by Ryan Gilbert
The Commodore was perplexed, saying, “I can’t do that, Riggs. I need you all on this ship to keep an eye on you. I’m not going to let you escape so easily.”
Riggs was not giving up.
“All I want is to get Julia back, sir.”
“I’m sure you do… but I still don’t trust you.”
The pirates’ hopes fell. If they were stuck on the Magistrate… again… then they did not stand a chance of escaping. Riggs kept begging the Commodore for another ship, but Hamond would not listen. The Captain was running out of options.
“If ye give us another ship, you can load it up with as many soldiers as ye want. We just need more than one ship to beat the Red Sky.”
Riggs was at his wit’s end. If that proposal did not convince the Commodore to let the pirates have another ship, then nothing would.
Julia’s father leaned heavily on his cane as he looked over at the HMS Dagger. Riggs could see the tension on his face as he contemplated his decision. It was a damaged ship, sure to not arouse the Commodore’s suspicions. The pirate captain held his breath as the Commodore made his decision.
“If you try to abandon us, I will see to it that you rest in a watery grave, Captain Riggs. The Dagger is yours… for now.”
“We’ll stay by your side, sir,” Riggs lied, casting a sideways glance at his crew.
They all knew that it would be harder to get away, but they would have to try when the soldiers were least expecting it. If they wanted to be free to sail the seas again, they had to start by escaping. A jail cell did not suite them.
There was not one person in Riggs’ crew that did not want to get Julia and the Red Sky back. They were prepared to slip out from under the Navy’s nose once they had the chance.
Of everyone on that dock, Riggs was the one who wanted Julia back the most. As much as her father talked about saving her and bringing her back home, Riggs did not know if he could do the same. When Riggs got her back, he wanted to let her choose what she wanted to do. If she wanted to go back to her home in Yorktown, he would let her, but it would hurt tremendously to have to let her go again. It would be a willing sacrifice to make sure that she remained safe.
Within the hour, the two ships were ready to sail. Coral Jack worked like a dog, trying to assist the carpenters in repairing the Dagger. The ship was fully repaired just in time, especially with Jack’s shortcuts that he liked to use.
Since he had nothing else to do, Doc made a splint for the Commodore to help with him to rely less on his cane. Strangely enough, the old, insane doctor seemed to be the only one of the pirates that Hamond spoke to like a regular, law-abiding person.
When work on the HMS Dagger was completed, Hamond ordered the pirates and their Navy watchdogs onto the ship so they could set sail. The pirates were accompanied by around two dozen soldiers, the most that the Commodore could spare to watch over the rapscallions. Outnumbered almost four to one, any escape would be a miracle.
As the ships sailed away from Yorktown, Riggs and the Commodore shouted back and forth, exchanging headings and what the Commodore believed was valuable information. It was not.
Riggs did not know where the Red Sky was going, but he did have a pretty good idea of where to look. Garrett would not sail back to where the map had said to look for Poseidon’s trident. There was nothing there. The only reason he would have for keeping Julia alive would be to make Riggs tell him the secrets of the map. Garrett was too smart to think that the map was normal.
If he was going to be anywhere, he would most likely be at Rebelde. It was the perfect place for him to hide. They had more guns and cannons in the pirate port than the Magistrate or the Dagger could handle. Any sort of attack by a weakened Navy ship would certainly result in the ship’s destruction. The pirates had to act fast if they wanted to get away from the Commodore, but there were simply too many soldiers.
Riggs’ crew looked to him to enact his plan, but he waved them off. If they wanted to get away with their lives, they would have to wait until nightfall, which was hours away.
Giving the Navy navigator a fake heading, Riggs rejoined his crew on the main deck of the ship. They needed to do something… and fast.
“We can’t wait until night, Captain,” whispered Clint.
“If we do it now, den we’ll be shot down by de big guns,” Ripper argued.
“We’ve got surprise on our side though,” said Petey, keeping his voice low.
