Dawn of a Red Sky

by Ryan Gilbert

  The fairy again shook her head.

  “He’d snap your neck in the blink of an eye,” she said, “You’re also forgetting about his magic.”

  Frustrated, Eli smashed his fists against the bars of the brig. Every time he and the rest of his crewmates were in a tight spot, Riggs always seemed to be able to get them out of it. He felt so stupid having to just pace around in a cell, waiting for nothing but nonsense to come spewing from his mouth.

  “How is it that nothing will work?” he muttered under his breath.

  “Give it t-time. You’ll t-think of something… I-I’m sure of it,” said Maggie, trying to reassure the pirate.

  Hopping to her feet, Sapphire chimed in and said, “Yeah, Eli, there’s got to be some way.”

  “Care to tell me what way that is?”

  The fairy’s only response was to shrug.

  Just as Eli was about to groan from irritation, all three of them heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs to the brig. As quickly as he could, the carpenter jumped in front of Sapphire to obscure their captor’s vision of her. Once Eli had shielded her, the fairy twirled her wand and shrunk to a tiny size, flying into one of the pirate’s pockets. She ducked into the fabric just in time to avoid being seen by the skeleton.

  The bag of bones stepped up to the bars of the cell, standing directly across from Eli. The skeleton’s dark eye sockets observed the pirate’s defeated look and the supposed hopelessness on his face.

  “I thought I heard ‘nother voice coming from down ‘ere,” snarled the skeleton.

  He unsheathed his sword and tapped it against the bars, the blade barely missing Eli’s fingers. The carpenter did not even move them.

  “There’s no one down here except us,” Eli lied, glaring at Every’s bony crewmember.

  The skull turned from one side to the other, peering through the bars and watching the two prisoners. So far as he could see, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Sapphire was safely hidden inside Eli’s coat pocket.

  “No matter,” said the skeleton, “Yer both gonna be dead soon anyway.”

  “What?” Eli exclaimed.

  Unlocking the cell, the skeleton grabbed the carpenter by the arm and said, “The Captain wants both of ye on deck. We’ve got a problem, and he knows yer just dying to be set free.”

  With a laugh, the crewmate hauled Eli out of the brig, tripping him for good measure. Just to make a mockery of the girl, the skeleton held out his hand, saying, “Come to me, lass.”

  Maggie stood on wobbly legs as the skeleton watched from the entrance to the cell. The girl held out her hands, trying to feel her way towards the dead man’s voice. To both Eli’s and the skeleton’s surprise, the girl made it to the door without even stumbling.

  As the skeleton gripped her arm, Maggie asked with a timid voice, “What d-do you have t-to do?”

  Confused by the question, the skeleton said, “What do I have to do? I have to bring ye to the captain, of course.”

  “T-that’s not really w-what I was meaning.”

  The girl could hear the bones in the crewmate’s neck creak as he tilted his head to the side.

  “W-what do you have t-to do to become l-like him?”

  For a moment, the skeleton looked a bit confused. To Eli, it seemed like Every’s crewmate had not even thought about what Maggie had asked. It was difficult to tell expression from a bare skull, but from his captor’s body language, Eli could tell that the question had brought to light something that might be important.

  After a bit of pondering, the skeleton replied in a hasty tone, “That’s not important right now. The captain ordered me to bring ye to ‘im and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

  Even as the skeleton pushed the two in front of him, Eli knew that the girl’s question was consuming the bony crewmate’s mind. The powerful captain was gradually regaining his humanity, but his crew was still just a bunch of skeletons. What if Maggie, Sapphire, and Eli did not need a plan? What if they just needed to make the dead crew question their fearsome leader?

  Eli smiled to himself as the thought entered his mind. Once he got a chance, he gave Maggie’s hand a quick squeeze. The most he could do was hope that she interpreted that as congratulatory.

  “Move along, ye scum,” the skeleton growled, even as his shoves seemed to get more and more hesitant.

