The Lost Prince (11 page)

“Me?” Dean touched his hands to his chest. “Nothing! What makes you think I did anything?”

“You must’ve done something. You wouldn’t have run off again otherwise.”

Dean shook his head. “I wasn’t running. I came here on my own tonight. I came to make my report.”

Scurvy Gill snorted. “Yer late. We already got a report.”

“Aye, that we did. A ship lost, its captain dead, and the boy I sent to spy on him is nowhere to be found. I warned you not to disappoint me again, Seaborne. Do I look happy to you?”

“No, sir.”

One-Eyed Jack waved a hand. “Mr. Gill, cut his throat.”

Dean shook in his seat. One-Eyed Jack was going to kill him before he even got a chance to speak! He got up too fast and stumbled backward over his chair. He would have been dead meat, but Scurvy Gill reached for a knife that wasn’t there.

“Bah! My blade’s still lodged in that cretin’s foot.”

“So? You have another.”

“Cap’n, it’s me killin’ blade.”

One-Eyed Jack sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Fine! When he comes back, then.” He hollered at the door, “What the devil’s taking so long?”

Dean stuck his head out the cabin door to get a look. Down at the other end of the ship, he saw Lunk hobbling along, spilling tea and leaking blood with every step he took. Dean had to talk fast or not at all.

“Captain, I wasn’t running, honest! There’s a good reason I didn’t come back with the others. I can expl—” Dean stopped himself. “Wait a minute. Who told you Gentleman Jim’s dead?”

“I did,” Rook said, stepping forth out of the shadows. “Didn’t know you was a spy, Seaborne. Looks like I did yer job for ya this time. Already told the cap’n everything there is to know.”

Dean gritted his teeth, finally putting all the puzzle pieces together. “I’ll bet you did. The rumblings One-Eyed Jack heard about Gentleman Jim … they came from you, didn’t they? You told him about the Gentleman’s Code.”

“It’s true, then!” One-Eyed Jack cut in. “Rook tells me Gentleman Jim walked away from filthy-rich targets time and again. Ships he could have raided for loot to pay me with, and he just let them be. You saw him do this?”

Dean felt a lump in his throat. He’d only known Gentleman Jim a day, but he mourned him just the same. The man deserved better. “If he’s dead, what does it matter?”

One-Eyed Jack leaned forward. “If?”

“No, he’s dead all right,” Rook said, grinning ear to ear. “Lost at sea, the good cap’n was. So sad.”

Scurvy Gill shrugged. “No great loss. Serves ’im right for stealin’ me lucky sock.”

Rook laughed, and something inside Dean snapped. He stood up and gave him a shove. “Wipe that smile off your face, you dog! If he was lost, we both know it’s ’cause you cut him loose!”

“I’ll cut
you
loose, ya little runt!” Rook tackled Dean. Dean wrapped his arms around him and pulled him down to the floor as he fell. The two boys were the same age, but Rook’s scrawny arms packed no punch. Dean pinned Rook to the deck and swung away until the door opened up behind him. Poor knife-footed Lunk shuffled in and tripped over Rook’s outstretched legs.

Tea spilled everywhere. Again.

“My tea!” One-Eyed Jack threw his hands up. “Of all the bloody—Enough! Both of you! Get up!”

Scurvy Gill separated Dean and Rook, then sat them both down across from One-Eyed Jack. “Now, look what ya did,” Rook said to Dean. “Spilled the cap’n’s tea—”

“Shut up, Rook!” One-Eyed Jack bellowed. “Seaborne! What do you mean
if
Gentleman Jim was lost? If he’s not dead, where is he?”

Dean straightened his shirt and rubbed a sore spot on his back where Rook had punched him. “Ronan’s looking for him
now. He thinks the men who rescued us have him.”

“The men who rescued you? What would a bunch of Good Samaritans want with Gentleman Jim?”

Dean shook his head. “They weren’t Good Samaritans. They were grifters. Tried to tell me they were traders from Zenhala, they did.”

“Traders from Zenhala!” Rook said. “That’s a laugh.”

