"I take it you that are not lost, this time?" The man said rising to his feet. While he seemed regal and strong, his hands griped the chair tightly as if lifting his frame took more effort than he was willing to show.
The officers appeared uneasy as they moved Sky further into the room. Around the table were two middle aged men who looked uncomfortable and standing off to one side of the room was a stout grunchy looking man. His black greasy hair was pushed back and he looked as though he had walked into too many walls as a child; his nose was scrunched and his cheeks wide and flushed in anger. Despite his disgruntled appearance, Sky noticed a dark malice in his gaze as he watched the elderly officer rise.
Sky swallowed as the man, now standing tall, adjusted his glasses on his hook nose and regarded her with confusion. He looked as she remembered only more haggard, his sliver hair thin and the lines in his face tight. His uniform was immaculate however, the seven pins displayed across his chest glinting majestically. Just as before, Sky's eyes went to the ones her father had also received; Discipline, Innovation, Honour.
"Did you get what you needed last time?" He asked her with an odd tone. His voice was unexpectedly soft but Sky recognised it as the one they'd heard from outside. At his question Sky frowned before realising this had been the man to show her out of the palace. After she had broken in.
Ah... Bugger.
"So it is true then?" The man continued. No one else dared to speak. It was if he commanded their very existence. "The Cormorants' influence has reached even these people." He sighed the way one does after coming to terms with an unpleasant fact. Something about that sigh made Sky feel ashamed. She felt like she was being scolded. He looked at her the way a father would; disappointed and sad that their child had done the wrong thing.
"Sir..." Her voice small. Why did she feel the need to explain herself? To have him understand why she was there? He reminds me of my father.
"Admiral." Mr. Grunch snarled at the older gentleman. "This is what I've been saying. If only you'd listened to me during the meeting, we could have made those traitors-"
Admiral? Sky wondered in awe, and then another thought came to her. Why on earth would the Admiral be here? Surely King Patrick would want all his best men to travel down to the Southern Isles. He must have been sent before the ball. The meeting, Sky understood thinking back to her time on Karniva, must have been for this.
The Admiral held up his hand in a dismissive way to Mr. Grunch, whose snarl had consumed his face, and kept his eyes on Sky. They watched each other from the across the room and Sky suddenly wanted to tell him to sit. He seemed so frail. Tired. Conflicted. She wanted to help him the way she'd helped her father all those years ago.
"What is your name dear?" His voice turned dull. Void of emotion. "Perhaps, if you give me the names of your fellow rebels, I can give you a pardon." As she looked at his eyes she saw that he didn't want to kill her. It seemed he didn't want to be there at all.
"Pardon?!" Mr. Grunch moved towards the Admiral in an outburst. The two men who had been sitting down stood in unison at his movement, their faces tense. "You can't pardon her. She must be executed like the rest of these maggots-"
"Skyler Davion." Her voice was soft like the Admirals, though she stood taller in her captors' arms ignoring the throb in her stomach from the officer's blow. Mr. Grunch growled at being interrupted again. "Sir-" Sky cut herself off. What did she say to him? How could she make him explain why they were here, what the King was doing?
"Davion?" Mr. Grunch whirled on her, his dark bushy brows soaring up to meet his slicked hair and his expression shocked. Flashes of her brother came to mind. James would be known to most men in the Kings navy. Did they envy him? Aspire to be like him? Hate him? Or was he remembering her father?
"Ah." Came a soft reply from behind Mr. Grunch. The Admiral looked her over again, pain and loss in his gaze but there was something else too. Recognition? "Of course." He said sadly. Sky felt her chest rise and fall as he looked at her. He knew her in that moment, knew so much more than he did seconds ago. "You look like Anna."
The room was silent. Faint trails of afternoon sun shone through the shutters and created lines on the rich carpet. The officers behind Sky eased their grip on her arms seeming distracted by the sudden change in the room's atmosphere. Even Mr. Grunch appeared perplexed, but his face remained in a snarl.
