Jerrold Barrington waited aboard the Royal Navy frigate. He was using his own ship as the decoy, but he wasn't about to be in the line of fire when this began. He wanted to be in a position to watch the slaughter when the Raven took the bait and came out into the open, thinking they were evenly matched.
The wind came up sharp and strong, buffetingRevenge'sflags against the center mast as she slipped from the cove, her black hull slicing through the dark water, the rising sun gleaming off her decks. The sail at her center mast caught the blood red of the sun, and overhead the red flag bearing the emblem of a black raven snapped in the wind.
All aboard were ready, their eyes trained on the lumbering Barrington frigate. She rode low in the water, coming slowly about on a windward tack. It was then, asRevengefirst became fully exposed with the wind against her, that the cry went up.
A blast rocked through the chain of islands, the sound echoing off the rocky peaks and cliffs. And in that instant, Zach knew the frigate had been the bait.
Revengewas running before the wind, Zach's original intention to come about and square off with the frigate. Now he took over the helm, realizing a trap had been laid. Cannons roared from the cloistered islands on the leeward side.
He knew these islands as no other and used that to come about and gave the signal to fireRevenge's cannons. A roar split the air as the cannons were fired, and he had the schooner already coming around to fire off the starboard side.
He watched the water, sat the wind that slipped across the surface and cut across the path of the first frigate, stealing his wind.
His best hope was to outmaneuver the heavier ships, slip past them through a narrow passage through the two farthest islands then come about and wait for them to follow.
Revengeslipped through the passage and, as he brought her about, the crew trimmed the sails. They came about, the cannon on the leeward side ready and aimed for the first frigate to follow. It was Barrington's ship, his personal flag at the main mast from the main as the frigate made the fatal mistake of trimming their sails and barely made it through the narrow passage over the coral reef.
Sails trimmed, the frigate was slow in coming about as the crew scrambled on her deck. Zach gave the signal and cannon fire exploded fromRevengeand echoed off the rocky islands.
Three of the cannons fired found their target, the frigate shuddering under the blows as the second frigate briefly appeared at the mouth of the passage, then slowed, the English Union Jack wobbling crazily. Unfamiliar with the outer islands that were of little consequence except for seabirds and whales, the second frigate had gone aground on the coral shelf that lay along the sides of the passage.
With the second frigate of no more concern, Zach's attention swung back to Barrington's ship. Temporarily becalmed, the crew working furiously to adjust the sails, Zach took advantage of the wind that swept off the westernmost island to bring theRevengeabout. Cannons loaded, he waited until they were parallel to Barrington's ship and within range.
"Cap'n?" Sandy asked as they waited, holding their position within range for now.
"Run up the flag. I want Barrington to know exactly who we are."
The flag with the Raven was sent aloft, snapping in the wind.
Zach gave the order. "Fire!"
The narrow channel between Fraser Island and the mainland looked as if a major sea battle had taken place. For years afterward the residents of the small hamlets and fishing villages on the island would tell tales of the battle.
One frigate was heavily damaged, and the crew abandoned ship. The crew made their way ashore in rowboats. Some swam ashore. It was said that the master of the ship, a man by the name of Barrington, perished as the ship broke apart.
A second frigate, a ship of the line, was stranded on the coral shoals, slowly battered beyond repair, All survived.
The only ship to escape unscathed was a schooner, sleek and fast, that swept past them both and headed for the open sea, flying a flag with a black raven.
Epilogue
Resolute Station
N.S.W.
Among the people whose culture was centuries old, it was known as theDreamtime, that linked past with present and the present with the future.
Elyse found the truth of the past in that Dreamtime. She and Zach had always been together, in other times and places known by other names, but always together, destined to be together once more, in this life.
She still had the dreams, but they were different now—fragments, bits, and pieces she was no longer afraid of but accepted as the memories of those other lives. And he was always part of it, just as he was part of her life now.
Four days she waited at Resolute, made welcome by the people there, watching the road, waiting just as she had waited before.
There was telegraph in Melbourne several miles away, and Tris was the one who brought word from Melbourne that all were safe. Two days later, with fair winds theRevengearrived in port. It was another day before Zach and those who were returning to Resolute, including Tobias, arrived home. Others remained aboard ship for the time.
Sandy, an able second mate, was made the new captain, in charge of moving cargo and passengers between Melbourne and Macau, or the longer voyage to the United States.
Now, Elyse walked back alone from the small cottage not far from the large, sprawling house at Resolute. She listened to the night sounds, so different yet familiar.
