Zoya sat up, puzzled. Her friends, one by one, woke up with similar confusion. They heard gun shots above, as well as screams and shouts. Zoya slipped her coat back on, shoving the gadget back into its pocket.
“I guess we should get used to this sort of thing,” Demyan grumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
“Snezhana must be attacking a ship,” Anya said.
“At least we don't have to fight this time,” Lilia added.
They heard heavy feet clomping above, which became louder as they neared.
“Nevermind,” Lilia mumbled.
The door burst open, and three figures appeared.
“Pavel!” Lilia shouted gleefully. Pavel, Olya, and Tonia stood triumphant in the doorway.
“We've come to break you out!” Pavel announced. Olya and Tonia strode toward the cells and worked to unlock them. Pavel turned to face the door, sword drawn.
“Hold it!” Igor shouted as he entered, waving his pistol. Gotfrid, Adam, and Pyotr were close behind. Pavel attacked Igor with his sword, moving so quickly he caught his enemy off guard and knocked his pistol to the ground.
Tonia and Olya opened the cells. Anya and Nikolai escaped first. Nikolai grabbed Igor's pistol, pointing it toward the group of pirates blocking the door.
Three more members of Snezhana’s crew hustled in then, pushing the cell doors closed. The force knocked Zoya, Lilia, and Demyan to the floor.
“Go!” Pavel urged Anya and Nikolai as he, Olya, and Tonia fought. Anya ran to the bars of the girls’ cell.
“Go!” Zoya agreed, shoving her bundle of fabric toward Anya. Anya took it, her face twisted in confusion. “Go!” Zoya insisted. Lilia and Demyan urged their friends to flee. Anya and Nikolai nodded quickly and sprinted out of the room.
Zoya reached through the bars of her cell and wrapped her arms around a pirate’s throat. Olya drove her sword through the man's stomach, nodding thankfully at Zoya.
Tonia yelled as an enemy pirate sliced her arm with his sword. She pushed toward him, knocking him to the ground. Another pirate blocked Tonia's path before she finished the other.
As Tonia and Olya held off Snezhana’s crew, Pavel rushed back to the cells to try to get the doors open again.
“Pavel!” Lilia screamed as a warning, but it was too late. Adam lunged toward Pavel and drove his sword into Pavel's back then ripped it out brutally. Pavel fell to the ground, gasping.
The three captives screamed incoherently. Tonia and Olya, seeing that the odds were against them, rushed out of the room and back above deck. Snezhana's crew followed them, leaving Pavel's limp body in the middle of the room.
“Pavel,” Lilia gasped between sobs. She reached toward his face then stopped about an inch away.
“Don't worry about me,” he whispered. He coughed, producing a spatter of blood. After a few moments of labored breathing, he turned his gaze toward Zoya.
“Is it safe?” he asked her. Zoya furrowed her brow, the action forcing tears to stream down her face.
“Please,” Pavel insisted. “Is it safe?”
“Why?” Zoya asked as a wave of confused anger washed over her. “That gadget? Why is it so important?”
“Your blessing and your curse,” Pavel said. “Keep it safe. If you protect it, it will protect you.” Zoya gasped, moving as close to Pavel as she could.
“What does that mean?” she asked. “Pavel, what is the gadget? What does it mean?”
Pavel drew a deep breath, his body shuddering. More blood spilled from his mouth, dripping down to join the pool forming on the floor. Lilia moved past Zoya, reaching toward Pavel through the bars of their cell. She put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes clouded by tears.
“It's alright, Pavel,” she cooed. “I'm sure this is nothing compared to your battle with the Gibel crab.” Pavel smiled, closing his eyes. He reached for his necklace then pulled it off and handed it to Lilia. For the first time, Lilia was able to properly see the shape of the pendant. The brass was formed into a sprig of heather.
“No,” she said, “you need this.” Pavel dropped the pendant, giving Lilia another smile. His breathing slowed, and a moment later his face went limp.
“Pavel,” Lilia sobbed. Her hand tightened on his shoulder. “Pavel!”
Zoya pulled Lilia into a tight hug.
“Why him?” Lilia whispered, blinking away tears. “He was the only pirate who was truly kind to us. And he was murdered by that scum Adam.”
