Era of a Red Sky

by Ryan Gilbert

  As he reached the table in the back of the room, he took a quick look underneath, seeing nothing but blackness. If he could not find Riggs by just looking, then he would have to resort to using magic.

  The Captain had no chance of escape then.

  Placing his hand on the table, Hades let a pulse emanate from his hand, scouring every inch of the cabin. He would find the pirate. He knew he would.

  *SHINK*

  Before Hades could even react, Riggs had thrust his sword directly through the underside of the table, piercing all the way through the god of death’s hand. Hades let out a ferocious yell, grabbing at his bleeding hand as the pirate captain threw off the dark cloak that he had used to hide himself.

  Almost instantly, Hades felt a weight start to disappear from his shoulders, but he could not tell what it was. Still angry, he swung his sword at Riggs, forcing the pirate to block it.

  “Do I have yer attention?” asked Riggs, gleefully watching the blood drip from the god’s hand.

  “Ye’ve always had my attention. I want to…”

  “… to kill me? I know that,” Riggs spat.

  With renewed strength, the Captain pushed forward with all of his might, driving his foe backward. For once in the battle, Hades was starting to get winded. His energy seemed to be sapped from his body. It was all that he could do to keep Riggs from slicing his throat.

  “You want to fight back against your betrayer. You want to make me pay for trying to kill you when you were weak,” Riggs shouted as sweat poured from his forehead.

  With a strong swipe, the Captain knocked Hades’ sword from his hands. As the skull-hilted sword fell to the ground, Riggs pointed his blade at the deformed neck of the god of death, driving him back against the table.

  Hades could not believe it.

  He had been beaten.

  Panting, Riggs said, “You lose, Hades.”

  The god of death glared at the pirate, waiting for him to thrust his sword forward. His own realm awaited him.

  Spitting at Riggs’ feet, Hades said, “Go on… kill me. It’s the one thing ye’ve failed to do.”

  With a grin on his face, the pirate replied, “Now that’s where you’re wrong, mate.”

  Riggs took a deep breath, slowly gathering himself. He locked eyes with Hades, making sure that the god could read his expression.

  “Tell me, Jones… does this look like I want to kill you?”

  Before Hades could respond, Riggs moved his sword away from his foe’s neck, letting it drop to the ground. Still looking directly at his former crewmate, he held his arms out wide, trying to help the god see his message.

  “All I needed was a tiny scratch to get ye to see me side,” said Riggs.

  Hades was vastly confused. The captain of the Red Sky had wanted him dead. As much as he wanted to see Riggs as a traitor, there was a part of him that knew his former friend’s actions did not align with those of a betrayer. It was a part of him that felt like it had been hidden for so long that it had almost disappeared. It felt like he was being rid of a poison, finally able to feel like his old self.

  “I am not here to kill you, Jones. I’m here to tell you the truth.”

  The god’s anger told him to roast Riggs with a storm of hellfire, but he found his ferocity to be subsiding.

  “Whenever Henry Every had beaten you, I tried to keep ‘im from killin’ you. I did what I could, but he was too much for me to handle. I was hangin’ off a ledge, clingin’ to Julia for dear life when Ororis… your real traitor… took Every’s sword and pierced his heart. She stole his powers and left us for dead. She damn near even blinded Jack.”

  Thinking back to when he had captured the Red Sky, Hades could remember the eye patch that covered Coral Jack’s eye. He had not thought anything of it before, but it was starting to make sense.

  “When we escaped the cave, Ororis had you and one other thing… a necklace in the shape of a heart. That wretched thing was hiding Old Magic, and none of us even knew about it.”

  Riggs stared inquisitively at Hades.

  “Did she ever mention that?” the Captain asked.

  From the shocked look on Hades’ face, Riggs knew his answer.

  It was then that both men heard a familiar voice call to them from the doorway of the cabin.

  “Riggs! Hades!” Julia exclaimed, hurrying into the room.

  “Love, what are ye doin’ here?” asked Riggs frantically.

  “I had gotten worried after neither of you came out of the cabin.”

