Black Stones

The End

I drift in and out of consciousness for what could be days or weeks, I'm not quite sure. I get tiny flashes of what is happening around me; a swaying lantern above my head, being laid on a table, Amos with a sewing needle in hand, Ann's anxious face. In addition, I find myself in a sea of strange dreams. I see my past friends, drifting around me like ghosts, which made sense since most of them were dead. When I finally open my eyes, I'm staring up at a wooden celling. I slowly move my head and look around me. I'm in my cabin, laying in bed. It's dark outside the windows, so it must be late at night. I try to raise myself up, but collapse when pain shoots up from my stomach. I feel a gentle hand placed on my chest, and look to my left, where a pair of soft eyes look down on me in concern.
"Don't move," Ann says, "you are not yet healed. You're lucky to be alive at all." I smile up at her, and caress her face.
"You have the most beautiful eyes," I say, my voice coming out in a whisper. Ann smiles, but pushes my hand down to the bed.
"No, none of that," she scolds, "no flirting until you're better." I laugh, even though it hurts. I look down and see a long stitch running across my stomach, still angry and red. There is no blood however, the stitching look's good, and I'm glad that I had taught Amos so well.
"How long have I been out?" I ask.
"About three days," Ann replies, "we are heading back to the Silver Reef now, and then-"
"No," I say, cutting her off. She looks at me questioningly.
"No?" She says confused.
"No," I repeat, shaking my head, "we can't go back yet. Before he escaped, Strider told me where Jack is."
"And you believe him? He tried to kill us, several times," Ann reminds me. I think back to the mercenary, my last glance at him before he slipped away into the dark, the way his eyes seemed to burn with a determination to set things right, whatever those things were.
"Yes," I reply, "I believe him. Jack is aboard Wrath Of Ares, heading to England. Dauntless can catch her."
"But your injury," Ann complains, "you are in no shape to fight him."
"Even sailing at our best speed, it will be several weeks before we catch him," I say, "that's  plenty of time to heal."
"Will, this is really not the good choice," Ann says worriedly, "a few weeks isn't enough time to heal fully, and you need to be at your best when you fight him."
"It may not be the good choice, but it's our only choice," I insist, "I will not let Jack hunt us down at his leisure. One way or another, this fight is coming to an end."

Two weeks later, I stand on the quarter deck of Dauntless, and peer out into the dark. It is early morning, and the sun had not yet risen. Amos has the helm, and Ann stands by my side. The wind had been growing increasingly more powerful, and I can smell a storm on its way. My hand is wrapped tightly around the hilt of my sword, knuckles white in anticipation; Wrath Of Ares had been spotted. It is just a smudge on the horizon at the moment, but I don't doubt the lookouts keen eyes. That is her, of that I'm sure.
"We could have used Simone right about now," Amos says dryly. I nod.
"Yes, we could have," I admit, "but we knew were we going to be in for a fight. A few more ships won't matter in the end."
"You know as well as I captain," Amos replies, "a few more ships mean the difference between victory, and swimming with the fishes." I don't say anything to that, since I know he is right. I hadn't counted on Jack arranging an escort, but I should have. I had let Simone take Seventh Star back to the islands to replenish his crew. His ship had suffered in the attack, but she still could have helped immensely in the fight to come. But he wasn't here, so now it is up to Dauntless to fight not only the frigate, but also the three brigs she sailed with. I only hope that she is up to the challenge.
"The wind is getting stronger," Ann comments, "and those clouds to the south are looking mighty ugly. We're in for one hell of a storm."
"It will serve us well," I say, "I have confidence in our crew, and it will help mask our approach. No doubt it will throw off their aim as well, when the fight starts."
"It will throw of ours too," Amos comments drily.
"Perhaps, but I have faith that we will prevail," I reply, "we are more experienced, and prepared for it."
"You're forgetting one more advantage," Ann says, placing her hand on my arm. I look at her questioningly and she smiles.
"We're the good guys, so we have to win," she says. Her little joke eases the tension I feel, and I smile brightly and pull her into a tight hug.
