Dawn of a Red Sky

by Ryan Gilbert

  As she sat on the wooden floor, she had no idea what was happening around her. She did not know where they were. She did not know how far away the other ships of which Every had spoken were.

  It was terrifying to know nothing.

  Just when she thought it could not get any worse, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She turned away from the noise, unable to take any more of the abuse. The fearsome skeletons had scared her, mocked her, and threatened to do horrid things to her. She could not bear any more of it.

  With her eyes still shut, Maggie heard a rhythmic clanging, like a skeleton was knocking the bones of his knuckles against the bars. She could tell there were several from the cracking of joints and rattling of bones. Shaking with terror, she pulled her knees to her chin and tried to hide her face.

  “Get over here, lass,” said one of the skeletons. To Maggie, it sounded like a familiar voice.

  “Were y-you the one w-who brought Eli and I up t-to your captain?” she asked, still scared.

  “Aye… and I’ve got something fer ye.”

  To Maggie’s surprise, she did not hear any evil cackling from the other skeletons.

  “W-What is it?” she asked.

  “Open your eyes and you’ll see,” was his response.

  “I won’t,” she said, her fingers wrapped around her knees like a vice.

  She could feel the empty sockets staring down at her, waiting for her to make a move. She dared not open her eyes.

  “Damn you, wench, I said to open your eyes!” the skeleton yelled, pounding his fists against the bars.

  After one punch to the bars, the skeleton stopped abruptly, like he was trying to control himself. Maggie could hear the bones of his neck creaking as he seemingly shook his head.

  As a slight tapping noise came from the door to the cell, Maggie could hear Every’s crewmate muttering something to himself. What it was she could not tell.

  “Listen, wen…” he stopped himself, “… Margaret… I need ye to open your eyes. Believe me when I say we’re not ‘ere to harm ye.”

  Maggie took a deep breath, bravely climbing to her feet. Her eyes still remained shut as she tried to build up her courage. She knew the skeletons had said that they would not harm her, but she could not tell if they were telling the truth. She would just have to trust them.

  Shaking from the terror of it all, Maggie slowly opened her eyes, each eyelid moving with silent determination. Before her stood several of Every’s crewmates. The sight of their bony bodies still frightened her, but for each second that she stood there, she seemed to become calmer. None of the monsters had their weapons in their hands. Rather, they were just standing there, observing the girl.

  “What is it?” she asked, her voice still a bit shaky.

  The skeleton with the familiar voice motioned to his fellow crewmates.

  “It’s us. This small bit of the crew is what I brought ye. We’re ‘ere ‘cause o’ you.”

  “Me?” she asked.

  “Aye, you. Ye got me thinking about what ye said before… about what our captain’ll do ‘bout us. I’ve had some time to talk it through wit’ these fellas, and they’re thinking the same as me. We’re all noticing something fishy from Every… and we don’t like it.”

  By now, the girl’s breathing had returned to normal. The bare skulls and bones still frightened her, but she tried to look past that. Whatever these skeletons had done, they were people at some point. Right now, they were looking for guidance.

  “W-What is your name?” Maggie asked the familiar skeleton.

  “Ben. That’s all ye need to know,” he said.

  Due to his lack of skin or muscle, Maggie did not have any idea of what his facial expression was. Even the blue lines that pulsated away from his cracking joints could not pinpoint his reaction.

  “Well, Ben… g-gentlemen… w-we’ve got a lot to t-talk about.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The instant that the Red Sky and the Flying Dutchman entered the cluster of islands, rock formations, and cliffs, Riggs, Hades, and the crews knew that could very well be sailing into a trap. The passageways between islands were barely large enough for two ships to sail safely through them.

  As they approached the first break between islands, Riggs turned to Hades, saying, “I don’t think yer goin’ to fit both of these ships into here.”

  “Captain Riggs, we need the Dutchman to keep us all protected,” said Hades hastily.

  “We’ll continue through here followin’ behind ye then,” said Riggs, “Every shouldn’t be able to reach us that way.”

  “Precisely,” Hades replied.