“I know,” Zoya said. “He deserved better.”
Anya and Nikolai found that the main deck of Snezhana's ship was slick with rain. Wind howled and the sails billowed violently above. The crews of the Ocean's Legend and Hell's Jewel battled all around them. Some fought with bare hands, others with swords. A few pirates perched themselves above the main deck, shooting bullets into the fray.
“Run!” Alexi shouted to them from across the deck. He ran toward his father's ship, which had been tethered alongside Snezhana's. Anya and Nikolai rushed after him, slipping on the deck as they ran. One of Snezhana's crew shouted after them, but was intercepted by Oleg.
“Quick, below deck!” Alexi yelled when they were back on the Ocean's Legend. Anya and Nikolai did as they were told and ran down to their cabin.
“They'll be fine, right?” Anya asked as the two of them crouched by the door. Her body shook all over.
“Of course,” Nikolai replied. “They'll be here any moment.”
The two sat in silence and listened to the shouts and screams from above, partially drowned out by the pouring rain. After what felt like an eternity, the shouts and screams began to quiet until only the rain could be heard.
“Is it over?” Nikolai asked, peeking up the stairs. Anya followed him into the hall. “There, see? The others will probably come any second now.” They waited silently by the stairs as the ship jerked into motion. Through the porthole, they could see that they were moving away from the Hell's Jewel. A moment later, Alexi came down the stairs. His face was sullen, his eyes distant.
“You can come back up,” he said quietly.
“What's wrong?” Anya asked.
“Where are the others?” Nikolai added. Alexi said nothing and simply turned to go above deck. Anya and Nikolai looked at each other with worried expressions then followed Alexi upstairs.
Captain Sokoll’s remaining crew stood on the main deck of the Ocean's Legend. Their numbers had decreased significantly; Anya wondered if there were enough pirates left to sail the ship. On top of that, each member of the crew seemed to be injured, from superficial cuts to bullet wounds. It was a sad sight to behold.
“Anya, Nikolai.” Edmund greeted them solemnly as they appeared. “We are all very glad you've returned safely to us.” The two of them glanced around, looking for their friends.
“We were not able to rescue Zoya, Lilia, or Demyan,” Edmund continued. “Despite our best efforts.”
“What does that mean?” Anya asked, stepping forward. “Are they alright? Are we going back for them?”
“Where’s Pavel?” Nikolai asked, glancing around the deck. “He, Tonia, and Olya rescued us. They were going to rescue the others, too. I see Tonia and Olya, but where is Pavel?”
“Our dear Pavel gave his life, trying to save our crew,” Edmund said. “He was a good man, brave and dutiful. May he rest in peace.”
Anya brought her hand to her mouth, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Nikolai looked at her, his mouth agape, then pulled her into a hug.
“And the others?” Anya said. “What about our friends?”
“Alive,” Tonia said, standing near the captain. “But still locked in their cells on that foul woman's ship.”
Anya let out a forceful sigh, leaning into Nikolai's hug.
“Oh, they're still alive,” she said. “We'll get them back.”
“Pavel would not want us to give up!” Edmund said, his voice bellowing through the falling rain. “Let him not die in vain! We must push forward, and finish our rescue mission to save
our crew! For Pavel!”
“For Pavel!” the crew shouted back in unison.
The Ocean's Legend moved at top speed, chasing the Hell's Jewel. The crew worked as hard as they could, given their injuries. Captain Edmund told the crew to rest and recover, the better to battle Snezhana once more. They didn't seem to listen.
Anya worked up in the rigging, slick with the rain, helping the sails to best catch the heavy wind. Nikolai was below deck helping Tonia shovel coal in the boiler room.
As Anya tightened a rope above, she saw Alexi trudging across the main deck and into the captain's cabin. Curious, she climbed down the shrouds.
Before she could get near the cabin to eavesdrop, Captain Sokoll burst out with a wide grin on his face. Anya side-stepped, pretending she had been heading toward the bow.
“Good work, boy!” the captain was saying happily. Alexi followed him out of the cabin, looking notably less pleased than his father.