"You're damn right Ann," I say lovingly, "we're the good guys, so we're going to beat him."
"Approaching cannon range!" The lookout cries. I look back out to sea, where I can see Wrath Of Ares waiting.
"Load the guns!" I order, "prepare for engagement!" Light rain starts to pelt the deck as the storm catches up, and the seas are becoming increasingly rough.
"They've spotted us captain!" Amos says, and I see the three ships begin to turn to face us.
"Cross their T's!" I shout, "don't let them come around! Prepare to fire a broad side!"
"Within range captain!" The master gunner yells.
"Open fire!" I scream, just as a boom of thunder reaches the ship. Dauntless spits a wall of fire at the enemy ships, and one of the brigs sag in the water. But while the damage to that ship gives me a brief thrill, I watch the other ships turn and present their sides, and I feel with a sickening certainty that it wasn't going to be enough.
"Cover!" I scream as the enemy ships disappear in a blanket of white smoke. I tackle Ann to the deck as cannon balls impact around us, smashing Dauntless's stout sides to splinters. I regain my footing and look around me. All across the deck men rush to their stations, while others scream in pain, and others still lie unmoving. I can see at least five cannons that will never fire again, and three more that were out for this fight at least. I have no idea what it looks like below, but judging by the gaping holes in the side, it isn't much better. We had taken the broad sides of three ships, and I know in my heart that we weren't going to survive another mauling like the one we had just received.
"Amos, hard to starboard! Gunners fire at will! I want full sails!" I order rapidly. Dauntless turns sluggishly, her bowels filled with water, and I stare anxiously at the other ships.
"I've killed us all," I mutter. The storm is all around us now, and the ship is pitching precariously. I can see the first brig we mauled is starting to flounder, and I am certain it would soon sink. But that isn't going to help us much now.
Suddenly, from out of the storm, I see two vague shapes begin to materialize from the black. I stare at them for a long moment, trying to identify what they could be, when they are illuminated by a great flash of orange flames. The second brig turns away from us, staggering underneath the cannon fire that had suddenly been unleashed on it. I stare at them in shock, then begin to laugh.
"We aren't done yet boys!" I shout in glee, "God has not yet abandoned us!" I rush to the rail, and call out to the new arrivals.
"I thought this wasn't your fight!" I yell to the smaller ship, straining to be heard over the storm. It's captain walks to the rail and looks back up at me.
"That's the beauty of you pirates!" Jonathan yells back, "My decision is only one vote, and it appears that I was the minority! I hope you don't mind me stealing your thunder captain!"
"Not at all!" I reply then gesture to the second ship a little ways away, "and thanks for bringing him along!"
"Simone was eager to come after I lent him a few sailors!" Jonathan says, "now let's finish this fight!" With that Jonathan leads the Atlaintian away and into to the heat of battle, with Seventh Star right behind him.
"Come on men!" I yell, "we can't let them finish this themselves! Bring her around! Prepare a broadside! Let's finish this!" My orders are met with a thunderous cheers and once again Dauntless dives back into the gnashing teeth of hell. The seas swell, waves crash over the deck, lightning strikes overhead, and rain pelts my face. Dauntless rides over the waves and fires away at the enemy fleet. Finally, we approach Wrath of Ares herself. She looks like a hellish beast, plowing through the waves and spitting fire from her sides, a demonic ghoul sent to steal all light from the world. But today, I will send her and her captain back to the pits of hell that they came from. For what seems like forever, the two ships batter away at each other. The storm rages all around, making it very difficult for the ships to land their shots. Finally, I see the vile ship's forward mast topple, and she sags in the sea. Seizing the opportunity, I draw my sword.
"Reel her in! Prepare to board!" I shout. Next to me, Ann draws her sword, and Amos swings his axe in lazy circles. The closer the ship comes, the more powerful I feel. It is all coming to an end.
