Free Rising In The East by Rob Kidd Page B

hardly knowing which pirates were friends and which were foes. It seemed like several of the pirates in blue were switching sides to fight for Sao Feng. They could not resist the power of the opal.
    Lian and Park threw themselves into the fray, too. Jack paused in his fighting to admire their abilities for a moment. They both whipped the steel chopsticks out of their hair and used them with vicious skill. Their steel-tipped fans sliced and slashed, leaving trails of blood and ribbons of yellow robes discarded on the floor. Jack was very glad they were on his side. When he managed to catch Park’s eye, he blew her a kiss.
    There was a loud clatter behind Jack as Liang Dao’s sword flew out of his hand and skittered across the marble.
    “Aha!” Sao Feng cried triumphantly, seizing his brother and hauling him over to the throne. Keeping his sword at Liang Dao’s throat, Sao Feng stood on the chair and fired his pistol in the air.
    All over the throne room, the fighting stopped.
    “It is over,” Sao Feng said, indicating his defeated brother at the end of his sword. “I am your Pirate Lord now.”
    “You tricked me,” Liang Dao snarled, his gaze fixed on the sharp tip pressed to his jugular.
    Sao Feng shook his head gravely. “That is what a pirate does, Liang Dao. You are no good at it—and that is why I should be a Pirate Lord instead.” He reached down and yanked a cord necklace off Liang Dao’s neck. Holding it up, he announced, “The Piece of Eight is mine!”
    A great cheer went up from all the pirates. Jack noticed that several of the pirates in blue were hurriedly stripping off their lion robes and cheering as if they’d been on Sao Feng’s side all along.
    “Kill me,” Liang Dao growled. “You have disgraced me, brother. At least show me enough respect to not make me live through the humiliation of this day.”
    “You do not deserve to die,” Sao Feng said. “You will live, but in disgrace.”
    “Ahoy, your nibs!” Jack said, drawing Sao Feng’s attention to him. “Do you think we could spare a moment for my reward?” He held out his hand palm up. “The vial, if you please?”
    “What vial?” Liang Dao asked, struggling as two pirates came up and tied his arms. “What has my lying brother promised you?”
    “The uh—the vial of Shadow Gold—don’t tell me…” Jack trailed off. The answer was clear from the smug look on Sao Feng’s face.
    “Oh, there’s no Shadow Gold here ,” Sao Feng said. “My apologies; did I give you that impression?”
    “You bloody well did,” Jack said evenly.
    Sao Feng laughed maniacally.
    “What about the Pirate Code?” Carolina cried. “Where is your sense of honor? You made a deal!”
    “I did,” Sao Feng said calmly. “And I will keep my promise. We just had to make this brief detour along the way.”
    “Sounds a bit like my trip ‘home’ to North Carolina, doesn’t it, Jack?” Billy said, glaring at his captain.
    Jack drew his sword. “Well, then. If you can’t help me find the next vial of Shadow Gold—”
    “But I can,” Sao Feng said. “We both know another Pirate Lord who is certain to have one. And only I can take you straight to Mistress Ching.”

C HAPTER N INE
    N aturally, Jack was still very suspicious, but before he could attack, the new Pirate Lord of Singapore spoke again.
    “I will explain,” Sao Feng said. “My brother has been planning a meeting with Mistress Ching for several months. The threat of the East India Trading Company has grown very strong in our waters. A new man, Benedict Huntington, runs operations from Hong Kong, and he is ruthless when it comes to pirates. Something must be done to stop him, and we believe perhaps the time has come for a joint effort.”
    All the pirates in the chamber, no matter what region or crew they were from, snickered at the words “joint effort.” It was impossible to imagine pirates cooperating.
    “Silence!” Sao Feng commanded, and the sheer power of his voice caused