A piratequeen.
“Thank you,” Isaid and embraced my friend.
She pulledaway and smiled. “It looks good on you.”
Turningtogether to face our crew and the wide-open sea, I was content. Isucked in the heavy ocean air, let it fill my lungs and clear myhead. In that very moment, I allowed myself to be blissfully happybecause once we arrived at Shellbed Isle, our lives would never bethe same.
ChapterSixteen
We sailed all night, Amos and the crew of The Franklinclose behind. The mid-morning sun was high in the sky as we bustledaround the upper deck of The Queen, readying the boat we’d row toShellbed Isle. I was nervous but determined.
Suddenly, Ifelt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find young Charlie. Myheart warmed to see him up and about. His neck still wrapped inbandages, he was still unable to speak but got along just fine with the pad of paper Igave him. I watched as he quickly scrawled down some words.
I come.
“Oh, no,” Itold him, immediately feeling sorry for the hurt look whichsplashed across his face. “I have a more important job for you,” Icontinued, hoping the idea would work. I discreetly pulled out anold pistol from inside my jacket pocket, one that I’d foundin my new desk. “Here, take this.Keep it hidden. If the rowboatcomes back without any of us on it, I want you to shoot the men whoapproach.”
Charlie tookit with shaky hands, worry on his face. I was asking him too much,but I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“I need you toprotect yourself and the rest of the crew,” I said. “If Amos andhis men come back without us, I don’t even want to think about whatthey’d do to you.” My hand lovingly squeezed his shoulder and Icould see him visibly brighten with purpose. Charlie sucked in adeep breath and hid the pistol in the back of his belt beforeheading off to help the crew.
Finn, Gus,Lottie, Henry and I lowered the rowboat and then descended the rope ladder that hung fromthe ship. I sat next to Henry in the middle while Lottie took thenext bench. Finn and Gus were at each end, ready to row. We bobbedon the calm waves, waiting for Amos and his men to row up next to us in their vessel.
“Alright, leadthe way,” Amos called over. I caught the hint of something shimmeracross his face. Something sly and devious. I didn’t sayanything but told myself to keep aclose eye on the pirate.
“Are you sureabout this?” Gus leaned over and asked me.
“Notentirely,” I told him honestly. “But what choice did I have?”
“We could havetaken them out when we had the chance,” Finn suggested.
“No, I don’twant bloodshed, if I can helpit.”
“Well, this isgoing to be interestin’ then,” my Scottish friend muttered.
They stuck theoars in place and began rowing. Amos’s boat was never more than afew feet behind as we quickly approached the mouth of a narrow inlet. I knew from the mapsLottie’s grandfather had drawn, that Shellbed Isle was actually abig rock nestled in a hidden cove at the end of some rapids. If wecould brave the rough waters and get to the cove in one piece, thenI was pretty confident we’d find the treasure. My hope was that myexperience with white water rafting would ensure our boatsurvived.
Not the otherone.
Our boatsentered the narrow opening and we rowed along quietly. Calmly. Thewalls of rock on either side began to rise higher and higher,telling me that we were descending in elevation and the rapidswould appear any moment. I glanced over the side into thecrystal-clear water where I could see every rock, crabs scuttlingunderneath them, mussels growing in bushels on their sides. It wasbeautiful. Like peering into another world. Henry held my hand andbrought it up to his lips, placing a kiss across my knuckles. He said nothing, but the action wasall I needed.
Suddenly, theboat began to speed up, pushing along without the aid of the oars.Finn and Gus pulled them inside, laying them on the floor. I lookedback at Amos and his crew, raised a thumb up into the air,signaling them to get ready.
“We should beapproaching the rapids any second,” I told the people in my boat.“It’s going to be rough, scary.” I slipped off my seat and sat onthe floor. My friends did the same. “Just hold on with everythingyou got. Pull on the sides to steer us away from rocks. Use theoars if you have to.”
The waterbecame turbulent within seconds and large, jagged rocks rearedtheir ugly heads, threatening to pull us into them. Our boat tossedback and forth as the tempestuous waves played with it and we allhung on for dear life. Lottie screamed as the boat tipped andknocked her from her place on the floor, but Gus grabbed the backof her jacket and pulled the woman back in before she could spillover the side.
I daredglanced behind us just as Amos andhis boat crashed into an unforgiving rock face, the sound carryingthrough the air like an explosion. I watched, water drenching myown face, as their boat fell to pieces and the three piratesflailed about, swimming against the waves as the rough waterscarried them toward us.
“Lassie!” Finncalled to me. I turned to face the front again and my eyes widened.“We’ve got a problem!”
We allbarrelled toward the end of the rapids which poured off the edge ofthe Earth. My heart jumped up into my throat as I realized we wereabout to drop off the top of a waterfall, with no idea of how fardown it went. But then I remembered; Lottie’s grandfather made itover these rapids with three treasure chests. It couldn’t be toofar of a drop.
“Okay, get tothe back!” I yelled to my crew over the crashing sounds of wateragainst stone. We scrambled together, huddling, bracing. Our weightdid as I’d hoped, and the bow of our tiny boat raised in the air asit carried us over the edge of the waterfall. We all screamed asthe small craft
