Page 105 of Vengeance of the Pirate Queen

“But he was so overbearing, Sorinda. I thought I would want a break from him for years and years after the way he treated me. But I don’t. I wish I could see him this very moment.”

I squeeze her hand. “You will see him again. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Do you think he will be immediately cross with me? Or do you suppose he’d let me hug him first?”

Kearan takes her free hand, shifting the load he carries to his other arm. “He’ll be so happy to see you, he’ll forget there was ever a reason to be cross.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“It’s what I would do if I were missing a daughter.”

“His happiness over seeing me returned won’t last forever. He’ll do something afterward.”

“Probably skin your hide,” I offer.

Roslyn shrugs at that. “It was worth it.”

“What was?”

“This adventure. It’s worth whatever punishment Papa has for me.”

“This was an adventure I could have—” I cut myself off. I was going to adddone without, but I realize that’s not true. How can it be? When this journey gave me hope for my own future and clarity on the past. When this journey drew me closer to a man I otherwise would have been able to ignore.

“You’ll have to work hard to earn back his trust, though,” I say instead.

“Probably, but at least I won’t have to listen to him forever!”

“What do you mean by that?” Kearan asks.

“Alosa says I’ll be old enough to fight with her crews when I’m thirteen.”

“Yes, I’m sure your papa will let up then,” Kearan says sarcastically.

Roslyn doesn’t seem to notice.

THEDRIFTA’SVESSEL ISeasier to find than I anticipated. The natives dock her not far from where we sank, between a jutting cliff side and an iceberg bigger than any building built by Islanders. From the inside of the island, looking outward, it’s not hard to see how we missed her.

Thick ice has formed between the cliff and the iceberg, creating a ceiling over the docked ship. The sea must have shown the reflection of the ice, making the structure look solid. But from land, looking outward, I can see the stern peeking out from the ice tunnel.

I can also see the Drifta on watch. They stand atop towers hidden in the ice surrounding the island, always watching for approaching vessels so they know to attack. Dozens upon dozens of them up there with spyglasses. They’ll have hours’ notice before any ships arrive. Plenty of time to assemble a crew to attack.

Let’s see how many they leave on board when they’re not expecting a skirmish.

From the tree line looking to the sea, it’s a several-hundred-yard dash. There’s no cover. No way to mask almost forty people approaching. The ship ahead is mostly in shadow. Impossible to tell who might be looking this way.

“What are you thinking?” Dimella asks me.

“I don’t want to run for it. If they’re alerted to our presence, they could shoot us down before we ever reach the sea. There’s no cover on the shoreline. We need to get someone aboard that galleon to cause a distraction.”

Dimella sizes up the distance and looks to the surrounding lookout towers. “That’s not going to be easy. Even if we could camouflage someone sufficiently, those lookouts will surely notice the movement against this flat expanse of white.”

“I’d try it, Captain,” Roslyn offers. “I can be stealthy, just like you taught me.”

“I know you can,” I say to her, “but this is different.”

“We could wait for the cover of nightfall,” Kearan suggests.

“We don’t have the time,” I say. “Even now, Threydan is on his way. We need to be long gone.”

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