Captain Black Shadow

by Janina Franck

  Ryo clasped his hands behind his head and yawned.

  “Now, come on, bud, I’m here to show you our cabin.”

  Surprised that he should sleep anywhere but the kitchen, which he had presumed to be his prison cell, Griffin didn’t move. Ryo grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.

  “Griffin, wake up! C’mon! It’s your turn to stand guard!”

  Someone shook Griffin until he was awake. Skip. Maco waited in the doorway.

  Griffin almost couldn’t hear Skip’s next words due to Ryo’s roaring snore. “Maco and you are paired for this week. Wake up Ryo when you get back; it’s his turn after.”

  Tired, Griffin rubbed his eyes and tumbled to deck after Maco. The chill of the night air woke the boy instantly. Maco turned around and pushed a blanket into his arm. Apparently, they already trusted him with guard duty. More likely they were testing him.

  “If’v cold!” said Maco.

  “Really? I wouldn’t have guessed,” mumbled Griffin.

  While Maco climbed into the crow’s nest, Griffin walked to the prow of the ship. There, the boy stared into the green-mooned night, listened to the sounds of the waves and drowsed away. The waves glistened ever so slightly in the moonlight, giving the water an eerie greenish color, almost like a light glow from the deep. The sky was clear, without any clouds. Griffin’s gaze wandered to the stars. There were so many, but they were so far away. Their shine lit up the night. They were beautiful, almost more so than he could stand. In a way they reminded him of Selene. They were just as secretive and unreachable as she was. Who was she really? What had made her become a pirate? Shuddering, Griffin wondered if Selene had ever killed someone.

  He wanted to get to know the whole crew. Now that he was stuck in this situation, he wanted to find out what made someone become a pirate. They didn’t appear naturally cruel. Griffin had known some children who tortured small animals to watch them squirm. This group of pirates didn’t seem like that. They had reasons for what they did.

  Unless it was all some clever ruse to make him trust them, just to knock him down even further. To see the shock and terror in his face when they turned around to torment him. Perhaps they were creeping up on him right this second, waiting to slit his throat and drop him into the dark waves. A chill went down his spine at the thought. His hands began to tremble. He wanted to turn around to check what was lying in wait behind him, but he couldn’t move. What if there was something there? He didn’t want to know; he didn’t want to see. But… he also didn’t want to die. He should at least go down fighting.

  With all the strength and courage he could muster, the boy spun around and threw a punch into thin air. At the other end of the ship, Maco was pacing with a lantern. There was no one else around. All Griffin could hear was the soft splashing of the waves against the Bat and the gentle creaking of the wood.

  For a moment, the boy was genuinely surprised. His fist was still hanging in the air. Slowly, he let it sink. He felt silly. Of course they wouldn’t murder him like that. If they wanted him dead, he already would be. Perhaps they really did want to be his friends. Griffin felt a layer of warmth surround his heart. He liked Ryo, and so far, everyone else had seemed welcoming as well. He knew the stories about their cruelty, yes, but he hadn’t actually seen them do anything bad yet. Although, he had seen the result of one of their deeds, as much as he wanted to forget about it. He desperately wished for there to be a less gruesome explanation for the incident, one that would prove this crew innocent, but he knew he wouldn’t find one. They were bad people. But maybe bad wasn’t the same thing as bad.

  According to what Skip had said, their victims hadn’t exactly been good people, either. Slave traders… As far as Griffin was aware, only criminals were made slaves. It was a punishment worse than the death penalty because it also affected the families of criminals. And if those sailors had enslaved a village full of innocent people… maybe they’d had it coming to them. Even so, Griffin found it difficult to stomach the attack on the Crow. Perhaps he could reason with them, convince them to stop doing this kind of thing. If it didn’t work out, he could always still flee and contact the Marine Corps if necessary. Either way, it could be the adventure he had hoped for, and suddenly, it seemed like it was his destiny to be there. He was afraid, but he reasoned that heroes had to be scared in order to overcome their fears. And so would he.

