Cerulean Isle (26 page)
“The Keeper of Peace. Your totem should be ignorance! Aye!” Owen turned the barrel of the pistol on her.
“No! Cora!” I yelled. I leapt forward and reached for Owen, shoving his arm as he squeezed the trigger. The explosion was deafening. A terrible yellow flash erupted and black smoke puffed around us. Cora screamed. I heard the ping of a ricocheting round followed by a splash in the water.
I fell to the ground. Owen threw the spent weapon aside and scurried away. Hammock, Miley. and Smirks covered Owen’s escape and turned their pistols on us. I rolled over and saw Lord Sydin holding young Brine in his arms. Blood covered the Merchild’s chest. Sydin’s long black hair fell over the youth. I could hear Brine wheezing and Sydin whispering in their language.
I wanted to run after Owen, but his cohorts protected him. I remembered seeing this all before, only it was James Shanley who cradled his dying son. Blood stained the water of the Sacred Lagoon.
“The gold, Mer!” Owen hollered, running out of the courtyard, toward the beach. “Retrieve your gold and pile it on the shore or Captain L’Ollon and the
Obsidian
will bring more death to this island.” Hammock, Miley, and Smirks followed, keeping their pistols on us as they left.
“Go with them, all of you!” Sydin commanded, the young Mer still in his arms. “I said go! You violated the agreement and are no longer welcome here. You are
all
enemies now.”
“Sydin, we must not let him get away with this,” I said. “Help us fight them.”
“Leave us! I do not care about your fate. Fight your battle. Kill each other as men have done for thousands of years.” He turned to the others. “Cora, Pearl, Manta, Driften…we go now. Leave these vile humans to their bloody fate.”
Manta growled and pounded the water. He dove away, his dark green fin crested and splashed. Pearl looked at Grant and waved farewell.
“Pearl. Wait!” Grant called to her.
Slowly, she sank into the water.
Driften spoke to Cora. “Let us go, sister. You tried all you could.” Driften looked at me. “Goodbye, Jacob.” He took Cora’s hand and pulled her into the water. She tried to resist, but her brother’s grip was too strong. She cried and reached for me. I reached back but could not touch her pleading fingers. I watched her sink away.
Sydin cradled his son and went beneath the water’s surface. His black hair swirled in the water. We were all alone in the courtyard. I fell to my knees in the white sand and stared at the pool, willing Cora to come back.
Listen up, men,” ordered Grant. “We are doomed if we give up. I have a plan.”
“What is it?” Bart asked.
“We will let the pirates of the
Obsidian
come to us, and we will defend this island. We know the lay of this land, the enemy does not. We can take hidden positions throughout the isle and strike at them unseen. If we hurry, we can retrieve our swords. We will make Cerulean Isle a deadly place to enter. What say all of you?”
Konopo came forward. “I will fight for the Mer!” The Carib let out a tribal call, a proud cry from the heart.
The crew raised their fists and hollered their allegiance to a worthy captain. Grant lifted me to my feet. “It’s you and me, friend. Are you well enough?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Think of the things that fill your heart with happiness and fight for them. You are my brother. You are the only family I know. Today, I fight for you.”
“And I will fight for you.”
Grant ordered the waiting crew. “I want a team to make for the sloop and return with swords and daggers. Bring anything that can be used as a weapon. Konopo, Bart, Waylin, round up some men and ascertain the best defensive positions throughout the island.”
“Yes, Captain,” said Bart and Konopo in unison.
Grant turned to me. “Jacob, go after Owen. You are the only one who can stop him.”
~~~~~~
Owen and his men had eluded us through a narrow crystal passage that opened at the far end of the courtyard. I followed Owen’s tracks. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed off the sparkling walls and beams of cerulean stone.
The passage made a sharp turn. I waited behind the corner and listened ahead. Hearing nothing I crouched low and peered around the blue stone wall. A small beach surrounded by towering rock ledges opened before me, showing four sets of tracks in the sand. It looked as though one man broke to the right and followed the rock formations to the shore. Whoever went that way must have entered the water to get around the large stone structure, the goal being to get back to the main cove and commandeer one of our lifeboats. The man would have to be strong to accomplish this alone. I guessed the tracks belonged to Hammock.