  Helping Maggie up the stairs, Eli was bathed with the warm light of the sun. It beat against his face even as the skeleton crew of the Fancy formed a wall on either side of him and Maggie. The entire crew jeered at them, laughing and cackling as their bones jangled against each other.

  “Eli, w-what’s happening?” the poor girl asked, clutching her lover’s arm.

  “Just stay close to me, and everything will be alright.”

  As soon as they stepped onto the deck, Eli saw the terrible figure of Henry Every standing on the stairs to the helm. His golden sword hung at his side and the silver crown still rested on top of his hat. The Arch Pirate was peering out over the seas, his skin finally looking normal for a pirate. Already the dirt and grime were starting to rub into his skin, making him look very much like his old self.

  With a swish of his coat, Every turned around, locking eyes with his captive. Eli let out a quick breath as nervousness started to creep into his mind.

  “Carter, what do you see?”

  Straightening his back, the carpenter said, “What should I be looking for?”

  He could not look away from Every’s piercing stare.

  The King of Pirates sighed, casually making his way down the rest of the stairs. With Maggie trembling in his arms, Eli stood face to face with one of the most notorious killers of all time.

  “Do not test me, boy.”

  “Who’s testing anyone?” Eli asked, summoning enough courage to talk back to his captor.

  Before Eli could react, Every reached forward and snatched Maggie’s arm, yanking her away from her former fiancée. The blind girl let out a shriek as the pirate dragged her away from the panicked carpenter. He leapt forward to stop the pirate captain, but one of the skeleton crewmates smashed his fist across Eli’s face. Once he recovered, he saw Every place his golden blade against Maggie’s neck.

  “If you make one move, I will slit her throat,” said the captain.

  He sneered as Eli froze in place, unable to do anything.

  “Now tell me… what do you see?” asked Every, motioning for his crew to move away from the rail.

  Once the skeletons cleared a path, Eli could see what Every wanted him to see. Across the ocean, he could see dozens of Navy ships sailing towards the Fancy. The armada was coming straight towards them, and Every did not even seem concerned.

  “I see… trouble.”

  Every laughed, “Trouble for you, Carter. A mere distraction for me.”

  Pushing Maggie into a crowd of his crewmembers, Every laid a heavy hand on Eli’s shoulder and turned him toward the other side of the ship. Immediately, the carpenter could see the shimmering red and green hull of the Flying Dutchman bearing down on the skeleton crew. The red sails of the Red Sky followed not that far behind.

  “That, Carter, is trouble.”

  The Fancy was stuck between two groups of powerful opponents.

  Gripping Eli’s collar, Every said, “Let me explain my situation to you. One of my… rather unfortunate crewmembers greatly underestimated the speed of Hades and your pathetic captain. I need to divert the attention of those useless mongrels away from me. Just think of the bloodshed… the supernatural and the outlaws clashing with the minions of the Crown. None can rest until the other is dead, their corpses stuck in the crushing depths of the ocean. With the Navy gone, there will be no one to stop me from taking over the seven seas. With the Dutchman and the Red Sky destroyed, I will be immortal… and no one can stop me.”

  Eli’s eyes widened in horror. If Every succeeded, it would be the worst possible outcome for all pirates. Their freedom would be constricted, limited to what the King
of Pirates decreed. It would be just as bad as being stuck under the oppressive English Crown.

  Disdain oozing from his pores, Eli pushed Every away from him, trying to put some distance between him and the villain. The act caught the skeletons by surprise, allowing the carpenter to grab a weapon from one of them. He held it in front of him, pointing the sword at the Arch Pirate.

  “If me and my friends have any say, you won’t live to rule anything, Every.”

  Every chuckled, slowly twirling his magical sword at his side. He flourished it menacingly in the air before focusing his attention on his rebellious prisoner.

  “Prepare to meet your end, Carter,” he said with a laugh.

  “Eli, don’t!” Maggie wailed, pulling weakly against the hold of the skeletons.

  Cursing, Every turned his head and barked, “Shut your mouth, girl.”

  Eli did not let that split second go to waste. He slashed his sword through the air, aiming for the pirate captain’s head. Much to the carpenter’s misfortune, Every raised his sword just in time, blocking the strike.

