The Pirate Code

by Heidi Schulz

  “All right, men, that’s enough!” Jocelyn commanded. “It was a valiant try, but we must now change our tack. Strike the sails! Drop anchor and show our broadsides. Ready the cannon! We stand and fight!”

  Jim McCraig and Evie worked together to lower the remaining sails, slowing the ship further. One-Armed Jack and Roger dropped the anchor. The Hook’s Revenge turned about, bringing the starboard side to the oncoming ship.

  Jocelyn wiped her sweaty palms on the front of her jacket. “Wait until they get into range and fire!” she commanded.

  One heartbeat. Two.

  They were silent, watching with mounting tension as Calypso’s Nightmare drew steadily nearer. When it was within range, Jocelyn gave the order. “Fire!”

  Smee relayed the order through the open hatch. “Fire, Jim!”

  Jim’s aim had improved by leaps and bounds since their last sea battle—but not enough. The cannonball dropped harmlessly into the sea.

  “I think he might’ve splashed them, though, Captain,” One-Armed Jack said, motioning toward the enemy ship with his newest arm, a whaling harpoon. “That should help, right? Fighting with wet clothes could cause them to chafe.”

  Jocelyn ignored him. “Wait until they start to turn; that will give us a bigger target.”

  Smee passed the order on. They waited. The Calypso’s Nightmare drew ever closer.

  Evie stood wide-eyed and gripping the railing, though Jocelyn hardly noticed her. She was watching Krueger. He stood at the bow of his ship, his eyes locked on Jocelyn. His white scar stood out against his sun-browned face. It looked as sharp and dangerous as the knife that had made it.

  When he was within spitting distance (Jocelyn tested, hitting a lanky pirate on his gangly arm), Krueger ordered the crew to drop the sails and anchor. His ship began to turn.

  “Fire at will!” Jocelyn cried.

  “Which one of them is Will?” One-Armed Jack asked. No one responded.

  Smee repeated Jocelyn’s order to Jim McCraig. This time the man’s cannonball found a target, glancing off the side of the hull. The wood splintered, but there was little damage. Still, he hit it! His cries of joy echoed through the hold. The morale of the entire crew flew higher.

  “Hit him again, Jim, between the wind and the waves!” Jocelyn commanded.

  Jim fired again. His shot was high, crashing into the railing and rolling across the deck. The ball bowled over a half dozen hard-bitten pirates as if playing at ninepins. The rest of Krueger’s crew did not bat an eye. A few men started swinging grappling hooks.

  The Calypso’s Nightmare completed her rotation, bringing her cannons into firing position. Krueger gave the order to fire. His ball connected, punching a hole high in the side of the Hook’s Revenge.

  “Mr. Smee, go belowdecks and give me a damage report. Everyone else, ready your arms”—Jack opened his mouth to reply, but Jocelyn cut him off—“or arm, for heaven’s sake!”

  “Captain Jocelyn, may I have a sword?” Evie asked. “I think I could swing it enough to help.”

  Jocelyn had nearly forgotten the girl was there. What would happen if she were killed? Jocelyn had to keep her safe. “No!” she replied. “It’s too dangerous! Go below deck!”

  “Why? You’re here. Roger is here.” Evie put her hands on her hips. “I’m older than both of you. I’ll fight and do my part.”

  Jocelyn let out an exasperated breath. “I can’t let anything happen to you!”

  “I didn’t know you cared so much.” Evie beamed at her.

  Jocelyn squirmed. “I don’t. I mean I do. But it’s complicated.”

  “Friendship always is. But you’re my friend, Jocelyn. I will fight for you.”

  A lump formed in Jocelyn’s throat. What was she going to do about Evie? She would have to figure that out later, once they were free of Krueger. “Bob!” she called out. “Arm her!”

  He muttered something about tea parties, but gave the girl a deadly-sharp dagger. She ran to the railing and brandished it. “You dogs will pay for your attack upon young Captain Hook!”

  The rival crew hooted and jeered. “Are you ready to dance, little lady?” one called out, waving a wicked-looking cutlass in her direction.

  “I am! I’ll lead!” she called back.

  “Good one, Evie!” Roger called.

  Jocelyn gritted her teeth, annoyance flaring. “This is no time for chitchat!”

