"By the sound of the Golden Horn!"
"By the sound of the Golden Horn!"
"By the sound of the Golden Horn!"
The chant continued unabated. Edward pulled away from his tearful embrace with Herbert to see all eyes were on them. All eyes were on him.
Edward looked upon his father's body again. The familiar golden hunting horn, from his father's time as Benjamin Hornigold, was tied around his waist. Edward loosened the horn, took it in hand, and rose to his feet.
He took a deep breath and sounded the horn.
19. Water and Blood
In the week since leaving the island, Anne started to acclimate to the prosthetic Alexandre, Victoria, and Nassir had made for her. It felt altogether strange and uncomfortable and itchy where it secured to her thigh with a leather, corset-like strap, but she could walk in it, and that was what mattered most to her.
She still had a problem with her gait and putting the right amount of weight on it, but she had the rest of her life to perfect that, so it didn't bother her.
She also liked the privacy that it gave her, as she could wear a boot and cover it with her pant leg. If she were standing still, none could tell that she had lost her foot. None save her. Though she supposed for some in their profession, it could be seen as a badge of honour, she saw it as a sign of weakness.
They left Los Huecos after gathering and burning the bodies of the dead, as well as the main town that Silver Eyes had occupied. The crew agreed to break and toss the golden bells into the ocean. Whatever strange power they held was better off at the bottom of the sea with Davey Jones.
If Anne never heard them ring again for the rest of her life, it would be too soon.
They set sail for Nassau, and before setting anchor, sent out a scouting party by longboat. They came back after hearing word that Blackbeard had killed Calico Jack.
The news nearly caused Anne to collapse. She had been holding a secret weight, secret even to herself, over the thought that Edward might have perished in his attempt. The weight lifted, and her heart felt free. She was eager to land and see him again.
Only then did she take in what the news meant. Edward had killed his own father. The same father whom he, from day one, had insisted was alive and was partially the reason for his being at sea in the first place. The same father for whom he'd held such complicated emotion after learning the truth about who he was.
Anne's heart broke for Edward as she thought of how hard it must have been to end his own father's life. It also made her scared. He already had a drinking problem from the nightmares that haunted his waking thoughts. What would this new trauma do to him?
"What news of my brother?" Christina asked, clutching the carved rose at her neck.
The crewmates shook their heads. "No mention of 'im. Sorry."
Christina nodded, but her face looked dire. It seemed to Anne like she too had been holding onto a secret weight of her own.
Anne went over to Christina and touched her back. "I am sure your brother is safe and well. Take us into the harbour, and we shall see for ourselves."
Christina managed a weak smile and a nod before she took the helm and issued orders to the crew. She deftly guided the ship into the harbour before ordering the anchor lowered.
Anne, Christina, William, Alexandre, and Victoria were the first party to head to shore in a longboat with some other crewmates. Jack, Pukuh, and Nassir stayed behind, choosing to go later.
As they approached the pier near the centre of town, they noticed Sam waiting for them at the dock. Sam helped moor the longboat, and the crew disembarked onto the pier.
"Sam, happy to see you well and uninjured. Our scouts tell us that Edward killed his… killed Calico Jack."
Sam nodded, his face dour despite what should be good news. "Aye," he said. "You were right ta send me off ta help. Ed woulda gotten 'imself killed if not."
"And what of my brother?" Christina asked once more, stepping forward, her eyes desperate.
Sam's face still held fast to its grim demeanour. "I'll take you to 'im," he said, but would say no more.
Christina didn't seem relieved by the news that he was still alive, and why would she when Sam seemed reluctant to give any more information?
Sam took them through the town, full of revelling pirates as far as the eye could see, and explained what had happened. He gave a brief telling of Edward and Herbert's time aboard Grace O'Malley's ship.
Sam also explained that Edward killed Grace's son who also turned out to be Edward's brother, but they hadn't known it at the time. The news sent Anne's heart racing. Not only did Edward kill his own father, but he killed a brother he hadn't even known he had. Edward's mental state had been hanging on a razor's edge before all this had happened. She hoped he was coping with it well, but she felt more fear than anything.
Sam's recounting continued, explaining how they met in Nassau and hatched a plan that backfired due to Grace knowing the truth of Edward and Herbert's identities. Then Sam had regrouped and saved Edward from the gallows, allowing Edward to finally finish off his father.
After a funeral for his father—a muted affair from Sam's estimation due to what happened afterwards—they gave Edward the official title of Magistrate for Nassau and the unofficial title of King of the Caribbean among the pirates. There was a ceremony, which really was just him being named Magistrate and Edward blowing his father's golden horn again, and afterwards the pirates partied for several days and nights.
Benjamin Hornigold and Jack Rackham would live on through Edward, their
