The Captain's Stand Read online

  “Well, you just need to know how to motivate people,” he commented, clenching his fists. “Sadly, some people want more out of life than making another man wealthy.”

  “I see; I can understand that, sadly. You really burned me when you left and I have a feeling that most of my recent problems have come from you,” he noted.

  “Guilty as charged, I blew up an altar, free the navigator and I may have had something to do with the damage to your ship,” Richard admitted, dropping one hand and reaching for his pistol.

  “Tell you what: I’ll give you one chance to surrender,” Brendan told him. Richard swiftly pulled out his pistol and fired. Brendan flinched at the sound, glancing around and noticing one of his crewmen dropping to the ground. He turned back around and glared at Richard.

  “Shit!” Richard cursed. “Fucking pistol missed! I had him right there!” He berated himself while jumping off of the set up.

  “Burn it! Blow it up! Fire!” Brendan shouted. Richard felt splinters fall around him when a cannon ball shattered the small gate tower they had built. The projectile flew overhead and the outer wall began to burn.

  “Everyone head to the main tent!” Richard ordered. Everyone moved, not needing to be told twice. Richard kept his eyes open, pausing while everyone was rushing to the center of the camp. He glanced around at the burning wall while torches were tossed over and even a few fire arrows landed on some tents, instantly catching them on fire. Keeping his eyes up, he glanced into the tent to see the hole that Boss had dug bigger. He leapt in and headed down.

  “Alright, we need a head count. Do we have everyone?” Richard asked but no one responded. “Okay, Boss, Laurella, Tray and James, Stefano, Madison, Nathan, Kareem, Cliff….. Tin, Brandon and Mark and Spark. Shit, where is Sam?” Richard asked with wide eyes. He scrambled back up the ladder and glancing around the empty tent. With a few well-placed kicks to the table legs, he had them off and pulled it over his head.

  “Sam!” he shouted, quickly scanning the area. Boss rushed after him with Madison and Laurella.

  “I told the rest of them; we don’t need all of us running around,” Laurella explained. “I’m going to check the north end as that’s where we kept most of our supplies.”

  “I’ll check the gates just in case he was looking for you,” Madison added and the two women raced off.

  “I’ll start checking tents,” Boss noted. Richard nodded and then found himself alone. A deafening collapse sounded from the far end of camp, followed by a scream. Richard identified the source as Laurella’s small cabin where she treated people.

  “Nobody should be over,” Richard realized in horror, racing off around the camp. He found Sam tugging at something that was under the pile of wood. “What in the world are you doing?” Richard asked, frowning when he spotted his pistol. He grabbed it up and holstered it without bothering to check it and then grabbed Sam’s arm. Then he noticed that there was a person underneath all of the wood.

  “Saving people is all well and good. Saving people who are trying to kill you is suicide,” Richard griped, tugging a bit harder. Sam continued to glance between the person and Richard. He noticed that the boy wanted to go back.

  “What happens lies at your feet,” he growled, dropping the table and glaring at the boy. He let go of Sam as well and grabbed onto the burning wood and lifted. “Well, try and drag him out!” he yelled. Sam grabbed onto the person, trying futilely to drag them out of the way. “Dammit!” Richard hissed his frustration growing as he glared down below him. Sam flinched back and Richard’s feet skidded; his body felt like it was on fire between the heat and the pain of holding up the heavy wall.

  “Need a hand?” Boss asked, helping to lift as well. Madison showed up to help as well and the three of them lifted it up enough for Laurella to tug at the body. Spark appeared then to help the doctor pull out a rather tall redhead.

  With the man free, they dropped the burning lumber. Boss and Madison each picked up an arm and Richard scooped Sam up by the waist and they headed into the tent. It was on fire but nobody bothered to slow down and Richard quickly handed Sam down.

  “Crap,” Boss growled, letting go of the man they had rescued and jumping down into the hole. “Toss him down,” he ordered. Spark grabbed the man and then surprised everyone by growing to human size and then floating down.

