Free Open Waters by Valerie Mores Page B

to take in her surroundings.
    The members of Lock's crew stood surrounding their captain on the main deck, all with various degrees of malignant anticipation and vengeful glee upon their faces. Jane could feel the rocking of the ship beneath her feet, so used to the movement that she hadn't noticed it before. They must have gotten underway sometime yesterday—Lock, obviously too lazy to unload his goods from her ship and onto his own, decided to just sail them both onward—while she was… indisposed. Jane forcefully pushed the memories from the day before from her mind, knowing that she needed a clear head today if she was to live to see tomorrow.
    She did, however, notice that Cecily seemed to be absent from what she could see of the crowd. A pang of worry shot through her before she could stop it, wondering for a second if Cecily was hurt, or worse. Lock had said that she was to remain in his sight at all times. But there were too many sweaty bodies around for Jane to get a good look, and she had more pressing matters to focus on at the moment.
    "Ah, there she is! The infamous Captain Avery," Lock crowed, spreading his arms wide. His attention on her drew that of his surrounding crew as well, all eyes finding her and the anticipation seeming to grow within the circle. It did not look promising.
    "I think the dear Captain here should show us her skills," Lock pressed on, striding toward her leisurely, arms still out in what could be construed as a friendly gesture, if not for the feral grin on his face. "Show us her worth and how she earned her title. What do ya say, boys?"
    A resounding "Aye!" sounded from the crew around her.
    Lock threw an arm around her shoulders, then the men who had brought her out released her into his care as he forcefully steered her forward and toward the middle of the circle of men.
    "You know, we've heard a lot about you," he intoned, lowering his voice in an exaggerated whisper. "About your aptitude with a sword, how you can kill a man dead with a single shot from a hundred yards away, about your tactics and inventive strategies that usually end with you and your crew victorious."
    He stopped just at the last row of men, a pathway still open for him to continue on down, but he ignored it. Instead, he leaned in close until she could feel his breath on her ear.
    "Let's see if those other rumors are true," he sneered, before roughly shoving her into the center of the ring.
    The gap closed behind her as she stumbled on the deck. A clatter of metal followed close behind her, and she glanced toward the sound, noticing the sword at her feet just before she registered movement of someone else being thrown into the ring across from her.
    Dread filled her, knowing now exactly what she was being forced to do.
    "It's a fight to the death," Lock announced. "If either of you refuse, you will not only lose your life, but cause another of your crew to take your place sooner than they would otherwise. The reward for coming out victorious is a little more time with what remains of your life."
    Looking up, Jane immediately recognized the man who she was going to have to fight. A tall, willowy man—more of a boy, really, which was a shame—a sword held deftly, but not overly skillfully, in his hand. He had been amongst those who had been recruited from the Liberty . For a split second, Jane wondered if this boy was loyal to Lock. After all, the new recruits had been off a ship that had been carrying Lock's goods. But she dismissed the thought almost as soon as it came up. A merchant sailor was just that: a merchant. This boy was not loyal to Lock.
    But the fact still remained that the lad was just that. Jane would estimate he was no older than seventeen, eighteen at the most. Not uncommonly young to be aboard a ship, but still young. Not someone whose life should be taken away so frivolously.
    "Begin!" Lock shouted, breaking the silence that had settled over the deck.
    With a cry, the boy immediately launched