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"Orders, sir?" solanced around for Ghost But Vukovich had been addressing him His animal voice found sarcasm an easy tone to carry

"We drift until I say otherwise," Jack said, brain working frantically What could he salvage from this? How could he make the plan work, when Ghost always seemed to be there to haunt any chance they had at escape?

"And then?" Vukovich asked

"And then… I’ll tell you" Jack and the pirate stared at each other, but he could never inti hold of so ship’s hull and rocked the boat as if it rode a great storht ht to have been strapped down tightly, but he had loosened its restraints With the ship drifting, it would be even easier to launch, and the te was so thick that from the Larsen’s stern, the boould be a nebulous place

The Charon passed ahead of the fog

But what of Sabine?

Jack wanted nothingThere had been no sound since Ghost’s descent--no cries or screa below ht from his predatory brother Sabine was the only reason I have a sea witch to put on trial, he’d said Jack could not believe that any trial conducted by Ghost would be fair, and Sabine’s guilt was already without doubt Death had almost rammed the about his arrival

"I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him this furious," Louis said He had co a sound, and now they both held on to the skiff’s gunwale as the Larsen drifted side-on to the waves

"He didn’t look furious," Jack said

"That’s what Iit all in, like a hurricane contained And Ghost is not a e"

"That’s no concern of mine"

"Really?" Louis asked "Sabine is a concern, non? Because it’s she ill be suffering She had to know the Charon was nearby We iven Death Nilsson the slip for now, but there’s blame to lay, and where there’s blame there will be consequences"

"What consequences?" Jack asked, blood flowing cold But Louis

He had to go below Prepared or not--and he knew that he would never be ready to face Ghost one-on-one--he could not remain on deck while Ghost was beloith Sabine It was not only the information she had withheld; there was that look in the captain’s eyes when he had seen her and Jack on the same cot Whether he loved her or merely lusted for her, the result was the same He coveted her body and soul, and noould punish her for the yearning she inspired within hiainst him

Jack made for the covered stairwell, but just as he reached it, he heard the thuedborn froritted, eyes watering, hands fisted, and he brought with him a miasma of fury that seemed to scar the air around him

Jack stepped back as Ghost lashed out, but he could not avoid the blow The captain’s huge fist caught him across the shoulder as he retreated, and he spun and fell, crawling quickly across the deck in a vain attempt to avoid the next attack A dreadful realization hit Jack then, and filled him with a terrible hopelessness: He’ll kill me now, because he’s mad at Sabine but cannot afford to kill her

But as Jack scurried away, he realized that Ghost had not followed hith of the ship, each footfall an iasped breath the whip of a hurricane Tree stood before hiainst the canvas of fog around the ship Ghost batted him aside Tree flew across the deck and struck thethe sound of wood cracking

The captain reached the bow and kicked at Maurilio, as alreadyshattered by the Charon’s cannon The dark-eyed ht hi and tulare of his attacker But Ghost had no particular target for his rage He was angry at the world, and his world was this ship and those who sailed it

Noe go now! Jack thought He had to fetch Sabine first He eyed the doorway leading down, thinking quickly through what he had to do and how long it would take A fool’s errand, he knew, and as he took in a deep breath in preparation, Louis spoke from across the deck

"Be still, Jack" It hispered but sounded loud against the silence on the ship Ghost’s rage had driven all noise down, and even the sea appeared calreat beast’s fury

The captain stor a hole in the forecastle bulkhead, glancing left and right as he caht Tree and Maurilio on the way to the bow, but returning he found no one in his way

Pausing by the doorway, gripping the frame so hard that the as crushed to splinters in his fist, he turned and looked directly at Jack

He sees right into ht, and he had never felt so exposed

"Make sail," Ghost grunted "South, at all speed We’re going after him It’s time"

He disappeared below, and a breeze whipped a skein of fog across the deck as the ship sighed with relief

Jack prowled the deck above the rear cabins, circling Vukovich at the wheel, watching the otherTree’s e at the bow, and his frustration and desperation were close to destroying hi he could do He possessed both brawn and brains, but knew that it was only the latter that would save him and Sabine fro able to conceive of a plan that would result in anything other than their deaths

Kelly was close by, and Jack had already caught that sly one looking his way ht of what hedown there was terrible to Jack, abhorrent, because though he knew the monster would not kill Sabine while he still needed her, Ghost was not averse to torture--Jack felt the crew’s antagonis to the fore He had never felt himself truly under Ghost’s protection until that protection was absent Vukovich sneered when Jack tried giving hi ht lengthening of Kelly’s teeth, and a prominence in his nose absent before now

When he heard Sabine’s screaave him reason to rush below Whatever would happen, would happen now--no more pretense