by Ryan Gilbert
She was met by a door being slammed in her face.
Whether she could believe it or not, she was losing her control over the god of death.
CHAPTER TEN
Waves crashed on the beaches of a remote island. The skies were clear for as far as the eye could see. Seagulls flew down to the sandy shores, watching as their babies rushed away from the water that flowed toward them.
It was calm…
…until now.
FWOOM
Many miles away from the Dutchman, the tranquility of the island was shattered as the Red Sky appeared in a flash of blue lightning. The fierce light of the sun beat against the deck, forcing the pirates to squint. All of them were still chained to the mast, even as Sapphire tried her best to guide the ship back down into the water below.
Watching the fairy’s movements in careful anticipation, Riggs shouted up to her, “Saph, I think ye need to bring it down a bit more slow.”
“I’ve got it, Captain,” was the response.
The bow of the ship dipped down toward the island, aiming for the shallow waters of the beach.
“You’re goin’ too fast,” said Riggs.
His comments fell on deaf ears. Sapphire was far too focused on maintaining control over the ship and her powers. All of the remaining crew could see that they were approaching the surface of the water far too quickly.
“Brace yourselves,” the Captain warned.
Riggs, Julia, and everyone else clutched tightly to their chains, preparing for impact. The bow plunged into the sea, sending plumes of water shooting into the air. The tip of the bowsprit hit the surface and almost immediately flung into the air as the ship righted itself. The stern crashed into the water, sea foam and mist spurting high and coating the side of the ship.
F-WUMP
All of the pirates could hear the grinding coming from the bottom of the ship. With Sapphire just barely controlling the speed of their descent, the Red Sky had plowed into the sandy beach of the island. It slowly ground to a halt, jolting with a sudden stop that nearly threw the pirates off their feet.
*splash*
At the front of the ship, Riggs heard the anchor fall into the water, slamming into the sand with a loud thud. Had it been a normal situation, he probably would have scolded Sapphire for nearly crashing the ship. However, given that most of the crew had just barely escaped with their lives, now was definitely not a normal situation.
Without Sapphire, they would have all been dead.
In a blue flash, every single one of their restraints fell from their wrists. The unfortunate souls who had not been able to hold their breath fell to the deck as cold corpses. The instant that the living were set free, the pirates latched onto the person nearest to them and cheered. Ripper lifted both Coral Jack and Valera off the ground in jubilation. Clint pumped his fists in the air, thanking every god that he could name. Jasper and Morgan each ran across the deck, overjoyed to be free once more.
As the chains fell from their wrists, Riggs and Julia latched on to each other, holding the other tight like the world depended on it. It felt like a magical feeling flowing between them. They were just happy to be alive.
“My God, I love you so much,” said Riggs, letting out a sigh of relief.
“I’m so happy we can spend even just one more day together,” said Julia.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Turning to face the rest of the crew, both Riggs and Julia watched as the pirates surrounded Sapphire as she descended to the deck. The fairy could barely even find space to land as the crew flocked around her in exultation. Once she stepped foot on the deck, she let out a deep breath as she stumbled forward. She was exhausted.
“Are ye alright, Saph?” asked Riggs.
As she caught her breath, the fairy turned to face her captain. The smile on her face was as wide as it had ever been before. She held up her wand for Riggs to see it, but he was more focused on the pure elation on her face.
“Captain… I finally got it back. I got my magic back,” she squealed.
“Aye, that you did,” Riggs said with a grin.
“What’s the plan now, Captain?” asked Clint urgently.
“The Dutchman can’t be that far behind,” said Coral Jack.
Looking around at his crew, Riggs knew that the boatswain spoke the truth. However, since most of the crew had just escaped drowning, he knew they needed a rest. Food and water would definitely be in order.
Riggs directed his attention toward the island. He could see the ruffling of branches and leaves, even from his place on the ship. From what he could guess, he assumed that there was some wildlife living there. Hopefully, it would make for some good food.
After thinking it through for several moments, the Captain said, “Sapphire and Clint, stay with the ship. If it needs any repairs, fix it. Jack, Ripper, Val, Julia… all of ye come with me.”
“Where are we going?” asked Jack.
Pointing over the rail and toward the edge of the beach, Riggs said, “Over there.”
“Ye think that’s wise, Captain?” asked Clint.
“I think it’s what we need to do to survive for the time bein’,” Riggs replied.
Peering at Sapphire and his crew, he continued, saying, “We were all just nearly killed. When we were sinkin’ to the depths, that was the closest we’ve ever come to death. I don’t know about all o’ you, but I need time to get some food in me stomach and think things through. Capische?”
At that, everyone started to nod their heads, knowing they felt the same as their captain. Without wasting much more time, the remaining crew started to pack for a brief trip to shore.
“Everybody, grab a weapon. Who knows what’s waitin’ for us out there,” said Riggs.
As the Captain reached to his scabbard, he felt his stomach drop. He had nearly forgotten that his sword was no longer there.
“Saph, come ‘ere.”
“What is it, Captain?” the fairy asked as she hurried to his side.
