by Perrin Briar
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“Of course you don’t,” Stoneheart said. “But you will, with time. I wish the circumstances could have been better, but there’s no avoiding that now.”
He reached up for his glass eye with both hands and pulled at it.
“Oh, that’s disgusting!” Skinny said. “I’m going to be sick.”
Stoneheart held the eye in his hand, and then tossed it to Jim. Jim opened his palm, a look of surprise on his face.
“It’s not a real glass eye?” he said.
“It itches something terrible at times,” Stoneheart said. “But there’s no permanent damage.”
He had a pair of perfectly normal functioning eyes, deep chestnut brown.
“But why?” Jim said.
“Because it’s what the original Stoneheart wore,” Stoneheart said.
“The original Stoneheart?” Smithy said. “You’re not the original captain?”
“The original Stoneheart died one hundred and sixty years ago,” Stoneheart said. “No one lives that long. But legends can live forever, with the right upkeep.”
“So who are you really?” Jim said.
“All in good time,” Stoneheart said.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Smithy said, his pistol still trained on the family. “Let me get this straight. You want Jim to be captain? Our captain? Unless you didn’t notice, we don’t have a ship no more. Or crew.”
“We’ll get new ones,” Stoneheart said.
“New ones,” Smithy said under his breath. “Because we’re so easily replaceable.”
“Bluntly put,” Stoneheart said. “But in essence, correct. There can only be one Captain Stoneheart. Whoever wears that roving eye is Stoneheart.”
“I’m not so sure I like being someone so easily replaceable,” Smithy said.
“Unfortunately for you, you are,” Stoneheart said.
Smithy’s expression grew hard.
“The Celeste is at the bottom of the ocean, the crew is dead, and we’re all that’s left,” Smithy said. “I think it’s about time we had a new captain.”
“That’s mutinous talk,” Stoneheart said.
“Glad we understand one another,” Smithy said.
“Stand down,” Stoneheart said, voice hard.
Smithy’s pistol began to lower. Then he looked up into Stoneheart’s eyes. A grin spread across his face. His pistol rose to face Stoneheart.
“No,” he said. “I don’t think I will. I think I’ll stand up to my full height, become the man I always had the potential of being, and not be kept down by the likes of you.”
“Stand down now,” Stoneheart said.
“What do you think, men?” Smithy said to Skinny and Earl. “Do you want to follow him, a man who sacrificed the rest of his own crew to save himself, a man who let the Celeste rest at the bottom of the sea? Or do you want to follow someone new? Someone responsible, who knows what they’re doing?”
Thinking was not Skinny and Earl’s strength, but they were girded by Stoneheart’s conviction and managed a non-committed shrug.
“That’s good enough for me,” Smithy said.
They aimed their pistols at Stoneheart.
“Get over there with them,” Smithy said. “It’s where you belong.”
Stoneheart growled, but did as he was told.
“Toss your pistol and knife over,” Smithy said. “Easy, now.”
Stoneheart tossed his pistol aside. He extricated his knife, seemed to consider it for a moment, and then threw it aside too.
“The eye, if you please,” Smithy said to Jim.
Jim closed his hand over it, feeling its smooth surface on his fingers, but decided against making a stand now. It would only get him shot, and Smithy would get the eye anyway. Jim tossed the eye to Smithy, who caught and appraised it. He put it in his eye. He turned to Skinny and Earl.
“Hey,” he said. “How do I look?”
“Fierce,” Skinny said.
“Infamous,” Earl said.
“Just let us go,” Bryan said. “We’ll jump into the whirlpool, and you’ll never see us again.”
“And why would we want that?” Smithy said with a glint in his eye. “You and I have unfinished business. Or rather, your ladies do.”
“You expect me to fall for your empty pistol trick again?” Bryan said.
“My pistol isn’t empty,” Smithy said.
“Prove it,” Bryan said.
