Day of the Shadow by Rob Kidd Read Free Book Online

not for foolish ne’er-do-well pirates.”
    “Oh, only for really poor ones, then?” Jack snapped. His feelings were still rather hurt by the fact that he hadn’t received a vial when Tia Dalma sent them to “the strongest Pirate Lords.” How could this poodle-besotted curly-wigged Frenchman be a stronger pirate than Captain Jack Sparrow? It was too unfair.
    As if he’d read Jack’s mind, Chevalle tossed his hair back and declared, “Mere coins are no way to measure a pirate’s strength. A pirate’s true strength is in here!” He pressed one pale hand to his frilly chest.
    Jack rolled his eyes. “Ah, the French, over-romanticizing everything as usual. Just because your heart flutters wildly for fine wine and fancy dogs doesn’t mean it’s strong enough to guard the Shadow Gold!”
    Chevalle’s dignified demeanor suddenly shattered. “I am strong! I am a fearsome pirate!” he bellowed, leaping to his feet. Fifi tumbled to the ground with an outraged yelp and started running around the table, barking like mad.
    “I am the greatest pirate the Mediterranean has ever seen!” Chevalle shouted, drawing his sword. Jack barely had time to jump backward before Chevalle had vaulted onto the table next to him. The Frenchman’s sword sliced in a wide arc where Jack’s neck had been a moment before. Jack whipped out his sword and met Chevalle’s on the return swing with a clash that sent shocks down his arm.
    Furiously, the French Pirate Lord drove forward, pressing Jack back and back along the table. Jack’s boots slipped on the polished mahogany, and he wondered if Chevalle deliberately wore his foppish shoes in case he ever needed to duel on a smooth tabletop. On the other hand, Jack couldn’t imagine fighting in those heels.
    YAP! YAP! YAP! Fifi contributed piercingly from the floor. She started jumping up and down as if she wanted to come up and fight as well. She jumped so high, her tiny head nearly reached the height of the table. Her fluffy ears flapped up and down with each bounce. YAP! YAP!
    The noise made it hard for Jack to concentrate, although, to be fair, the very sharp sword hammering at him was a little distracting, too. It seemed like Chevalle was attacking from all directions at once. He was as skilled as Mistress Ching, the Pirate Lord of the Pacific, renowned across the globe for her swordsmanship.
    But then, Jack was fairly skilled, too…and he wasn’t above using some unorthodox tricks to win his battles.
    He jabbed at Chevalle’s hat, wiggled his sword around a bit, and jumped back. Chevalle gasped with fury as two blue ostrich feathers floated to the table on either side of him.
    “My hat!” he snarled.
    “Trust me, I’m doing you a favor,” Jack said. “Blue ostrich feathers are so last century.”
    “You are the last man I would ever trust!” Chevalle growled, lunging at Jack again. “Especially for fashion advice!”
    Jack parried his thrust, and for a moment they were face to face, inches apart, each barely holding the other’s sword at bay. Jack wrinkled his nose and gave Chevalle a pitying look. “’Ow about for dental advice, then? That breath of yours could kill a sea serpent, mate.”
    With a vicious shove, Chevalle threw Jack away from him. Jack glanced over his shoulder and realized the end of the table was only a few steps away. If Chevalle could force Jack onto the floor, then no doubt Fifi would join the fight as well. Jack didn’t like those odds. She was little, but she still had considerably sharper teeth than Jack did.
    At that moment, Jack nearly tripped over a candlestick holder behind him on the table. Neatly, he jumped backward over it, then kicked it toward Chevalle. It rolled under Chevalle’s feet, and the Frenchman stumbled. Jack took advantage of the pirate’s momentary distraction to flip his sword under Chevalle’s defenses and flick it up, catching the hilt of Chevalle’s sword and lifting it right out of his grasp.
    But Chevalle didn’t