A laugh bubbled up in Nathaniel’s throat, manic and wild as he led Hawk on the chase, knowing he could outrun him by far—especially since Hawk insisted on those boots.
Nathaniel reached the end of the island in what seemed like a blink, his feet flying over the sand, heart pumping, dagger in his grip—powerful and alive. Unbroken.
At the end of the island, the sand ended in a huddle of rocks and boulders. Dagger in his mouth, Nathaniel clambered up to wait for Hawk, but determined not to be ignored. He would confront Hawk with the truth. He would—
A man appeared from the corner of his eye, cresting the other side of the rock jumble. Nathaniel’s heart stopped as he spun to face him, dagger still between his teeth.
They stared at each other in the starlight, and Nathaniel made out the outline of a ship anchored offshore—three masts, one clearly splintered and damaged. Men in longboats rowing ashore, no uniforms from what he could tell.
Pirates.
The man opened his mouth to shout, and Nathaniel dove, smashing him back against a rock and knocking the air from him in a pained heave. Then they tumbled between two boulders—fortunately onto sand—and Nathaniel’s own lungs seized with the impact as he bit painfully into the dagger’s wooden handle, refusing to relinquish it.
About Nathaniel’s size and wiry, the pirate tried to scramble out of their tangle of limbs in the narrow space between the boulders. On his back, Nathaniel managed to get his dagger in hand as the pirate punched at his head and face, the blows glancing, not enough room for full swings.
Still, blood streamed from Nathaniel’s nose as they grappled, squawking and scrabbling and spitting, the man on top of him. When the pirate’s blunt fingers closed around Nathaniel’s neck, panic took hold.
Dying! No!
Nathaniel kicked madly, striking stone with his bare feet and trying everything to shift off the man’s weight and turn the tables, gasping for air, white stars bursting in the blackness.
The man was too strong, his hands impossible to pry free from Nathaniel’s throat, not enough space to get a knee up or to twist and use momentum.
This was how he’d end.
Nathaniel flailed out, the dagger blade clanging off rock. He changed his grip and stabbed upward, and the pirate howled as he struck flesh and a shoulder bone.
Then a shriek trailed into a gurgle as Nathaniel jammed the blade into the man’s neck. He pulled it out and slashed, warm blood spurting over Nathaniel’s face as the pirate choked, hands on his throat now, trying to stem the unrelenting tide.
The pirate was still on top of Nathaniel in the dank, dark space, and Nathaniel shoved at him, climbing over the man he’d just killed, not waiting until the deed was finished, desperate to escape those wheezing last breaths.
Standing on him, Nathaniel hauled himself up, finding hand and footholds on the boulders, blood in his mouth along with the wooden dagger handle, metal and oak.
Sucking in the fresh air, limbs shaking, he stood atop the rocks as Hawk approached, chest heaving, steel in his voice and no weapons on his belt as he said, “I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, but—” He stopped and stared, inhaling so sharply he jolted with it. Bafflement creased his face.
With a glance behind him at the pirates organizing on the island’s east side, Nathaniel tucked the dagger into his breeches and scrambled down toward Hawk, who met him halfway, confusion replaced with drive, reaching for him with strong hands, lifting him from the rocks onto his feet, eyes wild as they took him in.
Hawk asked, “How?” as he passed his hands over Nathaniel’s head, arms, and chest, then took hold of his stained cheeks. “Where are you hurt?”
Nathaniel reached up to wipe at the blood on his face. “I killed him. Pirates. They’re coming.”
After sitting Nathaniel down on a low rock, still checking him for injuries, Hawk climbed to peek over the boulders. He quickly returned, hissing, “Fuck us. One-Eye didn’t give up after all.” On his knees by Nathaniel’s feet, he held his face again. “Can you run?”
“Yes.” Shock gave way to the horrible thrill of battle that he understood for the first time, and Nathaniel jumped to his feet. “Yes.”
Still on his knees and gazing up, Hawk gripped his hands. “Tell Snell to bring everyone. We’re helpless with the ship still out of the water. This is all or nothing. We’re outnumbered, so we must take them by surprise.”
He held Nathaniel’s fingers so tightly Nathaniel feared they might snap. “Wait at camp. If we fail, surrender and tell them who you are and what you’re worth. Tell them they can’t hurt you or there will be no money. Promise you won’t fight. Promise you’ll stay safe.”
“No, I can help! I killed him. He was going to kill me, but I didn’t let him. I couldn’t. I had to… There are so many of them, I have to—”