Skullduggery Island

by Adrianne Ambrose

  Owen and Matilda didn’t see any way around it. “Fine,” Owen said. “We’ll just have to trust you.”

  “I should be back within the hour,” Matilda said as she leaped from the dock. “Move The Lark back into the cave until I return.”

  “I don’t like this one bit,” Matilda said as soon as Morgan was out of earshot. “She could come back with a team of thugs and take the map pieces from us. And then where will we be?”

  Owen was unsure. “I don’t think she’s that kind of person,” he said. “She and her crew could have taken the pieces by now if they really wanted to. I think we have to trust her.”

  A while later, Owen saw several shadowy figures pushing something onto the dock. He could hear mumbled voices arguing through the night air, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Eventually, there was some kind of exchange, and all but one of the people vanished back into the darkness. The remaining figure waved toward the cave, and The Lark began moving toward the dock.

  As they moved out of the cave, Owen saw Morgan standing next to a small cannon on wheels. Alongside it was a small wooden box filled with cannonballs and gunpowder.

  “It’s not that big, but it will do the job,” Morgan said as her crew loaded the cannon onto the ship.

  “Why don’t we just take the tooth and forget about the treasure?” Billy asked as he examined the cannon.

  Matilda furrowed her brow. “I think we should try to take the tooth and get the treasure. I mean, it’s probably gold they took from Fort Ridley anyway.”

  “That gold belongs to the pirates of this island,” Morgan replied. “We’re going to be in big enough trouble for blasting it out of the cave. But if we try to steal it, they won’t stop until they have all our heads.”

  Owen knew she was right. “Let’s just get the map piece and get out of here.”

  Morgan packed the cannon with gunpowder and a cannonball and aimed it at the gold tooth. Below the tooth, Bilge and Billy stretched out a fishing net to catch it when it fell. Owen and Matilda grabbed hold, too. The tooth looked heavy.

  “Ready?” Morgan asked as she lit a match. Everyone nodded, and she lit the fuse. After a few seconds’ delay, there was a loud BOOM!

  The cave walls shook, and the blast hit the giant skull square in the tooth. Chunks of rock broke free and sprayed out of the cave. After the noise faded and the dust settled, Owen looked up to see the gold tooth starting to slip from the mouth of the skull. “Okay, here it comes!” he shouted.

  The tooth came free and plunged toward the deck. Bilge and Billy hurriedly tugged the net in one direction, while Matilda and Owen pulled it tight the other way. The giant hunk of gold crashed down on the net, bounced once, and then landed on the deck of The Lark.

  Matilda and Owen dropped the net and ran over to the tooth.

  “Hurry up and find that map piece,” Morgan said. “We need to get the gold tooth onto the dock before those pirates get down here.”

  Owen turned the tooth over and found a small metal plate on its top. He pressed the plate, and a spring-loaded door opened. Inside was a rolled-up piece of parchment.

  “Here it is,” he called out. “I can’t believe it. This is the final piece of the map.”

  The Lark moved out of the cave and slowed ever so slightly as it came to the small dock. As it passed by, Owen, Matilda, and Bilge hoisted the tooth and tossed it to shore.

  “Get us out of here as fast as you can!” Owen yelled. In the distance, he could see dozens of angry pirates rushing toward the dock. Their swords were glistening in the moonlight.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Missing Piece

  “I can’t believe we did it,” Billy said as they huddled together belowdecks. “I can’t believe we found all the pieces.”

  Matilda and Owen exchanged excited looks as they laid the map pieces out on the table.

  “Okay, let’s see what we have here.” Matilda stooped over the table to assemble the scraps of paper. “Hmmm…,” she said with a frown.

  “What?” Owen did not like the expression on her face. It made him nervous.

  “I hate to say it, but I think we’re missing a piece.”

  “What?” Owen exclaimed, bending over to double-check her work. “We can’t be. We went to all the islands. We followed all the clues.”

