Era of a Red Sky

by Ryan Gilbert

  “I-I-I don’t know,” he spouted out of fear.

  Jasper tried to move to help his comrade, but the pain in his shoulder stopped him. Riggs could see the agony written on his face as he gripped his shoulder.

  Glaring at the two soldiers, the pirate said, “What I’m lookin’ for are loyal men to become members of my crew. Do ye think you could take orders from a scoundrel like me?”

  He pressed the barrel of his pistol against Morgan’s forehead.

  “Or are you goin’ to join the rest of yer Navy brethren?”

  Morgan could almost feel the pistol move as Riggs squeezed the trigger ever so slightly.

  “We’ll join your crew! We’ll join your crew,” he said hurriedly, “Just don’t kill us, we beg you.”

  With his grin still plastered on his face, Riggs stood up, jamming his pistol back into his belt. Instead of shooting the former soldier, he reached out his hand to him. Hesitant at first, Morgan took hold of it, letting his new leader help him to his feet.

  “Fought in many battles, Mister…?”

  “Morgan Salthers, at your command, sir… and yes, I’ve… I mean, we’ve fought in many a battle,” the turncoat lied. It was all that he could think of to keep from getting killed.

  “Good… ye’ll need that experience,” said Riggs, briefly taking a serious tone.

  Looking down at the wounded Jasper, the Captain yelled, “Eli, get over here. I’ve got another one for you to bring to Sapphire.”

  Eli Carter hurried over to his captain’s side, taking hold of Jasper’s good shoulder.

  “Alright, up you go now,” the carpenter said, helping the wounded man to his feet.

  “Thank you,” was all that Jasper could say.

  Soon, Eli began leading Jasper over to the Red Sky to have Sapphire take a look at him. As a former commander in the Navy, Eli knew exactly what the newly recruited crewmember was feeling. He was feeling a mixture of fear, confusion, and relief, much of which was compounded by the burning pain in his shoulder.

  After the defeat of Henry Every, Sapphire had assumed the duties of the ship’s doctor. Eli had been able to teach the fairy most of what she needed to know. The rest was readily available in the notes of the deceased Doc.

  As his two new crewmates were led aboard the pirate ship, Riggs gave the Crown Jewel one last look. He had to make sure that they were not missing anything. So far as he could see, there was nothing else of any use aboard the Navy vessel.

  “Sink it,” he ordered.

  “Aye, Captain,” said Ripper, casually heading below deck.

  The cannons roared to life once again, tearing into the HMS Crown Jewel. A cannonball blasted a hole in the hull, and water started to pour into the opening. There was nothing that the other soldiers could do. They had no choice but to let the sea rush into their sinking ship.

  The pirates had just shown them to their doom.

  As the Navy ship sank, Riggs did not even bother to watch it. There were more pressing matters to attend to. With Rebelde destroyed, there was nowhere for the pirates to regroup. For the time being, it was every crew for itself.

  “Orders, Captain?” asked Clint, Riggs’ loyal navigator and friend.

  “Get us out of this cloud of smoke. I want to be able to see where we’re sailin’,” the Captain replied.

  “Aye. The sooner we can see the Dutchman sneaking up on us, the better,” said Clint, his paranoia mixing itself with his usual suspicions.

  Normally, Riggs would have rolled his eyes at the remark, but his friend was right. No one was safe on the seas anymore, and no one knew that better than the crew of the Red Sky. They had been the first to see Ororis rise to power again, and they were lucky to still be breathing.

  “I see the ambush went well,” said a familiar, female voice.

  At the sound of the voice, Riggs’ ears perked up, now fully attentive. With a grin on his face, he turned around, watching as Julia Hamond, his love, walked gracefully out of the cabin. It seemed to him like every time that he laid eyes on her, a newfound confidence would start brewing inside him. He felt like he could do anything if she was at his side. With her long, brown hair blowing wistfully in the breeze, Julia was the only creature that he could see as perfect.

  “Ah, the raid went just as planned, love. Look… we even got ourselves two more crewmates,” said Riggs, pointing at Jasper and Morgan.

