The Black Rider: Kiddom series book 1: a new beginning

Prologue

       "Noooo! Don't do this! Please don't do this!" Rylie pleaded to the guard as he was about to read the pirates' sentences.
        The guard started, "These men, and this woman, have been tried and found guilty of treason and piracy-"
        "No! They are valiant people with hearts of pure gold! They have done nothing wrong!" Rylie cried out as warm tears gushed from his eyes and trickled down his cheek. It was a hot yet beautiful summer day in the city of Savannah. By how the Earth spoke with puffy clouds in the sky, and how a cool breeze lightly jogged around, one would think it was a 'beautiful' day. If none of these events that are unfolding were to be doing so it would be an average day for the small eleven year old. Though he was adopted, Rylie could never remember a day that wasn't filled with love, whether or not there was a such a day that wasn't. 'This can't be happening' Rylie Thought. Birds chirped in the trees and everything was at peace, all except for Rylie's heart which seemed to crack at every passing second. 'This should have been a perfect day. How does such a thing happen on this type of day?!' The birds were starting to make Rylie boil with anger and contempt for their constant whistling, and chirping, making the day seem so wonderful. But the birds that made him even angrier were the three crow's sitting on a tree branch that was only a few torturous feet away from him. They mocked him as they waited for a feast to be served to them, for even they knew the victims of this horrific event, though numerous in number, would not be given the proper burial they should rightly have; acting as if they were kings, like they had the right to prod at the eyes of the dead, and chew on their flesh. 'Nature gave them that job' Rylie thought. 'Screw nature! It shouldn't let such an act occur on such a day like this.' He thought with enormous contempt burgeoning inside him. Though Rylie would plead and beg for the atrocity that was about to unfold to be stopped, he could never halt the impending doom that was to befall on all those he loved and kept dear to his heart. He could not stop his world from being turned upside down.
         "And the punishment for these crimes-" the guard went on showing no emotions. "Is death."
         "No! You bastards!" Rylie screamed as a waterfall of tears flowed from his eyes down his face as he wept uncontrollably for his only real family. Fifty three pirates had been captured and were about to be hanged from the gallos; the only family Rylie had ever known and loved were about to die a slow and painful death, one by one. He would have to watch as the crude rope of the gallows would wrap around their neck like a snake, deny air to their lungs, and steal the light from their eyes, unable to ever return. 'Oh how cruel such a death is to mankind! And how unjust their sentence was! No matter how much quarter and mercy they had given to so many men, women, and children, it would have never been enough to stop this atrocious act of capital punishment.' Rylie thought. His hate for how beautiful the day was, swelled and grew by the second, for he could remember days just like it, that were filled with happiness and love. Not a tear had ever been shed on a day like this in the past. It should be considered a crime for such a thing to happen at such a time, or for nature to make such a day when this act of homicide is about to occur. 'Mother Nature should hang! Not them!' Rylie thought as he continued crying, tasting the salty tears that decided not to go down to his cheek but to the corner of his mouth and hung more nostalgia upon his heavy heart for they reminded him of the salty sea, and like a trail of dominos, it reminded of so many memories that were once so happy, but now all they would bring fourth to his heart was pain.
      "They can't do this!" Rylie yelled out as he ran to Captain Vairrack's side. "If you're gonna hang, then I am too!" Rylie asserted, eyes puffy and red.
          "Nay, belay that Rylie. Ye must stay here to live yer life," The captain stated in his thick accent.
          "No! I won't! I'm a pirate 'till the day I die! I should be executed just like the rest of the crew! I don't want to go on without you all! And I won't!" Rylie commanded as a giant emotional wave of anger, loyalty, and sorrow swept over him.
          "Aye, Ye are a pirate, and Ye will always be a pirate. As such, Ye must carry out yer crew's legacy, an' never give up on life. For all our bravery, loyalty, courage, and honor live inside you, and we will always live inside you and be with you no matter what." The tall and valiant captain said with tears welling up in his eyes. The captain was a brawny figure with a powerful physic. He could wrestle a bear and pin him down in five seconds. To Rylie it seemed like the captain was to vigorous and resilient to die. It seemed impossible to kill such a looming tower of a man with such influence, strength, and durability. But sadly, it was not impossible, and after today, it would be proven feasible to kill such a monumental, steely man.
