Twenty-Five

Mary

It had been a long time since she'd seen the Fancy . Over a year, by now. And though it had been the most elegant ship Mary had ever seen then, now it looked... tired. The hull needed scraping, the sails mending, and the paint touched up. The polish of Charles Town had worn off, and now it was trying to be something it wasn't anymore.

"Take the Fancy ," Mary whispered.

No one moved. They were all staring at her, like they were waiting for her to explain.

"Take. The. Fancy ." This time, she said it with more force, more volume, and everyone launched into motion. Diesel and the other gunners rushed to the gun deck. DuPaul grabbed the wheel and made hard to starboard.

"She's running!" Tobias called. "They're putting out more sails. And I see oars."

So it was to be a chase. Good. It would make the capture that much sweeter.

The crew knew what to do, with every hand in motion. The muskets were made ready. The cannons were manned. The boarding party had their cutlasses.

Here was the thing about the Fancy . It wasn't fast. It was a pleasure ship, a vessel meant for spoiled "princes" with too much money and not enough brains. So even though the Fancy had started with a lead, it was losing ground (er, ocean) to the William , which was one of the swiftest ships in the Caribbean. Plus, they had Mary. She stood on the quarterdeck, her glare locked on the Fancy as the waves pushed the William faster, wind filling the sails like a hot bellows.

Finally, the distance between them closed. "Raise the black!" Mary called when, even without her spyglass, she could see the well-dressed sailors begin to panic. They were running from bow to stern yelling, "Pirates!" and "We're all going to die!"

She didn't recognize any of their faces, which didn't surprise her. The Worthington family went through staff faster than Jack went through pants.

The crew of the Fancy didn't even bother to fight, mostly because they couldn't. There wasn't a gun deck anywhere on the ship. And none of the sailors had weapons beyond (mostly) decorative swords.

"Ready the grapples!" Mary ordered, and as soon as the William came alongside the Fancy , the grapples went out and her crew began to draw the two ships closer together.

"I'm too young to die!" cried one of the Fancy 's crew—right before he threw himself into the ocean.

Mary shook her head and called for her crew to board the Fancy . She, Tobias, Jack, and Anne joined them. One or two men resisted, but they were quickly overwhelmed; none of them, apparently, were paid well enough to fight pirates. Classic Worthington , Mary thought.

Soon, they were all lined up along the deck, bound at the wrists and ankles.

"So you've been captured by pirates. Now what?" Mary smirked at them. "Well, you have a choice. Either join my crew or walk the plank. But either way, this is my ship now."

How fitting, she thought, that this final ship—the one that would carry her treasure—was the very one where, only a year ago, she'd lost everything.

The sailors looked thoughtful. "What if we're not cut out to be pirates?" one asked. "I've a bad knee. I'm not that good a sailor, honestly."

"You'd be surprised what you can do," Mary said to him, "when your survival is on the line. I suspect you're a better sailor than you think."

"Strangely motivational," the man said. "Thanks. I guess I'll be a pirate."

A few other sailors had questions, but in the end, they all decided to join her crew. And given the other option was drowning, she couldn't blame them.

There was an odd, strangely relieved, strangely disappointed sensation burning in her chest, though. She hadn't seen Charles here, nor any of his family, though obviously that was for the best. Charles was the worst. Still, why was the Fancy all the way down here without the Worthingtons?

Just then, the door to the captain's cabin burst open and out came Swift dragging a young man with her. "I found this foolish one hiding in the wardrobe, Captain, and I knew he was trouble."

It was Charles.

He was here after all.

He looked ragged, his hair a wreck and his clothes askew. His face was blotchy and red, with both fear and sunburn. But he still had those dark eyes, that sweep of hair, and an air of refinement about him—a Romeo, though never hers.

A whole mess of feelings rose up in Mary, making her head and heart swim with that old shame and complete humiliation of his rejection. He'd made her feel so bad, so unlovable.

So unworthy.

But that was the old Mary.

She'd come so far since she'd jumped off the Fancy a year ago, learning to take care of herself, finding true friends, and rising all the way to the rank of captain. Indeed, she was just a day away from winning the title of Pirate Queen, once she and her crew returned to Booty Island, loaded up the rest of the treasure, and sailed to Nassau. It wasn't fair that just seeing that codfish could throw her back to that miserable place she'd been before, sad and scared and ready to sacrifice anything to be with him.

