Molly’s heart skipped at the sight. Conall was on that ship. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did.I will find you. I promise I will find you. They were the words he’d spoken to her when she’d taken the people of Lanwick to safety, leaving him behind. He’d kept that promise as she knew he would. As she knew he was coming after her now.
“Full speed!” Snarlsson bellowed. “Give it everything we’ve got!”
The knarrs of Snarlsson’s fleet were not as sleek as Sinclair’s galleys, but this was the flagship, built for speed and secrecy. It bore no forecastle and had a stream-lined prow designed to cut through the water. Nor was it weighed down with as many heavy cannon as Sinclair’s ship.
They began to pull away.
No. She had to get to Conall! Molly leaped up onto the rail, ready to dive overboard, only to have her ankle snatched and a heavy yank pull her back onto the deck.
“Oh, no ye dinna!” Alice Brewer hissed. “Ye aren’t going anywhere.”
Molly tried to kick the woman, but she twisted and turned, avoiding Molly’s blows and her fingers remained clamped around Molly’s ankle. The woman’s grip was as strong and wiry as old tree roots. Molly felt something cold bite into her ankle and all of a sudden, Alice let her go.
“There,” she said in a triumphant tone. “Now try jumping overboard. If ye do, ye’ll soon be feeding the fishes.”
Molly struggled into a sitting position and looked at her leg. Alice had clamped an iron manacle around her ankle attached to a heavy piece of chain. The chain wasn’t attached to anything though, which meant she was free to walk around, but it was heavy and cumbersome. If she jumped into the water with this attached, she would drown. Which Alice knew, of course.
“Take it off!” Molly bellowed. “Take it off right now!”
She tackled the other woman, taking them both crashing onto the deck. Alice wriggled like a snake, breaking free of Molly’s grip and all of a sudden it was Molly on her back with Alice on top of her, her hands around her throat.
“I should have killed ye when I had the chance,” Alice hissed through bared teeth. Her fingers squeezed and Molly struggled, trying to break her grip as the breath was squeezed out of her. “Ye’ve been naught but a pain in the arse.”
“Alice!” Snarlsson snapped. “Leave her be and take yer station! Looks like a squall’s coming in.”
Alice curled her lip in a snarl, then released Molly, climbed to her feet, and strode over to the helm. She took out a looking glass and began scanning the clouds that were boiling along the horizon.
Molly sucked in a great whooping breath and coughed. Rolling onto her stomach, she staggered up. The chain around her ankle scraped along the deck as she took a few tottering steps to the rail and looked out. Sinclair’s ship was still following and she could see that the sweeps were out, the oarsmen keeping a steady but urgent rhythm as they struggled to catch up. But it wouldn’t be enough, especially if that storm broke.
Molly bit her lip and looked around wildly. She had to do something. But what?
Her only advantage at the moment was that Snarlsson and Alice didn’t know about her knowledge of sailing. Could she use that somehow? She glanced back at Sinclair’s ship. It was too far behind to be able to make out anyone on the deck, but she could almost imagine Conall standing at the prow, urging more speed from the crew. His dark hair would be streaming out behind him in the wind and his gray eyes would be fixed ahead, that determined look on his face that she knew so well.
Conall, she thought.What should I do? What would you do?
Then it came to her. Sinclair’s ship couldn’t catch them unless she gave them a little help. She had to find a way to slow down Snarlsson’s ship.
And that meant sabotage.
She quickly scanned the deck for anything that could help. She staggered over to the starboard side of the ship, where the ropes controlling the sail were located. She knew that if she could loosen just one of them, the ship would lose momentum and Sinclair’s ship could catch up.
She grabbed the nearest rope, her fingers fumbling with the knots. Just as she managed to loosen one of them, a sudden gust of wind caught her off balance and she stumbled, her foot catching on the chain attached to her ankle. She let out a cry of pain as the heavy metal links slammed against her leg.
Alice spun, the looking glass in her hand. She saw Molly struggling with the rope and immediately realized what she was trying to do.
“Stop her!”
Snarlsson’s men raced towards Molly with swords drawn. She scrambled to her feet, holding the chain in her hand. Just as they reached her, she swung it like a whip, lashing out at the nearest man and catching him across the face. He stumbled back, blood streaming from a gash above his eye.
The other men fanned out in front of her. Molly bit back a scream of frustration and glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes fell on the tiller. She dashed towards it, holding the chain so it didn’t drag against the deck as she ran. She wove between the crewmen, dodging outstretched arms, and ran at the helmsman.
He saw her coming but wasn’t quick enough to dodge her wild swing of the chain. It caught him across the shoulder with a loud crack! He staggered backwards, howling in pain and clutching his shoulder.
Molly grabbed the tiller and wrenched it sharply to the left, the ship lurching and listing under her hands. The crew stumbled and fought to regain their footing as she swung the tiller back to the right, sending the ship careening in the opposite direction.
Snarlsson’s men came at her from all sides. Molly swung the chain wildly, keeping them at bay, but then tripped, falling to the deck with enough force to make her grunt.
In the distance, lightning flashed, illuminating the sky with a brilliant white light. Thunder rumbled across the ocean, echoing like a warning bell. A gust of wind slammed into the ship. In response, the ship slewed aside and began to lose headway.
