Phoenix Rising (15 page)

Toby nodded. “You did the right thing. Otherwise the soldiers would’ve been on board the
Phoenix
before we knew different.” But as he spoke, all he could think about was his father, locked in a dungeon.

“What now?” Nisha looked around at the other pirates.

Peel shoved through the crowd, dragging Ayla behind him. “The Banshee was right all along.” He gave Ayla a shake and she glowered at him. “It’s clear ‘what now’. The captain won’t be back by dusk, we’re about to be boarded by the Tarifans and nine of our crew are lost. We set sail, now, before we lose any more.”

“Eight.” Reluctantly Marcus dragged his eyes from Dee and rested them on Peel.

“What?” Peel snapped.

“Apart from the captain only
eight
of the crew are lost.” Marcus squeezed Dee’s limp hand. “Dee’s going to be fine. Right, Uma?”

Uma looked up, her hands bloody. “Where’s Hiko?” she muttered.

The small boy slid through the legs of the pirates and plunged to her side, already opening the bag. Uma pressed his hands on the bloody pad. “Hold this and don’t move.” She squinted into her bang and grabbed her needle and thread.

Amit shouted from the prow. “They’re coming.”

Theo ran to the gunwale. “Don’t let them board.”

“I can fight.” Ayla yanked her arm free of Peel’s grip.

Toby stared at her. Ayla rubbed her arm where Peel’s sweaty hand had been and she swayed gently in the wind – it was clear that only pride was keeping her on her feet.

Toby cursed. “Go to the sleeping quarters.” Ayla opened her mouth to protest and Toby raised a hand. “All we’re going to do is hold them off. Get some rest – didn’t you chase after the
Phoenix
all night?”

Ayla glowered then nodded.

“We don’t trust you,” Toby heaved a sigh, “but when we need you to, you can fight.”

“There’s no reason for any of us to fight the bleedin’ Tarifans,” Crocker shouted from his brother’s side. “Why don’t we just
set sail
?”

Toby swallowed. He remembered Marcus’s determination to obey even though it might cost him the woman he loved. “We have our orders.” Toby rubbed his eyes. “If the captain isn’t back by dusk, we set sail.”

“Why not leave now, little boy?” Peel’s fat face was red, incredulous. “Why risk more death? Who put you in charge anyway? Marcus is acting captain.”

Marcus didn’t even look up.

Toby clenched his fists. “What if the captain escapes and finds the
Phoenix
gone without him?”

“He’s not going to escape,” Dee’s voice was a bare murmur, yet Toby heard her. He shut his mouth, feeling like he’d swallowed ice.

“Ashes,” Paddy breathed. “There’re dozens of them, they’re almost here.”

“We should leave,” someone shouted.

“I’m not starting those paddles,” Toby snapped. “The
Phoenix
isn’t going anywhere.”

Ayla crossed her arms. “Before you all die, I think you should share the true coordinates of those solar panels. I did come to warn you after all.”

Theo laughed harshly. “Sorry, love, couldn’t if we
wanted to. The captain is the only one who knows where we’re headed.”

The rest of the crew remained silent at the lie.

Ayla groaned. “In that case,” she said slowly, “I’d better go and rescue your captain.”

Toby blinked. “What?”

“My orders are to make sure Ford is safe.” The beads in her hair chimed as she shook her head. “If I go back and tell Captain Nell he’s in a Tarifan dungeon and I’ve no idea where the solar panels are, she’s likely to keelhaul me.”

Toby leaned closer. “She’s your mother, she wouldn’t.”

“You don’t know Nell.” Ayla suddenly looked tired. “I’m going below.” She allowed Peel to guide her towards the hatch, but then she stopped him with an imperious wave of her hand. “But when I’m rested, I’m going to rescue your captain. So,
Phoenix
, don’t set sail without first putting me ashore.”

Before anyone could respond to Ayla’s wild request, they heard the clattering of boots from the pier. Toby clutched the gunwale beside Paddy and watched a small army coming down the jetty towards the
Phoenix
.

They joined the militia already gathered around the remains of the
Phoenix
’s gangplank.

The crew ran for their weapons.

“We need someone on the starboard side, too.” Toby pointed. “They might try and sneak round in fishing boats.”

“Hiko can go.” Uma looked up briefly. Her hands were red and she pinched a bloody needle between her fingers. She gave the boy a gentle nudge.

Hiko scampered across the deck and Toby returned his attention to the pier. A group of Tarifans, three deep, now faced the ship.

The crew of the
Phoenix
bristled with hooks, hammers,
knives and staffs. They looked fierce, but the confrontation with the
Banshee
had left its mark. Bloody bandages dangled from beneath shirts, insta-plas supported more than one leg and weapons shook in hands that trembled with exhaustion.

“We won’t win another fight, Polly,” Toby whispered.

Polly said nothing. The pirates and Tarifans stared at one another and the sun blazed down, hotter than ever.