  “You are just asking to die, aren’t you?”

  Every forced Eli backwards as the crew started to creep closer to the carpenter. All of a sudden, the captain motioned to the skeletons to stop. From the way that he was licking his chops, he wanted Eli to himself.

  Every slashed his sword at the carpenter, but with a swing of his weapon, Eli batted the blade to the side. The sinister smile did not leave Every’s face as their swords clanged together once more. It only served to make Eli even more determined to cut it from the pirate captain’s smug face.

  Trying to surprise Every, Eli rushed at him to try to bring him to the ground, but the Arch Pirate was too fast. Nimbly stepping to the side, Every grabbed the back of Eli’s neck and yanked him backwards, whipping the back of his head against the wooden deck. As a pain grew in his head, Eli could hear the rousing cheers of the skeleton crew for their captain.

  He was not going to let Every win that easily.

  Trying desperately to ignore the pain, Eli rolled out of the way of the golden sword as Every drove it straight into the deck. Still on the ground, the carpenter kicked his foot into the treacherous captain’s shin, forcing Every to kneel. With barely enough time to ready his sword, Eli swung it aimlessly, catching the pirate captain in the ribs. The blade sunk into Every’s side, deep enough to just hang there.

  He did not have time to celebrate that one successful strike.

  Without even so much as a flinch, Every rushed forward with an outstretched arm, his other arm pinning the carpenter’s sword against his side. He did not even seem to care that it had cut into his ribs. The destruction of his enemy was all that he could see.

  Every forcefully pushed Eli back as quickly as he could, ramming him against a cannon. The sudden impact broke his opponent’s concentration so much that he let go of his sword, leaving it to hang from the captain’s bleeding side.

  With Eli now deprived of his weapon, Every started to beat on him with every bit of strength that he had. His knuckles cracked across the pirate’s face again and again, each time twisting Eli’s head to the side. Every watched with a sick glee as the carpenter’s face began to bleed and bruise. Each punch fed his animalistic urges.

  He was well on his way to becoming his old, ferocious self that every seafaring man and woman feared.

  Letting go of Eli, Every drew his arm back and launched a punch into the pirate’s jaw, sending him flipping over the cannon and crashing against the deck. Eli landed in an awkward position, groaning in pain as he lay there. Even Maggie could have sworn that she had heard something crunch.

  As he observed the spatters of Eli’s blood running down his fists, Every took hold of his sword once more, letting Eli’s drop to the deck. Placing his hand on his side, he muttered the healing spell under his breath, not even bothering to see if the wound healed itself.

  He knew it would.

  “Do you wish me to end this futile battle?” he asked with an air of arrogance, holding the tip of his sword at his opponent’s neck.

  Eli mumbled something, something too quiet for Every to hear.

  “What was that, boy?” he asked, leaning in a bit closer but still keeping his sword between him and the carpenter.

  *phtuh*

  Eli spit a tooth into the captain’s eye, giving him just enough time to scoot away from the now angry Henry Every. Hurrying over to his discarded sword, Eli grabbed it and spun around just in time to block a strike from a very irritated Arch Pirate.

  “Do you think this is a game, Carter?” Every growled.

  With each swing, his strikes got more and more powerful. Digging deep into his mind, Eli tried to use whatever techniques he knew to keep Every at bay, but he knew it could only work for so long.

  “Your life is on the line, boy. Abandon the tricks and fight me like a real pirate.”

  One of Every’s strikes caught Eli’s sword at an unnatural angle, knocking the blade out of its defensive pose. The carpenter’s body was wide open for attack. Seizing his chance, the Arch Pirate slashed his golden blade across Eli’s forearm, chest, and shoulder, all in one bloodied arc. The Red Sky’s crewmate let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground, clutching at his arm.

  As soon as Eli looked up, he saw Every’s golden sword shimmering in the sun as it was pointed directly at him. His blood dripped from the tip that was suspended in the air mere inches from his eyes.

