A Red Sky Is Upon Us Read online

  Julia let a giggle escape her mouth, startling her father.

  “Why are you laughing? Have you gone mad? Was it that traumatizing?” he asked, concerned.

  “No, of course not. They didn’t lay a finger on me.”

  “Then how did you get so dirty? And how did you get into those clothes? They are below your usual standard.”

  Picking up one of the half empty glasses of wine, Julia said, “I was on a pirate ship, father. How could I not be dirty?”

  “And the clothes?”

  “They gave me the clothes so it would be easier for me to move around.”

  Now it was the Commodore’s turn to laugh.

  “Why would a band of heinous criminals care if a girl can move around easier in a cell?”

  Sipping some wine, Julia responded, “I wasn’t in the brig.”

  Commodore Hamond nearly spit up the wine that he had just drank.

  “Are you certain you’re alright, Julia? No pirate that I’ve ever seen has ever acted in the way that you’re describing. Surely, you were hallucinating. How much did they starve you? You’re not dehydrated, are you?”

  “Father, I’m fine, I swear,” she said, a little irritated.

  Her father’s tone turned extremely stern all of a sudden.

  “Julia Hamond, are you… protecting those pirates for some reason?”

  She placed her hand in her pocket and felt the emerald. It was still there. She almost jumped, but she contained herself. Under no circumstance could her father know about the treasure or Isla de Dolor. Any knowledge of the island would make them want to travel there and claim it for the English. After seeing Ororis’s power, Julia did not want to take the chance of releasing any other evil into the world.

  “No, I’m not,” she lied, “I’m just saying that they are people too.”

  With a shaky hand, he set his glass down on the table.

  “Julia, you have always hated pirates.”

  “No, father, I’ve hated the pirates that you’ve fought to stop.”

  “I’m fighting to stop these ones too.”

  “Why? Because they kidnapped me? I was only in the brig for a couple days. Riggs let me out right after he let the prisoners go free.”

  “Riggs?” asked the Commodore, unacquainted with the name.

  “The captain of the Red Sky.”

  “Don’t call it by that name. It’s the Doomsday Angel of the English Navy.”

  “Was,” corrected Julia.

  With a hurt but stern look on his face, Commodore Hamond said, “Julia, you are my daughter, and I demand to know what happened to you on that ship. The daughter that I knew would have asked me to destroy that ship and those pirates at first glance. What happened to you? You’re not the same.”

  “I’ve learned not to judge a pirate.”

  Julia knew she was treading on unstable ground. With how much her father hated pirates, he would not hesitate to kill them, even if his daughter said she cared for them. She most definitely could not tell him her true feelings for Riggs.

  Commodore Hamond replied, “That’s a law-abiding citizen’s job.”

  “They can be good men.”

  “They’re evil,” her father shouted, slamming his fist into the table and knocking the glass over.

  The girl had never seen her father this upset. He was not ready to believe that the pirates of the Red Sky were good. Nothing short of a miracle could change his mind.

  “Evil men deserve what they get… and what they get is a trip to gallows.”

  Julia’s hand felt like it went numb. The glass in her hand fell through unfeeling fingers and shattered on the ground. She could not breathe. She had forgotten all about the gallows.

  “What?” she choked.

  “Captain Riggs and his pirate friends will be dead men once we get back to Yorktown, mark my words. The courts will have no choice but to declare them guilty of their crimes against the Crown.”

  Julia could not contain herself. She stormed out of the room and out onto the main deck. The Commodore did not bother to follow, trying instead to make sense of his daughter’s lack of sanity.

  Thankfully, there was no one out there to see her cry. The thought of her friends hanging was too much for her. Sitting in the shadows beneath the steps, she could not find think of any way to help the pirates without angering her father more.

  “Are you feeling alright, Julia?”

  The girl looked up through her tears and saw Travers standing over her. There was no way she could hide her emotions from him.

  “Do I look alright, Daniel?” she asked sarcastically.

  He sat down next to her, just like they had used to do back in Yorktown.