  With the little space that they had to maneuver, the pirates slowed the Red Sky as best as they could, letting the Dutchman sail ahead of them. The supernatural ship took its place in front of the pirates, ready to lead them even further into the maze of islands.

  As Hades’ ship passed to the left of the first break, Riggs asked, “Where do ye think Every disappeared to?”

  Hades shook his head, showing the Captain that he did not know.

  “I can’t say. He’s a crafty one, but we’ll find ‘im. I’m sure of it.”

  FOOOOOM

  A rocky cliff just behind the Flying Dutchman exploded, sending giant stones tumbling into the water. Before Hades could react, Riggs turned around in a panic and seized the wheel of the Red Sky. He spun the ship to the port side in an effort to keep from hitting the rocks and the beaches of sand.

  The god of death grabbed Riggs by the shoulders in a fit of frustration, yelling, “Do you have any idea what ye just did?”

  “I acted out of instinct… somethin’ I’ve done for years. There’s no way I was goin’ to let my ship get destroyed,” Riggs said, pulling Hades’ hands off of his shoulders.

  “I could have handled it, you fool! You may have doomed us all!” Hades spat.

  As the Red Sky barely avoided getting beached, Hades quickly closed his eyes, trying to communicate with his ship. With all of the noise around him, he found it hard to concentrate, but he could still make out his surroundings.

  Looking to his right and to his left, Hades tried to see if there was a way that he could turn the Flying Dutchman around, but there was no such luck. The supernatural ship was caged on both sides by the confines of the islands and rocks.

  There was no way to turn the ship.

  “Congratulations, Captain Riggs. You’ve isolated all of us from one of the most important things helping to keep you alive,” Hades said with a huff.

  “Well ain’t that a load of bollocks,” Riggs replied, his hands still on the wheel, “We’ll find Every much quicker this way.”

  KABOOM

  Right at that moment, the rock wall of one of the islands exploded outwards, showering the sea with boulders and stones. Little pellets of rock pounded against the deck of the Red Sky, pelting the crew. Everyone was caught by surprise, even Hades. Once the rocks had stopped falling from the sky, the pirates hustled to get the ship ready for battle. As Riggs looked out over the water, he could see the black sails of the Fancy sailing out of the dark insides of the island.

  “Or he could find us,” the Captain muttered to himself.

  The Fancy sailed out of its hiding place, heading straight for the pirates. There was no denying it. Riggs had fallen into a trap.

  Yanking his sword out of its scabbard, Riggs shouted to his crew, “Fire!”

  BOOM

  BOOM

  BOOM

  The cannons of the Red Sky blasted away at the Fancy, but Every just deflected the attack with a yellow shield of magic. The cannonballs splashed harmlessly into the water, just like all of the other times.

  KEBOOM

  KEBOOM

  The attack from the Fancy blasted against the hull of the ship. Wood splintered and crewmates flew into the air. Several of the pirates tumbled into the water, lost as the Red Sky fled from the pursuing vessel. Daring to look behind him, Riggs could see blasts of yellow and purple ligh
t shooting into the water, incapacitating the stranded crewmembers. The water ran red behind the pirate ship, forcing the Captain to focus on the mess that he had brought upon himself and his friends.

  “Is there any way we could get more wind in those sails?” Clint shouted as he hurriedly checked his pistol.

  As he flung the wheel to and fro, Riggs yelled, “Hades, ye think you could use some of your powers?”

  KEBOOM

  Just as the cannonball was about to smash against the stern of the ship, the god of death flung up his arms, blasting the projectile with a current of blue that crackled like lightning.

  “Can’t really do that right now, Riggs,” he replied.

  In the tight space in between the islands, the Fancy pursued the Red Sky, shooting cannonballs at it as quickly as it could. With Riggs steering the ship, Hades had to try his best to keep Every’s attacks at bay, but he could only do so much. A few cannonballs slipped past his defenses, breaking chunks of wood and glass away from the captain’s quarters.

  “Any ideas ye’d care to share?” Hades asked.

