Back in Deadman's Pass they were greeted by Manning, the old pirate again, who was sat at the end of the pier. Instead of demanding a mooring fee, he let out a cackle sort of laugh and waved them on.

  “What’s funny old man,” snarked Teo.

  “Old man!”

  The old pirate, absolutely flabbergasted at Teo’s insult, jumped to his feet, picked up a coconut and hurled it with a throw that was twenty years younger.

  “Don’t Teo,” warned Remy.

  “Best listen to her boy. Don’t add more to your bad luck.”

  Teo raised his brow, curious to what he meant. Just as he was about to open his mouth to enquire, Remy grabbed his arm and pulled him up the sandy entrance to the town to where the path turned to dirt.

  “Let’s find Kylie,” she said.

  Now that they were on their own walking into the town, the feeling that they needed Kylie became severe. Eyes followed each step they took along the path. Fair game.

  Teo laid the palm of his hand on the pommel of his sword, leaving it sheathed in his belt, a precaution to be ready for action if needed.

  Remy on the other hand, was still without a sword, though still had the hilt on hand if it came down to it. She realised it was still quite a useful combat tool after their blows during their pass through the Narrows.

  Three pirates. Two men and one women, stepped off the deck of a shack several paces behind them and slowly trailed behind.

  “I really wish you had a sword,” whispered Teo through gritted teeth.

  Several feet ahead were a small group of pirates standing on the steps of the Tavern that they sat in days earlier having a rather heated and intoxicated argument.

  The closer they got to the tavern, the more the pirates trailing them closed the space between them.

  Remy seized the chance to spring forward and pull a sword from a pirates belt who was otherwise still in a heated debate with his fellow crew before turning and facing the ones who were following them.

  “Woah, easy lass. You know how to use that thing?”

  The edges of his smile peaked into a menacing smile as one of the men stepped forward.

  “Why do people keep asking me that,” growled Remy.

  The pirate unsheathed his sword and started to twirl it around with ease in a show of intimidation.

  Remy scoffed and put the tip of her sword against the ground, leaning into it and started to inspect her free hand before faking a yawn and tapping her mouth.

  The pirate yelled, jumping forward and bringing his sword up to strike.

  Remy swiftly raised her sword above her head at the last moment, blocking the the blow. As their swords clashed she dropped to a bent knee, sweeping her other leg out to catch the pirates unbalanced feet.

  He floated in the air for a brief moment before slamming flat on his back, greeted by the cold tip of Teo’s blade against his throat.

  The woman pirate screamed in rage as she hurled forward too, before she came crashing to the ground. Teo had used the flat side of his sword to buckle her knees from behind.

  Remy was ready for the third to make his move. A tight grip suddenly took to her throat. An arm was wrapped around it.

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  “That’s my blade girl.”

  It was the pirate whose sword she had taken. Her breathing became completely blocked. Her vision was fading.

  “Release the girl.”

  It was Kylie. Oh thank you god she thought.

  A restricted influx of air filled Remy's lungs as she was dropped to the ground and began grasping for more air.

  “These are the two who got me eye back,” declared Kylie.

  The bold assumption that they were successful in obtaining his eye brought a frown of suspicion onto Teo’s face.

  “Ahh,” they collectively breathed in a tone of understanding.

  Kylie extended his arm toward Teo and bowed his head.

  ”How do you know I have it?”

  “Just give it ‘ere boy. Now,” Kylie demanded.

  Kylie’s fierce belief that Teo held his eye was enough for him to give it up. He reached into his satchel evidently nauseated while fishing around for the loose eye before finding it and tossing it into Kylie’s hand.

  “I do have to apologise for my fellow crew. They can never turn down an opportunity to rob,” laughed Kylie.

  He lifted his eye patch and popped the fake eye into his empty eye socket before turning to Remy who had now caught her breath.

  “One hundred coin I believe we’re owed,” she said, now back on her feet.

  He wagged his finger from side to side.

  “Map first.”

  “Wha— what map?” Remy questioned.

  The question had caught her off guard. How could he possibly know about the map?