  “I’m assuming this has something to do with your pirate friends,” he said.

  Surprised, Julia asked, “How could you tell?”

  “The connection was obvious. Your old self would’ve wanted to throw the torch yourself. Now, you’re saying that the Navy should use the ship for itself. Don’t think I can’t see that you’ve changed.”

  Sighing, she said, “You’re right. I have changed, and yes, I see those pirates as friends. Are you going to throw me in the brig now?”

  “No, of course not. Why would I do that?”

  “Because I’m associating with a pirate. Isn’t that a crime?”

  Travers paused, looking directly into his childhood friend’s eyes. Julia could read the concern in his face.

  “Julia, do you trust those pirates?”

  After a little hesitation, Julia answered, “Yes.”

  Nodding, Travers reached to the back of his neck and fidgeted with something. Bringing his hand back around, he brought with it a necklace, a small, thin crucifix hanging from the chain.

  “Take this, Julia. Maybe it’ll help you when you pray for a release from these pirates’ bonds.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Pray about it,” he said, standing up and leaving Julia’s side.

  It was a hopeless situation for the poor girl. Even with Travers trying to understand her situation, she still felt just as lost as ever. On the one hand, she loved her father. He tried to do what was best for her, even if it did mirror his biased views a little too much. On the other hand, she loved Riggs. He had all the qualities that she desired in a man, and he cared a lot about her. Siding with one would cause her to lose the other forever.

  She could not choose. She did not want to choose.

  Locked in the brig, the pirates of the Red Sky sat in silence. They were angry. They were confused. They had never seen this happening to them.

  Finally, Eli spoke.

  “We told you that she wasn’t good for you.”

  Riggs looked up from twiddling his thumbs.

  “Eh?” he asked, almost daring his crewmate to keep talking.

  “We’re sitting in the brig of a Navy ship. None of this would have happened if you had let her go.”

  “Eli, I would’ve been lettin’ go of the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  “Well this sure isn’t the best thing that’s happened to us, Captain. We’re here because of her.”

  “We’re here because we were careless. Don’t blame Julia for this.”

  “I am blaming her for this.”

  “Don’t… test… me.”

  “Whether it be the Locker or the gallows, it’ll be HER FAULT.”

  Riggs jumped to his feet and punched Eli in the face. Eli grabbed his captain by the shirt and tossed him into the wall. The two men rolled with the other’s punches and did not slow down. The rest of the crew tried to avoid their brawling crewmates, not wanting to choose sides. After a solid minute of fighting, Riggs caught Eli in a chokehold and kneed him in the gut, knocking the wind out of his crewmate.

  An angry Riggs pushed a beaten Eli to the ground.

  “I warned you, Eli.”

  *clap* *clap* *clap*

  Riggs turned his head to see Garrett sarcastically clapping
his hands, applauding the fighters. He and his crewmates had been quiet up until that point, observing their fellow prisoners.

  “What do you want?” asked Riggs, wiping blood from his lip.

  Casually leaning on the bars of his cell, Garrett sneered, showing his yellow teeth, and said, “A lot o’ things. I wanna be rich. I want a ship. I want the English Navy at the bottom o’ the ocean. But mostly, I just wanted to see ye fight.”

  “I’m not in the mood fer games, mate,” said Riggs.

  “Apologies… Captain.”

  “Who’re you?” asked Clint, breaking his silence.

  “Name’s Marcus Garrett of the King’s Bounty, Navy killer and hater of the Crown. Is that enough fer ya?”

  “Uh… yeah, that’s enough,” said Clint.

  “What’re you down here for… besides the obvious?” Riggs asked.

  “Well, if ye must know, the Commodore here destroyed our ship while he was looking fer yours. Blew it right out of the water he did.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yep… but no worries, we’ll find another soon,” he said with a greedy grin.

  Garrett’s eyes darted to the stairs, and he immediately fell silent again. The pounding of someone’s feet started coming down the wooden planks. It was much too quiet to be a man. Julia soon appeared and immediately walked to the side of her friends’ cell.

