Dawn of a Red Sky

by Ryan Gilbert

  Standing over the two, Hamilton asked, “Are they alive?”

  “I don’t know, sir,” said one of the crew.

  “Find out!” Hamilton ordered.

  Just as one of the men crouched down to check on the two, the woman in the dress quickly opened her eyes, gasping for air. As she coughed violently, the fisherman fell backwards, frightened by her sudden movement. Beside her, the other woman started twitching her fingers. Gradually, it seemed like their strength was returning to them as the crew helped them climb to their unbalanced feet.

  “Are you ladies quite alright?” a concerned Captain Hamilton asked.

  Both nodded, weakly clinging to the men holding them on their feet.

  “Bring them to my quarters. They need to be brought somewhere warm and comfortable,” he said to his crew.

  With the fishermen assisting their steps to get to the captain’s quarters, the women both said, “T-thank you.”

  Once inside, both women were sat down at a table, blankets draped over their shivering shoulders. Hamilton personally poured each one of them a steaming cup of tea, trying his best to help them.

  “Would you ladies mind telling me how you ended up adrift this far out on the sea?” he asked, leaning against his desk and watching the two women intently.

  In between sips of tea, the woman in the dress said, “We’ve been stranded on an island for… I don’t even know how long… and we needed to escape from it. We were not going to let ourselves die there.”

  “You were stranded on an island? Which island?” Captain Hamilton asked, curious.

  The woman shook her head, saying, “I honestly don’t know.”

  Finishing the cups of tea, they handed them back to their rescuer. He took them with a bow of courtesy and placed them on his desk.

  “Would you mind telling me your names?” he asked.

  Finally able to take a deep breath in a warm room, the woman in the dress replied, “My name is Julia.”

  The other woman shook her head, letting her black hair fall past her ears. As she relaxed, Captain Hamilton noticed a streak of red mixed in with the black hair.

  “And I am Ororis.”

  Crossing his arms, Hamilton stroked his chin, thinking.

  “Forgive me for asking, miss, but how did you come by that name?”

  Ororis cocked her head to the side, clearly not understanding the question.

  The Captain elaborated, “You see, there used to be a myth on these waters that a fearsome being once waged war on sailors. Its name was the same as yours… Ororis.”

  Both women sat calmly in the chairs. They could not let the fishermen know just how nervous they were.

  “I had no idea,” she lied, “It was the name my mother gave to me so I thought nothing of it.”

  Hamilton nodded, apparently believing her. He pushed himself away from the table and made his way to the cabin door.

  “So long as you ladies are onboard my vessel, you may have my quarters to rest. If you need anything at all, me and my crew will do our best to accommodate you.”

  Julia bowed her head in thanks, saying, “We appreciate your help, Captain.”

  “Is there anything else you need?” Hamilton asked, “Some food, perhaps?”

  Julia shook her head, feigning timidity.

  “I think the tea will do just fine. Thank you,” she said with a smile.

  Touching the brim of his hat, Hamilton closed the door behind him, leaving the two alone. Once the light of the lanterns moved away from the outside of the door, Ororis turned to Julia, a sneaky grin on her face.

  “Looks like my plan worked.”

  “Your plan nearly got us killed. Last time I checked, catching someone’s attention did not mean intentionally sinking your only means of sailing.”

  “At least it worked.”

  Julia rolled her eyes and replied, “We’re still nowhere close to land. We don’t even know where we are.”

  Reclining in the chair and propping her feet up on the table, Ororis dropped her stranded damsel act and said, “Just look at it this way, Julia. Now, we just need to wait until these gentlemen head back to port. Once we’re there, we can find your dashing captain.”

  The last two words rolled off her tongue with a sarcastic droll. Julia noticed it and sighed.

  “Do you still have a grudge against him?” she asked.

  Quietly laughing, Ororis stood up from the chair and said, “Of course I do. I have a grudge against both of you.”

  “Then why are you helping me?” asked Julia.

