by Ryan Gilbert
Turning to his bony first mate, the Arch Pirate replied, “Of course we should, you dolt. Jones chased me all throughout the Underworld. Do you really think he’d let me escape without a fight?”
“No, sir.”
“Correct. Next time, use your head before you ask me something.”
Morrison nodded his skull, his vertebrae creaking with each tiny movement.
Taking out his golden sword, Every made his way down the helm stairs, striding to the center of the deck where a crowd of his crew had gathered. In the center of the skeletons knelt Eli and Margaret. Coarse ropes bound their wrists together as they knelt motionless on the deck, several pistols trained on their heads. The two could not even hold hands to try to comfort each other. They would just get pistols jammed against their foreheads.
“I do hope we haven’t been too rough with you,” Every said, glaring down at Eli’s bruised face.
The carpenter tried his hardest to keep his composure. He could not afford to jeopardize Margaret’s safety to fight a losing battle.
“What’s your name, boy?” Every asked, pointing his sword at the beaten pirate.
“Elijah Carter.”
Grabbing the carpenter by the chin, Every asked, “Do you believe that your captain can actually defeat me?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he did,” Eli spat.
Scowling, the King of Pirates bashed the hilt of his sword into Eli’s face. The pirate fell backwards on the deck, blood trickling from his nose.
“You’re a fool, Carter. No one can beat me.”
As Eli crawled to his knees, Every drove his foot into the pirate’s spine. Once again, he fell to the deck, his blood dripping onto the wood below him.
Resting the tip of his blade on the deck right beside Eli’s head, Every said, “With this magic coursing through my body, there is nothing in this world that could defeat me.”
Every raised his boot once more, ready to stomp Eli’s head into the deck of the Fancy. Even as he trembled with fear, Eli kept his eyes wide open, gazing at Margaret. If he was going to die, he wanted her to be the last person that he saw.
“Stop!” she screamed, her stutter ceasing for the moment.
Every brought down his boot with thunderous speed.
It pounded harmlessly on the deck, barely missing the carpenter’s head. All that Eli could do was let out a sigh of relief.
The captain of the skeletons looked inquisitively at the girl. Even as her head darted back and forth, her eyes unable to see the horrors that surrounded her, she still showed a surprising amount of courage.
Stepping over Eli, Every knelt down in front of Margaret, catching her chin in his strong grip. As he leaned in closer, he could see the streaks running down the girl’s face from the tears that she had shed. He could feel the warm droplets gently tapping against his fingers.
It quite nearly brought a smile to his face.
“Margaret, my child… welcome to the Fancy,” he said with a sneer.
“W-what are you going t-to do to us?” she asked, her lips quivering from terror.
Forcibly moving the girl’s head from side to side, Every inspected her face for any blemishes or cuts. When he saw that none were there, he said, “I haven’t decided quite yet. It all depends on how my plan plays out.”
“A-and what’s your p-p-plan?” asked the scared girl.
Gently patting his daughter’s cheek, Every chuckled.
“Oh, I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. A pirate’s got to have some secrets to keep.”
“Why? Are you afraid?” shouted Eli.
Every let go of a weeping Margaret, slowly turning around to face the weakened carpenter. Eli’s blood had smeared across his face, dripping down past his mouth by now. As the carpenter breathed through his mouth, Every could see the red stain covering his teeth.
“Are you afraid, you bugger?” Eli asked again.
The Arch Pirate slid his golden sword back into its scabbard. Riggs’ crewmate would be no match for him. He looked up and down Eli’s figure, surveying him before even throwing a punch.
“Cut his bonds,” Every ordered.
To Eli’s astonishment, one of the skeleton crew came forward, immediately slicing through the ropes that bound his wrists. As quickly as he could, he snatched a sword from the skeleton’s side. With weapon in hand, he rushed at Every.
The horrible captain just stood there, his sword still in its scabbard.
Eli swung the sword at Every’s head, but his weakness slowed him. With ease, the captain ducked underneath the swinging blade. He caught Eli by the throat, lifting him high in the air. With a mighty roar, he brought the carpenter crashing down, driving him into the deck with a chokeslam. All of the air rushed out of Eli’s lungs as he lay on the deck, gasping.
Crouching down next to his opponent, Every said, “I hope you can see now that I am not afraid. What you and your crewmates see as cowardice, I see as intelligence. I have a plan, Carter, and your Captain is playing right into it.”
Eli tried to sit up, but Every just bashed his knee into the carpenter’s forehead, nearly knocking him unconscious. As darkness started to seep into his vision, he heard Every say, “Lock them both in the brig. We’ll soon find out whose lives are actually important to our dear, delusional Captain Riggs.”
The last things that Eli heard before falling unconscious were the helpless screams of Maggie.
Riggs and the crew had to put their trust in Hades. It had been hours since they had last seen the Flying Dutchman, but the god of death insisted that they keep following his directions. He could sense where his ship was.
At least, that is what he told them.
Most of the pirates found it hard to believe Hades. Who could blame them? Masquerading as Thomas Jones did not help his situation. The presence of his grotesque hunters certainly did not help. They only served to frighten the crew.
