by Ryan Gilbert
The bearded captain laid out a map on his desk and asked, “Where are you hoping to make port, Captain Striker?”
“I want to get to New York, mate.”
The captain stopped, looked up from the charts and asked, “May I ask why?”
The question caught Riggs by surprise, giving him a start. In the small amount of time that he had to prepare for the meeting, he had not bothered to think of an answer to such a supposedly trivial question. As quickly as he could, he just said the first answer that came to his mind.
“Trading business.”
Moving away from the map, the captain stared at Riggs with an inquisitive look on his face. It did not look like he believed the pirate’s story.
“You don’t strike me as much of a trader. Care to tell me the real reason why, boy?”
With the captain of the ship glaring down at him, the pirate could feel his story starting to crumble. Much more and he would be exposed. Trying not to show his building anxiety, Riggs took several deep breaths and tried to think of a way out of answering the question. Unfortunately, there was nothing that he could even think to use as a distraction.
Sighing, Riggs said, “We are lost… that part is true. Why we’re headin’ for New York though…”
The pirate looked down at the floor, trying to appear ashamed. Perhaps he could fool the man into pitying him.
“Go on, Captain.”
Riggs looked up from the ground with a sorry look on his face, finally saying, “… to search for treasure.”
The man chuckled, not the response that Riggs had been expecting. He could see the man’s hands, and they rested calmly on his belt, not even close to his pistol.
“That’s all, boy? There’s no need to be hiding that from me. I’ve wanted to do some treasure hunting myself actually. I’ve just never had the blooming time… that and the dangers of it.”
“Ye have no idea, mate,” Riggs said under his breath.
“What do I not have?” the captain asked. He had quite the hearing.
The man already knew about the treasure hunt, so Riggs felt it could not hurt to tell him some of the Red Sky’s experiences.
“Ye have no idea what I’ve fought against to get treasure. I’ve killed sea serpents, mutinous crewmates, mermaids… I’ve even fought against magic itself. There are creatures that roam these waters that no one wants to know about… and I’ve seen ‘em with me own eyes.”
The man’s expression did not change. He stroked his black beard in contemplation. To Riggs, it looked like he was trying to decide whether to take “Captain Striker” seriously.
To his surprise, the captain burst out laughing.
Wiping his eyes, the man said, “Captain Striker… it’s obvious the sea’s driven you a little mad. Mermaids? Magic? What kind of poppycock do you think we normal citizens believe?”
Riggs started to explain, but the captain cut him off, saying, “That was a good story, I must say. However, we must get down to business.”
Clapping his hand on Riggs’ shoulder, he brought the young pirate over to his map. There was no hostility in his voice at all.
His finger pointed to the map, and he said, “Your ship is here. Keep heading several miles up the coast and you’ll arrive at New York.”
“Is it a free port?” Riggs asked.
Once the question left his lips, he could see a grimace on the captain’s face. Whether Riggs knew it or not, he had hit a nerve.
“Regrettably, no. You’ve got to pay a small fee to dock your ship there, Captain. That darned Crown is going to bankrupt all of us honest sailors soon.”
“Aye… that it will.”
The captain escorted Riggs out of the cabin and back out onto the deck. Now that the pirates knew where they were, they could go on their way. It was only a matter of time before they found Kidd’s gold. Riggs was sure of it.
Shaking the captain’s hand, he realized, “I don’t think I caught yer name, mate.”
“Oh, my apologies. The name’s Edward Teach, traveler of the seven seas, at your service.”
With a grin, Riggs thanked Captain Teach for his help and climbed down the ladder to where Clint was waiting. The Headhunter let loose its sails and slowly started to move away from the longboat, leaving the two pirates to scurry back onboard the Red Sky and announce their new coordinates.
In hours, the Red Sky was anchored just off the coast of New York. Luckily for the pirates, there were no Navy ships in sight. It was far enough away from the port to not be noticed by anybody. Should anyone happen to see it, they would not assume it was a threat.
