Captain Black Shadow Read online

  A soft knock on the door disturbed the boy’s thoughts.

  “Griffin?” Marielle’s concerned voice drifted in.

  With a sigh, Griffin shuffled to the door to let his mother in. First, she took him in her arms. Her warmth and sweet scent were as comforting as ever.

  “You have to understand,” she said quietly after a moment, still not releasing him from the embrace. “Your father only wants to you to be safe. He only wants the best for you.”

  “I know,” Griffin replied after a moment.

  The boy wriggled out of his mother’s hug to look her in the eyes. She looked sad. But he knew she understood what he was saying. He wanted to ask her to leave him alone with his thoughts, but he didn’t have the heart. Instead he asked, “Could you tell me the tale of the cloudships again?”

  His mother smiled underneath her teary eyes and they sat together in the reading corner, where she told him one of his favorite childhood stories once again.

  “The reason why ships are named after creatures of the air is that once upon a time, they shared the sky with them…”

  The decision was made. This was the only option. He had to go. He had to depart with the Crow today. His father would never change his mind; Griffin knew that now. His mother would also never fully understand how much he needed to go. He could not let his life be decided by other people. If he messed this up, he would likely never get another shot. He had to go now.

  Captain Morris had dined with them the night before. Griffin didn’t like him at all. He had an air of superiority, especially toward Marielle, whom he treated like a barmaid. Griffin was spoken to like an ignorant child and suddenly, Griffin was glad that his father hadn’t suggested learning under Captain Morris’s guidance. Luckily, the captain had returned to his ship after dinner to get ready for departure. He hadn’t even stayed for the desert Griffin had made.

  Now in the small hours of the morning, Griffin looked around his room one last time. This was it. He would not be back here for a while. His gaze was caught by the quill and ink on the table. Should he write his parents a goodbye note? Perhaps it’d help them with the shock of him leaving. They’d know he had left of his own free will and that no one had forced or kidnapped him. But then… wouldn’t they be incredibly angry? His father could make rash decisions… Would he send a search party after the Crow to have his son returned to him? Griffin bit his lip. It was too unsafe. He couldn’t risk his parents stopping him.

  He moved to open the door, but he changed his mind. At his desk, he wrote a single sentence to his parents on a piece of paper: I love you. At least they’d know that they weren’t the reason for his escape.

  The boy had to pass his parents’ room to get to the front door, but as he tried to steal past, the door opened and a ray of light lit up the hall. Quickly, Griffin pressed himself into a niche behind a plant. He barely dared to breathe. His father stepped out. Griffin squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for his heart to beat more quietly. He feared his father would hear the loud, heavy pounding in his chest.

  Please, please, don’t see me. Go back to sleep! the boy thought desperately. He mustn’t fail! He couldn’t risk his father catching him and ruining his plan. There was too much to lose. This was about the path the rest of his life would take. But what other way could he leave the house?

  Joshua stood still in the doorway. Marielle said something, and he turned back into the room. The door stayed open and Griffin used the opportunity to rush back into his own room. There he let out his breath. That had been too close. It mustn’t happen again. But he had to get out before the workers started their day. The ship was due to sail at dawn. He buried his face in his hands for a moment. Of course he could wait for the next ship. But that would simply be an excuse. An excuse he would end up using over and over again for convenience’s sake and he’d end up never leaving. He had to make it tonight. A different way… He needed fresh air; he couldn’t think like this!

  He opened the window and sucked in the fresh night air. The wind made the leaves of the pear tree next to his window rustle. In his childhood he’d often climbed onto the high, thick branches next to his window to watch the sunrise while eating some pears.

  Hold on a second.

  What a fantastic idea!

  He could climb to the ground from the tree and then use the cloak of darkness to sneak onto the ship.

  Moments later, the boy was hanging from a branch of the tree trying desperately to find a way down.

