by Ryan Gilbert
Julia was awestruck. She had never heard any officer in the Navy say anything like that to her father. Any other officer would have just agreed with her father, fearful of his wrath. Daniel knew that there was something the Commodore was not seeing, and he was not afraid to say it.
She heard a chair squeak as her father stood up.
“Lieutenant… my family… is more important to me… than ANYTHING!”
There was a thump as the Lieutenant apparently bumped against a table.
“Do you think that I would let my daughter go gallivanting with pirates? Would I let her be put in a situation where she could lose everything?” shouted the Commodore.
Julia heard something fall to the ground and crash.
“I don’t want to watch my daughter hanging from the gallows like a common thief. That is the only reason why we are keeping her secret. Do you understand, Lieutenant?”
A strained voice that Julia could only assume was the Travers’ said, “Undeniably… sir.”
Julia crept closer in her curiosity. She wanted to see what was going on, even if it was just for a second.
*thunk*
Her knee had hit the side of a table. She tried to stay quiet, but her heavy breathing gave her away. Looking up, she saw her father, mother, and Travers staring down at her.
They did not look happy.
“Julia… how long were you hiding there?” asked the Commodore.
“Long enough to hear that I’m insane,” she said, rubbing her knee.
Helping his daughter to a chair, the Commodore said, “Then you also know that I don’t want you to be hanged as a pirate. Correct?”
“Yes, father, I know that. Instead, I’ll just have to watch the man I love be hung for his crimes.”
The Commodore opened his mouth to speak, but shut it almost immediately. For once, he was at a loss for words. There was no way for him to win this argument. If Julia was hanged, his heart would be broken. If Riggs was hanged, Julia’s heart would be broken and she would blame him for doing it.
Holding her parents’ hands, Julia said, “Father… mother… all I want is to live a good life, like you two. Even when you’re separated, you’re happy. You’re happy because you know the other will come back.”
Letting go of their hands, she continued, “Right now, I don’t… I can’t do that. Every day that I sit here in this mansion, I dread the reports that I hear coming across your desk, father. My heart doesn’t want to hear that the Red Sky has been destroyed. I don’t want to believe that Riggs has been killed. If that would ever come across your desk, then I… I don’t know what I’d do.”
Folding his arms, the Commodore said, “Julia, you have to accept the fact that Riggs being a pirate guarantees little safety for him. Nobody trusts them. Nobody makes deals that they expect to keep with them. Nobody loves them.”
Kneeling down in front of his daughter, Hamond said, “I hate to say this, but Riggs is probably dead already. Pirates live a day at a time, with each day possibly being their last. There is no way that the Navy armada would let them survive. Pretty soon, all pirates will be gone, and there is nothing that you or I can do to stop it.”
BOOM
Cannon fire shattered the silence of Yorktown. The Commodore’s eyes grew wide as he, Travers, and Julia rushed to the window to see what was happening.
BOOM BOOM
Cannonballs were flying into the town, demolishing houses and streets, terrorizing innocent people. Smoke and dust filled the air as buildings and houses fell. It was a terrifying sight to behold.
BOOM
Grabbing a sword from the mantelpiece, Julia tried to leave the house, but her father snatched her by the arm and would not let go.
“Let me help, father. I can handle this,” the girl shouted, begging her father to let her fight.
“No! This battle is not yours to fight.”
BOOM
The cannonballs seemed to be getting closer, temporarily shocking the Commodore. For a split second, he loosened his grip on his daughter’s arm.
That was all she needed.
Pulling away from her father, Julia ran out of the house, ready to battle. She ignored the concerned calls of her parents, dashing into the street with sword in hand. In seconds, her parents’ voices were drowned out by the panicked cries of the citizens of Yorktown. People ran by her, trying to get to higher and safer ground. Their tranquil day had been turned into a period of chaos.
As Julia pushed through the crowd of people, she struggled to see what was attacking the town. Soldiers were running through the streets, trying to keep order and failing miserably. Rubble filled the streets. Some buildings had flames spouting out of the windows already. Others were just completely destroyed.
The girl followed two soldiers through the streets as cannonballs continued to rain down on the town. A second after Julia passed a shop, a cannonball blasted through it, knocking stone and glass across the street. Through all the smoke and dust, she tried to find her way down to the docks. If someone was attacking Yorktown, then she might as well put those sword-fighting skills to good use.
BOOM
She could just barely see the boats moored at the docks as the cannonballs blasted holes in them. Several of the Navy ships had been demolished beyond belief. Few of the sailors had survived the direct attack.
Death and carnage were the only words that could describe the massacre. It was a horrible sight to behold. Bodies were floating in the water, their uniforms torn and bloodied. Innocent people lay on the ground, their crimson faces almost unrecognizable.
Brandishing her sword, Julia was afraid of what would appear from behind the smoke of the destruction. She was tempted to leave, but she stood her ground.
A breeze picked up, blowing some of the smoke away.
The first thing that Julia saw was the skull and crossbones raised high in the air.
As all of the smoke cleared, she nearly dropped her sword to the ground.
