A Red Sky Is Upon Us

by Ryan Gilbert

  Red lightning shot out of her fingers and buried itself in the man’s chest. He rolled on the ground in agony as Ororis kept pushing her rediscovered magic to its limits. The lightning coursed through the sailor’s body, and he convulsed on the deck of the ship, unable to stop the mermaid. Within seconds, he was dead.

  The crew was more terrified than ever before. If they wanted to have any chance of surviving, they would have to do whatever she said.

  Ororis threw back her head and laughed. Everything was working out in her favor. She felt unstoppable. There was nothing that could withstand her power now, not even the Red Sky.

  “Prepare yourselves for battle. We’ve got some pirates that need to be taught a lesson,” the mermaid cackled.

  She placed the emerald necklace back around her neck. She needed to keep it close. Without a doubt, those pirates would come chasing after her, and she did not want to have her powers stolen again.

  Bracing her hands on the rail, she was ready for whatever Captain Riggs was going to throw at her. He was just like any other pirate: predictable and weak.

  All she had to do was wait.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The Red Sky was sailing across the ocean with all of the speed that it could muster. The sun was just starting its descent in the sky as the ship cut through the waves, spraying water all over the hull.

  A feeling of urgency spread throughout the ship like a wild fire. Riggs was not going to turn back now. He had made his decision along with the crew. They were going to stop Ororis and hopefully not die in the process. Everyone knew what could happen if they failed. The mermaid would bring a reign of terror to the sea, both for pirates and Navy alike. While the crew did not like being paired with the English, they all agreed that they would fight for the freedom to sail.

  Still holding the wheel steady, Riggs watched as his crew prepared themselves. Ripper and Coral Jack were grabbing what they hoped would not be their last swig of rum. Eli was trying to distract himself by whittling a figure with his knife. Clint was pacing back and forth, praying to every god that he could name. Petey and Doc were carrying on a conversation about the old days.

  There was one person that was nowhere to be seen, and that was Julia. Riggs looked around from his post at the wheel and figured that she was probably getting some rest before the battle.

  He was wrong.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl walking up the stairs. She seemed extremely calm. There was a certain grace to how she moved that he had not noticed before.

  Clint came over and said, “Captain, let me take the wheel. I’ve got a feeling yer wanted somewhere else.”

  Thanking his friend, Riggs walked over to where Julia was waiting. She was leaning on the rail, looking out over the sea.

  “What is it, love?”

  She turned around to face Riggs and asked, “Can you accompany me down to your cabin? We need to have a talk… without being interrupted.”

  Taking her hand, Riggs said, “Of course, darlin’.”

  He said to his navigator, “Clint, watch over the ship for a couple minutes. I’ve got somethin’ to take care of.”

  Clint saw the two of them, rolled his eyes, and waved his hand at them, telling them to go and do what they needed to do. Quickly, Julia pulled Riggs along behind her, down the stairs and into the captain’s quarters. Once the door was shut, Julia locked it.

  “Every time that I’ve tried to have a serious talk with you, we’ve been interrupted by something or someone.”

  “Fair enough,” said Riggs, shrugging his shoulders.

  He continued, “What is it you wanted to talk to me about, sweets?”

  “Riggs… you’ve caused me a lot of problems since we met. Even our first meeting was wrought with problems.”

  Smiling to himself, Riggs said, “Aye, I’d imagine sinkin’ your ship would be a problem. If you’re askin’ me to be sorry for that, I can’t say that I am.”

  “No, I’m not asking you to be sorry for anything. Just listen to me, Riggs.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  Julia said, “Ever since you let the prisoners go and kept me here, you’ve forced me to rethink my life. Before you pirates captured me, I would have never pictured myself doing anything that has happened on this ship, whether it be running from drunks in Rebelde or resurrecting magical mermaids.”

  Smirking, Riggs said, “To tell you the truth, I would’ve never thought those would happen either… except for maybe the drunk part.”

  “And to think I used to picture myself as adventurous…” she said.

