Skullduggery Island

by Adrianne Ambrose

  Owen leaped out of the shadows, his cutlass drawn and ready.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Crawfish said with a chuckle.

  “I’m taking command of your ship,” Owen said. “Now drop your weapon and call off your men.”

  Captain Crawfish let out a laugh that shook the timbers of his ship. “And just how do you be planning to do that?” the pirate asked.

  “I’m going to fight you,” Owen said. “And when I win, you’ll surrender.”

  “What happens when you lose?” Crawfish asked. “Because you will lose.”

  “I won’t lose,” Owen said.

  “And what makes you think that?” the pirate wanted to know.

  “Because,” Owen said, a wide smile spreading across his face as Captain MacCullen and dozens of other armed and angry men and women filled in behind him, “while we were talking, my shipmates freed all your prisoners.”

  “It’s going to take more than a bunch of old sailors and farmers to defeat me,” Crawfish said as he lunged at Owen with his sword. Around him, a swarm of angry pirates charged at MacCullen and the others.

  Owen swung his cutlass and blocked Crawfish’s attack, but the power of the blow knocked him back. After regaining his footing, he charged at Crawfish. The much bigger pirate easily deflected his attack.

  “Give it up, kid,” Crawfish said as he swung at Owen again, just missing him.

  “Never!” Owen yelled back as he ducked behind the mast, using it to block the pirate’s attacks.

  Matilda and Billy ran up next to him, their swords drawn. “Looks like you could use a little help,” she said.

  “That’s an understatement,” he replied. “Crawfish is a lot tougher than he looks. And he looks really tough.”

  “If we all charge at the same time, we might have a chance to overpower him,” Matilda said.

  “I have a better plan,” Owen said. “Billy, go get some rope. Matilda, remember how we got past that one pirate with the scar on his face?”

  “I remember it not ending all that well,” she replied.

  Just then, a pirate came up from behind and kicked Matilda in the side, sending her flying. Owen spun around and sliced his cutlass at the pirate. But the pirate was quick and scurried up the ship’s mast. Owen climbed up after him.

  Once at the top, the pirate stomped his boot down on Owen’s hand. Owen tried to hold on as best he could. The pirate brought his foot down again, but this time Owen was able to grab hold of his ankle. The pirate struggled to break free, but Owen wouldn’t let go. As the pirate went to take out his sword, Owen pulled as hard as he could, yanking the pirate off the mast and sending him into the ocean below.

  From the mast, Owen hunted the ship for Crawfish. Once he spied him, Owen quickly climbed down and found Billy and Matilda waiting for him. They tied a rope around Billy’s waist and sent him off after Crawfish. Matilda followed closely behind him.

  Owen pushed his way through the fight and headed straight for Crawfish. The pirate spotted him approaching and knocked aside the sailor he was fighting.

  “Give it up, Crawfish,” Owen said. “We’ve got you beat.”

  Crawfish looked around and laughed. “You’re losing,” he said. “Your men are all but defeated.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not,” Owen said. “Come and get me.”

  Crawfish roared and charged at Owen. After two steps, he felt something tug on his one good leg. He looked down and realized that Billy and Matilda had caught his legs in the rope. He tried to stop himself from tumbling over, but it was too late. The mighty pirate toppled over, smacking the deck with a loud thud. All the pirates stopped fighting and watched as their leader crumpled to the ground.

  Owen rushed forward and kicked the cutlass out of Crawfish’s hand. The pirate struggled to get up on his one good leg, but Billy charged and pointed his wooden blade at the pirate’s throat. Owen and Matilda stood right behind him. Crawfish knew he’d been defeated.

  “I surrender,” the captain blurted out.

  “What was that?” Owen asked.

  “I surrender!” the captain yelled.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Celebration

  “Pirates!” a guard yelled, pointing toward the harbor.

  In the distance, he saw two ships headed toward Fort Ridley: one a mighty pirate ship that was easily recognizable as Captain Crawfish’s, the other a smaller, sleeker ship.

  The governor and Jeeves headed down to the docks. By their side was a dashing man in a naval uniform.

