by Ryan Gilbert
The next night, Riggs called the crew into his quarters for a meeting. Little by little, they made their way into the cabin, all except the night watchmen and a lone crewmember charged with guarding the prisoners. Once everyone had been accounted for, Riggs started to discuss the topic at hand.
“Crewmembers of the Red Sky, tonight we begin a quest, a quest that will lead us to treasure and infamy and notoriety. What be this quest, you may ask? Let me tell ye… it will be glorious.”
As soon as he finished the last word, Riggs unrolled his treasure map. Pushing drinks and papers off of a desk, he placed the map down for everyone to see. The pirates gawked at the map, surprised at what their new captain had acquired. Once the crew saw the mermaid drawing and the black water surrounding the center island, they shrunk back with fear.
Clint was the first to speak, “Captain, you don’t mean…”
“Yes, I do, Clint. I give you gentlemen Isla de Dolor, an unknown island stuck god-knows-where and, accordin’ to legend, filled with mermaid treasure. With the coordinates given on this map, I want to find the island and I intend to sail right over top of those creatures’ watery home and take all the treasure I want. Are ye in?”
“Have you gone mad, Captain? We’re talking mermaids and cursed waters here, and you want to just sail right over them?” asked Eli.
“Of course. How else are we gonna get there?” said Riggs.
“You’re bringing us straight toward two of the most dangerous things in all of creation. Most of the crew has never encountered either one.”
“Ye think I don’t know that? If I didn’t think we could handle it, then I wouldn’t have chosen that island to raid.”
“Captain, I’m begging…”
“Eli, don’t beg,” said Riggs.
Rolling up the map, Riggs eyed his crew. There was terror on their faces that they were trying to hide, but he could still see it. Tension filled the room as the men waited for Riggs to speak.
Sitting in a chair and propping his feet on the table, Riggs said, “Don’t bother hidin’ it, mates. You’re scared. You, pirates of the seven seas, are scared. You, fellow mutineers, are scared.”
The crew shifted nervously. Yes, they had pulled off a daring mutiny, but it was nothing like sailing through black waters looking for mermaid treasure. Those were both uncharted evils. Anything could happen.
“My friends, if we want to get anywhere in this world, we need to be darin’. We need to do things that no other pirate can do, could do, or ever will do. The purpose of our mutiny was to make a name for ourselves on these waters. We can’t be famous by bein’ cautious. As pirates of the Red Sky, we need to throw caution to the wind and raise the colors high as we sail through maelstroms, lightnin’ storms, and even the supernatural winds of the Locker. We’re brave and bold and we will be known and feared by all! Who’s with me?”
The cabin became quiet as the crewmembers thought about the decision they would have to make. Under Richardson, hunting for treasure was a rare venture. If they could actually succeed in stealing from Isla de Dolor, an island of mermaids and curses, then they could accomplish anything.
The first crewmate to speak was Coral Jack, saying, “Aye, Captain.”
Clint joined him, saying, “Aye.”
“Aye, *burp* Captain,” mumbled Doc.
The rest of the crew followed their comrades’ leads and, in unison, said, “Aye.”
“Good. Now listen, this is what we’re gonna do. When we find Isla de Dolor, we’re gonna have an all-out attack on the island. From my experience with islands full of treasure, there will be other pirates lookin’ for the same thing. We will need to fight. We will need to be fierce.”
Slamming his hand on the table, Ripper yanked his pistols out of his belt and said, “Ya can count on me. Any man who ain’t wit ya, I shoot.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa… Ripper, you’re not goin’ to shoot anybody… at least not yet. Put away the guns.”
Disappointed, Ripper stopped waving his pistols around and put them back in their holsters.
“Okay… now that the pistols are gone, does everybody agree: we sail to Isla de Dolor, we get the treasure, we get out alive. Capische?”
“Aye!”
“Then let’s go find that treasure.”
“Hold on a moment, Riggs,” said Eli, “You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
“What do ye mean?” the Captain asked, perplexed.