“I’d like to know where my sword is… ye know, the one with Alystor’s magic potion.”
To Riggs’ surprise, Sapphire did not even have to answer. Quickly, she hurried to his quarters and rushed back to him almost instantly, holding his weapon.
“How did you even…”
“When you were knocked unconscious, I stole your sword and hid it out of sight. I was not about to let Ororis take it away,” said the fairy, pleased with herself.
The pirate grinned, saying, “Thank you.”
To that, the fairy just gave a humble smile, looking up at her captain. She did not have to say a single word because Riggs could already spell it out with her expression.
About a dozen or so men stayed behind to help Sapphire and Clint, but the rest followed Riggs and his friends, climbing over the rail and using a net to scale the side of the ship. With the water being so shallow, there was no need to use a longboat.
When they reached the bottom of the makeshift ladder, the water was nearly up to their chests, but they could still stand. Riggs led the way, trudging ashore and forcing his way through the water. Once he had reached the dry sand past the breaking tide, the pirate closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.
“Dry land ain’t never felt so good,” he said.
“I second dat,” said Ripper.
Behind them, Valera sat down at the edge of the water, transforming her legs into her purple fin. Laying back, she just let the tide roll over her scales, relaxing after the hours of terror that had transpired.
“Val, would ye mind bein’ a lookout?” asked Riggs.
The mermaid shook her head, basking in the afternoon sun.
“Not at all, Captain.”
“Good. Jack, stay here and get a fire goin’. We need somethin’ to cook with.”
“Aye,” replied the boatswain, stepping away from the group with several other crewmembers to go find some wood.
Turning his attention to Julia, Ripper, and the rest of his cr
ewmates, Riggs said, “All o’ the rest of ye, follow me. We’re goin’ to get some food.”
Once they heard about food, everyone started to picture their meal in their heads. Visions of roasted pork flitted in front of the pirates’ eyes, washed down with plentiful amounts of rum. Their mouths started to water at just the thought of it. Without any further waiting, the crew headed into the forest of trees, ready to weed out their dinner.
They would need it if they wanted to be fit for battle once more.
Inside her home, Wynona Alystor sat in her chair, her feet propped up on the table in front of her. She stared up at the ceiling, calmly swirling a glass of wine in her hand.
For her, it had been a calm day.
A breeze blew through the open door to her house, rustling her frizzled hair as it did so. A smile crept across her face as she kept staring straight ahead, not even looking at the door.
“Do come in, Ororis. There’s no need to hide. I know you’re there.”
The mermaid stepped into the doorway, glaring at Alystor.
“How did you know I was here?” asked Ororis.
Alystor smirked, taking a sip of wine as she started to leaf through the pages of one of her books.
“You have the scent of death about you,” she replied.
“Oh, do you think you’re being funny?”
“No,” said the magic-user abruptly, “I think I’m being quite accurate. Spilled blood carries with it a stench that I find to be quite… unique.”
Closing her book and turning her head to face the mermaid, Alystor asked, “What are you here for?”
Ororis leaned over the table, resting her hands at the edge. There was an irritated look in her eyes, but Alystor still would not meet her gaze.
“I want information.”
Letting out a sarcastic sigh, Wynona replied, “That seems to be a common thing now.”
“What does that mean?” asked Ororis.
Casting a sideways glance at her visitor, Alystor said, “You’re not the first to come to me asking for information. After his resurrection, Henry Every came to me for help, and not too long ago, Captain Riggs and his crew did much of the same thing.”
“What did they want to know?”
Alystor scoffed at Ororis, taking a sip of her drink.
“I won’t say,” said the magic-user.
Throwing her hands up in the air, the mermaid said, “Of course you won’t say anything. Why should I even expect you to?”
She pounded her fist down on the table, glaring at Wynona.
“Answer me this, witch. How am I supposed to defeat that damn fairy?”
Peering through her scraggly hair at Ororis, Alystor brought her hand to her face and tapped at her cheek in contemplation. No longer toying with the mermaid, she put some actual thought into answering the question.
After a minute of silence, Ororis growled in anger, “Do you have an answer or not?”
The tapping stopped immediately as Alystor’s green eyes met Ororis’s piercing gaze.
“I don’t.”
Ororis looked down at the magic-user and laughed.
“You don’t?” she asked, strutting around the table, “Sapphire is one measly fairy, and you don’t even know how to destroy her.”
“You of all people should know that there are limits to my magic. I can’t know everything,” said Alystor, calmly going back to reading her book, “No one can.”
“I’m not asking for everything… just one damn thing.”
“I don’t know it,” said the magic-user, shutting down the mermaid.
Her anger growing, Ororis grabbed her head and paced back and forth in front of the table. She did not come all that way just to leave empty-handed. She needed to leave with some sort of information.
Letting out a haughty laugh, Ororis said, “I should have known you were nothing more than a pitiful hermit. Even all those years ago when I first met you, I could tell you were nothing. I could only imagine what your mother would think of you now. I still remember when your mother helped me turn Captain Marstow to my side. She knew how to bring someone to their knees…”
The mermaid pointed to her tattoo of the sea serpent on her arm as she continued.
