Read Phoenix Rising Online

Authors: Bryony Pearce

Phoenix Rising (7 page)

Above deck the full force of the storm almost drove Toby to his knees. He winced as Polly’s claws dug into his shoulder, the parrot instantly drenched and half blown away by the raging wind. The sky was near black and the
Phoenix
’s mast glowed with a violet light that turned it into a torch.

“St Elmo’s fire,” Polly muttered. “Let go of the railing, in case the lightning doesn’t ground to the water through the Faraday’s cage.”

Immediately Toby caught hold of a fibreglass pole to steady himself as he stared overboard.

Behind the
Phoenix
the sea raged with swells as big
as mountain ranges. Long sunken debris was tossed skywards. Toby ducked as a once-red lorry with a Coca-Cola logo was hurled towards them, as though the storm was angry at the
Phoenix
for attempting to outpace it. The pirates at the stern yelled as the lorry splashed down on their starboard side.

Toby gasped as the ship bounced on the shelves created by the deepening waves. Even with the great paddles turning, there was no way they were going to pull ahead of the weather system now.

There was a series of shouts from the port side and Toby turned, face whitening. Three of the main sails had been furled, but the crew was still battling with the fourth.

“If that sail doesn’t come down, the mast could break.” Toby pointed. “That’s where we need to go.” He turned. “Hiko?”

Toby realized that he was alone and turned to see the younger boy clinging on to the hatch. Hiko’s shirt twisted and flew in the grasping wind and his mouth was an ‘oh!’ of terror. “Come on.” Toby waved him forwards.

The boy shook his head, just as a wave slammed over the side of the ship. Toby already saw what would happen and was moving before Hiko screamed.

He didn’t watch the boy get pulled from his feet or torn from his handhold. Instead Toby clamped his own elbow
around the railing and caught Hiko as he was swept past.

Polly tangled herself in Toby’s shirt as the boy wrapped his arms and legs around him. The three of them hung inside the acid-tinged wave for a long beat, desperately holding their breath, then slammed back on to the deck as it crashed down, exploding over the galley roof in a shower of corrosive spray.

Toby spat out a mouthful of wet feathers and turned his face upwards, so the rain could wash the stinging salt from his face, then he was up, but Hiko remained clinging to him like a limpet.

“Let go.”

The boy shook his head, frantic.

“I know you’re frightened but we’ve got to help.” Toby pried him loose. Then he realized that he was being too hard on the boy. “Why don’t you stay here? You won’t know what to do anyway.” He wrapped Hiko’s hands around the fibreglass pole. “Hold on to this and don’t move. I’ll come back for you.”

Hiko nodded fearfully. His hair lay flat on his head and he was soaked through to the skin.

Toby bit his lip. “I should take you back down.” As he turned, a whistle blew, loud enough to make Toby slam both hands over his ears. Hiko dropped to a crouch, shivering.

“What is it?” Hiko whispered.

“Arnav in the crow’s nest.” Toby looked up, amazed that the old pirate remained so high up. “He’s spotted another ship.” Toby shaded his eyes and peered out to sea. “Oh, ashes.” His face paled.

“What is it?”

Toby turned to the stowaway, his face grim. “That –” he pointed – “is the
Banshee
.”

“The
Banshee
?” Hiko lifted his head to follow Toby’s gaze. There in the distance was a former USS Zumwalt-class Destroyer, 180 metres long, bristling with old-fashioned weaponry. Most of it was computerized and therefore long-dead, but cannons bastardized from a Spanish galleon were welded around the
Banshee
’s deckhouse. Blue and violet St Elmo’s fire crackled around her hull, which was splashed with red varnish like bloodstains. A painted skull and crossbones gave her eyes of evil.

“The terror of the seas.” Toby’s voice trembled. “Thank the gods that you didn’t choose that ship to stow away on. Her captain is stone-cold. She hates the
Phoenix
. If she boards us, she’ll rip us apart, take everything she thinks is useful and feed the rest to the junk pile.” His hands pressed against the
Phoenix
’s hull.

“What about us?” Hiko edged close to Toby’s knees as if the larger boy could protect him. “What happens to us
if they take the
Phoenix
?”

Toby’s lips narrowed. “I-I’m not sure. She’ll try and collect bounty on the captain and some of the crew, the ones with big rewards on their heads. The rest of us…”

“Yes?” Hiko leaned forwards, rain lashing his face. “What about us?”

Toby swallowed. “Don’t worry about it, the captain won’t let them board. And they’re fighting the storm, too, see?”

The
Banshee
smashed bow first into a mass of junk with the sound of tearing metal and screeching plastic. Lightning flickered among the debris.

The crew of the
Phoenix
watched with grim fascination.

“The
Banshee
’s wail is the sign that they are about to attack,” Toby said, without taking his eyes off the sizzling sea. Finally he stiffened his resolve and turned back to Hiko. “If you don’t hear the wail, there’s nothing to fear.” His words were as much for himself as they were for the petrified stowaway.

