by Ryan Gilbert
Maggie shook her head.
“Riggs, not all of these m-men are here because they are running from Hades… or even Ororis for that m-matter. A lot of them are here because t-they just barely escaped from the Navy.”
Looking around at the crew of the Red Sky, Margaret continued, saying, “This war has become s-something bigger than anything you could have ever imagined. Everything is c-crushing down on us, and if we don’t fight back, we will all die for sure. Running will only p-prolong the inevitable. Nathan and h-his men know it. I know it. You k-know it. No one else d-does.”
With her magically gifted sight, the girl finished scanning the crew as her voice trailed off. Concern started to show on her face as she turned her gaze to the pirate captain.
“Riggs, is this your… entire c-crew?” she asked.
“No, there are still some…”
He stopped, suddenly realizing why she had asked.
It was because of Eli.
Turning to his crew and Ward, Riggs said, “There’s somethin’ that Captain Stephenson and I need to discuss. Just give us a couple minutes alone.”
The pirates nodded, everyone knowing what their captain meant except Ward. He obliged to follow the crew to where they stood. On her side, Maggie silently waved the skeletons away. Led by Ben, they stepped away, able to see the concern on their leader’s face no matter how much she tried to hide it.
Once they were alone, Riggs opened his mouth to speak, but Maggie put up her hand to shush him. Silently, she brushed her hair away from her face, and the pirate could see tears running down her face as the moonlight reflected off her wet cheeks. Taking a seat in front of the girl, Riggs wrung his hands as he tried to find the right words. There was so much that he wanted to say, but he could not make himself say it. Every single word was lost when he looked into the tearful eyes of his friend’s former fiancée.
When he finally did say something, it was all that he could manage.
“I’m sorry.”
Wiping at her tears, Maggie tried to control herself. She could only take so many deep breaths before she broke down again. Reaching her hand out to Riggs, she let him close his hands around it, trying his best to comfort her.
“It’s f-finally h-happened, hasn’t it?”
Riggs could only nod his head.
Letting out her breaths in short gasps, Maggie said, “I… I h-had him back. How is it t-that I have to h-hear that he died again?”
“If there is anythin’ I could do…”
“How did he die?” she asked quickly.
“What?”
“How d-did he die?”
Riggs took a deep breath, recounting what had happened at Yorktown.
“Admiral Carter shot him,” the pirate captain muttered.
Sniffling, Maggie said, “C-Carter? His own f-father shot him?”
Riggs nodded again.
“We were leadin’ an attack on Yorktown to try to free Julia’s family. We all thought it was goin’ so well. All we had to do was get past Carter. Eli was leadin’ us out… we all heard the shot…” Riggs took a deep breath and said, “He said that he loves you.”
As she started to fidget in her seat, Margaret stood up, pacing back and forth. The instant that Riggs stood up, she grabbed onto the collar of his coat. Her tearful concern and grief had turned to anger and vengeance.
“I will k-kill that bastard if it’s the last thing I ever do,” she said through clenched teeth.
Gently easing the girl’s hands away from his coat, Riggs replied, “Just let me know how you’re plannin’ on doin’ it, and I’ll be followin’ right behind ye.”
At that, Maggie went silent, looking over at the fires that dotted the beach. Riggs could see the pure dejection from her expression.
“If e-either of us is to face the Dutchman or the Navy, then we need to t-turn those men to our side.”
“I thought they were on our side… somewhat,” said Riggs.
The girl let out a sigh.
“They’re on our s-side as long as we stay here. Few of them w-want to fight. Most w-want to run. I’ve tried to get them to l-listen to me, but it just doesn’t work.”
Still trying to dry her eyes, Margaret asked, “Riggs, will you h-help me?”
For a few seconds, the pirate captain was silent. He let his eyes wander over the surroundings before turning his head back to look at the anchored ships and their crews. Slowly, an idea was starting to form in his head.
Turning back to Margaret, Riggs answered, “Aye.”
