“Where is Ned?” I asked the cook, but he only scowled at me, then began to spew French words I didn’t understand.
I took the pot of oatmeal, the pitcher of ale, and the platter of bread and made my way to the captain’s cabin. As always, Hawk was waiting for me to open the outer room door.
“You’re late,” he said.
“Where is Ned? He wasn’t in the galley.”
“Sick again.” Hawk tilted his head toward the outer room. “Can’t leave his cot.”
I entered the room, my hands full, and found Ned still asleep. I didn’t bother to wake him, knowing he’d probably hurl more angry words at me. He had seemed to rally for a few days, only to be down again. Perhaps it was more than a passing illness that afflicted him.
When I walked into the captain’s cabin, all the men were present and seated at the table—Marcus included.
“You’re late,” Captain Zale said with a snarl.
“’Twas my fault,” Marcus said quickly.
I set the food and drink on the table, my cheeks warming at the memory of what I’d told him about my two lives and of him watching me slumber.
“I kept him this morning,” Marcus said to the captain.
There was nothing the captain could say to that since I was tasked with serving Marcus.
I had never spoken without being spoken to first, but as I filled Dr. Hartville’s mug with ale, I asked quietly, “Is anything to be done about Ned?”
“Mind your own business,” Captain Zale said, his harsh words full of anger.
Embarrassment and fear silenced my tongue as I continued to serve the men.
“Are you certain you want to head back to the Florida coast?” Marcus asked the captain as they began to eat their meal.
“Aye.” Captain Zale took a long drink and dropped the cup to the table with a thud. “The sooner, the better. Hawk said that there was talk in Nassau that theAtlantisis already there. I’ll move heaven and earth to get to the Queen’s Dowry before someone else.”
I’d heard about theAtlantisseveral times around this table and gathered that the captain of the other pirate ship had once served on theOcean Cursebefore abandoning the crew to start his own. Captain Zale not only wanted to find the Queen’s Dowry first, but he also wanted to beat his nemesis.
“The Spanish Armada has increased their patrol of the Florida coast,” Marcus told him. “Is it worth the risk? Mayhap we avoid staying close to Florida and go north for a wee bit.”
“North?” Captain Zale frowned.
“Merchant ships should be plentiful at this time of year,” Hawk said with a shrug, supporting Marcus’s suggestion. “’Tis been a while since we’ve overtaken a cargo of tobacco off the coast of Virginia.”
A pirate ship was a democracy, and each man had his vote, but the captain’s vote carried the greatest weight unless the prevailing opinions differed from his own. If Marcus could get enough men on his side, perhaps we could head north to his mother.
“We can have all the tobacco we want if we get the Queen’s Dowry,” Captain Zale said, tearing a chunk of bread from the loaf. “Now that we have the diving bell, we’ll have no trouble locating the treasure.”
“That diving bell is a health hazard,” Dr. Hartville said. “It’ll be the death of whoever is forced to use it. ’Tis hardly big enough for a grown man.”
The captain’s gaze lifted to mine, and a half smile tilted his lips. “Carl is small and healthy. We’ll send him down. ’Tis the reason I chose him.”
My hand froze as I poured the ale into Hawk’s cup. I’d recalled the captain making mention of his desire for me to help with the search before, but I’d been so preoccupied with thoughts of my mother that I hadn’t considered the possibility.
Marcus’s spoon stopped midway to his mouth, and he slowly lowered his hand. Perhaps he, too, had forgotten the captain’s plans. “You can’t send the lad to the bottom of the ocean. He has no experience.”
“We’ll teach him,” the captain said, shoveling oatmeal into his mouth.
“’Tis not wise,” Marcus tried again. “We don’t even know if he swims.”
“Do you swim?” Captain Zale asked me.
