A Red Sky Has Fallen

by Ryan Gilbert

  The flames had disappeared, and the doors were starting to open. With a low rumbling sound, the doors scraped against the ground, moved by an unseen force. Centuries of dust flew past the pirates as air from the chamber rushed into the passageway. The light shone from inside the structure, beckoning for them to enter. Garrett stood triumphant in the doorway, the heart still hanging from his hook.

  “Bring those pitiful miscreants wit’ us. I’ve got something special planned fer them.”

  As the pirates were dragged away from their friend’s corpse, Garrett added, “Oh… and don’t worry about Doc. Ye’ll be joinin’ ‘im soon enough.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  The inside of the structure did not look like it had even been touched by the decay and ruin of the island. The ceiling reached high into the air, so high that the pirates could not see the minute details in the carvings that covered the dome. Inches of dust and dirt covered the floor, but wiping it away revealed immaculately carved inscriptions on the stone. The light that was emanating from the room came from a glowing white stone in the center of the gigantic temple.

  Once they had entered the room, everyone’s eyes widened in awe. They had not expected something this glorious. As they stepped forward, the sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the room. Whenever they had taken in all of the chamber, all eyes focused on the rock.

  Inside the glowing rock was embedded Poseidon’s trident. The powerful weapon was stuck halfway into the stone, its three threatening spears pointing to the ceiling above. A skeleton rested right next to the trident, the bones of the hand curled around the shaft of Poseidon’s weapon.

  As Garrett’s crew spread out in the massive temple, they soon found many other skeletons as well. They were covered with many different articles of clothing, some of which none of the pirates had ever seen before. Five still had shreds of what looked like ornamental garb hanging from their long dead bodies. One of Garrett’s men picked up a helmet only for a jawless skull to fall out of it, spooking him.

  Riggs could not let his gaze leave the trident. How had he ever lost interest in that device of pure power? If he knew what had awaited him, he would have tried harder to find the trident before the mutiny. Now, after countless deaths and rampant bloodshed, they had finally found it. However, that victory paled in comparison to the vast amounts of trouble that the struggle for power had caused. With Garrett’s mutiny, Julia’s kidnapping, and Doc’s death driving the two crews even further apart, Riggs realized that nobody should have ever found the trident.

  The Captain heard Garrett say to himself, “Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined this kind of… beautiful power.”

  “If yer goin’ to kill us, just get it over with,” said Riggs.

  Not even turning around, Garrett responded, “The wait’s part o’ the fun. Can’t be getting rid o’ the best part. Right now though, just let me savor this.”

  Just as Riggs was about to respond, he was yanked backwards, cutting off what he was about to say. He shot his captor a nasty look, but the man did nothing further. All he did was motion for the Captain to come closer.

  “You goin’ to gut me if I do?” asked Riggs in a hushed voice.

  The man shook his head and pulled back his coat to reveal a dagger.

  He whispered, “I’m not gonna kill ye, Captain. I wanna set ye free.”

  “Why would ye do that? You mutinied against me. Yer with him,” said Riggs, jerking his finger toward the mesmerized mutineer.

  Shushing the Captain, the man said, “And right now, I wish I hadn’t. A lot of us never wanted all o’ this to happen. When ‘e killed Doc, we knew he’d gone too far. Take this dagger and kill that son of a bitch. Once we’ve all got what we came for, then we can have a good captain back at the helm.”

  He pulled the dagger out of its sheath and handed it to Riggs.

  “It’s small enough to fit in yer sleeve, Captain. Don’t waste this opportunity.”

  Shaking the man’s hand, Riggs said, “Let me friends go free… then we’ll talk about my bein’ your captain.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Riggs stuck the dagger up his sleeve as the man started to try to set the rest of the Captain’s crew free from his traitorous comrades. They did not need much convincing. Out of the corner of his eye, Riggs saw his friends readying their weapons. Some of Garrett’s crew were apparently not as loyal as he thought they were.