  One of the men swung his grappling hook. It landed on the railing next to Evie. He leaped from his deck, swinging over the water, and hit the side of their ship with a thud.

  “Oh dear!” Evie cried. “He’s climbing up!”

  Jocelyn rushed forward, but the older girl was quicker. She brought her dagger down on the rope, slicing through as if it were made of butter. The pirate fell harmlessly to the sea. “That’s right!” she shouted. “Who else needs a bath?”

  Nubbins smelled under his arms. “I think I might.”

  “Not you, Nubbins!” Evie said. “I was talking to them!” She motioned toward the enemy pirates.

  “Oh. Them. Right.” He raised his voice. “Yeah, who needs a scrubbing? You can borrow my bathing cap!”

  The men’s reactions were more confused than anything. Each one stopped what he was doing and stared. Finally one broke the silence: “Keep your stinking bathing cap!” The rest of the pirates growled and shouted curses. Only Krueger remained calm. He held up a hand, quieting his men, then issued his most terrible command yet: “Enough play. Board her.”

  The crowd parted, allowing passage to several men carrying planks long enough to bridge the gap between the two ships. Large iron brackets were affixed to the planks’ ends. Before Jocelyn could formulate a plan, the men used them to hook the two ships together. Krueger’s crew began to swarm over the makeshift bridges.

  “Stop them!” Jocelyn yelled, but there was nothing left to do. There, in the ships’ graveyard, beneath the chill shadow of other fallen vessels, the Hook’s Revenge was overrun.

  All was lost.

  I’d like to tell you that the crew of the Hook’s Revenge was victorious in battle—that they fought back with a ferocity that took Krueger’s men by surprise. That they gave those devils their just deserts and sent them to meet Davy Jones. I’d like to tell you that because it is untrue and I very much enjoy lying to children.

  However, I fear I must continue rightfully telling this tale until it is finished. Here is the truth: The crew of the Hook’s Revenge fought hard, with heart and courage, but it did little good. They simply didn’t have enough skill or manpower. Krueger’s men flocked over them like seagulls on a bread crust. The pathetic fools didn’t stand a chance.

  At one point, when it was clear that they would lose the ship, Jocelyn tried to rouse Meriwether and get him to sprinkle everyone with fairy dust. It was of no use, however; the little man was too seasick to fly. The girl tried shaking him, which was rather unkind of her, given the condition of his stomach, but desperate times and all that. It yielded little result anyway. Perhaps enough fairy dust for one person, but that was all.

  The battle ended rather quickly after that. One by one, Jocelyn’s men were disarmed. Near the end, Jocelyn used the fairy dust on herself and flew to the deck of Calypso’s Nightmare, attempting to draw Krueger and his men back to her, but they did not pursue.

  “You’ll pay for this, Krueger!” Jocelyn called.

  At the sound of her voice, Meriwether roused himself from his seasick stupor and made one last-ditch effort—an attack on Krueger’s face. He hurtled himself toward the pirate, but Krueger simply reached a steady hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out what looked like a fancy perfume bottle. He pumped the atomizer’s bulb once. It released a small cloud of violet mist, enveloping the little fairy. Meriwether dropped to the deck at the man’s feet.

  “Noooo!” The scream clawed its way out of Jocelyn’s throat, a wild beast born of terror and rage. She wanted to claw Krueger’s eyes out. She wanted to fly to Meri, scoop him up, and make
sure he was all right—just as she had on the day they met. She did neither. Fear kept her rooted to the empty deck of Calypso’s Nightmare. Not fear of Krueger, but fear that Meriwether, her own wonderful fairy and friend, had had his light put out, never to shine again.

  Krueger most certainly saw that terror on the girl’s face. He stretched his lips across his foul teeth in an approximation of a smile. “Your fairy isn’t dead,” he called to her across the gap between the two ships. “Not at the moment anyway. He’s merely sleeping. I had a special solution made up after our last meeting.”

  He stooped and plucked up the little man, holding him between his thumb and forefinger as one might hold a pair of dirty undergarments. Meri did not shine at his usual brilliance, but there was a glow about him. Jocelyn felt she could breathe again.

  Krueger pulled a silver flask from his pocket and stuffed the fairy down in. “I think I’ll keep him close by. Could be useful. Now, pay attention and I’ll show you how a real pirate does his business.”

