Larry was frantic. He had lost site of the Windrush as the distance grew and the fog thickened. With the orange sun low in the West there was only half-an-hour of light left. Clinging to the mast with long fingers he desperately scoured the choppy ocean looking for some sign of the small skiff. He knew the Windrush would be hard to spot with her mast lowered, that’s why he had so diligently kept watch. Once lost to site the Windrush would be hard to find.
Now that Kidney Reef was near, the fleet of converted fishing boats tightened into a fist. They would be watching for Larry’s signal as he watched for Flossy’s. They were a formidable force but without Flossy’s directions they would be uncoordinated and easy to pick off by the more experienced sailors of the Interloper. This was their base of operations and they would have had a whole day to prepare a defence. The Hammer’s victory would come from a concentrated surprise attack. Without directions from Flossy they were muscles without a brain.
‘Are you alright up there, my dear?’ said Ava Ostrich, whispering. ‘You look worried. Is there anything I can do? I have all sorts of experience that might prove useful in a pinch…’
Larry could hear the crew of the Fat Crab stirring below. It would have been a long journey for some, especially for those who had suffered from repeated bouts of sea sickness. And everybody would be on edge not knowing what would be asked of him or her in the ensuing battle.
‘Can you see a signal? Shall I look too?’
Larry shook his head without looking down. He still held a set of signalling flags in his teeth, his jaw ached and his mouth was dry. Flossy must be out there somewhere, but where? The light was fading and the fog thickening as they approached the reef. Larry strained to see more clearly through the ship’s spyglass as he held tightly to the swaying mast. There! He could see colour in the fog. Flossy’s flags were signalling!
Ava must have seen a change in his movements because she immediately announced: ‘He has them! Now everyone be quiet. We are close and don’t want to give ourselves away until Admiral Fairweather gives the order. Anyone who makes a noise won’t be allowed to eat at the Stinging Nettle for a month.’
Larry read Flossy’s flags. ‘pirates running east…safe channel through reef…all pursue…all haste’. The message repeated.
Fighting down his excitement, Larry used his flags to relay Flossy’s message to the rest of the Hammer. The pirates were on the run, just like Flossy had said. They were trying to use a channel through the reef to get away. But they wouldn’t escape. The Hammer would hit hard just as Flossy had planned.
As Larry dropped from the mast, the crew of the Fat Crab was preparing to fight. Pikes were brandied and swords were drawn. A few handed animals had lit firebrands. He could smell the excitement and the dirty black smoke. Some of the faster boats were racing ahead, eager to be first to engage the pirates. Their crews were cheering and brandishing weapons, some improvised from lumps of wood. Torches were lit and everyone was crowding forward. He watched them disappear into the bank of fog that lay like a false island over the deadly rock and coral of Kidney Reef.
Ava was arranging bandages and small bottles in one of the saddle bags she wore. The bag was emblazoned with a red cross. She noticed him looking. ‘I’ve seen my fair share of action, dear, and I know what’s coming. There are always injured, even in the best planned military campaigns. But don’t worry. Admiral Fairweather knows what she’s doing and I’m sure she won’t let us down. We’ll surprise them just like she said.’
Larry went portside to look for the Windrush. Flossy would want to lead the charge. They should have met her by now. She should have joined them by now. Where was she?
Behind them, the setting sun slipped into the narrow gap between the low cloud and the horizon. For a few moments bright, golden rays penetrated the thick fog ahead. He could see the fleet racing towards the reef, crews cheering and weapons raised. He could see the dark north-south line of Kidney Reef, shallow waves breaking with white crests. But he couldn’t yet make out the channel the pirates were using to escape.
The Windrush! There she was.
Larry frowned. The little skiff was travelling away from the fleet at full clip, not joining them to take command. What was Flossy doing? She should be leading the fight not running. And where was Flossy? He would have expected her to be standing at the helm and signalling further instructions.
Larry froze with fright, a chill running up his spine. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw a dog at the tiller of the Windrush.
The next minutes were a blur of confusion. The fast boats of the Hammer hit home hard as planned. But instead of pirates they hit the reef, at full tilt. Or they hit each other. There was no safe channel through the reef; just hard coral and cold rock. Fire brands fell from hands and paws setting some of the boats alight. Animals dived overboard to avoid being burned alive. And almost as if it was timed, the sun slipped below the horizon and darkness came upon them like a death sentence. No boat was left undamaged; most were smashed upon rock and coral and sank leaving their crews struggling in the dark water or clinging desperately to debris. Some were crying for help, others just crying.
Larry clung to floating wreckage that was drifting dangerously close to the reef as he tried to work out what had happened. There was no safe channel through Kidney Reef and Flossy and Mr Snake would not have meant to cause their destruction so it must have been a dog he had seen sailing the Windrush, the same dog who signalled. He had been tricked. He had let everyone down. He had failed them all. His parents would be ashamed. Darkness and shame crept into Larry’s heart. There was a stand of kelp waving below him. He could feel its slimy tendrils tangling his feet. Perhaps he should just let go and let it to pull him down into the ocean’s depths. He could let the dark waters cover him and hide him from all those he had failed. Flossy had entrusted him with communicating her instructions to the fleet, instead he had communicated the pirate’s instructions and the fleet had been smashed upon the reef. He should have known it wasn’t Flossy. He had seen no safe channel when they circumnavigated the reef two days prior. He should have known it was a trick.
But how had they taken the Windrush? Flossy was skilled with the sword and Iscariot was a huge snake easily able to fight off a pirate attack. And the Windrush was fast, fast enough to escape. So how had they been taken? Flossy would not have been easily tricked. She had been with the pirates for months and would know how they thought and acted. She would have been on her guard. That’s why she went ahead of everyone. To make sure there were no traps.
Through the gloom he could see the vague silhouette of the Interloper stranded and listing heavily to one side. He couldn’t see any movement on deck and the wreck looked abandoned. It could be another pirate trick but he had little choice, it would be safer there than in the water at night, so close to the reef. Perhaps they could still overwhelm the pirates. Perhaps Flossy and Iscariot would be there, tied up or locked below. He hoped they were alright, and Harry and Sally too. He hoped they would forgive him for failing them all so badly.
Some of the animals around him were swimming for the wreck. Larry let go of the floating wreckage and swam for the Interloper too.