  “Aye, she’s right,” Bilge said. “There looks to be a wide band of parchment missing from the map. We not be findin’ the location of the treasure without that.”

  “Great,” Morgan said. “I have every pirate in the seas after this ship, and I’m not even going to get paid.”

  “We must have overlooked something,” Matilda said.

  Owen kept looking at the map, desperate for any clue about the missing section. Does that drawing of a wavy line indicate an island, or does it have something to do with the stars? he wondered. Why is half the illustration of the compass missing?

  He pulled his cutlass from its scabbard and slapped it down on the table. Along the side of the blade a portion of an ornate compass with ships, islands, and longitudinal marks lined up with the missing portion of the map.

  “That’s it!” Matilda shouted. “Governor Ridley must have given the last piece of the map to Captain Nathaniel Christopher to guarantee that even if someone found all the other map pieces, they couldn’t get to the treasure. That’s why the sword has been passed down from generation to generation, Owen. Your family has been the guardian of Fort Ridley’s treasure.”

  “Wow,” Owen said. “I can’t believe I had the final piece all along.”

  “Yeah, that’s great!” Morgan said as she rubbed her hands together. “So let’s go get my payment. Where are we headed?”

  Bilge looked up from the map. “Says the island’s called Skullduggery.”

  It took quite a few hours, but once they found the island, it was easy to understand why its location wasn’t noted on many maps. The whole area was shrouded in a thick mist, and the island itself was little bigger than The Lark.

  “At least with a small island, there aren’t that many places to dig,” Billy said as he stood on deck with a shovel in his hand.

  “Do you guys want any help?” Morgan asked as Owen and Matilda prepared to disembark the ship.

  “We should be fine.” Owen shook his head as he grabbed the shovel from Billy. “There’s not a lot of ground to cover.”

  “We’ll signal if we need you,” Matilda added.

  There wasn’t much on the island besides a single palm tree sticking out of its center. On the opposite end was a slight gully. “This looks like a good place to start digging,” Owen said.

  A while later, Owen was down inside a deep ditch, digging.

  “Do you think this is the right place?” Matilda asked.

  Just then Owen’s shovel hit something that sounded like wood. He furiously started digging away at the dirt around it. After a short while, he unearthed a large wooden chest.

  “I can’t wait to find out what’s inside,” Owen said.

  “Me too,” Matilda added. “Let’s open it now.”

  Using the blade of the shovel, Owen struck the lock. It was rusty with age and broke quite easily. Holding his breath, he undid the latches and flung back the lid.

  There, sparkling in the afternoon sun, was a huge stack of doubloons, jewel-encrusted chalices, ornate crowns, piles of pearls, and rings bearing giant diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.

  “Wow,” was all Owen could say as his eyes took in all the glittering treasure. “This is…just wow.” After a few more moments of staring, he picked up a diamond-and-ruby-encrusted tiara and called to Matilda. “Hey, why don’t you try this on?”

  His joke was met with silence.

  “Matilda?” he called to her. He stood up and peeped out of the hole. She wasn’t there.

  Owen started climbing out, but he didn’t get very far before he was knocked to the ground by a blow to the head. “Ouch,” he said, pressing a hand to his skull where a lump was al
ready starting to form. Standing over the treasure was none other than Captain Crawfish.

  Chapter Fourteen

  X Marks the Spot

  The pirate stared down at Owen with his one good eye. A wide, villainous smile crept across his face. “I thought you’d never lead me to this treasure,” he said in a deep, booming voice. “But you turned out to be every bit as clever as I’d heard.”

  Owen leaped to his feet and went to pull out his cutlass.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Crawfish said, stepping aside to reveal several mean-looking pirates holding Matilda, Billy, and Bilge. Owen’s three friends were gagged and had their hands tied. “Unless you want something bad to happen to your friends.”

  Owen moved his hand away from his sword.

  “Good,” Crawfish said. “Now help my men get that treasure chest out of that hole.”

  “And then what are you going to do with us?” Owen asked.

