7. The Redheaded Seer

Chapter 7

The Redheaded Seer

The Pirate

T he salty sea breeze struck my face in an icy mist as I stood at the helm, my ship slicing through the waves with graceful ease. After decades of searching for a way to break the sea witch's curse, I was no closer to a solution. The emptiness within me yawned wider each day, threatening to swallow me whole. I refused to succumb to its suffocating grasp.

"Captain! Sail ho!" A shout reached me from the crow's nest above, breaking into my thoughts as I turned my attention skyward.

I pulled out my spyglass and peered in the direction the lookout indicated. A large merchant ship sailed several leagues away, her hull riding low in the water – no doubt weighed down with valuable cargo. A cruel smile curled my lips. Perhaps some plundering would lighten my dark mood.

"All hands on deck, you rats!" I bellowed. "Ready the cannons and prepare to come about! There's treasure to be had."

The crew scrambled into action, sails unfurling to catch the wind as the ship banked hard to starboard. Adrenaline sang in my veins as we drew closer, the anticipation of the impending raid sending a thrill down my spine. This was what I lived for now. Small moments of victory to overshadow the foreboding doom gripped around my very soul.

As we gained, I could make out more details of our prey through my glass. She was a fat cargo ship, her decks bristling with sailors. But it was the flag she flew that made my breath catch - a yellow banner with black markings. Slave traders.

Bile rose in my throat as memories of my own enslavement threatened to surface. I ruthlessly shoved them back down. That helpless, abused boy was long dead, replaced by a hardened pirate king. I would show no mercy to those who traded in human misery.

"Ready the grappling hooks!" I shouted as we pulled alongside the galleon. "Prepare to board!"

Cannon fire erupted between the two ships, splintering wood and igniting flames. Grapeshot whizzed through the air, finding targets in flesh and bone. The screams of the wounded and dying joined the cacophony. Grappling hooks found purchase and my men swarmed across, engaging the enemy in vicious hand-to-hand combat that splattered the deck with blood and loss.

I swung across myself, dispatching two men before my boots hit the planks. The smoke was thick, gunpowder acrid in my nostrils. I cut a bloody swath across the galleon, my blade flashing as I pressed forward with single-minded determination.

Below deck, I found them, just as I knew I would. Rows of emaciated bodies, chained and penned like cattle. Haunted eyes turned to me, filled with hopelessness and despair. For a moment, I was a boy again, huddled in the filthy hold of a ship. Lost. Abandoned. Awaiting a fate worse than death. For a moment, the briefest of thoughts flittered through my mind, wanting to claim their lives for myself, but I shoved those dark thoughts back down, knowing they didn't belong to me but to the curse I faced.

With a furious yell, I charged at the pen's lock and smashed it with my bare hands. The sound of metal breaking echoed through the air as I freed the chained women inside. "You're free now," I told them, feeling a sense of satisfaction in their newfound freedom.

Many of them fled until one female looked at me with eyes that turned completely white. I instinctively jumped back, knowing she was a seer. The slaves distanced themselves from her, fleeing above deck with only a handful of them freezing in place, afraid to move as they stared at the seer before me.

"I knew you'd come, Lord of Death. The gods showed me," she said, her voice filled with both reverence and fear. She stood up, tall and proud, with her long red hair cascading down her back in silky strands. Her eyes changed from white to a clear blue as she studied me intently.

Suddenly, the boat rocked under our feet, and she stumbled into me. I tried to keep my distance, knowing that seers were nothing but trouble. But even as I avoided touching her, I couldn't help but be drawn to her piercing gaze and regal aura.

Her lips twisted into a sly smirk, her eyes gleaming with ancient wisdom. "You seek to break your curse, and she seeks the same," she sang in a haunting voice. "Your paths will intertwine, and that will be the end. But ends are merely beginnings in disguise."

I turned to face her fully, my curiosity piqued. "Who holds the answers? Who do I need to find?" I demanded.