  Julia cast a somber glance at the two former soldiers. She had grown up surrounded by stouthearted Navy men. Her lover’s recruits did not fit that description.

  “Do you really think it’s wise to just force them into being part of your crew?” she asked, a bit concerned.

  “Of course,” said Riggs, “The one told me that he’d fought in many battles. I’m sure we could use him for plannin’.”

  Without even looking at Morgan, Julia said, “There is no way that man has seen any conflict other than the one that you just caused.”

  The look of confidence disappeared from the Captain’s face. Scratching at the side of his forehead, Riggs took Julia by the hand and led her back into his quarters. What he had to say needed to be said in private.

  As Riggs closed the door behind him, Julia said, “Riggs, I don’t think bringing those two aboard will do us any good. They will do nothing but slow us down. Adapting to the life of a pirate is not an easy task… and you’re asking them to do it immediately. That’s not going to happen.”

  All that Riggs could say was, “I know.”

  “Know what?” asked Julia, a bit surprised by her captain’s response.

  Sighing, he said, “I know those men probably ain’t seen a single battle in each of their pathetic lives. I know what I’m askin’ of them is impossible, but I have to do it. We need more bodies if we want to defeat Ororis and Hades, and if I have to pull worthless scraps from the Navy, then I will do it.”

  Julia held her arms and shivered a bit. Riggs could see the tension built up in her face. She did not like the plan.

  “Sweets, it’s the only plan I’ve bloody got.”

  The girl nodded, showing that she understood.

  “I just wish we had more time,” she said.

  Stepping over to Riggs’ side, she wrapped her arms around his waist as he rested his arms over her shoulders. Together, they both found comfort in each other’s embrace. Even with a power-hungry mermaid, the god of death, and the entire Navy bearing down on them, they still had each other and their friends.

  “Everythin’ will be alright, sweets. I promise you that,” said Riggs, holding the girl close.

  Inside his head, he had to tell himself that everything would be alright, because it certainly did not seem like it would be. All that he could do was hope that what he had said would turn out to be true.

  “I love you, Julia, with all me heart.”

  “And I love you, Riggs,” she said, gazing up into her lover’s eyes.

  For a brief moment, they shared a kiss before the ruckus of the crew reached their ears. In that moment, all anxiety and fear disappeared, replaced by the magic of true love. They held onto that feeling with a strength unmatched by anything else.

  It was all that they could do to keep from falling further into madness.

  “AAAUUUUUGH!”

  A scream of pain cut through the uncomfortable silence onboard the Sleeping Servant. Another one of the pirate crew crumpled to the ground, blood flowing onto the deck as Hades ripped his sword out of his captive’s chest.

  “I am going to give you all one last chance,” said Hades, seething in frustration, “Where is the Red Sky?”

  As he glared at the few remaining pirates kneeling in front of him, the god of death could see their eyes fixated on his deformed and disgusting face. After several months, the left side of his head still hurt him immensely, the burns from the molten lava causing excruciating pain at even the slightest touch. The entire side of his face was like a jigsaw puzzle of black, red, and a disgusting shade of yellow. He could see the fear in peop
le’s eyes when they saw him.

  And he relished it.

  “Where is the Red Sky?” he shouted at one of the men.

  The pirate fumbled for the right words to speak. He could barely even get one word out of his mouth.

  With a twist of his hand, Hades tossed a green mist out of his palm and snapped the man’s neck. The pirate’s corpse fell to the deck, his head twisted back at an unnatural angle.

  Hades did not have to ask again. The other captives started spouting whatever answers they could create, desperately hoping to be spared.

  “I heard it’d sunk off the coast o’ Carolina.”

  *snap*

  “I-I saw that ship a while back. Sailing to E-England it was.”

  *snap*

  “Wait fer it at Rebelde. There ain’t no way they wouldn’t be there,” said one of the pirates.

  Hades leaned down in front of the man, drawing his captive’s eyes toward his own bloodshot left eye.

  “Rebelde is gone. I watched it burn,” he said.

