Captain Black Shadow

by Janina Franck

  Griffin knew the others were having similar thoughts. He let his gaze wander over his companions’ pale visages. There was bitterness, but not hopelessness. This was it, wasn’t it? This was the fate a pirate had to face. This – or worse.

  Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore. He left the silent mess and walked to the room where Joe was operating on Ryo. Griffin stood in front of the door for a long time. He couldn’t open or knock, in case he disturbed Joe. He just wanted to be somewhere nearby. Waiting… That was always the worst. He didn’t used to mind it as much, but by now… he had learned to despise it. He began pacing up and down the hall. Was there nothing he could do?

  Aestiva had followed him from the mess and watched him for a while. Then she meowed. It was soft, gentle, but also urging. Griffin understood. There was nothing. And he had to accept that. He decided to go sit by Skip’s side instead. The young man had been lain down in a different room. Griffin sat near the wall watching him. Occasionally, he imagined he saw his chest moving, and he got excited for a moment. But it was always a false alarm. Skip lay motionless, cold and dead. He was really gone. Skip had thrown himself in front of Griffin to protect him from certain death, but had paid for this heroic act with his own life. Griffin buried his face in his hands. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but it didn’t change the fact that he had been the cause. And there was nothing he could do.

  A hand touched Griffin on the shoulder. He looked up. It was Balthasar.

  “Ye know, Skip was a good kid. He knew what he was doin’ an’ he’d always proudly give his life for some’un he loves. He’s gonna sail ’mong the stars now.”

  Balthasar had been looking over to Skip’s corpse until now, but then he turned his head to look at Griffin.

  “We gotta look forward, boy. We’re pirat’s, an’ we have a goal.”

  A goal they had indeed. Despite what had happened, none of them had forgotten what they had set out to achieve. The next day, they built a raft from some empty crates that had been left behind and held a farewell ceremony for Skip. They laid his body onto the wood before pushing the raft onto the waves. Ayalon set it alight and they watched the orange, flickering flames from a distance. Griffin didn’t even try to hold back his tears. He sobbed, trembling, wishing things were different. It was the same for all of them. Even Selene had puffy, red eyes.

  After that, they kept sailing toward the closest edge of the Veil. Selene hadn’t yet asked for the compass and the pendant. She was still not quite ready to take full command again. Griffin couldn’t blame her. He found himself often making the simplest mistakes because his mind was elsewhere, though he could never quite tell where it had been.

  Balthasar had Zero steal some basic provisions from a nearby island. In their current position, they couldn’t risk being seen by anyone. Recognition meant danger. Now they had food for a couple of days, a week if Griffin stretched it, and some makeshift weapons, as well as swords some of them had taken from the soldiers in Quienlav.

  Ryo remained unconscious for three days. According to Joe, whether he lived or died all depended on whether he would wake up within this week. On the third day, while Griffin was peeling potatoes, Ryo opened the door to the galley and limped in with a noisy thud every second step.

  “Hey bud,” he said with a crooked grin as Griffin stared at him in wonderment. “I’m back. Well… Mostly.”

  Ryo looked down to his right leg as he spoke. Griffin looked as well. It was gone. Just above the knee, the leg stopped. Instead, a peg stretched down to the ground, attached to his leg with leather straps.

  “Ryo, I–” Griffin began, but Ryo stopped him.

  “Don’t you dare finish that sentence! It’s alright. It makes me look more piratey, don’t ya think?”

  He hobbled with difficulty and obvious pain over to a barrel, where he sat down.

  “Joe didn’t want me to walk around just yet, the ole killjoy, but he left to let Selene know, so I sneaked out. Couldn’t wait to thank you. If it hadn’t been for you and Ference, we’d all be dead by now,” he said, grinning, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  Griffin bit the inside of his lip. He had to tell Ryo about Skip. But what would he say?

  “Ryo, Skip, he…” he began, trailing off.

  Ryo waved it away.

  “I already know. Aestiva showed me in my sleep. Apparently, she thought it would be better for me to know before I woke up, so I wouldn’t have to deal with another tragedy. And right she was. These things happen. We are pirates after all. Even so, I doubt he’d regret what he did. After all, it saved your life.”

  Ryo sighed. He didn’t seem depressed, but then he had had a lot of time to think – or dream – about things. Griffin gulped. He still felt like it had been his responsibility in a way.

  The door burst open. Selene stormed in.

  “You,” she said pointedly to Ryo, “should be in bed, resting. And you,” she turned to Griffin, “are needed in the library in twenty minutes. I’ll send up Ference to do the rest.”

  She left just as briskly as she had entered. Griffin and Ryo shared a look and shrugged.

  “Tomorrow afternoon it’s time,” Selene declared. “We’ll need to activate the tools right when we enter the Veil, not before, not after. Griffin.”

  She, Griffin, and Balthasar were standing around a table in the empty library. Aestiva had decided to stick with Ryo for the time being, so for once, she was not present. Griffin handed his captain her pendant and the beautiful compass. She looked at the two of them for a moment before sliding them into her pocket.