"Please," Sky said, her voice cracking at the mention of her mother's name. A mother she never knew. "Admiral, this is wrong." She pleaded stepping forward. Surprisingly the officers let her. "You know that Sir. I can see that you do." His expression didn't change as she spoke but his eyes darkened with deep emotion. There was confusion in them and shame. There was also justice, a longing to do what is right. Sky pushed forward still.
"This 'Cleansing' will take the lives of innocents." Sky felt her blood in her veins humming. "He isn't doing this for the good of the people. I don't know what his reasons are, but I know we have to stop him." She stepped forward so that she was next to Mr.Grunch. "Sir, we can't let him do this." She bit her lip, "you can't help him do this."
She waited for some sort of acknowledgement. Even if he disagreed, at least she would have some answers and this whole break-in would be worth something. This man had earnt his rank in King Patrick's navy, he was higher than that of her father, and with that came loyalty to the King. But with his experience and rank came something more. Sky's eyes narrowed as the sunlight caught on one of the pins. Gold and silver; Honour.
"Enough of this bullshit." Mr. Grunch snapped. "Grab her and drag her out to the others. We're doing this right this time. No one lives." He moved forward to seize Sky who stood to his side. She clenched her hands at the thought of this man killing all those people outside the manor. They had been through that ordeal once. Never again.
"Your father." The admiral said. All eyes turned back to him Sky momentarily forgotten, but he was gazing at the slivers of light. "He is doing this for your father."
"Why?"
"You don't know then?" The Admiral met her eyes and for a long while no one talked. Next to her Mr. Grunch became irritated. Then the Admiral sighed again, something he seemed to do a lot. "I was there," he looked younger, full of hope and determination, "The day your father spoke with the King. We listened to him, a lad of only 26, speaking of open seas, of uncharted skies, new places, new people."
Against her will and expectations, Sky's mind threw her back into her worse memory. Creeping up to the door of his dark room she watched him struggle for a single breath. Dank smells of illness made her stomach clench and her head buzz. Her father was sick, dying. What would he have been like, she'd wondered, as a young man. Cheeks flushed with excitement, eyes, hazel like her own, bright with adventure.
"We don't have time for this," Mr. Grunch's nasty voice ripped Sky away from her dream state. "Commodore Davion is dead."
The Admiral looked at him with cool eyes. "Yes. And this child deserves to know her father's part in this." Sky said nothing, her eyes earnest waiting for him to continue. Finally, she was getting some answers, she'd be damned if this pig of a man stopped the Admiral from telling her. "Besides, there is still time." His voice cold and hard. Time for what?
"The way your father spoke," The Admiral turned back to face her, "it was clear what he wanted. Christopher had always had high ambitions and such passion. So many hopes and dreams for this country. But his plan was not what the King wanted to hear. Patrick had no intentions of scouting out other lands; he claimed that there were too many problems here to go searching for new ones. When I agreed with him, Christopher was disheartened, but he made a compromise. Yes, I stand by what I said then; we had too many people in our land and on our seas that refused to follow the Kings law. As such, for him to get permission to explore the far west we would have to control our own lands."
He wanted to explore. Again, as the man spoke Sky was pulled back to her childhood. Softer this time, like the lull of a sleep song. The boat rocking gently. Stars overhead, but not ones she recognised. They were too far west, but never far enough to lose sight of their home, a dark smudge in the distance. Why was father making her chart stars so far away? James hummed happily as he attempted to turn the small pile of junk they collected in nets into what he claimed was a compass. Sky never understood why he did that. Father had always smiled encouragingly at him saying that it was good to be creative. Sky disagreed. Why create something someone else has already invented? No wonder she and James always fought.
"And after a few years of planning, he left to his post on Rendes. Near the sea he so wished to explore." The Admiral smiled fondly. "You can imagine my astonishment when he wrote to me years later stating that I would have to go without him to the new lands." The Admiral looked at Sky. "He had decided to remain in Rendes." Sky didn't need to hear why. She could make an assumption. It was many years after Sky's birth, and the death of her mother, that he had begun to look longingly into the sea. Again, She though, began again. He had stayed for his wife and for his children. Despite his sense of adventure and days in the navy, he was a man of peace.
