A Red Sky Rising Page 12

  “Much better. Now you sound like a nobleman.”

  “Ain’t I…” he stopped himself, “Aren’t I always a noble man?”

  Julia gave him a sarcastic look, mocking him with a grin.

  “Not even close,” she laughed.

  Through the window, they heard Ripper say, “House on de starboard side.”

  The master gunner did not sound like his regular self, especially since his booming, intimidating voice was gone. He sounded a bit restricted. Perhaps it was because the coachman’s clothes were a bit too small for him. It could not have been comfortable for him at all.

  “Come here, Riggs,” said Julia.

  “What’s the problem?” he asked.

  Fiddling with her lover’s shirt, the girl said, “You can’t be walking into a party with your shirt unbuttoned. You won’t fit in with the crowd.”

  “I’d always see people in Rebelde all dressed up like this,” Riggs protested.

  Casting a quick, knowing glance at the Captain, Julia asked, “Well, you’re not in Rebelde right now, are you?”

  Quickly, Julia helped Riggs tidy up his clothes. He needed to be a bit more prim and proper if he wanted to escape the scrutiny of the party guests. As she tightened his coat collar, Riggs could not imagine dressing like that every day. How did the upper class even breathe, let alone do anything physical?

  Almost as soon as Julia sat back in her seat, the firelight of the mansion bathed the carriage in an orange glow. Riggs peered out the window, seeing the procession of people still entering the large doors to Hunter’s house. There was no turning back now. The pirates were walking into a den of lions.

  “Whoa dere, horse,” they heard Ripper say as the carriage slowed.

  Both of them took a deep breath, mentally preparing themselves for what would come.

  “Here we go, Riggs,” Julia said.

  A white-gloved hand reached in front of the window, graciously opening the carriage door for the occupants. Riggs had to force himself to actually use the stairs. Normally, he would have hopped down to the ground, but they had to keep up the ruse. Giving his hand to Julia, he helped her to the ground as well, the servant shutting the door behind her. With a quick nod to Ripper, Riggs and Julia stepped forward into an environment ripe with hostility and danger.

  Julia slipped her hand under Riggs’ arm as they arrived at the main entrance. Fright showed on neither of their faces, but their minds were constantly racing. It was terrifying.

  “Invitation, please,” the doorman requested.

  “Right here, my good man,” said Riggs, handing the stolen paper to him.

  The doorman adjusted his glasses and stared down at the paper with a permanent frown plastered on his face. Riggs could not tell what the man was even thinking, especially with the look of utter disdain that never seemed to live his features.

  “Welcome to Governor Hunter’s humble abode, sir… and madam,” the man said, waving his arm to let them pass.

  What lay beyond the entryway was breathtaking.

  As soon as they entered the mansion, the two pirates could not believe their eyes. Hundreds of people filled the rooms, gowns seeming to float across the floor while the men clomped around in their newly shined shoes. Everything seemed to sparkle with cleanliness. A crystal chandelier cast little balls of light onto the walls, dancing around like little fairies.

  “Care for a drink, love?” Riggs asked quietly.

  “Sure… it’ll help calm my nerves.”

  Almost immediately, a server appeared in front of the two.

  “Some wine, monsieur?”

  “Um… yes, thank you,” said Riggs, taking two glasses from the server’s tray. As the man scurried away, Riggs handed one glass to Julia, carefully observing how she drank so that he could imitate it.

  Julia took a sip, saying, “We need to find out where Hunter is. If we know where he is, then we’ll know when we can start looking for the map.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that one of us can keep a look out while the other finds the map. If Hunter starts heading back, the lookout will delay him while the other gets out safely.”

  “Sounds like a plan… I like it. Now where is this Hunter fellow?” asked Riggs.

  “You expect me to know?”

  “Not entirely. Just thought you might know somethin’ I don’t.”

  “Look for the largest crowd. If he’s hosting the party, it’s most likely that people will try to gravitate toward him.”

