Free Day of the Shadow by Rob Kidd Page A

came out from behind a cloud, casting a silvery light over the seaside scene. Jack gasped. All the pirates behind him clattered to a stop, confused and dismayed. “It can’t be!” Jack sputtered. But it was. The Black Pearl was gone.

C HAPTER T WELVE
    T he brig in the dark underbelly of the Seref was uncomfortably cold and unpleasantly smelly. Carolina buried her nose in her sleeve and tried to breathe shallowly, rubbing her arms occasionally to keep them warm. Diego had fallen asleep—or lost consciousness again, she feared—with his head on her lap. Her legs ached, but she didn’t move. She didn’t want to disturb Diego’s rest, now that he finally seemed to be free of pain.
    Carolina touched the plain wooden floor underneath her, wondering if the cold was coming up from the ocean and how thick the shell of the boat was. She wished they had anything, even some straw, to lie down on.
    The ship’s curving walls were slightly damp, lit by a guttering candle stuck into a holder on the outside of the bars. Carolina had tried to study the lock by the light of the candle when they were first thrown into the brig, but she didn’t know anything about lock picking, and in any case, it wasn’t as if there was anywhere they could go if they did get out of the brig…other than straight into the Mediterranean Sea, of course.
    Still, her mind went around and around in circles, trying to formulate an escape plan. There had to be something she could do. Perhaps she could convince Ammand to let Diego go—he wouldn’t fetch nearly as high a reward as the princess herself.
    A soft noise in the dark hold made her sit up straight. It sounded bigger than a rat. Was there someone else creeping around down here?
    Then she saw the flicker of a candle coming toward the brig. She reached for her sword and remembered that Ammand had confiscated it. There was nothing else to defend herself with in the small cell. Carolina set her jaw, ready to fight with her bare hands.
    But the figure that appeared at the cell door was not one of the Barbary corsairs. He was a lithe, blue-eyed young man with a worried expression. Carolina recognized him as the sailor Captain Hawk had called Tim.
    “Are you all right?” Tim whispered. “Here—I brought you some blankets.” He pushed some thick woolen fabric through the bars.
    Carolina gently lifted Diego’s head off her lap and crept to the door. Her fingers trembled with cold as she wrapped one of the blankets around herself and spread the other one over Diego.
    “Thank you,” she whispered. “It’s Tim, right?”
    “Tim Hawk,” said the young man. “Captain Hawk is my uncle. He was worried about you, but he couldn’t get away from Ammand, so he sent me.”
    “Your uncle?” Carolina said. “Is the rest of your family on board, too?”
    Tim shook his head. “My parents were killed by a pirate many years ago. My cousin, the captain’s son, was sailing with us, but he fell overboard near Barbados a few months ago. We’re still hoping to find him again one day.”
    “I’m sorry,” Carolina said. “You must hate pirates, then.”
    “Only some of them,” Tim said. He grinned. “I’ve met a couple that weren’t so terrible. Er…not these corsairs, though, I’m afraid.”
    “What is Ammand going to do with us?” Carolina asked, wrapping her hands around the iron bars.
    “He sent a message to the Spanish already, arranging a meeting,” Tim said glumly. “We’re heading straight to the rendezvous. Ammand’s not even stopping to drop us off first.”
    Carolina fought back tears. “Is there any way you can get us out of here?” She tugged on the lock, but it was solid as diamonds.
    “I’m sorry.” Tim shook his head. “I would if I could.” He paused. “Did I hear that you were sailing with Jack Sparrow?”
    “Captain Jack Sparrow,” Carolina said, feeling another pang of guilt for abandoning her captain in Marseille.
    Tim chuckled. “Yes, Captain Jack. I met him once,