The Pirate Vortex: Elizabeth Latimer, Pirate Hunter (Book One)

CHAPTER 13: All You Have To Say To Me Is Go Hunt Down A Pirate?

Heart pounding, Liz rose. Vane stared from her to Daniel. He glanced at Wang who wasn’t bleeding as much as Liz expected. The dagger was still in his chest, lodged in the breastbone. As long as the dagger remained in place, not much blood escaped.

     “Tis a pity,” Vane said. “He looked a good strong lad—and a man to be trusted, seein’ how he came to yer aid.”

     “He was,” Liz said. “Which is more than could be said for you.”

     Vane turned on her viciously. “You try eating turtle and sea muck for a month, with naught but yer boots fer pudding, and see how long you keeps yer pretty disposition.”

     “Then it’s really Rackham that you want,” Liz said.

     “Aye. If you had handed the swine over at the very first, this fine laddie would still be alive and kicking.”

     Liz scowled. She was ready to implode. “All right, it’s a deal. But I want your woman prisoner first.”

     “You is in no position to be bargaining, gal,” Vane said. “Belay that last offer. I changed my mind. I wants it all—the ship, her crew, the woman. And Calico Jack.” He glanced at CJ who was still perched on the rail. “And I’m takin’ this fine-feathered, wise-crackin’ sea lawyer, too.”

     “No,” Liz said. “You can’t have my parrot.”

     Vane twisted his ugly head to look back at the Lark. “Ye sees them starboard guns there?”

     Liz looked to where the pirate captain was pointing. Four heavy, iron cannon faced the Curlew from the ship’s right side.

     “I has men behind them guns.”

     Liz didn’t know if he was bluffing. If he had men, why would he need hers? But she couldn’t take any chances. Vane’s injured crewmen were rising and they were flaming mad.

     “Tell ye what, gal,” Vane said. “Just to shows ye I am no louse, I will let you go. You take the canoe and goes wherever ye likes. P’raps there be a nice deserted island where ye kin sample the local turtle and sea muck.” He roared with laughter. “Tis a far better fate than what lies ahead fer yer captain.”

     Liz glanced around for the canoe. It should have been strapped to the hull of the ship, but it was gone. She looked at the Lark, then beyond it, and saw a small boat rowing away with two figures inside.

     Daniel caught her stare and frowned. Vane was watching them both. Out of the upper corner of her eye she saw that Cal was no longer cringing behind the helm. The skank. The jellyfish. Cal had abandoned them and taken the canoe.

     But wait. There were two persons in the canoe. While she, Wang and Daniel were fending off pirates, had Cal managed to escape to the Lark, find Tess and rescue her?

     She mustn’t give Cal away.

     Gotta get off this boat, Liz thought. Gotta get to Tess. Miserably, Liz glanced at Wang. Oh, my God, what had she done? It was all her fault. How was she going to live with this, explain his death to his grandparents?

     It could all be moot if she didn’t do something fast. She had nothing at stake here now. Daniel could go to hell. He had brought her to purgatory and gotten Wang killed.

     Elizabeth stared at the black skull on her red thumbnail. The colour was beginning to chip despite the four coats of clear varnish she had applied. The skull was half-eaten away.