Era of a Red Sky

by Ryan Gilbert

  Alystor shrugged.

  “Why should I?”

  Before the girl could say anything more, Riggs held up his hand, quietly telling her to drop the matter. They were not accomplishing anything by arguing. Wynona Alystor was already mysterious enough as it was. They did not need to potentially make things worse by demonizing her.

  “How long until we reach where we need to be?” asked Riggs, taking the attention away from the dead body.

  Peering back over her shoulder, Alystor gave the pirate crew a calm, unblinking stare. Green tendrils of magic swirled around her fingertips as she pointed in front of her.

  “We’re right where I need us to be,” she said, and with a swish of her hand, candlelight lit up the windows of her home. It had blended in to the trees so well that the pirates had not been able to see it in the darkness of the night.

  “Do come in,” she said, pulling the door open and ushering the crew inside. They were a bit hesitant, but they eventually made their way inside. None of them could believe their eyes.

  The inside of Alystor’s home was full of all sorts of objects, many of which seemed to have no purpose. Parchments covered the floor and the various pieces of furniture in the room. So far as the pirates could tell, there was no semblance of order at all. Even their quarters on the Red Sky were more presentable than that. As Coral Jack reached down to pick up a strangely shaped bottle, a burst of green energy wrapped around his hand, stopping him from reaching it.

  “Don’t touch my things,” Wynona said, calmly shaking her head.

  “It’s just a bottle,” Jack muttered under his breath.

  Hearing the boatswain’s remark, the magic-user replied, “If you would like to be breathing through the back of your neck while a beetle crawls around inside your still-beating heart, then be my guest.”

  Coral Jack immediately withdrew his hand.

  As Riggs and his crew observed the weird and interesting objects that lay strewn around the house, Alystor threw her arms down on a table and pushed everything to the side. Papers and bottles flew everywhere as she cleared a space and sat down across from the pirates.

  “Have a seat, Captain Riggs,” she said, gesturing toward the chair opposite her.

  Without even a bit of hesitation, Riggs sat down in the chair, resting his elbows on the table. He ran his hands through his scraggly hair, pulling it away from his face so that Alystor could see the look in his eyes.

  “Alright… I’m here. We’re all here. What is it we need to know, witch?” Riggs asked, demanding an answer.

  Twirling a finger absentmindedly through her hair, Wynona said, “There are a lot of things you need to know, but I will only tell you that which suits my needs.”

  “Damn it, just tell me!” Riggs shouted, pounding his fist on the table.

  A devious smile appeared on the woman’s face, unnerving the crew.

  “Now that’s the fire I wanted to see,” she said, her eyes starting to glow green.

  From behind Eli, a box of vials and jars flew to Alystor’s hand, surrounded by a green glow. Placing it on the table in front of her, the magic-user took out a glass and started to pour various different ingredients into it. Her eyes darted from one vial to another, scouring the strangely colored concoctions as she created an unusual mixture.

  “What are you doing?” asked Julia, watching from beside Riggs.

  Wynona froze, like an animal that had just been disturbed. Her eyes shifted from the glass to Julia, boring deep into the girl’s mind.

  “What am I doing? Why… I’m helping you,” she said, dropping a pinch of sparkling leaves into the glass.

  Much to everyone’s surprise, Riggs started to laugh.

  “How is a drink goin’ to help any of us? If I would’ve known that, I would o’ stuck to rum,” he said.

  At that, a frown appeared on Alystor’s face.

  “You are mistaken, Captain Riggs. This is no drink.”

  Before any of the crew could react, Wynona thrust her hand forward, green tendrils blasting forward and snatching Riggs’ sword right from his scabbard. The pirate captain lurched to his feet, trying to grab his weapon, but the tendrils pulled the sword right into the magic-user’s waiting hand. In an instant, all of the pirates tried to ready their weapons, but found that they could not. Ripper, Jack, and Eli looked down at their hands, now surrounded by a green glow, keeping them from even raising a finger to stop whatever Alystor was planning.

