by Ryan Gilbert
The Red Sky’s cannons fired again, disrupting the lightning assault for the moment. One cannonball struck the Black Fog’s stairs to the helm, creating a massive hole and surprising several of the sailors as they were coming down the stairs. They were blown high into the air and landed hard on the deck. Another ball blasted through the deck, showering wood all over the mermaid’s ship.
“Aim for the mermaid, mates,” Riggs ordered as he saw the light coming from Ororis’s hands again.
This time, the assault was much different. All of the lightning was directed at Riggs. It nearly consumed the Red Sky’s entire stern. The Captain crouched behind the wheel, just barely missing an enormous bolt of lightning.
Still, Ororis would not let up on her attack. Riggs could hear the windows of the captain’s quarters crack and shatter as the lightning hit them.
BOOM
The lightning stopped for the moment. Peering out from behind his hiding spot, Riggs saw the cannonball flying toward Ororis. Instantly, she held up a hand and used her magic to deflect the projectile onto the main deck of the Black Fog. The ship was merely an object to her, expendable if need be.
Another cannonball was shot at her, but she deflected that as well. Her crew dodged right and left to avoid her erratic deflections.
The Black Fog finally started returning fire. As the bombardment rained down on them, the pirates tried their best to avoid the cannonballs. Several men were knocked overboard. Others were blown into the air like ragdolls.
Abandoning the wheel for a second, Riggs grabbed Clint and said, “Keep the ship steady. I have an idea.”
Once the navigator had hold of the wheel, he asked frantically, “What’s the plan, Captain?”
“Just stay alive,” said Riggs, rushing to the lower decks.
With the cannons booming all around him, Riggs searched for Coral Jack and Ripper.
A cannonball burst through the wood right in front of him. He missed death by inches. His crewmembers were trying their hardest to stay safe by diving out of the way when they saw cannon fire. Some men were just unlucky.
Once he found Jack and Ripper, he pulled them away from cannon duty and told them to follow him.
“What is it we’re goin’ ta do, Captain?” asked Ripper.
Rolling a barrel of gunpowder out of the shadows, Riggs said, “We’re gonna blow somethin’ up.”
The Jamaican’s eyes lit up like he had just been given a gift. Rubbing his hands together, he looked on the barrel with glee.
“Dat’s what I’ve been waitin’ ta do fer a while now,” he said.
“Fightin’ a mermaid with fire, eh? Makes sense,” said Jack, helping Ripper and the Captain roll the barrel on to the main deck.
A blast of water hit them square in the face as they made their way to the rail. Planting their feet against the wood planks, they held their ground. Riggs motioned to Clint to bring the ship as close to the Black Fog as they could get.
“All cannons fire,” Riggs shouted.
The simultaneous attack surprised the Fog’s crew long enough for Clint to get the ship close for a couple seconds. Using all of his strength, Ripper lifted the barrel above his head and tossed it onto the Black Fog’s deck, knocking over a couple sailors along the way.
Looking up, Riggs saw Ororis laughing. She thought the attack was pathetic. A barrel? What could that possibly do? Pulling out his pistol, he directed Ripper and Jack to do the same. Once they aimed at the barrel, the mermaid’s eyes widened in surprise and horror as she realized what was in the container.
The three fired their pistols at the same time. The balls hit the barrel, igniting the gunpowder. The explosion shook the deck. Flames flew in every direction. The shockwave of the explosion caught Ororis, and she was knocked off her feet. It was too fast, even for her magic.
The cannons continued to erupt as the two ships battled each other. Now that Ororis’s magic was temporarily stopped, the crew could concentrate solely on the fighting those without magic.
“All hands… prepare to board,” ordered Riggs.
The Red Sky and the Black Fog were as close as they could be. Clint was struggling to keep the ship from colliding with the Fog. The sails almost seemed to be touching each other with how close the ships were to each other.
