The Blackest Knight

by Michael S. Melendez

  For the first time ever, Emilia was scared of Vincent. There was a rage in his eyes about the way he talked about his sisters. The rage of a little brother trying to keep them safe and will do whatever necessary to make sure they stay that way.

  “Yes, well, Blake also sent you a letter, Vincent. He probably figured I’d be the one person in the world who doesn’t hate you enough and will help you. Right now, Blake is gathering forces to overthrow Rodrick. His dealings as a slaver soon came out when Slavers Bay fell.”

  “So soon? It’s only been a day.”

  “Word travels fast in Blackfire. Especially when nearly ten thousand people all say that the king sold them into slavery.”

  “So Blake is gathering forces to overthrow Rodrick in a coup who he himself came into power because of a coup.” Vincent began to laugh. “Sorry, the irony of this is too funny. So what does Blake want with me anyway?”

  “He…wants you to take the throne,” Emilia muttered.

  “No,” Vincent replied. “I am not going to take the throne. I do not care who sits on that throne but it will not be me. I have my own matters that need to be taken care of. If Blake wants to take power for himself then more power to him, but he will not use me for some political game.”

  “I agree. And that’s what I told him. Well, I told him that you had already left my company and that I will try and relay the message to you but I knew you would never accept the offer. So that’s why I turned it down in your name. Still, I’m going to Avia to help. Rodrick has to be stopped.”

  “What about Blackfire?” he asked. “I thought you were going to take back your castle.”

  “Oh I am. But right now Rodrick is the immediate threat. What about you? What will you do?”

  Vincent pondered that question for a little. “Well, the person who bought my sisters is in Illya. So that means I have to cross the Black Sea. I’m going to Far Harbor.”

  “Are you insane?!” she asked. “Vincent, it's the summer months. The Black Sea is unpredictable this time of year. I say go to Sky Reach and take an airship.”

  “That too far west of here. Far Harbor is just a day and a half walk from here. If I go to Sky Reach it would take me four days to reach there and that on horseback. Besides, I have to beat Zeke there and I can do that with a two day trip at sea.”

  “I can’t talk you out of this, can I?”

  “No. My sisters are in danger, Emilia. I have to do whatever it takes to get there before Zeke finds them first.”

  Emilia moved closer and they kissed. “You…just promise me that you won’t die out there, alright?”

  “I promise, Emilia. Besides, now I have someone to live for.” He said with a smile. The atmosphere in the room got awkward after he said that. Emilia’s face became red as a tomato and her heart was beating rapidly.“I got a little too romantic didn’t I?”

  “Yeah…just a little. Wanna go back to hating each other?”

  “Oh, god yes!”

  Chapter 17

  Having said goodbye to his oldest friend and rival, Emilia Blackfire, Vincent tread east to Far Harbor. During his trek, Vincent found his thoughts to be calm and clear. Most of the time it’s like a web of vines wrapped in a knot and not even the sharpest blade can cut through it. It had to do with that night ten years ago, but now the knots have become untangled and he can now focus on other things. Like the sound of heavy footsteps slowly approach from the rear.

  One of them were heavy the other person perhaps worth cloth or linen, but he could still hear the footsteps shuffling along the gravel floor. He ducked behind a tree and waited with his sword in hand.

  “I think we lost him.” One of the voice said. Vincent recognized the voice. He knew who it was the second she came into view over the hill.

  “Piña?!” he called out, as he emerged from behind the tree.

  As if a thousand pound weight has been lifted off her shoulder, Piña was overjoyed to see Vincent. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.” Piña stepped closer, Vincent held out his blade prevent him from getting closer. “Vincent…?”

  “Did your father send you to look for me as well?” he coldly asked. “You can tell him that I am not going back. And if you try and take me by force, Piña, I will kill you.”

  She believed him. That was when Clara stepped forward. “She isn’t here for you, Vincent.” She said. “She came out here to stop her brother.”

