by Ryan Gilbert
The Captain grabbed Jonathan by the head and started ramming him against the ground. With each pound, Riggs could feel his rival growing weaker. He was going to win.
Just as he was about to deliver what he thought would be the final blow, Jonathan’s arm swung up and bashed a rock into the side of the pirate’s head. Holding his skull as a familiar, sticky red substance started to flow, Riggs fell off of Jonathan’s body. The pain was crippling for him, just as it had to be for his rival.
The circle of soldiers had dissolved, now just standing around and watching as the bloodied combatants tried to pull themselves together. Dizzily getting to his feet, Jonathan stumbled over to where his sword lay, with Riggs grabbing a tree branch. With all of his strength, he threw it at Warner, hitting him square in the back. The nobleman fell to his knees, his nose still gushing blood.
Gathering up his determination, Riggs clawed his way across the grassy ground to his sword. He could feel the warmth of the liquid dripping from his head wound onto his arm and the stream trickling down his side.
Jonathan needed to die.
As his fingers curled around the hilt of his sword, Riggs saw a shadow come over him. In an instant, a foot came down on his hand, crushing his fingers against the metal. Warner grabbed Riggs by the shoulder and turned him over onto his back. Riggs could hear the sound of metal dragging across the ground as Jonathan pulled his weapon to his side.
Breathing heavily and trying to contain the hurt, the nobleman snarled, “I need… *wheeze* to see your face… *hngh* when I kill you.”
With pain etched in the crimson that covered his face, Jonathan brought his sword above his head to deliver the killing blow. Riggs did not close his eyes. His death would not come today. He knew it.
A flash of blue.
BANG
The sword dropped from Jonathan’s hands as he fell to Riggs’ side, still breathing, but obviously hurt by the blast of magic. Neither had any more fight left in them to duel. The only thing that they could do was lay there in their own blood as whoever fired their gun came forward.
Riggs could feel footsteps coming closer as he gazed up at the sky. The clouds had started to part, revealing a clear sky. Just as the pirate was starting to get lost in his mind from blood loss, an imposing figure stepped over him, his blue coat and golden tassels showing the pirate that this man was from the Navy. Painfully turning himself over, Riggs noticed the wrinkles in the man’s rather unnerving features. This man was Admiral Carter, and he meant business.
“What do we have here?” he asked, “A pirate fighting with one of my men?”
At the Admiral’s side, Commodore Hamond appeared, masking his surprise at seeing Riggs again. Even in his weakened state, the Captain could tell that Hamond was not happy to be running into the crew of the Red Sky again.
“The soldiers say that Mr. Warner agreed to duel with the pirate, sir,” said the Commodore.
“He did? Now Mr. Warner, you know that we do not make such callous agreements with pirates,” said the Admiral, kneeling down in front of a panting Jonathan.
The nobleman could say nothing except for incoherent mumbling.
“Take him to my tent. Get him some medical attention,” Admiral Carter ordered.
As two soldiers carefully escorted Jonathan to his superior’s quarters, Carter turned his attention to Riggs. Spitting blood onto the ground, the pirate glanced up at Commodore Hamond, but Julia’s father could only observe.
Watching the pirate’s every pained move, the Admiral said, “At last, I have the infamous Captain Riggs at my feet. Believe it or not, you have made my life quite difficult over the last couple weeks.”
“That’s *ugh* good to hear,” Riggs said, his laugh cut off by a jolt of pain.
Admiral Carter did not share in the laughter, instead remaining stone-faced. Even from his mannerisms, Riggs could tell that this man was dangerous. His very presence sent shivers down the Captain’s spine.
Grabbing Riggs by the chin, the Admiral pulled him up to his level with no regard for the pain.
“Under normal circumstances, I would haul you to my tent right now and beat out of you everything that I wished to know. I, like Mr. Warner and the Commodore here, would like to know where Julia Hamond is being kept.”