  Every step that he took felt like it brought him closer to liberation. He had to be especially careful so that his steps would not echo. The slightest noise could foil his plan. His enemy would finally be dead and he would be free to roam the seas once again. He would not have to worry about mutiny. He would not have to worry about Julia being attacked. It would be like before this madness had started.

  Garrett still had his back turned to Riggs. Everything was going according to plan. All he had to do was take several more steps and drive the dagger into the man’s back.

  He carefully slid the dagger into his hand. Only five more steps to go.

  Riggs brought the dagger back. Only four steps.

  He was so close he could hear Garrett’s breath. Only three steps.

  *crunch*

  A skull cracked and shattered underneath Riggs’ boot. Garrett swung his sword at his would-be attacker’s head, forcing Riggs to act fast. The dagger stopped the strike just in time.

  “Did ye really think it’d be that easy, Riggs?” snarled Garrett, grabbing the Captain and tossing him to the side.

  Regaining his balance, Riggs held the dagger in front of him, waiting for the next strike. Garrett swiped at him from the side, but Riggs blocked the blade. He tried using his hook, but the Captain grabbed his wrist and elbowed him in the face.

  Seeing the two captains locked in a duel of their own, the crews turned on each other. Riggs’ crew and their newly reformed allies battled with Garrett’s men.

  Shots rang out.

  Swords clanged.

  Everything became chaos.

  Riggs continued to fight back against Garrett, even with just the dagger. One hard strike after another was deflected by the smaller blade. The look on Garrett’s face turned from arrogance to anger in a matter of seconds as Riggs fought harder and harder.

  “Ye can’t win, Riggs. I’ve worked too hard to let that happen.”

  Blocking Garrett’s sword, Riggs said, “We’ll see about that.”

  With a roar, the traitorous pirate threw Riggs to the ground, knocking the dagger out of his hands. He rolled to the side just in time to avoid Garrett’s downward slice. As a distraction, Riggs grabbed a handful of dust and tossed it in his enemy’s eyes, temporarily blinding him.

  Garrett shrieked in pain as the tiny particles hit his eyes. He swung his sword and hook erratically, forcing Riggs to scoot away as quickly as he could.

  “Where are ye, you lil’ pest?” Garrett shouted, rubbing his eyes with his sleeves.

  Standing up, Riggs ran at his foe, leapt into the air, and drove both feet into his chest. The blinded pirate was caught by surprise and fell to the ground, crushing the bones of a skeleton. His sword skipped across the ground, landing far away from him.

  The Captain jumped on top of the villain and started pummeling him. Riggs let out his pent-up anger as he finally gave Garrett a taste of his own medicine. Fist after fist connected with the mutineer’s face before he pushed the Captain to the side.

  As Garrett started to get to his feet, Riggs planted his boot in his former crewmate’s face, knocking him down again. When that did not stop him, Riggs looked around for a weapon with which to fight.

  He could not see where the dagger or the sword had gone, nor did he have the time to search for them. Without the element of surprise, his fists could do nothing against the hook.

  His eyes rested on the trident once more. It would only be fitting for Garrett to meet his end by the very weapon for which he had fought and killed. As Garrett finally got the dust out of his eyes, Riggs clim
bed onto the glowing rock.

  Grabbing the trident, he tried to rip it out of the rock, but it was wedged in somehow. He could see bits of light peeking out from around the shaft.

  Riggs rammed it back and forth, trying to loosen it. He could feel the stone starting to give way.

  Just as a section of the rock cracked, he looked up and saw Garrett climbing onto the trident’s pedestal to stop him.

  “I won’t let ye take that from me, mate,” Garrett said.

  “Too late… I already have,” shot Riggs, yanking the trident free of the rock.

  FWOOOOM

  A shockwave blasted out from the rock. It blew Riggs and Garrett into the air and everyone else against the wall. The two captains landed hard on the ground on opposite sides of the room with Riggs still holding on to the trident. He was not going to let Garrett take it from him.

