One's adrift."
"Is one a brigantine?"
"Aye, Captain!"
"Perry, hand Andrés the glass."
Annie peered through it again.
"The two ships, what are their colors?" the Captain shouted.
"Can't see either of their colors, Captain," Annie yelled back. "But the brigantine's coming about."
Annie waited. It seemed like an eternity. Then she saw it. "Skull and crossbones! She's a bloody pirate ship!"
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"All hands on deck!" The captain roared, "Mr. Montgomery, assemble a boarding party."
The Realm changed course.
Annie handed the glass back to Perry and scrambled down the ratlines. She wasn't about to miss any opportunity that would put her in the good graces of her shipmates. She needed to be in that boarding party.
No sooner had she landed on the deck, Captain Hawke stopped her.
"Tell me about the ship in full sail," he said.
Not being able to think of anything more to tell him, she instead asked, "The brigantine, Captain, could she be…" Annie knew if ever there was a time to mention the unmentionable, this was it. "Could she be the Crimson Revenge?"
Captain Hawke's eyes narrowed, but not at her. He looked in the direction of the two ships. "A distinct possibility."
"Then shouldn't we be heading away from her and not toward her?"
"We are heading to the crippled vessel, not the pirate ship, Andrés. That one will be long gone before we get there. You are dismissed."
Now that was a waste of time, Annie thought, as she dashed off to find Mr. Montgomery assembling his men for the boarding party.
"I want to be in the boarding party, sir," she said.
"Sorry, lad, I have already chosen my men."
"I spotted the ship, sir. It seems only fitting that I should board her."
Mr. Montgomery mulled it over and said, "Only because you're the one who spotted the ship, Andrés, will I ask the men if any of them are willing to give up their place for you. But don't get your hopes up."
"Sir, Andrés can take my place on the boarding party." Barrette offered.
Mr. Montgomery looked from Barrette to Annie. "Very well then, Andrés, you can take Barrette's place. This is serious business. You will follow orders. Is that understood?"
"Aye, sir."
"If the ship hasn't sunk by the time we get there, you are paired with me."
* * *
When the Realm came a safe distance alongside the drifting ship, the longboat was lowered into the sea.
Mr. Montgomery commanded, "Man the boat!"
As the sailors clambered aboard, Annie looked around at the crew. Seeing their grim faces, she wondered if she had made the right decision.
Once the men pushed off, head oarsman Ainsworth, ordered, "Together, pull!"
While the oars sliced through the sea, salt water sprayed Annie's face. With each stroke, the gap narrowed between the two ships.
"Andrés, pick up the stroke!"
Annie pulled harder. She glanced over her shoulder. Not anchored, the ship's position had changed. She saw painted on the stern in bold letters its name, the Margaret Louise.
Approaching the starboard side, Mr. Montgomery shouted, "Ahoy!" He waited, but only the groans of a dying ship greeted him.
After he hurled a grappling hook over the ship's railing, Mr. Montgomery put his full weight on the rope. Confident the line was secure, he sent Rodrigues up the side while Ainsworth and his oarsmen kept the boat steady. It took Rodrigues no time to scale the side of the ship. As soon as he was aboard, he disappeared from view. When he reappeared, he held the Margaret Louise's rope ladder in his hands.
Mr. Montgomery shouted, "Any survivors?"
Dropping the ladder over the side, Rodrigues yelled down, "I saw only one sailor and he's dead, looks about Christopher's age."
Despite the chill in the air, Annie wiped sweat from her palms onto her trousers. She looked over at Christopher. All color had drained from his face.
Mr. Montgomery ordered the rest of the boarding party up the side. Annie nervously waited her turn as she watched each sailor ascend the
"Is one a brigantine?"
"Aye, Captain!"
"Perry, hand Andrés the glass."
Annie peered through it again.
"The two ships, what are their colors?" the Captain shouted.
"Can't see either of their colors, Captain," Annie yelled back. "But the brigantine's coming about."
Annie waited. It seemed like an eternity. Then she saw it. "Skull and crossbones! She's a bloody pirate ship!"
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"All hands on deck!" The captain roared, "Mr. Montgomery, assemble a boarding party."
The Realm changed course.
Annie handed the glass back to Perry and scrambled down the ratlines. She wasn't about to miss any opportunity that would put her in the good graces of her shipmates. She needed to be in that boarding party.
No sooner had she landed on the deck, Captain Hawke stopped her.
"Tell me about the ship in full sail," he said.
Not being able to think of anything more to tell him, she instead asked, "The brigantine, Captain, could she be…" Annie knew if ever there was a time to mention the unmentionable, this was it. "Could she be the Crimson Revenge?"
Captain Hawke's eyes narrowed, but not at her. He looked in the direction of the two ships. "A distinct possibility."
"Then shouldn't we be heading away from her and not toward her?"
"We are heading to the crippled vessel, not the pirate ship, Andrés. That one will be long gone before we get there. You are dismissed."
Now that was a waste of time, Annie thought, as she dashed off to find Mr. Montgomery assembling his men for the boarding party.
"I want to be in the boarding party, sir," she said.
"Sorry, lad, I have already chosen my men."
"I spotted the ship, sir. It seems only fitting that I should board her."
Mr. Montgomery mulled it over and said, "Only because you're the one who spotted the ship, Andrés, will I ask the men if any of them are willing to give up their place for you. But don't get your hopes up."
"Sir, Andrés can take my place on the boarding party." Barrette offered.
Mr. Montgomery looked from Barrette to Annie. "Very well then, Andrés, you can take Barrette's place. This is serious business. You will follow orders. Is that understood?"
"Aye, sir."
"If the ship hasn't sunk by the time we get there, you are paired with me."
* * *
When the Realm came a safe distance alongside the drifting ship, the longboat was lowered into the sea.
Mr. Montgomery commanded, "Man the boat!"
As the sailors clambered aboard, Annie looked around at the crew. Seeing their grim faces, she wondered if she had made the right decision.
Once the men pushed off, head oarsman Ainsworth, ordered, "Together, pull!"
While the oars sliced through the sea, salt water sprayed Annie's face. With each stroke, the gap narrowed between the two ships.
"Andrés, pick up the stroke!"
Annie pulled harder. She glanced over her shoulder. Not anchored, the ship's position had changed. She saw painted on the stern in bold letters its name, the Margaret Louise.
Approaching the starboard side, Mr. Montgomery shouted, "Ahoy!" He waited, but only the groans of a dying ship greeted him.
After he hurled a grappling hook over the ship's railing, Mr. Montgomery put his full weight on the rope. Confident the line was secure, he sent Rodrigues up the side while Ainsworth and his oarsmen kept the boat steady. It took Rodrigues no time to scale the side of the ship. As soon as he was aboard, he disappeared from view. When he reappeared, he held the Margaret Louise's rope ladder in his hands.
Mr. Montgomery shouted, "Any survivors?"
Dropping the ladder over the side, Rodrigues yelled down, "I saw only one sailor and he's dead, looks about Christopher's age."
Despite the chill in the air, Annie wiped sweat from her palms onto her trousers. She looked over at Christopher. All color had drained from his face.
Mr. Montgomery ordered the rest of the boarding party up the side. Annie nervously waited her turn as she watched each sailor ascend the
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