That was when she saw the red sails.
CHAPTER FOUR
Julia stood on the dock, watching as the pirates of the Red Sky blasted away at her home. She was speechless. When Riggs had said he was going to come back, she would never have imagined an attack this violent. This was not like him at all. She gripped her sword even tighter and made her way to the beaches where some of the pirates had landed.
Once the soldiers approached the pirates, they were met with merciless cutting and slicing. Quickly, the bodies began to pile up. Soldiers and pirates fell to the ground as their comrades pushed forward. Some joined their dead brethren, floating in the water. By now, the water was turning red with all of the blood seeping out of the dead and wounded.
Julia could not believe that any of this was happening. This cruelty was unlike anything she had ever seen onboard the Red Sky. The Riggs that she had known would never do something like this. He had only killed when he needed to. This was just senseless.
They were butchering people like it was nothing. Running to join in the fight, she could not see any remorse in the pirates’ eyes. These were not the same pirates that she had left a year ago. These were bloodthirsty savages.
The pirates soon overwhelmed the soldiers and pushed forward, pouring into the town itself. Women and children who had not yet escaped screamed in fear as the pirates’ filthy hands tried to grab them. Bold citizens tried to stand up and fight for themselves, but they were quickly dispatched. Injured people filled the streets as the pirates surged forward. Julia joined in the fight, slashing her sword at anyone that tried to attack her.
While she fought, the girl kept an eye out for any of the crew with which she was familiar. In between sword slices, she scanned the crowd of attackers, but she could not see any of Riggs’ crew.
Where were Coral Jack and Ripper?
Where were Eli and Clint?
Where were Doc and Petey?
Most importantly, where was Riggs?
As she slashed her sword back and forth, she had to be espec
ially careful not to be overwhelmed by the crowd of maniacs. Blocking a jab, she heard the sound of fabric ripping.
Quickly, she looked down and saw a sword sticking through the bottom of her dress. It had just barely missed her leg.
She looked behind her at the pirate, who was standing there with a strange look on his face.
*slap*
A second later, he fell back into the flurry of fighting. Julia’s slap had stunned him long enough that he did not even notice the soldier approaching from behind. The ruffian was dead in an instant.
Grabbing the ripped portion of her dress, Julia tore it off, giving herself more mobility and freedom to move around. She would need it if she was going to keep fighting.
A pirate ran at her, but she ducked to the side and drove her sword through his chest. Behind him, another pirate had paused and was just standing there. Julia pulled her sword out of the dead man and held it in front of her.
Licking his chops, he asked, “Now what’s a fine lil’ thang such as yeself doin’ down ‘ere?”
“Keeping you pirates at bay,” she said, clashing swords with him.
The pirate obviously had no qualms about fighting a lady. In fact, he fought dirtier than if he had been fighting a man. With every strike, he would try to kick or punch as well, but Julia was ready for most of the attacks. He swung his sword at her head, but when she blocked it, he kicked her in the stomach, driving her backwards.
“Ye ain’t gonna stop us, missy,” he said, moving closer.
Once he was close enough, Julia planted her foot in his crotch.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” she said, standing tall as she continued fighting.
Their fight brought them underneath the docks, where there was very limited room for swinging swords. The pirate was caught off-guard by the change of scenery, so Julia capitalized on it.
She goaded him into trying to cut off her head again, but the only thing with which his sword connected was the wooden poles supporting the docks. The force of the strike wedged the weapon in the wood itself, ripping it from the pirate’s hands. The defenseless pirate danced around, trying to avoid the girl’s strikes. Julia feigned a strike, throwing him off balance. Seizing the opportunity, the girl drove the sword straight through his foot, pinning it to the ground. The pirate fell to the sand in pain, and Julia grabbed him by the collar.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“Bloody ‘ell… ye drove a sword through me.”
“Answer me!” she yelled.
“Ugh… Captain’s orders. We’re ‘ere lookin’ fer a girl, Julia Hamond.”
Twisting the sword in the wound, Julia asked, “Why are you looking for her?”
“AUGH! Sweet Jesus! We’re ‘ere to take her.”
Standing up, Julia said, “Thank you,” and bashed her knee into the man’s head, knocking him unconscious.
Pulling her sword out of the pirate’s foot, she hid behind the poles until the last of the pirates had gone into the town to search. If Riggs wanted her, then why did he not pull off a stealthier plan? She could not imagine him coming up with a plan that involved the killing of so many innocent people. What had happened?
Only one pirate remained with the boats, presumably trying to find something that he had lost. Julia watched as, after a few moments, he shrugged his shoulders and ran into the town, hatchets in each of his hands. She tried to follow him, but he was much faster than she was, losing her almost immediately. Now she was stuck in the streets, not knowing what to do or where to go.
Around her, injured people were coughing and crying out for help. Wives were holding their husbands as they bled out in the streets. What had been a quiet day had changed into a day of death in less than ten minutes.
The air was now filled with the smoke of the burning buildings and the smell of the pirates.
As quietly as she could, Julia tried to find her way around in the smoke. She walked past the unconscious bodies of the injured and the bleeding corpses. She tried to avert her eyes, but it was too late.
