Skullduggery Island

by Adrianne Ambrose

  “Let me at them,” Billy called out as he waved his wooden sword in the air. He charged at the oncoming invaders, but before he could reach them a pirate swinging on a rope kicked him square in the chest. The young boy went flying through the air and landed in the sea with a wail and a splash.

  “I’ll save you,” Bilge said, grabbing the barge’s only life preserver and preparing to jump over the side as well.

  “There’s no time for that,” Owen told the old salt, while fending off a pirate with his cutlass. “Just throw him the preserver and keep fighting.”

  The old sailor scoffed. “I’m a cook,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I don’t fight. I boil, I fry, I maybe even bake, but I don’t fight.” With that, Bilge leaped over the side and was in the water paddling toward the sputtering Billy.

  “Look out!” Matilda shouted. A large pirate with a long scar across his cheek was lunging toward Owen, his large cutlass raised in the air. Matilda managed to divert the blow with her rapier, but the force was too much for her slender sword, and the blade broke in half. “Not good,” she said, dropping the now-useless weapon.

  Owen thrusted his cutlass at the scar-faced pirate, hoping to draw his attention from Matilda.

  “Take that!” Matilda had tied a knot at the end of her piece of rope and was using it to whip the pirate’s face.

  “Ahh!” the pirate shrieked, shielding his eyes.

  Matilda drew back her arm in anticipation of dealing the pirate another blow, not realizing that Owen was standing so close behind her. “Watch it!” Owen barked as he, in turn, felt the sting of the rope.

  “Sorry.” Matilda tried to jerk the rope away from him. Unfortunately, it became tangled around Owen’s sword-bearing arm. He pulled back, but his arm was caught. He couldn’t move without losing his cutlass.

  The scar-faced pirate moved in on Matilda and Owen. They struggled to untangle the rope, but there wasn’t enough time. The pirate raised his sword and started to swing.

  “Hold on tight and follow my lead,” Owen said. “I have a plan.”

  Before Matilda could respond, Owen charged forward. “Go around the other side of him,” he called out as he ducked and ran past the pirate. Matilda did the same on the other side. The pirate paused to figure out what was happening. Before he could think, the length of rope caught him across the stomach and pulled him backward.

  Owen and Matilda kept running, dragging the pirate back and knocking him to the deck.

  “We did it,” Matilda cried out, but her celebration came too soon. As the scar-faced pirate fell, he sliced at the rope with his sword. As the rope split in two, Owen and Matilda were thrown forward. Before they could brace themselves, they both tumbled off the side of the barge.

  “Quick, back on the boat,” Owen called out as his head splashed out of the water.

  “I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Matilda replied as she came sputtering to the surface.

  Owen looked up to the deck of The Guppy and saw MacCullen waving a white handkerchief in the air, surrendering the barge and crew to Crawfish.

  “So what do we do now?” Matilda asked.

  “Swim for Dragon Cove” was all Owen could think to suggest.

  Chapter Six

  Dangers of Pirate Outpost

  The waves thrashed up against Matilda and Owen as they struggled against the current. Behind them, they could see Captain Crawfish’s ship heading back out to sea. Ahead lay the distant shores of Dragon Cove. Dry land was a long way off, but a good swim was better than surrendering to the pirates.

  As they made their way closer to the island, Owen thought he could hear a voice calling out.

  “Do you hear that?” he yelled to Matilda, who was a little ahead of him. “I think someone’s calling to us.”

  Matilda slowed down so Owen could catch up. “There it is again,” Owen said. This time they both heard it.

  “Ahoy!” the voice called out. In the distance they saw Bilge and Billy sharing the life preserver and kicking toward the same island.

  “Ahoy, yourself,” Owen replied as he and Matilda swam toward them.

  It took well over an hour to reach the island. They took turns using the preserver so that no one got too tired. But the closer they got to land, the more apparent it became that they weren’t approaching Dragon Cove. What they saw was a small steep island piled high with giant rocks. At the base sat a huge boulder that had been carved in the shape of a foreboding skull.

