by Ryan Gilbert
Pushing past Jonathan, the Commodore rushed from the room. Heading immediately for the helm, he whispered something into a passing soldier’s ear.
“Sir, I will let the gunners know immediately,” he said as he ran below deck.
“Commodore, would you mind telling me what the commotion is all about?” asked Jonathan.
Hamond again ignored the question and hurried up the stairs to the navigator. His back toward Jonathan, he told the sailor something. In a moment, the man’s face drained of color, like he had just seen a ghost.
“If that’s the case, Commodore, we’d better hurry. No telling what that traitor is capable of.”
“What traitor?” asked an annoyed Jonathan, “Is this not just a regular band of pirates? What am I not being told?”
Calming himself with a couple deep breaths, Commodore Hamond answered, “Mr. Warner, there are some things you need to know about Captain William Richardson. You are right in assuming that he was a Navy officer.”
“How do you know?”
“I served under him when I was just starting in the Navy.”
That news startled Jonathan.
“What made him turn against the Crown?”
“After many years, he betrayed us for treasure and sailed off with his ship, a vessel that he would never abandon. When our search for him came up empty, the Navy was forced to brand him as a pirate.”
After giving the navigator directions, Commodore Hamond said to Jonathan, “I assume you know the legend of the Doomsday Angel.”
“How could I not know it? It was the fastest, most feared ship on the seven seas. It disappeared years ago. Why?”
Suddenly, all the pieces fell together in Jonathan’s brain. Now he understood the Commodore’s sense of urgency.
“No… no, that’s not…”
“Possible? Mr. Warner, it is possible… and it is what happened. Based on your description of that ship, you were just a captive on board the Doomsday Angel.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“Rebelde on the horizon, Captain!”
Directing his spyglass toward the horizon, Riggs scanned the sea. Sure enough, an island rested in the middle of the ocean, still a good distance from the ship. A smile spread across the Captain’s face as he handed the spyglass to Clint.
“Be ready to make port,” yelled Riggs to the crew.
As the crew hurried to prepare the ship, Riggs slipped below deck to wake Julia. When he entered her room, he was struck by how peaceful she looked as she slept. She had a calm and serene look on her face, accentuated by the light casting a glow upon her face. She was beautiful. Walking to the side of the bed, Riggs gently stroked Julia’s hair until she awoke.
At first, the girl seemed calm as she opened her eyes. When she felt the pirate’s hand on her head, however, it was like a dagger had pricked her. She sat up and scooted away from Riggs, her glare daring him to touch her again.
With Julia backed against the wall, Riggs said, “It’s about time ye woke up, sweetheart. We’re gonna be makin’ port in a short bit and I’m not leavin’ you alone on this ship.”
“Are you really afraid that I’m going to steal it?” asked the still-sleepy girl.
“No, I’m not afraid o’ that. I’m more worried that if the ship did get stolen, the pirates who would be stealin’ it would be worse than us.”
“Oh… joy,” mumbled Julia as she stretched out the kinks of sleep.
“Be up on deck in ten minutes,” said Riggs as he stood up to leave the room.
“Wait.”
“What is it, darlin’?” asked Riggs, leaning against the doorframe.
“You don’t honestly expect me to go anywhere dressed like this, do you?” she asked, gesturing to her ripped, dirty dress. It was hard to even tell that some of it used to be white.
Looking around the room, Riggs pointed to some boxes in the far corner.
“There should be some clothes in there. Pick out whatever ye want.”
With that said, Riggs left Julia and clambered up to the main deck. The Red Sky was only a short distance from the port town of Rebelde. Riggs could see the outline of the run-down buildings and glimmer of the bonfires burning in the streets. After some time had passed, he could see the other pirate ships rocking back and forth in the water, their drunken crewmembers vomiting into the water. Several minutes later, he started to hear the loud yells of brawlers and the delighted squeals of the girls. Riggs grinned. This was his home on land, a pirate’s true refuge, where nothing was too crazy and nobody was too drunk. There was always a fight somewhere and the pubs never closed. Stories were told and legends were spread. Friends were made and rivalries were ignited. It was the best place for a pirate and Riggs loved every minute he was there.
