The tallest of the intruders leveled a finger at Jamie, his voice cutting through the cabin in sharp, guttural bursts of a language neither man recognized.

“Back!” Noah barked, hands lifting instinctively, palms open. “We’re not armed.”

One of the pirates stepped in, coiling a rope loosely in his hand. Another closed in on Noah, shoving him hard into the pilot’s seat.
“Sit!” the man snapped, his tone jagged with a heavy accent. “No noise. No trouble. You live.”

Jamie hesitated a fraction too long. The tall one strode forward, jabbing a finger into his chest hard enough to rock him back.
“You quiet,” he growled in halting English, “or we make you quiet.”

Rough hands yanked them both into position. Ropes bit into their wrists, forcing their arms back until their shoulders strained. The coarse fibers scraped skin raw. Jamie tried to shift, testing the knot, but the movement only cinched it tighter. He hissed under his breath, the burn blooming along the bone.