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I stand opposite my father, nothing but water separating us.
“Where is she?” he says slowly, as though he’s barely keeping his temper in check.
“I missed you, too, Father,” I say in response.
“You will bring her over to this ship, lay down your arms, and surrender to my men.”
“I don’t have her. She swam away as soon as she was free of you. You can search this ship from top to bottom, but you will see I’m telling the truth.”
He nods to himself, as though he’d been preparing for this answer. “Then command your men to lay down their arms and surrender the ship.”
“And if I don’t?” I ask.
“Then my ship will tear yours to ribbons!” Tylon shouts. My father turns his head on him, irritated by the interruption.
“Tylon,” I say. “I hadn’t noticed you in my father’s shadow.”
His fair complexion takes on a reddish hue.
“You’re my daughter,” Father continues. “Surrender the ship and we’ll talk.”
I’m surprised by the offer. Of course, I know there will be nothing but a slow death in store for my crew if I order them to surrender. I can see it in his eyes. But the fact that he would try this when everyone on Tylon’s ship can hear him—it could be interpreted as a sign of weakness. I hadn’t realized how much my father depended on me and my abilities. He thinks he canbreak me if he gets his hands on me, force me to do his bidding once again. He doesn’t want to kill me, not yet.
But I will not fall into his hands again, and I sure as hell won’t let him get ahold of my crew.
Better to strike than to dodge.It’s one of the first lessons Father ever taught me.
I put a hand over my mouth and chin, as if I’m pondering his offer. “Niridia,” I say quietly. “Tell the crew below to fire the cannons.”
“Aye.” She disappears casually through the hatch.
I make a show of thinking over Father’s offer, but all I can think is that I never really knew this man. I thought I did. I thought I knew just how fierce and cruel he was, thought I was all right with it, since that cruelty was mostly directed at our enemies. But now that it’s directed at my crew, it is something I cannot forgive.
“Let me tell you what I think of your offer,” I say.
That’s when the first cannons fire.
TheAva-leerocks from the blasts. Wood rips open in the opposite ship. I have only four cannons below. Two were aimed at the deck of the opposing ship, one blowing apart a group of men huddled together while the other nicked the mizzenmast. The other two cannons tear holes through the starboard side, one lodging into the wood while the other cuts clean through.
Father turns and bellows orders to Tylon’s men. I smile at the little weasel’s put-out face as my father takes control of his men, and dole out orders to my own crew.
“Fire the muskets!” I shout. “Aim for the gun ports. Take out the men at the cannons!”
Tylon’s ship has more than double the cannon fire of mine. If we don’t focus fire on the men operating the cannons, they’ll obliterate us in no time.
Niridia appears back at my side. “Musket,” I say, holding out my hand, and she places the gun in it. I sight one of the gun ports, narrow my gaze on the man loading the ball into the cannon, and fire. He goes down, and Niridia trades me a loaded musket for an empty one.
Riden veers around me to take his own shot, aiming for the gun ports as ordered. His mark goes down.
“Very nice,” I tell him.
He grins before trading muskets.
Gunfire ripples through the air on both sides. My girls are well protected behind their barrels, crates, rowboats, and other hiding places, but the men on Tylon’s ship fall like hail from the sky, some tumbling off the edges of their ship, hitting the water.
I only get out one more shot before the first cannon fire reaches us. The ship lurches back from the force of it, but there’s no time to assess the damage.
Instead I reach out with my voice. I know that if Father is hurtling out orders, his men must not have their ears covered.