  “Well, jump dammit!” Boss shouted. The other two women leapt down as the ropes on the tents snapped and the tent fell down on the hole.

  “As much fun as this has been, we need to get the cart moving!” Richard ordered, kicking a barrel under one of the support beams.

  “I’ve got it,” Goliam said, grabbing the wagon and pulling it along with no issues. Sam raced after the crocodile man with wide eyes. The surrounding crowd was either staring at the Benedicta bestia or at Spark. Richard was silently thankful that no one had started screaming or panicking. Behind them, an explosion collapsed the tunnel. Richard hurried ahead of the group, taking point while Spark shrunk down to her normal size. Richard raised an eyebrow when she sat down on his shoulder.

  “So, now what?” she asked.

  “Well, I have a dock ahead and we can retool the wagon into a small ship. Then we start moving the gun powder out and begin readying the final stage of my plan. And hopefully take their ship and leave this island behind,” Richard explained, moving into the open clearing. Stars shone above them while Richard strode through it.

  “You seem like a good person,” Spark said offhandedly while they headed to the dock. The rest of the crew was busy moving the barrels that Richard had already moved ahead of schedule while Tray and James took the wagon apart.

  “Not really,” Richard replied casually as if it were the most normal statement in the world. “What are you doing here? Although, I won’t complain about the help, should you be flying home?”

  “I could but I felt bad just leaving you here. You earned it, if nothing else,” she said begrudgingly, a small smile on her face.

  “Hmm, I thought on it and I have just the thing. I wish for the ship of ma dreams,” he told her in a low whisper. His words suddenly seemed to echo around him as nearly every eye traced to him and then to spice.

  “What?” Spark asked, the question resounding as a pulse of energy ringed away from her.

  “Yeah, the ship of ma dreams,” he said, refusing to back down. He took a deep breath, still tasting the smoke, before continuing. “A magic ship that is fast and virtually indestructible. Golden sails, and since we are going big on this, controlled by ma word and will alone,” he added. The fairy shot off of his coat and stared at him, her leafy wings beating rapidly.

  “Are you crazy?” she asked in astonishment.

  “Did I stutter?” Richard asked. A glance behind the tiny fairy showed that everyone had gone back to trying to douse the flames. Smoke was filtering out of the opening above them.

  “I need an escape clause, a time to end. It can’t be perfect,” she replied.

  “It can regenerate then, and it exists so long as ma dream does,” Richard replied after a brief pause. “But everything else in ma mind’s eye stays. Wait, why are we negotiating this? How does this even work? DEAR VOID SHAPER, MA BRAIN HURTS!” he roared. Spark’s wings began to glow, illuminating the area with a light brighter than the fire.

  He blinked, unbelieving even as the dark wood became more and more real. The bow raised and fell, cutting into the waves and Richard could make out an enormous bird of prey with outstretched claws and wings as the figure head. The four masts grew tall and golden sails that, even in the midst of the dark cave and hot fire, seemed to glisten with a surreal feeling. It seemed to be too beautiful to be anything more than an illusion. But it had materialized right before his eyes.

  But just then, the wind caught the golden sails and it began moving into the dock. A huge plank slid onto the dock, nearly hitting Richard’s foot. He paused while Boss and the others began to parade past him.

  “It’s real,” he whispered
, voice faint while he glanced behind them. “And I thought it wouldn’t work,” he murmured to himself before finally boarding with the rest. Spark appeared next to him once more, hovering with slow flapping wings.

  “Fairy!” Laurella cried out, pointing to the small creature. “I take it this ship is the wish,” she said, suddenly composing herself.

  The remaining crew began to circle around them, murmuring. Richard glanced around and inspected everyone while doing a mental head count.

  “Well, that looks like,” Richard mused, his mind finally catching up with itself. “Shit, oh dammit!” he cried out, leaping back for the dock. “I need volunteers; we need to make sure everyone is accounted for.” Sam rushed on to the deck, more excited than anyone else and raced out of view.

