Hok's face turned bitter, and she handed the spyglass to Ying.

Charles shook his head. What didn't they understand? He was the captain of this vessel, and he had announced his decision. They were turning around.

“Crew, ready to jibe!” Charles commanded.

Fu and Malao glanced at him questioningly

“I said, ready to jibe!” Charles repeated. “On the double!”

Fu and Malao sprang into action. Fu grabbed the jib sheet while Malao gripped a large block and tackle dangling high overhead. Hok and Ying were about to learn who was the boss.

“Jibe ho!” Charles shouted, and spun the wheel hard.

“What?” Hok and Ying asked in unison.

The boat lurched heavily to one side, and Malao shrieked, “Duck!”

Hok and Ying dropped to the deck, barely avoiding the heavy boom as it swung powerfully across the boat from port to starboard.

“Nice move, sister!” Malao said. “Me and Fu were both knocked overboard the first time Charles did that!”

Charles nodded appreciatively. He, too, was impressed by Hok's and Ying's reflexes. He continued the turn until they were pointing away from Tonglong's boat. The wind filled the sloop's sails once more, and they began racing away from the man-o-war. Charles looked back over the stern and was relieved to see that Tonglong's ship showed no signs of following or firing upon them.

Ying stood on unsteady legs and leaned his dragon face in close to Charles’ face. Ying bared his sharpened teeth and flicked out his forked tongue. “Don't you ever do that again without telling us first,” he hissed.

“Do what?” Charles asked. “Jibe?”

“Whatever it is you call turning around. That wooden pole nearly took our heads off.”

“It's called a boom,” Charles said. “And I gave you both fair warning. If you want to sail on my boat, you need to learn the language of the sea traders.”

Ying spat over the side rail. “Sea traders? Pirates is more like it.”

Charles felt his face begin to redden, his cheeks hot against the cold autumn wind. With great effort, he held his tongue—and his pistols—for Hok's sake. He knew how much she disliked violence.

Hok stood and brushed off her dress. She adjusted her herb bag, then laid a hand softly on Ying's shoulder. “There is no point in arguing. That would only waste time and energy. What we need now is a plan, as our temple brother Seh would say.”

“Where is that sneaky snake, anyway?” Ying asked.

“He is with friends,” Hok replied. “A group of honorable bandits that includes his father. Seh has been injured.”

“Oh,” Ying said, not seeming to care.

Malao swung down from the masthead and joined them on deck. He poked Charles in the side. “Well, matey, where are we shoving off to now?”

“We need to discuss it,” Charles said, gazing at Hok. He really did feel bad about abandoning her friend.

Hok said nothing.

“I want to help you, Hok,” Charles said. “I am truly sorry about ShaoShu. However, sometimes the best course of action is retreat. That doesn't mean we can't attack later when the conditions are more favorable to us.”

“What do you suggest, then?” Hok asked, not looking at him.

“I have friends in the area. We will go to them. They live on an island not far from here and—”

Ying cleared his throat and tapped Hok on the shoulder with a long fingernail. Hok's eyes widened as something unspoken passed between them.

“What?” Charles asked.

Ying turned his back to Charles and stared out to sea.

“What is it?” Charles asked again. “I can't help you if you're keeping secrets from me.”

“It's Ying's mother,” Hok replied.

Charles thought for a moment, then slapped his pale forehead. “Of course! How could I have forgotten? She was injured by Tonglong and his men before they took the treasure, right?”

“That's right,” Hok said.

“So you want to go back up the river, to the creek mouth bordered by twin pagodas?” Charles asked.

“Yes,” Hok replied.

“Then why didn't you just say so?” Charles said. “Hang on!”

CHAPTER 3

“Well, well, well,” Tonglong said, adjusting his pony-tail braid over his shoulder and tucking the end into the sash around his waist. “What do we have here?”

ShaoShu swallowed hard, fighting the urge to glance away from Tonglong's piercing gaze. He had encountered his fair share of bullies, and he knew that you had to stand up to them. You had to stare them straight in the eye.

“My name is ShaoShu,” ShaoShu replied.




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