Chapter 19
19
T he afternoon on the ship passed quietly. Anna chewed on the biscuit every now and then whenever her stomach felt a little queasy, but the intervals were growing farther and farther apart.
Johnny came up on deck from the galley to discuss something with Chris, who would periodically return to the helm and go over the route with his men. Even Freddy was among these men. The captain seemed to take his feedback seriously because he and his crew discussed which route they should sail along the east coast. They pulled out maps and sextants. Anna really didn't have any idea what they were doing. Even so, the afternoon passed swiftly. She explored the ship and found a cozy spot on the forward deck where no one else was and lay down in the bow net that was swinging back and forth leisurely. She stared out at the water and bowsprit. Fine spray splashed her face every now and then, but it was more refreshing than annoying. As she enjoyed the wind whipping around her nose, she gave in to her thoughts.
She kept wondering what had happened back then. If only she could get her memories back! Had a spell been put on her? The same spell that had banished her to the other world? She laughed in disbelief. The other world. For the first time, she no longer thought of the other world with Nele and the home improvement store as her home. No, she knew — she felt — that this land with Anton, the captain, his pirates, and all the magic was her home, and she didn't want to return to the other world. Still, she would certainly miss Nele as well as her friendly colleagues. She even missed her tyrannical boss a bit, as well as her apartment, her routine, and her clutter. But she was eager to explore this world: to spend time with Chris, take trips with Anton, and maybe enjoy another cocoa with Elena.
If she truly was a fairy, she was certain that it would come naturally. Her magical side could hardly be suppressed forever. No, at some point, it would break free — if it was true.
But how would sailing to the Kingdom of Winter help save the fairies? Sure, the Snow Queen was the prime suspect, but how could they defend themselves against her magic if she actually was that powerful? She would hardly say, "Ah, you caught me! Now I will right everything." No, they needed a plan or — better yet — leverage to get the Snow Queen to release the source of fairy dust. For Anna was convinced of one thing: Once the spring finally flowed again, the power would return to the fairies.
"Have you found your usual place, madam?"
Smiling, she glanced up directly into the captain's dark eyes.
"Usual place?"
"Aye. I used to always find you here. Sometimes, you flew up to the crow's nest in fairy form when you wanted peace or to keep a lookout."
"So you admit that I wanted some time alone?"
"Not from me, you never could get enough of me." He slid into the ropes next to her, took her head between his hands, and lowered his face to hers. Their eyes met just before their lips did, and her stomach began to sway again. The kiss was gentler than she was used to, but she still succumbed to it and the world stopped spinning for a moment.
Only to then spin faster than before.
"Ship ahoy!"
Chris snorted and turned to the pirate in the crow's nest, who was looking west with a spyglass. "Who is it?"
"Blackbeard!"
"Damn bunch! Like I wanted to run into him now, of all times."
Other pirates? Torn between excitement and apprehension, Anna sat up on the ropes and looked at Chris. Judging by the expression on his face, it wasn't a social call.
"Blackbeard? He's probably not one of the gentler pirates…"
"Aye. Go below deck so he doesn't see you."
What? She was supposed to hide? "Why?"
"Because he put a bounty on your head."
Anna paled. Shocked, she stared at Chris. "He what?"
"Let’s just say he's the bad sort of villain and leave it at that. Now go hide. It'll be bad if we have to fight him and I don't want him and his crew coming after us — which he would if he saw you."
Her thoughts were racing. A pirate captain had put a bounty on her head? Why? For how long? Who knew about it? Her questions finally found their way to her lips. "Why…?"
"Later, Ani, get to safety." Chris swung out of the ropes, held out his hand, and she quickly took it. "For heaven's sake, keep your head down!"
Shoot. This sounded truly serious. Crouching, she followed the captain, who didn't take her to his cabin but below deck with the tied-up mutineers. Great. "Is there no other place to hide?"
"I may not be able to prevent him from peeking in my cabin. He knows I keep my most precious treasures there. If his men make it onto the Fortuna, they'll try to search that room first. So you have to be somewhere else, understand?"