"His gift?" Sky asked hoping the Admiral knew what she meant even if the officers around her frowned confused and looked to each other. She remembered him speaking of making a cannon for war ships but she needed to know more. She needed to know why? The older man shook his head, his brows knitting together.
"No. He left only notes. Scribbles if that. Nothing that could be used. He said that we weren't ready for it. That I was right; we had to deal with our problems here first. And his 'gift', as he called it, should only be made when they were ready." Sky shook her head not understanding. "The King was not pleased when he withdrew from the navy. Saw it as a great betrayal, but you father had served him better than any man ever could and so the King had to let him go. But he kept his bitterness to himself. I can see it sometimes, now less than before." The Admiral took a shaky step towards her his eyes losing their nostalgia. "It was a few years after that when the rebels started emerging. It turned the city in to a mess, something we had worked so hard to uphold, and they sought only to tear it down.
"That is why this must be done. It is why I must help." He didn't seem to be talking to the others anymore, but to himself. As if he believed contrary to his words. "The Cormorants seek to destroy what your father... what we worked so hard to create." Sky watched him carefully. He truly believed the Cormorants were the problem but he did not think this was the way to deal with them.
"But why now?" So many questions spinning in her head, like a whirlpool. When she tried to reach out for one it slipped from her grasp and she could only remember fragments. Unable to articulate what she wanted Sky mumbled in annoyance. "Why does he want to do this? And why...?" Sky looked at the Admiral with candour, "What does it have to do with my father?"
"What a waste of my time." A new voice interrupted them. "I am done listening to the ramblings of an old man!" Mr.Grunch barked and shoved Sky aside. "If you won't do what our King has ordered Admiral, then I'll have to do what he gave me permission to do." He smiled the malice in his eyes growing darker. "And I will take great pleasure in doing it. I'm sick of decrepit old goats like you commanding my life." He raised his gun toward the Admiral a smug smile on his nasty face. "They say a good sailor goes down with his ship... I never really did see you as a 'good sailor,'" He paused as if thoughtful, "you were nothing more than tedious."
The Admiral gazed at this man, not in shock as Sky did, but in disappointment. As if he had seen this was coming but still held out hope for an alternative outcome. The grubby man's finger twitched on his gun.
But, before he could be shot down by this vile pig, Sky had already aimed her pistol and in the officers' astonishment at his confession, she pulled the trigger.
What happened next was not what anyone standing in the large study could have foreseen.
There was no click, nor bang, as Sky expected and to her horror she looked down at the gun in her hands. The barrel was much shorter than it should have been and instead of a shot of lead, a great red flare burst forth from her hands. Sky screamed as she was flung backwards, a stream of thick red smoke branched out in front of her and barrelled into Mr. Grunch knocking him down it hit the back wall of the study room and fell to the ground.
"Oh shit." Wrong one.
Dropping the Flare gun, Sky reached out towards the Admiral who was within arm distance and grabbed his neat uniform in a fist before throwing herself, and subsequently him along with her, through the group of officers at the door. They stood utterly dumb-founded as the room began to fill with smoke coming from the shot that had come to rest just behind Mr Grunch's head.
"What the f-" Sky heard the man say, his voice muffed as she scrambled away, just before the room exploded in a brilliant red flash.
Screams of surprised and agony filled her ears as she dragged the Admiral after her and away from the study. The corridor quickly filled with confused looking soldiers. They rushed forward toward the flames streaming from the room behind Sky. Some of the officers who had been in the room emerged seeming dazed, others cried furiously as they tried to put of the fires on their bodies.
Soon the small space was a mess of bodies in red and blue. Sky held tight to the Admirals uniform as she pushed past them. He did not pull away from her. And when they emerged from the crowd of packed soldiers seeking answers she looked at him.
