by Ryan Gilbert
“What’s de plan, Captain?” asked Ripper.
“We need to get to Yorktown. We’ve got to warn Julia,” said Riggs, spinning around in the water to swim some more.
Clint grabbed his captain’s sleeve and said, “There’s no way we’re goin’ to make it in time. The Sky’s already gotten us beat.”
“Bloody hell, Clint. We’ve got to try.”
Riggs tried to swim, but all he could muster was an extremely slow pace. His crew swam alongside him, struggling to keep pace with their drained captain.
Coral Jack chimed in, “Ye know… he’s right, Riggs. We’ve got to actually survive this swim first. Ye can’t do anything when yer lying dead on the ocean floor.”
For a second, Riggs calmed down. He tried to regain what little composure he had, but it was not working. All that he could see was Garrett murdering in cold blood the only person he had ever truly loved.
Pounding his fist against the water, he said, “Is there any better way that ye can think of that would get us there faster?”
He looked around at his crewmates, but their exhausted faces said it all. None of them had a thought in their head except surviving the swim. There was nothing that any of them could do to make the journey any easier.
Riggs then noticed Doc just looking out over the water. The old man seemed like he had seen something, but he could determine what it was at first glance.
“What is it, Doc? What did ye see?”
Raising his hand and pointing, he asked, “Can’t say… but do you think it might help us?”
Following his crewmember’s finger, Riggs could not see anything at first. The moon’s rays were not bright enough to show him anything. Whatever Doc had seen, he hoped it was something good.
*splash*
A good distance away from the crew, a purple, scaled tail rose up out of the water, its color sticking out from the darkness of the sea. The moment that Riggs saw it, he felt nothing but fear. He tried to scream, but the noise caught in his throat as he desperately started swimming away from the creature.
“Captain, what is…”
“It’s a mermaid!” Riggs shouted at his crew.
Once the others saw the terrifying creature, they started swimming like mad men. Their energy was fully restored. They sped through the water, trying to keep ahead of the monster. None of them bothered to look behind them for fear of being killed if they slowed down.
At the front of the pack, Riggs knew it was only a matter of time before the murderous creature caught up to them, but they had to try to get away. He stole a peek behind him as his body tore through the water.
The fin was weaving back and forth, almost like it was toying with them. It knew that they had a long way to go. Why kill them when it could delight in torturing them?
“Keep up the pace, mates. We’ve got to keep some energy if it comes down to a fight,” he yelled as he kicked his legs with all of his might.
Riggs’ eyes darted back and forth, trying to find something… anything that would get them out of the water and away from the mermaid. Suddenly, through the splashing water, Riggs saw something in the distance. It looked almost like a small boat. Several tiny lights appeared on it, probably from lanterns. That boat could be their ticket to Yorktown if they survived the swim.
“Come on, mates. We’ve got to make it to that boat,” he yelled to his crew.
His friends caught sight of the lights and pushed onward. It was a race between them and the mermaid to see who survived… and who died.
Garrett sat in the captain’s quarters, holding a thick cloth to his severed limb. He had tied a tourniquet as close to the wound as he could, but it still took a while for the blood flow to cease. Some of the blood had dried, but it would still ooze periodically. As he sat there, he could still feel the pain in his fingers, but there was nothing there to actually be in pain. His hand was nothing but a ghost.
The fact that he was now captain did help to numb the pain somewhat. Ever since he had joined Riggs’ crew, he had been waiting for the perfect moment to turn the crew against him. All that he had to do was make Riggs snap, forcing the rest of his crewmembers to believe that he was no longer fit to lead them. With him and his fellow imbeciles gone, there was nothing to stop Garrett from laying waste to anything that he came across. The sea was his to control. A ship like the Red Sky could make him rich, even more than his predecessor had ever dreamed.
But first, he needed the trident.