  He turned to address the wart-faced pirate Jocelyn was most familiar with. “Tie the new girl, Benito. I don’t trust her. Women, even half-grown ones, are wily creatures. We’ll sell her to the salt mines.”

  Though Evie fought valiantly, the pirate was large and strong. He trussed her up with relative ease.

  “As for the rest of you,” Krueger said, surveying his captives, “if any of you wish to join my cause, you are welcome. I am always in need of good men.”

  Benito cut in, “Captain, we already have a crew surplus. We are in need of no more. I say we send some new souls to Davy Jones!”

  “Excellent suggestion,” Captain Krueger said. He pulled a gold-plated pistol from his holster and casually pulled the trigger. The blast rang out over the waves, but it was Benito himself who fell overboard. “It seems I have at least one position to fill. The post of first mate has just been vacated. Who will join me?”

  Roger was the first to speak. “I’d rather die first!”

  “As would I,” said Smee. “And Johnny, too!”

  Dirty Bob held up his hands. “Let’s not be so hasty,” he said. “I’ll be keeping my life, if you don’t mind. Still a no from me, though. I haven’t forgotten you marooning me when I was last in yer service.”

  Krueger fingered the hilt of his pistol. “Nor have I. I should have killed you then, but I’ll get around to it sooner or later.” He turned his attention back on Jocelyn. “Shall we make it sooner, lassie?”

  “No!” she cried. She pulled the map from her pocket and waved it in the air. “Come get the map. You can have it! Just give me back my fairy and leave everyone else alone!”

  Krueger ran his tongue over his pointed teeth, greed washing his face. “Bring it to me.”

  Jocelyn hesitated.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Take the other girl and make her walk the plank.”

  “I’ve seen this before,” Mr. Smee said to no one in particular. “Never turns out like you think it should.”

  No one responded to Smee, but one of the pirates did grab Evie by the arm and drag her onto the plank. “Take your disgusting hands off me!” She pushed him, her shoulder catching him unaware. The pirate lost his balance and fell to the roiling sea.

  Krueger laughed. “See what I mean about wily?” He leveled his pistol at Evie but spoke to Jocelyn. “Bring me the map.”

  “Don’t hurt her!” Jocelyn nearly screeched in her terror. “I’m coming.” She flew from Krueger’s ship to her own, landing in front of the vile captain. Her hand shook as she held the map out to him.

  “Don’t give it to him!” Evie cried.

  “You.” Captain Krueger pointed at a particularly ugly pirate, covered from head to toe in scurvy sores. “Throw her overboard.”

  “I’ll save you the trouble. Fly, Jocelyn!” Evie yelled, before executing a perfect swan dive (which was rather impressive, considering her hands were still tied).

  “And there she goes,” Smee said, “just like another I once knew. Darling girl, she was.”

  Evie hit the waves with a splash. Roger launched himself over the railing after her. In a slight breach of protocol, considering he had no authority to command, One-Armed Jack called, “Abandon ship!” before bounding into the drink, followed by Nubbins and Mr. Smee. Blind Bart screamed in terror but was nudged overboard with a loving tackle from Jim McCraig. The parrot squawked and flew after him, a flash of green and yellow above the blue sea.

  Last to go was Dirty Bob. He looked as if he’d rather another option present itself, but when one did not, he shrugged and followed the rest of the crew into the bitter, cold embrace of the ocean, which, I’m certain, was not unlike that of my sweet mother.

  Krueger snatched the map from Jocelyn’s hand, rousing her from her stunned inaction. She had to get to Evie! Jocelyn took to the air, desperately flying back and forth, watching the waves. At last she caught a glimpse of yellow, a bit of Evie’s skirt billowing on the water’s surface for just a moment; then it was gone. Jocelyn dove.

  The cold water took her breath away, but she tried not to lose focus, intent on finding Evie. Though her eyes burned in the salt water, she refused to give in to the urge to close them. Below her she saw a dark shape, growing smaller as it sank. She kicked with all her might, desperate to catch the older girl. She reached out, her fingertips barely brushing Evie’s dress; then it was gone. Jocelyn stayed under, searching until she thought she would faint from lack of air, then forcing herself to search a moment more.

