Page 37

Thirty-Seven

V ane paced in front of the bound men, stopping in front of Marco. “Which man holds yer heart? The one with the golden hair?” He pointed the tip of his sword at Marco’s bare chest. He stepped to the side. “Or the Scot?” His blade struck Caiyan’s arm, drawing blood. “Or will ye forsake them both to save the one that yer captain needs to keep his ship?” He moved in front of Rowan, his blade at the ready.

“I…I…” How could I answer that truthfully? I loved them. Both of them. All of them.

“Choose, witch.” Vane’s mouth tipped into an evil smile. He liked the game, but for how long? How long until he slid the sword across one of their throats? Ending their life, ending me.

Bells clanged in my head along with Ace’s voice. “Blimey, Jen. He’s going to kill them.”

Ace stood to my left, along with Black Bard. Both men with their hands bound in front of them and pirate blades at their backs.

“Maybe we should throw them in the brig, let her stew on the decision,” Mortas suggested, but his words wavered. Was he worried I wouldn’t make the right choice?

“Silence, Crunch!” Vane’s tone grew increasingly impatient. “Choose which man lives.”

“I…I…can’t.”

Vane held out his free hand. “You must, or they all die.”

I couldn’t pick between Marco and Caiyan. And what of Rowan? He was supposed to die, but we changed history. We had outfoxed Woodes Rogers and saved his life, and now Vane was going to turn back the pages of time and make it all true again, but this time, he would take along Marco or Caiyan, or both. And what happens to Max without Rowan to protect him?

“My patience is thin.” Vane smacked the flat blade of his sword across Caiyan’s shoulder, causing his arm to ooze more blood.

Caiyan grimaced. “Ye can get on with it, Sunshine.”

I loved Caiyan. I couldn’t let him die, not by my choice. But I loved Marco too. How could I choose between them? I felt sick. My throat closed, and my breathing became labored.

“What’s she doing?” Marco asked Caiyan.

“Contemplating,” Caiyan answered.

“For god’s sake, Jen,” Marco yelled at me. “Pick McGregor. He’s the hero of your story.”

Tears blurred my eyes.

“Choose Ferrari. He’ll give ye the life ye deserve.” Caiyan tilted his head in that adorable way I loved.

“Who are these men ye speak of?” Vane propped his knee on a fallen wine barrel. He leaned forward, confused over the names John Silver and Captain Kirk each begged me to choose.

The sun’s harsh rays burned my face, and the wind wiped my tears before they could splatter onto the deck. I couldn’t choose. I loved both men. My mind raced for alternatives, a way out, and came up empty.

My stomach lurched, and my limbs felt numb. Wringing my hands, I couldn’t catch my breath. It was as if fate had sucked the oxygen from my lungs.

I shook my head frantically. “I. Can’t. Choose.”

And then I saw it. Behind Vane’s shoulder. In the distance. On the island. The skull from Marco’s map. I turned my head sideways to get a better view. The skull lay on its side as if it rested on the earth. The eye sockets were caves. Suddenly, it was crystal clear where the King’s key lay waiting for us. For me. For Caiyan. For Sasha. For Marco. And for Max.

Was this what my aunt had done? Had Elma and Giorgio tried to change the past, trip up the fabric of time, fix the unbroken, and failed? I closed my eyes. I couldn’t look at them. It was hopeless.

Without warning, a woman released a ferocious battle cry, years of pent-up anger. My eyes flew open in time to see Sasha rushing at Marco.

“No!” Marco yelled. “He’ll kill you.”

She threw herself at him, hung her arms around his neck until Jack Rackham plucked her off him like a tick from a hound. They bound her as Vane slapped his knee.

“Seems the cabin boy can decide who lives.”

“Please don’t kill him,” Sasha begged.

I frowned at her. This was all her fault, and now she’d been captured, too.

“Miss Jennifer,” Rowan’s voice startled me out of my despair. “We must dance the dance.” His eyes trailed to Marco, and mine followed his gaze.

A key sparkled around Marco’s neck. A ray of hope.

Sasha hadn’t left us for the King’s key. She’d snuck on Vane’s ship while he was preoccupied and found Marco’s key, then put herself in danger to save him. To save us.

“Make your choice. I havnae got all day.” Vane glanced at the sun directly above him. I took a deep breath and pooled my faith in a man I’d never met.

Vane grabbed Caiyan’s hair, jerked his head back, and raised his blade.