The map lay in front of him, the drawings calling to him. With his good hand, he spread it out on the table and tried to make sense of it. He had seen Riggs and Clint whispering about it. What secrets could they have found? The only actual marking was the drawing of Poseidon’s trident. None of the islands drawn on the map had any names, and they did not look like any places that Garrett had seen. Other than the nondescript islands and the drawing of the trident, there was nothing, not even a compass to show direction.
Scoffing at the parchment, he rolled it up and stuck it in the pocket of his coat. Wrapping the bloodied cloth around his stump, he stood up and walked out onto the deck.
He had been waiting so long to take the ship. At times, it had been close to unbearable to just sit idly by and obey Riggs’ orders. It was disgusting how little his former captain acted like a real pirate. Riggs was far too reserved, not a good trait for a captain. But, obviously, Garrett’s patience had paid off. Now he had both a ship and a crew.
As he surveyed the deck, he could feel the fear rushing through his men’s eyes. It was just what he wanted to see. A crew motivated by fear could do anything, even the most dastardly of deeds.
He beckoned to his navigator, who came eagerly at his captain’s call.
“What seems to be the trouble, Cap’n?”
Unrolling the map, he said, “Tell me which of these islands you know.”
After pouring over the map for a couple minutes, the navigator said, “Can’t say I know any o’ them, sir.”
“Look at it again then,” ordered Garrett, shoving the map at his crewmate.
The navigator timidly pushed it away, saying, “I don’t need to see it a second time to know that it is wrong.”
Curling his only hand into a fist, Garrett asked, “Then what was Riggs seein’ in this map?”
“I… I don’t know, Cap’n.”
Resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, Garrett ordered, “Well find out. I want to know everything that Riggs knew ‘bout this map by tomorrow.”
“Aye, Cap’n.”
As Garrett began to leave, the navigator said, “I think I… I might ‘ave a better idea.”
Raising an eyebrow, his captain asked, “Oh ye do, do ye?”
Propping himself up with his good arm, Garrett said, “Let’s hear it.”
“Well, Cap’n… no disrespect intended, but… um… maybe ye shouldn’t kill the girl.”
Garrett slammed his fist against the railing and snarled, “That little rodent Riggs cut off me hand. Don’t you see? I have to make him suffer.”
He waved his stump in his crewmate’s face, saying, “I will pay him back tenfold for this.”
Shielding himself, the navigator said, “Ye can, ye can…. just not yet.”
Puzzled, the Captain said, “Go on.”
With a nervous gulp, the navigator said, “If ye kidnap the girl, then you can use her as… a sort o’ leverage. Riggs’ll tell ye everything ‘e knows. He’d do anythin’ to keep that girl alive… even if it means giving you the trident.”
The look in the Captain’s eyes changed from bloodlust to enlightenment.
Clapping his crewmate on the back, Garrett let out a laugh. Of course! Why had he not thought of that before? It was a brilliant plan. A small part of him hoped that Riggs would not say anything just so that he could see the look on his former captain’s face as he slit the girl’s throat. The maniacal, yellow-toothed smile said it all.
“Excellent idea. Full speed to Yorktown. We’ve got a wench
to find.”
“Shouldn’t we go back and pick up Riggs?”
Garrett shook his head.
“He’ll survive the swim… I be sure of it.”
Turning around, Garrett started to walk back to his cabin when something caught onto the cloth covering his wound. The tip of it dug into the unprotected tissue, causing Garrett to yell. The entire crew stopped what they were doing, fearful of what had caused the outburst. Blood from the wound started to drip through the cloth, spattering the deck at Garrett’s feet. He gritted his teeth and yanked on the tourniquet, tightening it as he did. When the pain had subsided, he looked down to see what had pricked him.
It was a hook, hanging off of several bits of rope. The tip itself was as sharp as the blade of a sword. He held it up with his blood-covered hand, smearing the shiny surface with red streaks.
