A Red Sky Is Upon Us

by Ryan Gilbert

  Riggs just stood there, silent, waiting for the questions to stop. The words echoed inside his head as the crew stood there, waiting for answers. His joyous grin had turned to a blank slate.

  After a minute of silence and the sound of the waves lapping against the hull of the Red Sky, Riggs said, “Chart a course to Rebelde, Mr. Wayko.”

  “Um… Captain, that ain’t answered any o’ our questions.”

  “I don’t have any answers yet.”

  The crew stood in front of their captain, stunned and silent. Riggs always had an answer for everything, joking or serious. Now, he was quiet.

  At a loss for words, Clint asked the question on every crewmember’s mind, “Why?”

  “I don’t know. When we get to Rebelde, if any o’ you want to leave this crew, yer welcome to do so. I’m not goin’ to force you to fight to the death. Until then, just try to get the ship back in shape. I’ll try to think o’ somethin’.”

  The Captain left his crew in a shocked silence and walked back into his cabin. As the doors slammed shut, the pirates were still at a loss for what to do. All of them expected their captain to come back out and say that he was just joking with them and that they would all be fine. There was no danger. Ororis was dead and her ship was destroyed.

  After a few minutes passed by, the pirates knew that none of that was true. Slowly, they started to disperse, going back to their duties, albeit with a burden on their shoulders.

  Julia could feel the uneasiness of the crewmates. Even as a relative outsider, she could tell that the men were shaken and confused. It was disturbing.

  Sneaking into Riggs’ quarters, she was determined to talk some sense into him. If they were all going to survive, they were going to need a captain who would lead.

  Once she was inside the room, she could see nothing but the flickering flame of a lone candle. As her eyes adjusted, she could see Riggs sitting in a chair, holding his head in his hands. He was surrounded by debris and broken glass in the mess of the cabin.

  “What do you want, Julia?”

  “How’d you know it was me?”

  “Who else would it be? Clint? His footsteps are too loud.”

  Kneeling down next to the Captain, Julia asked, “How are you feeling?”

  Sighing, Riggs answered, “Like I’ve failed my crew… and my friends.”

  He continued, saying, “I nearly got the entire crew killed… I nearly got you killed. Everythin’ that just happened is runnin’ through my head constantly. I’m tryin’ to find somethin’ to reassure meself that we can win this battle… but I’m not sure we can.”

  Placing a hand on his shoulder, she asked, “What happened on that ship, Riggs?”

  “I saw pure evil… horror incarnate. Her face… so beautiful...”

  Riggs let his eyes wander around the room as he stood up from the chair.

  “I could only keep thinkin’ about one thing…”

  His eyes focused intently on Julia’s eyes.

  “… how much more beautiful you are.”

  Even in the faint light, Riggs could see that her cheeks were turning red. Julia looked at the floor, unable to meet Riggs’ gaze. That kind of talk was something she expected out of an English nobleman, not a pirate captain. Then again, she had to expect the unexpected when it came to Riggs.

  He placed a finger underneath her chin and gently lifted her head up to meet his eyes. An innocent smile began to show on her face. Both of their faces glistened in the candlelight because of the sea water and sweat that covered their skin.

  Almost instinctively, the two moved closer, standing only inches apart. Lost in each other’s gaze, they wrapped their arms around each other as the moon set outside the window.

  Their faces were so close they could feel the breath of the other. As they clung to each other, both Riggs and Julia forgot about all that had just happened.

  Riggs forgot about the ship.

  Julia forgot about being a prisoner.

  Riggs forgot about fame.

  Julia forgot about Yorktown.

  Riggs forgot about Ororis.

  Julia forgot about her father.

  Both of them were ready and waiting for the inevitable. It had been a long time coming, ever since the two had acknowledged that they cared for each other. They could both feel it flowing between them as they almost kissed.

  But something snapped Riggs out of it. The rays of moonlight had shined brightly into the room, reflecting a green light into his eyes.

