By: Bryant R. Haake, Honors College, Presidential Honors Student, English Major
“You idiot!” Crimson yelled as Jacob stood over Georgiana’s convulsing body in shock. “Where did you even get that bloody thing from?”
Jacob watched as the small ball, roughly the size of a large marble, liquidized and flowed into the wound on Georgiana’s hand. As it did so, her convulsing only got worse and worse.
I’ve gotta hand it to Crimson here, Ren spoke up. You are kind of an idiot for that—
“You bilge-sucking, landlubbing, carousing scourge of the seven seas!”
That, on the other hand, is a bit too flowery for my taste.
“Shut up!” Jacob yelled, startling everyone in the room. He knelt down next to Georgiana and frantically looked for something to do.
Hand on the temple.
“I told you-”
HAND ON THE TEMPLE, JACOBSON!
Jacob covered her temple with his hand.
“Fine, now what.”
Now you press in with your forefinger. Use your other hand to pry open her eyes. Also, bring her outside into the sun. A monstrous transformation like this isn’t meant for someone who’s already fully sentient. Most die. She will not.
Jacob did as he said, keeping his hands in position but growing tentacles to bring her out into the morning sunlight. Her skin was unusually pale in the light, the usual dark brown more of a light sepia, and the blood vessels around her wounded finger were turning grey.
As the sunlight hit her eyes, the pupils expanded once more and Georgiana’s skin began to return to its usual color. Her breathing slowed to a regular rate and the convulsions slowed until they stopped entirely. Jacob let out a sigh of relief before noticing that her pupils hadn’t stopped changing. They were narrowing, becoming slits like those of a snake, and the amber color seemed to almost glow in the dim light.
Suddenly, Georgiana gasped and sat up, coughing up a bit of blood and water. The glow in her eyes faded a bit, but Jacob was still drawn to them. She glanced around like an animal searching for prey before her eyes, which still enraptured Jacob, locked on his own.
“What did you do?” she snarled.
“Don’t freak out,” he replied.
“Why not?” Crimson said from behind him, feet stomping on the stone of the cave entrance. “She just absorbed a bit of Krakenstone. You’re a fool to have been carrying something like that, boy.”
“I did what?” Georgiana all but shouted.
“I said, don’t freak out!” Jacob tried to calm her down. “I did, too, remember? I’m not that bad, am I?”
Georgiana, eyes still locked on Jacob’s, nodded slowly and began to stand, legs wobbling beneath her. She nearly fell but steadied herself against Jacob, blushing as she did so.
“I feel… funny,” she said, finally bringing herself to her feet properly.
“Funny how?” Jacob asked carefully.
“Funny like… I can smell better? Or maybe see better… I can’t tell. It’s weird.”
“Well, you’re a Stoneheart now,” Crimson interjected. “You’re gonna have some side effects. If I had to guess, Jakey-boy’s here were those scars from wounds on his tentacles. Yours are those eyes, and if that says anything, you probably got some snake senses.”
Jacob turned to Crimson, confused. “How do you know so much about Stonehearts? You’re a Goldblood.”
“Sharks are older than time itself, squirt,” she said. “I have my side effects. You have yours. Fear immunity is only one of my benefits.”
Jacob, we have a problem.
“Not now, Ren-”
Yes, now, and don’t say my name out loud. I know what monster gave your girlfriend-
“Why does everyone say that?” Jacob muttered, cheeks red.
-her gift, and it is not one I would recommend having a chat with.
“Okay, and who is it?” Jacob said, getting strange glances.
I… can’t say their name, nor can I affirm if you guess correctly, but think about her changes.
Jacob wracked his brain for knowledge of the monsters, knowing he was a terrible study. He sighed.
“Do any of you have any guesses for what monster gave her power? I… need to know.”
Georgiana shook her head, as did Sergi who had snuck up behind Crimson to check on his prized pupil. Crimson face took on an uncharacteristically serious and thoughtful expression.
“Well,” she started, “there’s plenty of snake-like monsters. Scylla, Hydra, Serpent, and Apophis are the ones which come to mind. We can’t really know more than that until she figures out what she can do.”
“Will I be okay?” Georgiana asked.