Unlike the staredown with Jonathan, Riggs could not break the man’s stern gaze. At least with Warner, he could look away and not have something horrible happen to him. With the Admiral, Riggs felt that if they broke eye contact, something awful would surely occur.
With Riggs’ blood dripping through his fingers, Carter said, “Since Mr. Warner decided to dispense his own brand of justice, I have decided to give you some time to recuperate. At sundown, I want you to be at my tent, willingly, so that you can tell us where you have hidden Ms. Hamond. If you do not come willingly, I will have my men tear down that pathetic house that you are using as shelter and drag your worthless carcass to the gallows. Do we have an understanding?”
The Captain did not have much of a choice. He was weak and wounded, at the complete mercy of the Navy for once in his life.
With a strained voice, Riggs replied, “Aye.”
Once the word left the pirate’s mouth, Carter let go of him, letting him crumble onto the ground.
“Remember, pirate. I will be seeing you at sundown,” said Carter, watching Riggs gingerly pick himself up off the ground. As the Captain stumbled back to the house, he heard the Admiral say, “Soldier, wash the blood off these gloves. Red does not suit me.”
As soon as the soldiers began leaving, Riggs’ friends rushed out of the house to help him. As quickly and as painlessly as they could, they brought him into the shelter of the building. He was almost nothing more than a ragdoll, relying heavily on Ripper and Eli to keep him standing.
“How in the bloody hell did that codpiece do this much damage to ye?” asked Coral Jack, bringing his captain’s discarded coat back inside.
Letting himself be guided to the couch, Riggs said, “He’s gotten better since the last time ye’ve seen ‘im.”
As Riggs laid down, Eli pulled out some medical tools and alcohol, preparing to mend his captain’s wounds. Holding up the flask, he asked, “Are you ready, Riggs?”
Grabbing onto Eli’s shirt, Riggs said through his teeth, “Just *ugh* get on wit’ it. Ye’ve got ‘til the sun sets.”
After a nervous breath, Eli poured the alcohol over his captain’s wounded side. For the next couple hours, nothing was heard coming from the house but Riggs’ cries of agony.
Back at the Admiral’s tent, Carter was observing as the doctor tended to Jonathan’s wounds. Commodore Hamond stood in the corner, watching Jonathan squirm in discomfort. Hopefully, after nearly being killed, his comrade would finally shut his braggart mouth and actually listen to his superiors. It would certainly make him more tolerable.
“Did you kill him?” Jonathan wheezed.
“Mr. Warner, your hatred is clouding your judgment,” said Admiral Carter, folding his hands on his lap, “If I would have killed him, then there would have been no way to find out where Ms. Hamond is. We cannot afford to lose her to those pirates forever.”
The wounded man nodded, wincing in pain as the doctor carefully cleaned his wounds.
In his usual calm demeanor, Carter continued, “However, Mr. Warner, I do have a question for you whose answer seems to evade me.”
Jonathan listened as well as he could as his head wound was examined.
“Why rush into battle with that pirate when you did not have to? The Commodore and I were just arriving on the island, and yet you jump headfirst into a duel. That does not seem like the action of a true leader.”
Wiping some dried blood from his upper lip, Jonathan said, “My apologies, sir. I just wanted to *ow* make him pay for what he’s done.”
“That, lad, is the sign of someone out for vengeance.”
Shocked at the accusation, Jonathan said, “Vengeance? I would never… I was just trying to keep the citizens
of the Crown safe.”
“And what is Ms. Hamond? Is she not a citizen of the Crown?”
Warner was speechless.
“Do not cross me again,” the Admiral ordered.
Wincing, Jonathan nodded as the doctor closed the tent flap, blocking the nobleman from his Navy brethren. Once they could no longer see each other, Admiral Carter slowly shook his head. He was starting to get annoyed with the boy, much to Commodore Hamond’s delight.
“What ever happened to respect for authority, Matthew?”