  The emerald… he had forgotten about the emerald.

  Stopping abruptly, Riggs asked, “Julia, has anything struck ye as odd about that necklace you’re wearin’?”

  A little taken aback, Julia answered, “Well, Petey said there might be some magic sealed inside of it… but how’s that important now? It’s only a legend, isn’t it?”

  Eagerly, he said, “Give it to me. I need to find the old man. There might be a way to defeat this creature after all.”

  Once Julia gave him the emerald necklace, Riggs hurried out of the cabin, desperately searching for Petey. Julia was left alone in the candlelight. On one hand, she was glad for Riggs. He might have found a way to save everyone from a horrible fate. On the other hand, she felt rejected. For as much as she had tried to avoid it, she knew that she loved the pirate. There would come a time when she could show him. She just hoped it would come before they went into battle.

  The Black Fog rested on the sea. The crew had finally managed to end its aimless drifting by dropping the anchor and hoping that it would latch onto something. Luckily for them, it had. They had not expected the Red Sky to put up a fight and they were sure that Ororis would not be happy when she returned. The only thing that worked out in their favor was that they had only lost a fraction of their men to the pirates’ blades.

  The crew heard a large splash on the port side of the ship and rushed over to see what it was.

  “What are you waiting for, you blithering idiots? Come help me.”

  It was Ororis, back from her fruitless pursuit of the pirate captain. The knife was still stuck in her shoulder as she tried to pull herself up the ladder.

  Without further hesitation, the men scurried down and helped the mermaid onto the deck. In all their years, both living and dead, they had never pictured a mermaid looking so beaten.

  “M’ lady, what is it ye’d like us to do?”

  “Chase after them, you fools! What did you expect?”

  “Well… we might have a slight problem then, ma’am,” said the sailor, pointing to where the wheel used to be.

  Ororis held her wound and shook as her frustration boiled over. If she had not been careless, then she would have had the emerald by now. She needed power.

  Flinging her hand at the wheel, she shouted, “Repatione.”

  Very slowly, the shattered wood started to come together on its own.

  “Repatione,” she repeated.

  It did nothing to speed the process. The mermaid was growing increasingly upset, both with her magic and with her crew. With how weak she had become, it would be hours before the ship would be ready to sail again. She could not take on the Red Sky by herself because the pirates would be expecting her. She could not risk attacking without the Black Fog at her side.

  “Why are you just standing around? Get to work,” she ordered.

  Once the men had dispersed, Ororis stumbled into the captain’s quarters and slammed the doors shut. The sting of the knife blade sent a wave of pain running through her body as her muscles tensed.

  Crumpling into a chair, she grabbed onto the handle, bit her lip, and ripped the knife out of her shoulder. It had been years since she had felt pain, and it had been at the hands of the former captain of the Black Fog. She had been weak then, and she was weak now. She had been lucky enough to strike Marstow down before he could use the emerald to capture all of her power. She still had enough power to destroy the pathetic band of riff raff that was the Red Sky.

  “Vulnus vita
,” she said, running her pale finger across the wound.

  At an almost snail-like pace, the wound began to pull itself back together. The separated skin reformed and the blood stopped dripping from the hole. All that remained was a tiny scar and the red path of blood on her arm. Ororis examined the wound and gasped.

  She had never had scars from anything before.

  It frightened her how weak she had become. That spell should have mended the wound completely, with no evidence of it having happened. How could she even fight against those thieves when even the menial spells were not working correctly?

  If she wanted to stand any chance against the pirates, she needed that emerald as soon as possible.

  CHAPTER TEN

  After fifteen minutes of searching, Riggs finally found Petey One-Eye. He had been reclining on the lower decks, observing the treasure.

  When he heard his Captain’s frenzied footsteps approaching, he said, “I assume yer here ‘bout the emerald.”

  “Exactly,” said Riggs, crouching down near the old man.

  “What is it ye want to know?”

