by Heidi Schulz
Then she opened her eyes and called her crew around her. They stood at attention, ready to hear her commands. Even Meri looked prepared to fight. He had streaked his face with glowworm waste, making fierce designs and adding a green glow to his usual blue.
“Men,” Jocelyn said, “I know you are likely feeling nervous. Twice you have clashed with Krueger’s men. Twice you have failed.”
“That’s our cap’n,” Nubbins said with pride. “She’s always ready with a pep talk when we need it.”
“Quiet, you codfish!” she thundered. “This is no pep talk! This is me commanding you, as your captain, not to fail again.” Her voice grew softer. “You’ve gained experience, fighting Peter and the lost boys. You are trained. You are ready. This time, you will prevail. We will prevail.”
Pep talk or no, the men stood taller, heartened. It appeared that if Jocelyn believed, they could believe too.
“And now, for my plan,” she said. “It’s quite simple, really. We will hide and wait for Krueger and his crew to get here. As soon as they come through that door, you attack his men, while I attack him, save my grandfather, and go after the treasure. We have the element of surprise. We won’t lose.”
The crew hurried to obey Jocelyn’s command, hiding themselves within the cave and leaving Roger and Jocelyn alone for the first time since he’d been injured. Alone—save for Meriwether, that is. The fairy settled on Jocelyn’s head and stuck out his tongue, also painted glowworm green, at the boy.
Roger ignored Meri and rubbed at his stitches. “I feel awful that I couldn’t free your grandfather, but we will get him back. I promise.”
Jocelyn was taken aback. “You feel awful? I feel awful that I didn’t help. I left you to try and get the gibbet open on your own. And because of me, you were nearly killed. Again. First the crocodile, then Krueger. I’m afraid our friendship may be hazardous to your health.” She nudged him, gently, with her elbow. “I’m sorry I tried to force you to be unkind to Evie. I should have listened to you all along. I’d much rather be your friend than your captain.”
Meri clanged a rude ding-dong and Jocelyn shooed him away. He settled onto a small rock ledge and turned his back on the girl, affronted.
“I see no reason why you can’t be both, as long as the friend part is the most important.” Roger grinned. “And I forgive you. Will you forgive me?”
“For what?”
Roger quickly leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “For that.” He reached up and rumpled her hair, snarling it into an unruly rat’s nest atop her head. “And for that.” He winked at her.
A flush crept up her cheeks and she smiled. But before she could finish saying, “I’ll think about it,” Meri had launched himself off the ledge and was flying for Roger’s eyes, a trail of white-hot jealousy in his wake. Jocelyn intercepted him, plucking him out of the air and cradling him in her hand. He fought and struggled, but Jocelyn brought him to her mouth and gave him a light kiss on the top of the head—and this time the little man was conscious and able to enjoy it.
He collapsed on her palm in an embarrassed, yet delighted, stupor. Jocelyn and Roger both laughed at poor Meriwether’s state. He had come completely undone. She placed him in her pocket and he pulled the flap down over him. Who would have thought he could be bashful?
“Jocelyn,” Roger said, going back to their earlier conversation, “did you mean what you said about listening to me?”
She wrinkled her forehead. “Of course I did.”
“Well then,” he said, “I don’t think your plan will work.”
She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. It wouldn’t hurt to at least hear what he had to say. “Go on,” she said.
“If we all rush Krueger and his men, your grandfather could get hurt. I think we need to wait until they separate.” He pointed to the edge of the lake. “Look over there.”
Jocelyn’s eyes fell upon a small dinghy. So that was how Hook intended for the treasure to be reached. “I see it,” she said.
“That boat is too small for Krueger and his entire crew. Knowing Krueger, he will want to see the gold before anyone. He’ll go out there alone, and that’s when you’ll attack. The crew can take his men, and if you trust me to do it, I’ll save your grandfather.”
The only flaw she could see in his plan was that she hadn’t thought of it herself, but perhaps that was all right. If she could be a pirate captain who didn’t sack ships, perhaps she could also be one who listened to the good advice of her friends.
