by Ryan Gilbert
“To shield from all manners of harm and evil in this world?”
“I do.”
At that, Clint turned to face Julia. Once he started talking, it almost seemed like she had been woken from a dream.
“Julia Hamond, do ye take this man to be yer husband?”
“I do,” she said, tears starting to well up in her eyes again.
“To support and love?”
“I do.”
“To guide on the right path?”
“I-I do,” she stammered as a tear ran down her cheek.
“To fight beside and lead to a better place?”
“I do,” she said as her bottom lip started to quiver.
Nodding his head toward both Riggs and Julia, Clint started to chuckle. Riggs could feel Julia squeezing his hands in anticipation as they waited for the temporary captain to speak. However, instead of speaking at first, Clint rested his hand on Riggs’ shoulder.
Talking so that only the bride and the groom could hear him, Clint said, “You can have your ship back, Captain. Now kiss your wife before her tear ducts burst.”
They did not have to be told twice.
Riggs pulled Julia into a tight embrace just as she brought her hands to rest on his face. The instant that their lips locked, they felt the magic of true love rushing through them.
It all felt so unreal. The moment that they had both dreamed about had finally come to pass.
They were now finally made one with each other.
As their kiss ended, Julia said tearfully, “I only wish my mother and father had been here to see this moment.”
Gently brushing the hair away from his wife’s face, Riggs said, “I’m sure they’re lookin’ down on ye right now. I know they could see this moment… even if they’re not here.”
“I love you so much,” she said, wiping her tears and kissing Riggs once again.
“And I love you even more, sweetness,” said Riggs, holding tightly to the girl.
All around them, the crew was cheering, but neither Riggs nor Julia could hear them. For the moment, they were lost in their own world, their own world where they felt complete.
It was a moment they would remember forever.
Even though they could not see them all, Riggs’ and Julia’s friends on the Sky were all overcome with emotion. From behind the happy couple, Clint was clapping as hard as he could. Valera had latched on to Coral Jack, awestruck at what she had seen. Jack was cheering louder than anybody else. At his other side, Ripper was cheering as well, though there was something even more surprising with his response.
“Are you crying, Rip?” asked Jack.
Wiping his eyes as he blubbered away, the Jamaican gunner said, “Dat was just so beautiful.”
“Damn,” was all that the surprised boatswain could say.
Once the cheering died down, the crew heard someone yelling, supposedly having been drowned out by the ruckus from before. The pirate who was causing the commotion was trying to hurry through the crowd, but it was rather difficult.
Still holding Julia by the hand, Riggs ordered, “Let the man through.”
At their Captain’s bidding, the crew split to make a path for their crewmate to get by them. Panting, the man rushed up to Riggs, holding a spyglass.
“They’re coming, Captain,” he blurted.
Calmly, Riggs pulled Julia closer to him to that his arm draped across her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulders, waiting to hear word on what exactly was happening. With his free hand, Riggs lifted the spyglass to his eye and peered out over the sea.
Scanning the horizon, he could see dozens of dark shapes outlined by the bright colors of the sunrise. Even from that distance, he could see that they were ships. The Flying Dutchman and the Navy had found them.
Good.
The battle of a lifetime was about to begin.
Lowering the spyglass, Riggs said, “Signal the other ships and let ‘em know we’ve got the enemy in our sights. Man the cannons and prepare to fire when ready.”
Turning to Clint, he ordered, “Mr. Wayko, I want this ship’s sails to be full o’ wind when we reach that armada. Capische?”
“Aye, Captain,” said Clint, hurrying to direct the crew.
Riggs climbed the stairs to the helm, standing at the railing in front of the wheel.
“Gentlemen, today we take back the sea. Those bastards will know the terror of our cannons, and we will run them through with the very steel we hold in our hands.”
Yanking his sword out of his scabbard, Riggs yelled, “This is the era of piracy… and this is the era of the Red Sky.”