  “Why does Ororis want it so bad?”

  Stroking his white beard, Petey said, “Like I told Ms. Hamond, I believe that necklace… more specifically, that emerald… holds power beyond our wildest dreams. She didn’t think so, but I think the attack might’ve changed her mind.”

  Some things were starting to make sense to the Captain.

  “Did the mermaid ask about it?”

  “Yes, Pete. It was the whole point o’ me bein’ brought onto that ship.”

  Petey laughed, “She must’ve thought ye had it.”

  “I don’t see how that’s funny, bugger.”

  Raising his eyebrow, Petey asked Riggs, “If Ororis knew that Ms. Hamond had the emerald, would the poor girl still be alive?”

  Grimacing, Riggs answered, “Probably not.”

  Shaking that imagery out of his head, Riggs asked, “Doesn’t Ororis have unlimited power though? She said it herself.”

  “And did ye believe her?”

  Thinking back, Riggs said, “Well… yes.”

  Petey rocked back and forth on his perch.

  “Did she seem like she had unlimited power?”

  Riggs scratched his head as he thought back to his fight in the captain’s quarters. He remembered the sparks shooting out of her fingers and her ensuing anger.

  “No.”

  “Are you willin’ to bet on that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Noticing the chain of the necklace hanging out of Riggs’ pocket, the old man beckoned Riggs to give it to him. He held it to his ear, pulled it away, looked at it as if he was confused, and held it back to his ear. Grabbing Riggs’ arm, he yanked the Captain closer so that he could hear. There were sounds coming from the emerald.

  At first, it sounded a lot like the “Mermaid’s Wail”, but the voice seemed much deeper and more masculine. It was very faint, but Riggs could hear the sounds of churning water, thunder, and what sounded like a hammer pounding against something.

  “Your deception knows no bounds,

  The evil of seas and grounds.”

  THUNK

  SCREEEEEEEECH

  “Sorcery cannot help you now.

  I cast you from the Black Fog’s bow.”

  THUNK

  “Love is nothing but lies,

  Sure as the mortal dies.”

  THUNK

  SCREECH

  “I see now your lust for power.

  I will bring you to the Locker.

  With my dying breath, this last good I must do.

  To rid the world of you, I must dest…”

  “ACER MORTE!”

  The emerald became silent once more, save for the mystical sound of waves crashing on a beach.

  “What can you make of it, Pete?” asked Riggs, curious as to what it could possibly mean.

  For a moment, Petey looked puzzled, but he answered his Captain anyway.

  “If I were a gamblin’ man, I’d say that voice be the voice o’ Amos Marstow. I was told stories as a boy about Marstow’s pillagin’ and plunderin’. The stories always ended the same though. He just disappeared. None of his crew knew where he went. He just vanished, along wit’ his ship… and now, I think we know where he disappeared to.”

  “But he didn’t finish what he went there to do. Ororis is still alive, and she has her powers.”

  With a toothy smile, Petey held up the necklace and said, “Yes… but not all of them.”

  “So you’re sayin’…”

  “…that we can defeat her? Oh yes, Captain. What we’re facing pales in comparison to what that mermaid used to be. Strike now while she doesn’t have all of her power, and we’ll surely defeat her.”

  Riggs’ face changed in an instant. An excited grin replaced the inquisitive look on his face as he pocketed the necklace once more and pat One-Eye on the back. He had a renewed confidence in himself and the Red Sky. So long as they had the emerald, they were the greater foe. Or were they?

  For the remainder of the night, the crew of the Red Sky repaired the ship and readied themselves for another attack from the Black Fog. After giving back the emerald necklace, Riggs devoted most of his time to giving Julia a lesson in sword fighting. At first, she was reluctant, but she eventually realized that it was for her own good. She was a quick learner. The only downside was that she constantly tried to incorporate smoothness and rhythm into the mock battles. All those years of learning dancing from her mother were not helping her progress. After a couple hours, she was starting to pick up on some of Riggs’ moves, progressing even further than either of them had thought possible in such a short amount of time.