  Hades watched, flabbergasted as the girl reacted with concern for not just Riggs, but also for him. He could feel the mental chains falling away with each passing second. That sort of reaction was another perfect catalyst for freeing Hades from the mermaid’s servitude. It awakened inside him a great sorrow, watching as two friends whom he had pushed away welcomed him back to their crew.

  “Are you alright, Hades?” asked Julia, seeing the god’s bleeding hand.

  The captain of the Flying Dutchman let out a sigh of relief, clenching his fist like it was nothing.

  “Yes… yes, I am,” he said, smiling at his friends.

  Now, there was only one thing left to be resolved.

  Out on the deck, all three could see Ororis leap onto the ship, the dead body of a pirate falling at her transforming feet.

  It was time to confront a traitor.

  Almost instantly, her glowing red eyes spotted Riggs and Julia standing in front of Hades.

  “Explosi crimen,” yelled the mermaid, throwing a ball of boiling magic at the two.

  FOOM

  Thankfully for Riggs and Julia, Hades threw them both to the side just in time. The magic exploded right where they had been standing. The god of death was unfazed by the explosion, sucking the flames into his hand with a mere gesture. Seizing his sword from the ground, he began striding toward Ororis, a scowl now on his face.

  “Jones, what did they do to you?” asked the mermaid, feigning concern as she tried to work her seduction magic on him.

  “They told me the truth,” he growled.

  Laying her hands on his chest, Ororis said, “The truth? I told you the truth months ago.”

  Riggs and Julia picked themselves up from the ground, holding their swords at the ready. Slowly, they stepped out from behind Hades, showing that they were ready to fight.

  Pointing at Riggs, Ororis shrieked, “He tried to kill you. He betrayed us.”

  With a snarl, Hades reached forward and snatched at the ruby heart necklace that hung from the mermaid’s neck.

  “When were you going to tell me that this contained magic?” he asked, glaring at the evil mermaid.

  The look on Ororis’s face was that of surprise and horror. She could see that her seduction was no longer having any effect on Hades.

  She had lost control.

  Without warning, an electric shock shot out of Ororis’s hands, burying itself in Hades. Letting out a cry of pain, the god of death grabbed the mermaid by the neck, tossing her through the air and toward the helm railing.

  She vanished in a puff of smoke before she could hit the wood.

  Motioning for Riggs and Julia to follow him, Hades quickly made his way up to the helm.

  “Ye might want to hold that sword a bit tighter,” he said to Riggs, “I’ve got a feeling we’re in for quite the fight.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Hades was right.

  Seconds later, Ororis appeared in a cloud of smoke, slashing her sword at Julia’s back. Thankfully, Riggs was able to spot her attack in time to save his wife. Before the Captain could even get in one bit of offense, the mermaid disappeared back into the smoke, reappearing on the other side of the helm. Hades blocked her attack, throwing her back into the smoke.

  “Both of ye, stand back to back with me,” he ordered, “That’s the only way we can hold her off.”

  The two pirates did as Hades said, hurrying to stand back to back. The cloud of smoke surrounded them like a ring. Ther
e was no telling where Ororis would appear next.

  Without warning, the mermaid leapt out of the smoke, but a quick parry from Julia stopped any further progress. Thinking on her feet, Ororis slid underneath Hades’ sword as it just barely missed her head, disappearing into the smoke on the other side of the group.

  As Riggs turned to see where their enemy had disappeared, he heard Julia shout, “Look out!”

  He just barely lifted his sword up in time. The golden sword of Ororis smashed against his blade, throwing him back against Hades and Julia.

  BOOM BOOM

  The sound of the Red Sky’s cannons caught Riggs by surprise for a moment. The villainous mermaid would not let that moment slip by. With a flick of her sword, she drove her blade across the Captain’s arm, ripping through his coat and shirt. Blood dripped from the wound, seeping past the jagged scar on his forearm. Thankfully for the pirate, Julia was quick enough on her feet to keep Ororis from skewering him before she disappeared once again.

  “Is everyone alright?” asked Hades, keeping his eyes peeled for the mermaid.

  Wincing a bit, Riggs replied, “It hurts like hell, but I can still fight.”