  Riggs raised a bottle of rum to his mouth, but Julia pulled it away from him. She wanted his full attention.

  “Do you want this adventure to end, Captain Riggs?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Are you going to resign yourself to death like the rest of the crew? Look around you. Everyone is going into this battle like it is hopeless.”

  “Some might think it is.”

  “Riggs… nothing is hopeless. Take me, for example. Would you have ever pictured me siding with you?”

  “Honestly… probably not,” said Riggs, shaking his head.

  “Everything that I have seen and experienced has put me at odds with all that I believed before. I would have never questioned my father if I had not lived the life of a pirate. I cannot undo that. These experiences will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

  Gently holding Riggs’ arm, she rolled up his sleeve and said, “You of all people should know that.”

  The Captain tried to pull his sleeve back down to cover the scar running up his arm, but Julia pushed his hand away, forcing him to look at it.

  “Please… just cover it up.”

  “Riggs, what do you see in it?”

  Looking down at his arm, he said, “I see… disappointment… failure… a nobody.”

  “And what do you feel in your heart?” she asked, letting his sleeve fall over the scar.

  “I feel… like I have a responsibility. I feel like I’m burnin’ inside, but it’s not a bad feelin’.”

  “Do you feel that you are courageous… daring… kind… caring… loyal… adventurous?”

  Before he could answer, she said, “You are, whether your pirate heart wants to admit it or not. Those are the qualities that I want in a man.”

  Plucking the hat off of Riggs’ head, she said, “With all of the crew thinking that we’re going to die in this fight, I figured that I should tell you this now.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  In that moment, nothing else mattered. Both Riggs and Julia had been holding it in for a long time, and finally, their feelings had come to fruition.

  Once her moist lips met his, Riggs felt like nothing could stop him. Her kiss brought vigor to his heart and mind, and their situation no longer seemed hopeless.

  Neither of them cared about anything except that simple action. There was no interruption. No crewmembers to barge into the room. No magic to disrupt them. No mermaids to fight them.

  Time was frozen for the two lovers. Neither wanted to leave the other’s sweet embrace. His breath brought warmth to her face, even if it did smell like rum. For Riggs, Julia’s breathing drowned out the sound of the ocean’s waves crashing against the side of the ship.

  “I love you, Robert.”

  Riggs held Julia tightly in his arms. He did not want to have the moment end.

  “You asked me if I wanted this adventure to end. No… no, I don’t. I will do everythin’ in my power to make sure that it keeps goin’.”

  “Good,” said Julia with a smile, “Now get out there and win that battle. We will win. I can feel it.”

  “Thank you, Julia… for everythin’,” Riggs said as he unlocked the door and made his way out of the cabin.

  Confidence and daring billowed through him like the wind through the Red Sky’s sails. He was ready to fight, and he would not die. Unlike Ororis, he had
something worth fighting for, and that was love.

  Making his way onto the main deck, he felt rain start to fall on his face. Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder clapped. The wind started to howl, tossing the ship as the waves became larger.

  Shouting to his crew, Riggs ordered, “Keep that powder under some cover. Ye can’t win a battle with wet powder, you bilge rats.”

  The crew sensed the enthusiasm in their captain’s voice as he strode across the deck. This kind of courage had not even been present when they mutinied against Richardson. This was a new Riggs, a better, more capable Captain, the likes of which the crew had never seen before.

  The Captain took his usual place at the helm and, with a hand on the wheel, shouted to his crew, “Step lively, mateys. We’ve got ourselves a sea witch to kill. This is not the end for us. It’s just the beginnin’.”

  Lightning shot through the darkening clouds as Riggs continued, “The sea will not know another curse from Ororis. That much I promise you. No longer will evil magic rule the ocean. We… captain and crew of the Red Sky… will rule the seven seas.”

  The Red Sky was gaining on the Black Fog. Riggs could feel it. The wind had increased again, and the waves had grown even larger, bringing the bow crashing down with each motion. Water flew across the deck, drenching everyone and forcing the pirates to hold onto something for fear of being swept overboard.