  The sudden blast had put a stop to the fighting, at least temporarily. Nobody knew what to make of what had just happened. Most of the pirates were still trying to regain their senses.

  The shockwave had blasted all of the dust off of the ground, and the skeletons rested in pieces against the walls. The glowing white stone was pulsating like it was preparing for something else. Everybody braced themselves for what would come next.

  A beam of white light shot out of the stone, hitting the top of the curved ceiling. Slowly, the light appeared to ooze down the wall like slime, illuminating the room. Every crevice and stone carving was lit up for every eye to see.

  The stone pulsated once more, shooting an orb at the ceiling. It burned with a blue flame. While all of the pirates watched, it hung in mid-air, suspended by nothing. Everyone watched in anticipation, unsure of what to expect.

  “Whosoever dareth to come to Nisi tou Ischys, state thy cause,” boomed an unseen voice.

  Riggs was dumbstruck. Too many things were happening at once. What should he say? To who… or what… was he speaking? Where was it coming from?

  “Answer me, mortals!”

  Shouting as loud as he could, Riggs said, “To find Poseidon’s trident… whoever ye are.”

  The floating orb of flames began to burn even brighter.

  “Thou is speaking to the owner of that trident. I am… Poseidon.”

  So many emotions and feelings were running through Riggs’ mind that it was hard to think straight. Fear and terror told him to leave the god’s presence immediately, but awe and curiosity kept him standing right where he was.

  “Dost thou know the purpose of that weapon?” asked Poseidon.

  Answering honestly, Riggs said, “No… no, I don’t.”

  For a moment, there was silence from the blue orb. Not one person in the room dared to make a sound. Even Garrett seemed terrified.

  Just when Riggs thought it would say no more, it spoke again.

  “Allow me to show you.”

  Spirals of fire flew out of the orb and circled the glowing stone. It soon became so bright that all of the pirates had to cover their eyes to keep from being permanently blinded. A great wind stirred up, swirling the pirates’ coats and snatching their hats right off their heads. The dust, dirt, and bones tore through the air, pelting each and every one of the pirates. The entire room looked and felt like the inside of a hurricane.

  Just as quickly as it began, the wind, flames, and light stopped. The pirates could not have expected what they saw when the dust cleared.

  Gathered around the glowing stone were five figures. From their garments, Riggs could tell that they were now the skeletons with the ornamental clothing.

  Poseidon began, “Thousands upon thousands of years ago, when mankind was in thy infancy, five magic-users gathered here on Nisi tou Ischys to try to preserve their powers for eternity.”

  Another figure appeared and dropped from the ceiling, landing flat on his feet by the five magic-users. This figure wore what looked like armor from an ancient time period. A long beard flowed from his face and down to his chest as he seemed to frown upon and scold the magic-users.

  “I had been tasked with keeping magic at bay. In my utter foolishness, I had let yonder deceivers trick me so that they could become eternal, all-powerful beings… like the Creator.”

  The figure of Poseidon moved to attack the five, but the magic-users called upon their magic to stop him. He was repulsed, but not for long.

  “The defensive spell only held me back for a moment, but thou moment beist enough for them to complete their nefarious spell. It had disastrous consequences.”

  Black liquid started to fill the inside of the glowing stone, blotting out the light. From what Riggs could see, the stone started to crack, and the liquid poured onto the floor just as the magic-users were finishing the spell. Their looks of triumph turned to dread as the liquid burst into flames and cooked them alive.

  “I tried to stop the effects of the spell… but it was all for naught. I, great Poseidon, was weakened to a point near death.”

  Riggs watched as Poseidon crawled weakly to the top of the stone. Using his last ounce of strength, the god raised the trident in the air and rammed it into the stone, causing all of the black liquid to disappear in a cloud of dust.

  “With my dying breath, I transferred all of my power into that weapon with the hope that whoever would find it would use it to put an end to these evils… this Vicious Magic… once and for all.”