He was going to get shot anyway. It may as well be quickly, and on his own terms.
“As you wish,” Smithy said.
He pulled the hammer back and squeezed the trigger.
Clack!
Smithy looked at his gun like it was an alien object. He pulled the hammer back and tried again.
Clack! Clack!
Smithy tossed his pistol aside. It broke in half on the hard rock.
“You hopped off your ship’s boat to pull it on shore, didn’t you?” Bryan said. “It’s the water. Gunpowder is useless when it’s wet.”
Smithy growled in the back of his throat.
“Shoot them!” he said.
Skinny and Earl didn’t hesitate, pulling their triggers.
Clack! Clack!
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” Smithy said. “Blades!”
All three men unsheathed their knives and approached the family. Cassie extracted the sharpened sticks she’d made earlier.
“Give those to me,” Stoneheart said.
Cassie handed them over. The captain held one in each hand, tucking them close to his forearms and holding the sharp point in his palms.
“I’ve waited a long time for this!” Skinny said. “I’m going to enjoy every second of tearing you apart-”
He hit the floor after just a single combination, Stoneheart’s hands a blur. A stick jutted from the side of his neck.
Earl dropped his knife and ran, disappearing into the cave.
“Coward,” Smithy said.
He turned to Stoneheart.
“Well, let’s get this over with,” Smithy said. “I never much rated your fighting abilities.”
“Then perhaps you can educate me,” Stoneheart said.
Smithy squared off against Stoneheart, entering a hunched stance. He attacked, leaping and bringing his knife down in a vicious arc.
Stoneheart blocked with his forearm and stabbed with his stick. Smithy ducked. Stoneheart caught the dodge early and hopped back. Smithy slashed at his midriff, missing by an inch.
Bang!
Smithy clutched his chest and stumbled back, eyes wide. His hand came away red. He fell to his knees and looked up to find Jim holding a pistol.
“What did you do that for?” Stoneheart said. “I could handle him.”
“I know,” Jim said with a shrug. “I just thought it might save some time. And my pistol never got wet.”
Smithy fell forward onto his face. He didn’t move again.
“Now,” Bryan said. “Would you mind explaining what’s going on here?”
A solid Thunk! echoed from the cave, followed by a second hollow thud. A figure emerged from the cave carrying an oar, snapped off at the handle. The figure dumped Earl’s unconscious body at the mouth of the cave and stepped into the moonlight.
“I believe this belongs to you,” Admiral said.
“Thanks,” Bryan said. “But we were trying to get rid of our trash.”
Admiral was drenched head to foot. His chest heaved, still recovering from an earlier ordeal. He looked like a man who had entered a nightmare and managed, against the odds, to come out the other end.
“Stoneheart,” Admiral said. “At last we meet.”
Stoneface turned to face Admiral, a deliberately slow movement.
And then something very strange happened.
The paddle clattered to the hard rocky ground. Admiral turned a curious shade of white, and then green. He stumbled to one side, unable to take his eyes from the pirate captain.
“No…” Admiral
said.
Bryan looked the stunned Admiral over, his square jaw, his tall height. He reminded him of someone else, but couldn’t quite put his finger on who…
And then it struck him. He didn’t have to look far.
“Nice to see you, big brother,” Stoneheart said.
The other family members, shocked, looked from him to Bryan and Admiral. At first they didn’t understand who he was talking to. And then it became clear.
“I wondered when you were going to recognize me,” Stoneheart said.
“The wanted posters don’t do you justice,” Admiral said. “And the glass eye threw me somewhat.”
“The legend of Stoneheart is one hundred and sixty years old,” Stoneheart said. “You don’t honestly believe a man could remain alive that long?”
“No,” Admiral said. “Of course not. I assumed it was a myth, something only the pirates believed.”