The other tracks were erratic, trailing in circles and overlapping without reason. Owen was cunning, creating some kind of trap. I had no choice but to walk into it.
I stepped out from the confines of the passage to the middle of the beach. It wasn’t long before Smirks made himself known with a pistol shot. The sudden explosion made me crouch and cover. The round found its mark in the sand four feet in front of me.
“Greetings,” said Smirks. He loaded another round and came forward.
“Why have you turned on us, Smirks? What wrongs have we committed against you?”
“As Owen said, it all comes down to business in the end. A pocket full of loot from this island is enough to make a man rich. I’m simply earnin’ me keep, is all.”
“Smirks, listen to me. It’s not too late for you to rethink your choice. Help me stop Owen from aiding L’Ollon, and I will forgive your ignorance.”
“Do not insult me. I have spent more years on the sea than you could ever endure. I know a prosperous deal when I see one. This is me way out and me chance to be rich beyond measure. But before I can collect a single share, you must die.” Smirks aimed his barrel. Without hesitating, I rolled to the right and tossed a handful of sand into his face.
Still crouching, I swung my leg upward and delivered a powerful kick to his midsection. He doubled over. I pounced on him, and we fought for control of the pistol. He smashed his head against mine. I was dazed. He forced his weight on top of me. I held tightly to the pistol’s handle. He pulled hard to release the weapon from my grip. Instead of pulling back, I shoved the firearm forward, causing it to slam hard against his mouth.
There was a grotesque crunch as his front teeth broke to shards. Blood spilled from his mouth and pattered on my chest. Smirks fell off me, but I quickly positioned myself on top once more. He spat and choked on globs of blood. I struck his broken mouth and he let out a terrible howl. The pistol fell to the sand. We dove for it. He reached as desperately as I did. I saw his fingers close around the handle. I knew I had little time to react before his next shot. I saw my last opportunity to subdue him and took it.
Knotting my fingers deep into his greasy hair, I pulled back his head and slammed his face hard against the ground. I heard a muffled crack. He lay still as the white sand turned pink under his head. I took the pistol, now jammed with sand and blood. Useless. I checked his body for any other weapons. A small dagger was hidden in his belt. I concealed it in the side of my boot and scrambled across the sand, hurrying around the adjacent wall of stone.
I came into another pristine cove. The footprints of my enemies were scattered in every direction. The only place for them to go was into the mouth of a small cave that opened in the side of another stone wall, this one twice the height of the other one. I made for the cave and entered as quietly as possible.
The air was salty and moist, and I could smell their lingering body odor. I heard what sounded like the chiming of coins and the gentle clanking of metal. As I drew near, I heard fragments of their conversation.
“This is only a portion of what the island has to offer… Give it here, that’s mine… Aye, come on. We must hurry… Be comin’ back for the rest of it.” The sound of their hurried steps trailed off.
I pressed on after them, but stopped when I entered a round cavern filled with treasure. There were golden vases and silver carafes, piles of doubloons, and mounds of jewels everywhere. My feet crunched on shards of ruby and diamonds. There were trunks marked with crests of distant countries and burlap sacks of old tribal jewelry fashioned from lustrous gems and beads of polished jade. My eyes fell on a long golden rapier with a twisting hand guard and diamond-studded pommel. I picked it up and marveled at its perfect balance and near weightless feel. Satisfied with its deadly edge, I slid it into my belt and continued after Owen and Miley.
The passage was dim, but not dark enough to impede my pursuit. The damp corridor began to incline and spiral upward. Soon, daylight met me as I approached the exit. I listened for them before stepping out of the cave. Hearing nothing, I stepped out onto a narrow path of smooth crystal. I was on the very top of the towering rock wall. The strange terrain stretched out and tapered to become a dangerous cliff.
Owen and Miley stood near the edge looking out at the sea. Beyond them, rising and falling over the radiant water, was the great and dreadful barque of Captain Jean L’Ollon. Its three foreboding masts scraped the sky, and its wide sails sent swaying shadows over the sea. The very sight of the unforgiving vessel after ten long years stirred my fears and forced my heart to remember the old grief. Once again, I felt the sorrows of abandonment smother my heart. I felt the sting of childhood helplessness and tasted the bitterness of rage. I must have gasped because Owen and Miley turned around.