“De surprise don’t mean nothin’ when de ship is sinkin’.”
As much as Riggs wanted to contribute to the argument, he did not want to arouse any more suspicion, especially with the Magistrate right next to them. The soldiers were already casting strange glances at the pirate crew. They did not want to be there any more than the pirates did. From the way that they clutched at their swords and muskets, they would not hesitate to use those weapons if they thought the pirates were planning something.
The Captain’s ears were filled with the sounds of the ship cutting through the water and the voices of his crewmembers. It all rang inside his head as he kept hearing how they were doomed to hang if they did not leave. Even with the ship, they had the Magistrate’s one hundred guns with which to contend, something the smaller Dagger could not handle. If they tried to fight back against the soldiers, they would be cut down without a second thought.
No matter what way they looked at the situation, they were in deep trouble.
*splash*
Riggs’ head jerked to the side as he heard the new sound. It sounded like someone had fallen overboard, but none of the soldiers were rushing to save anyone. Nobody on the Magistrate seemed to have seen anything either.
*splash*
There it was again. The pirates crept to the rail to try to see what it was.
Staring into the foaming waters, the crew could see nothing. It was just waves and see foam. There was nothing to see.
Then, Riggs saw a shimmer just beneath the surface of the water. Grabbing onto the crewmates closest to him, he pulled them away from the rail. The rest followed suite.
“What’s the matter, Captain?”
Peeking out over the rail once more, Riggs said, “Mates, we’ve found our escape.”
Turning to the soldiers, Riggs shouted, “Man overboard… port side.”
Instantly, the Navy men ran to the side of the ship, ready to try and rescue whoever they thought had fallen into the sea. While their attention was diverted from the pirates for that brief moment, Riggs told his crew to crouch down and get as low to the ground as possible.
“Captain, what’s the point o’ this?” asked Clint, thoroughly confused.
“Yeah, how’s this gonna help us escape?” asked Doc.
Riggs checked his pistol and pulled the hammer back. He gave his crew a silent look to do the same. They could all hear the soldiers muttering, proclaiming that they saw nothing and no one in the water. They were even garnering some attention from the Magistrate.
Commodore Hamond yelled over to the ship, “Captain Riggs, is there a problem?”
Standing up with his pistol in his hand and a grin on his face, Riggs said, “I don’t rightly know, sir.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
The Captain turned around as everyone heard a loud splash. One of the soldiers had lost his footing and had fallen into the water. The remaining men tried to haul him back with a rope, but he was dragged underwater by something. The soldiers watched the surface of the water intently, waiting for the man to reappear. Seconds later, he was catapulted into the air. A familiar purple-tailed creature flew into the air and brought her prey down below, killing the man instantly.
Looking back to the Commodore, Riggs shouted, “Have you ever encountered a mermaid, sir?”
CHAPTER SIX
The soldiers ran about the ship as they tried to stop the mermaid. The pirates were safely hidden where they could not be caught by the creature. Onboard the Magistrate, Commodore Hamond watched as the mermaid cir
cled the Dagger. From his vantage point, Riggs could see the awe in the man’s eyes. A mermaid was an entirely new thing to him, never having believed in them before.
Gunshots pelted the water as the soldiers did their best to protect themselves from the creature. Their inexperience showed.
Men who leaned over the edge were yanked over the rail and into the sea. The Commodore could only watch. Opening fire on his own ship would just cause more damage to the ship. He was not even sure that the pirates were even escaping. With the Commodore distracted, Riggs crawled to the wheel as quickly as he could.
The pirates watched as the soldiers lost men left and right. Even those in the middle of the deck were not safe. The mermaid flew out of the water with enough force to launch itself over the entire width of the ship.
Every time the mermaid killed one of the soldiers, the pirates inched closer to freedom. It was a horrifying spectacle to behold, but, at the same time, it was liberation.