Hiko’s mouth was a thin slash. His terror thickened the air.

“Do you hear the wail, Hiko?”

The boy shook his head.

“Then there’s no need to worry.” But Toby faced the
Banshee
once more – he could not stop watching her approach.

The captain was first to recover. His megaphone boomed over the roar of the storm. “Ignore the damned
Banshee
. If we don’t get that last sail furled we’re doing their job for them. Focus on the task, or we’re lost.”

Toby tore his gaze from the warship and saw the captain running for the bridge. He was right, the crew had frozen, waiting like junk to be taken as salvage. He offered Hiko a shaky smile. “Everything’s going to be fine, but I’ve got to go. Do you want me to take you back down below first?”

Hiko shook his head. “I’ll wait here.”

Toby was already backing towards the rigging. “Stay safe.” He turned and ran.

Ahead, Carson yelled instructions for tying the sail, and the pirates swarmed up the front port mast to join those who were already wrestling with it. The wind had gripped the silver material and it was being dragged outwards as fast as the crew could gather it in.

The billowing sheet dragged the
Phoenix
to one side and the port paddle began to churn air, uselessly. The
Phoenix
began to turn in a circle.

Toby groaned as several tied loops pulled free. Swiftly he grabbed the rigging and started to climb. Despite the rain lashing his eyes he spotted Dee at his side. She hurtled up the ropes as though the storm was nothing more than a gentle breeze at her back. She swung to catch the next stay, holding it still so that Toby could follow her.

“I’m fine,” he shouted.

“I know.” Still she made sure that his fingers and toes closed around the hemp before climbing onwards.

On Toby’s shoulder Polly made herself as small as possible, tucking in her wings and refusing to allow the wind any purchase. Nervous squawks drove Toby upwards until he reached the sail, wrapped his legs around the fibreglass pole and leaned over to help catch the flying sheet.

Beside him Big Pad grimly reeled sailcloth into his giant hands before tucking it into loops and lashing it tightly. Toby could not imagine the wind taking anything Big Pad had secured. Toby reached out to gather the slick material and began to pass it directly to Big Pad, wordlessly operating in partnership. To his right Marcus and Dee copied their system, Dee leaning over
the mast, Marcus tying the gathered sail. Carson gave them a thumbs up.

Slowly the sail began to shrink – the pirates were winning.

A strong gust almost tumbled Polly from Toby’s shoulders. He grabbed the parrot and tucked her inside his shirt. “Better?”

She blinked up at him, her eyes glittering in the glow of the storm. “Who’s a pretty birdie?” she muttered miserably.

Toby wrapped his fist around another handful of cloth. Exhaustion was setting in, his legs were tired and his perch slippery. But he had to keep pulling in the sail.

Then every pirate froze. The sound they had been dreading screamed across the waves. The
Banshee
was wailing.

Nisha broke first. “We’re going to die.” She dropped her end of the sail, grabbed the rigging and began to shimmy down the mast.

“Nisha, wait!” Carson reached for the sail she had dropped. The wind caught him as he leaned and pulled him off balance. With a cry, Carson threw his arms around the mast, but let go of the sail.

Toby watched in mute horror as the wind swept beneath the sailcloth. It bulged under the material and yanked it from the hands of the pirates.

“Hold on,” Toby screamed. But the pirates had the sail held in loosened hands, their attention on the howling
Banshee
.

Pop, pop, pop.

As each tie was ripped free, the
Phoenix
’s sail opened and the pirates were yanked from the mast with it.

Screaming men and women were hurled into the rigging or smashed into the deck with the crunch of brittle bones breaking.

Dee and Big Pad, on either side of Toby, met one another’s gaze with wide eyes. Dee reached for Toby, but before her hand could close on his shoulder, Marcus was torn from his perch by the heaving sail and sent flying into the rigging. As he pin-wheeled, his flying foot caught Dee’s shoulder, and she went spinning after him.

The sail reared in front of Toby. He had time to see Dee and Marcus clinging safely to the tangled cord before Big Pad’s thick arms wrapped around Toby’s waist. For a moment the sail was secure as their combined weight held it flat. Toby let out a sigh of relief.

Then, from behind Big Pad, Ajay screamed. Toby struggled to turn his head and saw Amit topple. Ajay lunged for his brother, who instinctively grabbed the nearest hold – Big Pad’s leg. Toby had no time to react. Although Amit quickly wrapped his free hand around the
rigging and released Pad, he had thrown them off balance and together Paddy and Toby toppled over. They fell to the tune of screaming pirates, the wailing
Banshee
and the popping of the final ties. The sail billowed free. It whipped into the storm and the mast groaned.

Toby’s fall seemed to go on forever. One moment he was looking at the sky, then the deck was hurtling towards him. Abruptly the ship pitched and, for a second, Toby was staring at sea-drowned junk, lit by lightning. Then the
Phoenix
tilted and slammed downwards, bringing the deck back beneath them.