“Mr. Warner is a reckless youth, sir. I learned that whenever I first encountered him on the HMS Magistrate. Now you can understand my hesitation when working with him.”
“Yes, of course,” said the Admiral, standing up from his chair, “He is damn lucky that we arrived when we did.”
“If only we had arrived sooner, then we could have avoided this entire mess and taken Captain Riggs prisoner immediately,” said Hamond, feigning concern.
Taking some wine out of his traveling case, Carter poured it into a glass for himself. Even someone as stern as him needed some relaxation. He raised the drink to his nose, sniffed the sweet aroma, and took a sip, savoring the taste.
“What is done is done, Commodore. If Mr. Warner wants to die at the hands of the very pirate that he has grown to despise, then so be it. I will not tolerate jeopardizing an entire mission just because of some petty feud.”
Sipping his wine, he turned to the Commodore, saying, “Would you like some?”
“No thank you, sir,” the Commodore declined politely, “I’d rather not drink at a time like this.”
“As you wish,” said Carter, shrugging and then raising his glass again.
Commodore Hamond walked to the tent flap, throwing it to the side and watching the sun descend. If his pirate friend had ever come up with a well-thought-out plan, then now would definitely be the time to have one.
As the sky turned yellow, orange, and red behind the trees, the door of the house creaked open. Still hurting, Riggs stepped outside, watching as several soldiers made their way down the path. The clomping of their boots matched in perfect rhythm as they approached. Holding onto his side, the Captain let the soldiers surround him and lead him to the Admiral’s tent.
Eli and Sapphire had crudely bandaged his side with some torn cloth, but it still hurt to breath. He had to avoid putting his weight on that side of his body or else it would start to burn. His head wound was cleaned, and Coral Jack had given his captain a bandana to cover it and keep it from bleeding further. So far, it had helped.
A soldier on each side of him and several in front of and behind him, Riggs felt like he was being led to the gallows already. The only things that were missing were the irons and the gallows themselves. Under his breath, Riggs started humming a song to himself, a song he had not had much time for during the entire voyage.
“Give me the sea;
Give me the wind.
Give me a ship
To plunder the land.”
A quick look to either side showed that the soldiers did not hear him. Either that or they were just not paying attention to him. He continued.
“Steal and lie;
Steal and lie;
There are no rules,
But you will not die.”
The escort party led Riggs into the camp of soldiers. His mouth watered as he saw the food that was roasting over an open fire. The redcoats seemed content to taunt him with it. Several men made it a point to walk alongside the group, smacking their lips and chewing loudly so the pirate could hear it. It was like holding a bone in front of a dog, knowing that the dog would never get it.
“Raise the skull and crossbones;
Bring fear into a man’s soul.
Shoot and loot, steal his gold;
Send him down to the depths below.”
The soldiers surrounding him broke off to the side, stopping in front of the largest tent in the camp. Tossing aside the entrance flap, the soldiers shoved the pirate into the tent, almost making him lose his balance.
In front of him lay a table, on the other side of which sat Admiral Carter. Commodore Hamond stood at his leader’s side, locked at attention with his hands at his side. Soldiers stood in each of the corners of the tent, muskets clasped in their hands. Jonathan Warner was nowhere to be seen.
“Good evening, Captain. Please, have a seat,” said the Admiral, gesturing toward the chair opposite him.
Normally, Riggs would have a witty comeback to the officer’s smugness, but as his wound bit into his side, he had no choice but to sit. He did not feel like himself as he pulled the chair out and sat down. It did not feel right to him.
“Now, would you please lay your weapons on the table, Captain?”
“Why in the bloody hell would I do that?” Riggs shot back, his free hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Admiral Carter did not answer. Instead, he removed a pistol from his jacket and laid it on the table in front of him. It was far enough away that Riggs could not reach it, but just close enough to the Navy officer that he could shoot the pirate through the head if he had to. So far, it seemed less like an interrogation and more like a peace talk.