  Riggs tried to leap over the table, but a green blast hit him in the legs, causing him to fall face down on the table. He quickly scrambled to get to his feet, but another blast hit him in the face. He rolled off the back of the table, falling at the feet of his crew.

  “Every one of you, calm down!” Alystor shouted.

  A shockwave of energy hit the crew, sending them stumbling backwards. As they regained their footing, they tried to prepare themselves for another attack. Unfortunately for them, they knew that it would be nearly impossible against such a powerful being.

  Thankfully, no further attacks reached them.

  As the pirates stood tall and surrounded their captain, they slowly lowered their pistols and swords. The woman who stood in front of them was not attacking them. Alystor merely stood there with her arms crossed, still holding their captain’s sword and peering down at them like petulant children.

  Riggs slowly climbed to his feet, grabbing at his back.

  “Care to explain, lass?” he asked.

  Still holding onto the sword, the woman took the glass filled with the strange mixture and held it up for the pirates to see it. They could see the liquid inside the glass sparkle as it twirled in a circle.

  “This, you buffoons, is what will save you. This is the one way to escape from a mermaid’s seduction. If any of this mixture comes in contact with a person’s blood, then that person will be freed from their vile fate.”

  Taking the glass, Alystor tipped it over the blade of the pirate captain’s sword, letting it mysteriously soak into the metal itself. For a moment, the blade shimmered like it was wet, just as the last drop of the mixture melded with the weapon.

  Once a look of satisfaction appeared on her face, Wynona tossed the sword across the table, settling in front of the man from whom she had stolen it. Riggs reached down, feeling his blade.

  It did not feel any different.

  “I appreciate the gesture, Alystor…”

  “…but…” said the woman, sensing the pirate’s apprehension.

  “…but none of us are controlled by a mermaid.”

  “Not one member of your crew?” asked Alystor.

  Riggs shook his head.

  “What about former members of your crew?”

  “What are ye gettin’ at?” said the Captain.

  With a sigh, Wynona rested the tips of her fingers on the table and rolled her eyes at the pirates, saying, “What I’m getting at is David Thomas Jones, better known to you as Hades.”

  A cold chill ran down Riggs’ spine when he heard the name.

  “Hades is a traitorous bastard,” he said.

  “He was a member of your crew.”

  “So was Marcus Garrett!”

  “Garrett wasn’t seduced by the most powerful mermaid of all time,” said Alystor, surprisingly calm.

  Riggs let out a laugh, brushing aside Alystor’s statement.

  “Hades is a god. He made a choice.”

  “Are you really so sure of that?” asked an incredulous Wynona.

  Before the Captain could respond, the magic-user continued, “Do you even know how a mermaid’s magic works? It is all based on the strength of your will. That ‘god’ is a broken man. What Every did to him was enough to shatter his psyche. If I know Ororis, and I do, then she took advantage of that and used her magic to turn your ally into your most dreaded enemy.”

  Pointing at Riggs’ sword, Alystor said, “Even the tiniest of cuts will bring him back to your side. A quick stab to the chest might even help.”


  “How do I know this will work?” asked Riggs, twirling the sword in front of him.

  Alystor shrugged.

  “I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

  As Riggs carefully slid his sword back into his scabbard, he peered down at his weapon. He did not know what to do. He could barely trust Wynona. While he had been chasing down Henry Every, she had been assisting both him and his enemy. How could he trust someone whose only motive so far was causing chaos?

  Glancing over at the magic-user, the Captain said, “No… no, I’m not goin’ to take your word for it.”

  Casually walking around the table, Riggs stopped directly in front of Alystor. His friends could not tell if he was feigning confidence or if he was actually crazy, but it did not seem to faze the woman in front of him. Her eyes surveyed the pirate standing in front of her, watching for even the tiniest of reactions.

  What she saw surprised even her.

  Written on Riggs’ face was a determination matched by no other creature that she had ever seen. She could not tell if it was from fear or misplaced arrogance, but it gave the pirate a stronger spirit than Wynona had ever encountered in anyone else… even the King of Pirates himself.

