Page 80 of Witches of Dubious Origin
“How old do you suppose their ship is?” Olive asked me. It felt like a test.
“Judging by the rigging, it was built in the seventeen hundreds. Why?” I asked.
Her eyebrows went up and I might have thought she was impressed with my memory and random bits of knowledge, but she continued on before I could be sure. “Correct. Which means they’ve had almost three centuries to harness their ghostly powers.”
“So they can manifest a ghost cannonball into a real one?” I asked.
“Precisely, the older the ghosts, the more powerful they are, and they do have the ability to harness energy and weaponize it.”
“So ghosts can actually hurt you,” I said.
“That’s how I got this scar.” Olive tapped the eyebrow with the slit in it. Having made her point, she slipped her sunglasses back on.
“Well, shit.”
“Everyone, hang on,” Jasper ordered. “I’m going to try to outmaneuver them.”
We each grabbed a built-in handhold. Jasper veered to the right and then the left. He shot forward and dropped back. All the while, I heard the boom of the cannon and noted splashes of water breaking the surface all around us.
Suddenly, Jasper switched tactics and aimed straight for the island, which I could just make out in the thinning fog. The cannonballs landed all around us but never came close enough to cause any damage.
I leaned forward so I could see Jasper’s face. His thoughtful expression indicated that he’d come to the same conclusion as me. “They’re missing us on purpose.”
He turned his head and his gaze met mine. “I think so, too, but why?”
I had no idea.
We glanced ahead and the island’s marina appeared. Jasper turned to face the others and said, “Land ho!”
I turned back and saw the ghost ship stop. It hovered on the water, not moving. There had to be a ward or spell that kept it from the shore. Relief whooshed through me. There would be no ghosts stalking us on the island.
As I watched, Captain Cole raised his sword in the air. “Be wary, granddaughter of Toni Donadieu. All is not as it seems. We will await your return.”
My return? Was he telling me we were going to do this dance again? No, no, no. I didn’t care how I got off the island, I was not facing down a pirate ship again. No way, no how. I’d hire a helicopter if I had to.
Jasper slowed the boat to accommodate the no-wake zone as we entered the cove. With the pirates held firmly offshore, I found I could breathe again.
“They let us go. What a relief.” Eloise sagged against her seat. “I’m surprised you didn’t give them the book, Zoe.”
“Me, too,” I said. “But I couldn’t. It wouldn’t have been right.”
Eloise smiled at me. Her eyes were kind and soulful when she said, “Your grandmother would have been proud of you.”
I tried to wave her off, but a silly, sentimental part of me was pleased to hear it. Would Mamie have been proud? Or would she have thought I was an idiot? I had no way of knowing. She’d been gone for more years than I’d known her. I liked to think she’d have approved, but I didn’t want to presume. I didn’t want to be wrong.
Jasper pulled up to an open slip in the marina. The fog had lifted, leaving only the relentless rain. With a glance out at the ocean, I noticed the pirate ship had faded, much like the fog, leaving only the memory of its presence behind.
“Come on, let’s tie up,” Olive said. “We want to be out of here before the ferry lands and they realize they’re missing a lifeboat.”
Jasper lifted Eloise up and set her on the dock. He turned to do the same for Olive, but she climbed out of the boat, nimbly stepping onto the creaking boards and kneeling to tie the boat. I scrambled after her, tying the bow while Jasper propped up the engine on the back of the boat.
Olive led the way to the larger pier. Like good little soldiers, we fell into step behind her. Eloise was agog at the view of the town from the pier.
“Oh no, the ice cream parlor is gone!” she cried. “They’ve replaced it with a locally harvested seaweed shop. That’s just wrong.”
I kept glancing back at the ocean, expecting the pirates to appear.
“It’s all right, Zoe.” Jasper came up beside me. “As Olive said, the pirates can’t leave their ship.”
