The ball of light soared through the air screaming like a banshee. It blinded Jack and Pan as it sailed toward its target. Not the Terror, but an airship.
An airship closing in on the Terror erupted in a brilliant show of light and explosions. The Terror wailed and its other tendrils tore through the mist and swatted at the light.
Jack eyed his handiwork, both the enemy airship and his cannon were destroyed beyond repair. Then to his horror, more tendrils whipped through the mist hysterically. One struck the forward cannon jerking the whole ship. Merida!
Jack jumped out of his seat. The other cannon creaked against the wood moments away from letting gravity drag it to the surface. He wasn't going to make it. He fastened a long safety line to himself and dove for the cannon the moment the ship released its grip on it.
He didn't even think to check to see if his new safety line was attached to anything, he just jumped. There was a long list of people he saw in every verse, Merida quickly became his best friend in most of them like clockwork, Elsa was his heart's desire and passion in all of them.
But he couldn't lose Merida, not again.
Two flashes of enemy cannons almost sent him into a fit, but the adrenaline was too strong.
He clutched onto Merida's limp form in the seat of the cannon. He flash froze her seat restraints and broke them in an instant. The cannon fell away as Jack held on to the unconscious spitfire.
He held her in a vice grip as the safety line almost jerked her out of his grasp. He looked up to see Pan already towing them back to the ship.
** ** **
"That was Brilliant, Keyes!" Pan exclaimed.
Jack didn't want to leave Merida's side in the sick bay but there was still a Terror outside and enough dreadnaughts to invade three platforms.
Jack turned on his heel and when about deck.
"Keyes! Cap'n wants to see ya." The quartermaster called.
"Captain." Jack reported to Blackbeard.
"Damaged report on the forward cannons!" Blackbeard's eyes were wild, not with anger or madness, but with the lust for battle and prestige.
"One is out of commission and one is lost to the mist." Jack barked against the noise of the wind and battle.
"Bonnie?"
"Sick bay."
"That light?"
"My idea, sir. I take full responsibility for the damages, I used Pan to overcharge the cannons battery."
"You may have just saved us from the monster, whatever it was. Report to the Quartermaster, and get ready board."
"Sir?"
"You have your orders, Keyes." The airship was shook as it skimmed the electrically charged mist. Blackbeard was at the helm and pulled a lever by the wheel. "We're going back up!" Blackbeard called to the crew.
Jack looked in the distance to see what caught the wild eye of the captain. It was a high profile merchant ship on the run from the fight with only one corsair to guard it.
The ship tilted up as it climbed skyward.
He was going to try and plunder, at a time like this! Jack looked behind him as the Terror engaged more and more airships. He definitely liked his odds against the merchant ship over the Terror though.
** ** **
Jack was first on board the merchant ship. Like a wraith he cut down any that would raise a sword against him with the cold gaze of a man familiar with the face of death.
He was trained and broken, he knew how to take a man's life. He was an old soul who had fought long and hard. Battles these Pirates could never understand, he had commanded legions of souls warrior and farmer alike, and had killed many more, fearling and man alike. Jack had lost half of his soul to the wraith of time, loss, and death.
With a pile of dead men at his feet, Jack stood before the Merchant Captain as the empty shell of vengeance.
Jack tilted his head at the captain.
It was his eyes that scared the captain the most. Jack's bloodstained sword was nothing compared to the haunting of Jack's empty gaze. He barely registered when Jack spoke to him, he was glad he caught it, he might not have had a second chance.
"Yes, yes, we surrender! Please don't kill me." The Poor merchant captain sank to his knees in cowardice.
The Captain wasn't the only one to notice Jack's haunting.
The cabin door behind the Captain clicked closed.
Jack glided with a specters grace to the door. The captain despite his cowardice scooted to place himself between Jack and the door and was met with Jack's knee.
** ** **
Her breath caught in her throat, that pirate had just killed people, he didn't even look like he felt remorse over it.
She only had time to close the door as he came barging in the cabin. She froze with fright, she had nothing to protect herself with, not even a knife. "Proper ladies never need to resort to such barbaric practices." Her mother used to tell her. That sounded like a load of dribble now that she needed one.
He was handsome and haunting at the same time. His eyes were pits of emptiness. The room chilled at his presence, not from the door being open but from something older, more primal, something from... him.
Then the emptiness was gone as soon as he looked at her. First, longing then pain, love and hate, then a few more she didn't catch until...
He looked over his shoulder to the door and back at her. "You need to hide." He said softly, completely out of place for the phantom she'd seen only a second ago. His tone was gentle yet urgent, it was too kind, it didn't fit him.
When she didn't move, he sheathed his sword and looked around the room he grabbed her shoulders and she tensed waiting for it to hurt. It didn't. He was gentle until he stuffed her in a corner by a dresser. He shifted a barrel in front of her and threw an empty potato sack on her.
"That will have to do, don't move and you'll be fine." He said and then ran to the other side of the room where he tore out a few drawers scattering documents and valuables everywhere.
A moment later, she heard the door swing open and heavy boots calmly walked in.
"Well, well. Keyes, you've surprised me today." A deep authoritative voice bellowed. That was the pirate's name, Keyes.
"Just doin' my job, Captain." Keyes said.
"Is the room secure?"
She held her breathe, what was he going to do, rat her out, save her for himself?
"Aye, Captain."
"Good." The door closes. "You've impressed me today, Keyes. It has been a long time coming but yer loyal, smart, bloody lucky, and capable. How would you like a ship of yer own?"
