Jack declared. Carolina and Diego exchanged glances. “But what if it’s the Spanish? What if they’re coming for me?” Carolina asked. “Then we’ll give you to them and carry on our merry way,” Jack said. Billy kicked him surreptitiously. “I mean, um—that’s not going to happen. Nobody can catch the Black Pearl, love. It’s the fastest ship in the world!” “That’s true,” Diego said to Carolina. “This is the safest place we could possibly be.” “Not when the Shadow Lord finds us,” Alex said gloomily. Diego and Carolina looked at him askance and edged away. Jack tried not to show that he’d been thinking the same thing. He had no idea what kind of ship the Shadow Lord might have. But surely whatever it was couldn’t outrun the Pearl. Right? Maybe it was only a pack of Spaniards, or Villanueva. If he just kept moving, there was nothing to fear from them. And they’d stay close to the coast, as they were doing now, so they could make very quick forays for water or anything they needed.