Eventually a young officer stepped to the front. “You’re under arrest. Governor’s orders,” he shouted. “Lower your weapons and surrender your ship.”

Theo brandished his fish hook. “Bite me.”

“We’re happy here, thanks,” Amit called.

“If you want us to lower our weapons, you can damn well
make us
.” Crocker capered by the railing, apparently cheered by the prospect of spilling blood.

“We’ll be doing that shortly.” The officer nodded. “We’ve gangplanks of our own. Surrender now and we’ll go easier on you. Your captain awaits.”

“Our captain told us to set sail,” Peel shouted.

Slowly Toby closed one hand on the railing of the
Phoenix
, his heart racing. “I have a counter-offer for you,” he called. “Return our captain and crew by dusk, otherwise we set sail.” The crew of the
Phoenix
muttered
over the soldiers’ laughter but Toby leaned forwards. “I’m not finished. I said
we set sail
, but we won’t be leaving straight away. First thing we’ll do is we’ll ram our ship through that valuable wooden pier of yours. You can see our hull, it’s an ice-breaker. The
Phoenix
will go through it like a knife through fish guts. It’ll be years before you have enough wood to rebuild. So if you don’t want your dock to be a pile of splinters by nightfall, you’d better do as
we
say.”

The pirates stared at Toby.

“Ajay,” Toby snapped without taking his eyes from the Tarifan line, “let’s show these
pendejos
that they’re dealing with pirates. Unfurl Bones.”

For a heartbeat the pirates made no movement but then Amit started to whoop. Soon the whole ship was jeering at the soldiers. Only Marcus sat silent, his arms around Dee, his chin lowered.

Toby held his breath, waiting for an attack, but the soldiers on the dock remained still. Finally the officer lowered his eyes. “This is not a decision I can make,” he growled and the pirates jeered louder.

As Ajay climbed into the crow’s nest, Toby found himself seeking Ayla. She stood by the open hatch with one hand on the railing and the other resting on her weapon.

Toby’s hand crept behind his back, automatically
checking for Nix. The pommel slid into his palm.

Ayla’s glance slid to the fluttering Bones, then back to Toby.

The crew’s cheers bolstered him and he was suddenly hopeful. The Tarifans would return his father and the rest of the missing crew and then they would set sail. Toby’s heart skipped as Ayla turned her back and climbed into the hatch.

“I’ve done all I can.” Uma’s voice broke into Toby’s thoughts. He turned as she tied off Dee’s stitches and sprayed the wound with disinfectant. “Lie her down, Marcus.”

Toby turned away from the bleakness in Marcus’s expression. Dee would recover and take her place as second, Toby told himself. They would salvage the solar panels and after that … the island.

Toby closed his eyes, allowing the noise of the
Phoenix
to wash over him as he tried to imagine a sandy beach and abundant resources, free of government interference. But the picture wouldn’t form. His back ached, his ribs throbbed, the stitches on his leg were tight and his hands and feet were blistered.

He leaned over the railing and saw a soldier running for the castle, presumably taking his ultimatum to the governor.

“It was a clever threat, Toby,” Polly whistled in his ear.

Toby stoked her plumage. “Do you think it’ll work? Will they free the captain?”

She didn’t answer.

The pirates stood waiting along the railings, but tiredness was making them sag by the time the soldier returned.

Toby watched him deliver a message to the uniformed officer. “Well?” he shouted. “Are you returning our captain?”

The officer shook his head. “The portmaster has a better idea. For every hour that you do not surrender, he will hang one of your pirate crew from the top of the castle ramparts. How do you like that?”

Toby caught his breath and the crew drew together.

“While you’re thinking of your answer, by the way, we are awaiting some more useful weapons. You’ve heard of bows and arrows, have you not?”

“This is bad.” Theo edged to Toby’s side. “We need shields.”

“I’ve got piles of junk in the boiler room,” Toby said. “Take anything you can use.”

“Stop this.” Nisha was hysterical. “We have to surrender. What if they hang Rahul?”

Toby swallowed. “We can’t discuss it now. They’ll hear us.” He looked over the side; the soldiers were smirking at the pirates’ disarray. His voice quavered. “Pad, let us know if they try anything. Everyone else, come away from the railing, and keep your voices
down
.”

“Toby?” Polly cut into his racing thoughts. “This isn’t on you … Marcus—”

“We can’t ask Marcus, look.” Toby gestured towards the tragic tableau on the deck. Marcus had torn his scarf from his scarred throat and added it to the blood-soaked bandage around Dee’s waist.

Nisha reached the bridge and stood on the captain’s old table, making sure that her voice was the first one heard. “We have to surrender,” she repeated. “A fifth of the crew are down there, including the captain. You want to watch them die one by one?”

The crew shuffled, awkward, but Crocker leaned on the deck housing. “Surrender? Then what happens? I’ll tell ya – the captain goes to St George, those of us with ‘dead or alive’ on our heads go to the hangman, the rest of ya get jailed as pirates, sold for slaves, maybe hung for fun. You and Rahul don’t get no happy ending if we surrender, Nish. ’Tain’t no solution.”