"Sure, but I'm not going to wait down here for someone to attack me. I need a weapon to defend myself."
"Damn, that's right, you can't transform. Once we get rid of that cursed Blackbeard, we must try to awaken your powers. Until then, take my knife." He pulled the weapon out of his boot and handed it to her. As she took it, their hands touched. Pausing momentarily, she looked at him. Everything inside her wanted to protest. She wanted to help, to take part, and defend herself, but obviously he was right and she had to be sensible.
She swiftly fled below deck. As Chris closed the hatch, he gave her one last look. "Don't do anything stupid, Ani. Promise me."
"I promise."
He smiled as he leaned down and caressed her cheek before slamming the hatch shut. She heard his firm footfalls stomping away. Mixed in was the thunder of other boots rushing across the deck as the men took defensive positions. Chris barked one order after another, shouting out words like cannon, fuses, swords , and port . She had no idea what he planned to do, but she had to trust him. Him and his abilities. He hadn't been a feared captain for so long that he would be defeated by just one attack.
Pirates fighting pirates — and she was in the middle of it. Thinking about it gave her goosebumps. She took a few steps into the dark hallway. The light barely made its way through the planks, casting everything in shadows. Farther back, she discovered the door secured by numerous locks. Luckily, it was quiet behind it. Still, she stayed away from the room and the men trapped within.
Before she could look around below deck, she heard bellowing. Were those the other pirates? Why hadn't Chris chased them off with the cannons?
"Well, old friend? Is everything all right on your cutter?"
The loud voice was deep and dripping with mockery. That had to be Blackbeard. His ship was obviously near the Fortuna. The captain was probably trying to prevent a skirmish. Cannon fire would have been suspicious.
Chris's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We're fine, but you should take a look at your rigging. It doesn't look particularly stable to me."
"My rigging is none of your damn business."
She heard the pirates grumbling, but Chris seemed to calm them down. "What do you want?" he asked the other captain.
"They say your little girlfriend is back."
"I have many girlfriends. Which one do you mean?"
The captain spoke naturally, his voice resonating with arrogance. Even though she knew it was merely an act, it wounded her.
Blackbeard laughed. "You know exactly who I'm talking about. That damned little fairy who has been turning our world upside-down. They say you two escaped from Linnenberg."
"Whoever said that must be blind. I haven't seen that fairy in years. But if you have a tip for me…?"
Anna shuddered. So the pirates were after her. But why? Did she have something that was of interest to them? Or was it because she was supposedly the main culprit? The person truly responsible must have been clever and thought through their plan two or three times, because otherwise, they wouldn't have managed to lead everyone in circles. But how had the pirates found out so quickly that Anna was back? Had word spread quickly, or were they conspiring with the mutineers?
Blackbeard's eerie voice rang out again. "I am not a fool, O'Brien, but if you think so, invite me onto your ship so I can see for myself."
Dang it. She barely dared breathe as she listened to the men speak. She slowly realized why Anton hadn't wanted her to go with Chris. He wasn't only worried about him and his crew, but also the other dangers on the sea — especially the rival band of pirates.
"Before I invite you onto my ship, you will see the sun rise in the west, Blackbeard. Now get out of my way or you and your miserable crew of rats will regret speaking to me."
Anna closed her eyes. She listened for the answer, her hands trembling. She believed she had missed the reply when the deep voice rang out, "If you want it that way, O'Brien, say goodbye to your Fortuna. We will sink you into the sea along with her. ATTACK!"
"ATTACK!"
She heard something strike the planks. With a loud bang, the two ships rammed each other and the impact sent Anna falling to the floor. She immediately rose, the knife firmly in her hand, and listened to the sounds of the battle. Sabers clashed and screams interspersed with orders rang out. Her pulse quickened with every stroke. The seconds felt like years, the minutes an eternity. If only she could help in some way! The men were fighting because of her. How could Anton have doubted them? They fought even though it would have been so easy to hand Anna over for the reward. She would never forget it. They were all risking their lives for her, especially the captain, who tirelessly shouted orders and rallied his crew.