“Of course you will,” Jacob said, taking her hands in his. “I know these powers can be scary at first, but they aren’t anything to be afraid of. I can help you with whatever your power winds up being… if you want me to, of course.”
Georgiana nodded slowly.
“I do want… Yes, please do that.”
“Okay, this is all very sweet,” Crimson interrupted, “but you and I both know, squirt, that we need to figure out what she can do as soon as possible. So, c’mon.” She pulled back the sleeves of her red coat and grew shark teeth along her forearms. “It’s training time.”
The results of their training were… inconclusive at best. The four snake-like monsters Crimson thought Georgiana might have gotten an ability from were all fairly similar with the exception of Apophis. The first three — Scylla, Hydra, and Serpent — all were born from fears having to do with water, specifically being lost at sea, water spouts, and deep water respectively. Apophis stood out as the fear of death while at sea, which, while still connected to the ocean, typically didn’t show itself as a water-based gift.
In the end, they concluded that Georgiana’s gift had nothing to do with water, and to her own disappointment, they had nothing to do with plants, either. Jacob had thought that, with her knowledge of medicine and alchemy, she might have ended up with a sort of healing gift, but that proved to be not the case either.
“Well,” Georgiana panted, shielding her eyes from the setting sun, “that was… not enjoyable.”
“Aww, c’mon sweet cheeks,” Crimson taunted, her own sweat mixing with the late evening dew and humidity of the bog, warmer during the day. “Surely you’ve got a fowler mouth on you than that! Light up the air! Give your speech some pizzazz! You’re a pirate now, ain’t cha’?”
Georgiana looked shocked.
“What? Me? A pirate? No, I… I’m the daughter of the mayor, and-”
“What?” Crimson interrupted. “You were pampered your whole life, never felt the cold sting of a blade against your throat or the hard snap of the waves against a ship’s bow? That’s some hogwash if I’ve ever heard it. Why, you’re stronger and taller than this pipsqueak right here!”
Jacob batted Crimson’s hand away, but nodded anyway.
“You’d make a great privateer, Georgie,” Jacob said. “You obviously don’t have to, but I can’t deny that it would be nice to have you out there alongside me and the rest of the crew.”
“HA!” Crimson bellowed. “As if she’d wanna join your crew of weaklings. Without that Captain of yours, you’d all be dead in the water by now.”
Jacob’s face went dark, but he didn’t respond.
Oh, come now, Jacobson. You can’t deny that you want to do it. It wouldn’t even be difficult, what with your gift and all.
Jacob watched as Georgiana reluctantly let Crimson lead her over to their section of the clearing, where she was told to take a certain stance and copy what Crimson was doing.
“I don’t want to kill her,” Jacob muttered, not entirely sure if he was lying to himself. “She does good in her own way, and she’s protected by the Company. I don’t need that kind of heat on my back.”
What kind of heat do you want? Ren asked slyly.
Jacob sighed and shook his head, ignoring the question as he walked over to Crimson and Georgiana. Georgiana was leaned over, dripping sweat from her face and arms, dress soaked. Crimson looked more confident in her posture, but was equally drenched, and Jacob could feel he was, too.
“Okay, Crimson,” he said, bending down to help Georgiana up, “I think that’s it for today. We’re obviously not making any headway here, and being exhausted isn’t going to help matters. We’ll try more in the morning.”
Crimson scoffed but, for once, didn’t say anything back. Jacob led Georgiana back to the cave while she caught her breath.
“Half of that -huff- wasn’t even -huff- to find my gift,” Georgiana complained. “It was just -huff- ship chore training.”
Jacob wanted to laugh.
“Actually, that was both,” he said with a chuckle. “Has it ever occurred to you to ask why most Stonehearts and Goldbloods choose to become pirates and privateers?”
Georgiana shook her head, sighing in relief as she leaned back against the cave wall.
Jacob joined her. “It’s because, with many gifts, there are certain muscles that need to be worked and stretched, and all of them are the same as those that are worked by sailing. Hoisting sails, rowing oars, swabbing floors, climbing, and even the simple act of cooking can help you with your gift.”
“Really?” Georgiana asked. “Aren’t there any that aren’t physical though? I think I remember a few that could do other things coming into town a few times.”