Before she could thank him, the Captain said, “Have your crew bring your ship out further in the water. I want every pirate on this beach to be able to see it.”
“And w-what will you do?” she asked.
With a grin, Riggs said, “I’ll do the same with the Red Sky.”
“But how will this h-help us?” asked a confused Captain Stephenson.
Looking out over the water at the Blind Justice, Riggs replied, “Every ship has its own reputation… and you and I have two of the most feared ships on all the seas. When your ship was still the Fancy, it was the vessel of the King of Pirates. My ship, on the other hand, is the only one that has faced Ororis, Hades, and the Navy. To a pirate, notoriety means everythin’, Maggie, and that is how we’ll get them on our side.”
With the sun rising over the sea, illuminating the dark and dismal clouds that covered the sky, Riggs made his way to the shoreline. It was there that most of the longboats were moored, providing a good sweeping view of the entire gathering of pirates. At his side stood both his crew and Margaret and her crew. Nathan Ward and his crewmates stood a bit further away, but they still waited to hear what the pirate captain had planned.
No one else seemed to pay them any heed.
Looking out over the sea, Riggs could see that Margaret had done just as he had asked. The Blind Justice sat out on the ocean, anchored at a point where every pirate on land could see her. Next to the vessel was the Red Sky, its red sails just waiting to be opened to head to battle. After his talk with Captain Stephenson, he had ordered Valera to head back to the ship and have Sapphire and the crew sail the ship over to where the pirates had all gathered. Getting the Sky unstuck from the sand was a difficult task, but they had managed to do it. Now, it sat out on the sea, awaiting its captain’s orders.
Riggs took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He had one shot at turning these men to his side.
He could not waste it.
Taking out his pistol, he aimed it up in the air and pulled the trigger.
BANG
The sudden, loud noise startled the pirates, sending them into a frenzy. Frantically, they fumbled around for their weapons, trying to find where the commotion had come from. It did not take them long for their eyes to settle on the young pirate captain with the smoking gun.
“Ah, good. Now I have your attention,” said Riggs, leaning against a longboat.
“Shut it, ye blowhard,” one pirate yelled.
“Oi, what’re ye doing? Do ye wanna bring the whole blooming Navy down on us?” shouted another.
The pirates crept forward, some of them pulling out their swords and others their pistols.
Reluctantly pulling out his sword, Riggs said, “I’m not here to fight, mate.”
“Then what are you ‘ere for?” asked one man, echoed by several others.
With a cocky grin on his face, Riggs swept his hand out towards the sea, saying, “I’m here to help ye win back your freedom.”
Almost instantly, the entire cluster of pirates burst into laughter.
“What can you possibly do?” laughed a pirate with barely any teeth.
“Do ye really think we need yer help? We still have our freedom.”
“Aye, but for how long?” Riggs shot back.
At that question, much of the laughter started to dissipate. Whether the outlaws wanted to acknowledge it or not, they knew that they were sailing on borrowed time. The god of death was coming for them, an
d if he did not get them, then the harbingers of justice would annihilate them. From their reactions, Riggs knew he had hit a nerve.
“Every day that ye sail these waters, there ain’t a minute that goes by where you’re not thinkin’ about seein’ the Union Jack on the horizon… or smellin’ the stench of death comin’ from the Dutchman itself.”
Looking around at the pirates, Riggs could see a few of them nodding their heads as they peered around at their crewmates.
“Do ye wish to be able to sail the seas like we did several years ago? Do ye wish to sail the seas with only mere men comin’ after you and not gods?” asked Riggs.
“Aye,” was the mumbled response that he heard.
“Then give me a chance to explain,” he said.
The crowd of pirates looked around amongst themselves, trying to determine if Riggs actually meant what he was saying. A quiet murmuring rippled throughout the men, their eyes darting toward the young pirate. After some quick, hushed discussion, they started to lower their weapons.
It was a sign for Riggs to continue.
Gesturing out over the sea, he asked, “Gentlemen… what do ye see out there?”