  This was the moment the shipwright’s son decided to stay on the ship and become a pirate.

  For now.

  As long as he wouldn’t have to kill anyone.

  But he couldn’t imagine that anyone in the crew would force him to. Well, they might, but they didn’t appear to be those kind of people. Apart from maybe Captain Black Shadow, whom he still hadn’t met. What kind of person was he? If he was human at all.

  There was a secret floating around this ship. The mystery of Black Shadow. It was said that nobody had ever seen his face, at least, no one who could talk about it afterward.

  Griffin sighed and stretched. He would get through this. He looked over the ship. Everything was quiet. Nothing moving, so peaceful… The shadows still made him uneasy. He still half-expected someone to jump out from one of them and stab him, but perhaps that was only natural to feel in the dark.

  A shape climbed down from the crow’s nest. Maco. He must have gone up to overlook everything while Griffin hadn’t been paying attention. It worried him a little that he hadn’t been able to keep track of Maco’s position. The troll waved Griffin over and said, “Guard if … ower. Wake Ryo. Well… done!”

  Griffin nodded, relieved. Finally, he could go back to sleep and get out of the open. The horizon already showed the first signs of morning.

  Griffin went back to his cabin to wake Ryo – or rather, he attempted to. But he simply turned to the other side. Griffin tried again, without success.

  He hit Ryo’s arm.

  He shouldn’t have.

  With a rapid motion and without opening his eyes, Ryo turned around and punched Griffin in the stomach. The force caused the boy to hit the wall, the impact taking his breath away.

  The snoring didn’t stop for even a second.

  Groaning, Griffin rubbed his back. It seemed impossible to wake Ryo. Griffin tried everything. He took away his blanket, but with one swift grab, Ryo had it back. He even emptied a bucket of water over Ryo’s head. But it was no use. Griffin grew desperate. How could it be this difficult to wake someone?

  “Complications?” someone asked. Joe, the pretty man, stood in the door. “Could it be possible you would not object to some aid?”

  Griffin nodded, exhausted. Joe’s voice was pretty, just like everything else about the man: soft as silk. The way he spoke seemed gallant, like a prince.

  “Wait here for but a moment,” said Joe. “I believe the solution to this troublesome matter is known to me.”

  Joe disappeared for a moment, returning with Zero, who shifted into a mouse. He then slipped into Ryo’s bed and scurried around the man’s neck for a few moments. Ryo’s eyes ripped open and his mouth opened to scream, but Joe was already by his side to cover it.

  Zero changed back to his human form, smiling apologetically.

  Ryo glared at Joe with blazing eyes.

  “What was that for?” he growled once Joe had taken back his hand.

  Joe grinned and pointed at Griffin.

  “Our newest disciple appeared to have difficulty waking you from your slumber. I gave him the aid he required. It is our turn to guard the ship.”

  Ryo sighed but accepted the explanation. He grinned at Griffin. “These guys are worse than those damn dictator Marines. I’ll show you an easier way to wake me later.”

  Then he followed Joe and Zero outside, grumbling quietly, mumbling something along the lines of, “I hate mice, those damn beasts…”

  Griffin on the other hand slipped back into his hammock and was fast asleep within a second.

  After Griffin had fought
with himself to get up to make everyone’s breakfast, he now sat tiredly with Skip in the mess and playing cards.

  Skip grinned.

  “I heard you had problems last night getting Ryo up.”

  Griffin sighed. “I’m surprised the noise didn’t wake all of you up!”

  “Of course not!” Skip laughed. “I sleep like a stone. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to withstand Ryo’s snoring.”

  Griffin nodded. It made sense.

  “Your turn,” Skip reminded Griffin of the still ongoing game.

  Griffin placed a card on the table.

  “I win.”