  “We’re not entirely sure what will actually happen,” she admitted. “But it’s our only chance. Ayalon has sighted activity on the nearby isles. The Marine are still hunting us. They’re on our tail. Getting through the Veil is the only way to stay alive now.”

  Balthasar nodded in agreement. Griffin remained silent. He wasn’t sure what she expected him to say to this. Alarms went off in his head when he heard about Marine activity. This couldn’t be good. But as long as the Bat reached the Veil before they caught up with them, everything should work out, shouldn’t it?

  Instead of mentioning his anxieties, Griffin asked, “How are we going to activate them?”

  “We’re gonna combine the amulet, an’ the compass. Then sumthin’ should happ’n,” Balthasar explained.

  “Should?” Griffin shifted uneasily.

  Balthasar nodded.

  “So far’s we know, the compass, the pendant an’ the ship are the only components, so somethin’ has t’happen.”

  Griffin nodded, unnerved by the apparent simplicity of the undertaking. If that was all there was to it, then they would get out of this no problem. Griffin could do nothing but hope once again.

  By dawn the next day, Griffin could clearly make out the Veil. It wasn’t far away anymore. He grew more nervous and more agitated every second that passed. Aestiva sensed that, and to relax him, she licked his ear every once in a while. Everyone on board seemed in better spirits than they had been since their escape. A new world was so close, a new place to discover, new things to see and learn – freedom. It was so close!

  Their hopes were checked when Marine ships began to appear around them. Slowly, they were closing in as a semicircle, blocking any escape route except for the Veil. The wind did not blow in the Bat’s favor, and the ships were reducing the distance between them steadily.

  Selene acknowledged the danger and ordered Ayalon and Zero to pull the boat into the direction of the Veil as quickly as they could. But even so, they couldn’t prevent the other ships from getting closer.

  Silence fell over the Bat. Everyone was tense. This was the moment that counted. They had to get to the Veil before any of the ships got close enough to them to launch an attack.

  By now, Griffin had realized that the Gryphon was not among them. She would have stood out because of her size. All of these ships were smaller and faster – like the Bat. The cl
osest one was located at forty degrees. It was close enough that Griffin could make out people standing on deck. This wasn’t good. There was still a little way to go. Just a few more minutes, then they would have made it. Just a little farther…

  The Klabautermann seemed to be the most wound up of them all. He was the only one not standing still in frightful anticipation. Instead, he ran around, his head turning purple, and Griffin was sure that he would have liked nothing better than to scream insults at the Marine.

  Ayalon and Zero did their best to pull them closer to the Veil. Just a few more minutes, oh please! Griffin begged silently. But when he saw the closest ship turn to its side, his heart sank into his boots. They’re gonna fire!

  “Selene!” Griffin shouted.

  She saw. She walked briskly along deck, shouting orders to everyone. They were all hoping the soldiers couldn’t aim properly, but no one believed it. The Klabautermann had already prepared his own cannons. Selene hadn’t given Griffin any orders. There was nothing he could do. Either he was going to die or he was going to live. That was all there was to it.

  Then the enemy ship fired. The Klabautermann fired, too. His cannonball met one of theirs in mid-air. Both exploded in a brilliant flash of light and blue fire before dropping into the sea, where they continued to burn as they sank. The other two cannonballs the Marine had fired missed. But not by far.

  Griffin decided to help the Klabautermann. They would be faster if he lent a hand with the reloading. Somehow, the Klabautermann managed once more to catch one of the cannonballs in the air. Another one hit the waves just behind them, but the last one went straight through the foresail. Griffin heard Selene curse. This was bad.

  Griffin checked the distance to the Veil with a glance. Almost there.

  As they reached the edge, Zero and Ayalon returned to the ship.

  Another salvo was fired from two ships. Three shots missed. One smashed the mast belonging to the foresail; one flew closely over their heads, missing only by a hair. But the last one, oh, the last cannonball. It hit the Bat straight in her starboard side, smashing through the empty library. The impact threw the ship so much to her left, Griffin feared she might capsize. If that should happen, they were doomed. But she righted herself again just as she entered the mist. He ran to the railing and leaned over to check the damage, but it seemed safe enough for the moment. The hole was still above the water line, so not an immediate danger, though he couldn’t leave it like that for long. But right now, there were other things he had to worry about.

  There was no wind, but still, they glided onward. Slowly. Everything was silent. They could hear only the splashing of water against the ship. Around them, they could see nothing but white. Griffin couldn’t even make out the bow anymore. After they glided along for a few minutes, he believed he could make out grey shapes in the mist around them. He coughed.

  “Gal, I think it’s time,” Balthasar said. Selene nodded. She pulled out her pendant and the compass. No one said a word. All eyes were on Selene, waiting in anticipation as she pressed the pendant into the mold of the compass. They waited.

  Nothing happened.

  She tried pressing some of the ornaments, other parts of the compass and pendant, but nothing worked. She looked up helplessly. Griffin felt his blood freeze. It was over. They were dead. They had gone into the Veil and they would never get out. The ship was moving faster, bringing them who knew where.

  “I’m sorry my friends,” Selene said, her eyes cast down. The crew gave her nothing but smiles in return.

