Free The Caribbean by Rob Kidd Page B

shook his head and approached the wandering zombie.
    “Not to interrupt,” Jack said blithely, “but you’re going to wear a hole in my deck if you keep this up.”
    “Coming up on Panama,” Alex said, jerking his head at the land, “Captain Jack Sparrow.”
    Jack couldn’t help smiling at that. “Sure we are, mate. What’s your problem with Panama? Lovely country. Excellent rum.” He wished they could stop, but there was no time for that.
    “Not my problem,” Alex said, gazing at the horizon. “ His . The Shadow Lord’s.” He lowered his voice. “Hates Panama. Did terrible things here. Old grudges. But new victims.”
    “That doesn’t sound very cheerful,” Jack admitted. “You’re not telling me His Shadow-ness has already attacked here, are you?”
    Alex’s eyes stared blankly ahead. “You will see. Soon. Soon you will see.”
    U p in the crow’s nest, Carolina shivered, rubbing her arms. She loved to be up there, above the noise of the ship, just her and the wind and the wild stretches of open sea all around her. But she always forgot how cold it was.
    “Here,” Diego said, climbing into the basket. He pulled off his coat and draped it around her shoulders, his arms lingering for a moment around her. It was as close as he could get to embracing her.
    “Thanks, Diego,” Carolina said, putting her arms in the sleeves and buttoning the coat. “If you’re sure you don’t need it…?”
    “I’m all right,” Diego said. “I’m used to much worse. Back home in Spain, when I was a boy working in your father’s palace, I slept on cold stone floors and worked in the stables through the winter in only a thin jacket.” It was your smile and your eyes and thoughts of you that kept me warm, he thought but did not say.
    “I’m sorry I told them about being a princess,” Carolina said. “I know you didn’t want me to. Now I will have to work twice as hard to convince them I really want to be a pirate—and that I’m strong enough for it.”
    “I think that much is obvious,” Diego said.
    “Really?” Carolina asked hopefully, looking up at him. The basket of the crow’s nest was small, so they had to stand close together. Diego could feel his heart pounding. “I’m not like that horrible Marcella girl, right, Diego?” Carolina asked.
    “Not at all,” he said quickly. “If you want to be a pirate, I know you will be a great one.”
    “I do want to be a pirate,” Carolina said, her gaze dropping to the white-topped waves below. It was a gray and windy day, now shifting imperceptibly into dusk. The sea was the color of a gray whale, and bursts of spray flew up against the side of the ship. The mast was swaying more than usual, and Carolina could see that Diego was already feeling a little seasick.
    She squinted at the horizon behind them. Suddenly she clutched Diego’s arm, and he nearly toppled out of the crow’s nest in surprise.
    “Diego,” she said urgently, “is that a sail? Way over there—do you think it’s another ship coming this way?”
    He rubbed his eyes and peered into the distance. Carolina was right. There was another ship out there.
    “It doesn’t mean anything,” he reassured her. “It could be going in any direction. It’ll probably disappear in a short while.”
    “What if it’s following us?” Carolina whispered, leaning against him with a worried frown. “What if…what if it’s my family still looking for me?”
    “Then we’ll fight them off,” Diego said, feeling brave enough to touch her face with his fingers. “We won’t let them have you. But don’t worry yet. It’s probably nothing.”
    She rested her head on his arm, and he took one of her hands in both of his. They watched the sail in the distance for a long, long while. By the time they climbed back down to the deck, they were both sure.
    Someone was following the Pear l .

C HAPTER T EN
    “N othing to worry about,” Jack declared.
    Carolina and Diego exchanged glances. “But