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stared out at the enemy ship, relieved to see a small burst of fire explode near her aft section.
    â€œDirect hit, first volley!” she said.
    Richard had his spyglass on the ship.
    â€œShe’s lamed, she isn’t dead,” he said flatly.
    As he spoke, another volley exploded from the enemy ship.
    â€œHold on!” Richard roared to her, bracing himself.
    The water exploded to their front aft side. A miss, though the Peace rocked precariously.
    Tara held tight to the mast, weighing the possible consequences of the battle. It might be time for them to abandon ship, and use Richard’s knowledge of the islands and the water to survive. “Where are we?” she asked him quickly.
    â€œNear the mainland,” he told her. “Just a few islands southwest of the mainland. And it’s time for you to go. Head northeast—”
    â€œI will not leave you. You’re—well, you’ve a safety net in me, if we’re together. We’ll head northeast. By ship, or by foot. They will flounder in the channel—they’re floundering now! I’m not leaving you, so please don’t waste your time trying to get me to do so.”
    He stared at her with exasperation. But even as he did so, he bellowed to his men below.
    â€œFire!”
    Â 
    T HE U NION SHIP WAS ROCKING like a cradle in the water, ablaze in the aft section, and Tremblay was shouting orders to his men.
    Finn balanced easily enough, watching as men hurried about, stumbling here and there, and turning a slight shade of green at the pitch and heave of the ship.
    Tremblay was a seasoned captain. He held his sea legs steady, moving with the motion of the ship, a pitch and roll he probably knew far too well.
    â€œGunners!” he shouted out, his voice calm and powerful. “Stay your posts! Seamen, douse that fire! See if we’re taking on water!”
    Tremblay swore beneath his breath. “She hit us! The lucky Reb actually hit us…?. Keep us steady men! We’ll come apart on the reef! Gunners, fire! Take to the cannons, boy, and give her a long volley, one after the other, all ablaze!”
    Finn turned to him. “Captain, we don’t want all aboard killed.”
    â€œWe’ll man the boats, and bring them in. We muststop her—before she stops us.” He stared at Finn. “We may be floundering already. If she scrapes coral now…”
    â€œDemand her surrender,” Finn urged.
    â€œHer surrender? We’ve been hit!” Tremblay said.
    â€œAye, but she is listing worse. Demand her surrender,” Finn insisted. “She can’t know that we’re taking on water just as badly.”
    â€œHold fire!” Tremblay called.
    His order came just as someone fired a gun prematurely.
    Â 
    T HE NIGHT WAS SPLIT again with a great boom of sound, and the earth itself seemed to tremble.
    That time, the thunder in the air was followed by a shuddering explosion; they’d been hit again, and hard. The repercussion swept Tara off her feet. She fell and discovered that she was lying under Richard. She quickly eased from beneath and rose above him, touching his face. “Richard, Richard…”
    He opened his eyes slowly, and then blinked rapidly. “We’ve been hit…we’ve been hit a death blow…?. Take the helm and try to steady her until we can abandon ship. I’ve got to get below…to the others…?.”
    â€œRichard, it’s burning. It’s—it’s too late!”
    â€œHave to…have to get down there… My men…”
    He staggered to his feet; she feared he wouldn’t make it to the deck below, but there would be no stopping him. The night that had been so pleasantly dark and quiet was now ominous in its silence between small bursts of firethat ignited about the ship. Black smoke was heavy on the air.
    â€œRichard, please,” she said softly.
    He grabbed her by the shoulders; his eyes seemed