  Vincent examined her. He feels as though he has seen her before. Curly black hair, silver-white eyes, dress all in black. “Have we met?” he asked.

  Clara seemed hurt by his question. “No.” She muttered. “No, we have not.”

  “I see. Well, I can tell you this, your brother didn’t come this way. He’s more or less on his way right now to Sky Reach to grab an airship and sail for Illya. I going to beat him there by a day and a half by taking the direct route through the Black Sea.”

  Piña and Clara both glanced at one another. “Vincent, you know that it…”

  “The summer months. I know that Piña, and I don’t care.” Vincent sheathed his sword as he realizes that they are not a threat to him. “I have to get to Illya before he does and I will do whatever it takes.”

  “Assuming you can find someone stupid enough to go out on the Black Sea this time of year,” Clara said. “All the fishermen have their boats tied to the docks or in warehouses. How do you expect to cross when no one is foolish enough to be out on the sea this time of year?”

  “Far Harbor isn’t just a fishing port. It also caters to those of less…noble art.”

  “Pirates.” Piña said. “You’re talking about pirates.”

  “They are the only ones foolish enough to cross the Black Sea this time of year, Piña. They are my ticket to Illya.”

  “I have a better option. Come with us. Let’s go find my brother, talk to my father, and we settle this like calm and rational people.”

  Vincent sighed. “Piña you are too naive for your own good if you are offering that as option. Your father was about to execute me for saving your life from a dragon. Now, he thinks I have kidnapped you. Your brother is going to kill me the first chance he gets. I wounded his pride. He’s lucky that was the only thing I wounded.”

  “Then let me go to talk to him.” Piña suggested. “Let me talk him out of this foolish quest before…before…”

  “Before I kill him? If you can talk him out of it then fine. But if he so much as put one finger on my sisters and I arrive there too late to stop him, I make a promise to you right here and now. There is no land he can hide in, no sea far enough that I can’t cross, and to everyone that helps him or shelter him from me shall feel my wrath. Because I will kill him, I will kill his associates, and I will kill you and your father. I swear it!”

  Having said his peace, Vincent continued down the road to Far Harbor. Piña was seeing him an entirely new light.

  “Come, your grace,” Clara said. “We have a long journey to Sky Reach.”

  Far Harbor village rested at the edge of Blackfire. You knew you were close the minute you started to smell rotten fish heads, heard the sound of seagulls flying overhead, and smelled sea water.

  During the summer months, Far Harbor was a ghost town. The Black Sea is far too unpredictable in its storm patterns during this time of year. One minute it would be sunny and the next it would start to hail ice the size of cannon balls. Thankfully Vincent wasn’t looking for a fisherman. He was looking for a pirate.

  His search led him to the Leaky Plank inn. Inside were a colorful cast of people. Fisherman mostly drinking away their payment at the bar. The entire place reeked of salt water and vomit. It could have something to do with there being actual vomit on the floor.

  Across the inn, a large group has gathered around a table. There were cheering loudly for something. Vincent heard one of them shout, “Kick him in the fucking balls.”

  The group had made an entire circle around two men who were fighting. Though it did come to Vincent attenti
on that one of the men fighting was actually a girl. Topless, caramel-like skin, wore a black bandanna on her head. Her breasts are small and plump but they were there.

  “What are you waiting for? I thought all only one of us in his ring had a pussy!” she said.

  The man she is fighting looked as though he had been in many fights before. He was well built, he had long black hair with strands of gray poking out. He was furious by what she said and swung at her wildly.

  She easy dodged out of the way and jabbed him in the face with a left hand. He took another swing and yet she dodge again. She may be small but she was fast. She took another jab to his face. His nose began to bleed.

  “What’s wrong, Matthew? I thought you told me you can fight. All you’re showing me is how well you can bleed!”

  Clenching both hands together, Matthew swung down hard. The girl slid under his legs to avoid the attack and proceeded to jump on his back. She wrapped her legs hard around his neck and leaned back. She was choking him. Matthew swung around hard trying to get her off, but he was already breathing hard to begin with. Now, without any sort of oxygen, it was a matter of seconds not minutes.