  Laying a hand on the girl’s shoulder, the mermaid said, “Because some things are more important than grudges. Of all people, I thought you would know that.”

  Ororis lay down on the bed, finally getting a comfortable resting place. In mere moments, she had fallen asleep, her head resting on the pillow. Julia walked over to the large cabin window that looked out over the sea. Sitting down in front of it, she watched the waves that the ship created, the white foam mixing with the glistening water below.

  “Yes… yes, I do,” she said to herself, answering her former adversary.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  For days, the Red Sky fought against the elements to try to make it to Delaware before Every. Unfortunately for them, there was no way to tell the location of Every or the Fancy. The pirates just had to hope that they arrived first.

  They also had to put their trust in Thomas.

  Though he was their only source of help when it came to Every, something about him struck Riggs as odd. He could not quite put his finger on it, but he felt it in his gut. Jones said he was a pirate, and yet he acted like none that Riggs had ever met before. The Captain tried to put him to work, unable to stand him constantly staring out over the sea. It was like he was looking for something, but none of the Red Sky’s crew could even guess as to what it was.

  “Step lively, Jones,” Riggs ordered, tossing him a rag and a bucket, “I can’t have ye standin’ around all day.”

  With dark clouds rolling overhead, Thomas replied, “Captain Riggs, I can be of more service than just swabbing the deck.”

  Crossing his arms, Riggs asked, “And what service be that?”

  “The kind pertaining to the King of Pirates.”

  As much as he needed everyone on deck to prepare for the coming storms, Riggs knew Thomas was right. Beckoning for his new crewmate to follow him, he led the way into his cabin, closing the door behind him as the wind started to pick up speed.

  Taking a seat at his table, Riggs reclined, observing Jones. While the other members of the crew would have let their eyes wander the room, Thomas kept his gaze focused solely on his captain, slowly blinking his eyes. He did not budge, standing at attention like a soldier.

  “You told me that you hunted monsters, Jones,” said Riggs, letting his fingers clasp each other.

  “Aye, that I did.”

  With a sigh, the Captain said, “I don’t believe you.”

  To Riggs’ surprise, Thomas smiled.

  “Now why is that, Captain?”

  “Tell me what kinds of monsters ye’ve faced.”

  “I cannot.”

  “Why is that?”

  “It’s beyond your comprehension, Captain,” Jones said, his eyes no longer blinking.

  “Big words fer a pirate… try me,” Riggs laughed, letting his chair fall back into place as he propped his elbows on the table.

  Jones’ face became dark, a deathly expression appearing on his face.

  “I have battled against more creatures than you could possibly imagine. A leviathan’s head has lain at my feet. Scores of sirens are now speechless because of me. Hundreds of ghosts have fallen by my blade. Demons cower in fear of me. Ye may think that I know nothing, but I assure you… you have no idea what I am capable of.”

  Pulling his black hair out of his eyes, Riggs sat in silence for a moment, simply watching Jones. Then, without warning, he started to chuckle.

  “I don’t believe ye.”


  With another smile, Jones replied, “I didn’t think you would.”

  A grin appeared on his face, mirroring his captain. Riggs could not tell if it was malicious or if it was just meant to irritate him.

  “So what should we be expectin’ when we reach Delaware?” he asked, trying to divert Jones’ attention to another topic at hand. At the very least, Riggs’ new crewmate could tell him what to prepare for when they next encountered their bony friend.

  With a knowing nod, Thomas said, “Whenever Every arrives there, he will be searching for something. He will want to reclaim what he lost all those years ago… his fame… his presence… and his crew.”

  “Ain’t his crew dead by now?” asked an incredulous Riggs, “I thought those were the…”

  Before he could reveal any more, the Captain quieted himself. He questioned whether he should tell Jones about the skeleton crew. Was it too early to clue him in on Every’s transformation into a being of nightmares?

  “Captain Riggs, yer keeping something from me,” said Jones.

  The pirate looked up from the table, his eyes glowering suspiciously at his crewmate.

  “I need to know, Captain. What are you not telling me?”