The Navy navigator was trying desperately to get the ship away from the mermaid, but he did not know how fast the creature could travel. Just as Riggs reached the wheel, the man was snatched and dragged over the rail, spinning the wheel away from the Magistrate. Lying on the ground, the Captain planted his foot in the spokes, keeping the ship on a steady course away from the Commodore’s ship.
The screams of the men rang out from all areas of the ship. Eli and Ripper had sneaked below deck to take out any of the soldiers lucky enough to get there. The mermaid made quick work of the few remaining soldiers brave enough to try to face her.
As the Dagger drifted away from the Magistrate, Riggs stood up and shouted to his crew, “The ship is ours, mates. Now let’s get to Rebelde before the Commodore catches on.”
He looked behind him, half expecting the Commodore and his crew to still be petrified by what they had seen. Instead, he saw the portholes of the Magistrate opening, its cannons rolling into position.
“I think he’s already caught on, Captain,” yelled Clint.
K-BOOM
Riggs ripped the wheel to the side just as a cannonball blew past them. It was going to be a short escape if the Dagger did not catch more wind.
“Full canvas,” ordered Riggs as another cannonball smashed through the rail right next to him.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH
With absolutely no warning, the mermaid’s screech brought everyone to their knees. It even seemed to affect the Magistrate. The pirates knew to cover their ears, but the Navy had no way to prepare for an attack like that. Riggs saw the ship slowly weave back and forth like the navigator was swaying from side to side. No more cannons were fired. There was no way to even use a weapon without unplugging your ears.
The momentary distraction allowed the Dagger to slip away from the Magistrate. With no crew except the pirates, the ship was no longer bound to the Navy. It was under Riggs’ command now.
Riggs’ crew cheered as their newly acquired vessel sped away from the pride of the Navy. With a hearty wind in her sails, the Dagger could catch up to the Red Sky in no time, provided that Garrett did not push the pirate ship to its fullest potential.
“Take down those colors, Jack. This is no longer a ship of the Crown,” ordered Riggs.
“Aye, Captain.”
As his crewmate was lowering the flag, Riggs heard a splashing coming from the side of the ship. Grabbing his pistol from his belt, he cautiously walked to the rail and looked over.
Two eyes looked up at him from the water.
“Hit the deck!”
The mermaid leapt out of the water and flew over the helm, barely missing the Captain. At the last possible moment, he jumped down the stairs, barely avoiding her grasp.
All of the pirates drew their swords and stood back to back, watching and waiting for the mermaid to show herself again. Jack stood against the mast, holding the flag in one hand and his sword in the other.
The crew could hear the splashing of her tail as she circled the ship. It seemed like she was playing mind games with them. She was quite the cocky creature, letting them know exactly where she was going to attack. None of the pirates knew of a definite way to fight the creature. It was too powerful.
*splash*
It came from the starboard side of the ship.
*splash*
Port side.
*splash*
An idea hit Riggs. He motioned to Coral Jack to toss him an edge of the flag. Together, they stretched it out between them, forming a makeshift net. Once it was secure, Riggs stomped his boot against the deck, hoping to draw out the mermaid. The crew stood motionless, waiting for the creature to strike. Everything was silent. Even the waves seemed to calm in that brief moment.
All of a sudden, there was a splash… but not where the pirates had expected it.
The mermaid flew out of the water behind Riggs and Jack. They tried to change their stance, but the creature was too fast. She landed right in the middle of the flag, the force of which knocked both men to the ground.
Her purple tail whipped through the air, trying to keep the pirates at bay, but it was useless. The pirates fell on top of the creature, wrapping the fabric around her and pinning her arms inside the flag. She looked like she was about to screech, but Riggs scrambled to his feet and pulled his gun on her.
“One peep and ye won’t be usin’ that mouth fer anythin’. Capische?”
The mermaid nodded, the flag still covering the top of her head like a hood.
“I guess that means you can understand us too.”
She nodded again.
Pushing his pistol against her chin, Riggs asked, “Why were you attackin’ us?”
Then Riggs noticed something odd. The barrel of his gun was shaking… and so was the creature’s chin. Cautiously, he reached forward to pull the flag back from her head.
