Pirate Curse by KAI MEYER

Author:KAI MEYER
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: 2006-12-12T23:00:00+00:00

Firestorm

“Run!” roared the Ghost Trader. “Run for your lives!”

For an instant, Jolly thought the warning was because of the pit bull man. Buenaventure bent over her and grabbed her by the arms. While she was still screaming in protest, he’d already set her on her feet, growled something like “Run!” and turned to Munk to help him up the same way.

And then they did run, storming along the beach in a group, Walker and Buenaventure leading, followed by Jolly, Munk, and the Ghost Trader. The two parrots fluttered above them, screeching.

The front line of Port Nassau’s houses was in flames. What was happening behind them couldn’t be seen through the fire and smoke. Everywhere, cursing men were breaking through the fire and billows of black smoke. The Spanish armada’s cannonballs shredded the palm-leaf roofs and wooden walls, and where candles, torches, or lanterns had been burning inside, the fire spread quickly. Fire was also now blazing from muzzles on the battlements of the governor’s palace and the stone quarter to the west of the harbor, but the defenders had nothing to place against the superiority of an entire fleet,

“Where’s the Carfax lying?” cried the Ghost Trader.

Jolly saw Walker look over his shoulder, illuminated in the flickering glow of the fires. “There might be an additional little problem,” he said.

“What sort of a problem?”

“The Carfax doesn’t belong to me anymore .”

“What?” roared Jolly, Munk, and the Ghost Trader in chorus.

Three cannonballs struck close by in quick succession. Clouds of sand wafted over the beach. Cries were coming from all directions. More and more men were breaking through the ruins and walls of flame to the harbor.

“I lost her,” yelled Walker, without slowing down. “Two days ago, at dice with a trader.”

For the first time, Jolly saw the one-eyed man really angry. At the death of Munk’s parents he had been sad, disappointed, and depressed, but now a rage flickered over his features that was scarcely any different from the firelight of the burning city. “You must have forgotten to mention that in our conversation, Captain.”

Walker grinned, which appeared doubly inappropriate in view of the circumstances. “Then there’s another situation.”

“Does that mean you also no longer have a crew?”

“Well, yes. Regrettably.”

Jolly looked from Walker to Buenaventure. The giant with the dog’s head looked grim: His teeth were bared. He held his ears sharply erect. The destruction of Port Nassau was reflected in his round brown eyes as an orange, scorching hell.

The Ghost Trader pointed to the bay where most of the pirate ships lay at anchor. Some had lost their masts, two or three were already sunk. But most were astonishingly unharmed—obviously the Spaniards were concentrating their attack on the city first and on the men before they demolished the fleet, too.

Angrily, Jolly pictured the pirates at the lookout points over the city counting the gold they’d received for their treachery—gold that gleamed and shone in the glow of the distant fires, blood money.

The companions were among the first to reach the rowboats.

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