  Matthew collapsed to his knees. He was blue in the face and he was crying. He tapped out and the crowd cheered. Matthew fell unconscious on the floor. The woman stood on his back posing, topless and all.

  Someone in the crowd tossed her back her shirt and she put it on. When she did, she caught Vincent’s eyes. “My, my, so the rumors are true.” She said. “Vincent Valentine, son of the mad king, and the fallen prince of Avia walks into my establishment. My, my, you have some balls.”

  The moment Vincent’s name came out of her mouth the entire inn went silent and all eyes turned on him.

  “You see all these men around you, Vincent? They are pirates, cutt throats, thieves, and bounty hunters. You see that man over there with the lazy eye and pig nose? He sold his father for a piece of bread.”

  “Must’ve been some good bread,” Vincent said.

  “It was moldy and I dropped it in shit!” he yelled out.

  The inn laughed.

  “Point is, you aren’t making it out of this inn alive. 100,000 gold coins is a lot of money.”

  The all began to form a circle around Vincent. He smirked. “Pirates, cutt throats, thieves, and bounty hunters. You wanna know what I see when I look at all colorful faces around me? A whole bunch of dead men if they try anything.”

  The entire room burst into laughter. The wrote off his words as an empty threat. She was the only one not to laugh.

  “Silence!” she yelled. Then entire inn fell quite. She stepped closer to Vincent and looked him up and down. She smiled. “Have a seat.”

  The booth next to them cleared out hastily and the crowd dispersed. Primarily out of fear.

  “My name is Marisha Ray,” she said, “but everyone calls me Capitan Kidd.”

  “Pleasure. So, did you just invite me to sit down to shot me in the gut or is there a reason for this?”

  Marisha raised her eyebrows in shock. From underneath the table, she pulled out a flintlock pistol with a gold and bejeweled handle. “How did you know?” she asked.

  “This entire booth reeks of gunpowder and blood. The smell overtook the strong stench of sea water and piss the moment I sat down. You might wanna have this booth reupholstered if you wanna assassinate someone better. Now, why did you invite me to talk?”

  Marisha tossed the gun on the table. “Your eyes.” She said. “You have the eyes of someone who has seen much death in his life. That threat you made just minutes ago…I believe it. I believe you will cut down every single person in this inn right now if they got in your way.”

  “Killing over 250,000 people in an arena over a ten-year life in prison will do that to you.”

  “I would believe so. But your eyes showed me something else. You want something, you need something. So I ask you this. Why are you here, Vincent Valentine?”

  Vincent put one hand on his sword. Marisha immediately reached for her gun. “Relax,” he said. “This isn’t for you.” Vincent reversed the sword and thrusted it into the booth chair he was sitting in. There was a loud thump, followed by the sound of a falling weapon, followed by a pool of blood forming.

  Marisha looked over and saw pig nose choking on his own blood with a dagger not two feet away. “Impressive.” She said.

  “Thanks but I’m not here to entertain you. I need to hire a ship to get me to Illya.”

  Marisha laughed. “Surely you jest. It’s the summer months. The Black Sea is——”

  “Unpredictable. I know.” Vincent took off one the two satchels he had around him and emptied its contents. Loud, almost thunderous in the way it sounds, hundreds of thousands of gold coins poured onto the table. People glanced over to see.

  Marisha grabbed a handful. She’s never seen so much gold in one place before. “Where did you…how did you…”

  “Courtesy of the Goblin King. He won’t be needing this gold. He’s dead. So, tell me, are you my ship Capitan or do I keep look?”

  Marisha began to laugh uncontrollably as she began to throw the coins over herself. She got up and yelled. “Boys! Finish your drinks, finish your whore. We set sail for Illya!”

  Chapter 18

  Marisha’s ship was called St.Maria. She named after her mother who she lost at sea as a small child. She didn’t know how else to honor her memory than by naming a ship after her.

