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Here's
a sneak preview of The Pirate's Revenge,
the second book in the Swashbuckler trilogy.
In this chapter,
Lily is forced by El Capitan de Diablo to dive in the Golden Grotto
in search of every pirate's dream: treasure.
I dived back into the pool and followed
the light down, my hands feeling through the kelp for the tunnel back
into the grotto.
I surfaced, spluttering, with my back to the boat, and splashed around
to swim towards it.
“Still nothing,” I gasped, as if I’d held my breath
for the longest imaginable moment.
“There’s no treasure here, sir,” said Jem.
“Hussein was right, it’s a fool’s errand,” grumbled
Diablo. “Damn him!”
I struck out towards the boat. Something large and hard and slippery
bumped against my leg under the water.
“Throw a rope, quick,” I called.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Diablo snarled.
“Let her back on board now, sir,” said Jem. “She’s
finished.”
“Jem,” I screamed, “there’s a sea monster in
here!”
Diablo had reloaded his pistols. This time he pointed them both at his
crew. “Start your oars,” he growled.
“No.” Jem’s voice was shaky but defiant. “You
can’t leave her here.”
Diablo brought the muzzle of his gun level with Jem’s temple.
Slowly, the men began to row. The boat moved away from me. The torches
were doused, so I could see only the pale gleam of Jem’s face
in the dark.
“Don’t worry, Jem,” I called. “I’ll think
of something.”
My words echoed, with the splashing of the oars, around the rocks. As
the boat sped through the entrance I saw Jem, silently whispering: I’ll
come back for you.
I waved my acknowledgement.
“You can rot in hell, Captain Bloodless,” I hollered, as
they drew out of pistol range. “Captain Brainless. Captain Bleedin’
Gutless!”
I would have shouted more, I was enjoying it so much, but the thing,
the big slimy unseen thing, knocked against my legs again. I felt whatever
it was slide under my bare foot and twist around. Time to get out of
this hole.
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