After several miscommunications with the dockhands, the Red Sky was finally moored at a dock, safe and secure. Riggs checked his sword and gun, making sure that his sword was in good condition and his gun was loaded. He didn’t want to risk getting caught in a fight without them.
Calling to Julia, he waited for her to come up to the main deck. A few moments later, she appeared, looking much more like a pirate with her change of clothes. She no longer wore the long, dignified dress of a noblewoman, but instead wore a shorter, dark purple dress that cut off right below her knees. A black corset covered her stomach and was loosely tied in the back. A dark blue coat was draped over her shoulders. She had gotten rid of her heels and had changed into black boots.
“Well, Julia, I must say that those clothes complement ye quite well.”
Pulling at her boots, Julia responded, “It was all I could find that actually fit me, but they are quite comfortable. Who did you steal them from?”
“What makes ye think we stole ‘em?” asked Riggs, feigning innocence.
Julia shot him a look, telling him she wanted a serious answer.
Stroking his chin, Riggs said, “Actually, I think those came from someone we killed.”
Julia was horrified. She tried to rip off the boots and coat as quickly as she could, but she got snagged on one of the buttons and was completely stuck in the coat. With the crew laughing behind him, Riggs untangled her.
“I was jokin’, sweetheart.”
Trying to refrain from slapping Riggs, Julia said through gritted teeth, “Don’t… ever… do that… again.”
“Such harsh words from such beautiful lips,” said Riggs, “Keep actin’ like that. Rebelde is not the place for your respectable side.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” growled Julia.
With Riggs leading the way, the crew made their way into Rebelde. The muddy, rowdy streets welcomed them like a mother welcomed her children. After telling everyone to meet back at the Red Sky just before sunset, Riggs dispersed the crew. Coral Jack immediately ran to his favorite pub. Ripper strolled to the gun shop to buy some more weapons. Eli and Doc headed to Doc’s house to get medical supplies. Clint walked up to a group of ladies, asking them if they would be interested in a couple drinks. Petey followed behind the navigator to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble. Riggs decided to show Julia around the town, to get her familiar with the place.
“Has this place always been this filthy?” asked the girl.
“Always has and always will be. It’s the safe haven that every pirate dreams of. It doesn’t show up on maps, and the only way to know it’s even here is to discover it for yourself,” said Riggs.
“Doesn’t it ever come under attack? Surely, the Navy has come across it at least a few times.”
Pointing toward the highest building in Rebelde, Riggs explained, “When the Navy does sail by, we know. In that tower, there’s a watchman. When he sees a ship belongin’ to the Crown, he sounds the alarm to warn the entire town. We douse fires and shut down any noise until the ship has passed. Usually, it works. Whenever it doesn’t, we pursue the ship, sink it, and bring the survivors back here. Right now, probably a tenth of the people you see here used to be in the English Navy.”
>
Looking around, Julia now noticed the many tattered uniforms of the English Navy. They had been so caked with mud and soot that she could not have possibly noticed them before. Gone was the dignity that the men used to have as soldiers. Now, they were nothing more than drunken bums lying in the streets of a pirate port. Julia was shocked that they could abandon the Crown so easily. Noticing that she was falling behind, she quickened her steps to keep up with Riggs.
Walking through the town, Riggs tried to find a good tavern. He did not want a rowdy place because he did not know how Julia would react. He did not want a quiet place because those were never fun. Suddenly, he found the perfect place: the Goddess of Rum. He had frequented the tavern in between voyages, and he thought it would be a safe place for Julia.
The young captain kicked open the door and was greeted by the aroma of rum and roasted pigs. The tavern had a decent crowd of people in it. One group of men was sitting at a table, boasting about their strength and their experiences at sea, all trying to outdo the previous man. Another group was eating like slobs. An old man sat at a decrepit piano and was playing some festive songs for a couple of ladies sitting in the back. Beckoning for Julia to follow him, Riggs walked straight for the bar.