But One-Eyed Jack was not laughing. His one good eye lit up, and he leaned across the table toward Dean. When he spoke, his voice was as soft as a whisper. “They told you
what
?”

“Wait a minute, no. Not traders. That wasn’t it.” Dean snapped his fingers. “Seekers! Seekers for the lost prince. They tried to convince me that I was the lost prince of Zenhala. Locked me up separate from the others. I had to swim back to get away. That’s why I was late getting here.”

One-Eyed Jack and Scurvy Gill traded cautious looks.

“They told ya that you was a prince?” asked Scurvy Gill. “Why would they do that?” He shook his head. “Don’t figure.”

The conversation’s change in tone was not lost on Dean. Scurvy Gill was trying to poke holes in his story, but One-Eyed Jack was listening to him now. The mere mention of Zenhala had hooked his attention. It was just like Gentleman Jim had told him back in the tavern. Never underestimate what the promise of gold will make a man believe. “It was just a trick to get me to go quietly,” Dean said, trying not to be too obvious about pushing
One-Eyed Jack’s buttons. “My guess is they wanted to ransom me back to whatever wealthy relatives they think I’ve got. Their captain really tried to sell me on his story. Gave me his cabin … even put me in these clothes. Said we’d sail for Zenhala with the morning tide. I saw right through it, of course. Especially when he said they were coming here.”

“Here? The ship’s here?” One-Eyed Jack gripped the edge of the table, barely able to contain his excitement.

Dean nodded. “It’s anchored off the coast of the island.”

Rook was incredulous. “Cap’n, yer not believin’ any a this!”

One-Eyed Jack backhanded Rook. “I said shut up, you!”

Dean smiled. “It’s no lie, sir. I’ve got proof.” Dean produced the gold coin that he had taken off Verrick. He slapped it down on the captain’s table and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the identical brand on his arm. “There it is, the mark of the noble house of Aquos. Same as me, the lost prince.” Dean winked and took a mock bow. Now that he had One-Eyed Jack’s attention, an idea crept into his brain. “It’s just a thought, but the Pirate Youth could easily take that ship for you and replace the
Reckless.
Who knows? There might even be enough gold on board for a proper tribute. There’s still time for them to square things with you.”

One-Eyed Jack picked up the coin and gripped it tight. Scurvy Gill leaned over to whisper in his ear. The two of them exchanged a few quiet words before One-Eyed Jack finally rose to speak.

“A proper tribute. What do you suppose that is, Seaborne? Normally, I take a share of each ship’s monthly plunder. With the
Reckless
gone, there’s no way to know how big that share should be.”

Dean shrugged. “You could take everything. It’s not like anyone’s going to complain. They’ll all be happy just to save their skins.”

“You’re very quick to distance yourself from your shipmates, I see. What about you, Seaborne?”

“Me?”

One-Eyed Jack held up the gold coin. “It’s going to take more than this to make me whole. When the
Reckless
went down, its captain owed me money, and if he’s gone, that debt falls to his crew. You were part of that crew, were you not?”

Dean scrunched up his face. “Captain?”

“You’re not off the hook yet, Seaborne. Not by a long shot. I’m making you personally responsible for Gentleman Jim’s tribute
and
the loss of the
Reckless.
”

Dean’s heart stopped dead. “Captain, you can’t mean that! I wasn’t part of the crew. I was there spying for you!”

“You have until the end of the month to make good on your debt. One week.”

“One week! That’s impossible!”

One-Eyed Jack nodded. “You’re probably right. I’d say only your new friends, the traders of Zenhala, can help you now.”

Dean squinted at One-Eyed Jack. “The traders? You don’t honestly think those men were telling the truth.”

“You’d better hope they were. But I don’t want to think, I want to know. And you’re going to find out for me. If they are truly from Zenhala? If they can lead you back to the Golden Isle?” One-Eyed Jack rubbed his hands together like a starving man sizing up a prize bird. “In that event, you’re to signal me at once, understand?”

Dean’s eyes swept the room. He felt dizzy. “Signal you? How?”