“Oleg!” Edmund shouted as he walked toward the pilot house. “Reduce our speed! Crew, take a breath. We can take a break from this foolish chase for now. Snezhana won't evade us for long.”
Anya's face went red.
“What?” she said, crossing the deck toward the captain. “Why aren't we chasing them? She still has Zoya and Lilia and Demyan!”
“Aye, but she's got the faster ship,” Edmund said. “It's a fool's errand to try to catch up to her now.” He clasped Anya's shoulder. “Don't worry, we will get your friends back. We need to bide our time and come up with a plan.” The captain then sauntered toward the saloon where he demanded a cup of ale.
Anya turned, confused, with tears in her eyes. She strode over to Alexi, who was still standing by the captain's cabin.
Before Anya could say anything, he grabbed her by the arm and led her across the deck. They climbed down the stairs, to Alexi's cabin. Alexi glanced up and down the empty hallway then closed the door.
“What's going on?” Anya demanded. “What did you say to your father? Why did he stop the chase?”
“I told him I have the gadget,” Alexi said.
“You what?” Anya stared at Alexi for a moment, processing. “Why would that…”
“Now you see what kind of person my father really is,” Alexi said. “He doesn't care about your friends, and he doesn't care about you. He hardly cares about me! All he cares about is that gadget.”
“So you told him you have it,” Anya said, processing. “Knowing full-well that he would abandon my friends and let them die on Snezhana's ship?”
“They won't die,” Alexi said. “How long do you think it will take for my father to demand proof that the gadget is on this ship? As soon as he knows it's not in his possession, he'll resume the chase.”
“Did you think through this plan at all?” Anya asked. “You lied to your father to make a point, and now what? He’ll probably kill you, and your aunt will probably kill my friends!”
“I can’t let him get the gadget. I need my aunt to get away, to keep the gadget away from him. She won’t hurt your friends.”
“Did she tell you that when you had your private chat?”
Alexi folded his arms. “Yes.”
Anya groaned and brought her hands to her face. “Here’s one of many holes in your plan you may not have considered: the gadget is on this ship.” Anya reached into the hidden pocket in her coat and pulled out the gadget. Alexi grabbed it and shoved it back into Anya's coat, pushing Anya against the wall.
“Why do you have it?” Alexi asked, his face hardly an inch from Anya's.
“Zoya sneaked it to me when the crew rushed in to rescue us,” Anya said. “We thought it would be safer away from your aunt, so Zoya wouldn't have to lie about not having it.”
Alexi pushed Anya away, bringing his hands to his face and groaning.
“Oh, Anya, if Zoya doesn't have it, I don't know what my aunt will do.” He turned to face her again.
“You said she wouldn’t hurt them.”
“If they had they gadget, if they cooperated. That was the deal.” Alexi placed his hands on Anya’s shoulders. “You do not have the gadget. You don't have it. You keep it hidden. You do not mention it, not to anyone!” Anya nodded. Alexi turned to open the door.
“What will your father do to you?” Anya asked. “When he finds out you don't have it?” Alexi closed the door again and sighed.
“All you need to worry about is that he will continue chasing Snezhana. Don't worry about me.”
It didn't take long after the battle between Edmund's and Snezhana's crews for Pavel's body to be removed from the brig. His blood still soaked the floor in the center of the room. Zoya, Lilia, and Demyan sat as far from it as they could, their backs against the back walls. For hours, they sat in mourning. Aside from the pirates who took Pavel's body, none of Snezhana's crew disturbed them.
Zoya sat, almost catatonic, as Lilia sobbed beside her. In time, Lilia's sobbing turned to silent weeping and eventually to silence as she passed out from exhaustion. I hope she's dreaming of something more pleasant.
“Zoya,” Demyan said, breaking the silence with his hoarse voice. Zoya looked over at him. “Why did you take sword lessons?” Zoya inched toward the front of her cell, eying the blood-stained floor.
“What do you mean, why?” she asked.
“I mean, what compelled you to do that? What made you think you'd need to learn to fight with a sword?”
“You know what Lodninsk was like,” Zoya replied. “After what happened to my mother, especially.”
“So you were just going to start carrying a sword around?” Demyan asked. “How quickly do you think you'd be arrested for something like that?”