"She who is older than time itself, a master weaver of fate, one of three." Her fingers danced in the air as she spoke, painting an invisible web of connections. "But beware, for she speaks in riddles and truths intertwined."

Frustration built up inside me as I tried to make sense of her words, but before I could press her further, she collapsed onto the wooden planks.

I rushed over and checked her pulse, relieved to find it weak but steady. My crew had already secured the cargo ship's crew on deck, their captain standing in the center of them all. Gathering the woman in my arms, I made my way up to the top deck to tend to her injuries and contemplate her cryptic message.

My gaze fell upon the emaciated forms of the women who had been held captive under the ship, their once vibrant bodies now gaunt and lifeless. Memories of my own childhood abuse and confinement flooded me, sparking a fire of anger and disgust within me.

As I turned to face the crew responsible for these atrocities, I could feel my blood boiling. They lounged in their seats, bellies full and faces content, as if they hadn't just committed heinous acts against innocent people.

"Captain, what shall we do with them?" Patton, my first mate asked, his voice laced with bravado.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "The same thing we always do with vermin found on our ship—throw them into the sea."

I relished the fear that crept into their eyes as my crewmates began to carry out my orders, but then Camilla, one of my own crew members, spoke up. "What about a few of them that are new to the ship? Should we let them go?" Camilla asked as she stared at a boy no more than fifteen.

I glared at her, my tone sharp and unyielding. "Did they know about these women?" Without waiting for an answer, I turned to face the youngest member of their crew.

"Did you know?" I demanded, my voice cold and unforgiving.

He nodded timidly. "Yes, sir. But I was hungry. You see?—"

"There is no excuse," I cut him off. I motioned for Camilla to come closer before revealing a malicious grin. "We'll save this one for last."

I watched as each crew member was checked to make sure both their arms and feet were securely tied before the crew began hauling them overboard. The women who had been tied below watched with grim satisfaction at the justice being made for them.

One by one, each crew member met their end in the deep, dark waters. Only the captain and a young boy remained. As I approached the women standing on the deck, they straightened their posture and looked at me with determination. In my outstretched hand, I held a sharp dagger, offering it to one of them. The redheaded seer stepped forward and took the dagger from me, ready to make her choice. She'd lost consciousness briefly after sharing her vision, but as soon as we'd come into the fresh air on deck, she'd begun to rouse.

"I left the best for you," I said with a wicked grin. "You must choose what to do with these two. Will you allow the boy to live?"

She hesitated, then admitted, "He was kind to us."

I nodded towards him as my men pulled him to his feet. "The dagger is for him," I explained. "Each of you deserves your pound of flesh. Just keep him alive long enough for his blood to draw in the predators before he takes his last breath." My grin grew wider as I lowered my voice for only them to hear. "We'll even cut his ties so he thinks he has a chance. A little hope before they tear him apart."

The seer nodded and stepped forward towards the captain, gripping the dagger tightly in her palm. She held her head high as she stood before him, ready to exact her revenge.

"You took something from me," she declared, her voice strong and unwavering. "And I'll never get it back. For that, you deserve to be tortured in Tartarus for all eternity." With a swift motion, she ran the dagger across his face, creating a deep slice that poured blood onto the wooden planks below.

Then she turned to the next woman and each one of them cut him somewhere, just deep enough to bleed him.

I turned to look out at the sea, my gaze going to where the bodies were now sinking, the deep red barely visible where the bodies had already begun to be consumed. He wouldn't make it far and that made me feel far more satisfied than it should. The violent nature of this revenge abating the darkness within me as I watch the deaths below. I turned as the last female made her cut and then, with one slice, my men still holding him, I cut his ties.

"Let me go, I have money. I can pay you in riches you'll never imagine," he finally stated as real fear clouded his early vigor. It was an empty offer. I'd already laid claim to everything of his that held any worth.

I laughed. "I have everything I could ever want and more and yet none of it makes me happy. But you know what will give me joy?" My gaze turned dark and my voice deadly. "Watching as these women receive their vengeance."