  “It doesn’t look like MacCullen and your son were able to pull it off,” Jeeves said to the naval officer.

  “My son’s a Christopher,” the man replied. “It’s best not to count him out too soon.”

  “Unless they show up with a fleet of ships in the next five minutes, I think I’m going to have to agree with Jeeves,” Governor Roland said.

  Captain Christopher, who had just returned to the island, stepped up to the edge of the docks. “I don’t think they’re here to attack,” he said. “It just doesn’t feel right.”

  Jeeves scoffed. “I say we get to safety and hope they don’t find us,” he said.

  “You can hide,” Captain Christopher said. “But I’m staying right here.”

  Governor Roland agreed. “We’re staying. If this is Fort Ridley’s last stand, this is where I need to be.”

  “Look,” Captain Christopher said, pointing at the ships. “They don’t even have their cannons run out. They’re not prepared to attack. If you ask me”—he paused to brush a bit of dust from the sleeve of his naval jacket—“it looks like they’re planning to dock.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” Jeeves shouted. “They’re obviously planning to flatten Fort Ridley. We should retreat to the farthest end of the island.”

  “No.” The governor put a hand on his assistant’s arm. “He’s right. The cannons haven’t been pushed forward so they can be used. They’re not planning an assault.”

  “And look.” The captain nodded toward the ship. “They’re not flying the Jolly Roger.”

  “MacCullen must have done it,” Governor Roland said. “He must have defeated Captain Crawfish and captured his ship.”

  The entire town broke out in celebration. Everyone rushed to the harbor to welcome the returning heroes.

  Once Crawfish’s ship had docked, with The Lark moored right next to it, the governor and Captain Christopher stepped forward to greet the heroic crew. First down the gangplank was Captain MacCullen, who was met with handshakes and pats on the back. Next was Matilda, who stopped in front of her father. “We will talk about this,” he said as he gave her a giant hug. “But today we celebrate.”

  The crowd let out a collective gasp as Captain Crawfish stepped off the ship. His hands were manacled together and connected to a long chain. The other end of the chain was held by Owen, who came around the side of the captured pirate and led him down the gangplank. Bilge and Billy trailed not far behind.

  The two Christophers exchanged a brief nod before Governor Roland spoke up. “Captain MacCullen, all of Fort Ridley is in your debt. You have finally freed us of this horrible scourge.”

  “Well, ahh,” MacCullen said, his face turning a bit red. “As much as I’d like to take credit for this feat, all the glory goes to the Christopher lad and your wee lass. I’ve been chained up on this here ship since before we hit the first port. And I rightly think I’d still be there if it weren’t for those two.”

  “Is this true?” the governor asked Matilda.

  She nodded. “It was Owen, really,” she said. “He’s the one who led us to the pieces of the treasure map. And it was his plan to capture Captain Crawfish. None of this would have happened without him.”

  “I guess you were right,” the governor said to Captain Christopher. “Your son is a Christopher.”

  “Yes, he is,” he agreed and smiled toward his son.

  “This story is preposterous,” Jeeves insisted. “You can’t expect us to
believe that Captain Crawfish was captured by some little kids.”

  “Hey,” Morgan said, stepping through the crowd. “I know you.” She pointed an accusing finger at Jeeves. “You’re Captain Crawfish’s guy. You’re the one who hired me.”

  “You’re in league with the pirates?” Matilda called out. “You’ve worked for our family for years.”

  “Jeeves, tell me this isn’t true,” Governor Roland said.

  Jeeves only shrugged. “What did you expect me to do, just let you give away the treasure? Maybe the pirates would be gone, but we’d have nothing, just an old burned-out town. With my cut of the treasure I could have lived like a king on some faraway island.”

  “Well, now you’re going to jail,” the governor said as some soldiers stepped forward and clapped the traitor in irons.

  Fort Ridley was finally free of the tyranny of Captain Crawfish and his dreaded crew. It was time to celebrate. An inventory of the pirate ship revealed not only the immense Fort Ridley treasure, but most of the food, money, and belongings that had been pillaged from the town.