Owen snorted and spat over the edge of the cliff. “It seems ole’ Smirks was no match for you, eh?” He stepped forward.
I drew my rapier.
“Nice blade you’ve got there. Took it from the Mer’s cache, didn’t you? You know, that sword probably came from a great pirate they killed. Aye! All of that gold down there, it is from men. The Merfolk are nothing but a band of hording scavengers.”
“No different from you or the rest of L’Ollon’s crew. Tell me, how did you orchestrate such treason?”
“I spent a great deal of time in Cod Fish Tavern and my identity became known,” Owen said. “Secrets spill from bottles, after all.” Owen’s lips curled into a dark smile; his stare was like that of a poisonous snake. “L’Ollon’s men reported the news of my existence to their captain and one night, someone handed me a letter from L’Ollon himself. He wrote that if I wanted to return to duty under his articles I would be paid a heavy stipend, a far better deal than Christoff ’s. I wrote back my acceptance of his offer and told him of the mission I was sent to accomplish. A second letter instructed me to continue with Christoff ’s plan and to convince you to sail for Cerulean Isle. After all, you have his chart, and he figured you’d use it. All he had to do was follow in our wake.”
Owen withdrew a long, curving cutlass. Its edge flashed in the sunlight. As sharp and as deadly as my rapier was, it was not an equal match against his wide blade. Mine was a piercing weapon. His was for slashing. One powerful stroke of his sword would break mine in two. I pushed aside the thought. Miley glared at me with his pistol ready.
“Why don’t you think about your position here,” said Owen. “You are outnumbered. There is nowhere to run.”
I lifted the tip of my sword. “Yield, and the crew of the sloop
Destiny
will show you mercy.”
“So you want war?” he replied. “You won’t live to see it. The
Obsidian
draws near, Captain L’Ollon approaches. His pirates will raid this island and slaughter everyone on it. They’ll take the Mer’s gold, then let loose their cannon. There will be nothing left. The Mer that fight will be netted and gutted like the stinking fish they are. But first, you will die. Miley, kill him.”
Miley came forward with his pistol aimed at my heart. My rapier was no match for his firearm.
“Drop your weapon and get down on your knees,” ordered Miley. “I said drop it.”
I dropped the rapier. It chimed as it struck the blue crystal mass beneath us. I went down on one knee. Owen chuckled. “End him, Miley. Ahoy!”
Miley pressed the barrel to my head. “You won’t feel a thing, mate.”
“No,” I replied. “But you will.” I pulled the dagger from my boot and plunged it into his chest. My other hand knocked the pistol away. The weapon erupted. Miley groaned in shock as the thin, cold blade entered him. He staggered back and clutched the handle that protruded from his chest, his watery eyes staring in disbelief. He tried to speak, but painful gurgles and desperate draws of breath were all he could manage. His legs trembled and his eyes clouded over. He fell forward, landing on his chest. The dagger shifted deeper into him. I heard him groan for the last time.
I picked up the rapier and moved toward Owen, who had nowhere to go. He stood dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. I had little time to attack. Owen was an experienced warrior, and while I approached he had probably calculated several moves against me. I relied on the swiftness of the rapier and the fact that he had little room to move. The handle of the golden sword rolled in my palm.
I lunged. The tip of the blade streaked forward at blinding speed. There was a terrible clash of steel on steel. Bright yellow sparks flickered. He had parried my attack with equal quickness. I was off balance. He grabbed the collar of my shirt, sidestepped, and jerked me forward. I stumbled and felt my feet slip. The ledge passed below me. I dropped the rapier and saw it spin as it fell into the swirling ocean. I fell over the edge of the massive stone cliff. In desperation, I reached out and clawed for the stone wall. My hand found and gripped the rock face. My body dangled over the edge. I struggled to hold on and fought to pull myself up. The churning sea clashed and roared under me.
Owen moved out of view for a moment, but when he returned, my heart filled with dread. He was holding a boulder of cerulean rock. He lifted it over his head.
“I’ve killed many men in my days,” he called down to me, “but never like this.”