Now that he was closer, the leader was able to take a better look at the girl in command.
Her features, lit from a lantern in the cabin they had just exited, were pleasing to the eye. She was blond with a hint of rouge, as a tranquil field of wheat in the red light of dawn. Her body was well-toned, a fighter's body, youthful and shapely as a budding rose that could one day bloom into motherhood.
All those they had captured so far looked to be good fighters, trained and ready for battle. They would make useful additions.
The leader pulled the young woman's chin up to face him. Her cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment.
"Look into my eyes."
…
A new day began in their stalemate of a battle.
Anne awoke from her first rest in some time and assessed their battle preparations and provisions with new eyes.
Nassir and the other crewmates had worked hard through the night and prepared a defensive wall of cannons. The makeshift, stationary limbers would hold the cannons and prevent them from flying away after each blast but were challenging to change the angle of. To be effective, they needed two men on each of the smaller cannons, as opposed to a single man had they still been at their home on the ship.
Their provisions, gathered from the many farms they had visited, would sustain them for quite some time if needed, and they could also collect more. If they couldn't win by force or by stealth, which Anne would find out about soon, then they could win by starvation. No matter how powerful the trance Silver Eyes' crew were under, they could not avoid the need for food indefinitely.
A few paces back from the line of cannons aimed at the town, Anne had set up a table with a few chairs for her, William, and some of the other crewmates to discuss strategy. She noticed William sitting there, and a bowl of food and a drink waiting for her. Pukuh was standing beside William, chewing on a piece of bread with meat and cheese on it.
Anne sat and quickly ate the modest food to break her fast. She didn't want to waste any time to discuss the investigation of the secret entrance Sam had provided the key for. She still found it challenging to eschew habits formed during her royal upbringing and waited until she finished swallowing before she spoke.
"What of the tunnel into the town?" Anne asked.
William glanced at Pukuh over his shoulder, then gave his report. "The tunnel, as Sam said, appears to be for the soldiers in need of a flanking attack. However, it has fallen into disrepair due to negligence and arrogance. It could collapse at any moment."
Pukuh scoffed. "No matter. We'll not be long there," he said.
William appeared exasperated, though to anyone but Anne, who had been studying his minute expressions, he looked as placid as ever. "It is as our friend says. We shan't be in the tunnel long, so we could possibly end the battle tonight under cover of darkness."
"Why must there always be waiting with you white people? Now is the time to strike back. We kill their leader and dine in his puny castle before the sun is high."
William didn't respond; he had probably heard the same argument from Pukuh before she awoke. The two simply waited for Anne, their commander and current captain, to speak.
Anne, for her part, being well-rested and high off their recent victory, saw no purpose in rushing into doom. That Sam knew of the tunnel meant Silver Eyes knew of the tunnel.
"Pukuh, are you familiar with the phrase 'the better part of valour is discretion'?"
Pukuh took a bite from his bread, meat, and cheese. "No," he replied, his cheeks full.
"It is from one of our great playwrights, and it means that caution is better than blind bravery."
Pukuh nodded. "Ah, I see. So, the savage is not smart as you are."
Anne was taken aback at Pukuh's comment as she had only known the Mayan prince to be a kind and affable man. "My apologies, Pukuh, that was not my intent. I am merely trying to—"
Pukuh held up his hand. "Save your air for later. If Edward were here, the Silver man would have his head on my spear on the walls now."
Pukuh's raised voice brought the attention of the crewmates nearby, and many were visibly uncomfortable and glancing at the scene over their shoulders.
Anne took a moment to gather herself, then stared into Pukuh's eyes. "You may be right. Edward may have finished this by now, but Edward is not here. In his place, I am your captain, and I give the orders to the crew of this ship." She paused for a moment to let her words hang in the air. "I understand your frustration with how I am approaching this matter, and I'll take it under review. Having said that, I can assure you that sooner rather than later, that spear of yours will see its fair share of blood. Can I count on you to be there when the time comes?"
Pukuh didn't reply, he simply stared Anne down for a long moment. She held his gaze, unwavering, as she sat stock still in her chair.
Another moment more, and Pukuh grinned. "You'll get your spear, princess," he finally said.
Anne returned the smile. She had never thought of him as a savage, as he put it, but she knew that their interactions so far had been brief at best. Perhaps this was his way of testing her, not knowing her very well. If it was, it appeared she had passed.
"Captain, look!" a crewmate called, his finger pointing to the sea.
Anne turned in her seat and followed the crewmate's gesture to the Queen Anne's Revenge. It was no longer circling the seas around the town as they planned. It