Toby spun again, forced around by the strength of Big Pad’s arms. He found his gaze pinned to the silver sail, its NASA logo fully open to the sky.

The impact shuddered through Toby’s back and his head cracked against Big Pad’s. Dimly he felt Big Pad’s arms loosen and release him. His eyelids flickered. Struggling to hold on to consciousness, Toby heard the pirate’s screams grow distant and the
Banshee
’s wail fade into insignificance.

But then a new sound grabbed him by the throat. Toby’s eyes flew open in time to see the mast crack in two. It fell in slow motion, spinning on its axis as though it was going to be dashed into the sea. At the last moment the wind snatched the sail, brought it back round and slammed it
down across the
Phoenix
herself, crushing the bridge like an eggshell under a boot.

The sound of shattering glass and smashing metal seared Toby’s ears, but it was the thought of his father, who he had last seen running inside, that finally sent Toby into oblivion.

“Toby, don’t be dead.” Small hands patted at his cheeks.

“Hiko?” Toby thought he had spoken aloud, but his lips were heavy and he couldn’t move his mouth.

“He’s unconscious.” Polly answered the terrified Hiko and faintly Toby felt her feathers brush his throat as she clawed her way from his shirt.

Then the darkness pulled him back under once more.

“He won’t wake up.” Hiko’s voice again, frightened.

“He’s had a nasty crack on the skull. Big Pad’s got a chin like granite.” Uma. Her voice shivered with grief. “I know you want to stay with Toby, but I need your help. Go to every pirate you see. If they talk to you, leave them, if they seem to be asleep, wrap their red scarf around their leg. Make sure I can see it. That way I’ll know who to help first.”

There was silence as Hiko moved off. Then hands wrapped round Toby’s shoulders.

“Toby, I need to move you. I have to get to Big Pad.”

Pain. Darkness.

Thrum, thrum.

The paddles were back in the water, Toby could feel the deep vibration of her roar as the
Phoenix
powered forward. The feel of electricity crackling against his teeth and skin was gone, telling Toby that they had finally outrun the storm, but the rain continued to fall. It no longer lashed Toby’s face – now it felt like tears. Relief eased Toby and even the wail of the
Banshee
could not keep him from sliding back into sleep.

Shards of bright pain; lances of light that stabbed Toby’s eyes and forced them closed. He lay in self-imposed darkness, his cheeks wet with gentle rain. His head pounded with each thresh of the
Phoenix
’s paddles. His back ached, bone deep, as if he had been trampled by horses. Slowly he raised a stiff arm and shielded his eyes. Then he cracked them open.

“You’re awake.” Hiko kneeled at his side.

Toby shifted as though he would sit, but Hiko’s hand on his chest prevented him. The
Banshee
’s wail was even louder now, the sound ringing inside Toby’s head. He closed his fists over his ears. “How close are they?” he asked.

Hiko swallowed.

“That close?” Toby slumped, then a memory screamed to the surface and he clutched Hiko’s arm. “The captain! Tell me he wasn’t in the bridge.”

Hiko tried to pull away. “I’m sorry.”

Toby groaned and his fingers fell away from Hiko.

Hiko shook his head. “No, Toby, he’s alive. He rolled under the table just in time. It protected him. He’s at the stern, helping Uma. I was to let him know when you woke up.” Hiko looked suddenly panicked.

Toby’s heart thudded. “What about Big Pad?”

Hiko wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Paddy?” Toby shouted.

Hiko scooted backwards.

“Son, you’re awake!” Barnaby appeared at Toby’s side. His glasses were crooked and one lens was cracked right through. Dust was matted into his beard and blood dripped from shoulder to elbow on his right-hand side. Gusts of rain followed him down.

“Where’s Big Pad? Is he all right?” Toby gripped his father’s hand. “He saved me.”

“I know.” Barnaby squeezed Toby’s fingers. “Uma’s with him.”

“And?”

Barnaby’s nose dripped on Toby’s sleeve. “He’s alive.”

Toby blanched. “But…?”

“Uma thinks his back is broken, she’s treating him now. Luckily we have all those new medical supplies. There’s some excellent insta-plaster, the first I’ve seen in years. She’s immobilized and drugged him. He isn’t in any pain.”

“Oh, ashes.” Toby glared at the black clouds rearing behind them as Barnaby carefully pulled him into a sitting position and lifted his shirt.

“You’re bruised, but no broken bones. I’ve got arnica, and it’s even in date.” He started to rub his son’s spine. “You’ll be black and blue, but it could have been much worse.”

“If it hadn’t been for Big Pad,” Toby groaned.

“Yes. You’re a new generation, strong bones, but if he hadn’t turned you both, you’d have been a skin bag full of shattered skeleton bits.” Barnaby shuddered.

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