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Copyright © 2011 Disney Enterprise
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ALSO BY A. C. CRISPIN The Han Solo
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Acknowledgments Few authors can wri
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The reenactors, docents, and staff
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Prologue Zerzura: The Lost City THE
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acelet that he never removed, the b
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east. “What then?” she asked.
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only a slim strip of woven grass en
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CHAPTER ONE Fair Winds and Black Sh
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the crew, who were mumbling and shu
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eaction, while Farmer was dunked a
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“Aye, Mr. Sparrow,” Robby said.
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she was no naval vessel. Jack Sparr
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um!” The barkeep, an enormous, hu
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“You got it from a Spanish vessel
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thought for a moment. “They say t
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Several onlookers hastily volunteer
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Hastily, Jack beckoned Christophe t
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Baldy, “you’ll have to wait. I
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Jack sighed. “I fear she’s a Bl
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CHAPTER TWO Lady Esmeralda JACK TUR
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another long look, then handed it b
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ing of truth about it, sir.” Jack
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intending to head back into Shipwre
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neck. His name meant “little butc
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upon you to provide an introduction
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as a dagger in a fight.” “So wh
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She laughed softly. “Not directly
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usually good at that kind of thing.
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for certain that he was another pir
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Teague.” Jack glanced at the litt
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that the Fair Wind was more or less
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harmed. I recommend we strike our c
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these elements were fairly standard
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Jack pursed his lips and shook his
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e wise to remember that. And so, la
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to cross freely back and forth betw
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across the weather deck. As he ran,
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as smoothly as a dolphin’s leap,
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positioning himself so he was parti
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“Dare I hope that you won’t tak
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as soft as he remembered. He bowed
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ichly furnished. On the left there
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desperately hiding, forced into clo
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her; he sensed that would be a majo
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She nodded, and half turned away.
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higher and leaned over to peer at i
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treasure was enough to make Jack’
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Jack looked around to see that the
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logbook for review. The manager of
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of his new assignment. Angrily, he
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making himself very useful to them.
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son, Bartholomew, served as Directo
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now. A brutal hand grabbed his hair
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to know what happened today?” Cut
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important stylistic differences. Th
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frequently. Even though they’d ne
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suite prepared.” “Thank you, th
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to a title. It was clear from every
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snuff-colored britches were worn gr
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undeniably made sense, and held the
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Greene was up off his chair in a mo
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Sparrow’s dark eyes. “So…how
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actually own. It’s an older ship.
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mounting a search for Zerzura hasn
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was seeing. Forcing himself to move
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some ancient tomb in the land that
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Apedemak’s most ancient temple an
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landing. The eunuch rested his huge
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crawl between two of her guardsmen.
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searched further, and pulled out a
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“Yes,” Tarek said. “And that
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out the outlines of her surrounding
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shoulder. She never let it out of h
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the sun. Ayisha would spin the tan
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Not long before noon, Mistress Dalt
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with graceful, gilded lilies and sc
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other berths and shipped out, but t
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As Robby escorted the new crew away
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and eating all them unnatural vermi
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or two after being stored in a carg
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moment his eyes met those of the yo
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even counting that the coins in his
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indeed. In view of this, Jack was p
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On the starboard side of the quarte
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eally am. But there’s nothing to
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was stained. Tomorrow he’d check
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For the first time, a light sparked
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here thinks we might have a stowawa
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Jack’s cabin, “what in the name
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Jack relaxed, enjoying the colors o
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and reefed the sails. Jack, seeing
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there is.” “Aye, Cap’n!” As
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age, he’d spit you like a sucklin
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With a little laugh at his sillines
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- Page 213 and 214: appreciatively—but carefully. Aga
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- Page 235 and 236: She sagged in her chair, finally al
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- Page 243 and 244: “I’ve missed you, too. You have
- Page 245 and 246: finally I gave up searching, and we
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- Page 251 and 252: surprise, then began fumbling to pu
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- Page 271 and 272: “maybe this will save me from hav
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- Page 277 and 278: “I doubt anyone is that charming,
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- Page 281 and 282: “Yes, I believe she could manage
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Chamba translated. The woman’s he
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on? Jack was skeptical. Could it be
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“Oh, he’s just a little stiff o
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ut he supposed it couldn’t do any
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was in the saddle, her skirts tucke
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CHAPTER TEN Revelations THE DAY THE
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“He does, Cap’n,” Robby agree
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“Aye, Cap’n!” chorused three
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Lucius passed the lines out, and th
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light below them, coming up the lad
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um—ordinary EITC-issued rum. Ther
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Jack stared at the barman in some a
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and nose with a handkerchief. “Lo
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silent, staring at him, Barbossa ga
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“Borya gave up the second rogue t
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Jack almost spat in disgust, but re
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They hurried through the twilight,
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growled. The prison dog’s ears pr
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gritted his teeth, remembering that
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“Now,” he said, and pulled her
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along the docks, Jack wondered what
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Captain Teague’s orders.” Jack
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care if you’re present, Roger, bu
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“You’ll be free of the bonds of
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It creaked, but not too loudly. Pus
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All around him Christophe’s crew,
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The rabble of rogues headed for the
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Jack rolled over, and immediately f
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She gave him a cool glance, but rep
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you’ll excuse me, I’ll just go
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Ayisha opened her mouth, then shut
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CHAPTER ELEVEN Pirates and Rogues J
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his cabin. Seeing Lucius Feathersto
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know.” “All right.” Jack sear
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steadily alongside the rogues, not
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aiting me, trying to get me to do s
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of the hapless flute. Automatically
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When the mast came down…I knew th
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lion’s head, beautifully formed b
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ungrapple La Vipère. I cannot risk
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not spit it in Christophe’s face.