  *snap*

  Before the man’s body could even hit the deck, Hades was already peering over at the last pirate left alive. The man was squeamish, looking down at the deck, unable to meet the frightening gaze of his conqueror. He shook like a child awaiting punishment.

  Hades brought the blade of his sword up underneath the pirate’s chin, pricking the man on his neck. The silver skull at the hilt of his sword gazed unforgivingly down at its next victim, eager to taste blood again.

  “Do ye know where the Red Sky is?” the god of death asked.

  The man shook his head, still staring down at the ground to avoid looking at the monstrosities that made up the crew of the Flying Dutchman. The mutilated bodies of the crew were enough to scare anyone, and with an unstable Hades leading them, it was hard to find anything more terrifying.

  “I… I don’t know… where that ship is. I’ve only heard of it in the backs o’ taverns and alleys. That’s… that’s all I know,” the man stammered.

  The look on Hades’ face turned to anger as his fingers tightened around his weapon. Taking a step back, he raised the sword over his head, ready to drive it through the head of his prisoner.

  “Just a moment, Jones.”

  Ororis made her way through the mass of grotesque crewmates, appearing next to Hades. The god stopped at the sound of his human name, the mermaid being the only person who he would allow to call him by the name David Jones. She was clad in black skintight pants, a shirt cut off at the midriff, and boots. A ruby heart hung around her neck, a faint glow barely noticeable. At her side hung a golden sword, the very sword used to end Henry Every’s reign of terror.

  “What is it, m’ dear?” he asked, an almost cynical tone in his voice.

  “Oh, I was just wondering how your interrogation was coming along,” the mermaid said with a smile.

  She looked down at the bodies of the pirates that lay strewn on the deck. That only seemed to make her happier.

  “Yes… yes, just fine,” she said dreamily.

  “If ye’d step aside, Ororis, I have some unfinished business with this bloke ‘ere,” Hades barked, pointing at the man.

  The mermaid spun around, ignoring Hades’ command and instead walking closer to the pirate. The captive did not know what to expect. Here in front of him stood the most stunning woman that he could ever picture, but the sneer on her face told him that he would not be around to enjoy her beauty for much longer. Her red stripe of hair stuck out from the blackness of the rest of her hair, focusing the pirate’s gaze.

  “Unfinished business?” she asked.

  Red sparks started to drip from her fingers.

  Lurching forward, she grabbed the pirate by his throat and growled, “Acer Morte.”

  The red sparks turned to lightning, surging out of the mermaid’s hands and into the body of her captive. He let out a scream of pain, his arms thrust out to the side as every single muscle in his body tightened. When the killing spell subsided, the pirate’s smoking body collapsed on the deck.

  Ororis had claimed another victim.

  “That is what I think about unfinished business, Jones.”

  Sauntering closer to the god, she continued, “We cannot leave anything unfinished. If we do, then Captain Riggs will win… and I know you don’t want that.”

  “I’ve already told you many times, Ororis. Riggs will feel my wrath, and he will pay for betraying me.”

  The mermaid laid her hand on Hades’ chest, wistfully drawing him after her. She did not care about the bodies of the dead pirates that still lay on the deck. She just needed to keep the god of death wrapped around her finger.

  “Care to retire to your quarters for a while?” Ororis asked, seductively biting her lip.

  Before Hades could respond, a raspy voice said, “I would like to have a word, my lord.”

  Ororis looked past the god and saw the Dutchman’s first mate, the man that Hades called Grim. In the months that she had been aboard the ship, she had never seen his face… or even a bit of skin on the man. He looked like nothing more than a skeleton with black cloth wrapped over his bones. A scythe was strapped to his back, the weapon of choice for the mysterious crewmate.

  Hades’ attention slowly moved from the mermaid to his first mate. Begrudgingly, he let Ororis go, directing her to wait for him in the cabin.

  “I’ll just be a moment,” he said.

  “If you insist…” she replied, leaving him to take care of business.

  The god watched every step that she took, taking in every detail as she made her way back aboard the Dutchman. With every day, it seemed like his infatuation with her grew. The second that he heard her close the cabin door, his attention snapped back toward Grim.

