Page 90 of Paid to the Pirate

“Tell no one,” I ordered when we reached the outer limits of town. “If you create a panic, I don’t know what will happen. And if there’s no room on the roof for us, we’ll be swept away in a crowded fight for space!”

Charlotte looked horrified but clamped her lips together.

To say that Port Royal suffered devastation was an understatement. Glass and other debris littered what remained; everywhere I looked people wept.

It’s about to get so much worse,I thought.But even if I shouted, who’d believe me?

I kicked open the door to the nearest tall building -- one of the countless inns -- swinging Charlie into the room with me. In the midst of chaos, no one was shocked by our entrance until I shouted, “Everyone needs to get to the roof, now! A tidal wave is coming and if we don’t reach high ground in the next few minutes, we’ll all be swept away.”

Three or four minutes must have already passed. We’d been lucky to remain safe this long.

At the pause of surprise, I shouted, “I said now! What’s the quickest way to the roof?”

A smart young woman called out, “This way. Follow me.”

Anyone with any sense ran behind the girl as she guided a group of five of us into another room and up three flights of stairs. When we reached the top, the woman threw open a window and cried, “From here, we climb.”

I watched as she scooted onto the ledge and disappeared upwards. Then I poked my head out the window to see it was a short climb onto the roof, but one in which Charlie would need help, especially in bare feet.

“I’ll go first and pull you up,” I told her. Panic-stricken, she only nodded.

Once I’d made it to the roof, I laid flat and reached down.

“Take my hands,” I commanded.

Charlie hesitated. In mere seconds that seemed to last for minutes, she didn’t move. Was she considering running away? Choosing to die?

“Hurry up!” a man behind her yelled, jarring Charlie to action and my heart to start beating again. She clasped my hands and I dragged her onto the roof as carefully as I could. Turning, I blinked with disbelief to see half of Port Royal had already sunk into the ocean. It was justgone.

We hadn’t even processed our shock when we heard the screams.

The wave was coming.

The sea had pulled back and a horrifyingly large wave flew at rapid speed toward Port Royal. Beside me, Charlie gasped and turned as pale as death. The others on the roof with us made signs of the cross over their bodies. One man fell to his knees to pray.

My men,I thought again.Were they safe? Would I lose them? How many?

But there was nothing I could do to help them now.

“It’s going to hit us,” I calculated, searching desperately for something to hold onto. The best option -- the brick chimney, was constructed too poorly to be reliable.

“Get down!” I commanded Charlie, flattening us to the roof and holding onto a beam by the edge.

Charlie was shaking as she clung to me, buried half-beneath me. Everyone screamed and wept, but she didn’t say a word.

I’m not letting you go.

“Hold on tight!” I yelled, gripping the beam until my knuckles turned white. “When the wave comes, it will push us and continue to push us. Even after the initial hit, water will surge and try to rip us apart. You must hold onto me, Charlie, don’t let go!”

I felt her tighten her grip around me and looked down to see the blood still drained from her face. I hoped she didn’t swoon; I needed her to hold on.

The screams from below us rose higher.

“It’s coming!” I called. “Hold tight.”

I heard the wave rush closer, heard the first contact with land --

-- and then it slammed into our building.

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