Miya Black, Pirate Princess I: Adventure Dawns (39 page)

"Maybe you don't understand what I'm offering here," said Badger Pete. "You could have much more than this island—"

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, not the slightest understanding of who we are or what we have here," said Tomas, his voice level. "I suggest that you stop talking before you embarrass yourself further."

Pete hesitated a moment, then he chuckled.

"Well then, I'd hoped we could work together but apparently that's off the table."

"A shame your father is too stupid to recognise a good offer when he sees it," Grace said, smirking at Miya.

"Come over here and say that again, if you've got the heart," Miya spat back. Lily put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, and Miya forced herself to calm down. Grace rolled her eyes and shook her head dismissively, and Miya bit her lip hard. Badger Pete looked at Miya coolly, just for a moment, then smiled at Tomas.

"Then let me propose a different sort of deal. We dispense with all the nasty, prolonged fighting and accept the foregone conclusion—that there will be blood on both sides, but more on yours than mine. I think that's a reasonable assumption to make. It's clear to see that my navy is superior to yours, and once this rain clears up I'd say my ships will have scuppered the lot of yours before the sun breaks through the clouds."

"Wouldn't bet on it," muttered Miya.

"Miya, over there. Right now." Miya looked up at her mother, wounded, as Lilith pushed her to the side.

"This is a parley," Lilith said, her voice low and angry. "You represent your kingdom and your people. This is not a time for petty sniping and snide remarks, you understand me?"

"But—"

"You obviously can't keep your mouth shut, so please stay over here until we're finished."

Miya looked back at her family as her mother returned to her father's side.

"I apologise for my daughter," said Queen Lilith. "These are stressful times and she's under a lot of pressure."

"Really," said Grace. "It's such a pity that some people can't—hey!"

The shame of being told off by her mother lessened somewhat for Miya as she watched Pete take his daughter by the arm and pull her aside. She couldn't hear what he said to her but judging by her face it wasn't good.

"These young ones," said Pete, with a light chuckle, returning to his place in front of his lieutenants. "I love her dearly, goodness knows. Which brings me to my proposal. I'm sure there are a lot of families on this island. Their safety must be a priority for you."

Tomas studied Pete for a moment before replying: "The safety and well being of our people is our greatest concern."

"With that in mind, perhaps you'd see fit to giving over anything of value you've got lying around—money, jewellery, you know what I mean. Then maybe line up all the fit lads and lasses on the island, give 'em a chance to make up their own minds about joining me. Royalty is royalty, but you can't speak for every person on the island on every matter—"

"Hear me when I say this, Badger," said Tomas, his voice sharp. "There is not a single soul on this island that would ever consider joining you."

"Ah? Pity. Then perhaps just—"

"As to the first part of your proposal, you want us to hand over anything of material value on the island."

"Aye."

"And then you'll leave us be?"

"Aye, that's the sum of it."

"I don't think so," said Tomas. "I think that's just a way for you to get your booty without going to the trouble of searching for it, and after we hand everything over you'll attack us anyway. That about right?"

Pete's expression hadn't changed much—it was still, on the surface at least, open and friendly. But in his eyes there was a hardness that grew by the second.

"A moment to consult with my lieutenants," he said. Tomas nodded, watching Pete carefully as he and his lieutenants moved back a distance, talking in low tones. He turned to Lilith and whispered something to her, in response to which she shook her head and whispered something back.

While these two groups discussed their next actions, the third group present at the parley was also engaged in a whispered discussion:

"Do you know, Pancake, I rather liked the look of that bay you showed me yesterday. I think I may have a vacation house built there."

Miya closed her eyes a moment and tried to find some kind of inner strength, some hidden reserve of calm and patience to help her keep her sword in its scabbard. Parley, she thought to herself. Parley parley parley.

She opened her eyes again to see Grace smirking at her.

"Too bad 'King Black' won't do this the smart way," Grace whispered. "Your father's a fool."

"If that were true then we'd have something in common," Miya hissed back, thoughts of patience and calm gone in an instant.