“There have been many Captain Stonehearts over the years,” Stoneheart said. “He took on an apprentice at all times, and once the apprentice was old enough, after he had learned everything he needed in order to assume the Stoneheart title, he was told the truth of the Stoneheart legend and received the mantel himself. I don’t know who the original Stoneheart was, but he must have been someone quite formidable.
“But that legend was going to end with Jim. He was going to become Captain Stoneheart, and he was going to return to New London and reveal his true identity. He was going to unite both pirates and Brits, by power and title. It would mark the end of the war.”
“Jim?” Admiral said, confused as to who Stoneheart was referring to.
His eyes came to the boy, Jim. He looked him over.
“What title does he have?” Admiral said. “He’s nothing more than a cabin boy.”
“Only on the surface,” Stoneheart said. “Imagine him in fine silks and lace.”
Admiral cocked his head to one side and looked Jim over. He shook his head. He still didn’t recognize who he was.
“His is the only title that matters,” Stoneheart said, prodding Admiral further.
Admiral frowned. He calculated the boy’s age. He had to be fifteen, sixteen. If he had a title, why would he limit himself by working on a pirate ship? Unless he didn’t make the decision himself. Unless he was forced into it. Unless he himself didn’t even know the truth…
“My God…” Admiral said.
“Yes,” Stoneheart said. “He carries the family resemblance, doesn’t he?”
“Show me your arms!” Admiral said, closing on Jim.
Bryan stepped between them, protecting Jim.
“You won’t come another step closer,” Bryan said. “Not until someone explains what’s going on here.”
“It’s very complicated,” Admiral said. “Where do we even begin?”
“Where all good stories start, I suppose,” Stoneheart said. “At the beginning.”
52
“YOU’RE BROTHERS?” Bryan said. “But how did you get split up in the first place?”
“Twins in a royal house?” Stoneheart says. “It would tear the empire apart as soon as our father died. The rich and powerful would form factions, breaking away. Even if only one of us wanted to be king, the scheming would never end. The decision was made to hide one of us—the younger twin—for him to grow up as a minor lord, never knowing who he truly was, what he should have become—a prince of the realm.”
“It wasn’t until recently I was told I had a twin,” Admiral said. “By an old minister with one burden too many on his consciousness. I tried for many years to locate him, but all my investigations led me to a burned house on the east coast. Whatever happened, I was too late.”
“That was when we were attacked by my predecessor and his pirates,” Stoneheart said. “They killed the others, but Stoneheart took pity on me. I didn’t know why until the night he died. He waited until I was of age to become Stoneheart, and to tell me the truth. He was the father I never had. He was stern, but fair. Everything our father is not. I never found out how he knew who I was. He said it was my destiny to join the two factions together. But I had a problem.
“The noble houses would never accept me as their prince, never mind their king, not when I had spent so many years with the pirates. They would always dispute my blood’s claim to the throne. After all, I had no evidence besides my passable likeness with the king and his eldest son, and half a birthmark, which could be declared a fake.
“And then fate intervened.
“I heard of a newborn prince that carried the king’s favor. It was then I knew it must be him who would unite the two factions. But I needed him in my control, and not to be ruined by our father. And so I kidnaped the new prince, and let Father know it was I, Stoneheart, who had taken him. Like many of the noble houses, he was fearful of Stoneheart and his legacy. He knew what I would do to the young prince if he threatened me.”
“That was why Father wouldn’t allow me to fire upon the pirates,” Admiral said, piecing together the puzzle. “He didn’t care for the pirates, only the Mary Celeste. But he could not admit that without revealing too much about what had happened.
“He wanted his youngest prince’s fake death to be a secret, knowing the other houses would act and try to exploit him if they knew the truth. He knew Jim, the boy he intended on becoming his heir, was aboard the Mary Celeste.”
“The king did not care if I was killed,” Stoneheart said. “Nothing like paternal love. But Jim, he was everything to him. The son he always wanted. You know how he doted on him. He would not risk his life.
