Emily Windsnap and the Pirate Prince

by Liz Kessler

  The lead singer tapped his mic. Nothing.

  “Sorry, folks, technical hitch,” he called to the room. “We’ll hopefully be up and running again soon.”

  His voice was drowned out by a screeching sound over the loudspeaker.

  And then —

  “I’m afraid you won’t!” a deep, gruff voice announced.

  Where had that come from?

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the voice went on. “Your evening plans have changed. Return to your seats and wait for more information.”

  “Who’s that?” “What’s he saying?” “What’s going on?” People were muttering everywhere.

  The loudspeaker screeched again, and then the voice bellowed. “Return to your seats NOW! In case I wasn’t clear, this is not a request. It is an order. And for those asking who I am . . .”

  The room was silent for a beat and then the voice spoke again. This time he didn’t need to bellow. His words were almost a whisper.

  “I am now the man in charge.”

  All around, people turned to one another, asking questions, gesturing, shaking their heads.

  “I think we should do what the man says and go back to our seats,” Aaron said.

  “I agree.”

  We joined Mom and Millie at our table. Mom had turned white. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “No idea.” I looked around and couldn’t see a single person in ship’s uniform. What had happened to them all?

  Millie pulled her shawl tighter around her. “‘Man in charge’ indeed,” she said with a sniff. “I’ll give him ‘man in charge.’” She started to get out of her seat.

  “Let’s just wait and see what’s going to happen, OK, Mills?” Mom replied, holding an arm out to stop her. “Let’s not do anything hasty.”

  Most people had returned to their seats, a lot of them grumbling and complaining as they did so.

  And then someone looked out a porthole.

  It was an older man with white hair and a dark-blue suit with medals on his lapel. “Hey! Look at this!” he shouted. A few of the people making their way back to their tables stopped and looked where he was pointing.

  It was like a ripple effect. Each of the people looking out called to someone else. One by one, people were getting up from their seats, ignoring the orders, and making their way to the portholes along the far side of the ship.

  The more people who looked out, the more gasps carried across the room.

  I was halfway out of my chair. “I’m going to see what’s going on,” I said.

  “Emily, don’t,” Mom replied. “You heard what he said. We have to stay in our seats.”

  I waved a hand around the room. “Mom, look. Everyone’s getting up to see what it is. Whoever the man is, he can’t stop us if we all go.”

  “Emily’s right,” Millie said as she pulled herself out of her seat. “I want to see what’s happening too. Come on. Safety in numbers.”

  So the four of us crossed the room together. We got as close to the nearest window as we could. It was hard, as people were piling up in front of them now.

  We looked in the direction people were pointing.

  And then we saw it.

  A huge ship — at least half the length of our cruise ship. It looked like it had four masts, with lines of gleaming white sails on each one. A long golden pole sticking out at the front — the bowsprit — had three more sails on it.

  Looking farther out to sea, I could just about make out the shapes of a couple of other ships that seemed to be heading toward us too.

  People were pointing and muttering to each other as we all stared. A murmur started to go through the crowd. What were they saying? Something about a flag.

  I scanned the ship from front to back.

  And then I saw it. A black background with a smiling skull and, below it, a pair of bones crossed over each other.

  I couldn’t speak. My mouth had gone dry. I knew exactly what we were looking at.

  A pirate ship.

  “I believe I told you all to take your seats!” The voice boomed over the speakers again. “I haven’t got all night.”

  I glanced around the room as we made our way back to our seats. Where was the voice coming from? And who was it? Whoever it was, he was sounding more impatient each time he spoke.

  Finally, everyone was back at their tables. There was a rustling sound at the front of the room, and then someone walked onto the stage.

  He was wearing a sandy-colored shirt with a brown leather vest over it that hung loosely over baggy trousers. Medals or badges or something lined his lapels. His ruddy red face looked as worn as his vest, and his black hair was tied back in a ponytail. He had a narrow beard that stretched in a line from his bottom lip and dangled down below the bottom of his chin. Lining his top lip, he sported a mustache that twirled out beyond each cheek. He looked as though he’d just walked off the set of an old-fashioned kids’ film about pirates.

  For a moment, I wondered if this was actually part of the ship’s entertainment.

  “Good evening, ladies and gents,” the man said. It was the same voice that had been giving us instructions. “I hate to spoil your evening . . .” He paused for a second before adding, “Actually, who am I kidding? I LOVE to spoil your evening!” He burst out laughing. A nasty, evil, throaty laugh that sent shivers through me. OK, this was starting to feel a little too real now.

  As abruptly as it had started, the laughing stopped.

  “What? You don’t find my jokes funny?” he asked as he stared around the room. The roomful of people responded by staring silently back at him.

  “Well, never mind,” he went on, flicking a hand as if to shake us off. “I’m not too bothered about whether you have a sense of humor. I’m more interested in whether you have any valuable possessions.” He burst out laughing again, then scanned the room. “Looks like there’s probably a fair bit of money in this place.”

  As he spoke, people instinctively reached down to pull their bags and purses closer. They folded down sleeves to cover expensive watches, reached up to their necks to hide necklaces under their tops.