I let the shadows collect in my eyes as he flinched. He tried to break free in his terror. It only made my grin grow. I slammed my hands into his back, and he went overboard. I waited for him to resurface before I called down to him.

"That island right there." I pointed west. "You might survive this still if you reach it. Though, I'd swim fast if I were you."

The captain began to move his arms and legs as fast as he could as he swam with everything he had. A shadow from below began to move towards him fast before a fin hit the surface, slicing through the waters like a knife going in for the final kill. Seconds later, the captain was gone, only a trail of crimson left behind in his wake.

"My aunts await you, Captain Kipp," the redhead stated as she stood next to me. "I wouldn't keep them waiting." Then she turned and approached the other women as she hugged them, giving them what little comfort she could. Several of them still held weary looks upon their faces, but with her eyes holding their usual hue, they accepted her back into their hold as they shot nervous glances my way.

"What do you plan to do, Captain?" Camilla asked as she sidled close to me. Her chin nodded to the boy.

I studied him. He was pale and fear had his muscles locked. He was thin, as if he'd missed more than his fair share of meals. Some of the captain's blood had splattered onto him. "What is your name, boy?"

"They call me urchin." He shrugged and shrank back.

"What is your real name?" I asked patiently.

"G-G-George N-N-N-Nevins," he stuttered.

I knew what I looked like to him. My eyes showed signs of the darkness as it moved like shadows and smoke across my irises.

"Well, George, it's your lucky day. Even a demon like me can take pity on occasion." I cut the ties binding him and gave him an outstretched hand before tugging him close to me as I whispered, "Will you ever allow something like this to happen again, George?"

He shook his head vigorously as he squeaked out a no.

"Good because, if you do, I'll find you." I let him go, my gaze going to the women and the ship we'd just taken control of. It was still sailable. "You will make sure these ladies make it to the nearest port. Do you think you can sail this ship to the nearest port?"

He stared at me. "I've heard of you, but I never believed them. The deal of the seas himself, Captain Black Eyes. I can sail to port, but I think I'd need some assistance to man the ship."

"I'll sail with him to port," one of my crewmen offered, their pallor pale and their gaze shifting everywhere but to me. I held my smile back, knowing my method for dealing with the slavers had lost me this man's loyalty. I'd lost many men over the years due to this darkness, but every time another disembarked at port to never return, I let them leave. Pirating wasn't for the faint of heart.

My gaze swung across my gathered crew. "If there are any other volunteers who want to give up all future earnings under our plunderings and join George on his quest to port with these women, do so now." Turning toward George, I let my gaze narrow. "If I hear you have not done as we have agreed upon, I will hunt you down and you will suffer a fate far worse than your shipmates experienced this day. And if you truly have heard of me, you know that I claim everything I desire. Understood?"

He swallowed hard. "I promise."

Good. I turned to the women. "The cargo other than food is ours, you may take some gold for yourselves to get you home. Go with Camilla to collect. You'll be taken to the nearest port so you can go home from there. How far you need to travel will determine what we give you."

They all nodded and followed Camilla.

The seer, however, lingered behind. "I will draw you a map and after that, my debt to you is paid. I do not wish to anger the underworld." I stared at her for a long moment wondering if she truly thought I was a demon. Part of me wondered if I was also. I nodded as she placed a delicate pale hand on my forearm. "All will be revealed soon. When you find the siren, it will lead the way."

"What is your name?" I asked as she began to retreat.

She paused, glancing over her shoulder. A look of sadness crossed her features as she turned slightly to address me. "My name is no more. I shall need to choose a new name, but you may call me the Pythia."

My eyes widened as I looked at her again. She wasn't just any seer. The Pythia were oracles that answered only to Apollo himself.

I watched as she turned and walked toward the back of the ship where Camila gave out treasure to those who needed it to get home. The map crinkled in my hold and I glanced down, a strange feeling filling my chest as the first remnants of hope flickered to life after all these years. It was time to seek out my destiny.