Xavier cursed.
He tried again, determined to light the fuse. The goddamned powder could not be wet. He had not gotten a single drop of water on the oilskin. His hands still remarkably steady, he again tried to light the fuse. The flame burned, flared, and died.
In that moment Xavier knew that he had been betrayed. He himself had stolen and smuggled the powder ingredients with the help of Tubbs and Benedict. Since then, clearly, someone had tampered with them, sabotaging their plans. He had little doubt now that Tubbs had met with the same failure as he.
Unless he could think of another way to destroy thePearl,and quickly, this entire operation was doomed.
Soft, racing footsteps made him stiffen and tum.
The sight of the tall, lithe Arab rendered him briefly speechless. Alexandra dropped down beside him. “Here,” she said, shoving something at him.
Absolute confusion incapacitated him.
“Here!” she cried.
Xavier’s vision cleared. He realized what she had handed him and he struck the flint again. “How long are the fuses?” He would not even try to fathom now what she was doing there, or why.
“Not long,” she said.
Their gazes met. Understanding passed between them.The fuses appeared to be short.They would both have to run like hell to get off the ship before it blew. As suspicious as Xavier was, a surge of admiration for her filled him. And with it, respect. He lit the fuse.
Tubbs came running. “Let’s go, Cap’n,” he shouted.
And Xavier realized that Tubbs’s gunpowder had not been tampered with, that the fuse was lit and burning. Xavier was on his feet, hauling Alexandra up with him. “Run!” he shouted.
They ran after Tubbs.
Tubbs leapt over the railing, stumbled, and went down on the dock. Xavier threw Alexandra over, then climbed over himself. Tubbs and Alexandra were both on their feet, the sailor running—but Alexandra did not move. She turned to wait for him.
He leapt to his feet, shouting, “Run!”
She held out her hand. Xavier took it, and racing for their lives now, he pulled her with him. They took three steps, four, five. Xavier was acutely aware of anticipating the moment of the explosion.
Suddenly cries rent the air—the shouts of a horde of Turkish soldiers descending from God only knew where upon them.
Xavier saw them on the edge of one wharf. Then he looked past the wharf and saw another dozen janissaries entering the harbor at a run. Christ, he thought.They had truly been betrayed.
And then the night was ripped apart by a huge explosion. The ground under their feet actually rocked, rolled, and jumped.
And Xavier and Alexandra were hurled forward through the air. They landed hard in the dirt. For one moment they lay still, stunned. Xavier shook his head to clear it and managed to shove himself to his hands and knees. Spitting dirt and gravel, he looked back just in time to see the second blast. The bow of thePearlwas in flames, fire leaping up the mainmast, the unfurled canvas sail ablaze. Without warning, the stem jackknifed, exploding. Fireballs shot high into the air. Pieces of wood and metal rocketed upward. It was a fireworks reminiscent of any Independence Day celebration. The magazine of the ship suddenly exploded, and within seconds, every inch of thePearlwas aflame. The ship had become a living inferno, her own funeral pyre.
“Halt! Halt! In the name of Jusef Coramalli, the bashaw of Tripoli!”
For one brief moment Xavier stared at his ship, mesmerized. Then he heard the thud of footsteps and the command to halt again. Xavier hauled Alexandra to her feet. Not thinking, he obeyed his instincts, which were to protect her. “Tubbs, take her back to the palace, now!”
Tubbs, a few yards ahead of them, grabbed Alex’s arm.
“Xavier, no,” she began, begging. “Come with me—I will hide you!”
Pushing her away, he shouted, “Get out of here!”
She turned white. He realized now that her face was scratched and bleeding. Tubbs jerked her forward, and then, obediently, she turned and ran.
Xavier stood still for another instant, watching them flee. Her behavior made no sense. But before he could even begin to sort it out, he turned, watching the dozen janissaries approaching at a run, scimitars drawn. He knew they had seen Tubbs and Alexandra fleeing down a side street. When the janissaries were almost in shooting range, Xavier turned and began to run away from them. With no real intention of escaping.
“Halt! Halt now!”
Xavier looked over his shoulder and saw that the dozen men were following him, while the first group had dived into the water and were swimming after Allen, who foolishly thought he could swim the quarter mile to the cruisingVixen.No one had yet to run after Tubbs and Alexandra, but another two dozen soldiers had appeared ahead of Xavier. They saw him amidst much shouting and gesturing, and they began to rush forward.