  I noticed Mom do the same. She fumbled around on her neck. Then she turned to me. “Emily!” she hissed. “I can’t feel my necklace.”

  I studied her neck and shook my head. “Mom! It’s gone!” I whispered back.

  Mom swallowed. “It can’t be gone,” she whispered. Her eyes had turned glassy with tears.

  “You probably just dropped it while you were dancing. We’ll look for it as soon as he’s finished. We’ll find it.”

  “Anyway. I’m being very rude,” the man went on. “I haven’t even introduced myself.” He waited a beat. The room was silent; it felt as though every single person was holding their breath while we waited for him to go on.

  “I,” he said, pausing dramatically, “am the pirate king.”

  Finally, the room had again hushed enough for the pirate king to continue. “I’ll tell you what’s going to happen next,” he said. “It won’t take long, and if you all behave impeccably then no one will be hurt. My family and I are simply here to relieve you of — well, basically, anything we want.”

  The pirate king laughed again. At least he found his own jokes funny, though no one else did. The roomful of people stared at him in silent fear. I could feel my heart thud harder in my chest every time he spoke. Questions were flying around and around in my head. What was he going to do with us? Would we ever get home? Had he stolen Mom’s necklace?

  “A little bit of housekeeping before we go any further.” The pirate king interrupted my internal questions.

  “Just in case you get ideas above your station and think you can take us on, I should make it clear that I have taken complete control of the ship. The captain and his senior crew have been taken hostage in the wheelhouse and my men are now operating the ship from the bridge. I have lookouts on every deck. If anyone so much as makes a move to challenge me or my men, your captain and hi
s crew will suffer the consequences.”

  The pirate king paused to let his words sink in. The look on his face showed us that this was no empty threat. The silent looks he got in reply showed that we all knew it. “Good,” he drawled. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get down to business. I sent my sons ahead of me. A sort of advance party, if you will. Let’s get them up onstage, shall we?”

  He cupped his hand over his eyes as he scanned the room. “First of all, let’s have my oldest, the apple of my eye. Where are you, son?”

  Behind me, I heard a scraping of chairs as someone came forward from the back of the room.

  He wove through the tables, came past us, and made his way to the stage.

  No! Surely not!

  The pirate king’s older son stepped up onto the stage and turned to smile at the room.

  We’d spent half the evening looking at that smile.

  The charming, polite guy who’d worked the room, danced with Mom and Millie, even managed to draw Aaron and me under his spell.

  Noah was the pirate king’s son!

  He beamed at the room, smiling as if he were a talk-show host or something. “I believe I’ve met some of you already,” he said. He scanned the room, giving a wave here and there. When his eyes fell on our table, he winked and blew a kiss.

  All that talk, all that smooth charm, and he was a nasty, scheming pirate! I could barely believe what I was seeing.

  “Why, that’s —” Millie began. “That’s . . .” She was so flustered she couldn’t even finish her sentence. Sputtering, she pointed at Noah, jabbing her finger at him as she turned around to me. “It’s —”

  “Leave it, Millie. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves,” Mom said as she put a hand on Millie’s arm. Her face was pinched and tight.

  The pirate king looked into the crowd. “Now, let’s get my younger lad up, shall we? Where are you, son?”

  A moment later, a scruffy boy stumbled onto the stage, pulling his hair out of his eyes as he joined his brother and dad.

  No way!

  It was Sam! The guy we’d talked to at the buffet. The one who disappeared. No wonder he’d acted so strangely!

  Sam stood beside his big brother, staring down at the floor as he scuffed his feet.

  “My sons and I will shortly be on the move,” the pirate king announced. “But first, I’ve been in this game long enough to know what you want. You want to know how quickly you can get out of here and whether you’ll live to tell the tale.” He laughed again, as if everything he said was so hilarious. “So, I’ll tell you. Yes, you’ll all get out of here alive — as long as you do what you’re told, that is. And I suppose the quicker my crew fills five bags up with gold, jewels, and money, the sooner we’ll be off.”

  A low grumble went around the room.

  He took a step forward, right up to the front of the stage, and flashed an exaggerated pretend smile. “Any questions?”

  Silence.

  “OK, then. I have assigned my crew to each section of the room. They will escort you to your cabins, and you will do exactly as they say.”

  The pirate king surveyed us one last time. “Remember, do exactly what they tell you and everyone will be happy.” He pointed at his sons. “You two, stay here. We have work to do.”

  And with that, the pirate king and his sons climbed down from the stage and chose a table to sit at, while the pirates who had been waiting around the edges of the room began their task of escorting us back to our cabins.

  One of the pirates indicated for us to get out of our seats. “Come on,” he said. “My boss doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Let’s get moving.”

  We made our way to the edge of the room with everyone else. Once we were through the doors, people spilled out into the corridor. The pirate king’s crew barked orders every now and then, but it was still quite a chaotic crush.

  Which is probably why it took me till we’d gotten all the way back to our rooms before I realized something.

  Aaron had disappeared.