At first, he wanted to throw it to the ground and curse at it. Instead, an ingenious thought crept into his mind. His pain turned to glee as he laughed and cackled. The crew gathered around to see what had their captain so riled up.
Staring at the hook, Garrett said, “One o’ you… make me somethin’ to cover this stump of a hand.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Handing the hook to the crewmate, he continued, “Attach this hook to it. Sharpen the sides. Make the tip like the point of a spear. If Riggs is going to take away me hand, then I’m going to replace it wit’ a weapon.”
“But… why, Cap’n?” asked a lowly crewmember.
With fire burning in his eyes, Garrett snapped, “I want it there to remind me that Riggs has been a thorn in me side fer too long. Once I have what I want, I’ll have the pleasure of ripping his heart out with it.”
With a maniacal laugh, Garrett strode into the captain’s quarters, fantasizing about the pain that he could cause Riggs. It would be delightful.
Riggs was the first to reach the boat. It turned out that it was larger than he had envisioned… still significantly smaller than the Red Sky, but still more than he had expected. As he approached it, he could see the sailors on board rushing to help. They had no idea they were assisting pirates.
“Man overboard!” he heard as a rope was thrown down to him.
Frantically, he looked behind him, expecting the mermaid to leap out of the water right in front of him. To his surprise, there was nothing. The creature was either distracted or hiding. Mermaids were not known for giving up their prey easily.
Quickly, the Captain was hoisted out of the water and onto the dry deck of the ship. Once he landed on the deck, he fell to his knees. After treading water and swimming for that long, his legs were not ready to support him. Two men tried to help him to his feet, but he waved them off. As he sat on the deck, he had a chance to observe his surroundings
The ship was not a Navy vessel, a stroke of luck for the pirates. The simple clothing of the crew suggested that it was a fishing boat. The men did not seem armed, or if they were, it was with easily concealed weapons.
“What are chaps like you doing out in the middle of the ocean?” asked one of the men.
“That’s not important, mate. We need to get to Yorktown as quick as possible,” Riggs ordered, clambering to his feet.
The man who Riggs assumed was the captain of the ship said, “I can’t do that, son. We’ve got a quota to meet. You’ll just have to wait until we’re done.”
“This is a matter o’ life an’ death,” Riggs argued.
“And ours is a matter of whether we keep our jobs. Kindly sit down and do not disrupt our fishing any further,” said the man, not even bothering to listen to any more of what Riggs said.
The last of the pirate crew had been recovered from the sea. Surprisingly, they were all still there. Not one of them had been even touched by the mermaid. Once they saw the look on Riggs’ face, they had a feeling of what was going to happen. Their hands crept towards the little weapons they had, preparing for a fight.
Seizing his chance, Riggs ripped out his sword and held it to the captain’s throat. He was not going to let anything stop him from getting to Yorktown.
“I’m takin’ command o’ this vessel right now. We’re headin’ to Yorktown whether ye meet your quota or not.”
*click* *click* *click*
Riggs heard the hammers of three pistols being pulled back right behind his head. He did not have time to waste. With every second, the Red Sky sailed closer to Julia.
The fishing captain chuckled.
“Looks like you’ll just have to wait, Mister… what is your name, boy?”
“I prefer Captain… Captain Riggs of the Red Sky.”
Raising an eyebrow, the man said, “The pirate ship? Well then, we’ll be doing the world a favor by simply killing you right now.”
SCREECH
That short burst of the mermaid’s scream was enough to debilitate everyone on the ship. Every man was down on his knees, clawing at his ears.
One of the fishermen rushed to the side of the ship to see what had caused the noise. A second later, he was gone, yanked over the side.
The attention was diverted from the pirates for the time being.
The crew of the fishing boat ran around the ship, trying to grab spears and guns to kill the mermaid, but it was to no avail. The pirates were the only ones who were actually hiding and staying low to the ground. They had seen how mermaids fight before.