One-Eyed Jack clapped his hands and called out, “Sisto!” A large green parrot flew in through a porthole and landed on his shoulder. He motioned to the bird. “You’ll send my bird back with directions. He’ll find me, wherever I am. Any other questions?”

Dean felt a whirlpool churning in his stomach. “Why are you doing this? Why me?”

One-Eyed Jack grinned with a mouth full of brown and black teeth. “Isn’t that obvious? You’re the one that they want. You’re the prince.”

Dean leaned on the arm of his chair for support. So much for Gentleman Jim’s philosophy of offering the mark “too much.” What had he done? Zenhala was a myth. He couldn’t find what didn’t exist. He’d never be able to pay One-Eyed Jack what he wanted. Dean felt the room wobbling all around him.

One-Eyed Jack frowned. “What’s that face for, you ungrateful blighter? You said you wanted to square things. This is a golden
opportunity I’m offering. If you can find Zenhala, you’ll settle more than your debt. Deliver me the golden orchard, and we’ll truly be square. You can go your own way. You can be free.”

Dean blinked. The room stopped moving, and his senses turned razor sharp. “Free?” He couldn’t believe his ears. Dean had been press-ganged into One-Eyed Jack’s service since before he could walk. Just the outside chance of freedom made him want to believe Zenhala was real. He didn’t dare get his hopes up high enough for that, but the prize was worth the risk—any risk. “Did you say
free
?”

One-Eyed Jack offered Sisto to Dean. “As a bird.”

Dean stood up and reached for the parrot, but stopped himself halfway. “Wait, no. Not just me. If I find Zenhala, all the Pirate Youth go free. No one gets left behind. No one but Rook.”

One-Eyed Jack stroked the back of Sisto’s neck as he overhauled Dean’s words. “Making demands, are we, Seaborne?”

“No, sir. Just a humble request.”

One-Eyed Jack nodded. “So be it. Gentleman Jim was the only one who ever wanted those half-pints anyway.”

Dean took Sisto onto his arm, and Rook threw up his hands. “I don’t believe this.”

Scurvy Gill slapped Rook on the back of the head. “Believe it, Rook. You’re goin’ with ’im.”

Dean straightened his back. “I’m not going anywhere with that snake. I don’t trust him.”

One-Eyed Jack laughed. “Don’t waste your time arguing with me. Rook’s coming along to keep you honest. Or rather, to keep you
dishonest.
Too much of Gentleman Jim’s virtue has rubbed off on you already, I can tell. You don’t have that problem, do you, Rook?”

Rook laughed. “No. Not I.”

“I thought not. It’s settled. You have one week and not a day more, Seaborne. You’ve always been a smart one. Now’s not the time to be changing that. We both know there’s not a place on earth that I can’t get to you, so just do your job and get out of there. If I don’t hear from you … if I even think for a single fleeting moment that you’re going to run? I’ll come after you with every ship I’ve got.”

Dean nodded. “I know you will.”

“Good.” One-Eyed Jack glanced out the window. “The sun’s almost up. Get some proper clothes on and get on your way.” One-Eyed Jack had a sneer on his face. “Your loyal subjects are waiting.”

CHAPTER
11

A
n hour later, Dean and Rook rowed out to meet the
Tideturner
at sea. They made it to the ship by sunrise. Dean’s brow dripped with sweat as they closed in on the boat.
What did I get myself into this time?
he wondered. Dean still wasn’t sure what manner of ship the
Tideturner
was, or what to make of Verrick and his crew. The ship was a Bermuda rigged sloop. Bermuda. As in the Bermuda Triangle. Dean might have hoped that Verrick’s story was real if he didn’t know sloops so well. The slender, single-masted vessel was a favorite of Caribbean pirates because its quick speed and low lines made it difficult to hit with cannon fire. That knowledge gave Dean pause, but he had to admit, such attributes would have proved equally valuable to
the traders of Zenhala, if they existed. Dean climbed aboard with Rook at his back and Sisto on his shoulder, not knowing what to believe. When his feet hit the deck, he saw Ronan tied to the mast, being questioned by Verrick.