However, the pirates had no choice but to listen to their captain. Much as he did not want to admit it, Riggs could see the reason behind Hades’ decisions. The pirate captain had a general distrust of magic. He needed to look no further than Valera and Sapphire for confirmation of that. Whenever those two had first encountered the pirates, they had been met with hostility. Why would Hades expect anything different if he had revealed himself as a magical being? At least, with his identity as Thomas Jones, he could try to quickly gain their trust for when he needed their help the most.
At this point, Riggs could only hope that their help would be enough.
The hours slowly slipped away as the Red Sky sailed after the Flying Dutchman. The sun appeared from behind the clouds in the sky only to descend towards the surface of the water. With the sky turning different shades of yellow, red, and orange, the crew started to dissipate, eagerly heading below deck to get some rest.
Hades paced next to the rail, his yellow eyes watching the sun sink in the sky. The nighttime was the one tiny stretch of time that actually allowed him to relax. In the Underworld, one could lose track of night and day in a heartbeat. It had been ages since he had been able to gaze out over the sea and just admire the beauty of it.
It was truly breathtaking.
How could he have questioned the Creator’s vision?
“Hades?”
Yanked back to the present, he turned his head toward the speaker. It was Julia. A nightgown covered her body, a loose robe blowing around her in the wind.
“Good evening,” he said, trying to be courteous.
“Good evening to you as well,” said the girl.
Looking out over the rail, Julia saw the sunset blanketing the sky in color.
“It’s quite beautiful,” she said.
“It certainly is,” said Hades, “Up until now, I’ve been so focused on Every that I haven’t had a chance to admire such a sight. It still takes my breath away every time I see it.”
The two stood in silence for a bit longer until the god of death broke it with a question.
“W
here’s your captain?” Hades asked.
“Riggs? No doubt resting after a rather hectic day,” Julia laughed.
The girl sat down on the wheel of one of the cannons, fidgeting with her dress. From the way that she twiddled her thumbs and constantly flicked at her fingers, Hades could tell that she was nervous.
Either nervous or intimidated.
“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” she said, “I’m…”
“Julia Hamond, daughter of Commodore Matthew Hamond and Catherine Hamond,” Hades finished.
When the girl remained silent, he said, “I’m sorry. It’s a… gift… that I’ve had since my creation.”
“That must be quite the gift,” said Julia, afraid to meet his eyes.
Hades leaned back against the rail with his arms folded, saying, “Being the ruler of the Underworld comes with its fair share of curses and burdens.”
“How so?”
Once he saw the strain leave the girl’s face, he knew that she was stalling for something. There was something on her mind. He was sure of it. However, he knew that it would be best not to dig too deeply. For now, just answering her questions would suffice.
“Ever since I was created, there ain’t been a person who I haven’t known. When I was up there,” he pointed to the heavens, “all of the angels knew me. Everyone knew each other. There was no need to introduce myself.”
Hades’ face turned grim and dark, catching Julia by surprise when she looked up from her lap.
“And then… the war happened.”
“The war?” asked Julia, confused.
“The Paradise War. Far before mankind ever existed, several archangels rose up against the Creator and began a civil war in Heaven. Brutal and bloody battles raged across the cosmos as the two forces battled for supremacy. Little did they know that they were no match for their Lord. As the final battles of the war were taking place, the four archangels were foolish enough to storm His house, alone.”
Hades laughed to himself, “They actually thought that they could win. Oh, they were wrong… they were so wrong.”
“What happened to them?” asked Julia.
Hades’ yellow eyes peered over at the girl, catching her gaze. Curiosity was etched on her face as she listened to the stories of a faith which she had never known.
With a half-hearted smile, he replied, “One of ‘em is standing right in front of ye.”
Julia’s eyes widened abruptly.
“You mean that you…”
“Aye, Ms. Hamond.”
Continuing, he said, “The archangel Lucifer was thrown from Heaven, banished to a place feared by humans and angels alike… Hell. Zeus followed soon after, immediately becoming one of Lucifer’s thirteen deadliest demons. Poseidon and I were lucky. We begged the Creator for mercy, and He allowed us dominion over two realms… Poseidon, the earth, and I, the Underworld. We could not return to Heaven, but at least we had not been cast into the burning pit.”
Hades stood up and stuck his hands in the pockets of his coat.
“Whenever a soul enters the Underworld, I know exactly who that person is. Unfortunately, they don’t know who I am. More often than not, they see a strange, unfamiliar being come to welcome them to their own personal purgatory. They don’t see that I am there to help them. They think I’m there to punish them. The Greeks certainly ain’t helped with that.”
Throwing his hand out over the ocean, Hades proclaimed, “I used to command legions upon legions of heavenly armies, and now look at me. Your crewmates are terrified of the very sight of me and the creatures that I lead. Children shriek with fear when they feel the aura of death that I bring. Women cry when they look into these horrid eyes. I have fallen from glory to dust.”
The god of death turned to look at the girl, expecting her to suddenly turn away. To his amazement, Julia took a deep breath and raised her head, staring into his yellow eyes. She was unwavering, firm in her resolve to not break contact.