Once more, the crew let out a cheer as they all rushed to complete their tasks. Taking hold of the wheel, Riggs looked down at Julia. He could see a bravery in her eyes that he had not seen before. They were both more invigorated than they should have been, given their odds.
“Are ye ready, love?”
“With you, I’ll always be ready.”
Onboard the Flying Dutchman, Hades handed his spyglass back to one of his disfigured hunters. What he had seen made his blood boil and his fingers clench.
It was a whole pirate fleet, and it was supposedly being led by the Red Sky.
Why would they follow a bunch of murderous, conniving betrayers like Captain Riggs and his crew? It made no sense to him why they would want to help those pirates.
“What is it, Jones?” asked Ororis, hanging on the arm of the god of death.
“That cretin has a whole fleet on his side now,” growled Hades.
“What?”
Stunned, the mermaid snatched the spyglass from the hunter and spun to face what Hades had seen. Sure enough, there were a whole group of pirate ships sailing toward them. She could see the red sails leading the way, flanked by the Adventure Prize and a vessel that looked eerily like the Fancy.
“It seems Captain Riggs is quite resourceful,” she muttered through clenched teeth.
“Aye… that it does,” said Hades.
Flames started to crawl up the god’s fingers as he glared over the waters at the pirates. He could feel his rage growing inside him. He desperately wanted to destroy the people who had betrayed him and left him to die.
Noticing the flames, Ororis tried to calm Hades, gently gliding her hand across his shoulders. If they wanted the pirates to be thoroughly annihilated, she could not have him becoming fatigued from using his magic too much.
“Jones, please calm down.”
“Do not tell me what to do,” he ordered.
Sliding in front of Hades, Ororis let her seduction magic seep into the god’s mind like a fresh dose of poison, trying to keep the god under her control. She could feel it working, but only barely.
“Darling, give me a chance to take them on,” she said.
Hades let out a deep breath, slowly succumbing to the mermaid’s magic.
“Ye can’t take them alone,” he said, questioning her, “Even with your power, there is no way that you could take on all of those ships.”
Snickering, Ororis said, “In this form, you are right. I wouldn’t stand a chance. However… you’ve seen what I can do in a rather different form…”
With that, she flipped her arm over, revealing the tattoo of the sea serpent to Hades. It was their best chance for a sneak attack.
“Do it,” Hades ordered, helping Ororis climb up onto the rail.
Before the god of death stepped away, the mermaid blew a kiss to him, trying to keep her illusion of love intact. The smile on his deformed face told her that he was still under her spell. Laughing to herself, Ororis dove into the water below, transforming her legs into her black fin.
Once she was a safe distance away from the Dutchman, the mermaid looked down through the water at her tattoo. As she had done several times before, she placed her hand on the image of the serpent and tried to clear her head. In her mind, she focused as hard as she could on the process of morphing into the deadly creature.
She could just imag
ine the Red Sky covered with the mangled bodies of dead pirates. She would especially relish sinking her teeth into Riggs’ flesh.
She could feel her metamorphosis start.
It would be glorious.
“NO!” a voice screamed inside her head.
A blinding, green light flashed in front of Ororis’s eyes, disorienting her for a couple seconds.
“This is what happens when you question MY magic,” said the voice of Wynona Alystor.
All of a sudden, Ororis’s arm started to burn with pain. Bubbles started to form in the water as the black ink of her tattoo turned red hot. She let out a scream of agony as she clutched at her arm, scratching frantically at the skin. The water around her arm turned dark red with blood as her fingernails dug into her skin, very nearly ripping the outer layer of her skin clean away. Still, the burning would not stop.
Just trying to stop the pain, the mermaid shouted, “Vulnus vita!”
Much slower than she would have liked, the magic spell worked its way across her arm, stitching the skin together, only this time, there was a rather nasty surprise for Ororis.
Where her tattoo had been was a black splotch, like her arm had been covered in soot. In the middle of the blackness was a scar that spelled out one word.