  “Another game. I will have my revenge!” Skip declared, grinning. While he shuffled the cards, Griffin looked around the mess. Nearby, Balthasar and the Klabautermann sat, seemingly still arguing about the nuances of pegasi lore. The little blue man was not only opinionated, but also quite knowledgeable, unsurprisingly, as his kind was almost less known than pegasi. A ship’s kobold. As someone who had worked with ships all his life, Griffin was no stranger to the stories about Klabautermanns. Everyone knew they existed, but it was highly unusual to see one walking around in a physical body. Normally, they were invisible spirits linked to ships, essentially an individual ship’s soul.

  Remembering those stories made Griffin think of his parents. By now they must have found out about the attack on the Crow. His heart felt heavy when he realized that they must believe him to be dead, murdered.

  “Hey, you okay?” Skip interrupted his thoughts. Griffin looked up and nodded.

  “I just find it hard to believe that I’m here and alive. I mean, you’re even letting me walk around the ship freely. I can do whatever I want. I just don’t really understand what’s going on. You’re pirates. I’m not.’”

  His outburst of honesty surprised him. Griffin couldn’t explain to himself why he was so open. But then, if it hadn’t been for Skip, he’d be dead, too. However, if it hadn’t been for Skip, the Crow would never have been attacked in the first place.

  Skip took a moment of reflection before replying.

  “You’re not a prisoner, Griff,” he explained. “You’re a good person. I know this isn’t your world, but if you give it a chance, it might become that. We all have our reasons for being pirates, and it’s not because we like causing destruction and chaos. You don’t know this, but your government is corrupt to the core. And all of us had to suffer because of it. Jianlah is not the united empire it pretends to be.”

  Skip looked serious. His dark, almost black eyes were fixed on Griffin’s, intense and direct.

  “Just think about it.”

  Griffin nodded. He then stood and went back to the galley. Dirty dishes waited for him, and apparently so did Selene. She was examining the plates Griffin had planned to wash. Petrified, Griffin stood in the doorway. He hadn’t expected her to be here. He had hoped to be left alone with his thoughts for a moment, but he didn’t seem to be able to catch a break. He closed the door behind him. Was he supposed to say something?

  Selene turned around to him with an unreadable look and held out a dirty plate.

  “How do you clean this?” she asked.

  Griffin took the plate and watched her uncertainly. Was she being serious?

  Her expression didn’t reveal anything. “Well, how?”

  She sounded pushy, with a hint of desperation, or was that just his imagination?

  “You mean… you don’t know how to do dishes?” Griffin asked carefully.

  Selene turned away.

  “Forget it. I’m here because of something else.”

  Griffin listened but said nothing. He feared that if he said anything, she would leave.

  Or explode.

  Or kill him.

  Silence hung about like a fishweb of silk. After an eternity of staring at each other, Selene asked, “Why are you here?”

  Griffin knew what she meant. She wasn’t just speaking of this ship; she wanted to know the reason for his leaving home.

  Honestly, he answered, “I was looking for freedom and at home I couldn’t find it. Besides, who doesn’t wish for adventure?”

  He attempted a roguish grin. Selene remained quiet. Her expression didn’t change.

  “Are you intending on becoming a pirate?” she asked after another while.

  Griffin looked down at his hands.

  “I don’t know. I don’t believe I’d be able to hurt anyone. I don’t want to kill. I don’t even want to steal. Actually, Skip just kind of picked me up. I didn’t know he was a pirate. I don’t know how I feel about this entire situation. I’m very confused about everything right now and I’m beginning to question a lot of things I thought before.”

  Griffin had looked up and gazed firmly into Selene’s eyes. At once he realized that he hadn’t just said it for the hell of it. He’d meant it. Despite all he had thought before, which he still believed, there was at least a part of him that meant these words. Some hidden part of himself was considering staying and at least trying to become friends with these terrible people, and not just because of a basic survival instinct.

  Something in Selene’s eyes appeared to flicker. Her expression didn’t change, but she stormed out. Griffin stayed behind, alone and confused. Had he said something wrong? What was her problem? For some reason, Griffin couldn’t shake off the feeling that she just really couldn’t stand him. Pity. Griffin, for his part, thought Selene quite pretty and kind of cute. Terrifying, yes, but beautiful in her own, evil way.