  “Fair enough, Captain Riggs,” she said, masking her stunned reaction behind a stoic face, “What shall I do to win your trust?”

  Tapping at the side of her chin with a mocking look in her eyes, Alystor made her way over to a shelf, running her hand across several padlocked boxes. Her fingers moseyed across the wooden containers, eventually stopping on the last box. With a flash of her green eyes, the padlock cracked open, allowing Alystor to remove what was inside.

  Unable to see what the object was, Riggs was expecting Wynona to toss it onto the table half-heartedly, just like she had done with his sword. However, she did not. Very carefully, Alystor placed a small chunk of wood on the table, no bigger than her forearm.

  “What’s a bit o’ flotsam going to do for us?” asked Coral Jack just as Riggs motioned for him to quiet himself.

  From the way that Wynona was handling the wood, the Captain could tell it had some importance.

  As if to scold the boatswain, Alystor said, “This, Jack, is not just a bit of flotsam. It is wood from an ancient tree called the Gicmae tree. Wood like this is nearly impossible to find.”

  “What makes it so special?” asked Julia.

  All she could see was a hunk of wood.

  Holding the Gicmae wood in her hand just inches above the table, Alystor said, “This tree can channel magic… more specifically, my magic…”

  Wynona pointed at Sapphire and said, “…and your magic.”

  Startled, Sapphire pointed to herself, asking, “My magic?”

  Alystor nodded, still not looking away.

  “I think you’re mistaken, Ms. Alystor. Only a fairy’s wand can channel that magic.”

  “And who told you that?” asked Alystor, a tiny bit annoyed, “William Kidd?”

  Timidly, Sapphire gave a hesitant nod of her head. Riggs could see a hurt look on her face as Alystor ridiculed the legendary pirate captain. Kidd had been like a father to her. To hear his words be refuted hurt her.

  Thankfully, Wynona did not dwell on it for long. Instead, she walked around the table, heading straight to the fairy’s side. Sapphire did not meet the magic-user’s eyes, her fingers clenched tightly around her wand.

  “Look me in the eyes,” Alystor ordered.

  With an air of reluctance, Sapphire glared up at Wynona. Both magical beings stood mere inches apart, eyes locked together for several seconds. None of the crew knew what to expect.

  To their surprise, Alystor held out the Gicmae wood and handed it directly to Sapphire. The fairy looked down at the strange hunk in her hand, unable to formulate something to say.

  Leaning forward, Wynona said, “Captain Kidd may have known a lot about the sea, but he knew little about your magic. You have no idea how lucky you are. I could have turned you into ash right there on that beach, but I saw something that made me stop.”

  “And what was that?” asked Sapphire, mustering up the courage to speak.

  “Potential.”

  With a sly grin, Alystor pointed at the wooden block in the fairy’s hand and said, “Just keep whittling away at it and you’ll unlock its secrets. In your darkest hour, this little piece of wood might be your only chance for survival.”

  “Eh, Alystor,” said the voice of Riggs, “Speakin’ in riddles ain’t helpin’ us much.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Captain Riggs. Am I confusing your feeble little mind?” the magic-user asked, mocking the pirate captain.

  “No,” Riggs said bluntly, “I just want to know if ye are goin’ to be leadin’ us into a trap.”

  Alystor started to respond, but Riggs cut her off.

  “If you really were so powerful, then you would be able to show me my future. Only then will I take yer word,” he said, goading Wynona into doing what he wished.

  The crew held their breath, waiting for Alystor to respond. She appeared irritated, like a fly was constantly pricking her. That was just the reaction Riggs wanted. If she was annoyed, then maybe he could cheat some more information out of her.

  Peering at the Captain, Alystor said, “So you want to know your future, do you?”

  Riggs nodded his head, leaning back against the table. His hands rested on the edge as he calmly stood there, watching his manipulative handiwork.

  All of a sudden, Alystor’s eyes started glowing green once more. The veins in her hand quickly became the same color as she lurched forward, snatching Riggs’ wrist.

  “Be careful how far you push me, Captain.”