ALYSTOR
Ororis could still hear the magic-user’s laugh ringing in her ears.
As the pain gradually subsided, the mermaid quickly swam back to the Flying Dutchman, holding her arm tightly. She tried propelling herself out of the water, but she just barely made it to the rail. Smashing into the wood, she tumbled onto the deck of the helm, landing right at Hades’ feet.
“What happened?” he asked, concerned.
Pointing to the scar on her arm, Ororis said, “That… that witch did this to me. She stole that magic from me.”
“Do you still have the magic from Every’s sword?” Hades asked.
“Yes… yes, I believe I do.”
Helping the mermaid to her feet, Hades glared across the water at the Red Sky, asking Ororis, “What shall we do about your plan of attack?”
Still holding her arm, the seething mermaid said, “We change the plan. Let the armada weaken them, and when their supplies are nearly exhausted, we strike them down.”
Slowly, Hades slid his sword out of its scabbard. The skull at the hilt shined as the sun peaked through a hole in the tightly woven clouds. He held the weapon in a strong grip, his eyes shifting back and forth from the Navy to the pirates.
“It’s a moment I anxiously await,” he growled.
The battle was about to begin.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BOOM BOOM BOOM
FABAM
KEBOOM KEBOOM
Cannons on all sides fired as the pirates met the full force of the armada. All of the ships scattered, trying to avoid colliding with each other. The reckless nature of the pirates worked to their advantage in the early stages. None of the pirates were used to fighting in a clearly defined formation, unlike the Navy sailors. Those who had just been trained fell prey to the cannons and the muskets of the outlaws.
The Red Sky led the way, using its chase cannons to blow holes in the closest Navy vessel. With a maniacal laugh, Riggs spun the wheel to the side.
“Fire the starboard cannons,” he ordered.
BOOM
BOOM
FEBOOM
A shot from the Navy ship caught the pirates by surprise, but it just barely skimmed the side of the Sky.
BOOM
The pirate ship’s assault blew through the commanding officer’s quarters, taking out the stairs to the helm in the process. Several soldiers were blown into the air, their arms and legs flailing as they crashed hard into the deck.
All around them, the crew of the Red Sky could see the massive battle starting to unfold. Cannonballs exploded in midair, the two sides literally colliding. Smoke rose to the heavens, creating a screen through which the meager sun could barely shine. Screams and yells echoed across the waters as the fighting raged.
FEBOOM
Another shot from the Navy ship blasted a section of the rail away from the Red Sky. As quickly as he could, Ripper tossed a grenade into one of the open portholes of the Navy ship, watching the interior of the vessel light up with a flash of light and a loud bang.
Riggs, on the other hand, was much more concerned with what was happening behind the vessel.
Between the sails, he could see a massive ship, slowly sailing toward them. He had seen it before, and he had dreaded seeing it again.
It was the HMS Salvation.
“Oh, bugger,” said Riggs.
Hastily spinning the wheel away from Admiral Carter’s ship, the Captain set his sights on the one place that he needed to reach. That was the Flying Dutchman. Yes, it was dangerous. Yes, it carried some of the most dangerous creatures that he had ever seen.
But it was captained by the one man who had once been a staunch ally.
They needed him brought back to their side.
Pulling Clint to the wheel, Riggs said, “Mr. Wayko, I need you to get us over to that monstrous ship before Carter decides to use us for target practice. Got it?”
“Aye, Captain,” Clint replied, gripping the wheel with a determined look on his face.
“Riggs, we’ve got company!” shouted Julia as she stood on the stairs.
Sure enough, nearly a dozen sailors swung over from a passing Navy vessel. Their swords were drawn before the pirates could even get in one shot.
Metal clashed with metal as Riggs and Julia joined the fray. One of the sailors rushed at Julia, trying to gut her. Slyly, she spun out of the way, allowing Riggs to clothesline the man. A quick cut to the jugular brought an end to the sailor’s will to fight. With blood spilling onto the deck, his life soon followed.