“What is the solution?” Toby leaned forward, hoping against hope that Crocker actually had an answer.

“We sail.” Crocker folded his arms. “We sail before we lose any more crew. We ram ’em, just like you said, boy, for revenge. Then we go get those panels and find the island.”

“You want to run,” Toby shot back.

“None of us
want
to leave the captain, Toby.” Ajay gestured at the miserable crew. “What other choice do we have? If we surrender we lose the
Phoenix
; either way we’ve lost our captain. We’ve
lost
, Toby. I know he’s your father, but if we run, at least some of us remain.”

Toby brightened despite the pirate’s doom-laden words. “They’ll have to sail him to St George, right? We can lie in wait outside the straits, maybe rescue him on his way.”

“They’ll kill the rest of them,” Nisha wailed.

Tears of frustration filled Toby’s eyes. “Maybe they won’t,” he said desperately. “If we just set sail there’s no
reason
to execute the others, is there?” His mouth twisted. “There has to be another way.” But he knew he was begging.

“There is.” The quiet voice came from the port side of the ship.

“Hiko?” Toby craned to see his friend, who was attempting to both watch the sea and speak to the crew at the same time.

“Why not do what Ayla said?” Hiko gestured towards the closed hatch. “Why not rescue the captain?”

His words hung in the air and then the crew began to laugh, bitterly.

“We can’t fight our way through a whole town, into the castle and down to the dungeons, rescue the captain and the surviving crew members, get them out and back to the ship without all being killed on the way,” Amit said.

“I don’t think we should
fight
our way in,” Hiko said. “I think we should
sneak
our way in. Like how I got on board the
Phoenix
.”

The crew wavered, silenced. Then Amit stepped forward. “Tell me how and I’ll go.”

“And me.” Nisha’s eyes had lit with hope.

Hiko shook his head. “Even if you could get off the ship and on land without being spotted you’d be done for as soon as you were seen. There’s only one group of people who can move about the dock without suspicion, who are all different colours, shapes and sizes.”

Toby gasped. “Dock rats. He’s right. They’ve got slaves from every principality, but one thing is the same about all those rats. They’re kids. So there’s only two of us can go on a rescue mission. Me and Hiko.”

“Three.” Crocker shoved his way to the front. “That girl from the
Banshee
is young enough. And she
wanted
to go.”

“But what can you
do
?” Nisha stamped her feet. “Even
if you get off the
Phoenix
, you can’t fight your way into the castle.”

Hiko smiled sadly. “Dock rats can go anywhere, no one notices.”

“So you, Ayla and me disguise ourselves as rats,” Toby said, “sneak off the
Phoenix
and the pier, then walk into the castle. All right. But even if we manage to work our way into the dungeon and release the captain –” he exhaled shakily – “how do we get out again?”

Hiko sagged. “You’re right, it won’t work.”

“Barrows,” Marcus spoke up.

Toby jumped. It was as if a statue had suddenly come to life and entered the discussion. “Take barrows into the castle,” Marcus continued, still refusing to take his eyes from Dee’s bloodless face. “Hide weapons inside and hand them to the crew when you find them. Rita and Harry can be transported back inside them if they’re too injured to walk and the rest can fight their way out. Even with Carson and Dobbs gone, that leaves five pirates, armed to the teeth, coming from a direction they won’t expect. In the meantime we’ll hold off the soldiers. And if I can kill the bastard who stabbed Dee…” He trailed off, raising his head to look at Toby. Murder shone in his bloodshot eyes. This was not the Marcus that Toby had rescued from the sea.

“The captain won’t like it,” Uma said eventually. “If we get him back, he’ll likely throw us overboard for sending his son in alone, with nothing but Hiko and an enemy pirate to protect him.”

“I don’t need protecting, Uma,” Toby snapped. “We’ve under an hour before they hang one of our crew and this is the best plan we’ve got. I’m going to speak to Ayla. If you come up with something better while I’m below deck, let me know. In the meantime, make sure they don’t board while our backs are turned.”

The sleeping quarters were silent. Toby tiptoed in and found the girl from the
Banshee
fast asleep in his own berth.

Her face was utterly relaxed, making her look younger and her hair fanned over his pillow.

One hand was curled under her chin, her fingers loosely furled. The other hand was hidden beneath Toby’s blanket, which, despite the heat, was pulled high over her chest.

Ayla’s breath shifted strands of hair like spiderwebs against her lips, and her eyelids flickered.

Toby stepped nearer and raised a hand to shake her awake. But before he could touch her Ayla was gripping his wrist in her fist. The tip of her sword pressed against
his chest, leaning on his solar plexus. He held his breath. Green eyes glared into his, demanding an explanation.

“I was just coming to wake you.” He spoke with the barest movement of his lips and tried to pull back, to show his good intentions.