“You gave away the ending!” Silver pouted, azure eyes accusing Hawk of gross betrayal.
“How could I? It’s right there in the title -Lamentable Death.”
“Gaveston too, then?”
“Gaveston first.”
Silver slammed the book shut as if it had burned his hands. “Why must it be so?”
“It isn’t always so,” Hawk said, his voice softening. “Not for everyone.”
“They loved each other. They should have been happy.”
Silver looked out through the storm windows, his face cast into a stark relief against the darkness of the room. In the moments ofsilence that followed, Hawk felt a yearning that seemed too close to self-delusion.
For the first time in a long time, his heart pushed back the tragedy of his past. He wanted to speak more, to say that not all stories had unhappy endings, to say that perhaps he could suggest a different book for Silver to read.
But, before he could even open his mouth, a harried Ruiz knocked at his cabin door.
“Captain! It’s theHecate. She’s set sail without us!”
“We are betrayed,” Hawk rose from his chair, Silver and Marlowe both forgotten. “Make haste, Ruiz. We’re going hunting!”
6
Mami Wata's Revenge
A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.
? William Butler Yeats
While Silverfin had given up the sea, he soon discovered he hadn't completely lost it. The thrill of being on the deck of theOrcaunder full sail, with the wind in what remained of his hair and the salt spray from the waves on his cheeks was just as thrilling as racing a porpoise under the waves.
Taking on theHecate, however, was a different story. As soon as they caught up with the slower ship, and supposed ally, they’d inexplicably begun firing upon theOrca. From what Silverfin gathered, mostly by eavesdropping, Captain Hawk and the Barnes woman had some big plan to turn Port Royal into an independent Pirate Republic. It appeared that the sea kingdom and the land kingdom had very different flavors of rulers, and the denizens of Port Royal would have much preferred to rid themselves of theirs. This was what, Silverfin gathered, Hawk needed the treasure for, and consequently why he needed theHecate..
Silverfin wasn't interested in biped politics, but anything that threatened his ability to get close to his captain he viewed as a personal insult.
"Get below decks and try not to get yourself killed," Hawk hissed, just before they opened fire.
Silverfin quickly discovered that beingina battle was very different from justwatchingone. Between the explosions and the cannonballs and the splinters flying everywhere and feeling completely helpless to assist with anything, Silverfin couldn't help but begin to question his usefulness at Hawk's side after all.
Under Hawk’s superior prowess as a Captain, theHecatewas quickly subdued, her mast blown to smithereens and holes blown in her hold. Grappled by theOrca, all her firepower was useless. Captain Tyson and the rest of his crew ran like cowards, barricading themselves below decks, where they’d surely have the advantage of close quarters.
As they prepared to board theHecate,he tried to shadow Hawk as they set about trying to clear the ship of the men defending it, while also staying out of the way. If there was some way he could help or some aid he could give, he had no intention of letting it pass him by!
Fortunately, if there was one thing that Silverfin was adept at, it was watching ships. A white slip of cloth hanging alongside a cable from a hole in the side of the ship certainly was not a normal occurrence. Was it a flag of surrender? He crossed the gangplank to theHecate, then slipped up behind Hawk and cleared his throat.
Hawk whirled, hand on the hilt of his sword, before relaxing once he'd recognized Silver. "Mr. Silver, unless you bear wonderful news that you have killed Captain Tyson - "