Angrily, she tossed her sword to the ground. She had never wanted to see that much death. It pained her to see this many people die simply because the pirates wanted her.
She sank to her knees, hearing the sound of a crowd approaching through the smoke. She could hear their shrill laughter as they passed through their handiwork. Looking around at the people lying in the street, Julia did not care if it was the crew of pirates. If they saw her, it would just mean a quicker end to this madness.
Sure enough, the dirty faces of the crew appeared out of the smoke, coming to a stop when they saw the girl kneeling in the middle of the street. Their arms were filled with valuables and precious trinkets. Their eyes darted from Julia to the sword lying at her side.
Sighing, Julia asked, “You are looking for the Hamond girl, yes?”
Not sure what to make of her willingness to help, the pirates nodded their heads.
Standing up, she said, “Take me then. I’m right here. All I ask is that you leave here without any more bloodshed.”
She kicked her sword aside, showing them that she meant no harm.
The pirates laughed and grabbed her arms, pinning them at her sides. Try as she might, she could still not see any sign of the crew that she used to know. What had Riggs done to the crew to change them so much?
The pirates forced her through the streets with no idea of where to go themselves, but they eventually made it back to the beaches. Julia tried to keep herself from puking as they walked over the bodies of the soldiers that covered the sand.
“Wait!”
The entire crew stopped and turned around to see who had spoken.
Julia watched as her father stumbled out of the smoke, sword held high. His other hand gripped his leg as he limped forward. Blood ran through the fingers that covered the knife wound on his thigh, but he was determined to protect his child.
“You’re not taking my daughter again, you bastards.”
One of the pirates moved forward to fight him, thinking that the injured Commodore would be an easy kill. Two sword slices later, the pirate fell to the ground, killed by the angry father.
“I’ll kill every single one of you,” he snarled, pointing his sword in front of him.
The pirates looked at each other, then at the Commodore. All at once, three of the pirates ran at him, swinging their swords like madmen. Even without an injured leg, the Commodore should not have stood a chance.
Miraculously, he managed to survive, driven by his love for his daughter.
He battled with ferocious intensity, matching the pirates’ strength with each of his strikes. Watching from the midst of the pirates, Julia was in awe. She had never seen her father fight like that.
With a quick stab, the Commodore killed one of his attackers. The other two kept trying to wear him down, but it was not working. He was only getting more determined as the fight continued.
The pirates’ attacks began to get slower. For a brief moment, Julia actually thought that her father would win the fight.
The Commodore brought his sword down on a pirate’s arm, causing the man to drop his sword. He fell to the ground, unable to get up from the pain. There was only one more attacker to kill.
Julia gasped.
She saw her father turn around. She saw the pirate’s sword slash through the air. Then she saw her father fall to the ground.
For a second, she could not believe what had just happened. He would climb to his feet and resume fighting once again. She was sure of it.
He did not.
Julia started to cry as the pirates yanked her into a longboat. She tried to pull away from them, but she could barely move. It was almost like she was dreaming. She had no control over what her body was doing. She pulled and kicked, but her eyes could only see her father lying face down on the beach. No sound entered her ears. All was quiet, even as the pirates cheered around her. Her mouth formed words, but she did not know what she was sayi
ng.
*thwack*
Her vision went black as she fell backward. She could do nothing except try to listen. All that she could hear was a ringing… a constant ringing.
Gradually, her hearing started to return, as well as her sight.
The first things that she saw were the red sails of the pirate ship. All that she could envision was blood, like the blood that ran through the streets of Yorktown when the pirates were through with their looting and killing.
Around her, she could faintly hear the pirates shouting back and forth to their crewmates on the Red Sky. She had no idea what they were saying, but she could tell it was not good.
Even with her blurry vision, she could still not see anyone that she knew. If Riggs was anything like how she had left him, he would have been the first to welcome her onboard again. Where was he?
As the effects of the blow to the head wore off, Julia felt herself being hoisted over someone’s shoulders and being carried up the ladder to the ship’s deck. Her head swayed back and forth as she could do nothing but stare at the waters below. The tears running down her cheeks fell into the ocean, lost in the gigantic sea of water. She felt that she could cry enough to flood the entire world.
Without warning, she was thrown to the ground, landing hard on the wooden deck. All around her, the pirates were laughing and praising their crewmates as they stowed the stolen goods below deck.
Julia was hauled to her feet, still unable to stand straight. Her balance had not yet returned, and she was feeling quite dizzy. The incessant yelling hurt her ears as the pirates brought her to the middle of the deck.
Raising her eyes, she saw one man staring out over the deck, his arms resting behind his back. She vaguely recognized him as Garrett, one of Riggs’ crew but not one who she knew well.
The pirates holding Julia shouted, “We’ve got ‘er, Cap’n.”
Julia was perplexed. She did not see Riggs anywhere. Who were they talking to?
When Garrett began walking down the stairs, she hoped that what she was thinking was not true. With his disgusting smile and devilish gaze, she could tell that her fears were becoming real.