  “What is it?”

  With his hands folded in front of him, Grim rasped, “How long will you be pursuing this mission of vengeance?”

  “Until I destroy the Red Sky and everything that Captain Riggs holds dear. Why do you ask?” said Hades, a bit confused why his first mate was even asking about something like that.

  “If you are so focused on Captain Riggs, then why are we leaving a trail of bodies in our wake?” asked Grim, avoiding the question.

  “Tell me why yer asking me these questions,” the god of death ordered.

  His hands still folded calmly in front of him, Grim said, “I know that it is my duty to follow you, my lord, but I really must protest what you are doing.”

  “That bastard betrayed me!” Hades growled, grabbing onto the black cloth covering his first mate’s face and lurching him forward.

  Grim remained calm and collected, even as he just barely regained his footing.

  “The only thing that I will do is urge you to really think about what happened in that cave. Find out why Riggs would want to betray you and Ororis. Try to see reason.”

  “I do see reason, Grim… and don’t tell me that I ain’t.”

  “I will not say a single word. As I said before, I am bound to serve you, but I can see when something does not seem right.”

  At that moment, Hades felt a twinge of doubt. Maybe his crewmate was right. Perhaps something had happened in that cave, something of which he had not been made aware. Was it possible that Ororis was lying?

  Before the thought could fully manifest itself, the god of death pushed it further into the recesses of his mind. It was preposterous to think that the mermaid was not telling the truth. She had changed for the better while the pirates of the Red Sky had sunk into a dark and evil place. Her word was truth, and everything else was a lie.

  Trying to calm himself, Hades let go of his first mate’s cloak, taking a deep breath as he straightened the hat on his head. With a determined look on the unburned side of his face, he laid his hand on Grim’s shoulder and began to speak very clearly.

  “I know I ain’t sure what happened in that cave, but Ororis is all that I have to help me find that out. She helped both me and Captain Riggs, the very man she had tried to kil
l a couple years ago. If any of us were to betray the other, it would be him. He has a history of betrayal, especially since he’s only captain because of a mutiny.”

  Hades stepped away from his first mate, his confidence returning. There was no doubt in his eyes as he made his way toward the door to his cabin.

  “Mutineers always get what comes to them, Grim… it’s just taken a little longer for Captain Riggs.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  As the stars shined down on the open sea, Riggs tossed and turned in his bed. He struggled to keep his eyes closed, finding it difficult to fall asleep. Unfortunately for him, it had become quite the normal occurrence. Rare were the days when he could collapse on the bed and be fast asleep in a moment. Instead, there were days that he did not even get a wink of rest.

  Images flashed in front of the Captain’s eyes. He could see Doc falling to the ground as Garrett stood there, holding the heart that he had just ripped from the old man’s chest. Red lightning flashed, coursing through both Julia and Petey One-Eye, causing them both to scream in pain. He could see the flames rising from the buildings of Rebelde as the pirates fled. Right in front of him, he could see Ororis’s blade slashing upwards, gauging deep into Coral Jack’s face and slicing through his eyeball. He watched his friend fall to the ground as the traitorous mermaid sneered at him.

  He could never get that sneer out of his head.

  Just as Ororis was about to pounce at Riggs, he sat up in the bed, wrenching himself out of the nightmare. Beads of sweat ran down his bare back as he sat there, breathing heavily.

  Beside him, Julia lay under the bed covers, still sound asleep. Turning his gaze toward his lover, Riggs watched as her shoulders rose and fell with the rhythm of her breath. She looked so calm and peaceful. The pirate could not help but envy her.

  Standing up from the bed, Riggs rolled his shoulders, trying to get the kinks out of them. He needed some time to just think, to clear his mind of all of the horrid things that he had seen. Not even bothering to put on a coat, he slipped his boots onto his feet and crept out the door, careful to not wake Julia.

  Once outside the cabin, Riggs took in a breath of fresh air. It smelled of salt water, a smell that the pirate welcomed more than most. The smell reminded him of his freedom.