“What do you say, men? Do we choose the bold path and take our chances at a reward far greater than any of us could imagine? Or do we return to port like dogs with tails between legs?”
The energy running through her crew filled the deck and it didn’t take long before fists and hats were thrown into the air. Not a single man shoutedNay. Warmth radiated through her body and she turned to Griff.
“What say you?”
“I say you’re making a big mistake.”
“Come on, Griff, don’t tell me you wouldn’t be happy to find the treasure.”
“Not with Thorne breathing down our necks. Happiness is a moot point if one is dead.”
“I can do this.”
He shrugged. “You’ve convinced the men, so I will not stop you. I’ve no wish for a mutiny. But when it all comes crashing down around you, remember that this is the moment you had the choice to take the safe route.”
The safe route. All her life she’d been forced to take the safe route. It was time to take control.
“I’d rather live my life with purpose than hide beneath supposed safety. Besides, what is truly safe? We could shipwreck in a storm just as easily as succumb to Thorne’s brutes.”
He waved a hand at the wheel. “Go ahead. Sail us into your destiny, whatever it may be.”
She set her hands on the spokes and steered the ship south. “Make sure all the lanterns are out and we sail in silence. Let’s go to Tortuga.”
Her words spurred the crew back into action and they scrambled to work. The darkness hugged around them like a cloak as theRavenrolled over the swells. Each sail billowed above like dark storm clouds and she adjusted their course to set the ship in line with the wind. Soon, the rhythm of the waves became steady, and the creaks and groans of the yards dissipated.
Griff set a hand over hers. “Go chart our course. Tortuga is only a few hours’ sailing from here. And change out of that wretched dress.”
She squeezed his fingers. “I won’t let you down.”
He raised his face to the sky. “I hope you have a plan.”
A plan.
All she had to do was get on Thorne’s ship and sneak past severaldozen giants. And then steal the captain’s most prized possession. A walk in the park.
“I’ll figure something out.”
But the heaviness in her chest returned in full force as she descended to the main deck and opened the door to the captain’s quarters. With a groan, she pushed it shut behind her and stopped at the bookshelf. Griff had left all her shells there.
With numb fingers, she quietly rearranged them and flipped the conch over. The map was safe. Setting it down, she opened the wardrobe and pulled a pair of breeches out. Thank God her uncle hadn’t had time to remove her things from the ship. She clutched them to her chest and debated calling for a tub of seawater.
No time.
Tugging the dress and her undergarments off, she opened a window and flung them out. The damp skirts fell into the frothy wake and moments later disappeared from view.
“Good riddance.”
She used a rag to give herself a quick sponge bath and, after pulling the breeches and her boots on, selected a blouse. Running her fingers through her tangled hair, she frowned at the knots. They would take ages to comb out. For now, she did her best to part her locks evenly and twist them into a braid.
With a sigh, she flopped at the desk and flipped through the maps until she found the one she needed. Her fingers traced a path from the little island to Tortuga as she memorized their bearings. Griff was right. They would sail into the harbor before sunrise.
A pressure had begun to build behind her temple and she pressed down on the tender spot. Not the time to get a headache. She ignored the pain and studied the outline of Tortuga.
They would never be able to take Thorne’s ship by force. Even if by some stroke of luck they could overcome the giants, the other pirates in the harbor would take the attack as an affront to theirfreedom and join the fight. So it came down to stealing the map from under Thorne’s nose.
Simple.
She sighed and drummed her fingers on the map. There had to be a way. Opening her drawer, she pulled her dagger free and slid it into the soft sheath inside her boot. As she closed the drawer, she paused. The little box of glass vials lay in the open.