After careful consideration, the Captain decided to leave most of the crew aboard the ship while he and his friends went ashore. Coral Jack and Valera stayed onboard the ship to keep order. He trusted the men, but, as an extra precaution to make sure his ship would stay where it was anchored, he brought Kidd’s letters with him. There would not be another mutiny if he could help it.
By the time the pirates reached the shore, it was the middle of the day. The shore was nothing but a small beach, surrounded by trees and rocks. Small cliffs jutted out of the ground on either side, keeping the pirates safe from any seaward ambush. If anyone tried to attack them, the search party would definitely be able to see them coming from miles away. For the pirates, it was an ideal place to set up camp. After they pulled the longboat out of the water, they began discussing their plans.
Sitting down on the grass, Riggs grabbed the bag of supplies and said, “Okay, here’s what’s goin’ to happen. Clint and Julia, stay and guard the longboat. If anythin’ goes awry, signal Jack and the Sky. Ripper, time to put your gun skills to work. Make sure all of these weapons are loaded and in good workin’ order. Just please don’t shoot any of ‘em. Petey… just do somethin’. Eli and I are goin’ to scout out our surroundin’s. Is that clear for everyone?”
“Aye,” was the resounding response.
“Fantastic,” he said, “Eli, follow me.”
Checking his own gun, he stuck it in his belt and strode into the cluster of trees. The canopy was just thick enough for the two men, casting shadows over most of the ground. If a regular Englishman were walking through the forest, he would not think twice about the shadows, but the pirates knew the importance of staying hidden. Their footsteps made little sound as they hiked among the trees, trying to reach the settlement. If there was any sound, it was just the crunching of leaves and the tiny cracking of twigs under the pirates’ boots. From the silence of their surroundings, Riggs could tell that there was nobody even close to them. A port was always bustling with people. Why would a settlement be any different?
They kept walking for about ten minutes before they actually heard anything, and it was not a sound they wanted to hear. It was the rhythmic stomping of the feet of English soldiers. Sneaking forward, Riggs and Eli crouched behind a bush and watched as the red coats of the soldiers quickly marched down the road, muskets held steady in their arms.
From their hiding spot, the pirates could observe the looks on the soldiers’ faces and were intrigued by them. Riggs and Eli saw nothing but blank stares and solemn expressions. There was no feeling or emotion on any of the faces. It was a look to which neither Riggs nor Eli was accustomed.
It was downright disturbing.
The two had no choice but to wait for the soldiers to march past. Once the last man disappeared down the road, they waited for a couple more minutes, just to be sure that there would be no surprises. When all was silent except for the tweeting of the birds, the pirates stepped out onto the road and followed the path of the soldiers.
“What’s your plan, Riggs?” asked Eli.
His eyes peeled for anyone on the road, Riggs replied, “The first person we need to find would be this Coote fellow. If anybody would know details about Kidd’s treasure, it’d probably be the man who captured ‘im.”
The two men slowed and moved to the side of the road as a carriage full of citizens of the upper class trotted by. A
s they passed, Eli tipped his hand and bowed to the carriage, much to Riggs’ astonishment.
“What was that about? I’ve never seen ye do that before,” said Riggs.
Shrugging, Eli said, “Old habits, I guess.”
The pirates continued on the path as Eli explained the customs to Riggs. Whenever a lady walked by, a man would bow or tip his hat to acknowledge her. There would be no cursing, unless they were sailors. Rum was only for scoundrels and drunkards. Eli rattled off many other rules and customs, but Riggs could not pay attention to them. There were simply too many. The Captain tried to keep it all in his head, but it all seemed like an inconvenience for him.
“What purpose does this all have, Eli? We’re just goin’ to scout the area.”
“If you want to blend in, you need to know these things. You don’t want to end up in another jail cell, do you? I know I don’t.”
Riggs laughed it off and tried his best to remember what Eli was telling him. He would find Kidd’s treasure, even if it meant learning a wholly different custom than that to which he was accustomed.