"I have nothing in common with you, you scruffy little wench," spat Grace.

"That's true. After all, I'm a princess and a pirate."

"You? A pirate? At least
I
have a ship."

Miya growled and drew her sword, Grace following suit in an instant.

"Miya!"

"Grace, what do you think you're doing?"

Both girls turned to see their respective fathers glaring at them.

"I ... she—"

"Miya Jean Black," said Lily, stepping forward and grabbing her daughter's arm. "You are ... you ... go and stand over there behind us until we're done. And if I hear another word out of you, then so help me I will throw you off the docks myself, right here and now."

"Grace Mary Morgon," growled Pete. "Sheath that sword, lest I tan your hide with it."

"But Daddy—"

"Stand behind me and stay there, ye bloody savage disgrace."

Pete and Tomas looked up at each other, for a moment seeing a flicker of fellow-feeling in each other's expression. Unfortunately, this passed quickly.

"I'm a reasonable man," said Pete. "People often tell me so. But I don't have time to stand around going back and forth about this and that. It's beneath both of us. I know you to be an intelligent man, and your wife has a reputation for straightforwardness, a reputation that, I must say, I admire—"

"You've been spending too much time with Highlanders," said Tomas. "You've picked up their habit of using a dozen words to say exactly nothing—although one thing you just said does have the ring of truth about it. You 'don't have time'. What's the hurry, Mr Morgon?"

Pete's eyes narrowed for a moment.

"Perhaps I came at you from the wrong angle—"

"Perhaps so. Setting fire to my island may have been the wrong way to start off negotiations."

"Well, ye know, position of power and all that—"

"Position of power, interesting choice of words," said Tomas. "Because I happen to know that you've been attacking my home for over a day now. How many ships of mine have you sunk?"

"Four, I think it was," said Pete, levelly.

"Four. I don't know how many of yours we've sunk," said Tomas. "My captains stopped counting after the first dozen."

"That may well as be," growled Pete. "But it don't change the fact that yer piddling little navy'd be routed within minutes in any kind of straight fight. My navy's five times the size of yours and all you've sunk have been a few brigs and corvettes."

"Oh?"

"Aye. Matter of fact, eight fresh frigates arrived a few hours back, and I've got more heading this way as we speak."

"Interesting," said Tomas. "Those would be your Highland friends?"

Pete chuckled. "You're a smart one, ain't ya. Let's see how smart you are once this dinky little town's razed to the ground and ye're weeping over the ashes of your home."

"
Get off my island
."

Miya was brought out of her sulk by the quiet anger in her father's voice. She couldn't see his expression from where she stood, for which she was somewhat glad. Badger Pete's expression, however, was clear—for a second Miya thought he might draw his sword then and there, but then he turned and walked away, his lieutenants following. Grace shot one last poisonous glare at Miya, then flounced off after her father.

"Proper gentlemen, you are," Pete growled, half-turning his head as he waited for his daughter to reach the dinghy. "I gave you a chance, Black. Remember that."

Tomas watched them get into their boat and begin rowing back out to rejoin their fleet, then he turned to his wife.

"Well?" he said.

"There's no way we can do anything else," said Queen Lilith. "We fight. To the bitter end, we fight."

*

It was still dark and still raining as Miya and her parents joined Sola and Heartless Jon at the house.

Heartless Jon looked up at Tomas as they entered, then nodded as his son shook his head.

"Ah, what'd I tell ya. Damned parleying's a waste of time. Did ye get a few good shots in at least?"

"I did!" said Miya. "That stuck-up Grace—" Miya noticed the looks her parents were directing at her and stopped talking. "I mean ... nothing."

Heartless Jon chuckled. "Ah well. Least ye got a look at the face of yer enemy. What'd ye make of him?"

"Hard to read," said Tomas. "Cold, though. A hard man. Lily?"