  He found it. It was a lot faster and harder than he had planned. Griffin rubbed his aching limbs while standing up after his drop and hissed some insults under his breath that would have caused the most callous sailor to blush.

  To avoid running into his father in front of the house, Griffin took a little detour, approaching the docks from a different direction. Even though he had run as fast as he could, Joshua was already there giving directions and orders to some deckhands loading boxes on board.

  Griffin thought frantically about how he could make it on board. An idea struck him when some of the men let a barrel fall and the top loosened. It was hollow. But not all of the barrels were empty, so maybe they wouldn’t notice if… It was worth a try.

  There weren’t many left. Griffin had to hurry if he wanted to hide inside one of them. In one of the few moments when most of the men were on board, Griffin hurried to the remaining goods and checked their contents. It wasn’t long before he located a hollow barrel.

  A few seamen returned to collect the remaining goods. As quickly as possible, Griffin forced himself into the wooden container and closed the top over himself. After a few seemingly endless moments, he felt himself being picked up. He barely dared to breathe.

  “Oi, Skip, help me with this one! It’s one of the heavy ones,” a low voice shouted. Griffin hugged himself tightly. Hopefully, the men wouldn’t lift the lid to see the contents… hopefully… His prayers were heard.

  Skip and the other man complained about the heavy load but apparently weren’t curious enough to find out what it was. After a few minutes, Griffin was put down and all voices disappeared. A door closed. Still breathless, Griffin remained and listened for a few hours. Only when he felt the ship move did he dare to take a glance out of his hiding spot.

  It was rather dark, but the planks let in a little light. The air was so dusty that Griffin had to suppress a cough. As expected, he was in a storage room.

  For a moment, Griffin considered revealing himself to the crew at the end of the day, but fear of their reaction, in particular that of Captain Morris, was mightier.

  Maybe I ought to wait around for a while and keep hiding…

  They had been at sea for a few days. So far, Griffin had managed to stay hidden and steal food from the other barrels. He just hoped they landed somewhere soon so he could sneak off. The longer he hung around, the more his fear of being found grew. He knew the stories about what happened to the poor wretches who were found as stowaways on ships. He didn’t dare think too much about it. It definitely wasn’t on the list of things he wanted to experience.

  Unfortunately, the inevitable happened: Griffin was rummaging in one of the boxes to find some dried meat when a hand touched him on the shoulder.

  He whirled around in shock, coming face to face with a boy just a bit older than himself – and a troll. His eyes went as big as watermelons. One side of the boy’s face was almost completely covered by bangs, the only part of his long, black hair that wasn’t tied back. His dark skin bore the pale marks of many fights. His brown eyes glittered, amused. As he cocked his head to one side, his bangs revealed a scar that stretched from his chin to his forehead across his left cheek and eye.

  The troll, on the other hand, was as ugly as could be. Trolls normally weren’t nice to look at, but this one was worse than anything Griffin had ever seen. Greasy, streaky grey hair fell over the green, warty, leathery skin. The giant tusks protruding up from his lower jaw did the rest.

  The boy smiled. “Well, well
, Maco. You were right after all. It seems your nose really is quite good, isn’t it? A freeloader.”

  The troll grunted and didn’t let Griffin out of his sight. Griffin did his best to not appear too intimidated.

  “No, no, no, you don’t quite understand. It’s not like it seems…” He stammered nonetheless.

  The other boy’s eyebrows rose.

  “Is that so?” he asked. “So the captain knows about you then, does he?”

  He seemed to lie in wait, like a dragonfish just before it lunged at its victim, a foolish sea creature that had been attracted by the light.

  “We… We’ve met…” Griffin mumbled.

  “Not the first time you stowed away on one of his ships?” The other boy chuckled. “My, that’s brave.”

  Griffin looked to the ground.

  “Well, not quite like that…” he mumbled. He knew he had lost. He couldn’t do anything about it.