  “Julia, what are you doin’ down here?” asked Riggs.

  “Yeah, Julia, why are you here? Why are you here after you abandoned us?” asked Eli, mocking his captain.

  Riggs gave Eli a dirty look, and his crewmate immediately shut his mouth.

  Ignoring the comment, Julia answered, “I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

  “For men who are gonna die, we’re doin’ quite well.”

  Sighing, Julia asked, “So you know?”

  Riggs nodded.

  “The gallows has claimed many pirates, but I never thought it’d be my fate. Apparently, it is.”

  Julia whispered, “What can I do to get all of you out of there?”

  “Maybe you can get us the keys…”

  “Too difficult.”

  “Ask the Commodore again?”

  “I can’t do that again. He’s already upset with me.”

  “Think like me… improvise,” Riggs instructed her.

  “I’ll try,” she said.

  She turned to walk away, but Riggs grabbed her hand. She felt the tremors in his hand and the fear running through him.

  “I never meant for any of this to happen,” she said.

  He smiled and said, “I know you didn’t, but just in case we do end up stayin’ in this cage, I have somethin’ important to say.”

  She moved closer to the bars, and Riggs said, “I love you, Julia.”

  He kissed her hand, and let it go.

  “Riggs, I…”

  “What are you doing down here, Ms. Hamond? It’s not safe to be alone with these miscreants.”

  Jonathan Warner was standing by the stairs, urging Julia to leave the room. Julia’s eyes darted from Riggs to him and then back to Riggs. Calmly, Riggs nodded his head, letting her know it was okay. She gave him a little smile and went on her way, walking past Jonathan and leaving the room.

  Once Julia had left, Jonathan said, “How does it feel to have our roles reversed, pirate?”

  Riggs was silent.

  “I had been waiting for weeks to see you brought to justice, and it did not disappoint. I see there are less of you than before.”

  Riggs was still silent.

  “When we get back to Yorktown, I’m going to relish the opportunity to see all of you hang… especially for how you treated Ms. Hamond.”

  Resting his arms on the bars, Riggs asked, “And what makes ye think we treated her badly?”

  “There’s a reason why pirates have a bad reputation. None of you act like upstanding English gentlemen.”

  Riggs launched his fist between the bars and knocked Jonathan to the floor.

  “Bein’ an upstandin’ blowhard ain’t my style.”

  As the Englishman was getting to his feet, Riggs was surprised to see that he was actually laughing. He dusted the dirt from his clothes and spat on the ground at Riggs’ feet.

  “I’m going to enjoy watching you die.”

  “Don’t count on it,” said Riggs.

  Jonathan stormed off, leaving the pirates alone again.

  Eli was still sitting on the ground, watching his captain intently. Ignoring the stares, Riggs sat down and rested his head in his hands. The rest of the crew just sat where they were.

  “What are ye waitin’ for?” he asked them.

  “We’re not just gonna sit here, are we? The Black Fog is still comin’ after us, and we need to get out o’ here,” said Coral Jack.

  Cocking his head to the side, Riggs asked, “And what do ye propose we do? Try to pick the locks? Those soldiers’d kill us before we even got back to the bloody ship.”

  “What about knockin’ out a soldier out and takin’ his weapon?” asked Clint.

  “One gun and one sword ain’t enough for a whole crew to escape.”

  “If dat gun was in my hands, we’d be able ta get out o’ dis cage.”

  Shaking his head, Riggs said, “Ripper, even you couldn’t get past all those soldiers in one piece.”

  Jack asked, “Do you have a plan, Riggs?”

  “No plan of mine is gonna get us out o’ here. It’s all up to Julia now.”

  “Give me the sea;

  Give me the wind.

  Give me a ship

  To plunder the land.

  Steal and lie;

  Steal and lie;

  There are no rules,

  But you will not die.

  Pirates falling,

  Gallows burning.

  Enchanted by the sea,

  Free pirates we will be.”

  “Silence,” shouted a soldier.

  “Aw… is our singin’ upsettin’ you?” joked Riggs.

  “Prisoners need to be quiet.”