  “We need to get her out of this smoke,” said Julia.

  “Aye, we can’t even see her because of that infernal magic,” said Hades.

  Almost like she knew they were plotting an attack, Ororis lunged out of the smoke, her fangs bared. As she closed in on Hades’ weaponless side, the god of death blasted her with a quick burst of ice spikes, sticking in her like tiny harpoons. The attack was not enough to kill her, merely enough to slow her down temporarily.

  Darting past Hades, Julia tackled Ororis into the smoke, not daring to let go of her. As soon as they both fell past the surface of the smoke, it instantly seemed like they were spinning around in a circle, almost weightless. Julia suddenly felt nauseous, but she would not let go of Ororis, even as the mermaid tried to shake free.

  Just when Julia thought that she was going to throw up, both she and the mermaid fell downward. It only took a moment for her to realize that they were actually falling down toward the helm of the Flying Dutchman. In seconds, they would have plunged into the waters below. Reaching out her hand, Julia managed to grab onto the rail just in time to keep from plummeting to the waters below. The suddenness of the stop wrenched Ororis free of the girl’s hold, allowing her to dive underneath the supernatural vessel.

  “Hold on, Julia,” Riggs yelled, hurrying over to help the girl climb back aboard.

  SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

  Ororis shot out of the water on the other side of the ship, aiming straight for the three. Riggs was forced to his knees by the screech, and Julia was only barely able to cover her ears as she tumbled over the rail onto the relative safety of the helm deck.

  SCREEEEEEE-GCK

  The screech was cut short as Hades caught Ororis in midair by her throat. Her black fin fluttered as the wind was knocked out of her.

  With his other hand, Hades ripped the ruby necklace away from Ororis before she could react.

  “How does it feel to be the traitor?” Hades growled.

  The hand holding the ruby necklace started to crackle with magical energy, tiny sparks encircling the necklace. Gasping for air, the mermaid transformed her fin back into legs. As hard as she could, she drove her foot into Hades’ knee, causing it to buckle as his kneecap shattered. The god of death cried out, dropping Ororis to the deck as Riggs and Julia tried to rush over to help.

  Still on the ground, the mermaid spun around, whipping her legs into Riggs’ ankles and knocking him down. The Captain’s sword slid across the deck, falling in between the rails and into the sea. Julia tried to stab the villain, but Ororis sprung up from the ground. She was not about to let them reach the god of death.

  As the mermaid readied her sword to strike, Hades yelled, “Ororis!”

  Ororis, Riggs, and Julia all turned to see what Hades was doing.

  With one hand on his leg, the god of death held in his hand the necklace of Old Magic. There was a determined look on his face as he closed his fingers around it, his appendages dripping with sparks.

  “Jones, you don’t want to do that,” Ororis pleaded.

  “You can’t call me Jones anymore, you wretch. I’m no longer your slave.”

  With a *crunch*, Hades clenched his hand shut, crushing the ruby.

  “No!” shouted Ororis.

  Almost instantly, the wind started to pick up. The mermaid’s body started to twitch as the magic of the ruby started to seep from her pores. She was doing all that she could to keep herself in control, even as she lost magic. Her eyes flared red, like the light of a thousand burning fires.

  With her body shaking uncontrollably, she glared at Riggs and Julia, who were just now climbing to their feet.

  “You… did this to me,” she spat.

  Raising her hands toward them, she yelled, “Acer… Morte!”

  Immediately, red lightning shot from her hands, flying straight toward the two pirates. In that moment, they felt helpless.

  Just as it was about to hit them, both Riggs and Julia felt themselves get pushed to the side as a cloud of smoke appeared in front of them. As the smoke dissipated, Riggs and Julia could see that Hades now stood where they had been standing, his body absorbing the full fury of the killing spell. The lightning coursed through his body, illuminating his skeleton through his skin and muscle. The smell of burnt flesh wafted through the air as the lightning stopped.

  As Ororis, Riggs, and Julia looked on in surprise and shock, cracks started to form all over Hades’ body. His skin looked like molten lava with intense heat burning through from the inside. Smoke poured out from underneath his clothes as it seemed the supposed heat did nothing to them. Muttering to himself, the god of death took his sword and stuck the blade in the deck.