“You may have fallen far, Hades, but you’re still a good man.”
“Prove it,” he said, daring her to prove him wrong.
No longer nervous, Julia stood up from her seat on the wheel of the cannon. She stepped closer to Hades, still not breaking eye contact.
“Since you are the ruler of the Underworld, I was wondering if you could do something for me.”
He rolled his eyes like he had already guessed the question.
“I can’t bring people back from the dead.”
With a quick smile, Julia said, “That wasn’t what I was going to ask.”
Fairly surprised, Hades asked, “Then what did ye want?”
“I wanted to know about a friend of mine… Daniel Travers.”
Hades had to think for a moment, scratching at his chin. Julia did not expect him to remember one single person, especially when thousands of people probably entered the Underworld on a daily basis.
“Ah yes… Travers. He was a fine lad,” he said eventually, prompting Julia to perk up a bit.
“So you did know him?” she asked excitedly.
“Aye. He was one o’ the few to not be afraid of me when he passed,” he said with a smile as he remembered.
Laying a hand on the girl’s shoulder, Hades said, “I know how much your friend meant to you, Julia. He died an honorable death.”
“If the Underworld is what I think it is… did he suffer much there?” Julia asked.
The god of death shook his head.
“Daniel’s time in my realm was short. The pain was quick, which is more than I can say for most.”
The girl nodded her head to show that she understood.
“Thank you, Hades,” she said as she sniffled. From his expression, she could tell that her friend had gone to a better place. That was all that she needed to know.
Julia started to turn away to head back to the cabin, but Hades did not let go of her shoulder.
“There’s something else I have to tell you, Ms. Hamond.”
“What is it?” she asked.
What else could there have been?
Once the girl was facing him, Hades said, “Before your friend left the Underworld, he met with me one last time. He told me that if I ever met you, I needed to remind you of something.”
“Remind me of something?” asked Julia.
“A book…” said Hades, “a book that he gave to your father right before he died. A journal.”
Julia could remember sitting down on Riggs’ bed, taking care of her father after the Red Sky had defeated Garrett. He had given her a book, but with the hectic life of a pirate, she had barely had time to read it.
Before she could respond, Hades said, “I’d recommend reading his last entry in that journal. He told me it would help explain some things.”
With that, Hades turned around, making his way over to his hunters. As the sun fell below the horizon, Julia was left on her own. She knew exactly what she had to do.
Quietly making her way back to the cabin, she started to search through the piles of books that were stacked on the tables and shelves. Behind her, she could hear Riggs fidgeting around in bed, exhausted from the excitement of the day.
As she was nearing the end of one of the tables, Julia finally found it… a small, brown, leather-bound book. A smile spread across her face, knowing that her friend had found peace. Leafing through the pages of the book, she quickly found the last entry that Daniel Travers had ever written.
“Dearest Julia,
“As I am writing this, your father and I are pursuing Garrett and the Red Sky. So far, we have had no luck finding you or the ship, but even with Riggs and his crew eluding us, I know that someone will find you and bring you back home safe. If you are reading this, then something rather unfortunate has happened to me. I may have been captured, or I may even be dead, but none of that matters now. I’m afraid I have not been as forthcoming with information as I should have been. I owe you an explanation.
“I figure that, as my best
friend, you should know.
“Ever since you were first captured by those pirates, my life has been turned upside down… but not in the way that you’d think. You see, whenever your father and I first heard that you had been kidnapped, we both felt the same way. I would have done anything to get you back safely, even if it meant destroying every single one of those pirates. There was no way that I was going to let them hurt my dearest friend.
“That all changed the day that we actually came across the Red Sky.
“I could see the way that you two looked at each other. When Riggs was imprisoned onboard the Magistrate, I could tell that you were torn between two decisions. Do you save the man who you had come to love, or do you listen to your father’s wishes?
“When you chose to save Riggs, I was happy for you… and I mean genuinely happy for you. You had chosen to follow your heart.
“Unfortunately for me, I could not do the same. Much like your father, I had a duty to the Crown, but I found it to be extremely difficult to stay true to that dedication. I broke it when I gave you that necklace, hoping that you would use it to free your pirate friend.
“If I seem to be acting strange, it is because I am. I have found someone that I never thought that I would ever find, and it is all thanks to you. If you ever wondered why I was so accepting of your relationship with Riggs, here’s why.”
As Julia read the sentence, she let out a gasp. She brought her hand to her mouth, silencing herself as she glanced over at her sleeping lover. He had not even stirred. Still astonished, Julia brought her eyes back down to the page, reading the sentence one more time.
“You see, Robert Briggs, the pirate captain, is my brother.
“If you remember, I told you that my mother had remarried when I was very young. What I didn’t tell you was who she married. That man was Riggs’ father. I was only able to be with my brother for two measly years before I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle. After I left, I never saw him again… until I encountered the Red Sky.
“I pray to God that this journal reaches you. If you are with Riggs, please tell him that his older brother still loves him… even if I can’t say it to his face. He may not remember me… but I remember him.