“That’s where the mentality of a sailor comes in,” Jacob explained. “Sailing isn’t easy, and it can take a strong will to continue out there. More than a few have jumped ship from the toll it takes on your mind. Plus, it dulls some senses and strengthens others, and that balance is also perfect for those with gifts.”
“That makes sense I guess,” she responded. “What about you, though? Weren’t you born into your crew?”
“Kinda,” Jacob shrugged. “I never really knew my parents. Captain always said-” He stopped himself. “-says that they all found me during a town raid.” He saw the panicked look on her face and hurriedly corrected himself. “They were protecting a town from a raid,” he specified. “My family was killed, and I was too.”
Jacob pulled open the buttons on his polo shirt, pulling it down to reveal the stab wound on his chest.
“However, a wound caused by Krakenstone or Neptune’s Gold heals itself, and the dagger I was stabbed with was made of the prior. That’s why I can do this.”
He summoned a little tentacle and grabbed Georgiana’s plant bowl from over near Sergi. He recalled the tentacle and handed the bowl to Georgiana.
“That’s still really cool to see,” Georgiana said. “I hope I get something as cool as that.”
Jacob laughed. “Well, it’s not always the best. People give me weird looks, and of course I end up with all these scars.” He gestured to his still-pulled back sleeves. “Plus, the tentacles are strong, but kinda squishy defense-wise.”
Georgiana nodded and leaned her head back, resting it on the rough stone. She took a deep breath and released it. Small flecks of blood and dirt still coated the inside of her fingernails, though she had tried using some morning dew to wash off the worst of the stuff from her operations yesterday.
Have you ever tasted blood, Jacobson? Ren asked out of nowhere.
“No, what the heck,” Jacob responded, startled.
Georgiana glanced strangely at him. He gave a meek smile back but turned away in embarrassment. A moment later, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, gently pulling him back. He let it guide him and looked back at Georgiana.
“What’s going on, Jakey?” Her eyes were full of concern. “You keep saying things out of nowhere. I’ve heard them more than I think you realize.”
Jacob cursed himself internally.
“I… don’t know if I can talk about it, Georgie,” he tried. “I don’t want to lie to you, but I think that may be all I can tell you.”
You can tell her what you want, Ren said. I can’t actually stop you. I’d just rather you keep quiet.
Jacob frowned but didn’t respond.
“Okay, Jacob, I trust you,” Georgiana said carefully. “Just… don’t try to hold onto anything dangerous. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jacob said, forcing a comedic smile. “I don’t think it’s dangerous. Just something… strange.”
Oh, I’m dangerous, alright, Ren said matter-of-factly. I’m just not dangerous to you or your allies. Rest easy with that knowledge.
That wasn’t much of a comfort, and he tried not to think about it. Georgiana tilted her head, glancing out the cave entrance. “The stars are beautiful tonight.”
Jacob listened for a moment, glancing out as well. They’d had this talk many times before. “Aye, that they are. What’s your favorite?”
“You already know that.”
“I want to hear you say it.”
Georgiana muffled a laugh. “The brightest one. Did you know people say their wishes to it?” Jacob nodded. “They say you only get one, so if you wish for something it should be the one thing you want more than anything else.”
“They also say it’s how people got the gift of prophecy, right?” Jacob asked.
“That’s right,” Georgiana answered. “Have you ever heard a prophecy?”
“Nah. Honestly, I don’t think that stuff is real. Don’t you think it’s more likely someone just… happened to be right about something once, and called it a prophecy?”
“I don’t know,” Georgiana said. “I mean, my wish hasn’t come true yet, so maybe both stories are lies. But, a girl can dream, right?”
Jacob wanted badly to reaffirm her, that she was definitely right and that the star held some sort of power in itself, but he just couldn’t. Instead he asked, “So Georgie, what are we doing tomorrow?”
“We’re going into town,” she responded instantly, switching topics fluidly. “I know it may be a bad idea, but I need to see what’s left, and… if we can salvage anything.”
She didn’t need to say it, but Jacob could tell she had really meant see who’s left. He nodded.
“Sounds like a plan. Just you and I, or do you think we should bring more people?”
