Ros's body twisted as Miro's arm shifted, and suddenly Ros was on top of him. The huge sailor wrapped his hands around Miro's neck, pushing his two thumbs into Miro's windpipe.
Miro's right hand held his opponent's wrists back, but only enough to prevent his windpipe from being crushed. Miro's vision went dark as his lungs were starved of air. He once more shifted his left arm.
The broken-nosed sailor's eyes went wide as the knife in Miro's left hand found the man's side. Miro stabbed in a second time, the knife was short but he'd found his enemy's kidney. The pressure on Miro's throat relaxed as Ros gasped, looking for the source of the terrible pain. Miro again thrust the knife in between the sailor's ribs, where the thick muscles of his chest wouldn't stop the small blade from entering.
Ros quivered, and then his eyes closed. He became still.
Miro rolled the body off him, coughing and looking around. Only moments had passed, and for now the deck was clear.
Miro picked up Ros's cutlass and ran over to the longboat.
"Hold on," he croaked. "Don't let go."
He unwound the line that held the boat up by the back, keeping a grip on it through the cleat. It dropped through four feet suddenly, making Amber shriek. Miro tied the line back up again and then ran to the line hooked to the front of the longboat. As he loosened the line, the longboat's front was also lowered, until it was only two feet above the water. Miro held the line in his hands, his muscles bulging with the effort, as he ran again to the line at the back and unwound it completely. Miro let go of everything, and the longboat hit the water with a splash.
"Look out!" Miro cried as he tossed the cutlass down into the longboat below. There was a strong current but Amber was already managing the oars; she had grown up on the banks of the Sarsen, and rowing was part of life in Sarostar.
Miro looked around for one last item. Finally spotting it, he ran over to the mainmast and took a heavy axe from a loop of cord around the mast, placed there for emergencies.
As sailors poured onto the deck, Miro raced over to the ship's rail and leapt over the side, axe in hand, nearly missing the longboat in his haste. He tumbled into the bottom.
"What next?" Amber said.
"Row," panted Miro as he gathered his limbs. He gestured to the prow of the ship, where the bowsprit jutted out from her front. "To the front of the ship." Miro pointed. "There."
Amber pulled at the oars as the longboat travelled along the side of the galleon. Up on the decks, confusion reigned.
"Keep going," Miro said. "There, stop." He grabbed hold of the anchor rope, the hawser stretched taut by the strong current.
Miro looked up, and in the light of the clear night sky he saw Carver striding forwards, a cutlass in his hand. The rat-faced mutineer snarled when he caught sight of them and came rushing to the front of the ship.
Miro grinned without humour and raised his axe. Carver's mouth dropped open and his face showed real fear.
With all of his strength, Miro swung the axe at the hawser. Threads of hemp popped and snapped. Lifting the axe over his head, he swung again.
After the third blow, the rope holding the ship in place parted with a mighty snap.
The current was strong, and flowing in the direction of the jagged barrier reef that bordered the lagoon. The ship was doomed.
As Carver bellowed and the crew of the Delphin realised what was happening, the screams of terrified men pierced the still night air.
Amber began to row away from the ship, and a sailor leaped over the rail, trying to reach them and the safety of the longboat. This sailor could swim, and he grabbed hold of the gunwale, his face showing his desperation.
Miro recognised him. It was Klaus, the diver who had swum after Amber with a rope, when Ros tossed her overboard.
Finally releasing the rage he'd held in check for so long, Miro smashed the axe into Klaus's face. The man screamed with pain and sank into the water.
The galleon picked up pace and the shouts and cries of her crew became even more desperate as it became clear the Delphin was going to run straight onto the reef. Some more sailors jumped off the sides, and Miro saw triangular fins pierce the water. The sharks would feast tonight.
Tearing his eyes from the Delphin's impending doom, Miro also took a pair of oars, aware of the risk of joining the galleon on the reef. With two rowers on the benches, the longboat managed to fight the pull of the current and draw away.
When a safe distance between the longboat and the reef had grown, Miro and Amber waited and watched.
The Delphin had picked up even more speed, and taken unawares, there was little the crew could do to save themselves.