by Ryan Gilbert
At that moment, Julia was just starting to reach the inner circle of Hunter’s congratulatory crowd. The new governor was quite the talker, certainly not one for a quick conversation. As she listened to the man, she could not help but question what she had thought that she had remembered about him. Was it really him that soldiers would praise for his brutality in dealing with criminals? He seemed far too cheery and relaxed, sipping wine like he did not have a care in the world.
Try as she might, the girl could not get any closer to Governor Hunter. The people were too tightly packed for even her to squeeze through. She tried to stand on the tips of her toes to grow a couple inches, but he still would not notice her. Silently, she cursed, frustrated by a simple lack of open space.
Just as she was about to try to push her way forward again, Julia felt someone tap her on the shoulder, catching her by surprise. It was then that she heard music being played. This fellow must have wanted a dance.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m a little busy at the moment,” she said, not bothering to turn around.
“Well so am I, but I can spare some time for a girl who’s caught my eye, Ms. Hamond.”
Julia spun around in shock and stood face to face with the very person she despised most.
“Mr. Warner!” she exclaimed, unable to believe her eyes.
“In the flesh. It is truly great to see you again, Ms. Hamond,” he said with a bow.
Failing to contain her surprise, Julia asked, “To what do I owe this… unexpected meeting?”
“I was actually wondering if you could answer that same question. Perhaps, over a dance maybe?” he said, meeting her eye with his smarmy smile on his face. His expression was enough to instantly make her feel uncomfortable.
Julia cast a quick glance over her shoulder to see what Hunter was doing. There was no chance that he would go anywhere. In fact, he was even waving off a soldier that had presumably come to ask him a question. The only danger to Riggs was standing in front of her, asking her to dance.
“I don’t see why not, Mr. Warner,” she said, forcing herself to let him lead her onto the dance floor.
Taking her hand, he pulled her close, letting his other hand rest in the crook of her back. There was a time when she would have enjoyed dancing with Jonathan, letting him hold her close. That was back when she was oblivious to what a selfish bastard Jonathan was. Being locked in the brig of the Red Sky with him had shown Julia his true colors, and they were far from appealing. As they danced between the other couples, the only thing she could think of was getting away from him.
“So tell me, why are you here?” he asked.
“Same reason as you… to congratulate the new governor.”
Julia had to be careful with what she said. Jonathan was smart. If something did not add up, he would know. To her horror, he threw back his head and started to laugh. Surely, she had not already said something to raise an alarm.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I’m not here for congratulations, Ms. Hamond. I’m here to enlist his help.”
“What?”
He continued, “You see, both me and your father were looking for you, under the impression that you were still the captive of a certain band of pirates. Now that I know that you are safe, I also know that those pirates are close. We have a common enemy in New York, Ms. Hamond.”
“Is it the Red Sky again?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
The rest of the room blurred as they spun in a graceful circle. The voices around her seemed to blend together as Jonathan spilled the details to her.
“I found something that belonged to our old nemesis, Captain Riggs. It appears that he is crossing paths with us yet again.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Julia, needing to know more to warn the pirates.
Unable to tell that Julia was using him, Jonathan replied, “The Navy is searching for the ship right now. As for its captain, your father and I have some friends in high places that will help with capturing that vermin.”
“And where is my father now?” asked Julia.
“Somewhere in this house, I would reckon. Would you like to go see him?” said Jonathan as the music stopped for a moment.
Julia really did want to go and see her father. She would feel safer with him than she would with Jonathan. But, as much as she desired to embrace her father once again, she could not do it without endangering Riggs. If Jonathan saw the pirate captain, then there would be no telling what he would do. The best thing to do was to stay with Jonathan and keep him occupied.
“I think I’d rather stay here and keep dancing, Mr. Warner,” she said with a cutesy smile, inviting Jonathan to take hold of her once again.
While Julia was keeping her problems at bay, Riggs and the Commodore were trying to deal with their own. The guards had let them past, thanks to Hunter’s quick dismissal of the soldier who was to ask about Hamond and his “window inspector.” Before long, the two had found Hunter’s office, being allowed in without any further confrontations. Now came the careful searching.
Imitating how he had found the documents at Coote’s abandoned mansion, Riggs first searched in the chairs, finding nothing out of the ordinary. The lack of any cushions also made it easier, as the only thing he had to look for would be a button or lever.
“Are you going to tell me exactly what we’re looking for or not?” asked the Commodore as he peeked behind framed paintings and portraits, looking for hidden compartments, “A little parchment could mean a lot of things.”
“We’re looking for a map,” said Riggs, eager to find the final piece of the puzzle.
“A map?” asked the Commodore in disbelief, “You’re putting your life on the line for a map?”
Riggs sighed, stepping away from a desk that he had just analyzed in painstaking detail. Hamond could not possibly understand the life of a pirate. They needed treasure to survive. They needed notoriety to survive. If the pirates of the Red Sky found the treasure of a pirate as famous as Captain Kidd, then they would be known as one of the most dangerous crews to sail the seas.
“Can you at least tell me what it’s for?” the Commodore asked, trying to dig more information out of Riggs.
