“So . . . what now?” Corey said. “Aren’t we supposed to find baby Matt?”
“Doesn’t look like a place to find a baby, does it?” Ruby said.
It did not. The place was empty, still and silent. Were they supposed to search for him in the jungle? What if he wasn’t here yet? Or what if Captain Vincent had already taken him? No, he couldn’t have. He wouldn’t be standing here if he had. He wouldn’t think of himself as Mateo Hudson, but Marius Quine.
A deep rumbling sounded in the distance. Matt felt a slight vibration in his feet.
“What’s that?” Ruby said, looking around.
“Feels like a mild earthquake,” Mr. Hudson said.
The vibrations grew stronger. Matt started to teeter. Jia grabbed on to him as she lost her balance and nearly fell.
“Or more like a big earthquake,” Uncle Chuck said as he struggled to stay upright. Gaga and Haha held on to each other.
And then the earth cracked open, splitting down the center of the city. A large pole shot out of the ground, spraying dirt and rock in all directions, and then another and another. White sails unfurled on three masts. The very top of the tallest mast bore a black flag with a white compass and red V at the center.
“What in the world . . . ?” Mr. Hudson said.
It was the Vermillion. The whole ship rose out of the ground, sailing on waves of dirt, and settled on the opposite high terrace of the city. It looked like a beached whale.
“You don’t see that every day, do you?” Mr. Hudson said.
“Some people do,” Corey said.
A rope was thrown over the side of the ship, and one by one, the crew came down. Brocco first, then Wiley, Albert, and Captain Vincent. Last to come was Belamie Bonnaire. She was dressed in a loose white blouse, black leather pants and boots, her sword at her waist. Her long dark hair was tied back from her face. She looked fierce, ready for battle. The crew of time pirates jumped down from the terraces and walked toward the group of time castaways. As they did, dark clouds gathered above and the sky let out a low rumble.
Corey and Ruby came to either side of Matt. Ruby drew her sword. “What are we supposed to do?” she asked, her voice a bit panicked.
“I . . . I don’t know,” Matt said. He wasn’t ready for this. He thought they’d have more time. Time to find the forbidden lock, to figure out how to fix it. “Just . . . stick together.”
“Seriously?” Corey said. “That’s all you got right now? Stick together?”
It was. He racked his brain, trying to think of any possibilities, any escape, but every path was a dead end. They couldn’t run or hide anymore. They had to face Vincent and all Matt could think was to hold on to his family, to Corey and Ruby.
“It might be enough,” Jia said. “Remember, small hinges.”
“We’re all with you,” Haha said. They pressed closer together.
Captain Vincent, Belamie, and the crew stopped about ten feet from them. Matt glanced at the compass hanging around Belamie’s neck. She’d chosen it over him. She’d chosen Vincent. The memory of it sliced through him like a blade.
Matt flinched as fat raindrops splashed on his face. He looked up. The sky, which had been clear and bright just moments before, was now dark and foreboding. Matt knew they must be causing a glitch with all these out-of-sync meetings.
Captain Vincent glanced briefly over their group. He stopped at Mr. Hudson. His eyes flashed, and his jaw pulsed. He reached for his sword, but then Belamie spoke.
“You,” she said, looking at Matthew Hudson with a puzzled expression. “I’ve seen you before.”
Matthew ran a hand through his windblown hair. “Yeah. I was . . . sort of looking for you, but things got a little crazy.” His eyes flickered toward Captain Vincent.
“This is the one I was telling you about, Bonbon,” Vincent said. “He’s the one who’s trying to tear us apart, take away everything we’ve worked for.”
“No, I didn’t . . . ,” Mr. Hudson started.
Belamie glanced at the others, then did a small double take when she saw Ruby, who looked like a miniature version of herself, especially with her sword in hand.
“Are you . . . ?” she started, and then trailed off.
Ruby nodded and smiled. “I’m your future daughter.”
“But I’m your future favorite child,” Corey said, “just FYI.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “He’s the worst, but you do love him.”
Belamie’s mouth twitched with a smile.
Belamie looked at Matt, and her cheeks colored as though she was embarrassed or ashamed or maybe both. She reached for her compass and her gaze drew inward for a moment. She muttered some words under her breath. It was very soft. Matt had to strain to hear, but he recognized it immediately. She was singing the lullaby.
When you feel lost and all alone
Look to the sky and you’ll find home
She looked back at Matt, then again at Matthew Hudson, and it was like the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
Matthew Hudson’s mouth tugged into a half smile.
Belamie Bonnaire’s eyes brightened.
Captain Vincent bared his teeth. “I suppose I’ll have to fix things the old-fashioned way after all.” He drew a dagger from his waist and threw it. The blade soared through the air straight toward Matthew Hudson’s heart.
“No!” Belamie cried, lunging toward him, but someone else jumped in front of Matthew at the last second.
Gaga screamed. “Henry!”
Haha fell to the ground, clutching at his side. Gaga whimpered as she knelt down next to him. Matt couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. Blood soaked Haha’s shirt surrounding the hilt of the blade between his ribs. He’d thrown himself in front of his son. He’d taken the dagger for him.
The sky rumbled. Lightning crackled across the sky in the distance. The rain fell more steadily now.
“Vincent,” Belamie said, staring in horror at the bloody scene before her, “what have you done?”
“What had to be done,” Captain Vincent said coldly. “This
