Even a Pirate King Has His Fears: A Short Story

The sea was fine tonight, the waves calm and the wind good and strong to push them in the direction of their target. Perfect weather for a raid.

But the conditions of the sea were not what worried him tonight.

Captain Samuel Morris paced on the deck, staring at the stars above, their reflection below, and the blue glow in the water from the algae the boat stirred up. Save for the soft chugging of the steam engine and slapping of waves, everything was a waiting silence.

His metal feet tapped across the deck in an even tempo, betraying calm on the outside. Inside, his mind was a nor’easter storm, whirling and chaos.

She isn’t ready.

Those three words were the only cohesive sentence he could make from the strings of thoughts and worries. He ran a hand through his tangled black beard, scowled, and paced faster.

The moon was at its zenith when he heard soft footsteps on the deck, small leather boots tapping across the metal deck.

“Phoenix.” He sighed softly as he turned toward her, taking off his tricorn hat to run a hand through his black hair.

His wife smirked at him, her amber eyes aglow with love and amusement. “I would think that after all your ears have been through, you wouldn’t be able to hear me coming anymore.”

He chuckled hoarsely. After years of cannon fire, men shouting, and sea battles, his hearing was not what it once was.

“I could never forget a sound so lovely as your step.” He said, taking her hand in his and kissing it.

She smiled. “But you pretend to be quite deaf when I mention your laundry.”

She’d caught him there. He turned toward the sea, changing the subject. “It’s a fine night tonight. Perfect for the raid tomorrow.”

“Indeed.” Phoenix stepped beside him, leaning against the railing. “So, that is why you are out here, pacing long into the night?”

He nodded.

She looked up at him, her crimson hair falling into her face. “Are you worried about Reilynn?”

He leaned against the railing, folding his hands. “She isn’t ready for a raid.”

“She’s been begging us to let her come along for months.” Phoenix said. “Maybe it could help her put the past to rest.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want her to go. I’ve seen the fire in her eyes. She isn’t looking for peace for herself– she’s looking for revenge. And on these sorts of raids, the rush from satisfying that desire…” He tightened his jaw, bitterness stinging his mouth. “I’ve felt it. It’s addicting, and it’s dangerous. I don’t want that for her. It will destroy her from the inside out.”

“Sam,” Phoenix wove an arm through his, gripping his left hand. “She’s strong. She survived the slave trade. We can’t hide her forever. Healing doesn’t come by staying in the dark.”

He squeezed her hand, closing his eyes. Blood streaked his mind’s eye, the blood of thousands of men he had slaughtered in the rush of revenge.

Blood of his enemies.

Blood of slavers.

Blood of innocents.

All to find a daughter who didn’t survive, who had been stolen from him in a heartbeat to never be returned.

Reilynn had brought him from the rage, a young girl hidden in the dark who had become his light. Scarred and broken, but so alive now in spite of it.

But she wanted revenge for the men who hurt her, gave her those scars.

And if he let her go through with it…

“Hey.” Phoenix shook his shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts. “Sam, you can’t keep beating yourself for the past.”

“If we let Lynn do this, we may destroy every bit of healing that we’ve worked so hard to help her do.” He whispered, his voice cracking. “I don’t… I don’t want to lose another daughter.”

After he lost Aubrey, his world shattered. He didn’t want to watch it break again if Reilynn lost herself to her revenge.

His wife sighed, resting her head against his shoulder. “She won’t lose herself.”

His right hand tightened on the railing, the metal edges digging into his palm. The connections in his legs where skin met metal itched, reminding him of all he had tried to do to satisfy his revenge.

“How can you be sure?” He whispered.

She turned him toward her, so he was staring deep into her eyes. Even after being married for twenty-five years, he never tired of her beautiful gaze. They were like amber waters at sunset, deep and strong.

“Because she has you for a father, and you’re going to do everything in your power to keep her from falling into those abysses.”

I’ve only been her father for two years. Even though Reilynn had told him he was more of a father than her biological one ever was, there was always that worry that he wouldn’t be good enough for her, wouldn’t give her the father she deserved.

His breath hitched in his chest. “And if I fail?”

“We won’t fail.” She smiled. “She needs to do this. It will help her put some of her ghosts to rest.”

He released a slow sigh. Phoenix was right. He knew it.

“It will be something.” He whispered. “To fight as a family.”

“It will.” Phoenix kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. Reilynn has us now. We’re not going to let her lose herself.”

He brushed back her red hair. “I always said you were better at this logical thinking stuff than I was.”

“Well,” She squeezed his hand. “You’re good at battle tactics. You just tend to get tangled up in the storms in your head.”

“Ay.” He stepped away from the railing, offering his arm. “I suppose we should get some sleep so we’re not acting like the walking dead in battle tomorrow.”

“Could be a frightening new tactic.” Phoenix chuckled.

He laughed, the tension in his chest releasing. “Ay, that it could.”

***

The battle was nigh.

He waited on the starboard side of the ship, blue coat flapping in the breeze, as the Caspiana slid close to their target, a slaver ship by the name of The Regal Gregory.

He gripped his saber, metal legs tensed to give him the great leap he needed to cross the gap.

Two minutes.

He turned to look at Phoenix in her red duster, her pistols already smoking from the early shots.

And then he turned to look at Reilynn. His adopted daughter matched her mother’s gaze, her gold eyes ablaze and her sword clamped in her hand, knuckles white.

“You be careful out there.” He whispered. “If they gang up against you, shout and I will fight by your side.”

She looked up at him, wisps of her wavy black hair falling from her braid into her face. “Is it normal to feel this nervous?”

Nervousness. A good sign. It meant she wasn’t thinking only of revenge. He smiled at her. “Aye. But just focus on what we’re here for– freeing the slaves in the belly of the ship.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. “And what if… he’s here?”

His gut twisted at the unsaid reference to her real father.

He squeezed her shoulder. “I would rather die a hundred deaths than let you be taken back into his hand.”

Of that, he was certain.

She smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

His heart swelled, and he smiled back. The ships creaked closer.

“Ready?” He asked.

She nodded, adjusting the sleeves of her green coat. “Ready.”

She and Phoenix each took a rope, and he shifted into position.

Then with chorused battle cries, the Morris family leapt into the air, a united force to be dealt with.

They were going to make these slavers regret they had ever chosen their trade.