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It was a short climb, and the grapple rope acted more as a handrail against the constant rolling motion beneath us as we shimmied up along the siding. Trying to hoist ourselves up without it from the base of our little canoe-boat would have been quite a challenge. I didn’t realize how sore my body was until I had to use the rope to pull myself onto the ship. The twinge of ache in my arms and legs fought against me. Between sword-fighting with Bellamy, being held hostage, and transforming into a mermaid, it only made sense that the muscles in my body were straining to keep up at this point.
“Hoist the anchor,” Milo ordered, running straight to the bow with Noah right behind him. They grunted as they pushed against the capstan, hoisting the weighty anchor slowly. It had barely emerged from the water, still dripping, when Milo dashed away toward the helm and pointed to the sails.
“Get the topsail up taut!” he commanded. “Haul away the rigging!”
“English, please!” McKenzie cried.
“Just pull those ropes there and loosen that one. But tie that one there!” Milo directed, doing his best to point as he adjusted the ship’s rudder. “Then set the mainsail southeast a bit.”
We nodded, working with nervous hands to complete the tasks.
“This one’s stuck!” I shouted, frustrated with the knot I found myself wrangling.
Milo came racing over and took in the sight of the mangled rope around the hooks along the masts and hull. “Steer us out. I’ll work on this rigging.”
“You want me to steer?” I asked.
“Yes, go!” He motioned for me to hurry.
I rushed forward to the ship’s wheel, shoving away the feeling of intimidation that clawed at me.
“I can do this,” I uttered. “I can control water. Surely, I can steer a ship on it.”
Looking ahead out into the open water, my heart jumped a bit at the sight of some small bits of land and sandbars peeking out in a jagged path out to sea. I’d have to carefully navigate around them, and I didn’t know how fast this thing could go. With my hands gripping the wooden wheel, I turned it sharply and directed the bow in the best straight path I could envision. It was heavy, and my muscles strained to hold the wheel where I wanted it. I wondered how Milo made it look so effortless.
From my spot at the helm, overlooking the small deck, I saw Noah rushing over to help with the sails. I also noticed Milo and his strange behavior. He was almost fidgety. I could even say nervous. He kept looking back at the surrounding bigger ships that had been anchored alongside this one. The rest of his father’s fleet, I assumed.
“Keep at it. There’s one more thing I have to take care of,” he said.
“I was starting to think you forgot,” Noah snapped, yanking on the rigging with newfound ferocity and confidence.
“Forgot what?” McKenzie interrupted.
“To make sure my father’s ships can never be used the same way again.” And with that, Milo leapt to the stern of the schooner, pulled out a pistol we never knew he was carrying, and fired at a barrel floating up against one of the ships, creating an instant explosion. The blast forged a hole in the front of the ship in which it was placed, leaving a damaged open hull to quickly fill with water. One by one, he fired at more floating barrels like targets, till he’d splintered the sides or fronts of every one of his father’s four galleons.
Amidst the rush of chaos that ensued as sailors and captains spewed curses and fired back, we picked up speed in our sails and lurched forward out into the open bay. The deep tone of warning bells signaled trouble in the harbor. I did my best to guide us through the rocky waterways, nearly tipping the boat as we reeled around a sandbar I didn’t see until the last minute. The water was strong against my hand at the wheel, and it took all my body strength to keep it from slipping back. I was grateful when a strong hand took hold of the helm above mine, and I breathed a sigh of relief as Milo stepped in to take over.
“Did you plant those barrels there?” I asked as Milo steadied himself at the wheel.
“Last night after you fell asleep. But I had help.” He glanced over at Noah, who quickly looked away, as if trying to play off his part in this. Milo returned his gaze to me with eyebrows furrowed. “It was reckless, I know. But we couldn’t let those ships keep sailing. No one should be able to use them again, least of all Thane.”
“Reckless, for sure,” I chided. “But I get it. And I would’ve done the same,” I reassured with a half smile.
“Glad you approve. Because now we have to outrun him, and I can’t have you both mad at me.”
I looked over my shoulder at the sight of Thane and his crew working fast to raise their ship’s anchor. He watched us with narrowed eyes from his perch at the bow. Even from here, I could sense the cruelty and see the scowl on his face. I touched the tender red line of skin along my jaw, wincing as I remembered the blade slicing across it.
“This guy really isn't one to let things go, huh?” I huffed.
“He’s a psychopath,” Milo uttered.
With the ship sailing smoothly and swiftly under Milo’s command, we wove through the last few spots of shallow water and protruding formations framing the island. Behind us, Nassau shrunk in the distance, growing farther with each passing second, smoke rising from the harbor we’d left in disarray. Now it was straight on through into the open blue before us.
With an 18th century serial killer not far behind.
33
Leading Light