“Let me count the ways. Those prisoners are throwing our rations off, the attack on that ship took a good amount of our cannonballs, and we’re running low on medical supplies. Do I need to list anything else?” he asked, counting on his fingers.
Holding up his hands, Riggs said, “I guess we’ll be makin’ a stop before our treasure hunt. Clint, set a course for Rebelde. I want to get to that island before someone beats us to it.”
Julia had not gotten any sleep the night before. The wooden floor was too hard for her taste. The beds were dirty, ripped, and smelled like rum and vomit. Leaning against the bars was not comfortable for the back of her head, and leaning against the hull made the sound of the waves even louder than before. Eventually, Julia was able to grab an hour of sleep lying on top of Jonathan’s chest. Nothing was going the way that she thought it would.
Rubbing her eyes, Julia murmured, “I should have been in Carolina by now.”
“All of us should have been,” said Jonathan, wincing as he tried to find a more comfortable position.
Jonathan’s multiple injuries had started to take a toll on him. He had cuts and scrapes all over his body from when he had been hit by the wheel, a gash running across his forehead from when Riggs kicked him, and a black and blue nose from smashing his face into the bars. His positive attitude was nearly gone. Every time he tried to do something brave, he was met with pain.
“Ms. Hamond, I don’t want to frighten you, but I do not foresee us getting off this ship alive.”
Sluggishly standing up, Julia said, “We are going to make it off this ship, I know it.”
“How? How do you know this? Has God sent down an angel to tell you this or did you come up with this poppycock in your head?”
Glaring at Jonathan, Julia answered, “It’s common sense, Mr. Warner. Obviously, the Captain is interested in me. Why else would I be the only one invited to his cabin? If you are interested in someone, you usually try to do whatever that person wants. If I persuade him not to kill anyone, then we will all be safe.”
“You are forgetting one thing: pirates are evil. They are not normal human beings with whom you can reason.”
“Oh, really, Mr. Warner? They are flesh and blood, just like us, fully capable of reason.”
“But Ms. Hamond, they don’t use it. They are blood-thirsty mongrels.”
“If they were so blood-thirsty, then why didn’t they leave us in the ocean to die?”
Flabbergasted, Jonathan answered, “Well… because they wanted to prolong the torture.”
“I don’t see anyone here being tortured except for you, Jonathan.”
*tap* *tap* *tap*
Julia and Jonathan had been so absorbed in their argument that they did not notice Clint Wayko approaching the bars. They instantly fell silent once they heard the door to the cell unlock.
“The Captain wants to see ye again, missy.”
Surprised, Julia asked, “Why would the Captain wish to see me? I just dined with him a couple days ago.”
“He’s well aware o’ that. He wants to see you again.”
“You can tell him that… I’ll be ready in a moment.”
“Ye’ll be ready now. Get out here.”
Clint pulled her through the door and pushed it shut. However, Jonathan leapt to his feet and swung the door open just before Clint could lock it. Before the prisoners could rally behind Jonathan and overpower the pirate, Clint kicked him in the chest, knocking him back into the cage as the door slammed shut. As Jonathan tried to gather himself, Clint locked the door and led
Julia to the main deck.
When her eyes had adjusted to the light, Julia saw the Red Sky in all its true glory. The dark red sails were flapping in the breeze. The crew was hustling and bustling. Nearly everything was in motion. The sun shone brightly, bouncing off the sea and the sweaty bodies of the pirates. Even from a prisoner’s point of view, the ship was quite majestic.
Clint led Julia to the helm, where Riggs and Eli were trying to read the map. As soon as Riggs caught sight of the girl, he rolled up the map and stuck it in his coat.
“Afternoon, hon. How did ye sleep?”
“Horribly, no thanks to you,” she spat.
“I see you’ve still got some fight in you. What can I do for ye on this fine day?”
“You can start by letting myself and the other prisoners free,” said Julia, stubbornly.
“Now, Julia, you know I can’t do that. That’d be against everythin’ a pirate stands for.”
