Blue Sea Burning by Geoff Rodkey Read Free Book Online

our father’s death, but the thought that I might not stick around to help with the ugly fruit plantation turned him red-faced and sputtery, and his
pleases
and
thank yous
started to come out sounding like curses.
    So we worked the pump in silence after that, except for Kira’s whispered prayers to Ka at every sunrise and sunset. I spent the rest of the time trying to puzzle out how I was going to go about destroying Pembroke—and got nowhere, because other than somehow getting a message to
Li Homaya
so he’d quit chasing my uncle and take his warships back to Pella to attack Pembroke, I didn’t have the slightest idea where to begin.

    NOW, ON THE MORNING of the fourth day at sea, the crews were on alert again—only this time, it wasn’t because there was a ship on the horizon.
    â€œOARS OUT!”
    The crews amidships turned as one, away from their cannon. Unfastening a dozen giant oars from the ceiling, they began to maneuver them out through the middle gun ports on either side.
    As I watched them prepare the ship for rowing, it dawned on me why the air that morning had turned so hot and smothering, with no breeze coming through the ports.
    We’d finally reached Deadweather Island. For the moment, we were safe. And I was nearly home.
    After the ship docked, four of Healy’s men relieved us at the pump. We made our way to the weather deck, stretching our weary muscles and blinking in the morning sun that burned through the island’s stifling haze.
    The pirate haven of Port Scratch looked pretty much the way it had when I’d left: a collection of filthy, rotting shacks clustered around a crude port. It was unusually quiet—just one other ship, the
Sea Goblin,
was docked along with the
Grift,
and the streets were mostly empty except for Healy’s crew, who were streaming on and off the ship on various errands.
    Healy was standing near the companionway, issuing orders. Seeing us eye the pirates on the dock with concern, he smiled.
    â€œDon’t worry. They won’t kill you unless you give them a fresh reason. Your time at the pump saw to that.”
    â€œWhat is that awful smell?” Kira asked, wrinkling her nose. She was the only one of us who’d never been on Deadweather before.
    â€œMostly, it’s the volcano,” I said. “That, and a lack of cleaning up.”
    Kira’s eyes bulged as she raised them skyward and got her first look at the smoke-belching summit that made the whole island reek of rotten eggs.
    â€œPlease don’t worry, thank ye,” Adonis told her. “She don’t never blow. Just stinks up the place, thank ye.”
    â€œHeaded back to the plantation, then?” Healy asked us.
    We all looked at each other. We hadn’t talked about where we’d go once we reached Deadweather.
    â€œPlease, yeh, thanks.”
    I looked at Guts. He gave me a shrug. “Where else we gonna put up?”
    â€œLooks like the plantation,” I told Healy.
    â€œHave you got everything you need? You all right for money?”
    I shrugged. “Kind of.”
    â€œWell, how much do you have?”
    We all looked at each other again.
    â€œNone.”
    Healy sighed and dug in his pocket for a fistful of coins, which he handed to me.
    â€œIf you need anything else, we’ll likely be in port another day or so. Patching things up, possibly making an ally”—he glanced over at the
Sea Goblin
as he said that—“and then we’ll be headed to Edgartown for more of the same. In the meantime, if you come across a decent carpenter, send him my way. I could use the help fixing that breach.”
    He gave me a friendly pat on the back. Then he did the same to the others.
    When he reached Adonis, he grasped my brother by his shoulders and looked him in the eye with a serious but kind expression.
    â€œKeep it up, son. It’s hard work being a good man. But you’ve got it in you.” He glanced up