Read Online Ocean Without End by Kelly Gardiner - Free Book Online Page A

shot until the last moment.
    The ship was flying now, I could tell. Jem must have had her under every possible sail, close into the wind. There would be no stopping her.
    I couldn’t find Carlo anywhere. Cursing like an old tar, I grabbed Francesco and forced him to help me with the barrels. He lifted them up out of the hold easily, rolled them down to the galley in a few minutes, and ran off again, a strange, wild, fearful stare in his eyes. Everyone had the same air about them: scared and excited at the same time.
    Jem stuck his head into the galley briefly, saw me there with Cook tearing up cloth for bandages, and nodded to us both.
    â€˜No sign of the boy?’
    â€˜Perhaps he’s hidden himself,’ Cook suggested.
    â€˜Hope so.’
    Jem had a dagger in his belt and a cutlass in his hand. He seemed to be more gloomy than fearsome. I wanted to wish him good luck, but held my tongue. These men, most of them anyway, weren’t bad men at heart. But their good fortune today would be another’s ill luck. Some of them would die, perhapsunder my hands in this dismal galley. Some of them would be terribly hurt.
    But many others, perhaps, would die or be sold as slaves, like my father.
    I stared at my hands. They were trembling.
    When I looked up, Jem had gone. A quiet had settled on the ship.
    â€˜What happens now?’ I asked.
    â€˜It depends how much the other captain values his life, or his ship,’ said Cook. ‘If he has a high opinion of one or the other, he’ll fight like a demon and so will we.’ He sighed. ‘Make no mistake, it’s a terrible thing. Diablo’s not a pretty sight in a fight. Something happens to him, something takes him over until his blood boils. He’s like one of them Viking berserkers. There’s no stopping him.’
    My blood wasn’t boiling; it was freezing in my veins. I could imagine Diablo mad with anger or bloodlust or greed — whatever it was, I wanted no part of it.
    Carlo suddenly appeared in the galley door.
    â€˜Here you are at last,’ cried Cook. ‘Come along, we’re to stow you below.’
    â€˜Not this time,’ Carlo said. ‘This time, I fight!’
    â€˜Don’t be silly, boy. You’ll get hurt and then where will we be?’
    â€˜You cannot stop me,’ said Carlo. ‘I am a man, not a boy, and I must fight, not cower below decks with cooks and girls.’
    He sounded more scared than anything, but he brandished his sword theatrically. Everything Cook had said suddenly became dreadfully clear. I tookCarlo by both arms and pulled him close to me.
    â€˜Carlo, listen to me. People are about to get killed and maimed and God knows what else.’
    â€˜I don’t care,’ he said. ‘I am not afraid.’
    â€˜You should be,’ muttered Cook.
    â€˜Cookie’s right,’ I said. ‘You are more likely to end up with your arm shot off or something horrible. A cannonball just minces people to bits. It is not glorious.’
    â€˜There is no glory hiding in the storeroom! I am ashamed. I am a son of Lorenzo de Santiago and I do not hide.’
    â€˜But these people are not your friends, Carlo. They would kill you if they didn’t think you were worth money. They will probably kill me one day because I’m not worth anything. You can’t fight for them. They’re pirates. It would shame your family if you fight under a pirate flag.’
    At this, he laughed, shaking himself free of me.
    â€˜Cygno, you know so little. I am a nobleman, yes. But I come from a long line of pirates. When I am sixteen, I will become a page to the Knights. One day I may be a captain of corsairs. I am, after all, Maltese.’ He bowed, one hand on his chest.
    â€˜Excuse me. Sku ani .’
    Then he was gone.
    At the same instant, a huge blast shattered the quiet. The battle had begun.
    I heard later how it happened, how Jem took Gisella in between the two fleeing