“I do trust you,” she said, feeling the truth of her words. “More than anyone.”
“Good.” He flashed his just-for-her smile. “I won’t let you down, Jocelyn. I’ll get Sir Charles. You get Krueger.”
Jocelyn nodded. “Tell the men,” she said. The girl gave Roger a playful nudge, then lifted off. When Krueger arrived at the gold, he’d find more than he bargained for.
Jocelyn flew low, marveling over the lake beneath her. She hoped the water’s glow was from a less disgusting source than the ceiling’s. Yet even if it wasn’t, such luminescence was beautiful to behold. The lake appeared to be very deep but was clear all the way to the bottom. She could see more of the crystal formations shining brightly on its floor. The treasure chamber was truly a wondrous sight.
She flew a circuit around the giant crystal “finger” growing out of the lake’s center, inspecting it carefully. Given the puzzles and traps her father had set thus far, she felt it unlikely the treasure itself would be free of hazards. The column was thick at the base and tapered to a narrow point, from which a long rope ladder dangled. On the finger’s pointed tip, a great wooden platform was precariously balanced. The treasure was even more precariously balanced atop it.
And what a treasure it was! Gold coins, bars, nuggets, and bullion; jewels raw and uncut as well as highly polished gems set into necklaces, rings, crowns, and scepters; statues, fine art, and other antiquities from throughout history; crates bearing such labels as PROPERTY OF THE ALEXANDRIA PUBLIC LIBRARY and IF FOUND, PLEASE RETURN TO ATLANTIS—and those were simply the things Jocelyn could see. There were treasures untold buried within the pile.
All of it was arranged with precision on the platform, the only space free of treasure being near the center. That area was several feet in diameter and surrounded an open hatch in the platform’s floor through which the ladder could be accessed. It was in that bare space that Jocelyn landed.
The platform tilted ever so slightly under her feet, and Jocelyn recognized genius in the design. If the weight atop it were to shift dramatically, the entire platform would tip, dumping the treasure into the lake. As a result, only small, carefully chosen amounts could be removed at once. Stealing the treasure would take weeks of painstaking effort.
She heard splashing from below. Krueger had arrived. She could see him, illuminated by the water, though she was certain he would be unable to see her in the dimmer light at the top of the platform. A second man pulled awkwardly on the oars. Jocelyn pulled her spyglass and brought it to her eye. It was her grandfather!
Jocelyn waited, impatiently. She tried to pass the time by thinking of what she would say when she met Krueger for what she hoped would be the last time. It seemed to take forever for Sir Charles to pilot the little boat, and longer still for Captain Krueger to scale the rope ladder. He was less than halfway up when she was suddenly overcome with doubts. What if she failed again?
A shadow crossed over the platform, interrupting her thoughts; then Roger was floating quietly beside her. He stooped, running his fingers gently through a pile of coins. The platform swayed a fraction of an inch. “Amazing,” he whispered. “Good thing you can fly.” He winked, then grew serious. “As soon as Krueger reaches the top, I’ll row your grandfather to safety.”
Jocelyn’s hands felt clammy. “He will never stop coming after us. Not unless I defeat him.”
“You will,” Roger said.
“I wish you had another bottle of courage on you. I could
use a little extra belief in myself.”
He winked at her. “You can borrow some of mine. I believe in you.”
Jocelyn was about to reply in kind, when she saw Krueger’s hands grip the edge of the hatch. He had made it up the ladder. Silent as an owl, Roger dove toward the little boat, but Jocelyn did not watch. She kept her eyes trained on Krueger.
His head poked up through the hole, his ruined nose whistling with his exerted breathing. Though she stood mere feet from him, he did not notice the girl. He only had eyes for those mountains of gold. Jocelyn had never seen such a look of naked greed. He pulled himself through the hatch and gingerly approached the treasure, careful not to upset the balance of the platform. Krueger stooped and grabbed a coin, caressing it, before placing it in his pocket.
“Thief!” Jocelyn pointed her sword and took a tentative step toward him, the floor shifting slightly beneath their feet.