  “This be bad,” Bilge remarked. “That there’s the Pirate Outpost, I’d bet me life on it. It’s one of the roughest places in these parts.”

  Matilda gave Owen a concerned look. “How did we get way over here?” she asked. “Pirate Outpost is nowhere near Dragon Cove.”

  “Maybe Captain MacCullen isn’t as good a navigator as he thought,” Owen replied. “Let’s get to shore, and we’ll worry about getting to Dragon Cove later.”

  The sun was setting by the time they reached land. Their cold, wet clothes hung off their bodies as they made their way up the beach.

  “The only thing on this island looks to be the outpost,” Matilda said. “I say we head that way.”

  “That place gives me the creeps,” Billy said, trying to shake off the water. “Pirates are scarier than I thought.”

  “Aye,” Bilge agreed. “Pirate Outpost be a place of blackhearts and thieves. You can’t trust pirates…although I’ve known a few who could cook up a mean casserole.”

  “Do you think we could hire a ship there?” Matilda asked.

  “I don’t want to go anywhere near that outpost,” Billy added. “There has to be someone else on this island with a ship we can hire. I’d rather try to build a raft out of coconuts than go up there.”

  “No, there’s a piece of the map in that outpost,” Owen said as he gripped the hilt of the cutlass hanging from his side. “I’ve had it up to here with pirates, and I aim to collect it.”

  They made their way up the beach and along a winding, briar-filled trail that led to the outpost. Two giant thugs stood guard on either side of the only door leading into the rundown building.

  “Only the worthy shall enter through these here doors,” the first thug said.

  “Argg. Are ye worthy?” the second thug added.

  “Know ye the name of the one who calls the seafarers home?” the first thug asked. “From shore to reef and from dusk to dawn. Under the stars and…”

  “Marigold,” Bilge blurted out.

  “Aye, a beautiful lass she is at that,” the first thug said.

  “In ya go,” the second one added with a knowing nod as he opened the door.

  Bilge nodded back as he made his way past the others and entered the outpost.

  Owen, Matilda, and Billy gave him an odd look and followed.

  “How did you figure that out?” Matilda asked.

  “Figured nothin’,” Bilge replied. “I said this place is rough; never said I ain’t been here before. Have a great stroganoff special on Tuesdays, they do.”

  Owen’s confidence dropped as he entered the Pirate Outpost. Until earlier that morning he’d never even seen a real-life pirate before. Now he stood in a room full of them. As the group entered the dingy tavern, all eyes fell upon them.

  A menacing-looking pirate with a long gray beard rose out his seat and walked over to Owen. “This be a dangerous place. Too dangerous for the likes of you,” the man hissed.

  “The Tuesday crowd be a bit friendlier,” Bilge added as he moved behind Owen.

  As the bearded pirate opened his mouth, Owen noticed a dingy gold tooth.

  Owen remembered what the governor’s letter said: Even pirates must brush their teeth, or their days will end in grief. No matter how you fill your hold, a beautiful smile is worth its weight in gold.

  “We’re here to find something, and I think you might be able to help us,” Owen said to the pirate. “Once we have it, we’ll be leaving.”

  “Oh, you’l
l be leavin’, all right,” the pirate said. “On ye heads.”

  The room erupted in laughter as the other pirates rose and started moving toward Owen and the others.

  “Come on, Owen,” Matilda said as she tugged on his sleeve. “I don’t think we’re going to get any help here.”

  “But you don’t understand,” Owen pleaded to the pirate. “You’re supposed to help us.”

  Before the pirate could respond, Matilda and Bilge dragged Owen from the outpost.

  As they turned to run down the trail and back to the beach, they saw another group of gruff pirates heading their way. Behind them, they could hear the pirates from the tavern chasing after them.

  Billy nervously pulled out his wooden sword. “This really isn’t how I thought the day was going to go.”