Not giving up, Julia said, “You can always turn yourself over to the Navy. Perhaps they’ll go easy on you.”
“Prison don’t sit too well wit’ me, darlin’. Instead, how ‘bout we take a nice walk.”
To her disgust, Riggs draped his arm over her and launched into conversation. For her own sake, she forced herself to tolerate it.
“I don’t expect a rich lass such as yourself to understand a pirate’s life, but let me explain somethin’ to ye. Pirates always start at the bottom of the food chain, chased and destroyed by what the Crown likes to call justice. As a pirate grows more notorious, he begins to prey on other pirates, maybe even on justice itself. If a pirate is so good at what he does that every livin’ creature fears him, then justice has no place in his world. He crushes justice under the heel of his boot. For any other pirate, this is what I would call a ‘normal’ cycle of life. Nobody on the Red Sky wants to start at the bottom of the food chain. We are gunnin’ for the biggest, baddest fish in the sea because we want to be recognized. Recognition translates to notoriety.”
“Why don’t you just live like normal English citizens?” asked Julia.
Riggs laughed at the question, saying, “Normal English citizens are no more than slaves to the Crown, bendin’ over backwards to please His Majesty. I am a free man, Julia, and I cherish every moment of it. Come… I have somethin’ to show you.”
Riggs led Julia into the captain’s quarters. She had already been in the room for her dinner with him. What more could there be to see?
Pulling a set of keys out of his pocket, Riggs opened a chest and pulled out several maps. Tossing them onto a table in front of Julia, he unrolled each one so that she could see them, knocking various objects onto the floor of the cabin. When Riggs turned his back to her to get more parchments, Julia noticed a knife amid the pile of fallen objects. As the Captain spun around, she gave him her full attention, discreetly stretching her leg to pull the knife closer to her. It did not even look like Riggs knew anything about her plan.
“All of these maps hold the locations of the greatest treasures known to man and god. Swiped from under the Navy’s nose, they were. Were they doin’ any good sittin’ in an English captain’s cabin? No. Do you think that he could search for this treasure, even a tiny bit of it? No. Do you think that pirates, such as myself, can make our lives better with these maps? Yes.”
As she pulled the knife ever closer to her chair, Julia said, “My father taught me that the greatest treasure lies in the heart. It is love, something you do not possess.”
“I think you’d be surprised, m’ lady.”
With the knife so close to her chair, Julia stalled, saying, “I know I wouldn’t. You can’t possibly love anything with all of the evil deeds you’ve done.”
“Speakin’ of evil deeds…”
Julia prepared herself to reach down and grab the knife.
“… do you intend to ‘love’ me with that knife you’ve got underneath yer chair?”
Quick as she could, Julia ducked down and snatched the knife from the floor. Standing up, she held the weapon out in front of her as Riggs dashed around the table. She jabbed it at him, forcing him to stop. Now she had the upper hand.
“You are going to let me and the other prisoners go free, Captain,” she ordered.
Taking a step closer, Riggs said, “I don’t think so.”
Julia backed up another step, still pointing the knife at Riggs. He was toying with her, and she knew it.
“Don’t come any closer,” she said.
This time taking two steps, Riggs asked, “Are you sure you know how to handle that weapon?”
“I know enough,” she snapped.
“Good… then show me,” he said, leaping at her.
The sudden move startled her, and she swung the knife to the right, missing Riggs completely. She tried again, this time jabbing to the left. In the brief moment that her back was toward Riggs, he grabbed her around the waist, pinning her arm at her side. With the other hand, he curled it around her hand with the knife, bringing the blade to a stop just inches from her neck.
“You’re gonna have to do better ‘n that, love. If you wanted to kill me, you should have been faster.”
“Let go of me,” she said.
She struggled to get free, but Riggs was too strong for her. She was not going anywhere.
“Do you promise not to try anythin’ stupid?” he asked.
With a sigh of disappointment, Julia muttered, “Yes, now let me go.”
Plucking the knife out of her hand, he tossed it onto the table, far out of her reach. Now that she had no weapon, Riggs let go of her, making his way back to his seat.