  The crew tried to clear the deck of debris, but they were not having an easy time with it. Luckily, the red masts had not been damaged at all in the battle. Most of the crew had had their injuries inspected by Doc. None of it was too serious. All of the pirates had their pistols stocked with additional shots and powder. Even Ripper with his multiple guns had enough to last him a while.

  Riggs gave specific orders that the treasure be locked away on the lower decks. If they were attacked by Ororis again, he did not want to make it easy for her to get to the treasure. He still urged Julia to keep the emerald with her at all times, sure that Ororis would sooner search the treasure than the people.

  Petey made sure that the crew knew exactly where the weapons were stored, since there had been some confusion in the past. In dire straits, they would have to know where everything was, all the while keeping their attackers guessing.

  In an effort to hide from the Black Fog, Riggs had the ship weigh anchor just off the coast of the nearest island that they could find. Thankfully, the island was quite large, hiding the ship from anyone that might be on the other sides of the island. That made everything much easier. It also gave some of the crew a chance to catch some fish and add to the food supply.

  The calm of the island helped to soothe the pirates’ minds as they relaxed. All of the preparations had been completed. They were ready for a battle if need be.

  Riggs and Julia lay on the deck, watching the sun rise in the sky. Neither of them had gotten any sleep. They were tired. They were drained. Nobody wanted to do anything but relax, and it was well-deserved.

  “The sunrise looks so… beautiful,” said Julia.

  “Runnin’ for yer life has that effect.”

  “This is the first sunrise I’ve seen in a while, Riggs.”

  The pirate turned his head toward her and saw the light glistening in her eyes. She looked so content. It was almost as if all of the trouble and danger that had been following them for so long had just disappeared.

  He noticed the change that had come over her in the last couple days. No longer did she crinkle her nose when she walked on deck. She had gotten used to the smell of the pirates and the ship. No longer did she wear her long gown around the ship. She looked totally satisfied with the pirate dress that
she had been given. It seemed like she had almost come to welcome the change.

  “I’m sorry, Julia.”

  She turned to him, somewhat surprised, and asked, “Why?”

  “Well… I guess it would be for all the trouble I’ve put you through… all the danger you’ve had to put up with… for basically almost destroyin’ your life a couple times… those couple brushes with death…”

  Before Riggs could continue, she cut him off, “Riggs… what I thought about you people before you captured me was vastly different than what I think now. When I was down in that cell, I wanted to damn all of you to Hell for how you treated us. I still do… but I’ve changed my beliefs on pirates… and of you.”

  Propping herself up on her elbows, Julia said, “I used to think that all of you were dirty, rum-guzzling scoundrels who would sooner kill than let people escape. You’re still dirty, rum-guzzling scoundrels, but you do have hearts. You can actually care about people.”

  Pulling his hair out of his eyes, Riggs said, “It wouldn’t be this way without your help. Though the crew may seem a little… shall I say superstitious… about yer bein’ here with us, they do care too. They may not show it, but they do.”

  “Why are you telling me this now, Riggs?”

  “I told ye before that the life of a pirate is always uncertain… and that we were gunnin’ fer the biggest and baddest fish of all the seas. I would’ve never imagined that that fish would be the most evil creature in all o’ history.”

  “So you think we’re all going to die?” asked Julia.

  Looking out over the sunlit sea, Riggs answered, “I don’t know what to think. I try not to imagine that happenin’, but death has to happen sooner or later, I guess. It might just be comin’ a little early fer us, even with the emerald.”

  “Riggs… I don’t…”

  He interrupted her, saying, “I need to say this now, just in case. I wouldn’t want to die without havin’ told ye this.”

  Clearing his throat, he said, “You, Julia Hamond, have made me realize the importance of love. The greatest treasure in life is in the heart. Thank you for that… sweets.”