“Commodore Hamond, I may trust you, but I’m still not goin’ to tell ye everythin’. It wouldn’t look very good for me crew if you were to tell anyone where we were goin’.”
Before Riggs could react, the Commodore grabbed him and pushed him against the wall, rattling the objects hanging on it. He was not in the mood for the pirate’s games. He wanted answers.
“We made a deal that you would tell me what you and Julia are doing here, and I expect you to honor that deal, Captain.”
Riggs tried to squirm out of Hamond’s grasp, but the Commodore just pushed back even harder, knocking one of the paintings from the wall.
“Tell me now, Riggs. Why are you here and what is the map for?”
With the Commodore’s fingers pushing painfully into his shoulders, Riggs growled, “I’ll tell you if ye let me go.”
The Commodore acquiesced, to which Riggs’ hands immediately started rubbing his aching shoulder muscles.
“You’re stronger than you look, Commodore.”
“Stop delaying and talk,” Hamond barked.
“Okay, bugger!” Riggs exclaimed.
Picking up the painting from the ground, he said, “We’re lookin’ for the map to Captain Kidd’s treasure. We tracked it down to Robert Hunter and now we’re gonna take it. Capische?”
Resting his hands on Hunter’s desk, Hamond said, “I hope you know that you’re wasting your time, Riggs. I’ve heard too many stories of people searching for this supposed treasure and turning up dead. It’s not worth it.”
“Oh, it will be worth it, Commodore. The notoriety… the wealth… it will all be worth it,” said the pirate captain with a determined look on his face.
“That is, if either of us can even find the map…” said the Commodore, eyes wandering aro
und the room.
Riggs laughed, but he knew the Commodore was right. It was going to be difficult to find the map, unless something unusual showed itself, like a wood panel of a different color, or a hollow space in the wall, or a…
*squeak*
The Captain looked down at his feet. It had sounded like his boot had just made a noise. He turned around, expecting to see a bit of moisture on the floor that would have caused a squeaking noise.
Instead, he saw a trail of paint.
Paint that came from a now-smudged portrait.
Pulling out a knife from the recesses of his coat, Riggs hurried over to the painting that he had just replaced on the wall. Sure enough, the paint was still wet. For whatever reason, it had just recently been painted.
With great care, Riggs stuck the tip of the knife into the fabric, cutting away the edge of the painting. The piece fell away, revealing a tiny bit of discolored parchment.
Riggs’ heart leapt. He dug his fingers into the hole, ripping the painting to shreds. When the hole was large enough, the parchment drooped, fell, and drifted down toward the floor. The pirate snatched it from the air, not allowing it to reach the ground. Turning it over, he saw islands, a compass, and markings that could possibly show where Kidd’s treasure lay.
The Commodore peered over Riggs’ shoulder in amazement, asking, “Is that…”
“Yes,” Riggs interrupted, “This is what I’m lookin’ for… what every pirate is lookin’ for.”
With his signature grin, Riggs turned to the Commodore and said, “I’m findin’ that treasure. All I need to do is get back to my ship.”
That was easier said than done as Riggs would soon find out.
Dancing around the room with Jonathan, Julia began to feel a sense of uneasiness set into her mind. Wherever Riggs had gone, it was certainly taking a long time to find the map. In between the forced bits of conversation with Jonathan, Julia tried to come up with an escape plan, but no matter what popped into her mind, she knew it would be difficult for her to leave without arousing any suspicion. She had no possible way of even knowing if Riggs had found the map. She just had to trust that that was what was taking so long.
“You never did tell me what happened after my father let you out of the brig,” said Julia, remembering the joy that she had felt after finally being rid of him after her first encounter with the Red Sky.
Visibly disturbed by the memory, Jonathan said, “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Aw, you won’t even tell me?” said Julia, playfully batting her eyelashes.
If she was going to be fishing for information from Jonathan, then she was going to get as much as she could, and he was falling for every one of her tricks.
“Well, if you must know, I was treated by several doctors for my… injuries… and then was let back out to train for my new job. Within a few months, I became an investigator and I moved to New York. I’ve been living here ever since.”
“And who’s your friend in a high place?” asked Julia.
As the music came to a crescendo, Jonathan dipped the girl to the ground, an elegance of dancing that Julia had nearly forgotten from the civilized world.
Staring down into her eyes, he replied, “I think you will be meeting him soon enough.”
Once Julia returned to her feet, Jonathan said, “So tell me, who have you been staying with since you escaped from the pirates?”
Before the girl could answer, someone tapped Jonathan on the shoulder. Annoyed at the interruption, Warner said, “Can you not see that I am a bit preoccupied at the moment?”
“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cut in, mate,” said an extremely sarcastic voice.
After he heard that last word, Jonathan spun around, shocked to once again see the pirate captain glaring at him. Without hesitation, Riggs smashed his fist into Jonathan’s face, knocking him to the ground. He grabbed Julia by the hand and started pushing his way through the crowd, heading toward the entryway.
“Did you have to make a scene, Riggs?”
“What was I supposed to do? Come back and lead you away with a high chance of his followin’ us? Not gonna happen. Plus, I’ve wanted to bash his head in for a while now.”