          "We'll never truly die, aye, lads!" He shouted to the crew.
          "Aye!" They whooped back.
          Vairrack turned to the guard that held his personal belongings, "C'mere boy!" The slim young guard looked up at his lieutenant who was on top of the hanging platform. The lieutenant gave him the ok, he then swiftly ran to the captain. "I bequeath me personal belongings to this boy right here." The captain stated in an assertive yet noble tone; the nervous looking soldier looked back up at his emotionless lieutenant who stated that, "he can have the possessions after the execution, until then the guard will hold them." Rylie would get the captain's long sword that once belonged to a French noble, his embellished trench coat that had been a British General's, and his wide-brimmed oval hat with a flat top that once belonged to a Spanish conquistador.
           "Now use these to fight and stand up for what we taught ya, and never let anyone bring ye down!" The captain asserted with such a powerful compelling tone that could persuade the devil himself to become a saint.
           "Aye aye sir" Rylie said with tears in his eyes.
           Captain Vairrack nodded his head and then went closer to the platform. Right behind him was his beautiful daughter Maira, with her long golden brown hair, eyes that could hypnotize any guy to her every whim with lashes that could make the roughest man melt by only batting them a few times, and  she was more beautiful than the day itself which made Rylie even more infuriated with what they were about to do to a creature so fair as her. She had cared for Rylie like a mother ever since she and the captain first found him when he was but three years old. Losing such a person who had cared for Rylie for so long was even more painful than loosing the captain.
           "They can't do this! Not to a woman! Not to you!" He said to her with tears filling his bloodshot eyes once again, and an arrow of grief striking him with so many memories of her, breaking his heart into tinier pieces.
           "Shhh. Don't cry" she cooed in her melodious voice, and then got down on one knee to be on his level.
           "It'll be ok" she whispered as Rylie clung onto her. Her warm embrace made him feel so loved, warm, and cared for that it only asserted his belief that they were good people and had done nothing wrong even more than before. 'How could they do this to people they don't even know? People they haven't even met! How could these people not see that they're destroying a family. We had given them mercy so many times how can they not repay that and give any to us!' He thought. 'Why!! Why is this happening!' He wanted to scream but somehow managed to keep it at bay.
        "How can they do this to you all. They don't even know any of you."
            "It's so unfair!" He cried out.
            "There, there. Dry those tears." She said softly, moving her silky hand across his eye.
             "How come we gave quarter to them but they won't give back any to us?" He asked angrily and tearfully, still hugging her tightly.
             "I don't know, but don't worry. It'll be alright. We'll always be with you no matter what" she assured him in her loving, melodic tone that could calm a raging sea storm.
              "Maira, why is this world so cruel and punishes you when you've done nothing wrong?" He asked.
              "I don't know sweetheart. But no matter how cruel the world is you must never lose hope for a better future. Promise me Rylie. Promise me you'll never lose hope. For me, for the captain, and for your crew."
              "Ok, I'll try" Rylie said sorrowfully as he nodded his head.
              "Thank you" she told him as she kissed the top of his forehead.
              "Here's something from me to help you on your new journey." The beautiful young women said as she took off her lovely pendant that gave off a beautiful peacock blue when looked at from a certain angle, and gave it to him.
               "How will this help me?" He asked in a groggy voice from crying so much.
               "It will help you when the time is right."
               "How will I know when that is?"
               "Trust me, you'll know." She promised.
               "Ok" he said giving her one last hug and then letting her go. A drum started to play as they slowly walked up to the platform. "Bum bum, brrrrrrrrrah" the drum went as the two prisoners made their way to their inevitable and inexorable death.
                "Captain Vairrack Thesha and Miss Maira Thesha" a guard announced as the two came upon the trap doors. The deadly ropes were placed around their necks and the drum role began as the lieutenant was about to give a signal for that dooming lever to be pulled. With a swift down stroke of his sword the lever was pulled. The trap door slid out from under the Pirates feet. A crack, then silence.