"Loosen the grappling hooks!" Chris shouted. The ship lurched and the next moment the hatch opened. Relief overwhelmed her and she quickly ran toward the opening when a strange face peeked inside. Even though she had only met the crew that afternoon, she knew immediately that this man had not been among them.
"Blackbeard! I have something here that you should take a look at." The strange voice sounded revolting to her. Had he discovered her? Anna tiptoed backward, deeper into the hallway. She kept the knife ready to defend herself against the buccaneer.
"Where are you going, darling?"
Oh, no, he had seen her. Anna tensed up and gripped the knife in her right hand. How could she have ended up in such a situation? She didn't want to attack someone with a knife!
"Get lost or…" Or? Or what? How could she threaten a ruthless pirate?
"Or what, darling?" He was in front of her in two steps, his saber raised.
Her heart sank when she saw the pirate's yellow teeth flash. The smell of old sweat and rum filled her nose. Nausea crept up inside her, but she fought it back. She needed her strength, her full concentration. If she truly was a fairy, she had to transform now. Now! Please! Magic, where are you? Come to me if you're truly inside me.
"Or what?" he sneered again. He grabbed her wrist, but Anna yanked free. She tried to take a step back from him, but there was nowhere to go, as her back was already against the wall. She resolutely raised the knife and held it under the pirate's nose.
"You better get lost unless you want to wear an eye patch from now on!"
He laughed, and it sounded like tin cans rattling. "I think you're overestimating yourself, darling." He tried to grab her again when he was jerked backward.
"Don't touch her or the fish will feast on you for dinner!" She heard a thud and the pirate fell to the ground, unconscious. Chris appeared behind him. Anna could barely see his dark eyes in the pale light, but there was a fire and a desperation to defend Anna burning in them.
"Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm unhurt."
"Lucky for him." He grabbed him and hoisted him effortlessly over his shoulder. The smelly pirate hung on top of him like a wet sack, his arms hanging limply and his head swaying passively back and forth. "Did he recognize you?"
"I don't know. He called me darling."
The captain grumbled. "We'll lock him up with the others for safekeeping so he can't escape and tell Blackbeard what he and probably everyone else has long suspected."
"That I'm on your ship?"
"Aye."
An uneasy feeling spread through her. What did the situation look like on deck?
"Are the men… hurt?"
Chris waved his hand. "Just a few injuries you don't need to worry about."
"But they have them because of me."
"No, because of them. They knew what they were in for when we started to fight for the disappearing fairies. They deliberately decided to stay by my side and therefore by your side. We have since sailed into enough ports where they could have left. No, they all fight for what they believe in."
Anna understood what he meant, but she was the one the men had defended. "I feel responsible."
"You shouldn't."
Easy for him to say.
Chris opened the locks, placed the unconscious privateer with the mutineers, bound him, and locked the door back up.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a prison on board. Normally, pirates don't take prisoners but instead make them walk the plank or maroon them on a deserted island. But I won't let the mutineers get away that easily, and this one might spill the beans that he saw you. Maybe we can use him as leverage, though I doubt anyone will want him back. I hope the stench doesn't reach the deck."
Anna laughed and he turned. His gaze softened — so much softer than what one expected from a man who looked like him.
"I have missed that."
"My laugh?"
"Aye." He inspected her with his eyes while stroking her cheek and arms with his rough fingers. With a rakish grin on his lips, he leaned down and kissed her. She felt his lips on hers, his hands in her hair, and a pleasant shiver ran down her spine.
This time no one bothered them — no shouts, no men from the crew, and no pirate attack. They lost themselves in the kiss as if it were the first in so many years.
When an image flickered in her mind, Anna lost her breath. She saw Chris sitting on the beach. The glow of a campfire was casting shadows across his face, and he had a tender gaze focused completely on her. He was peering down at her, but she wasn't sitting in front of him — no, she was sitting on his hand, which seemed incredibly large. And her face was reflected in his dark eyes. But she didn't just see that, she saw something completely different.
The tips of great, glittering wings.