  The ship was small but it was sturdy. It was made entirely out of Red Wood. The mass itself looks as though it had been recently been replaced. The sails were made of a black cloth and attached to the top of the crows perch was the jolly roger flag. Marisha’s crew consisted of herself, her first mate Mr.Pink who got that name because his skin is quite literally pink and no one knows why.

  Then there was Slayer the navigator. She was tough. Carried two sabers at her side. Her face was horribly scarred. You wouldn’t be able to find a patch of smooth skin anywhere on her.

  “How’s the weather looking?” Marisha asked.

  Slayer took a deep breath. “Calm.” She muttered. “But it won’t stay that way. You know that better than anyone. We also have another problem. It’s June 27th. You know what that means.”

  Marisha sighed. “Shit!” she yelled. “Now. You had to pick now to go to Illya. Like the Black Sea wasn’t a big enough obstacle, to begin with. Now we have to contend with the Fog of War.”

  “The what?” Vincent asked.

  “The Fog of War. The Fog of War has been around since…well, forever. Everyone who sails the Black Sea knows to avoid the fog at all cost. The worst part is that it moves. It never disappears, no light came breach threw it, and worst of all if you are stupid enough to sail through it, you never come out of that it. It’s June 27th that means it’s just off the coast of Illya. Going the direct route would be suicide.”

  “Then we go an indirect route,” Vincent suggested.

  “Problem there also. The only way to get around the fog is by going through Shatter Skull Cove. It isn’t impossible to navigate through but the entire cove is covered with jagged rocks and all sorts of undersea monstrosities waiting for us to enter.”

  “Just do it,” Vincent said coldly. “I’ll handle anything that attacks us.”

  Marisha let out a heavy sigh. “Mr.Pink, raise the anchor and give me half sail. North by northeast and avoid any currents Slayer calls out. The last thing we need is for a powerful undersea current to drag us off course and get sucked down into a whirlpool.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain!”

  “Slayer, head to the top of the crows perch and keep an eye out. You see so much as see white water I want you to yell it out.”

  “You go it, Captain.”

  “Vincent, you follow me. I’ll show you to your quarters.”

  Marisha lead Vincent down into the bowels of the ship. There were barrels of rum everywhere along with sacks of oranges, potatoes, and deer jerky. It was safe to say that food and be
verage would not be a problem.

  Vincent turned his head to the stern of the ship just passed a large stack of barrels and saw metal bars. Inside the bars was a girl. She couldn't be any older than eight years old. She wore ragged close, was covered in dirt, but even through all that muck, he could see her silver-white hair. It was similar to his.

  She glanced up and him and gave him a hateful look.

  “Who is she?” Vincent asked.

  “The girl? I have no idea. There are a whole bunch of wanted posters for her in Illya. Apparently, she raided a ruin and stashed away an item from there. The girl won’t talk. Don’t even know her name, if she even has one. She’s a wanted criminal.”

  “As am I.” He reminded her.

  “True. The only difference is she didn’t hand me a whole bunch of gold. Forget about her. Let me show you your room.”

  She led him to a door at the bow of the ship. There wasn’t much inside. The room was small. It smelled of mold, feet, and sea water. There was a bed. Hard to the touch and no pillow. Marisha let Vincent settle in and went back up top to check on things. She trusted her crew but always had to micromanage some aspects of their jobs.

  Vincent didn’t realize how tired he truly was until he laid back on the bed. He could’ve sworn someone put gravel and pieces of glass in the mattress but that didn’t stop him from getting some sort of sleep.

  There was no telling how long Vincent was asleep. He was thrown clear from the bed at least five feet in the air and onto the floor. He got up and raced back on deck. What was once a calm sea and clear skies turned treacherous. The sky was black with thunder raining down like rain all around them. Waves slammed into the small ship as water sprouts appeared and disappeared in the distance. Marisha did all she could to try and keep the ship from capsizing.