“And I knew he would spoil him, as he had done to you, Admiral. Where he had deprived you of love and affection, he would stifle Jim. I am only sorry I was not there to help you bear the burden. Only I was spared from his evil influences. I was raised on the honor code of pirates. It is greatly underestimated. It is not your fault you turned out the way you have.
“I saw what you had become. I saw what the power you wielded was doing to you. I knew how power corrupts, more than most. But for me it was always an act. A reputation can be used as a shield if used correctly. If a man develops a reputation as an early riser…”
“He can wake at noon,” Bryan said. “But all those things you did…”
“I did few of them,” Stoneheart said. “They were merely rumors I had circulated. A reputation needs maintenance every now and then.”
“And the things I did…” Admiral said.
“You have gone mad,” Stoneheart said. “Quite mad. That was clear to me from the rumors I heard of you. It has been coming over you for quite some time, I think.”
“Yes,” Admiral said, and he looked incredibly tired. “Yes, it has. It has been a heavy burden to bear.”
“And now you no longer need to bear it, at least not alone,” Stoneheart said.
“Except I must pay for the things I have done,” Admiral said. “The people I killed… The devices I had built…”
“Devices?” Stoneheart said. “What devices?”
“The pods,” Admiral said. “A man came to me… A black cowled figure…”
He shook his head.
“But none of that matters now,” he said. “I shall have them all destroyed.”
“But why would the king or nobles of New London accept Jim as the young prince?” Bryan said. “Why didn’t you try to bring the two factions together yourself?”
Stoneheart pulled the sleeve up on Jim’s shirt, exposing a hammer and sickle shaped birthmark.
“Because of this,” he said.
He pulled up his own shirtsleeve, revealing a hammer. Admiral pulled up his own sleeve, showing a sickle.
“As twins, we share the birthmark,” Stoneheart said. “Only Jim has the complete stamp.”
Admiral knelt down with his two brothers and braced Jim’s shoulder.
“I have so much to share with you,” he said. “I’m sorry I did not spend the time with you I could have. But that is something I will make up to you.”
“I look forward to it,” Jim said.
Stoneheart kneeled down beside Admiral and looked into Jim’s eyes.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything,” he said. “But I needed you to understand the world, the pirates. It is only someone from within that can understand us, where we come from, what we stand for. I was going to tell you in due time.”
“It’s okay,” Jim said. “So, you aren’t really dying.”
“Far from it,” Stoneheart said. “That was just my act for letting you take over. Usually the Stoneheart captains wait until their charge is fully grown, but I could not afford to wait that long.”
“It doesn’t mean much now the Mary Celeste is at the bottom of the ocean and the crew dead,” Jim said.
“No,” Stoneheart said. “It only adds to the Stoneheart legend. So long as you live, that legend belongs to you. The pirates will listen to you, the British will fear you. With blood of the king running through your veins, there is nothing to stop you uniting the two factions.”
“You never desired the throne for yourself?” Admiral said to Stoneheart.
“Never,” Stoneheart said.
“In that, at least, we are the same,” Admiral said with a smile. “But there is no reason for the plan to not take place. I will abdicate and take myself far from the known world, somewhere where my madness will not harm another.”
Stoneheart rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“You will not have to do it alone,” he said.
Admiral put his hand over his brother’s.
“Thank you,” he said. “Brother.”
“Always and forever,” Stoneheart said.
He bent down, extricated the glass eye cover from Smithy’s corpse, and handed it to Jim.
“Here,” he said. “It’s time to assume your responsibilities.”
Stoneheart put the glass eye over Jim’s eye.
“How does it feel?” he said.
“Surprisingly comfortable,” Jim said.
“That’s disgusting,” Zoe said. “What about the germs?”
Stoneheart frowned.
“What are germs?” he said.
“You’ll discover them,” Zoe said. “Eventually.”
Admiral stood up.
“I must apologize for the way I treated you,” Admiral said to the family.