If Krueger was startled by her, he made no sign of it. He drew his sword and sneered.
Jocelyn gave her prepared speech. “The crocodile stole my father from me. You know what its reward was. You have stolen my grandfather and have attempted to steal this treasure, which is rightfully mine. Would you care to experience the same fate?”
“You silly, stupid child. Pirates are thieves! That’s what we do. You cannot fault me for that any more than you can fault a fish for swimming. Do you expect to punish every one of them?” He lunged with his sword, causing the platform to tip. He quickly stepped back to balance it.
“No,” Jocelyn said. “Just you. And not all pirates turn thief. I have not.” Jocelyn leaped toward him, but instead of retreating, or parrying the blow, Krueger stepped into it, clearly more concerned with keeping the platform balanced than with his own life. Jocelyn’s sword grazed his cheek, adding a new cut to his already disfigured face.
He wiped the blood with the back of his hand. “Then you are no pirate! Refusing to steal goes against the Code.”
“I get to decide what I will be! I make my own code. Now throw down your weapons or I will dump this treasure to the bottom of the lake, where it will live, forever in sight of anyone who comes to this chamber, yet impossible to recover.” She took a step away from the man, the floor tilting in her direction.
Krueger took a hurried step back as well, balancing the platform once more. “You miserable brat. If only I had killed you when I had the chance!” He pulled his flintlock pistol and leveled it at her.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jocelyn chided.
He didn’t answer, but neither did he fire.
“What’s the matter? You’re not curious as to why?” Jocelyn took another step backward, forcing him to do the same. “You don’t have to ask. I’ll tell you anyway. First, firearms are inelegant. Any pirate worth his salt depends on blade over bullet. Second, if you shoot me, I could fall off the platform. Do you think you can make it back to the center in time?”
“How about we try and see?” He cocked the pistol.
“All right then, if you want to be stranded up here. You see, I might not fall off the platform. I might fall where I stand. If I do that, your only options are to stay where you are and hope one of your men will be smart enough to figure out how to rescue you, or run for the hatch and lose all the gold.”
The pistol shook in his trembling hand. He gnashed his foul, pointy teeth so hard he injured his gums. Blood ran from his mouth, mingling with what still flowed from his cheek, before dripping off his chin. He did not notice. “This gold is mine!” he raged. “Mine!”
Jocelyn chanced a glance toward the shore. It was too far for her to see her crew. She hoped they had been able to subdue Krueger’s men. She was able to make out the dark silhouette of a small boat rowing rapidly away from the finger. Her grandfather was safe. It was time to end this. “Never mind. As I can see that Sir Charles is no longer your captive, I think you shan’t have the gold after all.”
Jocelyn did not know how unwise it was to taunt a man who had just discovered he had nothing to lose. He pulled the trigger. The ball raced toward the girl, but Krueger’s aim was off by a fraction of an inch. The bullet crashed into a golden statue of a young satyr that stood near her. The figure fell as if killed by the pirate’s gun, upsetting the balance of the platform again.
Krueger shuffled backward, all the way to the edge of the platform, but it still tilted in Jocelyn’s direction. The treasure shifted, and a delicate balance was held, but one small move by either Krueger or Jocelyn would send the entire hoard plummeting. The pair locked eyes. Krueger’s were filled with rage and defeat.
“Jocelyn!” Roger flew toward them. “I heard a shot. Are you all right?”
Krueger aimed again, this time at Roger. No treasure was worth the lives of those she cared for. Jocelyn lifted from the platform in flight. It tilted sharply in Krueger’s direction; he had no time to balance it again. The pirate dropped his flintlock and fell, barely catching the edge of the platform as he went over. A waterfall of treasure cascaded past him, slowly at first, then faster, plummeting to the lake below.
Jocelyn took pity on him. “Roger, help me!” she shouted.
They hovered above the man, reaching for him. “Give me your hand,” she said. “We’ll fly you to the shore!”
Krueger locked his dark, soulless eyes on Jocelyn. They were filled with inhuman rage. Jocelyn recoiled. The man turned his head toward the shower of gold running past him. A strangled howl burst from his throat. He gave the girl one last hateful look, then simply let go.
