Page 53 of High Seas

“I’m not sure. Some might have, but for the most part, they avoided her. And I’m not sure it would matter if they had seen her, you’re the one right in front of them. And you aren’t locked in a cage.”

“Will I scare them?” I asked, suddenly worried that I’d just needlessly cost Enoch his crew.

“Yes. Even if they’d seen your clone disappear, they’d be frightened of you. What you can do isn’t natural,” Enoch replied, scrubbing a hand down his face. “But after my sister’s actions, I doubt any will be eager to step back aboard my ship, anyway. And sometimes, we must do what we must to survive.”

He held my eyes. I’d never asked him what the three of them had to do to survive the flood. Even now, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

Terah escorted Edward up the steps. He squinted at the daylight, holding his shackled hands up to shield his eyes. “Are we near port?” he asked.

“Not close enough to outrun your little friend,” she replied tersely.

Edward scanned the horizon, his eyes latching onto Hornigold’s sloop. A feline smile stretched over his face and his eyes filled with excitement.

Enoch noticed. “I wouldn’t be too happy. If he blasts us to smithereens, you’ll sink the fastest with those irons on.”

Edward sobered.

“We have an offer,” Enoch proposed, dangling the words like a carrot in front of a hungry ass. And since Edward was an enormous ass, it wasn’t hard to imagine his face on the body of a donkey, neck straining out to reach a carrot on the line Enoch cast from a pole.

“Captain, they’re just beyond our cannon’s reach. We’re ready to fire at your command,” a man yelled, perched halfway up the stairs.

“Hold fire. Ready a wherry.”

“Aye,” the crewman started, then Enoch’s order sank in… “Cap—?”

“Ready. A. Wherry. Quickly, please. And raise the red flag.”

The sailor’s eyes widened. “Aye,” he confirmed. He cupped his hands and relayed Enoch’s orders to the others. A team scurried to ready a small rowboat, while another crewman came out of the bowels of the ship with a crimson scrap of fabric under his arm.

“What does the red flag mean?” I asked.

Titus glanced from me to Enoch, who explained, “It means that if we win the battle that’s about to ensue, we will leave no survivors. They attack at their own peril.” Leaving us, Enoch strode across the deck. “Run a shot across the bow!” he commanded.

“What does that mean?” I whispered to Titus.

Titus heaved an anxious breath. “It can’t be good. None of this is good.”

“He ordered his men to fire a warning shot,” Terah explained.

Just then, an enormous boom filled the air along with dark, swirling smoke. The blast was so strong, the deck shook underfoot. If Hornigold didn’t sink us, we might sink ourselves.

Enoch ran to me. “They’re close enough that if they fire, this ship will be damaged. And theirs if we return fire. I do not fear death, but I do fear for my crewmen. If you could please help me, we might prevent loss of life. On both ships.”

“What can I do? Of course I’ll help.”

“If they fear you enough, there’ll be no need for you to leave the safety of the ship. I need you with me. I need you, Eve…. Can you scare them while remaining on board, with me?”

“Yeah, I’ve got this.” I could be a ghost anywhere. On this ship. On a rowboat. On their ship if they messed with us too much… The other ship had continued to steadily advance, and were now so close, I could swing from one long rope on this ship onto the deck of Hornigold’s.

Enoch strode back and forth, making sure everything was being done to his liking. The lives of his men depended on them following his instructions to the letter, and their diligence to his commands proved they weren’t ready to die.

Titus grabbed my upper arm. “Scare the hell out of them. I’m too pretty to be maimed.”

Titus used humor when he was the most afraid. It was a defense mechanism I appreciated, even in times where I wasn’t sure his jokes were funny. We very well could be killed if a sea battle was fought. After all, every fight had a loser, but not all had a clear winner. Sometimes everyone lost.

“I’ll do my best,” I answered grimly, climbing onto the rail. The wind tore at my dark hair, whipping strands around the same way it thrashed the sails and rigging. Hornigold stood proudly at the wheel of his ship, flanked by his men, each armed to the teeth and ready to die for his captain’s cause. I hoped Enoch was right, and my ruse could stop the calamity that loomed on the gruesome horizon. I raised my hands to draw Hornigold’s attention, and when he turned to get a better look at me, I winked out of sight, flickering in and out.

The sailors behind me muttered curses, becoming clumsy in their tasks. Terah shoved Edward toward the rail where I stood, balancing on the edge as the ship rolled over the undulating sea. Instead of my muscles feeling weak and liquid as the ocean herself, they felt like granite. Strong, sure, and unshakeable.

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