  “Well,” Crawfish replied, “if you do everything I say, then I’ll let you and your friends live. I’m only here for the treasure.”

  “I have one more question: How do you keep finding us?” Owen asked. “You seem to know everywhere we go.”

  “I have a sixth sense for these things,” the pirate told him.

  The pirates all laughed.

  “Yeah,” Crawfish added, “and her name is Morgan.”

  “What?” Owen couldn’t believe it. He glanced at Matilda, who gave him an “I told you so” look.

  “I’m afraid it’s true,” Morgan said as she stepped out from behind the other pirates. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

  “But why?” he asked her. “I thought we were friends.”

  “I have my reasons,” she told him. “You have your way of doing things, and I have mine.”

  At that moment, Matilda managed to kick one of her captors in the shin and spit out her gag. “You traitor! You’ve ruined everything!”

  Owen couldn’t look at Morgan any longer. He turned his attention to the pirates who’d started to lift the chest out of the hole. With his help, they were able to get it up and onto Crawfish’s ship. Once he was onboard, Owen saw Captain MacCullen, along with the crew of The Guppy and several other captured sailors from Fort Ridley, chained to the deck. He and MacCullen shared a brief look, acknowledging their mutual defeat. Then, with the treasure secure, two pirates lifted Owen up and tossed him overboard.

  This made Crawfish laugh so hard he had to hold his belly. He, Morgan, and the other pirates started up the gangplank, leaving Matilda, Billy, and Bilge on the island. “I’m afraid you and your little friends will have to stay here,” he called to Owen, who struggled to swim to shore.

  “Here?” Billy cried out. “You can’t leave us here.”

  Crawfish turned to face the boy. “As a pirate, you can see how foolish it would be for me to sail into a port and drop off a few passengers. You might do something stupid, like turn me in.”

  “What are we supposed to do?” Matilda asked.

  The pirate shrugged. “Wait for the mist to clear.”

  Crawfish’s ship sailed away from Skullduggery Island. The Lark followed close behind.

  “It was nice doing business with you, Crawfish,” Morgan said on the deck of Crawfish’s ship as the pirate inspected the treasure. “I suppose you’ll be heading out now that I’ve made good on our agreement.”

  “Ah, yes. Our agreement,” the pirate captain said, pulling at some of the hairs on his chin. “What was it again? Refresh my memory.”

  Morgan ground her teeth with annoyance, but she managed to hold her temper. “We agreed that if I befriended the Christopher boy and led you to the treasure, you’d sail away from these waters, never to return,” she said.

  “Ah, yes.” The pirate nodded. “I do remember that as our agreement. And I shall stick to my word, but for one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Morgan asked, dreading his reply.

  “First I’m going to flatten Fort Ridley to make sure no one else gets any ideas about challenging Captain Crawfish.” He turned to his guards and shouted, “Seize her!”

  But it was too late; Morgan had anticipated the captain’s betrayal. She kicked his peg leg, knocking him off balance. Crawfish swung at her with his massive arm, but Morgan ducked under it and dove into the water.

  She swam for The Lark, where her crew was ready and waiting. The pirate’s boat was big and well armed, but it wasn’t built for speed. Morgan’s ship disappeared over the horizon before the pirates could even get underway.

  “No matter.” Crawfish chuckled to himself. “Even if she does try to warn her hometown, who is going to believe the word of a smuggler?” He flashed a wicked grin. “That’s why it pays to do business with thieves.”

  Turning to his first mate, Captain Crawfish ordered, “Set a course for Fort Ridley.”

  Meanwhile, Owen sat on the sandy beach of Skullduggery Island. “I’m a failure,” he said to the others. “I let down my family, I let down Fort Ridley, and I let down the legacy of the Christophers.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Matilda said as she sat down next to him.

  Owen threw a rock into the water. “It’s entirely my fault,” he said. “I should have listened to you. You told me not to trust Morgan, and I didn’t listen.”

  Matilda shrugged her shoulders.