The pirates crept a bit closer, looking past Riggs and seeing the Blind Justice and the Red Sky anchored just off the coast.
“Come on, mates. Tell me. You’ve got to see somethin’,” the Captain asked, digging for an answer.
Directly in front of him, a ragged pirate replied, “I see two ships. What’s so special ‘bout ‘em?”
“I’ll tell ye what’s special about ‘em, mate.”
Pointing to Maggie’s ship, he said, “That right there… that’s the Blind Justice, but it ain’t always been called that. Up until Captain Stephenson took over, that ship was none other than the Fancy itself.”
Several pirates gasped, scrambling to get a better look at the ship.
“Yer not saying…”
“Aye, that I am,” said Riggs, “That ship is the very same ship that Henry Every used to become the King of Pirates.”
Nearly the whole crowd of outlaws turned toward Maggie and the skeletons with confounded looks. It was almost like they could not believe what they were hearing.
“Can ye confirm that, Ben?” Riggs asked to prove his point.
“Aye, we all used to be part of Every’s crew,” said Ben, answering the unspoken question on the pirates’ tongues, “We spent many years under Every, both as pirates and as what we are now. We were there when he used that ship to lay waste to those unfortunate enough to cross his path. We know its power, and it’s unlike anything ye have ever seen.”
“Thank you, Ben,” said Riggs, drawing the pirates’ attention again, “Now, gents, that second ship out there… that lovely, battle-scarred behemoth… that ship is mine. It’s the Red Sky, the fastest ship to sail these seas.”
“Why does that help us?” asked a voice from inside the crowd.
With a grin on his face, Riggs replied, “Because it’s the one ship Ororis hates. Standing behind the wheel of that ship, I have faced sea serpents, gods, mermaids, and even the Black Fog itself.”
Several older pirates let out guffaws and laughed at Riggs.
“You couldn’t ‘ave possibly done ‘at. The Fog disappeared years ago with Amos Marstow.”
“And I’m tellin’ ye that I saw that vessel and sank it to the bottom of the ocean,” Riggs argued, “Ororis raised it to fight me and me crew, but she could not defeat us. We gave her a taste of what steel and gunpowder can do. If we could do that to her then, we can do it to her now.”
Much to the Captain’s dismay, the pirates’ faces did not seem like they were turning to his side. Some seemed confused. Some seemed impartial. Most of them did not look like they were being swayed by Riggs’ argument.
Slowly, a man stepped forward from the crowd. He had an inquisitive air about him, like he was planning something. Within an instant, he locked eyes with Riggs and spoke.
“Ye may have beaten the Black Fog, but Ororis has the Flying Dutchman on her side now. That’s the ship o’ the damn god of death! How can we possibly hope to beat that kind o’ power?”
Riggs could feel his stomach drop. He could tell that the men were not going to be swayed by just two ships, no matter how notorious they were. Quickly, he had to come up with some way to keep their attention. Only then could he even have a chance of turning them to his cause.
As his hand brushed against the hilt of his sword, an idea struck him. If he could not convince the men with the ships, then maybe he could demonstrate the power that he had over Ororis and her magic.
“I’ve got a way to take away some of that power from her,” said Riggs, pulling his sword from his scabbard.
The pirate crossed his arms, skeptically watching as the Captain held the sword up for all to see.
“Ororis has magic that allows her to seduce men to her will. Right now, Hades is under her control because of that magic. This sword has been merged with magic so that it can take away her powers of seduction. All it takes is one prick, and a person can be freed from that control,” said Riggs, guessing at what he had to do.
Before the young captain could even finish his sentence and take a breath, several shouts rang out, “Show us! Show us!”
Before long, the entire crowd of pirates had joined in.
Rolling his eyes, Riggs turned to his crew and motioned to Valera to come forward. Almost instantly, the shouting of the pirates turned to whistling and mocking laughter.
“What do you want me to do, Captain?” the mermaid asked under her breath.
