The Pirate's Legacy: New Horizons

Chapter 10: Court Intrigue

The Jolly Roger sailed to Helaine where Daryl Gallington resided in the capital's famed university. The ship took no stops, no brief rests at ports along the way, despite the damage the ship had sustained after Pirata's fall. Along the way, they encountered more whirlpools created by Portunus, which slowed their journey. Dark clouds hovered above the hungry vortices, throwing shafts of lightning down into them as if in search for Calypso's trident.

"Do you think He's had any headway?" Em asked Michael during supper, about two weeks after escaping Pirata. They sat near the back of the galley hunched over a shared bowl of soup and bread. Dwindling supplies had forced Joshua and Louise to ration food.

Michael took a thoughtful sip of grog before his blue eyes looked past her shoulder and he answered, "Hopefully not. I think if He did, we'd at least have heard news of an uptick in unnatural activity."

Em shuddered. She tried to resist but ended up following his gaze to the last table at the back of the galley behind her.

Craig sat alone, hunched over a bowl of soup and loaf of bread. Em's heart went out to him, but she couldn't imagine the sort of guilt he was going through. Craig had become silent and sullen when he didn't think anyone was trying purposefully to rub him the wrong way. When he was provoked, he lashed out physically and verbally. His beard was growing out, scraggly and unclean. His hazel eyes were rimmed red, though no one had yet to see a tear drop. If there had been more rum or grog to go around on the ship, Em was sure he would have been well on his way to becoming a drunkard, but he continued to do his duties well enough. His black mood hadn't caught the captain's attention. Em and Michael had tried talking to him, but he ignored them. One time, he had even grabbed Em with both hands and shoved her into a wall before continuing up the spiraling staircase.

"Oi. Why'dya get to haf all this here food fer yerself?" said a man who had just come up next to Craig. He was taller than the sitting man but with just about the same lanky stature. "How's 'bout sharing? We're hungry too, ye know." He spoke carefully, and softly, but his words caught everyone's attention. The din lowered.

All eyes turned to the pair as Craig muttered into the soup bowl, "Fuck off, Raditz, and git yer own food."

Raditz's shoulders heaved, but he exhaled deeply. His face slowly turned pink, however. In a restrained voice, he said, "Lookie 'ere. Ye've got this bowl and plate all to yerself. Ye don't eat much anyway. Give the rest o' us wot's left, eh? S'only fair."

In a blur, Craig had jumped over the bench and onto his feet. He stood up to his full height, swaying a bit and scarlet in the face as if his watered-down grog had been as potent as any pure alcohol. Though Raditz had the height advantage, Craig was fueled by savage rage. Jabbing a calloused finger on Raditz's chest, Craig shouted, "Ye want to know wot's fair? Huh? Fair woulda been me staying on Pirata wit me family!"

Raditz raised his hands and stepped back. "Now, there. I din't mean—"

"Who the hell told ye I don't eat that much, huh? Who? Do ye want t'know why I don't eat so much? HUH? It's my godsdamned fault they're there! I shoulda bin a better husband! I shoulda bin a better father! I left 'em there!" Then Craig reared back and slammed his fist into Raditz, knocking the other man into the wall. Before Raditz had even landed in a heap on the floor, the entire galley was thrown into chaos. People leaped out of their seats, shouting and grabbing knives from their belts. Three men nearby threw themselves on Craig when they saw he meant to go after the unconscious Raditz.

"My Queen!" Louise's shrill voice came from the kitchen, but Michael had grabbed Em around the waist to keep her from trying to go over and attempt to placate Craig.

Then in a loud bang, it was all over. All eyes slid over to the entranceway where Dread Pirate Robin stood. With his pearl-encrusted pistol held up to the ceiling, the smoke coming out of the nozzle surrounded the Pirate King and made the pale man look like the devil incarnated.