Chapter 59
Our ship, the Certain Death, lurched violently as the first cannon was fired. The boom rattled my bones, and I watched as the cannonball sailed harmlessly into the sea, making a splash that felt more apologetic than aggressive or threatening in any way. From across the waves, the pirate ship loomed menacingly, black sails billowing like the wings of some monstrous bird. The pirate ship returned fire, and unlike ours, none of their shots missed. One of our masts cracked like a dry twig, and a few sailors screamed as splinters rained down.
Another of our cannons was fired. The shot landed straight into the water. Again.
"Good effort, team!" someone shouted with forced optimism. The gunner gave a thumbs-up, then tripped over a rope and accidentally lit the next cannon. It turned slightly towards the left at the last second, swiveling towards me right as the cannonball shot out.
