid of Billy Blood, maybe you've got rocks in your head, Nick.”

“I
know
Nick's got a few loose rocks in his head,” Gunner said. “But so far, it hasn't been much of a problem.”

“Here we are,” Sabrina said. “There's a set of steps that lead up to the rear of the Crow. There's the back entrance right there. Nobody uses it but the barmaids and Lucius.”

“Who's Lucius?”

“Kitchen man at the Crow. A Barbadian. As fine a fellow as there is around here. But a little addled in his old age.”

They climbed the slippery steps up from the putrid black canal and stood for a moment at the rear entrance of the Black Crow. Sabrina put a hand on Nick's shoulder. “Listen to me, Nick. Your sister may well be held captive here, and she may not. If she isn't, don't fret. I know where to find her.”

“Where?” Nick asked.

“There's an old English fort out at the entrance to the harbor. Blood's taken it over and installed a garrison of men and countless cannons. He'll defend Port Royal and his fleet, should anyone be foolish enough to attack. It's called Fort Blood now, naturally enough. The dungeons, I hear it said, are full. That's where Bill imprisons his enemies or anyone who looks at him sideways or crosses him. I think that's where you'll find your Kate, sorry to say.”

“Blood's ransom letter told me to come to the Black Crow by sundown if I wanted to see her alive. My guess is she's imprisoned here.”

“If she is, Lucius will know about it. We'll find him in the kitchen.”

As they entered the rear of the tavern, Gunner leaned over and whispered to Nick, “Keep yer gun handy, Master Nick. In yer hand with yer hand in yer jacket pocket. We don't know what we're up against inside this den of thieving scoundrels.”

“Good idea,” Nick said, pulling his gun from the holster at his back and sliding his gun inside his pocket.

“This way,” Sabrina said, leading them through the door and through some kind of storeroom, or larder, where the smell of overripe meat and rotting vegetables attacked Nick's nostrils.

“Customers don't come for the food, I guess,” Nick whispered to Sabrina.

She laughed. “Grog and ale and strumpets, that's what they come for. This door leads directly to the kitchen. We'll find out soon enough about your sister.”

Nick's heart was beating fast, ratcheting up, as they pushed through the door. Kate was nearby. He could feel it in his bones. There was an elderly black man pouring red wine into a glass on a small wooden tray. There was also a plate of something Nick couldn't identify and wouldn't eat even if he was starving.

“Eve ning, Lucius,” Sabrina said.

“Why, Miss Sabrina! Dis is your free night. What you doin' here at de Crow?”

“Lucius, these are my two new friends, Nick and Gunner. They've come looking for Nick's little sister.”

“Little thing? Bright red hair and big blue eyes?”

“That sounds like Katie!” Nick exclaimed, hope suddenly lighting up his face.

“That's her. Katie. Lordy, what a little angel. This is her supper I been fixin' right here. On my way upstairs to her with it.”

“She's here, Gunner! She's here!” Nick cried.

“Don't let us interrupt your work, Lucius,” Gunner said. “We'll just follow you upstairs, if you don't mind.”

Sabrina moved to the door, taking her leave, and said, “I'm very happy you've found her. But the faster you can get that child away from here, the better. This time of night, Old Bill's probably right in the next room with a bellyful of rum in ‘im. Glad I could be of some help to you gentlemen.”

Nick moved to her and took her hand. “I owe you a huge debt of gratitude, Miss. And someday I'll come back and repay it. I promise.”

“We owe you our lives, too, ma'am, and we thank you kindly for everything you've done,” Gunner added.

“What floor is she on?” Nick asked Lucius after Sabrina left.

“Child on de third floor—you jes follow me.”

Gunner and Nick followed the old fellow's slow progress up three flights of wooden steps. Halfway down the hallway, he paused outside a door and pulled a big brass ring of keys out of his pocket. He knocked first, inserted the key, and opened the door.

Kate was sitting at a desk, chin resting in the palms of her hands, staring out the window at the evening stars and the light mist of rain.

“Miz Kate, you got some visitors,” Lucius said.

She turned around and saw her brother, Nick, and Gunner standing just behind Lucius, smiling at her. Without saying a word, she leaped from the chair, ran to Nick, and wrapped her arms around him.

“I told Cecily you were coming, but she didn't believe me!” Kate said.

“Who's Cecily?” Gunner asked, looking around for another captive in the tiny room.

“You know Cecily!” Kate said, holding up the doll.

Nick nodded to Gunner, who turned to Lucius and said, “If you don't mind putting down the tray, we'd like a little time alone with the child.”

“Nossuh. Fine with me. I got fish to fry.”

Gunner followed him to the door and waited until Lucius had disappeared down the staircase. Then he pulled the Tempus Machina from inside his jacket and separated the two halves.

“Kate,” Nick said, “we don't have much time. Blood's just downstairs, and we've got to get out of here. He might show up at any second. When Gunner has finished entering our destination, we all place our hands on the ball, understand?”

“I know how it works, Nicky. I came here with Blood and Snake Eye, remember?”

“Right, let's be off, then.”

“Nicky, I have to show you something first.”

“There's no time, Katie. We have to go
now
, while we still have a chance.”

“This is very important. You'll understand when you see it. It's in the next room.”

“Oh, all right, but make it quick. Gunner, could you stow the orb until we're ready to go?”

He nodded, screwed the two halves back together, and slipped it back into his hidden pouch.

The adjacent door was locked. Gunner forced it easily, slipping his knife blade between the lock and the doorjamb. The large room was bare save a large wooden desk in the center. Nick asked Gunner to remain at the door, a lookout.

“It's in that drawer, Nick. Open it. You'll see,” Katie said.

Finding the drawer also locked, Nick used his knife to trip the lock and pop it open. Inside the drawer were charts and documents.

“What is this?” Nick asked.

“Only Captain Blood's plans to use his armada to take over the world, that's what.”