“Careful, Captain. She might bite,” warned Eli, grabbing his captain’s arm.
Keeping the pistol against the mermaid’s chin, Riggs said, “Teeth… show ‘em to me.”
The creature opened her mouth. There were no fangs to be seen.
No longer feeling threatened, Riggs yanked the flag away from the mermaid’s face.
Long, fiery orange hair clung to the mermaid’s head and shoulders as she looked up at them with big, bright green eyes. Even though the flag was the net that held her, she still clutched it like a frightened child. Seaweed and clams covered her breasts, and another cluster formed a belt that dangled from her fin. She looked terrified. It was hard to tell if the streaks on her face were from the sea water or from tears of fear.
Easing his hostility a little, Riggs again asked, “Why were you attackin’ us?”
“I… I… I…” the mermaid stammered.
“You what? Speak,” Riggs ordered.
“I… wasn’t,” she said, looking down at her fin.
“Weren’t what? Weren’t attackin’ us? What in the bloody hell would yer kind call that then?”
“I wanted… to help you.”
Handing his pistol to Coral Jack, Riggs crouched down and looked her straight in the eye.
“And why would you help us? Mermaids don’t help pirates. They seduce them and eat them.”
The mermaid sighed and let go of the flag, letting it fall to the deck. She waved her hands over her fin and watched the pirates’ eyes. Gradually, the fin morphed into human legs. The scales disappeared and the tail changed into delicate, little feet.
Immediately, the pirates drew their weapons.
“Don’t move a muscle, wench. You’ve got magic, don’t ye?” asked Petey.
She nodded quickly, scared by the blades and pistols pointed at her.
“We’ve… all got magic,” she said, her hands shaking as she clasped them together.
Coral Jack grabbed her wrists and snarled, “We’ve only encountered one o’ you creatures before… and she had enough magic to nearly destroy all those who sail the seas. Don’t ye dare try anything or else we’ll run you through.”
As Jack bound her hands together, her body shook with fear. If it was a ruse, then it was the best that the pirates had ever seen. It was dangerous. They almost felt sorry for her.
That is, except for Coral Jack. He did not even look the creature in the eyes. The gruff look on his face said it all. He was determined to not give in to her charm. In a way, Riggs was proud of him. His crewmate was setting an example for the rest of the pirates. When he was done, he handed the rope to Riggs and stepped away from the mermaid.
“Lock ‘er in the brig. She can’t hurt us from in there,” Riggs said, giving the restraints to Clint.
“Right away, Captain. Come on,” said the navigator, yanking on the mermaid’s bonds.
To the pirates’ surprise, she actually put up some resistance.
“No… I… I won’t go with you,” she murmured.
“Oh ye won’t will ye? You know ye don’t ‘ave much of a choice,” said Clint.
“I know, but… can… can I go with him?” she asked, pointing with a quivering finger.
Riggs followed her gaze behind him. She wanted Coral Jack, who was in the midst of leaving the cluttered group. The boatswain just rolled his eyes at her request.
“What’s the harm? She don’t have fangs,” Jack laughed.
He took the ropes and led the mermaid down to the brig. Riggs followed to keep an eye on the creature. He had his sword ready, just in case she tried something stupid.
It was an intriguing sight. The mermaid never once looked up from her feet as she kept pace with Jack. To Riggs, it looked like she was too timid to even look at her captors.
When they got to the cell, Coral Jack untied the creature’s hands and locked the door behind her. Tossing the rope aside, he pat Riggs on the shoulder and left without a word.
For a second, the mermaid opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it once Jack left her sight.
“You can drop the act, mermaid,” said Riggs, returning his sword to its scabbard.
“I-it’s… Valera,” she murmured, twiddling her thumbs.
“Is that your name?”
“Y-yes.”
“Well… Valera… this is what happens when ye mess with the pirates of the Red Sky. For now, get comfy. You’ll be here fer a while.”