Page 75 of Stealing the Merman

“Darin shot Anne in the shoulder,” Finn said, and the world came to a grinding halt. “He would’ve killed her with more time to aim, but she was attacking with two swords.”

Conall felt the color drain from his face. Anne was an extraordinary swordfighter. Luckily, Darin was an equally good shot. Conall didn’t want to think about how this would’ve ended had Darin been unarmed. A cold shiver raced over his skin, and it took everything in him not to let it show.

“But,” Finn said, “she’s a captain, and the Brethren of the Coast has thrown them both in the dungeon to be tried.”

Hot-white rage erupted in Conall, and he balled his hands into fists. “She gained her captaincy through unlawful means. She’s no captain.”

“Then sail for Vieques and testify against her.”

The crew had to think him insane when he told them to turn around. They’d been running for two days, and now he wanted to return? Conall didn’t care. With the wind in their back, they raced toward Vieques.

Worry gnawed at Conall. Finn had assured him that the Brethren kept Darin and Anne in far apart cells, but what if she lured the guards onto her side? What if someone laid a hand on Darin? It would be Conall’s fault. It was his responsibility to protect his boys, and he had failed them. Against his better judgment, he’d worked off the possibility they’d been untruthful and had stabbed him in the back.

Vieques Town was bustling upon their return, and the rumor of Anne’s capture following gross violations of the pirate code had spread. The Brethren of the Coast had gathered in the tavern’s drinking hall to decide the fate of Darin Hardy and Anne Doyle, where Conall and Finn burst through the main entrance.

The hall was different during the day. Gone were the glittering chandeliers, the music, the warm oil lamps and the sweet smell of rum. At night it had been a ballroom, now it resembled a Gothic cathedral: white light fell in through tall windows, and yet the interior was dark. It took Conall’s eyes a moment to adjust and take in the details. The walls were covered in soot, and the debris from the night before lay scattered on the marble floor.

Three long mahogany tables had been set up in a horseshoe-shape, pirate captains sitting on benches along it. At its mouth stood two heavy, wooden chairs, their occupants tied to the backrest with coarse rope: Darin and Anne.

Darin’s face was in shadow, but he looked paler than ever. The rope was cutting into his wrists, and red welts had formed. Righteous anger rose in Conall at their sight. Darin turned at the sound of Conall’s footsteps, though his bonds didn’t allow him to move much.

Anne didn’t react. She sat straight and unmoving in her chair as if this hearing only concerned her peripherally.

“Conall,” Captain Taylor said and stood from his seat near the head of the table.

“I see you’ve taken it upon yourselves to arrest my companion,” Conall said, his cold voice splitting the air.

He marched toward the tables and drew his cutlass. The men stopped breathing, and then Conall sliced through the rope holding Darin. The shreds fell to the floor. Darin rubbed his sore wrists and looked up at Conall with large eyes. “You came.”

“I’ll always come for you.”

Protecting Darin and Finn was the only thing that had the power to make Conall face his agonizing memories. He had avoided love, had tried to forget. Confronting Anne was something he’d never wanted to do, out of fear and shame, but knowing Darin was in danger pushed him into action.

“The allegations against Darin Hardy are serious,” one of the captains presiding over the court said.

Conall took a wide stance. The men at the table regarded his cutlass wearily as he held it low by his side—not a threatening position, but he didn’t sheath the weapon either. “Not as serious as my allegations against Anne Doyle.”

“Indeed, we’ve heard from the young Mr. Hardy what your grievances are, and we’d like to hear them from you and learn about the circumstances. All that was publicly known is that you’d been replaced as captain ofThe Poisoned Doubloonby Anne Doyle following mutiny. She alleges cowardice in time of engagement on your part.”

“Oh, does she?” Conall gave a derisive snort. “Is that how she justifies mutiny at the worst possible moment when the code explicitly forbids it because of the associated risks? Yes, Anne won the battle in the end but at what cost?

“AboardThe Poisoned Doubloon, we voted to raid what we thought to be a galleon, an ordinary merchantman with additional cannon-props hoisted to the side of the ship to make pirates think the ship was better armed than it was. I’ve seen this tactic used enough to call the bluff. Except it wasn’t a bluff. By the time we were close enough to notice we hadn’t approached a galleon but a man-of-war, it was too late. Warships are rare in the Bahamas, and we had no reason to believe we’d run into one. But we had, and they engaged us. It turned bloody.

“I believed that remaining in battle with a man-of-war posed an unacceptable risk to everyone aboard and hence ordered a retreat. That’s when Anne—while cannonballs shredded our starboard!—instigated a mutiny. She asserted the enemy ship held great treasures, and she didn’t want to forgo them, no matter the cost. A third of our crew died that day. Yes, Anne secured the booty, but she sacrificed good men to do so. She mutinied out of greed and with complete disregard for human life.”

Conall’s hands were cold and damp; sweat broke out on his brow. His throat tightened, and in quick, efficient sentences, he pressed out the broad strokes of what followed the battle.

“She marooned me on a flooding sandbank, without as much as a pistol.”

A murmur went through the ranks of the pirates. Conall would never speak of that harrowing experience again, but if telling his story got Darin out of the dungeon and Anne onto the gallows, it was worth it.

The pirates nodded as he continued. Anne had told Darin and Finn the truth, and Darin and Conall’s versions of the events matched.

“You were a coward, and I brought us victory,” Anne said, her eyes trained straight ahead.

“Tell that to the dead men your continued assault is responsible for,” Conall said. “Your arguments for cowardice in time of engagement are moot, and therefore, your claim to captaincy is void.”

“He’s right,” Captain Taylor said. “A captain has the right to abort a raid at any point. Conall wasn’t acting out of fear for his life, he acted out of responsibility for his men. Anne committed mutiny in a situation where the code expressly prohibits it. And as per the pirate code, mutineers shall be punished as the captain sees fit,” Captain Taylor said. “Conall?”

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