  Both of them scanned the room, trying to find the man to whom everyone flocked. If he was really a newly elected governor, then everybody would be approaching him to offer their congratulations and ask for favors. It did not take that long to find him.

  Governor Robert Hunter and a rather loud group of people took up nearly a third of the room. A long, powdered wig covered Hunter’s head, the lights making him look deathly pale. He did not look like a person who could be that threatening. He did not even look like he had been in any battles, much less killed anybody. Seeming to have no care in the world, the Governor was sipping wine and laughing like a jolly fellow. If only he knew that pirates had infiltrated his home.

  “I think you may have been a bit wrong about Hunter,” said Riggs quietly.

  “Yeah, I’m starting to think that too. At least it will be easier to get the map,” Julia replied.

  “Do you want to be the lookout, lass?” Riggs whispered.

  “Me? Why me?”

  “Well, you do have certain… qualities… that I don’t have,” he said, looking down at her dress. With a small gasp, Julia gave him a discreet slap on the wrist.

  Sighing, Julia said, “Don’t take too long looking for that map. I don’t want to get stuck with that overly pompous blowhard.”

  “I’ll do my best,” said Riggs, giving the girl a quick kiss before he disappeared down one of the mansion’s many hallways.

  The Captain weaved in and out of the crowds of people. Nobody paid any attention to him while he kept the proper façade. Even the couple soldiers at the party did not pay him any heed. As Riggs passed a table of silverware, he slyly pocketed some of the utensils. They would sell for a pretty penny back in Rebelde.

  Suddenly, a server popped out from behind a pillar. Riggs did not have enough time to react, bumping shoulders with the man. In the crammed quarters, both men stumbled and fell to the ground.

  Getting up and dusting himself off, the server looked down his nose at Riggs and, in a conceited tone, snapped, “Pardon, monsieur.”

  “Pardon yerself, you bugger,” Riggs said under his breath.

  As he was getting up from the ground, he felt two strong hands grab onto his arms. His first instinct was to fight, but the hands relaxed their hold just as the pirate got to his feet. The person was just trying to help.

  “Thank you, kind sir,” he said, still not knowing who it was.

  “It’s my pleasure. I’m always willing to help someone in need,” said a calm, yet authoritative voice.

  Once he heard it, Riggs visibly tensed up. He knew that voice. It was the only Navy officer that he knew.

  Slowly turning around, the Captain was face to face with Commodore Hamond once again.

  With the chiming of her clock signaling the end of the work day, Maggie started feeling her way to the entrance of the store. She walked through the same area every day, but something was always out of place to make her stumble.

  After a slow day, she yearned for the clock to sound. Every day, it just seemed to take more time. She did not know why. Maybe it was because few people ever came to the store. Who wanted to bother the blind girl when they could get the same products down the street?

  *kthunk*

  Maggie gritted her teeth, reached down, and gently massaged her stubbed toe. It was the second time in a week that she had cracked her foot against that barrel.

  Limping forward, she finally reached the door. She ran her fingers across the surface, feeling for the l
ock. The cold metal alerted her to its location as she pulled the key out of her pocket.

  *knock* *knock* *knock*

  The sudden noise startled her as she almost dropped the key. Nobody ever came to the store at that time.

  Opening the door a crack, she said, “I-I’m sorry. W-we’re closed.”

  “I’m not here to buy something,” said a gravelly voice.

  She recognized that voice. It was the man who had first stopped by with Mr. Riggs. He sounded even worse now than he had before.

  “Nice to h-hear from you again,” she said, still a bit shaken from the scare that he had given her.

  He did not say a word.

  “W-would you like some w-water? I’m s-sure you m-must be famished.”

  “No, I’m quite alright,” he responded abruptly.

  Another moment of awkward silence passed between the two as Maggie could not imagine what to say.

  “Actually, I’m here to talk with you,” the man responded, surprising the girl.

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. I know you were telling my friend about Commander Carter.”