Still trying to make sense of the town, Julia said, “This is definitely not like Yorktown. We are much more civilized there.”
Hiding his flask in his coat, Riggs said, “We may not be civilized, but you have to admit, it’s a fun town.”
“No, I do not, Riggs.”
“Oh, yes you do. We can do anythin’ we want here. We don’t care what a bloke looks like when he comes into port. We don’t care what he does when he’s ‘ere. We just don’t care. Can ye say the same about your stiff-backed English citizens? No.”
Ignoring Riggs, Julia asked the bartender for a drink. Almost before she finished her request, a cup was placed in front of her. She was thirsty, so she took a sip… and immediately spit it out.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Your drink,” answered the bartender, not even bothering to turn around.
Riggs gestured for Julia to let him have the cup, which she gave to him without a second thought. After a quick gulp, he snickered.
“It’s rum, love. Care to try again?” he asked, mockingly holding the cup out to her.
Shaking her head, Julia asked, “Can I please have some water?”
Thankfully for her, the tavern actually had some cold, refreshing water. She had almost expected them to not have it with the overwhelming smell of alcohol in the room.
As Riggs and Julia were finishing their drinks, the Captain tossed the bartender some coins and requested some food be brought to them. Initially, the man refused, telling Riggs to get a table if he wanted food. To that, the Captain simply tossed another coin at the bartender. The man shrugged and went to the kitchen to get some food for the two.
“Ye can always get your way in this town with a little persuasion,” said Riggs, dropping the remaining coins into his pocket.
The bartender soon came back, two plates in his hands. One had a ripe, green apple and the juicy leg of a pig. The other had plump grapes and a steaming fish. It was enough to make Julia’s mouth water. The smell was even able to make her forget about the rum-soaked rascals that inhabited the rest of the tavern.
The two of them ate in silence, Riggs devouring the meat, and Julia being slightly daintier about eating the fish. To her surprise, the food was delectable, not at all what she would have expected from such a tavern.
Chomping down on the apple, Riggs read her expression and said, “Ah… I see ye like it.”
“It is pretty good.”
“See, Julia? We’re not all bad.”
Laughing, Julia asked, “Do you really think that the food is going to change how I feel about you?”
“Well, I do know where the good food is,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
His attempt to sway her was so pathetic that she had to laugh. Riggs joined her as he could not even take his own words seriously. They laughed together, feeding off of each other. For the first time since she had been taken captive, Julia actually felt a connection to the pirate. It was the smallest of things, merely a laugh, but it meant much more.
When they had both calmed down, Riggs said, “I’ll go an’ get us some more o’ that food. Keep them spirits high for when I get back.”
He was not even worried about her escaping. With what she had seen of the town so far, Riggs was certain that she would think twice before trying to leave him.
Sure enough, Julia just sat at the bar, ordering another drink of water. This time, she smelled the liquid to make sure that it was in fact water. She was not going to repeat the same mistake as before. While Riggs was raiding the kitchen, Julia did nothing but look down at her cup or look straight ahead. She was almost afraid to make eye contact with any of the other patrons of the tavern.
Loudly, a young, disheveled pirate sat down next to Julia and demanded a drink. Out of the corner of her eye, Julia noticed that the young man was staring at her constantly, and she did not like it. He looked and smelled like he had just bathed in his own sweat. Brown colored stains ran down the front of his shirt. Julia hoped it was solely dirt. She tried to ignore him, but he roughly grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.
Grasping his bottle of rum, the pirate mumbled, “Hey, lass. Whaddaya say ‘bout you an’ me spending the night together, eh?”
Trying to free herself from his grasp, Julia angrily responded, “Not in your wildest dreams. I demand that you let me go.”
“Dat’s not gonna ‘appen, sweet cheeks. What I say is what I do, whether ye like it or not.”