Spears flew through the air aimlessly as the fishermen tried to hit anything that looked remotely out of place. It was all wasted effort. One by one, the mermaid picked off each and every one of the fishermen, leaping out of the water and pulling them off the ship as they kicked and screamed. Their cries turned to gurgling as the creature dragged them down to the depths of the ocean. The fishing captain stood at the helm, holding his pistol in front of him. Riggs looked away for a single second, and when he looked back, the only thing that was left was the man’s hat.
No more fishermen were left for the mermaid to attack. Now, there were only the pirates.
Riggs and his crew lay on the ground, unsure of what to do. There were no sounds coming from the sides of the ship. In fact, the sea seemed calmer than before. Cautiously, Riggs crawled over to the rail. Clint tried to get his captain’s attention, but Riggs ignored it. This was the only way to make sure that the mermaid’s attack had ceased.
Peeking over the rail, he tried to see if he could make out anything in water. If the mermaid was there, he would most likely be able to see her purple tail. However, she could have been plotting a sneak attack.
Riggs stood up, his eyes searching the surface of the water. There was not even a ripple to suggest that the creature was still there, but he could still feel her presence.
“What’re we gonna do?” Coral Jack whispered.
The Captain was silent, still observing the water. He could not see anything.
Taking a chance, he replied in a hushed voice, “Turn the ship around and head back to Yorktown.”
Silently, Riggs directed his crew to positions. He just had to hope that the mermaid would not follow them. Even if the mermaid was on their tail, they had to hurry to save Julia. They could not afford to waste any more time.
Days flew by as Julia tried to ignore the rumors. Occasionally, whenever she would visit the poorer parts of Yorktown, she would hear whispers about pirates, but those people always seemed to fall silent once they noticed her. Following Daniel’s advice, she just acted like her regular self, not letting the words influence her behavior. Most people were fooled by her act, but there were still a few that did not believe the lies that she told. Only time would tell what everyone really thought of her.
However, even with the rumors gradually being dispelled, Julia still felt horrible. With every lie that she told, she felt a pang of regret deep inside her heart. There were times when she was alone that she would break out in tears, realizing that her life had become one gigantic lie. No one, not even her parents, could understand what she felt. That night, she declined dinner, her
appetite gone. From the moment that she laid her head on her pillow, she knew she would get no sleep that night.
Her life had turned into a nightmare. She tossed and turned all night, dozing in and out of her dreams. Malicious words flowed through her head, the chanting of thousands of angry people echoing in her subconscious. Images of the gallows flashed in front of her eyes. Just as the lever was pulled, the morning light shined on her eyelids, waking her.
As she lay there in her own sweat, Julia heard voices. It sounded like they were coming from downstairs. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she quickly put on a dress and made her way downstairs. She hid in the hallway, trying to hear that about which the people were talking.
“I’m telling you she’s gone mad,” said her mother’s voice.
“But dear, she’s just a young lady,” said the voice of the Commodore.
“A young lady who’s in love with a pirate… and after a year of not seeing him. Does that seem… normal, Travers?”
Daniel’s voice answered, “Mrs. Hamond, I don’t have much experience dealing with this sort of thing, so I can’t really…”
“Just answer the question, Travers,” the Commodore urged.
After a short pause, the Lieutenant said, “No… no, I guess it’s not.”
“Exactly! She’s gone insane,” her mother spouted.
Travers interrupted and said, “Your daughter is not insane. She is simply in love.”
“But did it have to be with a scoundrel?” asked her mother.
Lieutenant Travers was silent, not daring to answer the question.
Instead, the Commodore answered it.
“Catherine, I’ve told you already. The pirate that I saw was not a scoundrel… but that does not excuse him from betraying the Crown.”
Travers interjected, “Commodore, you’ve let him go free once already. Just make an exception. If your daughter truly loves him, then she sees something in him that you’re failing to see. Don’t let your job corrupt your feelings, Commodore. After all… your family should be more important than the Navy.”