  Even just hearing his name again sent a chill down Maggie’s spine. She felt like a hand had just gripped her heart and squeezed it.

  “O-of course I was. I-I miss him.”

  “Well… I actually have some news of him.”

  The key fell to the ground, bouncing across the girl’s toes. News? Her heart had skipped a beat. Her lover had gone missing years ago. She thought he was dead. After all this time, was there still hope?

  “Do t-tell me… p-please?”

  She heard the messenger let out a rush of air, and then he started talking.

  “I came across him several months ago. He had been marooned on an island by a band of pirates.”

  “W-was he alright?” asked a concerned Maggie.

  “Unfortunately,… no. When I came across him, he was dying from a stab wound. Whatever had happened, the blade must have pierced something vital.”

  Something caught in the girl’s throat as she listened to this stranger. Trying not to cry, Maggie clutched the necklace that Carter had given her, the necklace of an eye to always watch over her.

  “D-did he say anything?” she choked.

  There was a brief moment of silence before the man spoke again. He was shuffling his feet. Maggie assumed it was from nervousness.

  “Yes… yes, he did.”

  “W-what was it?” she asked.

  The man cleared his throat, noticeably uncomfortable. Even the blind girl could sense it.

  “He said that all he wanted was to see your face one last time before he died. He described every inch in vivid detail, from your… um… precious eyes to the sweetest smile that he’d ever seen.”

  Maggie heard a sniffle come from the man.

  “He wanted you to forgive him,” he said.

  The air seemed to get colder, even as the girl held herself in grief. Try as she might, she could not say anything. If she said one thing, she would cry.

  “He said… he said…”

  “W-what… was it?” she slowly croaked.

  There was a crinkling of paper as Maggie guessed that the man was unfolding a paper.

  “Dearest Margaret,

  “I’m sorry that I left on this voyage. I owed you some answers, answers I could not give. If I could change it all and be the man I should be, then I would. Alas, I cannot. My accusers give me no choice but to venture out and prove to them that I am not the evil being that they say I am. Do not listen to anybody when they say that I am a pirate. I promise you, I am not. My heart cares not for gold and silver. My heart belongs to you and you alone.”

  The man’s voice stopped suddenly, jarring the poor girl. She turned to walk away, into the darkness of her own sight, trying to get away from her nightmare. She could not breathe.

  “He gave that to me on his deathbed, miss. He made me swear to get it to you.”

  She started to feel light-headed as a tear ran down her cheek. The feeling in her legs was gone as she nearly collapsed, caught by the stranger just in time. The sounds around her were nothing but whispers. The man gently eased her to the floor, letting her back rest against one of the shelves.

  Without warning, she latched her arms around the man. The pain was too much. She needed someone to hold on to. She could tell that the man did not seem comfortable with the sudden embrace, but she needed it. He slowly and awkwardly brought his arms around her as her tear ducts opened and the tears started to flow.

  The man said, “If there’s anything I could…”

  “No… no, there’s nothing that can be done,” Maggie interrupted, her stutter overpowered by her aching heart.

  The floor creaked as the man stood up, rubbing the girl’s shoulder in a failed attempt at comfort. All that she wanted right now was for him to leave. She did not even need words to convey it. As he walked toward the door to head out into the night, he said one last thing.

  “I’m sorry it had to end like this.”

  She could not respond, wiping tears from her eyes and staring straight ahead into her own blindness. Sighing, the man picked up the key from the ground, handed it to the shocked girl, and closing the door behind him, leaving her in her misery. If she had her sight, she would have seen Eli walking away, a single tear running down his face as he had just told the biggest lie in his life.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” the Commodore demanded in as quiet a voice as he could manage.

  “What do ye think, Commodore? I’m piratin’.”

  Hamond had led Riggs to an empty room where they could have a small chat, man to man. They could not take any chances. If the Admiral knew that Hamond was associating with a pirate, he would have both of them hanging from the gallows by morning.