That's not me anymore , she reminded herself.

But distantly, she registered the scrape of her nails on her shirt, right over her heart.

"Mary?" Tobias asked. "Are you all right?"

At the sound of his voice, the world steadied around her. The swirling emotions settled. The shame faded away.

"Aye." She clapped her hand on Tobias's shoulder. "I'm good. Thanks."

He gave a stiff, uncertain nod as Mary strode toward the captain's cabin, where her men were binding Charles at the wrists.

Mary stopped in front of him. "I'm taking the Fancy as my own. You have two choices: get locked in the brig for an undetermined amount of time or walk the plank. You should know that we're in the middle of the ocean, and you're likely to drown before you can reach land."

"I've survived the ocean before," Charles said stiffly. "My other ship went down in a storm two years ago, and I made it to shore just fine. I'll take my chances."

Mary raised an eyebrow. Of course, he didn't know that she had rescued him. He never had thought to question his survival, assuming that it was obviously because of something he had done, because of some special quality he possessed.

"But I suppose I should try to negotiate," Charles said. "I don't want to lose this ship. It has sentimental value. I got married on it, in fact. So is there any way I can convince you to just... let us go?"

That was when it hit her: he didn't recognize her. He didn't even seem to register that she was a woman, for all that she'd stopped binding her chest and even though her hair was growing out. He just... didn't see her. He never had.

"Mr. Worthington," she said, "I will not be negotiating with you. I've given you your options. Now give me your answer."

"Well, I don't want to die. But I don't want to be locked in the brig."

Mary sighed. "The brig it is. Now, where's Lavinia? I'll give her the same options."

"Oh, she was driving me mad, and I had to get away. That's why I'm here, actually, as a little vacation from my wi—" Charles's eyes went round. "Wait, how do you know about Lavinia?"

The idea that she had ever been attracted to this man—ugh, it was embarrassing. "It's me, Charles. Mary."

His face lit up. "Oh my gosh, Foundling ? Is that you? I thought you looked familiar! Wow, so you're a pirate now?"

Heat rose to Mary's face. "Aye," she said. "Captain. That's my ship. One of them, anyway. And now this one is, too."

Charles took a long (loooong) look at her, his gaze traveling from her hair to the earring to all the way down her body. "This pirate thing is really working out for you, huh? I'm impressed. I didn't think you had it in you. Maybe you want to talk about it sometime? All your experiences, what kind of future you see for yourself... and... us, now that we've reconnected?"

What. The. Fish.

It was amazing how swiftly those dredged-up emotions sank back down, banished forever to the depths. The way he was looking at her now—it was repulsive. She had to take an actual step back from him.

"You—" Mary shook her head. "You never really knew me. You never bothered. From the very beginning, you were a selfish, egotistical codfish. You use everyone around you and expect them to thank you for it. But here's a free piece of advice: you're not special. You're not a prince. You're not even memorable ."

Charles's mouth was hanging open. A bug flew in. Then quickly flew out.

"You think I'd want to be with you now ?" She scoffed. "Look at me. I've got everything I could ever want—every one I want. My crew. My friends. People who always believed in me and didn't need me to prove myself worthy." Mary could feel them at her back now—crewmates, Jack and Anne, Tobias. They were with her. They always had been.

"We had such a bond then," said Charles. "And look at you now! You're—well, I don't know that I'd say you're beautiful, but there is a certain something about you, isn't there? A fierceness. A strength. It's actually quite appealing. I didn't think I'd feel this way."

Mary laughed and shook her head. A year ago, she would have killed to hear him give her that kind of backhanded compliment. But now, she saw right through him.

"Can I drown him in a bucket?" Anne asked. "Please."

Charles's eyes snapped to Anne. "All the ladies are becoming pirates, aren't they?"

That was the idea.

"If you let me go," Charles said, "I could offer you a large sum of money. My father would be good for it. Say, one thousand pieces of eight?"

She scoffed. There was nothing he could offer. But wait.

There might be one thing.

Something that belonged to her—and she should probably get it back.