  “None at the moment,” said a frantic Riggs.

  Just as the Captain tried to focus on the route to getting out of the cluster of islands, Coral Jack and Ripper ran up the stairs to the helm. In between them, they were hauling a barrel. From the smell, Riggs could tell it was gunpowder. The two men looked winded as they rolled the barrel over to the rail.

  “What do ye think you’re doin’ with that?” the Captain asked.

  Jack tried to quickly load the musket, constantly shocked by the cannonballs exploding just yards away from the ship.

  “We’re creating a surprise attack, Captain,” he said.

  “Dey’ll never see it coming,” said Ripper, grabbing the sides of the barrel.

  The master gunner tried to lift it while his friend loaded the musket, but even he seemed to overestimate his strength. The gunpowder was just too heavy. Pulling Clint back to his place at the wheel, Riggs rushed over to his crewmates, helping Ripper lift the barrel over the rail. With a mighty heave, they shoved the wooden container into the sea, watching it drift toward the Fancy.

  “Ya ready, man?” Ripper asked Jack.

  “I just need a couple seconds,” said the boatswain.

  “We don’t have a couple seconds!” Riggs exclaimed.

  The barrel floated even closer to the Fancy, soon to be directly under Every’s nose. If they did not shoot soon, then their surprise attack would be for nothing.

  “Jack…” said Riggs impatiently.

  “Almost ready.”

  The barrel was just about to hit the front of Every’s bow.

  “To hell with it,” Riggs said, yanking his gun out of his belt.

  “Too late,” said Ripper at the same time, pulling out one of his guns.

  Coral Jack whipped the musket around, his finger squeezing the trigger at just the right time. The three guns fired, shooting tiny balls of lead through the air and straight toward the floating barrel of gunpowder.

  KAPBOOOOM

  A plume of fire seemed to erupt from the sea itself once the barrel exploded. The bow of the Fancy careened into the air, so much so that the crew of the Red Sky could see some of the underside of the ship. From a quick glimpse, Riggs could see a yellow glow emanating from the wood.

  Every had shielded his ship from the attack.

  With a thunderous splash, the Fancy crashed into the water. For a brief period, the assault on the pirates stopped while the Arch Pirate’s crew regained their bearings.

  Jamming his pistol into his belt, Riggs rushed back to the deck, shouting, “Valera! Where are ye?”

  As Riggs hurried past a group of his crewmates near the rail, he heard several shots ring out. Quickly turning his head to the side, he saw the head of one of the pirates snap back, a lead ball exploding through his skull. Before the other men in the group could leap away from the rail, shots hit them in the chest and the neck, spraying the rail with blood. Ducking behind one of the dead men, the Captain just barely avoided being shot, the ball bursting through the man’s arm and skimming Riggs’ shoulder.

  Just as another shot rang out, he felt Valera pull him to the side, the suddenness of the action causing both of them to tumble over a stack of barrels.

  “Thanks for that,” Riggs said, hastily dusting himself off and climbing to his feet, helping the mermaid as well.

  “You’d do the same for any of us,” Valera said.

  “Speakin’ of doin’ somethin’…” said Riggs as a cannonball from the Fancy bashed against the rail behind him.

  The attack caught Riggs off guard. Pulling his gun out of his belt, he started to reload it as he pulled the mermaid into the center of the deck. At the helm, the Captain could see Hades trying to keep up with the King of Pirates. The skeletons and their captain were just so fast that even the powerful god of death was having difficulty keeping them at bay.

  “Every’s getting to be a nuisance, Riggs. Can ye hurry up a little?” yelled Hades, still trying to remain calm.

  Standing in front of her captain, Valera was ready to do whatever needed to be done to defeat their enemy.

  “What would you like me to do, Captain?”

  “We need ye to scout ahead. The best bet we have against that cretin is cripplin’ his ship. He’ll see every attack that we throw at him… unless it’s underwater.”

  Another cannon blast interrupted Riggs, but he continued, “If there are any rocks hidin’ in the water, I want you to find ‘em. Tell us where to go so we can sink that bloody wretch.”