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sometimes when we boarded, I had to
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Jack watched her, wondering if he
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Jack nodded slowly. “I take your
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the Arts of keeping a Civilized Hou
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“Doesn’t seem likely, sir.”
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had boarded the Lindesfarne in Lond
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new employee. The official who had
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CHAPTER TWELVE Shabako AS THOUGH TO
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spun exactly the right tale to ensu
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had the eunuch demonstrate his favo
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Jack laughed. “That’s a refresh
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est to fulfill his promise to the d
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As they reached the fourth dock alo
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Chamba never took his eyes off Ayis
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Lord Spar—” Breaking off, Jack
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the raw sugarcane were still under
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get her alone. But after a moment,
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fields, with Jack chattering away,
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“Thank you,” Fenwick said. “I
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eached into the bodice of her dress
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Shabako would move closer and close
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nonsense about her wearing a “mas
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN “Red Flag…Ho!
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most notable rider to hounds in all
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neckcloth and put his coat back on.
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Christophe and how much he needed t
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Jack yelled up to the Irishman, “
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to see what the sloop would do. Thi
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He knew his plan was risky. If he d
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the cargo hold.” Jack fixed Tarek
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on Great Abaco. It wasn’t long be
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the end of the trough, and run into
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ising. “Nearly took a purler down
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leading up from the cargo hold. Ayi
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Tarek shrugged, helplessly. “The
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of those, either. Soon the sun woul
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leeding. “Now help me up,” Jack
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e on his way. He be old, can’t mo
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“Borya…Koldunya. Borya…Koldun
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sure none of those hits came anywhe
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“She appears to be asleep,” Tar
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whole, not wounded. He wasn’t sur
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN Hard Bargains AN H
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hadn’t been fancy fare, but the b
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efore him, then, with a wet rag, sh
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ones.” Reaching over with his rig
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speed up. “Like you, Jack.” Jac
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“Boy or girl?” “She had a lit
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illusions. But it seems she can do
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his guilt about not being honest wi
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yesterday, if you recall.” She sm
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of sleep if you didn’t, mi coraz
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Footsteps approached, and she heard
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He smiled. “That’s a lot of que
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ladder, but she’d gotten the hang
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“You are not used to wearing colo
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tend to be very long. One can grow
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Ayisha giggled. “That was clever,
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“Oh, we certainly did!” Ayisha
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little craft’s bow. Then he began
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way. Savvy?” “I confess I am su
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live. The moment the Wicked Wench b
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her own voice. A hungry fierceness.
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“But when I called your name, the
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know. It doesn’t really matter. H
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like quartz, but it gave off light.
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cheek, searching until she found hi
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death for those who do not know the
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less than a mile away. Up close, it
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Jack was standing on the port side
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and making her way down the ladder.
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“‘The Shining City.’” “Pr
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summon a handmaiden to help you dre
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Her people did not have mirrors lik
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After Jack reached the Wicked Wench
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Beckett rather rubbed me the wrong
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a merchant who saw a perfect pearl,
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After a long, uncomfortable minute,
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chattering away since they’d firs
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homeland. For one thing, I believe
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his people. Chamba stood beside him
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and I know what I need to do. So ye
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Heart of Zerzur
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had all of this venture planned out
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Christophe rolled his eyes. “Why
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when I was standing on the edge of
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Then, moments later, she was on the
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cutlass penetrated the creature’s
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“This is his temple, after all.
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“Jack, are you all right?” the
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Jacques.” Christophe took his han
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his head on the floor, and that his
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hard she nearly drove the breath fr
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time to sail away. How long will th
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forth in the sunlight, admiring it,
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added to it.” “What is that?”
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this herbal drink, sweetened with h
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Looks like the last act of Hamlet.
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The next quarter of an hour was a r
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gold. “What each man here chooses
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Slowly, the Wicked Wench turned and
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instincts, and his own sword, a col
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at the throat and wrists, Christoph
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he continued to retreat. “Strateg
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eath…” “Hah!” Jack exclaime
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his sword at him—throw it, to hit
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Jack looked at Robby, who had stuck
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wouldn’t need protection when he
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merely nodded. “And, finally,”
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elected to put up a fight.” “Ye
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Beckett,” and left. Cutler Becket
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voyage that don’t seem to add up,
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together on the top of the table in
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spoken to some members of your crew
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was walking down by the docks one e
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there were two scars, fairly close
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going to back down this time. The c
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“That’s all right,” Beckett s
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of hushed, fearful conversations in
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Finally, he spat a last time, then
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dead, and at my hand. Well, I had h
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Amenirdis must be on her way, Jack
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“Yes, Jack. All good suggestions.
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to pull away, then added, hastily,
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Sullen muttering greeted his declar
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pallet, Jack leaned his head in his
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when suddenly he’d had to switch
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I wouldn’t eat anything but fresh
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Beckett decided to simply drop them
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again, this time with the back of h
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punishment.” He smiled as if he w
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“I don’t have time to argue!”
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The deck jumped and lurched. Everyt
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“Captain Jones,” Jack said, mar
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Tortuga’s best tradition, they we
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eeze tugged at his loose hair. It w
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gotten a new baldric for his cutlas