"Aye? And how's that?" Sam asked, placing one hand on his chair as he looked down at Anne, trying to match her presence.
"We make a show of power, and you tell Silver Eyes they need reinforcements to fight us. You convince Silver Eyes you should be the one to head to Nassau and instead back Edward up when he arrives. You and your ship being in Nassau will not raise alarm." Anne took a long breath and a drink, her half-formed plan coming together in her mind. "If Edward's father and his subordinates are as smart as they think they are, then I imagine the main village is a fortress with battlements. A single ship, no matter the size, would pose little threat, but if we choke the food supply on land and at sea, we can starve them. And as no one will be coming to their rescue, we'll eventually take the island for ourselves."
Sam scoffed. "Ye make it sound so easy." Sam began pacing the room as he drank from his cup. After a moment he let out a frustrated grunt, pulled something from his belt wrapped in cloth, and placed it on the table. "If yer gonna stay, you'll need this."
Anne glanced at the mystery wrapped in cloth, then back at Sam. He simply nodded towards it before taking another drink. She took the object and unwrapped it to find a small golden handbell.
"That'll work on the crazed on the island, but not that bastard's men."
Anne did a double take on the small, unassuming bell in her hands as the weight of the ringer took root. "So, this will reverse the trance?"
"The what?"
"The spell that the citizens here are under."
Sam nodded. "Aye, that'll do it," he affirmed. "His men don't have the same spell, though. Whatever they got, it makes 'em tough bastards, but they still got all the goods upstairs," he said, tapping on the side of his head. "The farmers and such're just distractions."
It was Anne's turn to scoff. "We almost died to those distractions."
"That's what that's for," Sam said, pointing at the handbell. "Otherwise, they'll attack everyone."
Anne looked at the handbell with new eyes as the wheels began turning in her head. "Is that so?" she muttered.
She gave the handbell a small ring, and a sharp tone filled their room. It was so wholly unlike its larger brother she had head not a few hours before, but it struck a chord in the centre of her just the same. She felt as though the ring of that bell was pulling her soul forward, the same as when your body moves to join the swell of the wave and the inclination of a ship. Judging by the vacant stare in Sam's eyes and the bulge of his jaw, he felt it too.
After the tone fell away to nothing, Anne's and Sam's wits returned. "This may be useful to ye too." Sam pulled out a silver key from his pocket and placed it in front of Anne. "It's a tight squeeze, but there's a passage on the east of the fort near the waterline. It's there for a flanking attack should the fort be breached, and that key will let you past the gate. Don't think about bringing any cannons, the reef'll kill 'em."
Anne rose from her seat, dropping with it her all the authority and bluster she had previously mustered, and embraced Sam. "Thank you, Sam. With these, we'll surely win."
Sam's generally cool facade blew over, and he looked flushed. "I ain't done nothin' but what a man ought. Don't go givin' me a big 'ead over it."
Anne smiled. "Happy to see you alive nonetheless. After all this is over, we'll have a feast, and you can tell us all about your adventures with your merry men, Mr. Hood."
Sam chuckled. "Aye, that we will, my Queen."
After another brief embrace, Sam walked towards the door of the captain's quarters before looking over his shoulder. "Prepare yer men. After I convince me crew, we'll need to make a show of it."
It was Anne's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?" she asked as she joined him.
"Can't go on back to Silver Eyes ta convince him we need reinforcements without a bit'a damage, now can we?" he replied. "A short skirmish oughta be just the ticket. We can damage the ship ourselves, but without some live fire for 'em ta hear, it won't seem real. Jus' a little smoke, s'all."
"Just a little smoke? Happy to oblige." Anne held out her hand, and Sam shook it. "Oh, and take this with you." Anne removed the scabbard and golden cutlass from her hip and handed it to Sam.
Sam took the cutlass in hand, lifting it slightly out of its scabbard to see the golden hue of the mysterious metal before returning it to its resting place. "It'll soon be in its owner's hands."
The two left the captain's quarters and assembled the crew on the deck. It took some time for the men to settle and for Sam to talk with a few of his old friends, but eventually, they were able to explain the plan. Sam's crewmates who joined him appeared to already have his approval, and after they went back and convinced the rest to join in, they would signal the Queen Anne's Revenge by raising the black. Once the Queen Anne's Revenge was prepared, they too would raise the black, and their 'battle' would commence.
With all the details decided, Sam and his crewmates went back to their ship, and Anne and the crew waited. And waited. And waited still.
"It's taking too long," Christina said as she petted her