  The wind started to howl outside as Riggs took a deep breath.

  Standing up from his chair, the Captain said, “Every and his crew are nothin’ more than livin’ skeletons… all bone. They ain’t got no eyes, no skin, no heart. They might as well be walkin’ corpses.”

  As he scratched at his chin, Thomas said, “So you think Henry Every’s entire crew is a bunch of skeletons?”

  “Aye.”

  “Now that’s where yer wrong, Captain.”

  Not moving from his stance, Thomas continued, “Every doesn’t have all of his crew.”

  Taking a swig of rum, Riggs said, “Ye’ve got to be bloody jokin’.”

  “Wish I was. Ran into an old crewmate o’ the Pirate King while I was in Delaware once. He went by the name of Joseph Dawson.”

  “How do ye know he sailed with Every?” asked Riggs.

  Thomas gave his captain a devious smile.

  “You’d be surprised how a couple of drinks have a way of loosening a man’s tongue.”

  Riggs looked down at his flask and slowly stuck it back in his coat pocket.

  “So what’s yer plan?” he asked.

  The vibrations of thunder reverberated through the ship as the rain pattered against the glass window and the deck above.

  “When we get to Delaware, we need to find Joseph Dawson. If we find him, then we can find his captain,” Jones explained.

  At that moment, the entire ship tilted to the side, knocking Riggs and Jones to the floor. Over the sound of the storm raging outside, they could hear the creaking of the bow as it struggled to correct itself.

  “That didn’t seem like a normal wave,” Riggs said as panic seized him.

  Scrambling to his feet, the Captain rushed to his cabin door. He flung it open, instantly met with a rush of wind and rain. Lightning lit up the sky and the surrounding sea, allowing Riggs to see the massive waves rising up in front of his ship. The Red Sky climbed a mountain of water, crashing back down into a sea of foam and the forces of nature.

  As thunder clapped overhead, Riggs latched onto the rail, pulling himself up to the helm. Everyone was slipping and sliding every which way. Even Clint was having a difficult time keeping his balance.

  “Clint! What’s goin’ on?” the Captain shouted.

  His hands gripping the wheel with all of his might, the navigator yelled, “Don’t know, Captain. The storm just hit us.”

  Lightning snaked down from the sky just above the ship, lighting up the dark red sails. Waves poured over the sides of the ship, bashing the pirates against the rails.

  “Whatever it is, Every must’ve caused it. We’ve got to be close now,” Riggs said to his friend.

  Turning toward the rail, he found himself face to face with Thomas. To his surprise, his new crewmate was simply leaning against the wooden rail, calm, unlike the other members of the crew that were sliding across the deck in fits of terror.

  “Jones, get down on deck and help those bilge rats secure the ship.”

  The pirate merely laughed, saying, “Captain, you’re gravely mistaken. Henry Every is not responsible for this storm.”

  “Then who is?” asked Riggs, grabbing Thomas by his coat.

  As the rain beat against the deck, the two glared at each other, Riggs being pushed to the breaking point, and Thomas just grinning. Inside his mind, Riggs could sense his violent side trying to escape, wanting to wring Jones’ neck. He struggled to control it, jamming his forefinger into his crewmate’s chest.

  “Is it you?” he snarled.

  Jones laughed, saying, “Your hatred of your enemy is clouding yer judgment. This storm is nothing more than a force o’ nature.”

  Before Thomas could say anything else, a wave crashed against the side of the ship. A torrent of water hit Riggs, Jones, and Clint, knocking them all to the ground. Once they tried to crawl to their feet, another wave hit them from behind, tilting the ship. All three of them slid to the rail, smashing into the wood as buckets of water rained down on them.

  “That ain’t a force o’ nature, mate,” Riggs shouted.

  The Captain grabbed onto whatever stable object he could find, trying to haul himself back up to the wheel. Clint was barely even able to stand now, the torrent of water nearly knocking him senseless. With each step, the Captain had to fight against the howling wind and the strong current of water streaming across the deck. He needed to keep the ship on course. He needed to.