"Sir!" thumping stopped Sky's mind as more officers ran towards them. "Sir! Are you hurt?" One of them was storming down the corridor his concerned eyes on his commanding officer. His eyes lock with Sky's. Her hair a mess of brown curls around her, the dead officer's uniform scrunched and hanging off her shoulder, her hand clasped impossibly tightly to the Admiral's arm. He lowered his bayonet at her and a click sounded. It seemed odd to her that she could hear it over the storm of noise behind her.
"Wait." The Admiral spoke and for the first time Sky heard panic in his voice. "Stand down officer."
"Sir." The well trained man lowered his weapon and looked behind Sky and into to the chaos. "Sir?"
"Clear this space. Captain Larg is under your direct custody." He ordered the man who saluted. "If he is still alive. And I want his men disarmed."
"Yes Sir!" The other officers behind this man flew out behind him and into action rushing past Sky towards the mass of men.
Far off and way from the corridor more cries reach Sky's ears. Accompanied by the clang of mental.
"Pirates!" She heard the shout go up and felt the adrenaline spark again forcing her to move toward them. Dustin.
A hand griped hers quickly preventing her from fleeing. She turned back to face the Admiral. He was gazing down at her lugubriously. Their eyes locked. What did he see as he looked at her she wondered. A foolish girl, a rebel, maybe a pirate. The daughter of a friend?
More shouts came from outside the manor as the pirates took the opportunity caused by her commotion. Sky gently pulled her hand back. Please. Her eyes pleaded with him. She felt his hand squeeze hers then the pressure was gone and he turned and began giving orders to the fray of men. Sky spun on her heels and ran towards the front door.
Naval officers ran around her as she flew through the manor, some going back the way she'd come but most rushing towards the entry way. The doors were cast open and there were already men engaged in small fights. Sky recognised a few but most were townspeople swinging mundane objects at the officers. One grabbed a candle stick and tried to poke at the eyes of the officer. Most of the more skilled fighting was done by members of Dustin's crew. When their eyes caught her speeding form, she was genuinely surprised to see relief and fondness on their faces.
When did that happen? She knew most of Dustin's men, but she was only really close with a small handful. The thought that each of the pirates cared about her was staggering. It filled her with a small warmth. She didn't pause to ponder on the notion.
Her eyes searched the front of the manor. There were less of the king's men here than there really should have been. Can't believe I did that... Sky pulled her pistol from her pants and started picking off officers that had chosen to team up on the townspeople. Dustin's men could hold their own.
The small fights scuffed up dirt and flowers. Behind Sky, came the sound of crackling as fire spilled out of the study window. The front gates were pushed wide open and there were still people emerging from the houses and running toward the manor with fever in their strides. All of Dustin's crew had stormed the manor and were disarming the disorderly officers with profound efficiency. Not killing them as she had expected. Sky tried to aim her shots at the legs as a result.
"You bloody set it on fire!?" Dustin cried in bewilderment. He shoved the man he was currently crossing blades with away with a well-placed kick. The man reeled backward and landed on his backside. The pirate scooped up his blade and tossed it to Sky as she approached the gates.
"I didn't mean to!" Anything else she would have said was cut off as angry looking men charged them from both sides.
"And you said my plan wouldn't have worked." Sky ignored his quip and spun out of the way of a blow. Her back came against a warm body as Dustin protected her rear from attacks. Thinking of her fight on the boardwalk, Sky was thankful for the method as it allowed her to fight without fear of being caught of guard.
To her surprise, however, she and Dustin did not fight well together. When she moved to duck a swing of the officer's blade, Dustin's elbow, bent to ward off his own attacker, smacked her in the ear making it ring. Their feet kept bumping, causing distractions for each other and putting them in risk of injury. And when he lunged forward unexpectedly, she stumbled around behind him losing her balance.
This isn't working. Sky thought annoyed. The townspeople were far more brutal than the pirates were and soon the group of officers that had been outside were disarmed and nursing wounds while on their knees.
However, Sky and Dustin stood close to the door and more and more men were streaming out behind them. Whatever it was they had been dealing with inside had apparently been resolved. Sky looked out towards the direction of the study.