Soon, the noise started to increase. Riggs could hear doors slamming and people yelling and conversing. It sounded like an extremely busy place. The trees turned into houses and the path turned to cobblestone. People started to appear much more frequently, at some points even crowding the streets. Stores were on every street corner, and people of all levels of social class could be seen in one block.
New York was a sight to behold.
Weaving in between people, Riggs and Eli tried their best to blend into the city. They both had a constant fear of being caught by one of the many squadrons of soldiers patrolling the streets. They tried to keep as close to the buildings as possible so as not to draw any attention to themselves. Several citizens actually acknowledged the two, despite their grungy appearance. Some young ladies cast glances at Riggs until he caught them staring. As he gave a nod in their direction, they smiled and went along their merry way. Riggs started to laugh, but Eli pulled him into an alley, grabbed some water from a rain barrel, and threw it in his captain’s face.
Caught by surprise, Riggs shouted, “What the hell was that for?”
Telling the Captain to lower his voice, Eli said, “You’ve got to look a little cleaned up… maybe less pirate-like.”
“Bollocks. We’ve made it this far. I don’t need a bath,” said Riggs, taking off his hat and shaking the water out of his scraggly hair.
“Riggs, just trust me.”
After a roll of his eyes, he let Eli wipe off his face with a piece of cloth. It was a strange feeling. He almost smelled cleanliness coming from his person.
“Finished?” asked the Captain.
Eli nodded, and they made their way back out onto the street. Riggs stuck his hat back on his head, still not sure what to make of the New York culture. All around him, he could see the high and mighty riding in their carriages and on their horses. They paid him no heed. Part of him felt slighted. He was the captain of a feared ship, and yet they treated him like a commoner. He must have done something to make his feelings known because Eli slowed his stride to match his Captain’s.
“What am I doin’ wrong now?” Riggs asked, his impatience rising.
In a hushed tone, Eli said, “You need to calm down.”
Grabbing onto his friend’s shoulder, he stopped right in his tracks, turning Eli to face him.
“Ye don’t think I’m calm?”
“I know you’re not,” said Eli, “Focus on Kidd, Riggs. You can’t be acting like this. If they see you, those soldiers’ll be on us any second.”
“What’d I do?”
His crewmate pointed to his captain’s hands, which were balled up into fists.
“The frown isn’t helping your appearance either,” Eli said, spying two soldiers in the crowd of people. They had their emotionless gaze fixed on the two pirates. Riggs’ hand went immediately to his sword, but Eli grabbed him by the wrist, concealing the threatening nature of the act.
“If you want to get out of this with your neck intact, you’ll follow my lead, Captain,” Eli whispered through his teeth.
Almost immediately, the soldiers pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of the two men. Their hands rested on their guns, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. They did not seem pleasant.
Eli began, “Good day to you, officers. What seems to be the problem?”
Riggs felt uneasy, but he let his hands hang at his side. Whatever Eli had planned, it had better work.
One of the soldiers said, “What is your business in New York, stranger? Someone alerted us to your presence and said you were acting strange.”
“Damn,” Riggs said under his breath.
Planting his boot on Riggs’ foot, Eli responded, “Sincerest apologies, officers. My name is Erik Stevens, and this is Robert Striker. My friend and I are here visiting the grave of my dear aunt, may God rest her soul. She died last year, and I made a journey from Yorktown to come and pay my respects.”
“Why is he here then?” the other officer asked, gesturing toward Riggs.
“He…”
“I’m here to keep Erik company. It’s been a tryin’ time for him… a tryin’ time indeed,” Riggs interjected, “His aunt meant so much to him. Truly a pity she had to pass away so young.”
From the little emotion on the soldiers’ faces, Riggs could not tell if they thought the story was true, or if they thought it was an obvious fake. Both of the pirates kept a straight face as the red-coated militia pondered the situation. On the outside, Riggs and Eli looked like confident men, firm in their resolve that they were telling the truth. On the inside, they were itching to grab their weapons and run.