  With a sigh, he turned back to his work. Ryo and Skip entered when he was halfway done.

  “You’ve really made an impression on our girl,” Ryo smirked.

  Skip laughed. “She just told us to put you on a small island far away from her!”

  Griffin felt cold. “You… You don’t mean…”

  Ryo grinned. “Don’t worry about it! She had a similar reaction to Skip back in the day. She doesn’t actually mean it; she’s just not used to people.”

  Griffin nodded silently. He could imagine that socializing was no everyday option for her, considering the circumstances. As a pirate, the main contact with strangers was in battle: Swords smashing against each other. Death.

  The other two left again, likely in order to find something more amusing to do. Griffin barely noticed. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts about what he should do, and why Selene seemed so much less friendly toward him than anyone else. Thoughts about her, as well as thoughts about what Ryo and Skip had told him, plagued him for hours, even after he had finished his work.

  To distract himself, he went in search of the library. Since Balthasar called himself a librarian, he supposed there had to be one around here somewhere. After he had roamed about the ship aimlessly for a while, he ran into the Klabautermann and asked him for help.

  The little blue man revealed his sharp teeth and pointed.

  “That way. Ssssecond hall on the left. Fourssss door to the right.”

  The Klabautermann’s million sharp teeth still made Griffin uneasy, but he was starting to get used to the little blue man’s mannerisms and complexion.

  “Have you ssssssseen Ryo?” he asked before Griffin could turn away. There was an evil glint in the Klabautermann’s eye that made Griffin shiver. He shook his head. The Klabautermann turned away without a further word and stomped down the hall. Griffin vaguely noticed a sheet of paper saying ‘Kick me’ in his hand. He sighed inwardly. Ryo must have played another one of his tricks. Griffin considered warning him, but then he thought better of it. Ryo undoubtedly knew how to handle himself.

  Instead, Griffin followed the directions and after a few moments he stood in front of a large door. It wasn’t decorated, but it was a little bigger than the other doors.

  Gingerly, Griffin knocked.

  No answer.

  The boy peeked inside and entered. It was a relatively big room with high walls. There were books everywhere on shelves, piles, tables – boo
ks over books. The light was dim and the room was silent. All Griffin could hear was his own feet tapping on the dark wooden floor.

  In reverent silence, the boy looked around. His mother had taught him to read at a young age. Griffin had always liked books. They were like doors into other worlds. A welcome means of escaping one’s own reality and everyday life. He got the feeling he would spend a lot of time in the ship’s library, should he be allowed.

  Slowly, Griffin wandered between the shelves. He felt as if he had entered a fairy tale. Completely transfixed, he almost walked into a table with a map on it. Two people leaned over it, speaking quietly.

  Selene and Balthasar.

  Griffin cleared his throat. Both looked up.

  “Sorry, I really don’t want to disturb…” Griffin started.

  “Why do it then?” Selene cut him off. Griffin flinched. Her voice was cold and cutting.

  “Well…” he stammered. “I wondered what you were doing?”

  Selene leaned over the map again and measured something. Balthasar answered in her place. “We’re calculatin’ when an’ where we attack next.”

  Griffin swallowed uncertainly. Selene still ignored him.

  “And… when will that be?” he asked carefully.

  Before Balthasar could give an answer, Selene marched past them both, leaving the library.

  For a moment, the librarian and Griffin stood in silence, both looking after the girl. Then Balthasar put a hand on Griffin’s shoulder.

  “Dun take it to heart, boy,” he said, revealing a gold tooth with his grin. “She ain’t used to ye, is all. So, whatcha want here?”

  “I was wondering if I could read some of the books,” Griffin replied gingerly.

  “Ah, we’ve got another reader, eh? Well, if ye follow th’rules, ye can read as much as ye like. But no takin’ books out of this room, rippin’ of pages or scribblin’ in, got it?”

  Griffin nodded hastily. Balthasar proceeded to explain the filing system of the library and go into several other rules. Griffin got the impression that he should not break any of them if he wanted to keep his tongue and his digits where they were.