  The gold-toothed pirate stepped up to Owen. “You won’t be leavin’ without some kind of payment. How’s about you hand over that fancy sword.”

  Owen looked down at his cutlass. There was no way he could hand it over to this pirate. His family had kept it safe for generations. He would have to fight his way out.

  Before Owen could get his hand on the hilt of the cutlass, the pirate already had a dagger pointed at his throat.

  “That was a big mistake,” the pirate said. “Now you’re going to pay with your lives.”

  “Relax, Larry,” a gravelly female voice called out. All heads turned to see a woman with long wavy red hair stroll out of the shadows. “They’re just kids and an old man. I’m sure they’re not here to make trouble.” She looked Owen straight in the eye. “Are you?”

  “No,” Owen stammered. “Our ship was captured by pirates, and we had to swim to shore. We thought we were headed for Dragon Cove.”

  The woman smirked and gave a small laugh. “You’re a long way from Dragon Cove.”

  “We’ve figured that out,” Owen said as he looked at the dozens of pirates looming over them.

  The woman glared at the other pirates. “All right, boys,” she said. “You’ve had your fun. Leave these outsiders to me.”

  The pirate horde all looked to the gray-bearded pirate, who reluctantly nodded and headed back to the tavern. The others followed him.

  “I’m Morgan,” the woman said, extending her hand to Owen. She wore a long jacket and leather boots that folded over at the top.

  “Owen,” he said, shaking her hand with a firm grip.

  “How are you planning on getting off this rock?” Morgan asked.

  “I’m afraid we don’t know,” Owen admitted. “Try to hire a boat, I guess.”

  Morgan hiked an eyebrow. “I’ve got a ship. You’ve got the money to pay me?”

  Owen stuck his hands in his pockets and felt only a few small doubloons. “Not really.” Owen shook his head. “But I’ll be able to pay you soon. And, I mean, pay well.”

  She seemed intrigued. “What exactly do you mean by pay well? Do you mean as in some kind of reward or something?”

  Owen was reluctant to mention their plans—or the word treasure—in front of her. He explained that they had several stops to make and once they were done, she’d get her payment.

  Looking at her nails, Morgan said, “Well, I just happen to be free at the moment, so I suppose I could help you out. But whatever this reward is, it’d better be good.”

  “Oh, it will be,” Owen assured her. “But before we agree to anything, what kind of ship do you have? Is it fast? The last vessel we were on was kind of slow moving.”

  Morgan also took note of the grumbling of the unfriendly locals. “If we have a deal, maybe we’d better sleep aboard my ship tonight. I know a little cove we can use that’s out of the way. We can launch tomorrow at first light.”

  Chapter Seven

  The Riddle of Dragon Cove

  Morgan did indeed have a fast ship. Sleek and low to the water, The Lark seemed perfect for slipping in and out of a port without drawing much notice. She maintained a small crew, none of whom appeared all that eager to be social with Owen and the others.

  “This doesn’t look like a pirate ship,” Owen said to Matilda as they sat in the back of The Lark and watched the crew hurry about.

  “I know,” she replied in a voice just above a whisper. “I think she might be a smuggler. I’d be willing to bet Morgan is a rumrunner. I’ve read books about them. I know they’re outlaws, but there’s something so glamorous about them.”

  “What do you think your father would do if you became a rumrunner?” Owen asked with a little laugh.

  “He’d probably lock me away until I was an old lady,” she replied. “It’s not fair.”

  “Do you really want to be a smuggler?” Owen asked.

  “No, but if I did, I should be able to,” Matilda said. “I want to join the navy. If we stop Crawfish, they’re going to need new sailors. And I’m just as able as anybody else.”

  “Maybe your father will let you once we get back.”

  “Ha!” Matilda replied. “I doubt he’ll ever speak to me again.”

  The next morning, Morgan woke everyone at the crack of dawn. Owen and Matilda made their way to the deck as The Lark pulled into Dragon Cove.