"Ann, stay with me. Amos, clear a path," I order, "I'm going after Cerberus." With that, I grab a rope and swing aboard, bringing my sword down on a soldier before my feet even touch the ground. I spin my sword around me, sweeping body after body to the deck. At one point, I actually see sailors backing away in fear, terrified by the sword wielding demon that is William Heartless. Ann remains at my side, guarding my back until we reach the quarter deck.
"Ann, search the cabin, I have no doubt that is where he will be hiding," I tell her. She nods, and disappear's inside. But I had lied, Jack isn't there. I had already seen him, on the quarter deck. But I'll be damned before I give Jack another opportunity to hurt her. I make my way to the stern, casually dispatching soldiers as I go, before I finally reach him.
Jack is exactly how I remember him. His long black coat flaps around him as he fights and his hat is gone, probably blown away in the wind. I watch as he knocks away the sword of one of my crew, then savagely guts the man with his steel hook. Then he catches sight of me, and his eyes glint with an evil flame.
"Hartmann! I'm going to tear you limb from limb!" He screams, "you won't escape me this time! You will not leave this ship alive!" I ready my sword, and my face is locked in a determined grimace.
"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing," I reply. With a snarl he lunges at me, and I bring my sword up just in time to deflect the stroke. We dance around each other, his strokes deadly and full of savage furry, mine smooth and controlled yet also stern and powerful. But my reactions are slow, and I am still sorely hurt. My guard slips a tiny bit, and Jack manages to get a swipe of his hook on me. I feel it tear a huge gash in my skin, leaving a long and bloody cut across my side. But he can't beat me. In the end, he was the son of an Admiral, taught by one of the best swordsmen in the navy. I had been taught by the man who killed him.
I fake a swipe at his head, then go in low, swiftly cutting his leg. Before he even can cry out, I follow up with a second strike to his side. He falls to the ground then, leaning up against the rail, his eyes as red as the blood on the deck.
"What are you waiting for," he spits up at me, blood dripping from his mouth, "finish it. Kill me you bracket faced bastard!" I stare down at him, I look at the vile hate in his eyes, and remember a time not so long ago, when I had looked the same.
"I'm not going to kill you," I say. My sword falls to the deck with a loud clatter, and he looks up at me in disbelief.
"Jack, I've spent nearly a year hunting you down, wanting to make you pay for all you took from me," I tell him, "I thought that it would give me a sense of justice, some closure to their deaths. Yet all I've gained is a longer list of dead friends. Killing you won't bring them back, all it will do is put a larger stain on my blade. And I'm tired of this fight, I'm done hunting, done killing. I don't need revenge, and I don't need to kill you." Jack looks up at me in shock, but then a familiar shadow clouds his face.
"That's fine, do whatever you want Will," he growls, "but I made you a promise, and I never go back on my word."
I never saw the knife, at least not until it was buried in my chest. I look down at the bloodied hilt protruding from my skin, then back up at my old friend. He had held back just enough strength for one, final lunge.
"If it's the last thing I do," he says, repeating the oath he made all those years ago, "I'll see you dead William." I feel my legs buckle under me, and I collapse to the ground. Jack falls next to me, laughing manically.
"Will!" I hear a beautiful voice shout. A pistol shot rings out, and I see Jack's head snap backwards, his lifeless body crumpling to the deck.
"Will?" Ann says, gingerly picking me up and cradling me in her arms, "no no no, stay with me Will! It's ok, we're going to get you out of here. Will? Will! Please Will don't do this to me!" I am not really listening to her by now, although I really want to. I feel like what she's saying is important, but it's so hard to focus all of a sudden. At least the pain is fading, and the cold is going away too. I suddenly catch sight of someone behind her, strolling confidently across the deck, and I smile. His blue coat is strangely still in the wind, and he is completely dry despite the rain. His weathered face is a familiar sight, and his eyes seem to sparkle with warmth, and perhaps just a hint of madness.
"Hello Ben," I whisper. He smiles down at me.
"Hello Will," he replies, "you've done a good job, I am so proud. You've become everything I ever wanted you to be. But now, it's time for you to move on."