Slapping the pirate, Julia succeeded in freeing herself. Before she knew what was happening, Riggs appeared and slid over the counter, knocking cups and plates to the floor. The Captain pulled Julia behind him and drew his sword on the pirate, all the while shielding her with his body. The ruffian was still recovering from Julia’s hard slap.
“You better leave her alone, ye drunken rat. She’s with me, Captain Riggs of the Red Sky.”
“Ye actually think I give a damn?” asked the young brute, drawing his sword.
“Not really,” said Riggs, keeping his sword trained on the man.
Turning to Julia, he whispered, “You might want to run, hon.”
She didn’t have to be told twice.
The ruffian dashed after her, but Riggs immediately tripped him. Holding onto the drunk’s leg, the Captain received a kick to the face for his troubles. The drunken pirate quickly stumbled out of the tavern, chasing after the frightened girl. Riggs leapt through the glass window and dragged the man down to the ground. Bashing him on the head with his sword hilt, Riggs climbed to his feet, thinking that he had knocked out the drunk, but he had not. The man pulled Riggs down by his coat and started pummeling him. Riggs caught him with a strike to the jugular and squirmed out from underneath him. The drunk grabbed his sword and swung it at Riggs, narrowly missing his leg. Dancing around to avoid the drunk’s swinging strikes, Riggs spun around and took a few crazy swings himself. Metal met metal as the two pirates fought. Riggs kicked a clump of dirt into the drunk’s face and dropped him with a nose-breaking punch. He did not want to kill the man, knowing that the alcohol was fueling his actions.
Looking around, Riggs tried to find Julia. He could not see her, and he did not know where she had gone. Surely, she could not have gotten far. Of course, with little knowledge of Rebelde, one could get lost in a short amount of time.
Riggs started to look around in the shops, but he could not see her hiding in any of the buildings. Behind him, he heard the drunk moaning, causing him to hurry his search. Sticking his head into a pub, he noticed Coral Jack sitting alone in the corner, watching some drunkards try to play their instruments. Scurrying over to his crewmate, Riggs tapped Jack on the back.
Spinning around, Jack exclaimed, “Captain, what’re you doing here? I thought ye were showing you
r ‘friend’ around the town?”
Hauling Coral Jack to his feet, Riggs responded, “Aye, I was. Then I got in a fight with a drunk and she ran away. I need you to help me find her.”
“Are ye afraid she’s gonna get away?”
“Jack, we’re in Rebelde. The girl don’t know where to go here. Just help me… now.”
“Whatever you say, Captain,” said the boatswain in a sarcastic tone.
Finishing his drink, Coral Jack grabbed his coat and followed Riggs out the door. Together, they both roamed the streets for hours, searching for Julia. They looked in every building they passed, but they could not find her. The daylight hours were speeding past. Their search led them all throughout the town, meandering through alleys and peeping through windows. Even the bums that they passed had not seen the girl.
“Captain, maybe it’d help if we rejoined with the rest of the crew,” said Jack.
“Maybe… just maybe,” Riggs muttered, “Let’s go get Clint.”
Finding Clint did not take long. After walking down several streets, Riggs and Jack came across Petey pulling Clint away from a house.
“You lying wench, give me back me money!” the navigator screamed.
Observing the scene, Riggs asked, “What in the bloody hell is goin’ on?”
Petey started to say something, but Clint shouted louder, drowning out his friend’s voice.
“That slimy skank just stole all me money. She suckered me, Captain!”
Riggs brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed his brow in disappointment.
“Clint, I… we really don’t have time to deal with this. Julia’s run off, and neither of us can find her. Mind lendin’ a hand?”
Petey immediately joined his two crewmates. Clint, however, was a little more hesitant. He looked over at the house, then back to his friends, then back to the house. All the while, he had an angry look plastered on his face.
Cursing under his breath, he turned away from the house, joining in the search.
“I told ye that girl would be trouble,” he said.
“It wasn’t her. It was the drunk that was chasin’ her,” Riggs shot back.