XXXII

Now that Nassau is taken, it has to be held. Easier said than done when pirates are involved.

Silver and Flint start off standing together, the decision makers of the pirates as some of the English (and quick thinking Eleanor) made it into the fortress. There’s a lot of moving pieces in the eye of this storm.

The English men in their stuffy suits want to fight back immediately and Eleanor manages to persuade them to wait for Rogers to come back to Nassau. They need the man and firepower that he’s going to come back with. When she finds out that Max wasn’t taken in, she’s worried.

Madi goes off further into the island to check on the settlements to see if she can salvage the growing slave rebellion that was harmed by Bones actions of pushing to take Nassau and going off on his own. She finds out that a new threat has emerged from the penance the slave owners brought down from Bones’ actions: a leader has emerged. He has rallied a large swath of men by overthrowing a settlement and he intends on taking Nassau in the names of the slaves. Pirates be damned.

While working together to keep Nassau from eating itself alive in all the turmoil, Silver and Flint are working well with each other. Until Bones gets into his ear. Bones has been busy. He’s been cutting off possible trouble makers and he also managed to get Max. Using the leverage of Max, he forces Silver into a talk without Flint. He thinks he knows why Eleanor wants her so badly (she’s the one that sold them out at the beginning) and that trusting Flint is and always has been a mistake. He’s left a trail of bodies as far as the eye can see to get his way and any idea he comes up with to keep Nassau is just another terrible event waiting to happen. He suggests to Silver that now that he has something worth living for (Madi) he needs to be the sole shot caller. Then, Silver finds out from Max that someone very important in Flint’s life may still be alive, hidden away many years ago.

Back at sea, Rogers splits his group into two when he rescues a fleeing boat from Nassau and that Eleanor is still there. He’s going back to Nassau and he appoints one of his most trusted men to take the pirates they’ve caught to another friendly port. The guy wants to stick with Rogers and go to war, but Rogers makes him go. Now, Jack and Anne are part of those few dozen prisoners. This guy and those that are taking the to the authorities are pissed. All alone they decide to slowly take their revenge. The rest of what happens at sea fills the action quota for the week. A brutal fight for survival, it’s Anne who gives them the chance they need. Riveting scene.

Max gets reunited with Eleanor and as the crocodile tears start building, Max isn’t hearing it. She constantly told Eleanor and Rogers what was going to happen if they kept pushing and it did. Ignored through it all, Max has nothing left and cares little for how Eleanor feels. Flint and Eleanor are two peas in a pod, everyone close to them gets dashed on the rocks while they get to move on and destroy more.

Finally, Rogers floats up to Nassau and the pirates are in trouble. It’s a Man O’War so it’s got serious firepower so they’ll be able to get to the beach with little problem. When discussing tactics, Flint gets a message from Eleanor. He and Silver go to meet her in secret where she lays out an offer. In exchange for their buried treasure and safe passage for everyone, she’ll leave Nassau and the fortress (and its guns) to them.

This is a last ditch effort if there ever was one. Eleanor wants to bail out. All the work she’s put into Nassau in her adult life is gone and she sees nothing to salvage. If she can get this deal it gives her two options. Clear of the pending doom she can move on with Max. Or she can hang back, scoop up Rogers and use the money to pay off his debt and move on with him.

Silver rightfully says no. The treasure is the pirates future. If they live through this, they need the money to do anything. That bounty is the holy grail for basically everyone standing behind Flint and Silver. If they lose that, it will be full on mutiny. Flint on the other hand…no idea what he thinks there is to gain for himself by saying yes. Tunnel vision perhaps? He weighs his entire life, failure or success, on him taking back Nassau.

Eleanor getting her way seems far fetched. Rogers and her handmaiden are her only true allies she has left and the talk Bones gave to Silver already tilted his view on Flint. Flint telling her yes has to cement Silver on ditching Flint. I can only hope that Jack can get back to Nassau and crosses paths with Eleanor. That’ll be a wrap on her backstabbing.