"Where is it, Charles?" Mary asked.

"Where is what? My heart? It's in your palm!"

Mary took a moment to consider Anne's offer to drown him. Then she sighed. "The crown. The one you took to give to Lavinia to wear right over there." She pointed to the bow, where the (apparently very happy) couple had been wed.

"Oh," Charles breathed. "That crown. I haven't seen it since the wedding. I'm not sure where it is."

Mary glared at him a moment. He squirmed. Then she said, "Throw him in the brig. I'm going to look for my crown. Jack, make sure Anne doesn't drown anyone in buckets. Yet." She headed belowdecks, to where the Fancy 's fancy cabins were located, and went into the room where Charles and Lavinia had enjoyed their wedding night.

Alone, she stared down at the bed, remembering the weight of the knife in her hand, the sweat making her grip slippery. She recalled the bedsprings groaning as Charles had turned onto his back, giving the blade such an easy path to his heart.

She hadn't been able to do it then. Now?

Perhaps.

She hadn't loved him, she realized suddenly. She'd loved the idea of him, the idea of them . But those feelings had been one-sided, shallow—a passing fancy. Real love, she understood now, was steady. Kind. Gentle. It was a bond that could not be shaken by titles or rules.

Footfalls sounded behind her, bringing her back to the present.

"Everything all right?" Tobias asked.

Mary smiled over at him. She was done thinking about Charles... starting now. "Aye. There's just one thing I need. Help me look?"

"Always." Then, together, they searched through the wardrobe, behind a mostly empty bookcase, and under the bed. That was where Mary found it—along with a single stocking and a whole lot of dust.

Her mother's crown.

"That is something," Tobias said. "I've never seen the like."

"You wouldn't have," Mary said. "It was made with Mer magic. I should have respected it more."

After giving the crown a quick buff against her shirt, she spent a moment admiring the coral and pearls, this priceless piece that had been passed down to her. (And her sister, technically.) She'd taken this to remember who she was—where she'd come from—but now she was different, no longer Littlest, nor Mark, but Mary Read, the best pirate who ever sailed.

And soon, the Pirate Queen.

They returned to Booty Island that evening and spent the night moving treasure from the cave to the ships. Given all the booby traps, it was a slow, tedious process, one that required loading up carts, navigating them through the tunnels, traversing the treacherous beach, and then transferring everything to rowboats to be taken back to one of the ships.

They worked through the night, while Mary checked her hourglass again and again. Time was running short. If they didn't leave by morning, they wouldn't make it.

But at last, all four ships were sitting low in the water from the weight of gold, jewels, and thousands (and thousands) of pieces of eight. They raised the sails and set out for Nassau as fast as they could manage.

Fortunately, the wind was with them. And now, Mary was standing at the helm, her eyes on the smudge of New Providence in the distance, the rest of her ships following along behind. All were flying the Jolly Roger, the black flag with the grinning skull.

"Sails, Captain!" shouted Anne in the crow's nest. "Starboard bow!"

Mary pulled out her spyglass. And there, in the distance, she could just see the points of sails—the royal blue of Captain Penzance's ship, the Mabel . Behind it sailed one other.

Worse, as she moved the spyglass toward land, she caught sight of Captain Vane's trio of ships in the harbor, the Conspicuous the most conspicuous of them all.

Worse worse, the sun was nearly at its zenith.

"Go!" she shouted. "As fast as we can take her, let's go!"

The ships were so heavy, though, weighed down with all their treasure. It would take a miracle to get there before the noon bell rang.

Mary gripped the rail and imagined wind filling the sails of the William , the Jester , the Marie , and the Fancy . She imagined the water swirling around them, gathering, pushing them forward.

And then they were going faster. Six knots, if her guess was right. The ocean pulled them along. And when she looked into the water, there were dolphins and whales swimming just under the surface—ahead of them, too, creating a wake that would make it easier for the ships to gain speed.

She might not be a mermaid anymore, but the ocean hadn't forgotten her.

Just then, a loud BOOM sounded from Penzance's ship. A cannonball hurtled across the water and just shy of the William .

"Captain!" Quint shouted. "They're shooting at us!"

