what? A lunatic?”
“As a pirate.” Jasper knew all too well how hard Eric had tried to be a bloody cutthroat. It didn’t matter that Blackbeard’s reputation was more fictional than fact. Eric wanted the notoriety.
“How absurd. There aren’t pirates anymore.” Her quaint innocence touched him. How nice to be so unaware of the evils in the world.
“Technically, they still exist, just not in abundance and certainly not as colorful. In Eric’s case, he’s a man born long after the era he’d like to be a part of. And unfortunately, crazy makes dangerous.”
“What are we going to do?” She looked up at him.
A sparkle of faith shone in the depths of her brown eyes. It warmed his soul. They hadn’t yet managed to get on an even keel with each other, but the foundation of trust was there. He had to believe that.
“You can’t let him take the Crystal Compass,” she said.
“I don’t think he knows about the Compass. That’s mine. Only a handful of people are aware of its existence, and I trust them to keep it a secret.” He rubbed her shoulders. “No, he’s just after you to get the map.”
“Over my dead body.” She stormed back over to the railing and paced back and forth.
“I don’t think he’ll have any sentiments of long-lost family getting in the way of making that happen. By the way, where is the map?”
“I folded it and put it in my boot.”
“Tie it to something weighty and throw it overboard,” he said, thinking how Eric would know the area it outlined.
“I’m not going to get rid of the map.” She shot him a resolute glare.
He didn’t bother to argue with her. His best option was to keep Eric from ever getting to Abigail.
“I’m not sure I understand how he would even know about the map…Unless you told him.”
“I didn’t tell him.” He skipped getting into the debate of his acquaintance with Blackbeard. Knowing him as he did, he suspected Blackbeard might have unwittingly told Eric about many things he shouldn’t have.
Jasper looked down at the water. “We don’t have the speed to catch the wind,” he informed Abigail as he ran to the passageway.
“Can’t you make the ship go faster on the water?” she yelled to him. “I would think with all the steam and hardware on this vessel you could—”
Jasper hurried down to his storage cabin. “Damn.” He shoved objects out of the way to get to a trunk in the corner.
Abigail flew into the room, out of breath. “You didn’t answer me. Can’t we go faster?”
“No. Ironically, we’re too weighted by everything that makes this ship fly.” He swept the gadgets off the trunk lid and flipped it open.
“That makes no sense. If we’re too heavy to go fast in the water, we should be too heavy to float in the air.”
“Air has currents to carry us. Water resists.” Jasper tossed coats, gloves, rubber hoses and other items out of his way in the trunk.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Get your boots on and make sure that map stays hidden. And put on a coat just in case something happens to me.”
“Happens to you? And what does a coat have to so with hiding the…He’ll take me, won’t he?”
“I have to believe he wouldn’t be cruel enough to leave you on my ship alone. And I don’t want him getting any lewd thoughts about you in that attire.” He grabbed the heavy leather gloves first and tugged them on, aligning the concealed built-in pistols for easy extraction. A shake and twist of his wrist hit the slider and sent the barrel out of its sleeve, exposing the loading chamber. One shot each. Not sufficient weaponry in a battle, but good for the defense of up close and personal danger.
“Do you really think those are necessary?” Abigail stood at his side.
“Would you please do as I ask?” He retracted the guns, stooped down and pulled out small pistols, swords and knives, making his way to the bottom of the trunk. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Abigail not moving.
“As a pirate.” Jasper knew all too well how hard Eric had tried to be a bloody cutthroat. It didn’t matter that Blackbeard’s reputation was more fictional than fact. Eric wanted the notoriety.
“How absurd. There aren’t pirates anymore.” Her quaint innocence touched him. How nice to be so unaware of the evils in the world.
“Technically, they still exist, just not in abundance and certainly not as colorful. In Eric’s case, he’s a man born long after the era he’d like to be a part of. And unfortunately, crazy makes dangerous.”
“What are we going to do?” She looked up at him.
A sparkle of faith shone in the depths of her brown eyes. It warmed his soul. They hadn’t yet managed to get on an even keel with each other, but the foundation of trust was there. He had to believe that.
“You can’t let him take the Crystal Compass,” she said.
“I don’t think he knows about the Compass. That’s mine. Only a handful of people are aware of its existence, and I trust them to keep it a secret.” He rubbed her shoulders. “No, he’s just after you to get the map.”
“Over my dead body.” She stormed back over to the railing and paced back and forth.
“I don’t think he’ll have any sentiments of long-lost family getting in the way of making that happen. By the way, where is the map?”
“I folded it and put it in my boot.”
“Tie it to something weighty and throw it overboard,” he said, thinking how Eric would know the area it outlined.
“I’m not going to get rid of the map.” She shot him a resolute glare.
He didn’t bother to argue with her. His best option was to keep Eric from ever getting to Abigail.
“I’m not sure I understand how he would even know about the map…Unless you told him.”
“I didn’t tell him.” He skipped getting into the debate of his acquaintance with Blackbeard. Knowing him as he did, he suspected Blackbeard might have unwittingly told Eric about many things he shouldn’t have.
Jasper looked down at the water. “We don’t have the speed to catch the wind,” he informed Abigail as he ran to the passageway.
“Can’t you make the ship go faster on the water?” she yelled to him. “I would think with all the steam and hardware on this vessel you could—”
Jasper hurried down to his storage cabin. “Damn.” He shoved objects out of the way to get to a trunk in the corner.
Abigail flew into the room, out of breath. “You didn’t answer me. Can’t we go faster?”
“No. Ironically, we’re too weighted by everything that makes this ship fly.” He swept the gadgets off the trunk lid and flipped it open.
“That makes no sense. If we’re too heavy to go fast in the water, we should be too heavy to float in the air.”
“Air has currents to carry us. Water resists.” Jasper tossed coats, gloves, rubber hoses and other items out of his way in the trunk.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Get your boots on and make sure that map stays hidden. And put on a coat just in case something happens to me.”
“Happens to you? And what does a coat have to so with hiding the…He’ll take me, won’t he?”
“I have to believe he wouldn’t be cruel enough to leave you on my ship alone. And I don’t want him getting any lewd thoughts about you in that attire.” He grabbed the heavy leather gloves first and tugged them on, aligning the concealed built-in pistols for easy extraction. A shake and twist of his wrist hit the slider and sent the barrel out of its sleeve, exposing the loading chamber. One shot each. Not sufficient weaponry in a battle, but good for the defense of up close and personal danger.
“Do you really think those are necessary?” Abigail stood at his side.
“Would you please do as I ask?” He retracted the guns, stooped down and pulled out small pistols, swords and knives, making his way to the bottom of the trunk. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Abigail not moving.
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