“…and she knew how to actually use magic.”
Not even paying attention to the tirade, Alystor shook her head calmly. As neatly as she could, she placed her glass on the table so she could face Ororis.
No sooner had she done that then Ororis flipped the table over with her bare hands. The magic-user’s serenity was frustrating the mermaid beyond belief.
“You think I don’t know how to use magic?” asked Alystor.
“I certainly do,” Ororis replied, simply out of spite.
“Well… allow me to remedy that thought.”
With lightning fast reflexes, Alystor snatched Ororis by the arm and yanked her closer. The magic-user’s fingers curled around the tattoo as she thrust her hand forward, clutching the mermaid by the head. Wynona’s green eyes enveloped all of Ororis’s vision as flashes of visions started to appear in front of the mermaid. She could feel a burning sensation coursing throughout her body, a sensation that only seemed to grow with each second that passed.
She saw a gathering of ships.
Cannonball fire.
A cluster of islands from when she had sailed the seas with Amos Marstow.
Red sails.
Ororis let out a scream as the burning became more painful than she could have imagined. Unable to take it a second longer, she ripped her arm away from Alystor, stumbling backwards as the memories of her visions still swirled in her head.
With a smile on her face, Wynona said, “I think that will teach you to never question my magic.”
Still in pain, Ororis raised her finger and pointed it straight at the magic-user.
“You and I are far from over.”
“I highly doubt that,” said Alystor, taunting the mermaid.
As soon as the magic-user stopped speaking, she could see the tips of Ororis’s fingers starting to drip with red sparks. Without even blinking an eye, Alystor raised her hand, green fire bursting from her fingertips.
“Do not test me, Ororis. Unless you wish to see how much I learned from my mother… and how much I surpassed her, then I would recommend you leave my home right now.”
Frowning at Alystor, the mermaid calmed herself, letting the red sparks disappear.
“Once I have destroyed the Red Sky, I will be coming back for you,” she said, threatening the magic-user as she strode confidently toward the door.
As the door swung shut behind Ororis, all Wynona could do was grin in anticipation.
“Ship spotted, sir,” shouted one of the many sailors rushing about on the HMS Salvation.
“What ship would that be?” asked Admiral Carter.
“It does not seem to be flying any colors, sir… and it’s glowing green.”
Making his way to the main deck of the ship, Carter said, “That would be the Dutchman then.”
Turning to the lieutenant at his side, he ordered, “Prepare for boarding.”
At the Admiral’s command, dozens of sailors and soldiers rushed to ready the ship to come alongside the supernatural vessel. Behind the Salvation, the entire armada kept their distance as the two ships sailed closer to each other. Whether they would admit it or not, most of the men were still frightened by the Flying Dutchman and the creatures that roamed its decks. They had come to expect the vileness of pirates, but the souls of the suicidal were completely different monsters entirely. The only man in the Navy that was not even remotely affected was Carter.
As the Dutchman came up alongside the Salvation, the lieutenant leaned over toward his superior and asked, “Admiral, are we certain we can trust these… erm… creatures?”
The Admiral answered, “Captain Jones is a smart man. He knows that trying to fight the English Navy is a futile endeavor. Even with his supposed powers, he is still no match for the armada.”
“Agreed, sir,” said the officer, though he was still not reassured.
Within minutes, the Flying Dutchman was anchored alongside the Salvation. Before the sailors could even react, a gangplank from the supernatural ship lowered from the vessel onto the deck of the Navy vessel. As quickly as they could, the soldiers snapped to attention as Admiral Carter made his way to the main deck. What had prompted this sudden meeting, he had no idea. He just hoped it was good news.
Thunderous footsteps started to rattle the gangplank as Hades strode across the gap between ships. With his disfigured face, it was difficult for Carter to even read his expression, but it was not impossible.
Anger seemed to fill the air around him as he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, glaring at the Admiral. Hades was furious.
“Captain Jones, how nice to have you aboard,” said Carter, greeting his guest.
“Spare us all the pleasantries, Admiral,” snapped Hades.
“How goes your search for the Red Sky?” asked Carter.
He could almost swear he could see smoke rising from the god of death’s hands.
“How do you think it goes?” growled Hades.
Carter had felt a sneaking suspicion that the pirates had managed to escape. Now, it was merely confirmed.
Stepping closer to the god, Carter said, “Tell me, Jones. How is it that someone with your power could lose to a pitiful band of ruffians like that?”
Hades locked eyes with the Admiral, and for a second, the Navy officer almost thought that he could see fire burning in his ally’s eyes. To his surprise, he still felt in control. He had something that Hades wanted, and that was reinforcements.
“I… did not… lose. I am still here. I am still standing,” said a furious Hades.
With grating calmness, Carter asked one simple question.
“Then why are you here?”
“What?” asked Hades, suddenly befuddled.
The Admiral continued, striding in a circle around the fearsome god.
“Why are you here if you did not lose? Surely, with all of your anger, you would want to crush those pirates. I cannot see an instance where you just let them get away, so… I ask again, why are you here?”