  The lightning flashed again, and Riggs saw something faint in the distance. It was coming towards them. He could vaguely make out the outline of the sails and the hull as the Black Fog sailed straight at the pirates. There was no turning back now.

  Clint noticed the ship too. Gradually, the other crewmembers noticed it as well. On their faces was a mix of fear and awe. They dug down deep into their hearts for the courage that their captain had. They all tried to think of something worth fighting for, knowing that Riggs had done the same. Within moments, every man was invigorated and ready for battle.

  Clint ran to Riggs and asked, “Captain, shouldn’t we be gettin’ the cannons ready?”

  “Of course, Mr. Wayko. Get Ripper and the crew to load the cannons and be prepared with as many shots as we have.”

  After spitting out some salt water, Clint asked, “Ye know, Captain, if that mermaid has her powers back, we’re gonna need more ‘n just cannons to stop ‘er.”

  Not taking his eyes off the Black Fog, Riggs said, “Duly noted, Clint.”

  “Do you have a plan, Captain?”

  “Aye,” Riggs replied with a grin.

  Ororis stood at the helm of the Black Fog, watching the red sails of the pirate ship sailing toward her. Her power flowed out of the emerald and into her body as she summoned the chaos of the storm. Lightning shot into her hands, and she blasted it straight at the pirates, toying with them.

  They did not turn back, nor did they show any signs of slowing. Ororis did not care. That would just mean that they would be her first victims in her conquest of the ocean.

  “Orders, Ororis?” asked one of the sailors.

  Blasting another bolt at the pirates, Ororis said, “Keep a steady course. I want to see the terror on their faces when I kill them.”

  The waves pounded against the ship, but the mermaid did not notice them. Her victory was imminent. Once the Red Sky reached them, they would be dead. Nothing could stop her now that she had the emerald.

  The pirate ship was getting even closer. Its chase cannons had started firing, blowing holes in the front of the Fog. Throwing her arms into the air, she blasted lightning all around the ship, trying to scare her foes. She raised waves to smash over the sides of the ship, but she could not see any bodies falling into the water. The pirates still kept firing.

  In Ororis’s eyes, the crew of the Red Sky was either stupid or insane… or both. They should have known not to test her.

  Cackling to herself, the mermaid knew that nothing could stop her. Why were the little cretins even trying? Some misplaced sense of honor? A lost pride? Reconciliation for past wrongs? Highly unlikely.

  Yelling to the crew, she ordered, “Make ready the cannons. If they want destruction, let them taste it.”

  As thunder rocked the entire sky and lightning lit up the water, the crew heaved the cannons through the portholes, ready to attack the pirates. Cannonballs were loaded and ready to fire on Ororis’s command.

  The ship lurched back and forth, almost throwing the mermaid off-balance. She grabbed onto a rope and held on to it, keeping herself steady. Her powers were still under her control, and that was all she needed.

  Gazing toward the pirate ship, she felt a savage urge run through her veins. There was nothing to protect them. Not even the cannonballs that they were shooting could protect them from their certain demise. No request of parlay could help Captain Riggs now. The Red Sky was completely at her mercy to destroy as she wished.

  “Let them have it,” she shouted.

  The cannons blasted, lighting the sea with flashes of yellow. A couple of the cannonballs struck the pirate ship, but most missed.

  “Reload, you fools. Reload,” Ororis screamed.

  She shot several bolts of lightning from her hand, but the ship was still not ceasing its movement toward the Black Fog. Ororis continued her barrage until she could actually see the pirate crew. She brought her hand back and prepared to fire a massive bolt at the entire ship.

  Then she realized something.

  The Red Sky was still coming towards the Black Fog.

  It was coming straight towards them.

  The entire crew of the Red Sky braced themselves for impact as Riggs aimed the ship straight at their adversaries.

  “Riggs, yer gonna kill us all!” Clint shouted in shock.

  “Just trust me.”