  Staring at the trident which still rested in his hands, Riggs said, “But I’m not a god. What can I possibly do with that much power?”

  All of the figures turned back into flames and were sucked back into the orb of fire. The room was quiet, except for the sound of the pirates’ breathing. Suddenly, Riggs started to wonder whether he had asked the right question. Was the silence an indication of anger? Did Poseidon sense some disrespect towards him?

  Slowly, the ball of fire descended from the ceiling and came to rest in front of the Captain. Gradually, it changed its shape to resemble a human-like creature. Riggs could even see the flames form a crackling beard as Poseidon showed his only remaining form on this earth. Surprisingly, the pirate did not feel any amount of intimidation. In fact, he was comfortable as he stood in front of what he believed was a god. He did not know why. He just was.

  “Anyone who has that trident in thy hand has all of my powers… provided they have the fortitude to wield it. The task of the trident is to seek out and destroy the Magic of Vices. Do you accept this burden?”

  Looking down at the elegant weapon in his hands, Riggs thought about all of the power that he could have. People like Garrett would be like mere annoyances to him. He could destroy them with a wave of his hand. The seas could be his to rule.

  Down deep in his heart, he knew that he could not handle the power. He did not want to let the power get to his head like it had done with Garrett. It had corrupted him. It had made him dangerous.

  Holding the trident out, Riggs let it drop to the floor, the sound echoing throughout the room.

  “I don’t want yer power. I won’t have it… not after seein’ how its power drives men to madness.”

  The flaming figure of Poseidon did not say or do anything for a long time, but when it did, it was not the harsh words that Riggs had been expecting.

  “As you wish… but there shall not be another chance for thee.”

  The figure turned around and started to walk back to the rock that had held the trident. With each step, the fire grew dimmer until it reached the foot of the rock, where it disappeared completely. The light that had flowed from the rock now ceased to show, throwing everyone into a room of shadows and darkness. Everything was still and silent.

  Garrett started to make a move toward the trident, but Riggs pulled a discarded gun from the ground and aimed it at the traitor with a steady hand.

  “Don’t even think about it,” he said.

  Just then, the trident let out a blast of light. The projectile shot across the room and cracked against the wall. The entire room began to shake as multiple cracks ran t
hrough the wall.

  Stones fell from the ceiling as the pirates tried to run to the door. Nearly all of Garrett’s men were crushed underneath the falling rocks. Only a few of them survived long enough to escape the room. Gigantic chasms opened in the floor as the cracks started to run over the dust-covered surface.

  Julia and Riggs’ crew made it out just in time to avoid being crushed by a massive boulder, but the Captain still had to weave his way through the collapsing room. There was no telling where the next rock would fall or where the next hole would open. It was all a game of chance.

  Was this what Poseidon meant when he told the pirate that there would not be another chance for him?

  Out of the corner of his eye, Riggs saw Garrett crawling toward the trident. There was nothing that he could do to stop the madman. Riggs had enough to worry about, trying to avoid being crushed. He did not have time to keep Garrett from the trident.

  Just as he neared the doors to the structure, Riggs heard his enemy yell, “You’ve lost, you fool. The power is mine… mine for all eternity!”

  As soon as Garrett spat the last word, the entire ceiling caved in, falling directly on top of him and silencing him forever. The traitor had no time to enjoy his final victory.

  Riggs jumped out of the structure just in time. The entire doorway was packed with huge stones and rocks, not allowing anyone in or out anymore. It was as if nothing had ever even been there.

  The earthquake stopped the instant that he escaped the room. No more rocks fell. No one else crawled out of the demolished room alive. A cloud of dust still floated in the air as the structure settled into its new formation. It was both one of the most amazing and one of the most terrifying things that the crew had seen in years.

  As soon as they had caught their breath and coughed all of the dust out of their lungs, the pirates turned their guns on the remainder of Garrett’s crew.

  Raising their hands in the air, the men begged, “Have mercy on us, Cap’n. We’ll listen to every order ye give.”