  “Time to get the injured onboard first. Anyone you need to work on?” Richard asked, approaching Laurella.

  “I wouldn’t mind checking on the curly redhead – he looks like he’s been badly burned,” she replied.

  “Okay, take him to the deck. Then there’s a small cabin at the bow and then down half a flight of stairs. It’s a medical room so you should have everything you need. Goliam, do you think you can give us a hand moving everyone onboard?” Richard asked.

  “Of course, Captain Richard,” he replied with a grunt and a nod.

  “Alright, everyone else, start moving the barrels onboard and get them tied down. We are moving out of here,” Richard instructed. He turned back to the ship and a hand clasped onto his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder at Madison.

  “So, what does this change?” she asked in concern.

  “Nothing. Nothing changes, I just have more recourses,” Richard said, steel in his voice. “This has been a long day. We will talk on it later, but for now, let’s get everything situated and get some sleep.”

  “Good to hear.” And with that, she walked past him and onto the ship. Richard glanced up at the stars, grinning like a madman.

  “Looks like things are finally looking up,” he replied, walking up onto ship. He took a flight of stairs and grabbed the wheel, feeling content in that moment of first contact. Freedom,” he whispered to the wind, feeling something in his eye.

  Chapter 20 The Golden Eagle

  Richard leaned against the ship’s railing, fingers digging into the wood as if testing to make sure it would not vanish out from underneath him. The wood was dark but sturdy and each piece seemed to have been worked to perfection. He could sense a group of people behind him while Jill placed her forepaws on the rail and looked up at him with a wagging tail and lolling tongue. He looked down at her and the happy-go-lucky feeling left her.

  “I am going to have to let Doyle know that his firearm doesn’t always aim straight,” Richard decided suddenly, standing to his full height. “How is the crew? Anything to worry about?” he asked after noticing Laurella standing nearby.

  “Well, everyone is in one piece. Arken and Morsina are not in the best of shape, but they will live. Our most recent addition, a man named Gerald, is moving. He has a busted leg but I splinted it,” Laurella said, beginning to list off other things.

  “Good to know. Alright, let me know if anything changes in the meantime,” Richard said, nodding and moving to the stairs. The main portion of deck was lower than both the front and back. Richard headed to the front where a small set of stairs led down to a room that somewhat between the decks. He grabbed a lantern hanging from a wall and a match that Sam offered him and allowed it to illuminate the room. There were two beds and a desk covered with vials and all sorts of medication.

  “We’ve got painkillers if you need them. Stints and crutches should be underneath the patient beds. Welcome to your room, Doctor Laurella. Get them patched up and meet me in the Captain’s Quarters,” Richard said, moving aside to allow Eagle Eye and Boss through. They carried a man who, if allowed to stand, would have been taller than either of the men supporting him.

  “Got any place for the rest of us?” Kareem asked, poking his head through the door. Richard scratched at his goatee while Boss walked up behind him with the same expression as Kareem’s.

  “Boss, keep an eye on him. Stay in the doorway and make sure he doesn’t pull anything. Clear?” Richard asked. Boss nodded, resting his right on his unusually spilt weapon.

  “Good. Sam, prep ma quarters. Madison, I need the map,” he asked, holding out his hand while she handed him the scroll. Sam raced off, his feet echoing along the wood and then the stairs. He watched the boy throw open a set of double doors at the uppermost part of the deck.

  “Alright, Kareem, Eagle Eye and Tray, lower the anchor. Everyone else needs to be in a station and we need to get things organized. Until I call you all in, feel free to look around the ship,” Richard said, projecting his voice around the deck. He took a deeply satisfied breath and walked on, moving towards his quarters. When he opened the door, he noted a small corridor that cornered around the captains quarters leading to extra rooms near him . There was a small set of stairs leading upwards before he entered his new room. Sam was standing quietly next to a large desk.