  At the pier, a huge party was underway. Billy had his wooden sword out and was telling anyone who would listen about how he fought off a giant squid and then captured Captain Crawfish. Bilge was back up on his watchtower, cooking away and staring off at Captain Crawfish’s ship, which the town had decided to sink in the harbor. Below, Morgan stood awkwardly with what appeared to be her family. It was clear that she was itching to be back out on the water.

  Matilda pulled her father away from the celebration. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw him this happy. “I’m sorry I disobeyed you,” she said. “I just couldn’t stand the thought of staying home while Owen and the others helped hunt him down.”

  “That’s all right, my dear,” the governor said, patting her affectionately on the head. “I’m just glad you’re not injured or harmed in any way. I suppose if you want to join the navy so badly that you’re willing to run away to do it, I should encourage you to pursue your dream.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Although, after the navy,” he added, “you could still be governor someday.”

  Owen and his father stood on the edge of the pier and watched the pirate ship slowly sink into the harbor.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t follow in the family tradition,” Owen said. “I guess I never realized how important it was. It wasn’t until I thought that I’d lost everything that I finally understood. We’re Christophers; it’s our duty to protect Fort Ridley.”

  “And I should have been more supportive,” his father said. “I’m very proud of you, you know. It took a lot of courage to do what you did. And if you want to continue in the air service, that’s fine with me.”

  “I think I’ll stay in Fort Ridley for a while,” Owen said. “They can probably use some help rebuilding their navy. And who knows, maybe they’ll make me a captain one day.”

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  Chapter One

  Strange Disks in the Sky

  Cock-a-doodle-doo!

  Simon Cobb groaned at the sound of the rooster’s loud morning crow.

  If he had a pillow, he would have pulled it over his head, rolled over, and gone back to sleep. But the young stable boy slept on a thin mattress stuffed with straw, without a pillow or even a blanket. Besides, he didn’t want to be late for work. That always put Edmund, the stable master, in a bad mood—and working in the stable was bad enough without Edmund stomping around.

  He yawned and stood up, brushing a strand of brown hair from his eyes. The rooster strutted through the hut’s open door and stared at Simon with accusing yellow eyes.

  “Give me a break,” Simon told the rooster. “The sun’s not even up all the way.”

  A red-haired girl poked her head inside the hut. “Aren’t you up yet, Simon?” asked Alice.

  “It’s not even daytime yet,” Simon protested. “Anyway, why aren’t you in the Castle?” Simon didn’t know much about Alice’s job in the Castle as a scullery maid, but he knew she had to be up even earlier than he did to help make breakfast for everyone in the royal court.

  “I snuck out,” she said, stepping inside. Her green eyes were shining. “I thought you’d want to know—the knights are riding out today!”

  The news jolted Simon awake. Nothing much exciting happened out in the stables, but he always loved it when the knights came. Sir Pelleas, Sir Cador, and Sir Gawain were the superstars of Arturus. They were tall and strong, and they lived exciting lives, protecting the kingdom from danger.

  Simon had been eagerly awaiting their next visit to the stables. He hoped to impress them so that one of them might make him a squire. Then he’d be able to leave the muck and horse manure behind and travel with the knights, helping them—and maybe even riding his own horse.

  “They’re riding out? Where?” Simon asked. He ran past Alice to the water bucket outside and splashed cold water on his face. The hut didn’t have a mirror, so he gazed at his reflection in the water. He scrubbed a patch of dirt off his cheek and used some more water to smooth down a lock of hair sticking up on top of his head.

  Alice shook her head. “Are you actually trying to impress them?”

  “Just watch. I’m going to be a squire someday,” he said confidently. “I’m not going to spend my whole life mucking out stables. I’m going to have a horse of my own.”

  “Well, you’d better let me ride it, then,” Alice said. “I never get to do anything fun.”

  She thrust a hunk of bread and a hard-boiled egg into his hands.

  “From the kitchens,” she said. “Those royals have more food than they need.”

  “Thanks,” Simon said.

  His friend grinned. “No problem. Good luck impressing the knights! I’d better get back before they figure out I’m gone.”