Pirates and sailors swung onto each other’s ships and began to fight up close and personal. One sailor landed right in front of Riggs and swung his sword at him, but the Captain was ready. He blocked the strike and spun his sword around, just missing his attacker by a tiny bit. The sailor brought his sword over his head and swung it downward, but Riggs stepped to the side and grabbed the man’s arm as he followed through with the attack. The man was met with an elbow to the face and then a blade to the chest.
Everybody was fighting their own battle. Ripper was using the attacking sailors as target practice while Jack tried his hardest to watch his crewmate’s back. Eli was keeping the Fog’s men from entering the lower decks, holding off three men as best he could. Doc was distracting the other crew by dashing to and fro and waiting for Petey to attack them when they were looking the other way. Garrett was dispatching men left and right, using dirty tactics that only someone like him would know. Clint was trying to do two things at once: steer the ship and keep two enemies at bay.
Julia was fighting her way toward Riggs, swinging her sword as hard as she could. The sword-fighting lessons had helped a lot, but Riggs could still see a rhythm to her fighting. She looked extremely desperate, but confident. Her wet hair blew in the stormy wind, revealing a face that was covered with grit and determination to win and survive.
Stabbing a sailor in the leg, Riggs asked Julia, “Ever do anythin’ like this back in Yorktown?”
Blocking a sword thrust, Julia kicked a man in the groin and said, “Can’t say that I have… but that’s not to say that I haven’t wanted to a couple times.”
The two fought back to back, each holding off their fair share of enemies. Riggs felt Julia pushing back against him, so he grabbed her by the arm and spun her around him. With a quick jab, he ran his sword into the man that she had been fighting.
The momentum of Riggs’ pull had caused Julia to slip on the wet deck. Using that to her advantage, she slid right underneath two of the Fog’s crew. When they turned around, they were met with cold steel slicing through both of them.
“Get down,” yelled Riggs, leaping over Julia’s head and tackling a man to the ground.
The man pushed the Captain off of him, but Julia drove her sword through his back as he got to his feet.
“Why didn’t I teach ye how to fight sooner?” asked Riggs, cracking a sailor across the face with his fist.
“Maybe you were afraid I’d escape,” Julia said as she whipped around to face another one of the Black Fog’s men.
“You’ve got a point there,” he said as he tripped an attacker and drove his sword into the fallen man’s stomach.
The two ships were so close they were almost touching. Riggs and Julia ran up to the wheel and tried to help Clint as he was almost overrun with sailors. The wheel spun aimlessly this way and that. As Clint and Julia hacked and slashed at the attackers, Riggs planted his foot on the spokes of the wheel, pushed it down, and used it to crack a sailor in the chin, throwing him backward.
Grabbing the wheel, the Captain steadied the ship as more of his crew tried to board the Black Fog. They were met almost immediately with Ororis’s magic blasting them off of the ship. Few managed to stay aboard.
“Captain, we need to get out o’ here. Any more losses and we’ll be done for.”
“We just need more time…” said the Captain.
Riggs looked over at the Black Fog. He could see Ororis focusing all of her power toward keeping the boarding parties at bay. Nothing could divert her focus elsewhere.
Thunder crashed and lightning lit up the sky. Riggs’ eyes were drawn to the skull and crossbones waving in the wind. It was tattered a little, but other than a few holes, no harm
had come to it.
That gave him a plan. If he was high enough, then Ororis would not see him. He could board the Black Fog and attack the mermaid when she least expected it.
“… and I think I’ve found a way to get on that ship.”
Clint followed Riggs’ gaze and his eyes widened.
“Are ye actually contemplatin’…”
“Yep. Take the wheel. I’ve got a ship to board.”
Turning to Julia, Riggs said, “Stay here with Clint. Help him keep the ship steady. Whatever happens, don’t try to follow me.”
“I can’t promise that.”
“Don’t worry. I promise I’ll be back.”