“Oh, and one other thing you should know. Don’t plan on bein’ able to escape the Red Sky. The only thing waitin’ for ye is a trip down to the ocean depths once you leave this ship.”
“I am the daughter of a commodore in the English Navy. Do you not think that my father is searching for me right this very moment?”
Reclining in his chair, Riggs pondered the question. After a few moments, he answered, “Maybe… maybe not. I’m not afraid of ‘im.”
“You should be, you despicable human being.”
Getting tired of Julia’s backtalk, Riggs yelled, “Clint, get in here and escort Julia back to the brig… and make sure there ain’t anythin’ sharp next to the bars.”
As Clint entered the room, Riggs said to Julia, “I enjoyed our little talk, sweets. A couple more weeks on this ship, we’ll make a pirate out o’ you yet.”
Walking out the door, Julia spat back, “I’d rather die than become like you.”
As the door slammed shut, Riggs gathered the maps and rolled them up. As he put them back in the chest, he could not help but think about what Julia had said about treasure. The greatest treasure in life was love? Was that the warm feeling that he felt every time he laid eyes on the girl? He had never felt anything like it, and he did not know how to react. When he was in Rebelde, partying with the ladies, he did not have the same feeling that he felt when he was around Julia. Even when she had tried to kill him, that feeling was still there. How could he make sense of something that he had never experienced before? What was love?
The next morning, Riggs awoke to the pounding of a pot beside his head. Falling out of bed, he frantically snatched a pistol from his bedside table and waved it around the room. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see most of his friends ducking underneath the furniture as he pointed the gun around the room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Riggs stuck the gun in his belt and said, “Whew… false alarm. Don’t ever… ever do that again.”
Slowly coming out of hiding, the crew looked concerned. A lot of them were staring down at their feet like they were afraid to speak of something.
“What’s the problem?” asked Riggs.
Stepping forward, Eli responded, “Captain, the crew is a little… confused with how you’ve been acting as of late.”
“How so?”
Clearing his throat, Eli continued, “
Well, Captain… you seem like you’re getting too attached to a certain female prisoner.”
“What of it?”
“The crew doesn’t believe that it’s… safe… to get so close to the prisoners.”
Contemplating the situation, Riggs asked the crew, “Gentlemen… friends, have any of you ever felt a thing called love?”
“Nay,” said Eli.
“Nay,” said Ripper.
“Nay,” said Petey.
“Could you repeat the question?” asked Doc.
“Nay,” said Clint.
“Aye, I have,” said Coral Jack.
Riggs was genuinely surprised. Of all of the crew on the Red Sky, Jack was one of the last people Riggs would have thought of who would know what love was. He had never spoken of any such experience, even in his drunken moments.
“You’ve known love, Jack? Can you describe it?” asked Riggs curiously.
“I’ll try my best, Riggs. Back in Rebelde, before I started sailing on the Red Sky, I always went to this one tavern. One night, as I was sittin’ ‘ere, a beautiful creature came and spoke to me. She had long, flowing hair that looked as if it would catch on fire at any moment. Her green eyes pierced straight through me soul like a sword. She was the most amazing girl I had ever met. After that night, we began courting and meeting each other day after day. Every time I saw her, I would feel… a little warmer inside. I never wanted to let her go ‘cause I felt invincible around her. It was a magical feeling.”
Laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder, Riggs said, “Thank you, Jack, for sharin’ that wit’ us.”
Turning to the rest of the crew, Riggs said, “Shipmates, what Coral Jack described is exactly how I feel around this girl. Her name is Julia Hamond, and she is the daughter of a commodore in the English Navy.”
The crew shrunk back in terror.
“Daughter of a commodore? It’s even worse than I thought,” exclaimed Clint.
Trying to calm his crew, Riggs continued, “Now, there are two reasons why this is good. First, the entire Navy will know about us and the Red Sky, and that’ll make us infamous.”
“Infamy is good, but what’s the second reason, Captain?” asked Eli.