One of the soldiers stepped forward and said to Riggs, “A moment ago, you seemed like you were ready to fight Mr. Stevens. Why are you so angry if you are coming with your friend willingly?”
Feigning disinterest, Riggs laughed and said, “Angry? Oh, ye must mean what happened a couple o’ minutes ago.”
“Yes, Mr. Striker. Explain those actions.”
“Well, I just happened to be talkin’ to Erik about my dearly beloved fiancée, and he mentioned somethin’ that I would rather put out of me head at the moment.”
The soldier stood in silence for a couple moments, trying to read the expression on Riggs’ face. The Captain tried to force a cheerful look, and it actually seemed to fool the man. Without a word, the soldier stepped back.
“Have a good day, gentlemen. Sorry to have disrupted your travels,” said the first soldier, motioning to his comrade to leave with him.
As the soldiers moved out of earshot, Riggs laughed.
“Yer aunt? What kind of a lie is that?”
“Better than your part about your fiancée…” replied Eli, smirking.
Riggs chuckled and started to follow his friend down the street. However, one thing struck him as odd. As they weaved up and down streets, his crewmate seemed to have a specific destination in mind. He had a feeling that their scouting mission was turning into something completely different.
“Eli, where are we goin’?”
His crewmate did not answer him. He seemed like he was too preoccupied with finding something. Riggs knew the look of a man searching for something, and it was written all over Eli’s face. At nearly every doorway, Eli would suddenly stop and then continue as if nothing happened.
“What are ye lookin’ for?”
Turning a corner, Eli raised his hand and finally answered, “This… this is what we’re looking for.”
Riggs looked upwards and saw the sign above Eli’s head. It was an old piece of wood, carved by hand. It swung on rusted hinges, hoping to entice potential customers to enter the general store. Dim light came from the windows, windows that looked like they had not been washed in weeks. Chips of dried paint were collecting on the ground as the colored wall showed its age. The Captain reached for the door, but Eli stopped him.
Glaring at his fellow pirate
, he said, “I need you to do me a favor, Riggs. Whatever you see in there, no matter the value… do not steal anything. Not even the tiniest thing. Understand me?”
“Aye,” said Riggs, pushing the door open.
A bell rang above the door as they entered, but there was no one there to attend to them. The inside of the store was even duller than the outside. The windows were so dusty that barely any light could get through them. Shelves with little inventory lined the room. It was amazing that the building was not condemned. Surely, they were in the wrong place.
“Oi… is anyone there?” Eli shouted in a gravelly voice.
“Need a drink, mate?” Riggs asked, offering his flask to ease whatever was causing the strange change to his friend’s voice.
Eli shook his head, denying the rum as a girl no older than either of the pirates entered the room. At first sight, Riggs could tell she was clumsy. She bumped into nearly everything. The dress she wore was ripped and tattered at the bottom, but she did not seem to notice. Her hair was almost as disheveled as the pirates’ hair. The poor girl seemed to look straight ahead and nowhere else. Ignoring her appearance, she had a charm about her that seemed to captivate Eli.
“Afternoon, s-sir. How can I h-help you?” she stuttered.
Taking a deep breath, Eli said, “Actually, I was wondering if I could speak with your mother. Is she here?”
“Y-yes. She’s in the b-back room. Do you n-need me to lead you there?” she asked.
Everything was moving too fast for Riggs. Too many questions were rushing into his mind. How could Eli possibly know this much about New York? How did he know about this shop? Did he know these people before he joined the crew of the Red Sky?
Eli jolted Riggs out of his thoughts by saying, “Actually, if you could watch after my friend here, I would be much obliged. I can find my way to the back just fine, thank you.”
“A-as you wish, s-sir.”
Even with Eli walking by her, she did not seem to know exactly where he was. Her gaze was always just behind him, never directly at him. Once he left the room, both Riggs and the girl stayed silent.