Sheathing his sword, Riggs ran down the stairs and across the deck, dodging attackers and swords. Leaping off of the back of a cannon, he grabbed onto the rigging. Just as he started to climb, a gigantic wave smashed into the ship, blasting the Captain with a torrent of water. He hung off the side of the ship, just barely holding on to the ropes. If he would have turned around, he would have seen the battle-scarred wood of the Fog, just yards away from squashing him. One bad maneuver from either of the ships and the Captain would have been just a bloodstain on the side of his own ship. He swung his leg up into the rigging and pulled himself up, narrowly avoiding disaster. One sailor tried to follow him, but Riggs kicked him in the face, knocking him into the waters below.
The climb to the top seemed to take forever. He was constantly being pelted with water. Adrenaline was running through his body, but that was not the most powerful thing keeping him going.
Once his foot was planted on the wooden beam of the Red Sky’s sail, he felt a rush of energy inside of his body. Grabbing a rope to hold himself steady, he looked down at the battle raging below him. He saw the blasts of the cannons. He saw the occasional pistol shot. He heard the clanging of swords as the crews fought.
Most of all, he heard the wind and thunder pounding against him and making everything shake. The canvas of the sails was pulled taut in the strong breeze, and he could hear the whistling air running by his ears. He tried to shut out the fact that he was so high in the air and totally dependent on Clint’s steady hand at the wheel.
He pulled out his sword and tried to prepare himself. Directly in front of him, he could see the sails of the Black Fog, daring him to jump into their deadly embrace. He could not miss.
He let go of the rope and balanced on the wooden beam.
With the ship heaving side to side, Riggs tried his best to steady himself. Bracing his foot against the ropes that held the sails, he ran forward as quickly as he could.
With each step, he began to regret the decision. Right as he reached the end of the beam, he shut all of that out of his head. He could not turn back now, even if he tried.
He jumped into the air, flying above the storming sea, the ferocious battle, and the certain death that would await him if he failed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Riggs fell through the air for about three seconds before he sliced his sword through the Black Fog’s sail. The tearing canvas slowed his descent enough so that he could prepare himself for his landing, however hard that might be. Below him, he could see the flashes of light that were Ororis’s blasts of lightning. So far as he knew, she still had not seen him.
The bottom of the canvas was approaching fast. Frantically looking around, Riggs spotted a rope at the bottom of the sail, swinging wildly in the wind. From that brief glimpse, he could see that it ran all the way to the main deck of the ship.
A second later, his feet hit the wooden beam and slipped out from under him. Grabbing on to the wood, he dangled in the air as the rope swung around him, just out of reach. Holding on to the beam, he reached out and tried to grab the elusive rope.
His arm slipped a little, and he again grabbed the beam with two hands. The drenched wood was getting more slippery by the minute.
Maybe it was sheer luck, but the rope swung right in front of Riggs’ face, directly into his grasp. Just as he was about to fall, he snatched it and began a controlled descent to the deck of the Black Fog.
He could see the light from the mermaid’s attacks, even through the sails. It seemed like they were getting closer and closer to him.
Suddenly, Ororis appeared right below him, still keeping the pirates at bay. Swinging his legs, Riggs started to force the rope into a spiral. He needed to take out Ororis, and for that, he would need a lot of momentum.
He was nearing the end of the rope.
As he let go of the rope, the mermaid’s glowing red eyes looked up at him and widened in shock. He crashed down on top of her, knocking them both across the deck. Ororis almost had no idea what had hit her, it had all happened so fast.
The two of them rolled across the deck in a crumpled mess. They came to a stop when they smashed into the mast.
Holding her head, Ororis groaned, “You dare to attack me, Captain?”
“Aye… I do,” he said, slashing his sword at the mermaid.
She rolled out of the way and grabbed a sword from the body of one of her dead crewmembers.
“You’re a fool, Captain Riggs. There is no way you can defeat me… not while I have this,” she said, mocking him as she held the emerald necklace from around her neck.
Before she could blast him with magic, Riggs tried to strike her with his sword, forcing her to block his attack. If he kept the fighting at a fast pace, then he could keep her from using her powers against him.
Jumping forward, he drove his sword right at her. Ororis blocked again, but he yanked his pistol from his belt and whacked the butt of the gun against her forehead.