  Looking over at Riggs and Julia, Hades said one last thing as his body started to crumble into burnt embers.

  “I will be waiting.”

  With that, the god of death fell to the deck, the embers of his body quickly crumbling to ash. There was nothing left of Hades except for his clothes and his sword.

  With magic still leaking from her body like mist, Ororis pointed a shaking finger at Riggs and Julia.

  “You will not defeat me again. I still have this whole ship under my command.”

  “AUUUUUUUUGH!”

  Screams started to echo across the deck. As Ororis watched, Hades’ hunters began to crumble into piles of smoldering embers. It all brought a slight grin to Riggs’ face. Even from the realm of the Underworld, Hades could still control his forces.

  Scrambling over to where Hades’ sword sat stuck in the deck, Riggs grabbed the hilt and ripped the weapon free of the wooden planks. Once he did so, the mists of Old Magic stopped flowing out of Ororis. Her body had been purged of the magic that had dwelled in the ruby necklace. All that remained was the golden sword. As Riggs held up Hades’ sword, Julia joined him at his side, her weapon at the ready.

  “We’ve beaten you before, Ororis… and we’re goin’ to do it again.”

  “You will try,” growled the mermaid, her red eyes glowing bright.

  With a monstrous yell, she lunged forward, sending them all toppling over the helm railing and down to the deck. Riggs and Ororis landed on their feet with Julia falling off balance. The Captain and the mermaid smashed their swords together as Julia tried to rejoin the battle.

  The cannons of the Red Sky lit up the sea, blasting at the Flying Dutchman. With no hunters to man the posts, the ship was a sitting duck. The pirates who had boarded the ship hurried to abandon it, some even leaping over the rails and into the water.

  The battle between Ororis, Riggs, and Julia spilled all across the deck. With a running kick to the face, the pirate captain knocked Ororis over a cannon, but the mermaid was able to roll through, getting her sword up in time to block a strike from Julia.

  BOOM

  A chain shot obliterated one of the m
asts, sending it crashing to the deck. Riggs leapt out of the way just in time to avoid getting crushed. Using her magic, Ororis tossed a barrel at the two pirates, battering them. Before they could regain their composure, tendrils of smoke snaked out of Ororis’s hand, latching onto the necks of the two pirates. Seconds later, they found themselves hoisted into the air and thrown against the remaining mast, knocking the wind out of them.

  “Captain Riggs, you have proven yourself a worthy adversary,” said Ororis, taking a moment to breathe, “You have fought longer and harder than Amos Marstow and even Hades himself, but this victory is not yours. It’s mine.”

  BOOM BOOM BOOM

  Stepping closer as the Red Sky pushed its attack, Ororis said, “Even with just this sword, I am more powerful than you will ever be.”

  Riggs and Julia struggled to free themselves from the tendrils of smoke, but there was nothing for them to grab. The magical smoke would just slip through their fingers.

  They had come so close.

  Ororis held up the golden sword, and red sparks started to drip from her fingers. Red lightning crackled throughout the sword as she glared at Riggs and Julia with a sadistic smile on her face.

  “Time to say goodbye, Captain Riggs.”

  Thrusting the sword forward, she shouted, “Acer Morte!”

  All of a sudden, before the red lightning could even form, a blue beam of light shot out of nowhere, striking the sword. The blade shattered into thousands of tiny pieces as the red sparks disappeared. The tendrils of smoke disappeared, dropping Riggs and Julia to the ground. Coughing, Riggs leaned up against the mast, trying to catch his breath. Over on the Red Sky, he could see the glowing end of Sapphire’s wand as she waved it in the air, saluting her captain.

  “Good girl, Saph,” Riggs laughed to himself.

  Both him and Julia turned their attention to Ororis, whose body was contorting in unnatural ways as the Old Magic sought to free itself. There were several times that they swore they heard bones cracking as the mermaid convulsed.

  “No!” she growled, “I will not… I will not let it be taken from me.”