Barbara and Benedict Huntington glanced at one another uneasily. Surely he wasn’t including them in that category? They’d barely even spoken to him!
Further down the row of ships, Carolina’s father was frowning, too. He’d heard of the Shadow Lord, but he knew very little about him. Certainly not enough to count as his enemy. He couldn’t think of any reason for the man to hate him.
In fact, in that whole bay, Jack Sparrow was the only one who could think of a reason why the Shadow Lord was angry at him, but really, he considered that it was the Shadow Lord’s own fault for picking on Jack in the first place. Really, he started it!
“I know what you’re thinking,” Henry said, strolling slowly along the rocky ledge. He was enjoying this moment. He’d waited for it long enough. “You’re wondering who I am…and why I hate you.”
“Oh, lord. Please don’t tell us,” Jack said, sensing a big speech coming up.
“I will tell you,” Henry said. “And then I will kill you.”
“Seems like it’d be much less cruel to do it the other way around,” Jack offered, but if the Shadow Lord could hear him, he gave no indication.
“I am not just the Shadow Lord,” Henry said. “Nor am I the useless pirate Henry that you found so very amusing.” He shot a glare at Villanueva. “In fact, I am much older than you know, because I devised a way to live forever. I have been around for over a hundred years. I was a Pirate Lord myself. The truth is…I am Captain Henry Morgan of the second Brethren Court!”
He paused as if he was waiting for a dramatic reaction.
Crouching behind a pile of boxes on the deck of the Seref , Carolina touched Diego’s arm. “Captain Morgan,” she said. “We’ve heard of him somewhere, haven’t we?”
“Have we?” Diego said. He peeked out at Ammand, who was leaning against the mast, looking befuddled.
On the Centurion , Villanueva tugged on his beard, frowning thoughtfully. All across the Spanish and East India Trading Company ships, sailors were looking at each other and shrugging in confusion.
“Captain Morgan!” Henry bellowed. “ The Captain Morgan!” He paused again, his fury mounting at the lack of recognition evident on everyone’s faces. Finally he sputtered: “Morgan and Bartholomew! We wrote the stupid Pirate Code together! Don’t you know your history?”
“Ooooohhhhhhh,” most of the pirates said, nodding in unison.
Henry clenched his fists, seething. “I cannot wait to kill you all,” he muttered, obviously unconcerned about whether they could hear that. He shook his head and went back to his carefully planned speech. “As Captain Morgan, I was greatly wronged by all of you.”
“How?” Jack asked. “We weren’t even alive yet! Well, maybe him,” he said, jerking his thumb at Barbossa. “He looks pretty ancient.”
“I remember the other Pirate Lords,” Morgan growled. “I remember how they taunted me…how they mocked me! Even after I wrote the Code, none of them took me seriously. If I can’t have my revenge on them, I will gladly take it on their descendants…starting with you.” He pointed at Jack, Villanueva, and Ammand. Barbossa ducked his head and shuffled behind the mast, out of Henry’s sight.
“And of course I hate you,” Henry said, turning to the ships of the Spanish navy. “You were always my enemies, trading in my waters, trying to have me killed, accusing me of dastardly deeds…well, perhaps those acusations were true. But then there was the East India Trading Company. You and England stabbed me in the back. I worked for you! I was your privateer—I took Panama for you! I destroyed Spanish ships for you, and how did you repay me? By siding with the Spanish when they demanded I be put on trial. Tried for piracy! Your best privateer! I cursed you that day, and I swore I would live however long it took to avenge myself.”
Jack yawned theatrically. “Look, this is all very…whatever the opposite of fascinating
Further down the row of ships, Carolina’s father was frowning, too. He’d heard of the Shadow Lord, but he knew very little about him. Certainly not enough to count as his enemy. He couldn’t think of any reason for the man to hate him.
In fact, in that whole bay, Jack Sparrow was the only one who could think of a reason why the Shadow Lord was angry at him, but really, he considered that it was the Shadow Lord’s own fault for picking on Jack in the first place. Really, he started it!
“I know what you’re thinking,” Henry said, strolling slowly along the rocky ledge. He was enjoying this moment. He’d waited for it long enough. “You’re wondering who I am…and why I hate you.”
“Oh, lord. Please don’t tell us,” Jack said, sensing a big speech coming up.
“I will tell you,” Henry said. “And then I will kill you.”
“Seems like it’d be much less cruel to do it the other way around,” Jack offered, but if the Shadow Lord could hear him, he gave no indication.
“I am not just the Shadow Lord,” Henry said. “Nor am I the useless pirate Henry that you found so very amusing.” He shot a glare at Villanueva. “In fact, I am much older than you know, because I devised a way to live forever. I have been around for over a hundred years. I was a Pirate Lord myself. The truth is…I am Captain Henry Morgan of the second Brethren Court!”
He paused as if he was waiting for a dramatic reaction.
Crouching behind a pile of boxes on the deck of the Seref , Carolina touched Diego’s arm. “Captain Morgan,” she said. “We’ve heard of him somewhere, haven’t we?”
“Have we?” Diego said. He peeked out at Ammand, who was leaning against the mast, looking befuddled.
On the Centurion , Villanueva tugged on his beard, frowning thoughtfully. All across the Spanish and East India Trading Company ships, sailors were looking at each other and shrugging in confusion.
“Captain Morgan!” Henry bellowed. “ The Captain Morgan!” He paused again, his fury mounting at the lack of recognition evident on everyone’s faces. Finally he sputtered: “Morgan and Bartholomew! We wrote the stupid Pirate Code together! Don’t you know your history?”
“Ooooohhhhhhh,” most of the pirates said, nodding in unison.
Henry clenched his fists, seething. “I cannot wait to kill you all,” he muttered, obviously unconcerned about whether they could hear that. He shook his head and went back to his carefully planned speech. “As Captain Morgan, I was greatly wronged by all of you.”
“How?” Jack asked. “We weren’t even alive yet! Well, maybe him,” he said, jerking his thumb at Barbossa. “He looks pretty ancient.”
“I remember the other Pirate Lords,” Morgan growled. “I remember how they taunted me…how they mocked me! Even after I wrote the Code, none of them took me seriously. If I can’t have my revenge on them, I will gladly take it on their descendants…starting with you.” He pointed at Jack, Villanueva, and Ammand. Barbossa ducked his head and shuffled behind the mast, out of Henry’s sight.
“And of course I hate you,” Henry said, turning to the ships of the Spanish navy. “You were always my enemies, trading in my waters, trying to have me killed, accusing me of dastardly deeds…well, perhaps those acusations were true. But then there was the East India Trading Company. You and England stabbed me in the back. I worked for you! I was your privateer—I took Panama for you! I destroyed Spanish ships for you, and how did you repay me? By siding with the Spanish when they demanded I be put on trial. Tried for piracy! Your best privateer! I cursed you that day, and I swore I would live however long it took to avenge myself.”
Jack yawned theatrically. “Look, this is all very…whatever the opposite of fascinating
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