  The ship tilted once again, sending Riggs stumbling into the wheel. Before he could fall away from it, he latched onto the wood, holding on with all of his might. Tossing his tangled mess of hair out of his eyes, he looked to the front of the ship, trying to survey his crew. What caught his eye instead was a sight that no seafaring man ever wanted to see.

  Far in front of the Red Sky, a monstrous wave rose high into the sky. Riggs could already see the white of the crashing foam on the top.

  It was a tidal wave.

  Panic taking over his mind, Riggs froze. The gigantic wall of water towered over his ship. There was no way to outrun it.

  “What’s your plan, Captain Riggs?” he heard Jones ask.

  He seemed far too calm for someone staring death straight in the face. If that wave hit the ship, they would all be nothing more than shark bait.

  “I ain’t got one,” Riggs blurted out, “We just need a way to survive this.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Thomas staring at the tidal wave. There was almost a longing look in his eyes as the rain beat against his face.

  “Hold on to somethin’, Jones. This ain’t goin’ to be pretty.”

  “Death is never pretty,” said Jones.

  He let go of the rail, standing on the rocking deck of the helm. While everyone around him grabbed on to a sturdy part of the ship, Thomas just stood out in the open, arms at his side and hands outstretched.

  “Jones, are ye mad? You’re goin’ to die!” shouted Riggs.

  With a grin on his face, Jones replied, “I’ve long resigned meself to that fate, Captain Riggs.”

  The tidal wave approached the ship quicker than any of the pirates could have imagined. With each second, the wall of water seemed to grow taller. Over the sound of the thunder and the pouring rain, the crew of the Red Sky could hear the terrifying roar of the ocean, ready to envelop any vessel in its deadly grasp and drag it down to the depths.

  As the towering wave lit up from the lightning blasts, the pirates could feel the ship being pulled toward the giant mass of water. Riggs gripped the wheel with all of his might as the Red Sky sailed straight toward the tidal wave. There was nothing they could do. The Captain shut his eyes, unable to watch his ship tumble and capsize from the force of the wave.

  All of a sudden, a bright blue light flashed against his
eyelids, forcing Riggs to open his eyes.

  All around him, water sped past the ship. To the right… to the left… even above them… the water surged around the ship, unable to reach it as a barrier of magic shielded the pirates.

  Still gripping the wheel, Riggs frantically peered across the deck. It did not take him long to find the source of the magic. At the front of the ship, Sapphire stood propped against the mast, her wand held in front of her and blasting a steady stream of magic into the wave.

  Within seconds, the Red Sky burst through the back of the tidal wave in a cloud of mist and water. The bow crashed down into the ocean, drenching the crew with its spray.

  Riggs tried to catch his breath as the worst of the storm passed. Compared to the tidal wave, everything else seemed like child’s play. Hurrying over to Clint, he pulled the navigator over to the wheel, back where he belonged.

  “Still headed to Delaware, Captain?” Clint asked, out of breath and spitting water out of his mouth.

  “Aye,” Riggs responded, still quite shaken from what had just happened.

  The Captain hurried down the stairs, leaving Jones with Clint. He needed to make sure that his crew was alright. All over the deck, crewmembers were helping each other to their feet. Every single one of them was drenched head to toe. Ripper was holding on to Coral Jack and Valera, both of which were still shaking in fear. Eli was untying his belt from the rail, now that the danger of capsizing was gone. Riggs hurried to the front of the boat where the fairy had been. He needed to make sure that she was safe too.

  When he reached her, several of his crewmates had already gotten there. Gingerly, they helped her to her feet, even though she was still a little wobbly. A tiny bit of blood dripped down from her nose to her upper lip.

  “Feelin’ alright, Sapphire?” Riggs asked.

  Trying to keep her balance, she said, “I’m… feeling fine, Captain. If you’ll… excuse me…”

  “Take all the time ye need,” said Riggs, motioning for one of his crewmates to help the fairy.