  “Hey, we had a good run, didn’t we?’ Ryo chuckled. “They’ll be wondering for years, decades even, whether we’ll come back or not.”

  “It could be worssse,” the Klabautermann added. “We’re sssstill here after all.”

  Griffin looked at the little blue man. Something in his mind began to stir. The ship was going faster.

  “Friends, I do not wish to be the bearer of bad news,” Joe mentioned, looking over the railing worriedly. “However, I must press the issue that we seem to be moving a lot quicker than we ought.”

  He was right. It didn’t bode well. Griffin had an image of a giant sea monster sucking in water and devouring them whole. But then, there was the Klabautermann. Something he had read… And suddenly, everything was clear.

  Griffin rushed over to Selene, grabbed the compass and pendant out of her hands, and before she could react, he had pushed them into the Klabautermann’s hands. The surprised little man began to glow – to shine – as a dark blue aura enveloped him. It radiated from him and seemed to flow into the pendant, which was still embedded in the compass.

  Then the compass’ needle went crazy. It spun in circles without stopping while at the same time, the bronze ornaments took on a glow of their own, adding their color to the shine. With every turn of the needle, they glowed brighter and brighter, and eventually, the blue and bronze glow engulfed the entire ship.

  The Bat herself was glowing now. Griffin could hear the noise of water moving at high speed. It reminded him of a waterfall and–

  They broke through the Veil.

  Sunlight warmed their faces as they looked up at the sky in silent astonishment. Had it worked?

  Then the ship dropped about a meter before it righted itself again. There was water in the air, falling from above them. They ran to the railing to check what had happened. Only the Klabautermann remained where he was, his expression vacant since he had taken the compass into his hands.

  Beneath them, there was no more water. Well, there was. Only it was a very, very long way beneath them. Behind them, from where they had just come, there was a wall of falling water. It was indeed a waterfall, stretching as far as Griffin could see. It had no end. And suddenly the young man realized where the mist from the Veil came from. And why they had moved without wind. And also, why nobody who’d ventured here had ever returned. He sank to his knees as he looked out at the breathtaking picture before him.

  They were flying. Behind them was their home, at the top of a waterfall that separated worlds from each other. The Bat was slowly drifting down, catching winds in her sails by chance, as the crew was stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

  They had left Jianlah behind. The punishment for their crimes: eternal banishment. They had lost much. But here and now lay a new world before them. A place where no one knew them, where they could start over wherever and however they wanted to.

  As Aestiva took her usual spot on his shoulder, Griffin realized what had happened.

  They were alive.

  They were free.

  For now, and forever more.

  – The End –

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Have you ever written a story? Not for school, university, or an application of sorts but just for you. Just for fun.

  Everyone has ideas for stories, whether it’s for a joke, a book, a movie, or “what could have been,” but few people act on these ideas and turn them into something other people can enjoy as well.

  I’m the kind of person who will always highly encourage people to write. – Write your stories! Let me read them!

  I feel incredibly lucky that I have several people who have that reaction to me. People who ask me to write more, to realize the stories that live inside my head, who want to read them. It’s you who I want to thank first and foremost – your desire to read my stories makes me happier than you’ll ever know. It’s not just that you enjoy reading them, but that you’re invested in them, help me along the way, whether it’s to offer me a distraction when I need one, talk endlessly about “what if“ scenarios for my characters, ask about backend world building, infos that will probably never make it into any story… the list goes on.

  But many people judge a book by its cover, so I have a big special thanks to give to Eerilyfairdesign for making the feeling of the story come to life with the fantastic imagery! I loved it from the moment I first laid eyes on it and I am certain th
at I have it to thank for a lot of my first-time readers.

  Of course, I can’t forget about everyone from Snowy Wings Publishing, of course. Thank you all for being so supportive and sharing advice every step of the way. I’m very happy to be a part of such a great community.

  If you have ever re-read a story a long time after writing it, you might have felt an itch to change phrasings, expressions, or descriptions. I have the added difficulty that this was the first novel I wrote in English, which is, by the way, not my native tongue. I have three people who I have to thank for helping me to get the story to where it is now - Eimear Bannister, Peter Hanrahan and Amy McNulty.

  I am also famously bad at summarizing, or categorizing my own stories, which is why I write books, and not ads. But someone needs to do it, and I have the wonderful Mark Northfield and Peter Hanrahan to help me with Captain Black Shadow’s blurb!

  To answer some questions that I’m sure every writer gets to hear at some point, such as “Did you base this character on me (or this person we know)?” – NO.

  These characters are not based on anyone. Well, that’s not quite right. Each of them has a trait I took from my own personality, but that’s as far as it goes. I did not have anyone (except myself) in mind when I wrote them. But if you found yourself reflected in one of them, I’m happy either way.

  Griffin is a character I knew not every reader would like - he’s whiny, eternally monologuing, and overdramatic. Trust me, I’m more aware than anyone of the fact. But the part of me that was reflected in him, was the desire to leave and see the world. Unlike him, however, I had parents who supported that wish, and while this book is already dedicated to them, I want to thank them again, for letting me find my own way.