“You see, Captain, I am not interested in fighting you. I am here solely to dole out justice and to help the Commodore find his daughter, whom you have kidnapped and held for months on end.”
“What makes ye think I’ll give her up so easily?” asked Riggs, casting a sideways glance at Commodore Hamond.
“You will give her up by the end of this meeting. I guarantee it,” said the Admiral, pulling Riggs’ attention back to him, “Some wine, perhaps?”
While Carter was focusing on getting information out of Riggs, his soldiers should have been keeping guard at the house. If they had been, then they would have seen Ripper, Eli, and Coral Jack sneak over to the tree line. They were going to get Kidd’s treasure, even if it meant stealing it away from right underneath the English Navy’s nose. Sapphire followed behind them, trying her hardest to get them back inside the house.
“I’m warning you… this is a horrible idea,” she said in a hurried voice, “Will’s treasure isn’t worth risking your lives over.”
The three pirates paid her no heed, instead focusing on staying out of sight.
“Would ye just be quiet?” asked Coral Jack.
“Will it get you to listen to me?” she asked.
“Yes,” said all three pirates.
“Okay, then I’ll… wait a minute, you’re not going to get me to be quiet that easily.”
Dropping back, Eli grabbed onto the fairy’s wrist and stopped her right in her tracks.
“Listen to me,” he said, “Do you know what will happen if one of those soldiers spots all of us?”
Sapphire shook her head, a little scared by Eli.
“Chances are that we’ll be captured. Do you know what happens to pirates when they’re captured by the Navy? They’re hanged!”
“A-and what about fairies?” asked a frightened Sapphire.
Without wasting a second, Eli said, “You would probably be shown a little mercy… so a quick death rather than a slow one.”
“Eep…” she squeaked.
The pirates did not hear another word come out of her mouth as they resumed their searching.
As quietly as they could, the four made their way over to the grave, brushing away the moss and dirt and ripping up the grass. As they started to clear the area, the crew noticed there were words inscribed on the stone. As quietly as he could, Coral Jack asked Sapphire to use her wand and light up the stone so that only the small group could make out what it said. With minimal effort, the fairy did just that.
“Here Lies James Sands:
Loving Husband and True Mariner”
“Riggs was right, mates,” said Jack, reading Kidd’s letter and the engraving, “The treasure’s got to be here.”
The pirates turned to Sapphire, who was begging for forgiveness as she knelt on
the ground and rocked back and forth. She felt like she had failed her father figure, letting the pirates finally reach his treasure.
Coral Jack took her by the hand, saying, “Listen, Saph. Your captain no longer has any need for this treasure. If anything, he’d rather have us take it than let it be captured by the Crown. The Crown is what betrayed him and made him become a pirate.”
“He wasn’t a pirate,” she squealed.
As gently as he could, Jack covered her mouth with his hand and said, “Alright… he was a privateer. Believe whatever ye want, but that treasure’ll be in better hands wit’ us.”
Pulling his hand away from her, Sapphire said, “If that’s what has to happen, then I’m coming with you.”
Eli and Ripper had already started digging. With a smile, Coral Jack stuck his shovel into the ground, beckoning for the fairy to follow his actions.
“Welcome to the crew of the Red Sky, Sapphire.”
Jack pushed the shovel deep into the soil, scooping up a clump of dirt and grass. The fairy tried to do the same, but she could barely push the shovel into the ground. After several efforts of trying to dig into the dirt, the fairy discarded her shovel, instead turning to her wand and magic to dig her portion of the hole. It was not much faster than the pirates’ digging, but it was less strenuous for her.
While the pirates and the fairy were digging in the dirt, Admiral Carter was searching for answers from their captain. Riggs refused to answer the man’s questions directly, trying to pad the meeting out for as long as possible. He did not want Carter to go snooping around near the house and find Kidd’s treasure.
“You are trying my patience, Captain,” said the Admiral in his droll voice, still no emotion showing on his face.