  Jocelyn likely would not have come up at all if someone hadn’t hauled her to the surface. She gulped air and opened her eyes.

  Evie held her tight with one arm and paddled with the other, keeping them both afloat. She swam toward the remains of a schooner, still relatively intact, though abandoned on the reef.

  “How—” Jocelyn began.

  Evie didn’t let her finish. “I hid the dagger down my dress front. It was a bit of a trick to get it out without dropping it—not to mention cutting my ropes underwater—but I managed all right in the end.” She grinned at Jocelyn. “I told you I was an excellent swimmer.”

  Anger and fear are close kin, even closer than my brother Danforth and me. As children, we were nearly inseparable. At least that’s what the surgeon said—though with skill and effort he eventually prevailed.

  Jocelyn’s fear at the thought of losing Evie, both for the older girl’s sake and for her own, hardened to anger once everyone had been accounted for and gathered together safely aboard the same wrecked ship. When she saw Krueger and his men sailing away, taking both Calypso’s Nightmare and the Hook’s Revenge with them, that anger exploded.

  Jocelyn whirled to face Evie. “What were you thinking, jumping into the sea like that? You could have been killed!”

  The girl appeared to be caught off guard by Jocelyn’s verbal attack, but she rallied and reacted in kind. “He was going to push me anyway! I simply took away his opportunity. I’d rather choose poorly, of my own accord, than have someone choose for me.”

  Guilt tugged at Jocelyn’s conscience, but she shoved it away. She placed her hands on her hips, affecting her captain stance. “That’s not the way it works on a pirate ship! You don’t choose. You wait for orders!”

  Evie mimicked Jocelyn’s posture, looking down on the girl from a two-inch height advantage. “If I had waited for you to tell me what to do, Krueger would have taken your map!”

  “Your brilliant plan failed! He took it anyway! If he hadn’t, do you think he would be leaving us alone?”

  The two girls were full-on shouting now. Everyone else stood by, watching in uncomfortable silence.

  “You let him take your map? Why would you do such a thing?” Anger colored Evie’s cheeks scarlet.

  “Maybe, for some insane reason, I was more worried about you than it!” Jocelyn put her hand on the hilt of her sword.

  Roger stepped forward. “Jocelyn, Evie, please, don’t fight.”

  “Stay out of this!” they b
oth yelled.

  Roger put his hands up in a gesture of supplication. “I’m just trying to help,” he said.

  “It’s not working,” Jocelyn snapped. “Stop trying to fix everything!”

  He stepped back, a pained look on his face. Jocelyn immediately regretted her words, but there was nothing she could do at the moment. She was responsible for the crew. Everyone would be looking to her for what to do next. The only problem was, she had no idea.

  “What are you all staring at?” she growled. “Go​…​swab the deck or something!”

  Jocelyn stormed to the opposite side of the ship to give herself time to think of a way out of the mess they were in. She sat on the slick and rotting decking (which really could have used a good swabbing) and watched until the two ships Krueger now commanded disappeared on the horizon. The Hook’s Revenge was still seaworthy, but the damage made it move slowly. The ship remained in her sights for several long minutes, giving plenty of time for dampness and despair to settle in, chilling her to the core. Her hopes and dreams felt nearly as dead as the wreckage beneath her.

  Above the chattering of her teeth, Jocelyn heard footsteps approach, but to her disappointment they were too heavy to belong to Roger. Mr. Smee groaned as he lowered himself to sit next to her. “Well now, Captain, things aren’t so bad, are they?”

  “What do you mean, not so bad? They’re awful! I’m quarreling with my closest friends. Krueger has Meri, my ship, and the map. What have I got, other than this unsailable wreck?”

  Smee looked at her over the top of his spectacles. His eyes were kind. “You’re not dead. Not even a little. That’s something, isn’t it?”

  Jocelyn smiled a bit in spite of herself.

  “And,” he continued, “you do have your friends.” He absentmindedly patted his sword. “No one can take them away. Though, I suppose, you can give ’em up, if you choose.”

  He stood, brushed off his backside, and offered her a hand. Jocelyn took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She felt shame wash over her. She had spoken far too harshly to both Evie and Roger, and she knew it. Then, to make matters worse, she had gone off on a sulk. With her ship or without, Jocelyn was still the captain. She needed to start acting like it.