“Of course, Captain,” Hillier said.
He handed the spyglass back to Captain Martin and strode to the centre of the deck, where men scurried about, following his orders.
“Domingo, go below and tell any men you find that they need to be at their stations.Now!”
“Yes, Captain.”Domingo took off at a run.
“Rooster,” Dinesh said, taking my arms and meeting my gaze.
“Aye,” I said, my limbs feeling numb.
“We may need you.”
“I’ll be ready,” I said.
He dropped his hands.I turned and walked down the steps from the quarterdeck to the main deck.I walked to the rail and placed my hands there, gazing at the approaching vessel, trying to be brave, ready to do whatever was needed.
The ship kept coming.Closer and closer.She didn’t fire or launch anything in defence of her approach.
“She’s going to hit us!”
“She’s coming in too fast!”
I stared out at the ship, facing the enormous bow as the giant loomed ever larger in front of me.I closed my eyes and began to summon the magic from within me.I opened my mouth to speak the words of the chant.
“Fire the cannon!”Hillier shouted.
Chapter Sixteen
Illusions
Arumblefilledmyearsas theArrowshook beneath me.I opened my eyes.
The cannonball whistled through the air and hit home with an explosion of sound and broken timber.Then the vessel exploded before our eyes in a ball of fire that immediately…vanished?
The silence loomed large as we stared at…nothing.There wasn’t even a plume of smoke where the ship had been.The sea before us was empty.
“What the bloody fuck?”I whispered, my eyes scanning the surface for evidence of the ship as confused voices sounded behind me.
“Where did she go?”
“Was it White?Did he vanish her?”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”
“The ship’s gone.As if she weren’t never there.”
“Simon.”
A hand on my shoulder.Dinesh.
“Did…did you do this?”
“No.I did nothing,” I said.
The captain urged me to turn, then looked me in the eyes with a stern and frightened expression, as if he didn’t even know what else to ask.
“The ship wasn’t real,” I said.