  “How’s that for service?” Morgan smirked at Owen.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Matilda said as she pointed at the large ornate dragon statues looming over the dock.

  Dragon Cove was very different from Fort Ridley. Everywhere Owen looked, he saw statues carved out of stone, and red buildings with strange-looking peaked roofs. Even the people dressed differently; everyone wore brightly colored robes.

  “I’m excited to look around,” Owen said. “This is going be a real adventure.”

  “I’d be careful,” Bilge added. “You never know what you’ll find in strange lands.”

  “The old-timer’s right,” Morgan said. “You sure you don’t want me to come along? I know this island like the back of my hand.”

  Owen did want Morgan’s help; it would certainly make finding the map piece easier. But he wasn’t sure he could trust her. The map pieces were the only things that could save Fort Ridley, and he couldn’t risk anything happening to them.

  “No, you should stay with the ship,” Owen replied. “Matilda and I will be fine on our own. We shouldn’t be too long.”

  Owen and Matilda debarked and headed down the docks and into town. You can always make a wish on a fish, but you’re not alone if you find your destiny carved in stone, Owen kept repeating to himself.

  “Where do you make a ‘wish on a fish’?” Owen asked.

  “Some kind of wishing well?” Matilda replied. “Or a pond? Can you see any of those things around here?”

  “I’m guessing the ‘carved in stone’ part has something to do with these statues.”

  They looked around and saw plenty of dragon statues, but no wishing wells or ponds. And certainly no fish.

  “This is no good,” Owen said. “How are we supposed to solve this riddle if we can’t even find a clue?”

  “Maybe there’s fish back at the water?” Matilda suggested.

  “It can’t hurt to look.”

  They made their way back to the waterfront. All they saw was an old man sitting on a crate, contemplating the waves and casting a net into the water.

  “The fish just aren’t biting today,” the man said.

  “Speaking of fish,” Owen said. “Do you know anything about wishing wells or fish statues?”

  “I don’t know nothin’ about wishing wells,” the man said. “But there is a fish statue submerged just off the shore there.”

  Owen and Matilda looked to where the man pointed. About fifty yards off the shore was a small piece of stone poking up out of the water.

  “That there’s the tip of it,” the man said. “No one knows what it’s doing out there, but it’s been there forever.”

  “I’m going to go check it out,” Owen said as he ran into the water.

  “Be careful,” Matilda called after him.

  “A
nd don’t scare away the fish!” the man added.

  Owen waded into the cold water and then, once he was far enough out, dove in and started swimming toward the statue. His muscles still burned from swimming to shore the previous day.

  Gripping the top of the statue, he pulled himself up. It certainly looks like the mouth of a fish, he thought. But how do I find the map piece? He took a deep breath and dove under the water. Below the surface of the water, Owen searched the massive fish statue for buttons or levers. He was sure there would be a secret compartment.

  Owen pulled himself back up on the statue and thought about the clue: You can always make a wish on a fish, but you’re not alone if you find your destiny carved in stone.

  A wish on a fish, he kept repeating to himself. How do you make a wish?

  “With a coin!” he called out. Owen examined the mouth of the fish and found a small slit the size of a coin. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a doubloon and inserted it into the slit.

  The coin plunked down into the statue. Moments later, a machinelike sound came out of the fish’s mouth. Then the statue began to shake and rise up out of the water. The vibration must have awoken all the fish in the area, because suddenly dozens of fish started leaping out of the water all around the statue.

  “Not good, not good, not good!” Owen yelped as he held on to the tip of the statue. The giant stone fish rose higher and higher until it finally came to a grinding halt. Owen steadied himself and started looking around for clues to the map’s location. Just then the statue made another mechanical sound, and its mouth began to open up. There sat an old bottle with a cork stuck in the top. Inside was what looked like a rolled piece of paper.

  Owen grabbed the bottle and, holding it tightly, started to climb down the statue. Once at its base, he dove back into the water and swam for land.