The reef came closer and closer as well. Fidel used his scope to examine the shallow waters. “Men to the anchor! Twenty degrees port side!”
“Twenty degrees port side!” the helmsman shouted before he obeyed the orders.
The ship turned and made for the reefs on the right side of the island. I heard a faint sound from deep below the vessel. It sounded like something pinging against the bottom. “What’s that?”
“That’s the coral hitting the hull,” Ramaro told me as he winced at every knick. “The men are going to have a fun time with those repairs.”
“Ready the anchor!” Fidel yelled above the heightening scratching of the coral.
The reefs were slowing our pace. Our pursuers closed the distance, and their prow came within fifty yards of our stern. The vessel was larger than ours, and that sank their hull deeper in the water. The Hunter struck the reef sooner than ours, but it also slipped into our destructive wake.
Fidel raised one arm and watched our pursuers for a long, tense moment. He waited until the vessel traveled completely in our wake before he sliced his arm down. “Drop the anchor!”
“Hold on now!” Ramaro shouted at me as he curled his tail around one of the inner banisters and pressed his claws into every loose fiber in the wood. “Things are about to get fun!” I likewise squished myself against the stairs.
The sailors gritted their teeth and pushed with all their might. The wheel turned, and the chain dropped the anchor into the sea with a terrific splash. The heavy metal dragged through the reef, ripping and breaking the hard corals from their roots. The uprooted remains were dragged in our wake and piled up behind us, creating a minefield of trouble.
The Hunter found that trouble. The corals slammed into the large and fast ship, grinding their sharp corners on the wood. The beautiful paint was torn apart, revealing the ugly plain wood. The debris and the shallow depth also slowed their pursuit.
“Raise the anchor!” Fidel shouted.
The anchor was raised, and our speed increased. We were able to pull away and swing around the far side of the island. The trees on the shore blocked us from their view, and in a few minutes, the danger had passed. The ship didn’t make it around the corner of the island before we disappeared into the sunset.
I hoped they had a lot of paint and fresh boards.
Chapter 17
Ramaro stood and puffed out his chest. “What did I tell you?”
I sat up and smiled at him. “You were wrong.”
Some of the steam escaped from his chest as he narrowed his eyes at me. “What do you mean?”
“That wasn’t fun. That was fantastic.”
The agama grinned. “It was, wasn’t it? That admiral is going to be picking coral out of his hull for a week.”
A shadow fell over us. We both looked up to find ourselves staring at Fidel. He folded his arms over his chest, and a faint smile graced his lips. “If you two are done with your gazing, you might remove yourselves from the steps.”
I scrambled to my feet, and Ramaro was quick to scurry onto my foot. “O-of course, sir. We just want to, um-”
“That captain needs a report of what happened while I make up a report of the damages,” Fidel mused as he nodded at the cabin door beneath us. “I think you can handle the first task.”
I bobbed my head. “Of course. Right away.”
I turned tail and scrambled down the steps. Ramaro rode along on my foot, clinging to my leg for dear life under my quick pace. I slipped into the cabin and slammed the door shut behind me, where I leaned my back against the entrance.
The shadows had lightened in the room, and the candle had been snuffed out. Torvus still sat up in bed with a bemused smile on his face. “Did you learn anything about my crew?”
I snorted as I pushed off from the door. “I learned I’d better not challenge two dozen of them to an arm wrestle. They might rip off my arm.”
He chuckled. “I’ve seen that happen.”
I froze halfway to the bed, and my jaw hit the floorboards. “Really?”
Torvus cocked his head to one side and studied me. “You have an incredible amount of credulity, Miss Larkin, especially for someone capable of magic.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That wasn’t magic. That was just some fluke. Maybe the Seas of Evil did something to me.”