  “Why did you have to come here of all places?” asked the Commodore.

  “I’ve got me own reasons,” said Riggs.

  “At least tell me you did not bring my daughter into this,” Hamond begged.

  Once he saw the grimace on Riggs’ face, he knew that his worst fears had been realized. The Red Sky was in New York, not even aware of the danger that awaited it in Admiral Carter.

  “Riggs, you need to get out of here. This is not the time or the place to be pirating.”

  “Quite the contrary, Commodore. This is exactly the place for a pirate.”

  The pirate captain was looking for something, that much Hamond could tell. Why he would choose to look in a governor’s home for it was a completely different subject. From his lack of expression, Riggs could tell Hamond was utterly lost.

  “Tell ye what, Commodore… if you help me find what I’m lookin’ for, then I’ll tell ye why Julia and I came here.”

  He held out his hand, waiting for the Commodore to shake it and seal the deal, but he did not receive it.

  “I ain’t got all night,” he said.

  “The last time I made a deal with a pirate, it ended with Yorktown being attacked and my daughter in the hands of a bloodthirsty scoundrel.”

  “Both of which I won’t let happen again,” said Riggs, starting to lose his patience.

  Hamond stood there, staring down at the pirate’s outstretched hand. He knew that the only way to get the pirates out of New York would be to help them find that for which they had been looking. If they stayed much longer, it would only be a matter of time before the Admiral found them.

  “You’ll forgive me if I’m a bit more hesitant this time…” said the Commodore.

  Grasping Riggs’ hand in his strong grip, he shook the pirate’s hand.

  “… mate,” he said, mockingly imitating Riggs, “Now what are you searching for?”

  Grinning, the Captain said, “We’re searchin’ for somethin’ that the Governor would like to keep hidden. It’s a piece of his past… a little parchment that could make us pirates very happy.”

  It took a few moments for the information to sink into Hamond’s head, but at least he kn
ew what the Red Sky was pursuing.

  “If it were up to me,” Hamond said, “then I would keep it as far away from the public eye as possible.”

  “Does the governor have an office?” asked Riggs.

  “Certainly. All public officials have one… or something close to it.”

  With that, Riggs made his way to the door, opening it and gesturing to the Commodore to reenter the party.

  “Lead the way, Commodore.”

  With Hamond leading the way, the two roamed throughout the crowded mansion, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. On their way, they received a couple annoyed glares from other guests, but once the party patrons noticed that they were glaring at a Navy officer, they quickly turned away, sheepish looks on their faces.

  Riggs looked past Commodore Hamond, through the expensive dresses and white wigs, and saw a group of guards standing in one of the hallways… the hallway toward which Hamond was walking.

  Grabbing the Commodore’s shoulder, Riggs said, “Are you tryin’ to get me captured?”

  “Listen to me, Captain. When we get to those soldiers, you are going to say that you need to inspect the windows. I’m escorting you there. This is not a trap, I swear. Understand?”

  “Aye.”

  “Good. Watch the pirate talk. They’ll see right through it.”

  Under his breath, Riggs said, “Good god, your daughter thinks a lot like you.”

  Stepping out of the crowd of people, Riggs and Hamond walked straight over toward the guards. The instant that they got close, the soldiers rammed their muskets together, barring the path.

  “Halt! No one is allowed past,” one of the guards barked.

  “Soldier, you happen to be addressing Commodore Matthew Hamond of the English Navy. We must be let past,” said Hamond with an air of authority.

  “Apologies, sir, but we have our orders from Governor Hunter himself. No one can be let past.”

  Acting annoyed, the Commodore pointed at Riggs and said, “I have with me someone to inspect the windows of the mansion. Would you kindly ask the Governor if he would like a burglar to break into his home without him even knowing?”

  As he let out a frustrated huff, the guard nodded to the soldier at his side. Without another word, he hurried into the crowd of people, heading toward Hunter. Now, all the pirate and the Commodore could do was wait.