Page 71 of Mardon

“Oh, no. Mardon’s not going to like that. We need to stop her.”

“I’ll go,” said Ramble, looking out at the water. His eyes grew wide. “Stitch, the Poseidon is here. They’re comin’ to the island.”

“Run! Go tell Mardon to hurry. I’ll stay here but if Nereus or his men start headin’ for the Falcon, I’m goin’ to have to pull up the gangplank.”

“I understand. I’ll tell Mardon.”

As Ramble took off for the island, Emmaline flipped over the side of the ship, holding on to the rope to lower herself into the shuttle boat. She wasn’t that far from the mainland. There were oars inside the boat and she was strong enough to row to shore. She climbed into the small boat, releasing the ropes that held it to the ship. As the boat floated away, she took one last look at the Falcon, feeling her heart breaking. She was going to really miss Mardon, Nairnie, and even the crew. In the short time she’d been here, she had considered them her only family now.

* * *

“Cap’n, Cap’n,” shouted Ramble, waving his arms and running toward them. His long sash trailed behind him and his obnoxious new headpiece fell off as he ran.

“Ramble,” said Mardon, his head snapping up. He saw Nereus and his crew already on shore heading in their direction. “Damn it! Dig faster,” he told his men.

“We’re goin’ as fast as we can,” complained Coop. Mardon pulled the shovel out of the man’s hand and did the work himself.

“I think I see somethin’ down there,” said Nairnie, leaning over and peering into the hole. “God’s eyes, why did he have to bury it so deep?” she complained.

Mardon’s shovel hit something with a clank. “We’ve got it. Fast, get it out of there. We still have time to get it to the ship before Nereus gets here.”

Goldtooth and Coop pulled the chest out of the hole, laying it on the ground.

“It feels heavy,” said Coop.

“It must be filled with gold.” Goldtooth’s eyes lit up and the rest of the crew shouted with excitement.

“Finally, we’ll have the treasure,” said one of the crewmen.

“Mardon, hurry. Open the chest,” instructed Nairnie.

“Nay, we’ll take it back to the ship first,” he answered.

“Nay, open it here,” she insisted. “What if it’s filled with rocks again?”

“Don’t even say that.” Mardon clenched his jaw. He reached out to finger the padlock, seeing it was secure. “Aaron, hit it with your shovel,” he told his brother.

“Gladly,” said Aaron, hitting it hard until the lock popped open.

Mardon hunkered down to lift the lid, but immediately felt the prick of the tip of a sword at his back.

“We’ll take that, Mardon,” came a familiar voice that Mardon recognized as Noll, one of the two men who’d left his crew to join his nemesis, Nereus. “Or is it Cap’n now?”

Mardon looked over to Aaron, slowly nodding. In one motion, Mardon rolled on the ground, jumping up and drawing his sword. At the same time, Aaron shot forward, his sword clashing with Wybert’s – the second of the traitors.

Nereus and his men ran up with blades drawn and they were once again in battle.

“Damn it, Nereus, give it up,” spat Mardon, his blade crashing into the older man’s who was the captain of the Poseidon. “It’s my treasure put there by my father and you know it.”

“Yer treasure?” The man laughed loudly. “Only until I take it from ye.”

“Someone, get that chest to the ship. Now!” shouted Mardon.

His men tried but couldn’t even get close to it, having to constantly fight off the pirates from the Poseidon.

“I’ll get it,” said Nairnie, kneeling down and leaning over the chest.

“The old woman again?” Nereus laughed. “Wybert, take her as a trade for the treasure. Once again,” said the man.