Ocean spray stung Flossy’s eyes but she no longer noticed the taste of salt as she stood uneasy at the little Windrush’s helm skipping over waves towards Kidney Reef. Her plan would soon be tested and everyone was relying on the decisions she would make in the next few minutes. It was a big responsibility, her greatest yet. Her parents would be proud of her, if they were still alive. She wondered if she would ever see them again. There was little hope unless she managed to rescue Harry. He had agreed to take her aboard the Serendipity and help find them. Together they would leave the Gulf of Mexico through Sometimes Gap, something Harry intended to do anyway, and search the oceans beyond. She patted her vest to make sure the map was still safely stored in the inner pocket. The map was her ticket home. It showed the only way out of the Gulf and a safe route through the monster-infested Caribbean Sea to the Panama Canal. The Canal would lead her back to the Pacific Ocean where this awful and interesting chapter of her life began. Her parents would be there, unless they weren’t. Either way, the Serendipity represented her best hope of finding them or learning of their fate. She would never know if she stayed in Port Isabel. It was a comfortable town but it was a very long way from Australia, and there were no other humans.
Flossy swung the tiller and ducked as the Windrush’s boom swung to starboard. The small boat came about quickly and raced forward on its new setting, sails taut. She trimmed the mainsail with one hand and kept hold of the tiller with the other.
Iscariot lay curled up in the bottom, watching her with glassy eyes. They both knew how easy it would be for him to capsize the small craft if he moved suddenly in the wrong direction. As long as he lay still he was excellent ballast, helping the keel to keep the Windrush upright in the breeze. Larry was behind, watching for her signal. He had helped plot the Hammer’s course using a map, compass and dead reckoning. He was a much better navigator and she was glad for his help. In a very short time he had earned her affection and trust. He had saved her life twice and had shown unerring judgment in her innocence when the townsfolk accused her of being a pirate.
‘It’s time,’ said Flossy. There was dark water and dense fog directly ahead. They would soon be at Kidney Reef.
Iscariot, who had been dozing in the hollow of the boat, lazily lifted his head and looked over the side. ‘Dinner time?’ he asked.
‘No you lazy serpent, time for a swim.’ She reefed the mainsail and wound in the spinnaker. The Windrush quickly glided to a stop.
‘Oh my, do I have to? What if there are sharks?’
‘Then try not to eat them all at once,’ Flossy replied. ‘Now over you go!’
The big snake nearly tipped the Windrush as he slithered over the side.
The light was failing as they drifted into the fog bank, which lay over the reef like a ghostly island. Flossy unfastened the iron locking pin and collapsed the mast, laying it flat. The Hammer was behind schedule but there was still time and the unexpectedly thick fog would give them good cover.
Iscariot swam round behind as Flossy drew a heavy canvas cover over the boat. It was pale green, the colour of the sea. When she reached the prow she ducked under the canvas and readied her spyglass and flags. With no mast, the camouflaged Windrush would be difficult to see in the fog, even if the pirates were on the lookout.
She felt a lurch as Iscariot powerfully pushed the little skiff forward. They would uncover any traps and signal the Hammer with the best attack approach. This was Iscariot’s idea, one of the few genuinely useful contributions he had made. He had even volunteered to push if the boat was made lighter by having Flossy as its only passenger. She didn’t trust him enough to send anyone else anyway so she readily agreed to his plan. ‘You’re wise t' keep yer mates close, young Flossy but always reckon t' keep yer enemies closer still,’ so said Jack Bundy, the old sailor on the Enterprise. Besides, there was little mischief the big snake could perpetrate so far from home in treacherous waters. He needed the goodwill of others if he wanted to get back to Port Isabel.
Despite reconnaissance being the least risky part of the mission she still felt the queasy uncertainty she had first felt back at the Quay. Had she overlooked some important detail? Had she made some assumption that would defeat her plans? No, she hadn’t. She had covered every scenario and would only attack when she was sure. She put the anxiety out of her mind, dismissing it as paranoia.
Flossy knocked three times as prearranged when the wreck of the Interloper materialised like a ghost from the gloom. The little skiff slowed and corrected course. They passed the broken ship slowly. Its stern was intact but its main mast had fallen to one side and the big ship was listing heavily, waves surging through a ragged breach in its hull. A great deal of wreckage floated in the water all about them. None of the starboard cannon hatches where open. This could be useful; by attacking from the south, the pirates would be delayed by having to ready the cannons. A pirate flag hung limply above the window through which Flossy had escaped just two day before. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
Iscariot pushed the Windrush around the wreckage in a wide arc. She hadn’t yet seen or heard anyone, which was unexpected. She knew from her time with the pirates that someone was always barking or whining. And where were the boats the pirates had stolen from Gateway Quay? She looked for Harry and Sally but from this angle she was unable to see the ship’s deck. The feeling of uneasiness returned like a lead weight in the pit of her stomach. Where they expected? Was this a trap?
Rounding the stern, Flossy stared in horror. There was only one small boat tied to the wreckage. Where were the rest? Two dogs sat in the boat. One was Blackpaw; he had once been kind to her. The other was Pratt’s first mate, Fang.
They were expecting her!
‘Iscariot! It’s a trap. Fly Iscariot, fly!’
The Windrush drifted to a stop and gently rocked in the swell, a stone’s throw from the pirates. Shallow waves lapped against the tilted hull of the wreck and hissed against the sharp rocks of the reef as Iscariot swam serenely towards the waiting pirates.
Suddenly she knew with crystal clarity why she had felt on edge all day; why she felt so uncertain. ‘Traitor!’ she yelled, desperately trying to think of what to do. He had delivered her straight into the pirate’s jaws. She had not considered that Iscariot, as slippery as he might be, would actually be in league with the pirates. Who had said that the wreck was the only place they could be? Who? Iscariot Snake! He had known they weren’t here. He had set it all up from the beginning.
She had to raise the alarm; to warn Larry. But the wreck of the Interloper stood between her and the Hammer, which would be rapidly closing in on the reef. There was no way Larry could see her flags unless she could push clear or get on board the Interloper by climbing up its smashed and tilted hull. Only minutes remained, and it might already be too late, but she had to try.
‘Traitor! You coldblooded traitor! You fiend! You slippery, treacherous, yellow-bellied fiend!’ she yelled across the green waters with tight fists. ‘I should have finished you off at the Stinging Nettle.’ Her voice sounded hollow and ineffectual in the damp, dull fog.
If the pirates weren’t here then where were they? There were only two here. And where were Harry and Sally? Would she ever see them again? Would she ever see her parents again? What would Larry and the others do? What trap had been set for them? Her head swam with a thousand questions.
Having finished his conference with the two pirates, Iscariot turned and swam back towards the Windrush, an evil gleam in his lidless eyes.