All they needed to do was get out the front doors and they would be free. They could head back to the Red Sky and find out where Kidd’s treasure was hidden. With the soldiers making their way over to a fallen Jonathan’s side, there was no one to even stop the two. Partygoers did nothing but cast judgmental glances at Riggs and Julia as they dared to push past them. Even lifting a finger to stop the two pirates would be too demeaning for the noble folks of New York.
Their escape was merely feet in front of them.
They could almost feel their freedom.
*thunk* SMASH
The front doors burst open, forcing Riggs and Julia to duck into a gathering of party guests. Soldiers flooded into the mansion, their muskets pointed straight up in the air as they surged past the partygoers. They were led by an older man, a grim-faced, tough, and grizzled officer.
“Search every room. They’ve got to be here somewhere,” Julia heard the officer say.
“At once, Admiral Carter,” the soldiers replied.
Carter.
Everything clicked in Julia’s head. The confusion. The rumors. The stories. They were not speaking of Hunter. He was not the man who the pirates needed to fear. The person to fear was this man standing not ten feet away from them. It was Admiral Edward Carter.
Once the realization hit her, Julia started to panic. If Carter really was as dangerous as the rumors made his out to be, then she and Riggs could not waste any more time at the mansion.
Turning to the Captain, a frightened Julia whispered, “We need to get out of here. We need to get out of here right now.”
“Shush, love. I’ve got a plan.”
The soldiers started to disperse, searching in pairs. Only two were left to guard the doors while the Admiral made his way into the main room. Riggs watched the old officer intently, carefully picking the right moment to start his escape. The instant that Carter left the room, Riggs stepped out of the group of people and started heading straight toward the entryway. Sticking his hands in the pockets of his coat, he tried to look as innocent as possible as he neared the soldiers.
“Halt, citizen. Everyone must stay inside until the search is concluded,” said one of the soldiers, pointing his musket at Riggs.
“Oh, my sincerest apologies, gents. If you would, please allow me to help with that.”
Without a second to spare, Riggs ripped his hands out of his pockets and tossed handfuls of stolen silverware at the soldiers, catching them off-guard as he ducked to the ground. Before they could react, the Captain grabbed the barrels of their muskets and drove them upward into the soldiers’ foreheads with just enough force to knock them unconscious.
BANG
A shot planted itself in the wall next to Riggs’ head as both he and Julia dashed out into the torchlit grounds of Hunter’s estate. They could hear the yelling of the soldiers and the screaming of the patrons as chaos spread throughout the mansion. They ran past carriages and horses, some with coachmen, some without. The two pirates ran as fast as they could, with Julia even kicking off her heels.
“After them, men! Don’t let them escape,” the Admiral shouted.
Shots whizzed past Riggs’ ear as they ran down the street. Julia was just barely keeping up with the Captain as she was weighed down by her dress. The entire squadron of soldiers was now after them, the light of their torches almost reaching their quarry.
As his feet pounded on the road and the constant shouts of the soldiers rang in his ears, Riggs could tell that the redcoats were gaining on them. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to the fleeing pirates. He and Julia needed to pick up their pace.
Not a second too soon, Riggs heard the sound of a hooves clomping down the path, followed by the familiar sound of a carriage being pulled along behind the horse
s. Before long, it was right beside the two. Taking a quick glance to the side, Riggs could see Ripper pulling back on the reins to get the horses to slow down.
“Thought ya needed some help dere, Captain.”
“Aye, that we do, Rip,” Riggs shouted.
He matched his speed with that of the carriage, jumping onto the step and latching his hand onto the bars on the roof. He yanked open the door, using his body to keep it from closing.
A shot broke through the door window right next to Rigg’s ribs. Abandoning his own safety, he leaned out as far as he could, trying to reach Julia’s hand.
“Just a little faster, love,” Riggs shouted, his fingers inches away from hers.
Julia reached out and tried to grab onto the Captain’s hand, but her hand slid right out of Riggs’ palm. Luckily for her, it did not break the rhythm of her running.
Behind the girl, Riggs could see the soldiers gaining, their torches getting even closer. Thinking quickly, he undid his belt and tied it around the bar, holding instead onto that so he could extend his reach.
“One more time, Julia. Ye’ve got it.”
Gritting her teeth in determination, Julia leapt up and caught on to Riggs’ coat sleeve. Using her momentum, he swung her onto the step, to which she immediately fell backward into the safety of the carriage.
Riggs tumbled onto the seat, yanking the door closed as he did so. Both he and Julia could feel their hearts racing as adrenaline coursed through their systems. Holding his chest, Riggs let out a quick laugh, overjoyed that they had been able to find the map and escape from the forces of the Crown yet again.
“Ripper, pick up some speed. We need to get as far away from these redcoats as possible.”
Handing his captain a spyglass, Ripper asked, “Dere any specifics in mind?”
Careful not to cut himself, Riggs pushed some of the broken glass out of the window and raised the spyglass to his eye. Through a clearing in the trees, he saw a ship anchored out on the sea, not too far from the shore. The familiar red sails shone in the moonlight like a conquering angel.