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loading. Yer doing no one any good, least ways yerselves. If we plan on livin’ today, we all have to help. Now get o’er there!”
    Once Val had everyone working, she staggered back to the top deck. The sails were down and they were finally catching some wind. Their decent had slowed enough so she could focus on something besides plunging to their deaths.
    Her old friend, Dom, caught her by her hair when she was rushing past and hauled her against him. His rancid breath nearly caused her to choke. “What do you think yer doing, girl?” he snarled. “This ain’t yer ship.”
    Val had no time for him. She slammed her face into his; wincing at the pain managed to twist herself free when his grip loosened. “No, it’s not my ship, but I am not dying because you lot have no clue what you are doing. If you want to live, get those men organized. When the pirates board us—and they will board us—we need to be ready. Get them armed and steady. If you’re lucky, I can land this ship without killing us all. Now. Get. Out. Of. My. Way!”
    Without waiting to see what Dom chose to do, Val continued her race to the ship’s wheel. She could land this thing. Land it well? No. But she was fairly sure most of them would live. Another cannonball ripped through the ship and Val held onto the ladder she’d been climbing until the craft steadied. She felt the first wave of cannon fire leave The Apollo and she smiled when she saw two cannon balls hit the attacking pirate vessel. Good men. They’d figured out how to hit the bloody pirates.
    “You good, girl?”
    Val could have wept with relief when she heard Tobias’s burly, raspy voice. She looked down and saw him covered in soot, a blood trail tracking down his face from a vicious cut on his forehead. He didn’t look too damaged all in all. “You okay, old man?” she asked.
    “This?” He swiped at the blood oozing down his face. “Nothing. You going up to the wheel?”
    “Aye,” she said. “If we don’t get a hold of it now, we’re all dead. Can you organize the slaves and get them ready to fight? Once we land, the pirates will be on us before we can blink.”
    Tobias nodded, then his eyes widened. He grabbed her foot and yanked her down from the ladder. Val put her hands out in front to catch her fall, but Tobias caught her before she could. His hands shoved aside the ripped and burned cloth on her back before swearing enough to make even her blush. He’d seen the birthmark.
    “What is this, girl?” he snarled.
    “A tattoo,” she said, her voice even and calm. “One exactly like yours.”
    “This is no tattoo, this is a birthmark. Is this why you got yourself caught?” he growled. “Think I’d tell you what it means?”
    “I know what it means,” she said taking a chance. “It’s a map and you hold the key to it.”
    Tobias’s swearing hit a new level. “This isn’t a place to go looking for treasure, girl. You’ll get yourself killed.”
    “Will you let me go?” she snapped, her own anger surfacing. She didn’t have time to get into this. The merchant ship was falling and they were going to die if she couldn’t get control of it. “I need to bloody well stop this ship from crashing. We can argue over this later.”
    “What do you want, girl?” he whispered in her ear. “Why did you seek me out?”
    Val thought for a moment before answering. If she said the wrong thing, Tobias would never tell her anything. “I want answers, Tobias,” she said honestly. “I want a home.”
    He let out a deep breath and released her. “Well, best get to saving us then, hadn’t you?”
    Val said a silent prayer to the wind gods. “Get that lot organized.” Val’s vision narrowed in as she looked off into the distance she could see a second ship chasing the pirate vessel. Behind the pirate ship, moving fast toward them was a royal Navy craft. She closed her eyes and groaned. This was just not her day. If they recognized her, she’d get hauled off in