  “If I had listened, we wouldn’t be here now,” he added. “We’d be halfway back to Fort Ridley with a hundred ships to stop Crawfish.”

  “It’s still not too late to stop him,” a familiar voice called out.

  Everyone whipped their heads around to see Morgan and her crew heading toward them.

  “What are you doing back here?” Owen demanded. “There’s nothing left for you to take.”

  “Look,” Morgan said, not quite sure how to begin, “I know I screwed up.”

  “Screwed up? You sold us out!” Matilda yelled at her.

  “But please hear me out,” she replied. “It’s true that Crawfish hired me to keep an eye on you. We made a deal: I help him steal the treasure, and then he leaves Fort Ridley forever.”

  “And how did that work out for you?” Owen asked. “Did the pirate keep his word?”

  “No,” Morgan said. “That’s why I need your help. Fort Ridley needs your help.”

  Owen stood up and finally faced her. “Why should I? You’ve been lying to us this entire time.”

  “I know,” Morgan said. “But I’m not lying now. Yeah, I let Crawfish have the treasure, but then he stabbed me in the back. He’s on his way to Fort Ridley right now to demolish the town.”

  “I hate her more than you do,” Matilda said to Owen. “But if there’s any chance we can stop Crawfish and save our home, I say we go for it.”

  Owen nodded in agreement. “Fine,” he said to Morgan. “But I’m in charge. You and your crew listen to me.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The Final Showdown

  Fog began to roll in as The Lark raced toward Fort Ridley. There wasn’t enough time to warn the governor about the attack, so they needed to come up with a plan to stop Crawfish before he reached the island.

  Though most ships would have found it impossible to navigate, Morgan and her crew were skilled at moving through the dark and fog. Owen hoped that Captain Crawfish had run into the bad weather as well.

  “The only advantage we have is the element of surprise,” Owen said to Morgan. “If we can sneak up next to Crawfish’s ship, I bet we could board without him knowing it.”

  “And then what?” Morgan replied. “They have us outnumbered ten to one.”

  “If we can release Captain MacCullen and the others, we might have a chance,” he said. “We could overwhelm them before they know what’s happening.”

  “That sounds like a horrible plan,” Morgan said. “But you’re in charge, right?”

  “That’s right,” Owen said. “Tell your crew to prepare for the ambush.”

  Just as Owen had hoped, the fog had
brought Crawfish’s ship to a standstill.

  “I guess luck is on our side,” Morgan said under her breath as she navigated The Lark alongside the pirate ship.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Matilda whispered to Owen.

  “This is our only chance to stop Crawfish,” Owen replied. “I don’t see that we have a choice.”

  “Fine,” she said. “But I’m coming with you.”

  Before he could object, Billy stepped up, wooden sword in hand. “Me too,” he said. “We can’t let you go over there alone.”

  “I can’t let you two risk your lives,” Owen said. “I got us into this mess; I need to be the one to get us out.”

  “You’re not going to stop us,” Matilda said, securing a cutlass to her belt.

  Owen knew he had no choice; they weren’t going to back down. “All right then,” he said. “Let’s get going. Morgan, you know the plan, right? Once we get up those ropes”—he pointed to several ropes hanging off the side of Crawfish’s ship—“you fire a cannonball at the opposite deck. That should distract them long enough for us to free MacCullen and the others.”

  Once they were up the ropes and against the side of the pirate ship, Owen gave Morgan the signal, and then…

  BOOM!

  “What was that?” someone from Crawfish’s ship shouted as a cannonball whizzed through the fog.

  “Our ship is under attack!” Owen heard Captain Crawfish call from belowdecks.

  While the pirates were still in a state of confusion, Owen and the others slipped over the side of the ship and ducked into the shadows.

  Over the commotion, Owen heard a scraping sound. It was getting closer. He knew right away that it was Crawfish’s peg leg dragging along the ship’s deck.

  “Get out here, you runt,” the pirate called out. “I know you’re behind this.”