“Stop!” I threw up my hands. My inner voice sang, In the Name of Love . “I choose Rowan.”

“What?” Caiyan and Marco said in unison.

I caught the look of relief that washed over Max’s face.

I prayed Vane didn’t notice Marco’s key. “Please release him, and I request time to say good-bye to my friends.”

“Unbound the quartermaster,” Vane commanded, and the crew complied.

“But what of Silver’s treasure map?” one of Vane’s crew members asked, motioning to Marco.

“He’ll draw it, or the cabin boy dies.” Vane sheathed his sword. “Say yer good-byes, witch.”

I moved toward Caiyan. If Gertie was right, it should happen soon. The sun was high in the sky.

I bent and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “So long, Captain Kirk.”

Caiyan raised a dark, suspicious eyebrow. “Live long and prosper, yeah?”

I didn’t miss the question in his tone. “That was Spock, and he always trusted his crew.”

The sgian-dubh Max had given me weighed heavy in my skirt pocket. Hurry, hurry, hurry. I hoped Ace’s lucky undies came through for us. It was the only thing I could think of.

I leaned slowly into Marco and felt his anticipation swirl through my heart. “My hands,” he said, and I understood. He needed them to work his gift—his ability to slow time for a few precious minutes. Minutes I would use to save Caiyan. Minutes for Marco to save Sasha. Minutes for Rowan to untie Max.

“Sails!” shouted the mate in the crow’s nest. And to my relief, the bell rang. The most glorious ding-dong I’d ever heard. Vane leaped to the railing and took out his spyglass. His men followed suit, leaving only a motley crew hovering over the prisoners.

I removed the sgian-dubh and slashed the rope, freeing Marco’s hands. He threw a hard right at Jack Rackham, who went lights out and slumped to the deck. Rowan head-butted the pirate standing nearby, sending him reeling backward into Ace. Black Bard confiscated his weapon and cut Ace free.

“My savior,” Ace crooned.

“’Tis Rogers, he’s come for me.” Vane wailed. “Prepare the sails. We must outrun them.” Before he swung to his ship, he turned and looked down at his crew on the Sea Storm . “Kill them. Kill them all.”

His men, gob-struck at their Captain fleeing instead of fighting, donned their weapons, swords, and pistols, fighting against the skeleton crew of the Sea Storm .

I sliced away Caiyan’s bindings. He grabbed the knife from me and sent it sailing through the air and into the throat of an angry pirate, arms outstretched to wring my neck.

Marco put his hand to his key. “I’ll get Sasha and meet you at the helm.”

Caiyan rubbed his wrists. “Weel talk about yer choices later, Sunshine. Get Max to the wheel and jump us oot of here.”

“What about the King’s key?”

“Move around this island and away from the battle.”

Rackham had regained his feet and charged at us. Caiyan fought him until he swung onto the Ranger from trailing rigging.

Rowan untied Max. One of Vane’s men reached for me as I made my way to them. I dodged left and gave him a swift kick in the crotch. My pointy-toed shoe hit its mark, and the pirate went down with a squeak.

“Are ye well, Miss Jennifer?” Max asked.

I nodded. “We’ve got to jump to the other side of Bone Island.”

His gaze trained on the Ranger , and he held up his index finger. “One moment.”

Time slowed as Marco’s gift activated.

Max moved across the connecting boards to the Ranger like a figure suspended in Jell-O. Rowan chased after him, a much bigger and slower character. Max grabbed Vane by the lapel of his leather jacket and punched him in the face. Rowan turned Logan upside down and dropped him into the water. It warped like an old Batman cartoon. I wouldn’t have been shocked if bright, spikey speech bubbles appeared overhead with Pow! Smash! Ka-Boom!

There was a brief sizzle to the system. Marco’s gift only lasted minutes. He reset and started again. Max and Rowan returned to the Sea Storm and Sasha pushed the connecting boards into the ocean.

With cement shoes, I moved with Max to the helm. Rowan cleared our way, slow motion fighting the swords and pistols of Vane’s confused crew, unaware they’d been left behind.

Having commandeered a sword, Ace clanked metal with a bulky, bearded fellow. Black Bard used the butt of his pistol and clonked Bearded on the head. He went lights out. Ace and Black Bard did a slow-mo complicated handshake.

As time returned to normal, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Mortas rowing toward Bone Island. The coward.

Max stood steady next to Rowan. We made the jump just as Woodes Rogers moved into firing range.