Inside the Crown of the King, Blackbeard and his crew had been trapped for over ten minutes.
They could hardly stand by and watch Burgess get crushed by the wall when his strength gave out. Working together, they held back the closing walls long enough for him to escape. The walls then slammed shut, turning the place into an airtight chamber and sealing them all inside.
To conserve oxygen, they did not even dare light a candle. They sat on the floor in pitch darkness, trying to keep their breathing steady.
"Captain—"
"Shut up, Burgess. Save your breath!"
"Oh, but, Captain—"
"I said shut up!"
"But, Captain!"
"Will you give it a rest?" Teach sprang to his feet and reached toward the voice, grabbing a handful of Burgess's bushy beard.
He gave it a hard yank, making Burgess cry out in pain.
"The mechanisms in here are complicated. Whoever comes to rescue us will need time to open them, and I don't want to suffocate before that happens! Understand?"
"Got it!" Burgess said with difficulty, tugging at his beard. "But Captain, I think there's something happening outside."
"What?" Teach let go and pressed his ear close to the wall. The Seastone made him deeply uncomfortable, but he strained to catch the faintest sound.
Sure enough!
The noise was faint and seemed to come from several walls away. But in the chamber, where the only other sound was their breathing, it still came through clearly.
Remembering the information he had received earlier, Teach burst out laughing. "Pwahahaha! I called it! That guy really came to save us!"
"Oh? Is that our inside man?"
Lafitte rose, rubbing his back and leaning on his Cane with both hands.
"Straighten yourself up, Captain. Our savior will be here any moment."
"Pwahahaha! Still as strict