As he waved his hand nonchalantly at the crowd, Riggs said, “Use those seduction powers of yours.”
Valera sighed, looking around at the men that stood in front of her. In seconds, she had found a suitable subject, a pirate just a bit older than Coral Jack. He seemed spry enough, but she could tell that his mental faculties were not all there. With where his eyes were looking, he had little control.
Sauntering over to his side, she began to work her magic, feeling the barriers of his mind fall to her command before she even spoke a word. It seemed like even just the swaying of her luscious hips was enough to seduce the pirate.
“You there…” she said, pointing at the pirate.
The man looked to either side of him, speechless as the mermaid stepped ever closer to him. There was no way he could resist.
“Is there something you want? Something you like?” she asked, staring into the man’s eyes.
“Oh, you’ve no idea, lass,” he spurted, reaching for her like a hungry animal reaches for food.
Quickly, she caught him by the hand and slid behind him, running her delicate hands across his shoulders.
“I have a pretty good idea,” she hissed in his ear like a snake.
That only seemed to drive him into an even crazier frenzy.
“Do you know what I want you to do for me?” she asked him, casting a sideways glance at Riggs.
“Anything,” he said, fidgeting like a lovesick puppy.
“I need you to kill one of these men for me,” she said.
The pirate immediately ripped his sword from his scabbard, ready to fight to the death. The entire crowd of outlaws leapt backward, trying to keep away from the madman.
However, before the man could even take two steps, Riggs snuck up behind him, slicing his sword across the back of the man’s hand. The pirate dropped his weapon as he held his hand in pain. It was only a flesh wound, but the surprise of the strike caused it to hurt more. The crowd took several steps forward, glaring down at the man, but he did not even try to reach for his sword.
Valera crept up beside him, saying, “Will you not do as I desired?”
With a terrified look in his eyes, the pirate scrambled to get away from her, shouting, “No chance in bloody hell!”
Slowly, all of the attention turned back to Riggs as the mermaid rejoined the crew of the Red Sky.
“Are ye satisfied?” asked the Captain.
He could see a couple heads nodding, albeit begrudgingly.
“Can’t you see that we can beat Ororis? If I can get aboard the Flyin’ Dutchman, then I can take away her biggest ally. Hades is not attackin’ us because he wants to. He’s attackin’ us because that blasted mermaid wants us all dead.”
Climbing onto one of the longboats resting on the sand, Riggs pointed out to the Blind Justice and the Red Sky.
“Take away the Dutchman and there is nothing out there that we’ve not faced before. The Navy is somethin’ we’ve been fightin’ our whole lives. We can take ‘em.”
The Captain could hear the pirates standing in front of him muttering amongst themselves. It did not take long for someone to speak up.
“Aye,” said one pirate.
“Aye,” said another, this time a little louder.
“Aye,” shouted several men.
Soon, the ruckus grew even louder than it had ever been before. Riggs felt a tingly feeling run up his spine as he watched the crowd turn to his side. It felt good. It felt inspiring. It felt empowering.
Now that was what notoriety felt like.
As he held his sword high above his head, Riggs shouted, “So tell me, gentlemen, will you follow me into battle against the Navy and the supernatural?”
“Aye!” they shouted.
“Will you help to save our freedom from the crushin’ hand of justice?”
“Aye!”
“Will you help the one crew who defeated Ororis before to destroy her once and for all?”
“Aye!” said only Maggie’s skeleton crew and the crew of the Red Sky.
The other pirates were much less enthusiastic.
“Are you trying to put yerself over us?” one man demanded to know.
“What? I…” stammered a confused Riggs.
“Don’t try to tell me that you’re better ‘n me, boy,” growled an old pirate.
It was surprising how quickly the crowd could turn on someone.
“We’ll take that sword from your corpse!”
“Insulting me will get your throat slit,” said one pirate as he pulled a dagger from his belt.
“Oh, bugger,” Riggs muttered, holding his sword in front of him and slowly starting to back away.