  “We’ll sing when we want to sing. You can’t tell us what to do, even if we are locked in here,” said the Captain.

  As Riggs started to relax a little, Commodore Hamond appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Actually, Captain, we can tell you what to do.”

  Turning to a nearby soldier, the Commodore ordered, “Put him in irons and escort him to my quarters. I have some questions to ask him.”

  The shackles felt cold on Riggs’ skin. The soldiers hauled him along like a dog. It was a miserable experience. He felt like he was being treated like he was a lesser human being. In a way, he understood their hate, but it hurt him how much he was belittled. He was a Captain, damn it.

  For not adhering to parlay, the escort was extremely similar to what had happened on the Black Fog. When they led the pirate onto the deck of the Magistrate, Riggs tried to catch a glimpse of his ship. If he did end up being hanged, he wanted to soak in as many images of that ship as possible.

  Thick ropes bound the two ships together, the Red Sky trailing behind the Navy ship a considerable amount. As he was forced away from the rail by the escort, an image came to his mind of the Red Sky painted the dull yellow and blue of the Navy with white sails flapping in the breeze. It made him sick. However, it was even harder to see the ship burning. That was a horrible thought, and he forced it out of his head immediately.

  Before long, Riggs was sitting in front of the Commodore with four soldiers standing guard. Both Julia and Jonathan were sitting behind the Commodore’s desk, spectators to the interrogation.

  “At last, I get to have a formal meeting with the leader of the pirates that kidnapped my daughter.”

  “If this is a formal meetin’, then I’d hate to see an interrogation,” said Riggs.

  Commodore Hamond slapped Riggs across the face. Julia winced a little. Jonathan watched it with glee.

  “Respect my authority, pirate.”

/>   “I have a name, Commodore.”

  “And what is it, so that I know the man that I’m going to kill.”

  “Captain Robert Briggs, or Riggs, of the Red Sky… and proud of it.”

  “Do you know the consequences of your actions, Mr. Briggs?”

  “Captain Riggs,” he interjected.

  “I don’t care. Do you know the consequences?”

  Riggs was silent, letting his eyes wander the room out of spite.

  “Do you know the consequences… Captain Riggs?”

  “I know I’m gonna hang… anythin’ else?”

  “If you cooperate, this will be over much faster,” Hamond remarked.

  “Whether I cooperate or not, there’ll still be the same amount of time ‘til I die,” spat Riggs.

  “You never know. Perhaps the courts will spare you. Highly unlikely, but still a very minimal possibility,” said Hamond.

  Catching Julia’s eye, Riggs said to the Commodore, “I wasn’t speakin’ o’ the courts.”

  Commodore Hamond was caught off-guard.

  “What?”

  “I’m speakin’ o’ somethin’ that has the fury of hundred maelstroms, somethin’ that can condemn an entire sea-farin’ people to death. This is the kind of destruction that ye’ve brought on yerself by havin’ me and my crew on board this ship.”

  Behind the Commodore, Jonathan laughed.

  “Destruction? You’re stuck in chains and your crew is in the brig. You haven’t got a prayer.”

  Beside Jonathan, Julia’s eyes widened, like she had come to a sudden realization.

  “I wasn’t talkin’ about me, you imbecile.”

  The Commodore shushed Jonathan and asked, “What do you mean?”

  Leaning forward in his chair, Riggs said, “Commodore… I’m doin’ you a favor by lettin’ ye know this. We’re all in great danger.”

  “Hogwash. The only one in danger is you.”

  “Listen… there’s a mermaid who’s tryin’ to take over the seas. Right now would be the perfect time to strike because she’s at her weakest. If she’s allowed to roam free, anyone who sails the seas is doomed. We need to destroy her… now!”

  The Commodore looked around the room. He looked to his soldiers. He looked to Jonathan. He even looked to Julia. Then, he burst out laughing, followed by the other men.

  “Your brain has been poisoned by too much rum, Captain. Mermaids? Such things do not exist. They are merely old wives’ tales told to frighten sailors.”