"He thinks he's clever," said Lilith, who had been examining Pete for the length of the parley. "That he knows better than other people. Judging by the competency of his captains, I would say that he's a poor judge of character and worth, and that he's arrogant enough to believe that his 'leadership' will compensate for any flaws in those below him. Of course, I'm sure that the pool of talent he's drawing from is rather shallow." Lilith hesitated, glanced at her husband, then continued: "I also can't shake the thought that he believes that all of this is for some kind of misguided 'greater good'."

"Ah," said Heartless Jon. "One o' those. Tricky, then."

Miya thought for a moment, then looked up at her mother.

"You're right," she said. "Grace said something about her father 'uniting' the islands—I think she even described it as 'noble'."

Lilith bristled.

"He was right about one thing, much as I hate to admit it," said Tomas, quickly. "We'd never win in a straight fight, not with those Highland frigates backing him up."

"Don't forget about the northern islanders," said Miya. "We can't sink any of his frigates with them on board."

"The northern islanders aboard the frigates may be more of an advantage than a problem," said Sola, quietly. He clasped his hands together as they all turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Miya asked.

"I was not the only one who paddled amongst Badger Pete's ships last night. Many of the other northern islanders here went out too ... but not all came back."

Tomas clapped his hands together once and grinned. "Sola, that's brilliant! Was that your idea?"

"I had some part in it," said Sola, smiling slightly.

"What do you mean? I don't understand!" said Miya.

"I think I do," said Lilith. "You snuck northern islanders on board the frigates, to mix with the slaves already there. The crew likely wouldn't notice a few more. Yes?"

"Yes," said Sola. "Their aim was to talk to the others on board, prepare them to fight back. But they will not do so until they know their families will be safe."

"Fair enough, too," said Tomas.

"There is one more thing," said Sola. "The northern islanders ... they will fight for their families, but no more than that. Do you understand?"

Tomas nodded. "They won't join in an attack. I don't blame them. But still, this puts us in a much stronger position, especially with this rain. Every ship out there's anchored, waiting for a break in the weather to start shooting again. While they're waiting we send a bunch of dinghies out, with maybe half a dozen of our best fighters on board each ... how many frigates out there are Pete's, seven?"

Sola nodded.

"And you got people on board all of them?"

Sola nodded again.

"Son, you may just have saved the day here," said Tomas. "Jon, what do you think?"

"Bloody good stuff," said Heartless Jon. "Good on ye, lad."

"Lily?"

"I can see a lot that could go wrong with it," said Lilith. "But it seems our best option."

"Miya?"

"Grace is mine," said Miya. Tomas grinned at her.

"I'm not—"

"Grace is mine," Miya repeated. Tomas held up his hands.

"Well ..." He looked at his wife, who nodded just ever so slightly. "Okay. But I'm going with you."

"As am I," said Heartless Jon. He winked at Miya. "Any pirate that can stand against Jean-bloody-Scarlet for more'n a minute and live to tell the tale's got to be worth seeing in a fight."

Miya failed completely at trying not to show how pleased she was.

"Still," said Tomas, thinking. "It'll be a big risk ... and we'll have to organise some sort of signal, communication between the teams—"

"I have an idea for that also," said Sola. He held up a small shell.

"Ula Se!" said Miya. She held up her wrist. "Like mine!"

"That could work," said Tomas. He grinned at Sola. "That could definitely work."

*

Within half an hour, another six teams had been organised and told the plan. Mostly they were made up of Black Navy captains who had lost their ships and the best fighters from their crews, although Little Willy Baker and his father had also volunteered, as had others willing and able to risk their lives for the sake of their home.

With the sun just beginning to lighten the skies and the rain falling heavier than ever, seven dinghies prepared to set out from the Blackport docks.

"Sola, are you sure you want to come?" Tomas asked. Sola nodded decisively.

"For my people," he said. "And for those who have treated me as if I were of their people."

Miya smiled at her brother, then checked her sword for the hundredth time.

"Nervous, lass?" Heartless Jon asked. Miya shook her head.

"Excited," she said.

"Good girl."

"Especially since it means I get to FINALLY fight Grace properly," she said. Sola frowned.

"Perhaps you should let our grandfather or father fight her, she—"