"I see that," Mary called. "Diesel! Man the cannons! Fire back—but don't kill them, intentionally or unintentionally. Just keep them off us."

"Aye, Captain!" Diesel ran to obey orders.

As Mary's fleet raced into the harbor, several more shots were fired between the two captains.

"Come on," she whispered.

The William surged forward, cutting through the water like a blade. The cannons stopped. The whole world seemed to fade away as Mary's fleet half flew into the harbor.

Without a minute to spare.

The AARP met them at the docks, all of them eyeing their pocket watches.

"Mine says twelve-oh-one," Hornigold said.

"Mine says eleven fifty-eight," Hook said.

They both looked at Captain Morgan.

"Eh," he said. "It's five o'clock somewhere."

"So it's fine, then," Tobias said. "We're in time."

"Aye," Hornigold said with a sigh. "Mostly because Penzance came in just a minute after you, and I want him to remain qualified. I'm hoping he has another dance routine prepared."

Well, Mary's crew had an entire acting troupe, but she wasn't bragging about it. "Just tally our prize," she said. "I have four ships here, all carrying Blackbeard's own treasure."

The three judges came aboard each of Mary's ships and looked through the holds. It was a ton of treasure, everyone agreed.

"I can't imagine Penzance will be able to produce more booty than this," Hornigold said after the final tally was made. There was a greedy gleam in his eye that made Mary nervous, but the old pirate didn't actually have a chance at stealing anything from them.

"What about Vane?" Mary asked.

"Ah, now Vane." Hornigold shook his head. "Come along. The ceremony is happening at GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS. And you'll see."

They tromped along to the brothel, leaving behind enough pirates to guard the ships—and the treasure. (Mary was really starting to feel itchy about all that treasure lying around Nassau harbor when there were a ton of people who specialized in stealing treasure hanging about.) The auditorium at GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS was packed, just as before, with everyone waiting for the big announcement.

All the contestants took to the stage. Captain Penzance was already mopping sweat from his brow. Mary wondered how much treasure he'd been able to procure.

Captain Ahab was gone, Mary knew, and Crunch had died. Roberts was there, but he looked just as worried as Penzance. None of the others had even bothered coming onto the stage.

Aside from Vane, of course. He stood at the front, just as he had before, looking out at the assembled pirates like he couldn't wait to make his first decree.

Round up all the women. Keep them off pirate ships. Rule Nassau with an iron first.

Mary's heart pounded as she stood apart from the other contestants. (They'd all shuffled away from her when she'd stepped up.) It was hard to believe that only three weeks ago, she'd been up here, declaring herself a woman to everyone. Forced into it, but relieved to do it herself. And—after learning the truth about her crew—glad of it.

As before, she was dressed well, thanks to Jack; he'd styled her hair, adjusted her hat, and made sure all her clothes fit just right. There was certainly no fault in her appearance.

Then Hornigold turned to address the audience and gave a speech, something about the best man winning, something about the Pirate King , something about safe spaces for men to do men things... Mary wasn't really listening. She was too busy scanning the audience for her crew, who were relying on her to win this thing, and for the women along the margins of the crowd, who were counting on her to win so they could get the chance to be pirates at all. She couldn't stop thinking about the reasons she'd given Tobias after she'd decided to enter—all the good she could do as the Pirate Queen. And this was her chance. If she blew it now, she blew it for all women.

"Our third-place winner," Hornigold said at last, "is Captain Penzance, with three chests of gold, some jewels, and a few other trinkets. Honestly, I'm surprised that's all he brought. I thought he was the obvious choice. I truly expected him to win."

Several members of the audience nodded. Others booed. Someone shouted, "I LOVE YOU, PENZANCE!"

Mary was surprised, too. By all accounts, Mary's main competition was Penzance and Vane. What about that extra ship he'd brought in? Perhaps he'd assumed a ship was treasure enough.

"The contest for first place was much tighter—unexpectedly so, in fact. While Mary returned with Blackbeard's treasure, it was Captain Vane who discovered... the lost treasure of Cortez!"

The audience erupted with excited screaming. Vane doffed his cap and bowed.

(Reader, in case you're unaware, the lost treasure of Cortez is, well, massive. And legendary. Gold and silver like you've never seen. Treasure hunters from all over have been absolutely obsessed with Cortez's treasure for hundreds of years.)

