“Give us your worst, you devils!” Blackbeard bellowed as the swarm of pirate ghosts were bearing down on them, their faces twisted with rage and decay. James wanted to run, but he remembered Blackbeard’s words and stood his ground, and he thought if he was going to die that day, at least he would do it bravely and at the side of a great man. He would have a good death, and perhaps one day his and Blackbeard’s story would be told in the great sagas, and sailors would sing songs of their adventures. And just as James was about to close his eyes and brace himself for death, a bright light emerged from the gold tinderbox in Blackbeard’s hand. It erupted like an exploding star, its light sending everything around them careening backward, and Blackbeard and James upward at frightening velocity. James held on to Blackbeard as they were propelled through the water, but lost him when they rocketed into the air, only to smack down again on the water’s surface. James looked around and saw Blackbeard a few feet away from him, passed out and sinking back into the ocean.

James swam over to Blackbeard and used all his strength to pull him back up to the surface. The dread pirate was so heavy, his weight nearly dragged James back down with him.

Once on the surface James found a section of the ship that had been dislodged in the battle with the Kraken, and quickly grabbed hold of it. He pulled a silver whistle from his pocket and blew it until the men looked overboard. Skylights popped his head over the side and spied them.

“Ahoy! We thought we lost you!” said Skylights, then he called to the other men for help.

James could see Smee looking down at him from the crow’s nest, smiling. “Master James! Master James, you’re alive!”

“Throw down the ladder!” yelled James as he struggled to pull Blackbeard to the ship. “Quickly!” It took all his might to keep the captain from going under again; he was barely conscious, and his deadweight was growing heavier by the moment, and James was afraid he was going to lose him.

“Sir, please!” James pleaded. “Hold on a little longer.” Just then the rope ladder came tumbling down the side of the ship. James quickly undid his belt, looped it around Blackbeard’s, and then refastened it around his own waist again. This way he wouldn’t lose Blackbeard, but this also meant if Blackbeard went under again, so would James.