Page 34 of Veiled in Stars and Silver
“She ain’t fit, sir. Look at her. She’ll have that stone taken away in an instant, turn on you, and the rest of us are doomed,” said yet another.
“You don’t think I know what I’m doing?” Hook’s voice was low, a threat in his words.
The pirates standing around didn’t respond, but I saw the distrust in their gazes, all echoing the same thing.
Hook released his grip on his sword, his stance relaxing. “Fair enough. Wendy Darling here is unproven. Shall we put her to the test?”
I cast disbelieving eyes on Hook. What was he doing?
But the men roared their approval.
“A duel,” someone shouted. “To the death.”
Hook held up his palm. “Come now, lads. Let's not prove ourselves the barbarians that Pan forces us to be. It is bad form. Skill can be proven without egregious bloodshed.”
“Then, in honor of our captain, let it be the first to lose a hand,” Mason said. He lifted his arms high, his brawny muscles bulging through his shirt. “I put myself up as her challenger.”
Hook nodded as if he were agreeing that the sky was blue.
“As the challenged, I get to choose weapons,” I said. Anger roiled in my blood. The captain of the Jolly Roger was throwing me to the wolves.
Mason’s lips pulled into a sneer. “Then choose, little girl.”
The men standing in Cora’s front entry way hooted. Eye patches and peg legs and loose shirts donned those present. The surrounding air reeked of ale.
I stepped up to Hook, my gaze meeting his. My fingers closed around the icy steel hilt attached to the saber at his waist, and drew his blade.
Something unreadable flashed across his stony face.
“I choose the sword and whatever weapons carried on our person,” I said.
Mason’s mouth twisted. “Deal.”
Cora barged between two men with a livid expression. Relief stole through me. Another woman. Surely, she would be the voice of reason.
“You shall not get blood on my carpet. Take your endeavors outside,” Cora Pearl demanded.
My last hope that sanity might prevail shriveled.
The men cheered, and they filtered out of the entryway. They organized themselves into a large circle in front of Madame Pearl’s. Mason already waited in the middle, sword drawn, ready for violence.
Despite my well-hidden knives, I now regretted the dress. But I’d have to make do because nobody seemed to care that I was ill-clothed for such a fight.
“One moment, please,” I said to Mason. I turned to the crowd. “Does anyone have a rope?”
Someone threw me a short length of a frayed line. “Thank you.”
“Won’t help you none, lass. Come, give me the stone and we will call it off.” Mason’s dark eyes fell to where the silver half-stone rested in plain view on my chest.
I glared at him. Then used Hook’s sword to tear a hole through the fabric along the hem of my dress. I strung the rope through the opening, and then wrapped it around my waist, tying up my skirts. The last thing I wanted was to trip over them.
A few men whistled and hollered at the sight of my exposed legs, but I focused on the cocky bloodlust in Mason’s expression.
I’d use thatoverconfidence to bring him down.
Gripping the sword, I got into a battle-ready stance. Mason guffawed.
“Look at her, holding that sword all threatening-like.”