  Without warning, a fierce wind blasted against Riggs and Alystor. His coat and hair blew to the side, nearly knocking him to the ground. He could still see Alystor standing in front of him, her hand still clutching his wrist. In a whirling windstorm, they were the only two that he could see. His crew was gone. Wynona’s house was gone.

  In the blink of an eye, that all changed.

  Quickly brushing his hair away from his face, Riggs laid eyes on where they were. Water lapped at his feet, even as the sand slid away from the undersides of his boots. On the beach lay several ships, marooned and burning as the bodies of the dead fell into the water below.

  They were back on Isla de Dolor.

  “Tell me this is just a vision,” Riggs gasped as he looked over toward where Alystor stood.

  The magic-user simply stood there, looking at something past the ships.

  “Yes, Captain, this is just a vision, but I’d imagine it’s not what you were expecting. Come here.”

  Pointing out to the open sea, Alystor directed Riggs’ attention to quite the familiar ship. Flashes of light and explosions finally caught the captain’s eye, even as the ship seemingly started to sink. The gray and green sails remained above the water for only a few more moments before a shockwave of energy blasted outward from it.

  “That… that was the Black Fog,” stammered a shocked Riggs, “but we destroyed that ship.”

  Smirking, Wynona replied, “Indeed you did. You’re seeing the first time that it met that same fate.”

  Peering out over the ocean riddled with destruction, Alystor said, “Would you believe I first met Ororis when I was just sixteen? I was just a young girl, but I could still see the hatred and anger that dwelled inside her. Hearing of her supposed death at the hands of Marstow was… let’s just say it was a relief.”

  With that, the scene shifted. The sands of Isla de Dolor slipped away, changing instead into what looked to be the opening of a cave. Riggs could still hear the water as it crashed against the rocks. The sea flowed into the cave, but there was not enough light for the pirate to see what lay within.

  “What’s this supposed to be?” asked Riggs, uncertain what to make of what he saw. Curious, he stepped closer to the cave, trying to see inside.

  “I’ve already shown you the relief of the past. This… this, on the
other hand, is a possible future for you, Captain Riggs.”

  “Possible? What do you mean?”

  Alystor shook her head, laughing as she did.

  “You foolish boy,” she cackled, “There is not one single future to show. Every step you take and every choice you make leads to a different outcome.”

  Scrambling even closer to the entrance to the cave, Riggs shouted, “Then show me this one path. Show me what is inside that cave.”

  “I have no control over what you can and can’t see, Captain.”

  Without warning, Riggs grabbed the magic-user by the shoulders and growled, “Tell me what you see then. Is it my ship or is it a bunch of rottin’ corpses?”

  Before Alystor could respond, a flash of red emanated from the cave, shifting the scene once again. The blackness of the cave swirled up into the sky, mixing with gray tones to create storm clouds. A horrendous wind started to whirl around them, whistling in their ears.

  “What are you bloody doin’?” Riggs shouted at Alystor, “Bring us back to the cave.”

  To his disgust, she did not seem to be paying attention to him. Even as he gripped her shoulders, her eyes still fluttered all around him, a dark green glow replacing the bright green of earlier. All of a sudden, Wynona let out a scream as tears rolled down her face. Mist started to rise from her palms, and she latched onto Riggs as tightly as she could.

  From the magic-user’s actions, the Captain could sense that something was wrong.

  The look in Alystor’s glowing eyes said it all. He had pushed her too far. Inside this shared vision, she had no control. It was the first time that he had seen a look of sheer panic in the woman’s eyes.

  “What did you do?” Riggs shouted over the howling of the wind.

  “I don’t know!” she shrieked, panicking.

  The ground shifted, dropping Riggs and Wynona straight into cold water. Flailing in the dark sea, Riggs could not see anything, save for when lightning flashed in the heavens. Thrusting his head above the surface of the water, Riggs could see Alystor at his side, her hair matted to her head. However, it was not the magic-user that he noticed first.

  It was the ship sailing straight toward them, a brig with dark green sails. In a lightning flash, Riggs could see what looked to be the Red Sky behind the vessel, but it was too quick to be sure.