  Neither ship showed any signs of slowing or changing course. The two ships cut through the waves on course for a head-on collision. Nobody knew what to expect. Julia was holding on to Riggs’ coat as he stood unmoving at the wheel. He was the only one who had a vague notion of a plan. Whether it would work was another story.

  The ships were so close that Riggs could see Ororis standing at the helm, shocked and taken by surprise. He directed the ship to head right at her. If he needed to use the Red Sky as a battering ram to kill her, he would.

  “Captain, the ship won’t survive an attack like this. Turn the wheel,” Eli yelled, trying to get Riggs to listen to reason.

  “I know what I’m doin’,” Riggs said as he refused to change course.

  No one was backing down. It was almost as if the Black Fog was daring Riggs to hit it.

  The ships were thirty seconds from ramming into each other.

  Julia looked up at Riggs and saw the determination written on his face. She had seen that look before, but she would have expected it on Riggs least of all. The only other time that she had seen someone look that determined was when her father set out on one of his voyages with the Navy. There was no cockiness in his expression at all. There was no fun-loving spirit. In that moment, Riggs looked like a completely different person.

  The ships were twenty seconds apart.

  Riggs stretched out his hand to Julia. If he was going to die, he wanted to die holding on to what he loved the most. He felt the warmth of her hand as she curled her fingers around his. It was calming.

  Only fifteen seconds separated the ships.

  The crew of the Red Sky saw the sailors of the Black Fog rushing about on their ship. They did not know what to do. The pirates had decided their fate already. They would go down with their ship if it meant destroying the evil that they had unleashed.

  Ten seconds.

  Suddenly, the Black Fog veered to starboard. Still, Riggs was not turning his ship. He could see Ororis staring straight at him, seething with anger.

  The bow of the Red Sky smashed into the Black Fog’s stern, raining broken glass and split wood into the sea. A large chunk of the Fog’s captain’s quarters was demolished. Ororis was knocked to the deck, unprepared for the
impact. For the moment, her crew was without a leader.

  The impact tilted the entire Red Sky. Men and cargo slid to the side if they were not tied down or grabbing on to something. Fortunately for the pirates, most of them were lucky enough to stay on board the ship.

  Spinning the ship around as fast as he could, Riggs ordered, “Run out the cannons. We’re gonna show ‘em how true pirates fight.”

  After quickly breathing sighs of relief, the pirates hurriedly thrust the cannons through the portholes, already loaded and ready to fire. Coral Jack and Ripper each took a quick swig of rum in thanksgiving for not dying.

  Once the Black Fog was in their sights, Riggs shouted, “Fire!”

  Cannonballs flew across the sea, smashing through Ororis’s ship. Some of the attacks struck their cannons, knocking them out of alignment and rendering them temporarily useless.

  As the pirates prepared the cannons again, Riggs kept a steady eye on the Black Fog. He saw the turmoil on the deck. They seemed to be defenseless for the moment.

  The pirates had to seize the advantage.

  A wave crashed over the side of the Red Sky, blinding the crew for a second. Hastily wiping the water out of his eyes, Riggs saw a light emanating from the mermaid’s ship. As his vision lost its blurriness, the light became clearer and more defined. He could almost see the mermaid’s red eyes staring back at him as her hands glowed with the light.

  “Everybody, get down,” he yelled as lightning shot onto the ship.

  Clint and Julia dove behind the stairs, and Doc and Eli ducked behind the cannons. All over the boat, the pirates were struck with the lightning. The shock knocked them off the ship and into the stormy waters of the ocean. One bolt screamed past Riggs’ head, but he managed to duck just in time. Another bolt struck Jack, but Ripper grabbed him before he could fall overboard. A slippery deck saved Petey as he fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding a lightning bolt to the skull.

  The pirates tried to shut their mates’ screams out of their heads as they realigned the cannons. Within seconds, cannonballs were loaded into the cannons as the crewmembers tried to avoid getting shocked by Ororis’s lightning bombardment.