Even as he fell, Captain Krueger reached for the gold, snatching a handful of coins from midair and clutching them to his chest. A look of peace came over him just before he hit the water.
Captain Krueger would lie forevermore in a watery tomb, buried under the greatest treasure ever amassed.
It occasionally takes losing something important to help you realize what kind of person you are. For example, if I were to take your little finger, you might be sad, but if you were a person of any quality you would dwell on the nine you had left—and how you might use them to seek your revenge.
The last coin rolled from the platform, which was now nearly vertical, yet still attached by some unseen means to the stone finger. Once the water settled, Jocelyn could see the mountain of gold and jewels far, far beneath its surface—too deep for her to ever recover. So Krueger had the gold after all, and would keep it forever, though what happiness it would bring his corpse, she couldn’t guess.
The treasure mattered far less than she had thought it might. Jocelyn had her grandfather, her crew, and her best friend. She felt rich.
Those warm feelings didn’t last. They were replaced by fear.
The tilted platform had set off Hook’s last trap, insuring that any thieves in his treasure chamber would stay there forever. The walls rumbled, casting glowworms from the sky like stars hurtling from heaven. A giant boulder dropped, sealing off the doorway from which they had entered the chamber.
Jocelyn flew through the air, her eyes darting to and fro, searching for an alternate way out. The sound of grinding stone filled her ears, and more boulders dropped, these opening at least a dozen conduits around the edges of the chamber, each spewing a great rushing force of water into the lake. It quickly began to rise. Her crew and her grandfather—along with Krueger’s men, stripped of their weapons—stood scattered near the shore of the rising lake. Panic etched their faces.
“Roger!” the girl cried. “Gather everyone together and have them prepared to move. I’ll find us a way out!”
But no way presented itself. It appeared that after all they had been through, their adventure would end here. They would drown.
Who puts a lake inside a cave anyway! Her mind caught on that idea. How did the water get inside the cave? There had to be an underground spring of some sort. And if water could get in through it, maybe they could get out the same way. She flew back and shouted her hunch over the rushing water.
She pointed at what
she hoped was their escape. Near the far edge, under the water, along the rock wall, was a place that was darker than the rest. It was a long shot, but it was their only one. The girl made sure Meriwether was still firmly tucked away in her pocket, and told him to hold his breath. Jocelyn grabbed her grandfather’s hand, wishing she had time for a proper reunion, and dove into the rapidly rising lake. Roger, her crew, and Krueger’s defeated pirates followed. Even Blind Bart, with his lifelong terror of the water, did not hesitate to dive in. He would apparently rather drown attempting to save himself than drown without hope.
Jocelyn dove deep, then deeper, kicking for where the water was darkest. Sir Charles proved to be a surprisingly adept swimmer and helped to propel them along. They found the entrance to an underwater tunnel and fought against the current to enter. Jocelyn hoped the passage would not be longer than their air supply.
Just as she felt all was lost, the tunnel widened and they were out. The pair kicked toward the surface. They broke through, and Jocelyn took a shuddery breath. The first thing she noticed was the starry sky—real stars, not worm excretions. The second thing she noticed was the bright smile under Sir Charles’s drooping mustache. She had rescued him. She was home.
They climbed, dripping wet from the waves, onto the beach. Both her crew and Krueger’s followed. Jocelyn had a moment of wild panic when she didn’t see Blind Bart, but presently he came along, joining them on the sand.
“Sorry, Captain. After years of being held back by a fear of the sea, I felt I was overdue for a victory lap! The briny deep had me in her clutches, but she could not claim me!”
Jocelyn laughed in relief. Her men were all accounted for, Krueger was no longer a threat, she and Roger had made up, and she had her grandfather back. The girl threw her arms around him.
Sir Charles pulled back and looked at her. “I can’t believe what I saw in there. I don’t know what to say about this. A young lady such as yourself, leading a band of…of…” He looked around at her crew. “Thieves and miscreants…”