  As we approached our rooms, we had to slow down because there was a bit of a bottleneck. I took the opportunity to have a good look around. Mom and Millie were ahead. A couple I recognized from the dance floor was on one side of me; a family with two young kids and a baby were on the other.

  People were squashed into every bit of space in the corridor, and I scanned them all. No Aaron. He’d disappeared, definitely.

  I felt something unpleasant flutter in my stomach. No. I didn’t need to get scared. There was a rational explanation; there had to be. Maybe he’d gotten lost, or gone to the bathroom, or . . .

  Or what? I couldn’t come up with a good reason for him to have simply disappeared. He never did anything like that.

  OK, I needed a strategy. First, calm down. Second, make absolutely, totally, one hundred percent sure he wasn’t here. Then, and only then, panic.

  I slowed my walk, letting others push past me, till I was right at the back of the crowd.

  The pirate guy who was escorting us to our cabins had been joined by another one. The two of them were talking about something. I hung back farther so I could listen in.

  “He’s done what?” our pirate was asking.

  “He’s taken him,” the other one replied. “Noah pointed him out and told me and Jonny to take care of it. Jonny’s got him now. I’ve got to get back to the ballroom and report in to Noah.”

  “Right. OK.”

  As the other pirate turned to leave, he caught my eye. “What do you want, little girl?”

  “Nothing!” I said quickly.

  He nodded slowly. “Good. Keep it that way.” Then he mimed pulling a zipper across his mouth. “And keep that shut too,” he added with a snarl.

  I could feel my face burning. Partly out of embarrassment at being caught listening in on their conversation, but more because what I’d heard had confirmed my worst fears. The pirates had taken someone, and Aaron had gone missing. Even if I didn’t know why Noah would want to snatch him, I knew in my heart that he had.

  I wormed my way forward into the crowd, away from the pirate at the back. I tried to make myself invisible, ducking down and finding the busiest part of the group. To my left and just ahead of me, I noticed a door in the wall. I maneuvered myself so I was near the edge of the corridor. As I got closer, I could see the door had a sign that said STAFF CLEANING on it. Shuffling along at this rate, I’d reach the door in about a minute.

  I quickly hatched a plan.

  I would sneak through the door, wait in the cleaning closet till everyone had passed by, then creep out again and get away. Once the coast was clear, I’d retrace our steps back to the ballroom to see if I could find out what had happened to Aaron.

  We edged forward a tiny bit. I was beside the door. Without looking at it, I ran my hand down the door till I found the handle. I twisted the doorknob one way. Nothing happened. Then the other. I felt something click. Pushing my weight gently against the door, I felt it give. Yes! It was unlocked.

  I pretended to fiddle with my hair so I could sneak another look around. The pirate was still at the back, talking to one of the guests.

  This was it. I glanced around one more time to make sure no one was watching — and then I pushed the door open and slid inside.

  I softly closed the door behind me and held my breath while I listened to the people shuffle by on the other side of the door. Then I heard the pirate’s voice. “Come on. Keep moving. Stop dawdling. You, yes, you, back there. Move it.”

  He was right outside!

  My heart was thudding so loud I was afraid he would hear it, even through the door.

  The shuffling carried on for a few more minutes. Then . . . silence. Everyone had gone.

  I’d done it. I’d gotten away!

  Finally allowing myself to calm down, I leaned against the door and counted to one hundred.

  Coming, ready or not.

  I opened the door a tiny crack. Barely breathing, I slowly opened i
t farther, wide enough so I could poke my head out.

  The corridor was empty.

  Without stopping to think about it, I sneaked out of the closet and ran back in the direction we’d come.

  I retraced our steps all the way back to the ballroom, checking around every corner, peeking into every nook and cranny, calling out Aaron’s name in a whisper, on the off chance that he’d gotten away and was hiding somewhere.

  Nothing. The corridors were deserted.

  I reached the ballroom. What if he was in there with the pirates? I couldn’t exactly march through the main door and demand they hand him over. I’d have to find another way in. Maybe a back entrance where I could sneak in and at least cast my eyes over the room without being detected.

  I followed the corridor till I found a door that said STAFF ONLY in big letters.

  Bingo.

  I pushed the door open as slowly and silently as I could and squeezed inside.

  I was in an empty kitchen. All around me, shiny metal surfaces were covered in dirty dishes, used cutlery, food that hadn’t been put away. The staff had been caught by surprise, just like the rest of us.

  I could hear muffled voices coming from the ballroom. They were still out there. I crept across the kitchen to the far side. I had to get somewhere I could observe them from more closely. A pair of heavy swinging doors were closed. I couldn’t risk opening them; they’d hear me. There must be somewhere else.

  I found it at the far end of the kitchen. There was a sliding door that, if I’d calculated correctly, led to the far end of the ballroom, near the stage. It was half open.

  I crept up to the door, shimmied sideways through the gap, and poked my head out to look.

  I was right. The stage was ahead of me — but there was a gap between the door and the stage that went straight out to the main room. I couldn’t risk running out of here. The pirate king and his two sons were sitting at a table in front of the stage.

  They were about twenty steps away from me and completely oblivious to the fact that I was there.

  My heart sank. Three pirates. No Aaron.