Georgiana shook her head. “While I’d prefer it just be you and I, I do think it would be wise to bring Captain Crimson along.”
Jacob frowned. “Why in the world would that be a good idea? She’s terrible.”
“No she’s not,” Georgiana replied with a light whack at his arm. “You just don’t like her because she had some sort of rivalry with your Captain and crew. Think about it, though; has she really done anything that bad?”
Despite himself, Jacob knew she was right. Crimson had not only been cordial since the town had been destroyed, but after her initial bout of anger at Heilyn, she had actually tried to be helpful, if only in her own strange way. Jacob sighed.
“Yeah, okay, we can bring her. Just, don’t expect me to get along with her well.”
Georgiana laughed. “I don’t expect you to. Just don’t actively antagonize her, and everything will be fine. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jacob said again. Georgiana narrowed her eyes.
“I thought I told you not to say that.”
“Sorry, ma’am, I’m just being respectful.”
Georgiana whacked him on the arm again as he laughed. They talked nonsense until one of them fell asleep on the other’s shoulder, and soon after the other followed, unwilling to stay awake without the other.
Georgiana didn’t have much trouble getting Crimson to join them on their journey back to town, though she was predictably frustrated that Jacob was also coming. They each gave each other dirty looks, but Georgiana separated them and they began their trek through the bog.
It wasn’t exactly a fun process. They moved slower than when they had fled Brokenbeaux, due mostly to the lack of adrenaline and inability to take narrower paths because of Crimson’s large figure. It was almost comical watching the muscular lady try to disentangle herself from the swathes of branches, roots, and vines they came across. There were no more basilisks this time around, thank Neptune, but Crimson had more than a few run-ins with more man eater plants, which she had aptly named snatchers.
It was already nearing late afternoon when they finally emerged from the bog, and the sight before them wasn’t pretty. No building had been spared; some had been smashed entirely, while others only had a few large holes, and others still had only the foundation to relay that there had even been a building there, but they still didn’t hold a candle to the shipyard.
The port had become a veritable graveyard for ships. No ships still sailed the waters, which would have been comforting due to the obvious lack of pirates, except for the amount of normal ships among the wreckage. Some were up on land, hulls smashed into pieces, while some barely stuck out from the water, only a mast or broken bow visible from the beach. Jacob counted how many had the Jolly Roger and decided that most of the invaders had sunk, if not all, and those which hadn’t retreated, though not before they had laid waste to Brokenbeaux.
The trio walked through the ruined town in a daze, unspeaking, the only sound that of the few still-dissipating fires, bugs, and their own footsteps. Jacob counted bodies, some charred beyond recognition, most charred normally. All were dead, no ifs, ands or buts about it.
Their wandering had no aim, and yet, rather predictably, they soon wound up in front of the Buckley’s Manor. Georgiana stood at the door, seemingly waiting for their family butler to open the door and offer to take her coat. Instead, she pushed through the door, which wasn’t necessary due to the door being one of the only standing parts of the building. A few of the inner walls had been spared the worst of it, but the outer walls were all either crumbled to splinters or burnt to a blackened crisp.
Jacob headed in behind her, leaving Crimson to watch the perimeter. He followed behind Georgiana, giving her space but watching from a distance. She moved slowly, arms curled in front of her. A few times a hand would slip out from its fetal position, reach for something, and quickly retreat without making contact.
They passed through the kitchen, dining room, guest bedrooms, and her garden before coming to a stop in front of two doors, both of which had been far enough behind and to the side of the building to be heavily damaged. Both of her hands hovered over either of the doors’ knobs, staying themselves for a second before one settled and pushed through.
The room inside was mostly untouched, aside from the few things that scattered the floor, knocked from their perches after the shockwaves of the cannons. The room itself was painted in a salmon pink, as if a little girl had never grown up. The things scattered on the floor were mostly photographs and diagrams of plants, but one thing stood out: a shell, green, brown and black, which shimmered in the light which streamed in from the open door.
Georgiana bent down and picked it up, holding it gingerly, and tucked it into her dress pocket, then turned and pushed past Jacob, not bothering with the other door. Jacob’s heart did a little somersault at seeing the shell, but he remained somber for her benefit, not wanting to show how much it had meant to him. Instead, he began to follow her out of the manor, nearly running into her as she stopped suddenly.