“We didn't just learn how to fight with a sword,” Zoya said, feeling somewhat annoyed. “Isaak taught us how to fight in general, how to defend ourselves.”
“That's still dangerous,” Demyan said.
“Don't you think I know that? The soldiers murdered Isaak and his family. I know that, I was there.” Zoya could feel her face flush with anger.
“And it easily could have been you,” Demyan said. He blinked back the moisture building in his eyes. “You need to think these things through, Zoya. You need to be careful. Bravery sounds noble, but it isn't a good thing. Look what it did to Pavel.”
Zoya sat back, staring at Demyan, and let out a small laugh.
“Bravery isn't a good thing?” she asked. “What is a good thing? Silently shuffling through the day, being pushed around by soldiers, watching our families killed off one by one while we sit powerless? That's what we're trying to escape, Demyan. What exactly do you think we're looking for?”
“Safety,” Demyan said. “Safety and stability and comfort.”
“Well, sometimes it takes bravery to get there.” Zoya inched her way back toward the wall. “Don't be naive.” Zoya folded her arms and turned away from Demyan. Her head was pounding, her stomach fluttering uneasily.
They sat in silence once more. Time crawled by, or sped by. There was no way of knowing. Lilia awoke from the refuge of sleep and sat quietly staring at the drying blood on the floor. Finally, the door opened. Gotfrid and Pyotr entered, their pistols already drawn.
“Haven't we had enough excitement for now?” Demyan said.
“I'm afraid we need a favor,” Gotfrid replied.
“We don't owe you any favors,” Zoya said.
“Let me rephrase: we've got a job for you, and you can either comply or lose the use of your left leg.” Gotfrid pointed his pistol at Zoya's kneecap.
“What do you want?” Demyan asked.
“Our newest crew member isn't being cooperative,” Gotfrid said. “Shooting him didn't seem to work, and we simply don't have time to torture cooperation out of him. So, the captain thinks the three of you will find a way, since you're so crafty.” Gotfrid's last few words were riddled with sarcasm.
“Stand up,” Pyotr said, waving his gun from Demyan to Lilia to Zoya. Zoya and Demyan obeyed, but Lilia stayed seated on
the ground, staring blankly into the distance.
“I said stand up,” Pyotr repeated. Zoya crouched down beside Lilia.
“Lilia,” she whispered. “Come on, get up.” She lightly touched Lilia's shoulder. Her eyes seemed to come back into focus, then peered up at Zoya. Without a word, Lilia allowed Zoya to pull her to her feet.
Gotfrid and Pyotr unlocked their cells.
“Don't try anything,” Pyotr said. “Like you said, you've had enough excitement.”
The pirates led their captives up to the main deck. The wind howled through the sails, blowing sheets of driving rain. Zoya turned toward the stern of the ship and spotted the Ocean's Legend off in the distance. She stopped dead in her tracks.
“They aren't following us,” she said. “They're going the other way.” Demyan and Lilia followed Zoya's gaze.
“Edmund may not be the brightest,” Gotfrid said, “but he knows when he's been defeated.” He looked at the captives with false condolence. “Sorry, no one's coming to rescue you. Now move.”
Gotfrid and Pyotr shoved the three of them forward, toward the pilot house.
The interior of the Hell's Jewel's pilot house was much more elaborate than that of the Ocean's Legend. The walls were all dark wood, with spiraling, gilded crown molding. A large desk dominated the back of the room, opposite the wheel. There Yeremiy sat, hunched over with his head laying on a stack of maps and charts. Where he had been shot by Snezhana, his pant leg had been cut off. Bandages had been wrapped tightly around his knee.
“Just take me back to Nanowrinsk,” he groaned as the group entered the room. “Take me back or kill me. I will not work for pirates.” He lifted his head and, when he saw the other captives, sat straight in his chair.
“Now what?” he asked.
“I thought you might like some company,” Gotfrid said, pushing Zoya, Lilia, and Demyan farther into the room. Pyotr left, closing the door of the pilot house behind him. Gotfrid crossed the room to take up the wheel.
“Where are the others?” Yeremiy asked.
Grigory's Gadget Page 10