  “Do say hello to Eleanor for me,” Every laughed as he prepared to drive his sword through the young pirate’s skull.

  Eli could hear Maggie crying from somewhere in the mass of skeletons.

  K-BOOM

  A cannonball shot into the water, showering several skeletons with seawater. The entire crew turned toward the sound, seeing that the Navy armada was now even closer than before.

  Cursing loudly, Every grabbed Eli by the back of his neck and dragged him to his feet. If he did not have the time to kill the pirate, then he would let the Navy have him. He knew that could be a far worse fate.

  “Congratulations, Carter. You’ve just bought yourself another five minutes to live.”

  “No!” Maggie shouted.

  Ignoring his daughter, Every hoisted Eli into the air and tossed him over the rail in one sweeping motion. The carpenter could do nothing to stop him, his wounds sapping him of his strength.

  The surface of the water hit him like a brick wall. He reached out for something… anything to stop his fall to the ocean depths. The salt in the water bit into his wounds, causing him even more pain. His blood seeped into the water, wisps of red swirling around him.

  As he tried to swim, he saw a faintly glowing ball of blue float in front of his eyes. In seconds, he felt Sapphire’s arms wrap underneath his armpits, trying desperately to haul him to the surface. He could hear the cannons of the Navy being drowned out by the water plugging his ears.

  All of a sudden, the muffled cannons became loud and clear as both the pirate and the fairy broke the surface of the water. Sapphire gasped for air and struggled to stay afloat as she held onto her friend. All that Eli could do was just let the water dribble out of his mouth. The amount of damage that he had sustained had exhausted him. The last thing that he heard before passing out was the sound of Sapphire’s heavy breathing.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Every let out an evil laugh as he turned away from the rail. He did not even bother to watch for Eli to surface. If the pirate did not, then he would drown. If he did, then the Navy would have itself a little distraction. Even as the cannonballs grew closer, all the King of Pirates had to do was raise his hands, utter a few words, and the threat would be dispelled.

  As the armada sailed towards the Fancy, Every brought his fist above his head, pointing directly into the sky above. The skeleton crew watched, eager to see what their captain would do.

  “Murus ignis,” said Every, a yellow glow surrounding his hands.

  Seconds later, jets of fire spurt
ed out of the sky, coming to rest by the side of the ship. Through the heated air, the skeletons could see the wavy outlines of the Navy armada, kept at bay by Every’s magic. The wall of fire separated them from the slaves of the Crown.

  It did little to stop the Red Sky and the Flying Dutchman. The two ships were gaining on the Fancy, and with a powerful being like Hades on their side, Every would need more than just a barrier to subdue them.

  “Get me a spyglass,” he ordered.

  Ignoring the shushed murmuring of his crew, Every grabbed a spyglass out of one of his crewmate’s bony hands and raised it to his eye. With a steady eye, he surveyed the ocean, looking for something to which he could draw his pursuers.

  As his eye skimmed across the surface of the water, he saw a cluster of islands, barely visible on the horizon. It looked to be quite large, more than enough to force the Red Sky into a trap. With its loose cannon of a captain, there was no way Every’s plan could fail.

  Captain Riggs would be unable to escape.

  Handing the spyglass to Morrison, Every shouted, “Chart a course toward those islands over yonder. Make it there, and we will bring about the end of both Captain Riggs and Hades.”

  His skeleton crew cackled loudly, howling their approval to their captain.

  However, one person was still willing to put up a fight.

  Maggie was still pulling against the hold of her captors, trying desperately to get free. So far, she was having no luck.

  “Y-you monster!” she shouted at Every, hoping to draw his attention.

  The pirate captain jerked his head towards his daughter, surprised by her resilience. With that kind of a fighting spirit, she definitely took after her mother. From what he remembered, it was Eleanor’s bite that made her an interesting captive.

  “Come here, girl,” he ordered, beckoning her towards him. He knew that she could not see the motion, but it gave him a sick sense of glee watching her try.

  At once, the skeletons that held Maggie let go, and the girl fell to the ground, surprised by the sudden release.