"Our appraiser, Mr. Witherell, has examined both treasures." He gestured to a small, smiley man with pointed ears, almost like an elf, who waved to the crowd a bit shyly. "The values are quite close, but Captain Read has four ships, while Vane has only three. So with that in mind—"

BOOM! The sound came from the harbor.

The auditorium went quiet.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

Then everyone looked toward the harbor-facing window just in time to see the William —with a fresh hole in its hull—start to sink into the water.

Vane began to laugh, a horrible, raspy sound that made Mary's fists clench.

"You did this," she hissed.

"‘ Sabotage, be it of Ship or Person, is encouraged ,'" Vane quoted from the rules. "That's all this is. A little friendly competition. Now, I believe, we are at a tie. I have three ships of treasure. You have three ships of treasure. But I have something you do not have."

Mary had a sinking feeling in her stomach. He probably didn't have that .

"I have my reputation—years of being one of the most infamous pirate captains in the Caribbean. Why, I built my name the hard way, picking myself up by my bootstraps. I sought out treasure on my own. I didn't just take gifts from more famous men."

Mary swallowed.

"And you," Vane went on, "have no reputation except that of a liar, someone who deliberately broke the rules to be a pirate on my ship ." He shook his head. "The fact of the matter is, I'm more qualified for the position. The men know me, the men—"

"Oh, shut up!" Mary took off her hat and hurled it at him.

He ducked, but his gaze flickered up to the top of her head. "What's that?"

Mary reached up, her fingers brushing the coral crown. "This old thing? Just a priceless family heirloom." Carefully, Mary removed the crown from her head and held it up so that everyone could see the perfectly grown coral, the shimmering pearls, and the way the whole thing gleamed like it was caught in a sunbeam just below the water's surface.

At the words priceless family heirloom , Mr. Witherell eagerly came forward, pulling on a set of white gloves so he could take the crown in his hands and inspect it.

"This is amazing," he breathed. "I've never seen anything like it. How did you—Where did you—"

"How much is it worth?" Captain Hornigold wanted to know.

Mr. Witherell blinked a few times, like he was holding back tears of delight. "She's right. It's priceless."

Mary placed the crown back on her head. She'd put it on under her captain's hat because she couldn't bear to leave it on any of the ships under anyone else's watch. And, being that she should return it to her sister—at least through the coronation—Mary had wanted a chance to wear it, too. For her own coronation as Pirate Queen.

"So you agree that I win?" She lifted her chin. "I have the bigger treasure."

Vane was scrambling, searching through his pockets, snapping at one of his men nearby. "Well, I have—I have this !" One of his minions hurried up and handed him an ivory tablet (jeez, could Vane be any more problematic?), inlaid with gold and colorful gemstones. It made what appeared to be a map. "This," he announced, "shows the location of the lost city of Atlantis!"

Mary glanced at Tobias just in time to see his jaw drop at the sight of the map. She resolved to steal it from Vane and give it to Tobias. Later.

"Look, that is a nice little map," she said, "but it's not worth anything close to this crown. Did you see the size of these pearls?"

"It leads to Atlantis ," Vane reminded them. " More treasure, and inventions beyond our wildest dreams! I think we can all agree that is priceless, too."

Everyone looked to Mr. Witherell. He took the tablet from Vane, inspected it carefully, and handed it back. "It does appear to be the genuine article," he admitted. "Which yes, would make it priceless as well."

The judges huddled together to confer.

They were going to choose Vane. Mary knew it. The booty was too close—at least in their opinions. It didn't matter that he'd blasted one of her ships into the water after the contest was technically over. They wanted Vane to win. They needed it, maybe. The idea of a woman winning this contest threatened them too much.

Slowly, the judges turned to face Mary and Vane again. Hornigold was smiling.

Well, she'd given it her best. More than her best. But she would keep her head high, even as they gave the title to their preferred candidate. It was the least she could do now.

"Wait!" Tobias scrambled up onto the stage. "There's one more thing. Mary, you forgot this." He pulled something from his pocket and pressed it into her hand. His gaze locked onto hers as he said softly, "It's your heart."