Recoiling from the surprise maneuver, Ororis had to stay on the defensive as Riggs attacked yet again. The pirate let his guard down for just one second and was met with a knee to the gut.
He could not let her slow down the pace. Even though his gut was screaming in pain, he swung his sword at her legs, keeping the fight alive.
As the mermaid raised her sword for a downward thrust, Riggs ran straight at her, drove her back, and knocked her against a cannon, causing Ororis to drop her sword.
They both fell to either side of the cannon as the aches, pains, bruises, and cuts of the fight began to take their effect. But Riggs would not stop. He climbed on top of the cannon and drove his sword straight into the ground, just missing Ororis. The mermaid spun around, kicked the pirate captain right in the back of the head, and drove his skull into the ground.
Riggs was nearly seeing stars, but he had to keep the battle going.
As Ororis turned to pick up her sword, he grabbed her leg and pulled her to the ground. With sailors and pirates running all around them, the two adversaries grabbed their swords and brought metal to metal.
Now it was Ororis’s turn to be on the offensive. As Riggs tried to strike at her left, she swung at his left. He ducked just in the nick of time. He could hear the blade cut through the air as it passed right above his head.
The emerald was glowing a very bright green, and Riggs could see little wisps of energy emanating from it. In between hacks and slashes, he tried to grab the necklace, but the mermaid would not let him get close to it.
Holding her sword to his neck, Ororis hissed, “You will never take my power from me again. My reign ended because of your kind… you filthy pirates. I will not let you stop me again.”
As Riggs crept backwards, away from the mermaid’s blade, she laughed and said, “You’re just like your pathetic little lover… except this time, you will die.”
Without warning, Riggs grabbed the dull side of Ororis’s blade, pushed it to the side, and punched her right in the face.
“I’ve still got fight left in me, witch.”
The crew of the Red Sky was having a hard time keeping the Black Fog’s men at bay. The fighting had spilled to the lower decks as the battle escalated. The crew was using everything that they could to hold off the attackers. Whenever a pirate could not get to his sword, he grabbed something else, whether it be a
bottle, an oar, rope, or even bits of sharp wood. If it could hurt something, the crew had it.
Coral Jack and Ripper were down in the brig, using the cell doors and bars to their advantage. As a group of enemies ran at them, they smashed about half of them in the face with the metal doors. When the rest came at the two pirates, Ripper and Jack would stab them through the bars of the cell, all the while remaining protected.
Eli had lost his sword a long time ago, so he was now fighting with his carpenter’s tools and a whip. With a mallet in one hand, he smashed one sailor right in the jaw, the impact of which knocked him to the ground. Brandishing the whip, he cracked another sailor across the back, stunning him enough for one of the crewmembers to stab him.
Doc and Petey were having their fair share of troubles as well. They did not have the small guys to fight. Instead, they were stuck with the one guy who looked like he was the strongest member of Ororis’s crew. They tried to fight him with their swords, but he merely knocked them away with his own. The two old men found themselves lifted off their feet by the behemoth. Thinking quickly, they both spit in the man’s eyes, making him drop them immediately. As he was distracted, Doc grabbed one leg and Petey grabbed the other, and they both hoisted him over the rail and into the swirling sea.
Clint was still holding his own at the wheel. Occasionally, he would have to use the wheel itself as a weapon. The Fog’s crewmembers would try to reach through the spokes to get him, and he would spin the wheel so fast that they could not get their arms out in time. More than a couple bones were broken for those unfortunate attackers.
Julia was doing her best to keep the sailors from getting up the stairs to the wheel. However, since there were two ways to get there, she could only do so much. The stairs were small enough that she only had to fight one or two men at a time, but she was still starting to feel fatigued.
After kicking a sailor down the stairs and into his crewmates, Julia caught a glimpse of Riggs on the Black Fog. Both he and Ororis were gradually making their way toward the stern of the ship, swords swinging through the air and clanging as the blades connected with each other. Julia saw Riggs fall and Ororis’s blade slice through the air, but the pirate captain blocked it and clambered to his feet.