"Sir, I don't know if my loyalty is in question but-"
"It's not, Keyes, I cannot afford to sail only one ship anymore. With monstrosities, Dreadnaughts, and Pirate hunts. I need someone to watch me back in the air. Most of the crew is capable in their own right but you, you are a captain among crew."
"Sir, it's an honor."
"This will be yer new ship, we're far enough away from the brawl with that demon to do some quick ordering about. I'll take all the prisoners and the gold, and you'll have a skeleton crew of your choosing and the trade goods. You'll sail under me as the first of me new fleet. You'll pay a percentage of all your hauls to me, any treachery will be met with death, do you understand?"
"Aye, sir. Thank you, sir."
"Good, we'll work out the details when we reach port. Let's go announce the good news."
"Aye, Sir."
The two men left and she feared for her life, they were just going to take the airship and everyone on it. Including her!
She could hear the rumble of the Pirate Captains voice on deck.
The roar of cheers followed and then boots struck the wooden deck all around as if in a hurry. A few came into the cabin and she held her breath... oh no... not now...
"Achoo!" she sneezed.
"Ey, what was that?" a gruff voice approached her hiding spot. Then the potato sack was removed, reveling her.
"Oh Ho Ho. A stow away. Captain'll want a piece of you fer certain." The weasel pirate's breath choked her as he dragged her forcefully onto the deck.
The sun hurt her eyes as her vision focused and then she gasped. In front of her was none other than the infamous Pirate Captain Blackbeard. And standing next to him was the lithe Phantom Keyes who looked at her with a mix of something she could read.
"Seems you missed a spot, Keyes. You weren't saving her for yerself were you?" Blackbeard laughed.
"I was looking for guns and swords, sir. Not skirts. But I guess we know why this ship was so eager to leave port. Guess the captain got antsy."
Blackbeard leaned in closely, and sniffed her perfume. "Aye, she'll fetch a tidy ransom. What are you doing so far away from Daddy, Girl?"
She couldn't do anything but look down in shame. She knew what came next. She had heard the stories but never believed that it would happen to her. She could feel Keyes eyes on her, for some reason him being here only made it worse.
"Take her to me cabin. I'll sort things out with her later." Blackbeard chuckled and the crew all laughed with him.
"Sir?"
"Aye, Captain Keyes. Well speak up boy I ain't got all day!"
"I'd like your permission to prove me loyalty to you."
"Oh, how so?"
"Let me transport the Lady. With a little risk on your part, I might prove my loyalty by not taking the girl and the supplies with me and running. And in extension, have a further reach as a Captain under your flag."
"This is no time for debate."
"Quartermaster, stay here with Keyes and his crew. Keep him honest."
"Aye, cap'n." a tall dark fellow slid out of the crowd and stood by Keyes.
Blackbeard looked off in to the distance. "The winds are changing boys, it's time to move out!" The crew moved as swift and as fluidly as clockwork.
Blackbeard winked a lecherous grin at Keyes. "Have fun, Captain. Consider this a trial of fire. Run, and I guarantee you'll die by fire, or worse."
"Understood, Sir."
Blackbeard took his leave, but gave one last nod to the lady, "Happy sails, Lady Elsa."
"Quartermaster, take her to my cabin and watch her." Keyes told the tall dark man.
"Aye... Captain." The quartermaster smiled at Keyes.
** ** **
Elsa waited, she paced back and forth as the ship took to the skies. What kind of man was this "Keyes"? What did he want with her? That was a stupid question, the right question is how soon would he take it from her?
It wasn't until after dark that she saw Keyes again. At first, she'd been scared, then worried, then angry. How dare he make her wait! She checked that anger fast. Maybe more waiting was better. It was still a few days travel to the nearest port and who knows how long they keep her if they had to go to another port for the ransom. If they were smart, they'd stay away from port by running as far away from the dreadnaughts as possible. How far would they go? Where were they going? She drove herself mad with worry, all the while the Quartermaster stood his post in front of the door watching her.
There was a knock at the door, the tall man opened it to reveal Keyes dragging in another woman, a pirate with flaming red curly hair.
"You shouldn't be up and about yet Bonnie." Keyes gently reprimanded as he carried her to the now claimed cabin boys cot.
"I had to see yer new ship, Captain Keyes, our little man 'as groon up." She spoke with a heavy accent. "Besides, 'tis only a scratch quit fussin'."
"You collapsed on the deck unprovoked."
"I escaped to get the good rum 'ere in yer room." She took notice of Elsa. "'Oo is shey, yer new pet?"
"Sit down and shut up, that's an order."
"Pfft aye captain." Then she looked pale. "Uhn why is the room spinnin' Agi-" she fell forward. Jack caught her and laid her back down. He looked at his hand revealing blood.
Keyes cursed, in French?
"Quartermaster, fetch the physician, her wound opened up when she fell." He ordered.
"Aye, Cap'n." The tall man slipped out.
Keyes placed a hand on Bonnie's forehead, "she's got a fever, not good." He fixed his eyes on Elsa, "Girl!"
"Excuse me?" Elsa hadn't been called girl in-
"Make yourself useful, find some drink, water, and some rags." He ordered, once again his eyes transformed before going back to normal.
"What do I look lik-" she said obstinately.
"A prisoner, and if you like your dress the way it is, do what I say."
Elsa scoffed, how dare he-
His gaze broke her, it was serious, deadly serious. No wonder Blackbeard made him captain. He had a look that could put icicles on your soul. She was compelled to do as she was bidden. She'd seen what he could do to a deck full of armed men, she didn't need any grim reminders.