“This how ye thought ye’d be spendin’ your honeymoon?” Riggs asked Julia, crossing swords with another boarding sailor.
Narrowly missing a strike from an attacker, Julia replied, “Not even close.”
“Somethin’ a bit more fun, ye think?”
“More romantic is a bit more like it,” said Julia, stabbing a sailor through the arm.
Launching his fist into the face of a sailor, Riggs said, “Don’t worry, love. That comes later.”
Even as the pirates fought the sailors, more seemed to join the fray. The red coats just seemed to multiply. Ripper tried his best to keep the attackers from reaching the lower decks, shooting and reloading his pistols as fast as he could. Coral Jack and Valera doubled up their attacks, catching several sailors by surprise. The mermaid’s fangs and mouth were already drenched with the blood of her enemies.
As the cannons of the Navy vessels blasted away at the pirates, Riggs dodged between the clashing swords and the dueling sides. In the middle of the deck, he locked blades with a man, using his momentum to spin both of them around. To his misfortune, the sailor rolled with the attack, seizing the moment and kicking the Captain back against the mast. Without even a moment to catch his breath, Riggs dropped to the ground as the man swung his sword at where the pirate’s head had been. Grabbing the man’s coat, Riggs yanked him into the hard wood and incapacitated him.
“Val!” Riggs yelled.
“Yes, Captain?” the mermaid replied as she let go of a bleeding soldier.
Riggs pointed at the Navy ships that seemed to crowd the sea.
“We need a diversion,” he said, trying to avoid being killed, “We can’t take ‘em all on.”
“Any specifics?” asked Valera, jumping onto the rigging and kicking a boarding sailor into the water.
“Bloody hell, just do somethin’,” shouted Riggs.
A couple seconds later, he saw the mermaid say something to Coral Jack. The boatswain nodded, almost immediately going back to fighting. Valera jumped onto a cannon and vaulted over the rail, diving down into the sea.
As Riggs caught fleeting glimpses of everything happening around him, he could see an ocean that had fallen
into the depths of utter chaos. At the helm, Clint guided the ship as best as he could, weaving between pirate ships and Navy ships. Trying to keep the Flying Dutchman in sight was difficult, but he still managed to do it. There were moments when he would lose sight of it, but all it took was a couple seconds to find it.
Hurrying up the stairs to the helm, Julia stood at Clint’s side, her sword raised and ready to defend him if the need arose.
“I’m really hoping Riggs has this thought through,” he said as a section of the rail was peppered with musket fire.
“So am I,” said Julia.
“One on the right,” the navigator shouted.
Quickly, the girl rushed to the stairs on the starboard side, swinging her sword at the railing. Her blade cut into a sailor’s hand, severing three fingers. A quick kick to his stomach sent him tumbling down the stairs, blood pouring from his hand.
Looking down at the deck, Julia watched her husband as he fought against whatever Navy attacker came his way. Silently, she desperately hoped that he had a plan.
She had no idea what would happen if he did not.
“Sapphire, there’s two ships tailing the Sky.”
The fairy and Ward stood at the helm of the Adventure Prize, trying to follow behind the Red Sky. Neither of them could tell if it was Clint or Riggs steering the ship, but whoever it was, they were being awfully risky with their maneuvers. It had caught the attention of two Navy vessels eager to destroy the ship.
Directing Ward to handle the wheel, Sapphire hurried down to the deck, getting as close as she could to the rail.
“Hard to starboard, and let them have the cannons,” the fairy ordered.
With monstrous creaking, the Prize swung to the side, its portholes open with the cannons ready to unleash their payloads.
KIBOOM
KIBOOM
KIBOOM
The cannonballs flew through the air, smashing into the Navy ships and splintering wood. One cannonball blew apart the windows of the one ship’s captain’s quarters, sending glass flying into the water.
“Shot on target,” yelled Ward.
“Yes,” said Sapphire, twirling her wand like it was a streamer, “Now, let’s give them something to really draw their attention.”