Dustin grit his teeth. "Please tell me you got something out of all of this Sweetheart."
Sky hesitated. The men that streamed out of the front door moved with grace and precision. They were more than able to regain control of the chaos the pirates and townspeople had created. What did I learn? Nothing about what the King's plans are. She gripped her sword. Only about my father.
The townspeople faltered with concerned expressions as the Kings men aimed their guns at them. The disarmed men on their knees seemed to shrink in shame under the eyes of their fellow officers. The study fire had begun to die down now, the flames no longer licking the window and a small puff of black smoke began to rise and pollute the air.
Dustin moved forward twisting one of his blades easily. Sky's skin tensed as she watched; he moved as though he wasn't facing a troop of armed men pointing bayonet rifles at him. One of the men, knots at his shoulders, tuned his gun in Dustin's direction at his slow approach. He was the same man Sky had seen before, the well trained officer. Judging by his uniform he was high ranking.
"Come on then. What are you waiting for?" Dustin asked planning his feet apart as he stared down the man, his golden eyes blazing. The officers eyes raked over the pirate then flicked to Sky who stood just behind him. He lifted his head slightly and lowered his aim.
"Dustin Hawk." The Admiral made his way to the officers side. To Sky he no longer looked like an aging man. The tension from his eyes was still present but the hand that rested on his blade was steady and strong. His face seemed impassive as he regarded the officers, townspeople, and then turned his focus back to the pirate captain.
Dustin stopped dead. His blade, which he'd been spinning effortlessly in circles stilled at his side, the point to the ground. Sky looked at the two men and she saw something pass between them. Her eyes fell on the Admiral as he stepped forward past the group of officers. They tensed as their commander left the safety of their wall.
"Admiral Balthid." Dustin's hands tightened at his side as though he'd almost saluted the man in habit. Sky could also see his face was hard and his lips turn down in regret. She had not known much about the people in the navy ranks, her father rarely spoke of logistics such as rank, Sky always believed that that her father saw people worth through their actions and not their titles. However, as she watched Dustin's eyes take in the man before him she realised, that as a former officer himself, he would know the Kings Admiral.
"Sir," Dustin hesitated. Despite her realisation only second ago she was till shocked to hear him use the title. "Surrender."
Some of the officers snickered at the request, some looked furious, while others remained composed. The Admiral, however, was looking at Dustin with something else.
"You must understand, Hawk," The Admiral removed his hand from his blade at his hip and looked at the townspeople again. Sky cast the glance also, and noticed that they did not look at this man with the hatred they had his men. "I cannot simply take orders from a pirate."
"Sir," Dustin's tone seemed frustrated.
"Admiral," Sky stepped next to her Captain. "Look at what has happened." She was referring to the townspeople but saw many of the Admirals men glace back at the blackened window. "Something is wrong."
"Yes. I can see that dear." His eyes rested on her for a moment longer before truing back to Dustin. "I won't take orders from a pirate, Hawk." Sky felt deflated. What were you expecting Skyler? That he'd actually help you? "However, if you lay down you weapons, and these people follow suit, then," He paused, "Then perhaps we may talk."
Dustin didn't even drop his blade before the townspeople began to surrender. Sky lifted a brow at them. Dustin's men looked at their captain, waiting for his signal. Sky looked at the officers standing behind him; their faces carefully neutral, despite their commander's words. Negotiations with a pirate, no matter rank, would be considered treason. However, it was better than surrendering to one. The Admiral had given Dustin a way of getting what he wanted while remaining in control. It
There was a clamour as Dustin's blade fell to the ground. Not a second later, the crew of the Belladonna dropped their weapons and faced the Admiral.
"I will have you word, Sir. A Parley?" Dustin demanded. He did not like to be in situations he could not control. And Sky mused that of the things her captain did not like, surrendering to the enemy was rather significant.
Admiral Balthid looked at Sky, "For my honour," and more quietly, "and for his."