فصل 81

CHAPTER 81

OUT TO SEA

NEREZZA YANKED THE TILLER, turning the launch to starboard as it pulled alongside the Nimbus.

Crewmen on the Nimbus deck dropped two steel cables down from the boat hoist. Nerezza’s men began securing them to the bow and stern of the launch so it could be lifted aboard the steamship. Nerezza glanced back toward the island; no sign of pursuit. Apparently the chief had taken him at his word.

Fool.

The cables were secure. Nerezza looked up, preparing to shout the order to start the hoist. He saw two crewmen waving frantically at him, shouting and pointing aft. He turned to look.

His mouth fell open.

Rounding the stern of the Nimbus was a craft unlike any Nerezza had seen, looking more like a collapsed building than a ship, with bright pink sails sprouting from it at all angles. It would have been funny, except for the look of the men on the ship, a look Nerezza had seen before, although not for many years.

Pirates.

“START THE HOIST!” he bellowed.

A second later the cables tensed and the launch came wobbling out of the water. It rose slowly, and with each second the pirates drew closer. Nerezza saw their leader now, a tall man with dark deep-set eyes and a huge black mustache.

And a hook.

Now Nerezza knew exactly whom he was up against.

“FASTER!” he yelled to the men on deck.

But the hoist had only one speed, and it was not quite fast enough. As the launch dangled on the side of the Nimbus, fifteen feet above the water, the pirate ship plowed into it. The launch spun and flew sideways, spinning out of control, then, with a sickening lurch, slammed into the steamer’s steel hull.

Then the aft cable snapped.

The stern of the launch dropped like a rock, dumping everyone and everything into the sea.

Everything, that is, but the starstuff chest. For a few seconds, it hung in midair. Then it began to descend lazily, drifting in the breeze, until it settled gently on the foredeck of the pirate ship.

With a roar of triumph, Hook spun the wheel.

Shining Pearl was a good swimmer, but she had the bad luck of being at the stern of the launch, which meant that the other occupants landed on top of her. An instant after she plunged into the water, a booted foot slammed into her head, stunning her; a second later another impact drove her deeper. Losing consciousness, she swallowed water and felt herself drifting down into the dark water below.

And then strong arms wrapped around her, and she was being lifted toward the light. She burst through the surface and turned to see her rescuer: it was Teacher, leader of the mermaids and an old friend of the Mollusks, who had been summoned by Tink. A moment later, Teacher’s powerful tail was propelling Shining Pearl swiftly toward shore and her anxious father.

There were three other mermaids in the water, and they were not being so kind to the rest of the swimmers. They swarmed around the flailing men, nipping at their arms and legs with needle-sharp teeth. The terrified swimmers screamed for their crewmates on deck to throw down lines; they grabbed these and climbed them with desperate speed. When things finally got sorted out on deck, the crew realized that two men were missing: O’Neal and Nerezza. It was assumed that they had fallen victim to the savage mermaid creatures. Nobody wanted to go looking for them, not in these unwelcome waters. The remaining officers quickly made their decision. The Nimbus turned and, at full steam, headed out to sea.

Far astern, a pile of floating debris—some seat planks and canvas that had fallen out of the launch when the cable broke—moved slowly but steadily toward the island.