“Hey, what are you-”
Georgiana clamped a hand over his mouth and pushed him and herself into a crouch.
“I saw people,” she whispered worriedly. “A lot of them, roaming the streets. They must have been hiding or something.”
“Are you sure?” Jacob whispered back, scanning the streets through a crack in the side of the building. “I don’t see anyone.”
“I’m sure,” Georgiana nodded. “There’s people out there, I’m sure of it.”
Jacob continued to scan the area, waiting for any sign of movement, but relented as Crimson walked up behind them, apparently tired of being a guard dog.
“Hey pipsqueaks, what’re you-”
“Shh,” Georgiana said.
“Did… did you just shush me?” Crimson all but yelled. “I am a captain, landlubber, and what are you even hiding from, anyways? There’s nothing out there!”
Jacob glared at her, but had to reluctantly agree.
“Georgie, I don’t see anything, either. Do you still see them?”
“See who?” Crimson snarled as Georgiana nodded.
“Yes, I can still see them. They’re pretty well hidden. They all look like shadows or something, but I am certain I can see them.”
Jacob looked again, but all he saw were empty streets.
“I don’t know, Georgie. I hate to disagree with you, but I definitely don’t see anyone. Crimson?”
“Captain Crimson,” she huffed, “and no, I don’t see anyone. Let’s go.”
She grabbed both of them by their collars and began dragging them out of the manor, much to their chagrin. They both pried themselves from her grasp and stood up, carefully walking behind her. Georgiana took up the rear, eyes shifting from shadow to shadow, carefully watching for more movement. Jacob wished he could take her side, but his own logic told him there was no way the pirates could still be here; at least, they couldn’t if they wanted to still leave.
They began walking back through the streets of town, but got barely a few yards before Georgiana yelped and hid behind a corner. Jacob looked around, panicked, but didn’t see anything. He turned back to Georgiana, brow furrowed.
“You’re not playing a joke on us, are you,” he asked warily, “because this would be a really sick time for a joke.”
Jacobson… no, Ren piped up. That was not the right thing to say.
Georgiana confirmed his theory by whirling around to him and waving a finger in his face. “How dare you, Jacob! I know what I saw! I’m not crazy, and I’m not grief-stricken enough to be seeing things like this. If anything, you two are crazy for not listening to me!”
Jacob backed up, hands up in an apologetic stance.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”
“Nah, she’s right,” Crimson said suddenly, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Actually, we all are. ‘Ere’s people here; you and I just ain’t able t’ see ‘em, squidy.”
Both teens stared at her in disbelief.
“So… you’re saying there’s invisible people around here?” Jacob asked.
“Aye, but not how yer thinkin’, bucko.” She tapped the side of her head. “Think ‘bout what I told you of those snake monsters. One of ‘em wasn’t like the others, was it?”
Jacob wracked his brain, but before he could come to a conclusion, Georgiana piped up.
“You mean Apophis? She’s the one who wasn’t a water monster, right?”
“Aye, little honeypot,” Crimson confirmed. “Instead, she commands the disgraced dead, and watches over the Duat, the river of fire where those vile shades burn.”
Georgiana and Jacob took a moment to let that settle in.
Oh, come on, Jacob, hurry with your conclusion! Why are you so slow up here?
“You’re saying I’m seeing dead people?” Georgiana asked, voice nearly cracking.
Crimson nodded. Georgiana stood still for a moment. Jacob tried to reach out and comfort her, but as he did so, she took off. Crimson and Jacob glanced at each other, for once both on the same page, and sprinted after her.
Georgiana weaved through the ruined streets, seemingly dodging nothing at times, winding down alleys and barging through toppled houses before coming to a stop around a corner. Jacob rounded the corner and instantly recognized where they were: the splintered timber of a house, impaled in the stomach of a portly corpse, nice clothes ruined with burn marks, blood stains, and goop from the rotting body. He stayed behind Georgiana, motioning for Crimson to stay back. Georgiana just looked at the scene, face pale and green at the gills, before she uttered a single, hopeful yet somber word, eyes piercing into something not there directly in front of Mayor Buckley’s dead body.
“Dad?”