Christina barreled onward, not pausing to think over her words. "Then at least we can finish the job in their stead." She reeled back as soon as the words left her mouth, as though she knew it was a fool's errand, but she kept going to save face. "It's no different if we head to Los Huecos. There we face certain danger in attacking Silver Eyes, and have no clue if that's where Edward and Herbert are heading."
Anne levelled her simmering gaze on Christina, the gouging look of royalty that forces the haughty to kneel lest they wish to be impaled. "Then you are more a fool than I took you for," she said flatly, letting her eyes do the talking. "Sit down," she added softly, but the words fell with the thunder of a command in the still air of the room.
Christina locked up for but a moment, her expression souring in the face of Anne's dangerous gaze and her own foolish comment, and then sat down in her seat with a thud.
"We head to Los Huecos not just for the off chance it is one of the three spots Edward and Herbert could be going, but because it's the safest option we have. Nassau is Calico Jack's base; we have no support there, not in numbers or knowledge." Anne kept her gaze on Christina, though she was slumped in her chair. "Thanks to Victoria," she said with a wave in her direction, "we know the island's original inhabitants have been forced under Calico Jack's thumb. We can use that to our advantage. The best that could happen is we help Edward and Herbert in whatever it is they're trying to do next and join up with them there. The worst is that we keep Calico Jack's allies occupied for them."
Christina had crossed her arms as though she were protecting herself from Anne's attacks. Her face bloomed the flushed look of an embarrassed youth.
Anne let out a sigh and relaxed in the high-backed chair Edward usually sat in. "I won't lie to you," she began, her tone softening as though she'd just remembered she was talking to a young woman, not an adult, "Edward and Herbert are most likely trying to assassinate Calico Jack." She let the words hang, like a silent prayer for the plan to succeed, as she eyed those in the room—from Alexandre to Victoria, and over to William before finally resting back on Christina. "If we go to Tortuga, we die. If we go to Nassau, we die."
Christina shuffled in her seat a bit before grinding out, "I know, Dad dammit. You don't have to rake me over the coals for it." After the shuffle, she absent-mindedly grabbed the wooden rose around her neck, a sure sign to Anne, and possibly most in the room, that she was agitated.
The rose, so delicate in its craftsmanship, was a memento from Ochi, Nassir's son, who had passed in a battle years ago and caused a rift between Nassir and Edward. Anne took the remembrance of that time as a clear sign that she couldn't allow what happened then to happen now between her and Christina. The crew needed unity now more than ever.
"You're right, I don't," Anne replied. "But I do need you on my side. I can't manage this crew without a helmsman."
It took a moment for Christina to notice the unasked question. When she did, she looked up at Anne, then over at William, as though she were wondering why her and not him.
Anne shrugged. "William will be busy as quartermaster when I take on the role of captain until Edward returns. And while I know a bit of reading clouds and steering the ship, I'm no match for you or your brother." Anne spun a convincing lie with just the right amount of frustration filtering into her voice to match the audience's perceptions of her.
The truth was that Christina was still wet behind the ears and needed practice without her brother there for guidance. She was like a rider taking the reins for the first time. At first, if the horse is ill-tempered or not used to the rider's voice or touch, a familiar hand can prove useful. If the rider isn't left alone, before long, that familiar hand turns into a crutch. Christina needed to take the reins alone to gain the confidence necessary to tame the beast that was the Queen Anne's Revenge.
The lie worked, and Christina's face lit up with joy as a smile spread across it. "I'll do it!" she said, brimming with bravado. "I'll be your helmsman!"
4. Captain's Orders
Over the few days' travel from Puerto Plata to Tortuga, Edward and Herbert ingratiated themselves with the crew of whalers and sailors on the Hunter through demanding work and a good share of stories.
Their tales of hollowed island puzzles, savage natives ready to sacrifice an outsider, and run-ins with a Spanish galleon and pirates took on a note of tall tales in the ears of the humble, honest men aboard their host vessel. They listened attentively as Edward and Herbert went back and forth, telling their version of events, laughing as the two men bickered over the finer details, and all the while shaking their heads at the foolishness of it all.
It made a difference that Edward and Herbert both neglected to mention they were captain and helmsman. They also didn't correct the men's thought that they had been travellers aboard a different ship in each tale.
The men laughed all the harder when one of their own snidely remarked that the two were bad luck if it were all true, and jested that