  “Funny thing, this eye,” he said.

  “A sea-witch tried to curse it. Tried to take this eye for her own to haunt me, to see whatever I saw no matter the distance between us.”

  “Did it work?” Interrupted Teo.

  A maniacal laugh exploded from Kylie and the others forced their own to join him.

  “No, stupid boy! But it let me see through the eye. Even when we’re separated by sea.”

  Kylie’s smile grew larger as what he was saying was finally getting through to Teo.

  “The map is what he wanted,” murmured Remy.

  Kylie shifted back to Remy with a nod of his head.

  “So you were able to see what we found. All the way from here?”

  ”Aye. With a little help from Mr Nana.”

  “The monkey? Is that its name?” Asked Teo.

  He tried to mask his laughter as they were in such a serious circumstance but couldn’t help to let it slip.

  “Why go to all the trouble to get us to retrieve it?” Asked Remy, drawing Kylie’s attention off Teo.

  “Because, it ‘be bad luck for the one who takes a map off a dead pirate.”

  Teo lightly shook his head as he met Remy's eyes. He knew the look, as subtle as it may be. She was planning to make a move.

  “Fine, take it,” she said.

  She crouched down and pretended to reach for the scroll she had pushed down the side of her calf-height boots. She grabbed a handful of the sandy soil and Teo knew what was about to happen.

  He held on both ends up the sword, careful with the tip as to not cut his hand before using it to push over the pirates he stood closest to.

  Remy flung the sandy soil directly at Kylie and his crews’ faces and they both ran for it. If they could only make it back to their ship Remy knew they’d have the advantage of putting distance between them. One of the only perks from having a smaller, more agile ship suited for the shallows.

  “Get them!” Screamed Kylie.

  They were close to the pier, the only thing in their way was Manning, the old pirate who guarded it. He didn’t stand to make a move or even grab another coconut to hurl at Teo, instead, he tipped his hat to the both of them and let them pass.

  “Manning you old bastard!” shouted Kylie again.

  “Old what!?”

  Manning jumped to his feet but put on an act as an old senile man, knocking over his crate of goods that sat next to it. A crate that just so happened to be filled with all round fruits.

  The round fruits spilled across the planks of the pier, bowling over the pursuing pirates. It bought Remy and Teo precious seconds to make it to their boat and start unravelling the ropes mooring them to the pier.

  They both pushed off the pier and started to prep the boat for a hasty exit.

  “Use the boats, get to the ship,” ordered Kylie.

  The pirates piled into row boats and started rowing toward one of the biggest ships in the cove.

  The light winds caught the relaxed sails of the cutter, pushing Remy and Teo toward the cliff-face gates of Deadman’s Pass.

  Men could be seen running across the deck of the huge pirate ship, preparing to chase once the tow boats arrived. They wouldn’t be far behind but would require more caution exiting out of the rocky outcrops. They still had the advantage.

  “Starboard side,” shouted Teo.

  “Port side,” he shouted again.

  They were almost out of the sketchy waters. Teo unfurled the main sail as soon as they were clear of the rocks and tied off the halyard. The whoomph of the wind catching it gave them a buzz of excitement.

  The gap between waves crashing against the bow shortened. They were gaining speed and Deadman’s Pass was dropping further into the background.

  Teo let out a laugh, “did we just escape our first fight against pirates!”

  Remy turned to glance back one more time, her hands still firmly gripped on the wheel.

  “Not yet.”

  The massive pirate ship slowly unveiled itself from the cliffs which didn’t seem so big compared to the size of the ship.

  Faint puffs of smoke were drifting from the deck of the pirate ship followed by splashes of water not far off the stern of their boat.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Said Teo as he ran up to the helm.

  A final spray of cannonballs landed around their boat though the distance between them and the pirates was too great for any precision hits.

  The pirate ship began to turn until it narrowed in vision. Huge, wide sails dropped, catching the same winds as theirs. The chase was back on. They had to make it back home to shell harbour where the pirates’ aggressive moves wouldn’t be tolerated.