  The desk rested in the center of the room; the corners he could see had a skull carved into the wood. There was an inkwell and a small container of fountain pens and quills. Sitting perfectly behind it was a black wooden chair resembling a throne that almost reached the ceiling. Two spires peaked just short of the top before they trailed down into a crisscross of wood work that decorated the back around the a red cushion. Both of the arms ended with skulls that stared vacantly forward. Richard smiled, rubbing his hands together.

  Towards the back wall was some netting that hung from the ceiling and beneath it sat a good-sized bed that was framed all around with windows. Richard glanced around the room; chairs were lined around a large mirror and another desk. These were sitting opposite of a wardrobe. Between the back of the room and desk was a curtain running the entire length of the wall to separate them.

  “Well, this is something,” Spark noted, startling Richard ever so slightly. She was hovering near his shoulder.

  “Do try and find your room; it should be in the left hallway. Go check it out,” Richard directed at Sam, who raced out of the room as soon as Richard finished speaking.

  “I get a room?” Spark asked excitedly.

  “Would you rather have the ball?” he asked casually, moving to lean against his desk. “So, what’s keeping you around?” he asked, feeling fairly certain that she would have left by now.

  “Well, you see,” she said, trailing off and glancing up at the ceiling. Richard tapped his fingers on his leather jacket in annoyance, waiting for her to get on with it. After a while, he gave up.

  “Well, while you think of it, I have to get some stuff together for my new ship.” He had to hold in his excitement at the idea. “My own ship. It’s like a dream,” he repeated. He kept going over that, pulling out blank papers and getting inkwells ready. There was a knock on the door and Laurella poked her head in.

  “You were going to assign positions?” Laurella reminded while Richard rubbed at his eye.

  “Yeah, I have a feeling that everyone has something in mind for what they want. But I just want to get everyone settled before we move on with the next phase of my plan,” Richard said, leaning back in his throne-like chair.

  “Plan?” she asked. Before he could reply, people began to file in and bringing noise with them. It took a while for everyone to get in and Richard moved to stand in front of his desk rather than sit. The conversation went well into the night but only a few positions were given. Laurella was pretty much guaranteed for surgeon and both Tray and James were shipwrights and carpenters – even if they could do other jobs.

  “Well, Madison, I believe that leaves you as navigator due to the fact that nobody else has the qualifications,” Richard said. “I think that wraps up pretty much everyone aside from the mates and the quartermaster.”

  “I volunteer,” Nathan said, standing to his feet. The room suddenly went into
an uproar as nearly everyone wanted the positions of quartermaster.

  “Quiet!” Richard shouted but he was easily drowned out.

  “QUIET!” Boss roared, voicing booming throughout the room and everyone fell silent.

  “Thank you,” Richard said. “The position of quartermaster, as you all know, is an elected position. And I don’t know how many of you will be sticking around. So, until we reach port in Britania, that position’s duties will be handled by the first mate: Boss. Nathan, in case he ever gets sick, you are second mate.”

  Most of the gathered crowd looked like they wanted to protest.

  “Anyone who has a problem with that is more than welcome to take it to the deck,” Boss threatened, drawing both of his blades. Everyone automatically fell silent.

  “You do realize that by doing that, you killed your chances of keeping the job, right?” Richard whispered.

  “Yep.”

  “Second Mate, take the helm,” Richard ordered, finally resting his arm to the side. “So says Captain Richard Robert Zane, welcome to the Golden Eagle. So long as you work on ma ship, it is Captain Zane. Are we clear?” he asked in a very determined voice.

  “We need eyes for the night shift. Any volunteers before we start turning in?” Boss asked.

  “Count me in,” Kareem said, raising one hand.

  “Me as well,” Eagle Eye declared. Richard glanced at both of them.

  “Eagle, you take the crow’s nest. Kareem, you and your jaguar can stalk the rest of the ship. Also, Spark, feel free to come down. Since you seem to be content staying with us, I think everyone should get to meet you,” he added.

  “Hello everyone,” she said, seeming to walk from the double doors. Richard’s and Boss’s eyes both went wide. She was standing with one hand on the nearest of two chairs, the full size of a human. Her nearly translucent rainbow wings were folded behind her.