  “Aye, Captain,” said the mermaid.

  With the blast of the cannons and the loud firing of the muskets ringing in the air, Valera dove into the water, narrowly avoiding the Fancy’s attack. As her legs quickly transformed into her purple fin, Riggs watched her swim ahead of the Red Sky, trying to spot any sort of underwater formation that could assist the pirates.

  KEBOOM

  Another blast from the Fancy’s cannons forced Riggs to turn his attention back to Every. Shots peppered the helm as Clint crouched down to his knees to avoid the barrage. Coral Jack and Ripper were firing their pistols and the musket from cover, hoping for the best while Hades tried to neutralize Every’s magical attacks. Beads of sweat were starting to appear on the god’s face as the power of Old Magic beat against his own powers. He could barely hold out against Every with the pirate captain leeching off of two magical items.

  On the main deck, Ororis did not even bother trying to use her screech. She knew that it would not affect the skeletons. Grabbing a musket from a dead body, she reloaded it as quickly as she could, drawing from the deepest recesses of her mind. Memories of her time aboard the Black Fog with Amos Marstow flowed back into her head. During the many battles where she had fought at his side, he had instructed her on how to survive situations like this. Now, it was time to put those lessons to good use. Nimbly climbing up the rigging, Ororis looped her leg through the ropes and dangled in the air where none of the skeletons seemed to be firing. With a steady aim, she pulled the trigger, watching a skeleton’s skull break into fragments.

  While Ororis readied her next shot, Julia rushed past the rigging, hurrying towards the captain’s quarters. She threw open the doors, eagerly looking for anything that would be more powerful than a musket.

  “Riggs, you have to have something in here. You have to,” she said to herself.

  Julia rummaged through every box and compartment that she could find, but she could not find anything. Every weapon that had been in the cabin was being used.

  Still, she was not giving up. Throwing the blankets onto the bed, she peered underneath it. She was still met with nothing. In disbelief, the girl pounded her fist against the bed, jumping to her feet and immediately seeing the window.

  By the time she noticed, it was too late.

  The bowsprit of the Fancy crashed through the glass windows of the cabin, sending shards of glass flying into the room. Julia jump
ed back in shock, tripping over her boots. The ship and its crew had recovered from the Red Sky’s explosive attack, and it was ready to cause even more damage.

  As the girl watched, skeletons scaled the bowsprit, leaping into the cabin through the broken window. Julia grabbed her sword just in time to block one of the skeletons from gutting her. Driving her elbow into her attacker, she rushed to the door, unable to hold back the amount of skeletons pouring into the room.

  Throwing open the doors, she yelled, “We’ve been boarded!”

  Just as she said that, a wave of Every’s bony crewmembers rushed through the doorway, spilling out onto the deck. The two crews finally collided with swords clashing and pistols firing. Screams of pain mixed with the echoing of bursting skulls.

  Julia fought hard against one of the skeletons, locking swords with him and matching each attack with a solid defense. As he slashed downward, she hopped back, driving her foot against his blade and knocking it to the deck. He responded with a backhanded fist to the jaw, knocking her backwards. The bare bone driven against her face hurt her more than any punch that she had ever felt. Watching her pain, the skeleton laughed.

  “Poor wench, ye’ll never be able to beat me,” he cackled with an echoing voice.

  Scowling, Julia drove her sword forward with a quick swish, planting it straight in the skeleton’s eye socket. The monster howled, grabbing the blade with one hand and trying to yank it out of the bone. The sudden movement wrenched the weapon from the girl’s hand, leaving her with nothing to defend herself.

  Just as Julia reached forward to try to grab her weapon, she saw a blur of black leap over her head. Jumping from the middle of the stairs, Riggs landed on top of the skeleton, crushing Every’s crewmate’s skull underneath his feet.

  “Best not be losin’ your weapon, love,” he said, tossing the sword back to Julia.

  “Are those your words of wisdom, Riggs?” she asked, waiting for another skeleton to jump out at her.

  “Aye. Can’t say I was expectin’ this to happen though.”