  The troll, Maco, circled Griffin, sniffing. Then he rushed back to the boy to whisper something in his ear. He listened intently and then nodded. At once he gave Griffin the shining smile of a friend and tapped his shoulder.

  “Tell me, you don’t perchance want to live a free life on the ocean, do you?” The boy asked.

  Griffin nodded, confused.

  “That’s exactly why I sneaked onto the ship,” he explained. Who was this guy and what was he planning? It was impossible for Griffin to tell what he was thinking.

  The boy’s grin expanded. “You’ll get your chance if you stick by me. The name’s Skip.”

  As he noticed Griffin’s doubting gaze, he added, “Just trust me, alright? There’s no need to be afraid. Just lie low a while, and then I’ll come get you.”

  Griffin nodded slowly. “I’m Griffin,” he mumbled, shaking Skip’s outstretched hand. So now he had a… friend? Accomplice? Confidant? Whatever he was, Griffin was thankful for his discretion.

  Maco grunted again and nudged Skip, who nodded. To Griffin, he said, “We have to go or someone will get suspicious. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

  Before Griffin could reply, the troll and the boy were already gone. A little lost and confused, Griffin stood there a while and looked in the direction they had disappeared in. He never would have thought he might find someone on this ship willing to help him accomplish his dream. Eventually, he straightened himself and returned to his hiding place.

  By now he had covered a little niche between the barrels and boxes with a couple of blankets. He lay down there now. He just hoped Skip wouldn’t tell on him. If the other boy decided to snitch, Griffin’s adventure was over before it had really begun. He would have looked for a new hiding place if it hadn’t been for the futility of it. Once someone had discovered his presence on the ship, there was no way he could continue to conceal himself.

  That night, Griffin didn’t sleep. His hands fidgeting without pause, he was painfully aware of every movement and every sound. Occasionally, he started nodding off, but then the wood’s creaking brought him right back to the height of his senses, and he started expecting a bunch of armed sailors to march in and bring him before their captain. Yet no one came until the door slid open again just before dawn. His heart almost skipped a beat. Griffin stared at the entrance from his hiding place, barely able to breathe. Skip had ratted him out. He must have. And why wouldn’t he? Griffin was nobody. A stranger had no reason to help him.

  Yet the person stepping into the darkness carrying a small lamp wasn’t the huge burly man Griffin had expected. Just Skip.

  Skip’s wide grin was illuminated by the flickering flame in his hand, giving him a grotesque element. He closed the door behind him and sauntered toward Griffin.

  “You should see your face!” he laughed. “I bet you didn’t sleep last night, did you?”

  Griffin didn’t reply.

  “Oh, come on, what could I possibly gain from sending you off the ship? You don’t have to look like that!”

  “Why are you helping me?” Griffin asked quietly, looking away.

  Skip shrugged, placing the lamp on one of the barrels.

  “You seem like someone who needs it. And I admire bravery.”

  Griffin laughed dryly. “I think you mean recklessness. This was a stupid idea.”

  Skip joined in the quiet laughter.

  “Yes. Yes, it was. Sneaking onto a ship as a stowaway? Not the best of ideas in these waters. But you know, I’ve got a thing for the underdog!”

  For a moment, the two boys grinned at one another, and for the first time in a long time, Griffin felt a connection with a person other than his parents. Skip fumbled with a barrel and produced a bottle of beer as well as two shot glasses, which he promptly filled.

  “To a life of freedom,” he announced, raising one of them. Griffin took the other and repeated the phrase.

  “To a life of freedom.”

  Griffin was woken by loud noises. He rubbed his head. What was going on up there? People were running around the ship shouting and screaming over one another. Griffin was still too tired to comprehend anything. The dust trickling from the ceiling made him sneeze, which cleared up his thoughts.

  Suddenly, the ship listed to one side and Griffin fell over a few boxes, hitting his head as he tried to get up.

  The screams on deck became louder and more desperate. Gunshots and the ringing of swords were added to the racket. What was happening? Were they being attacked? Or was it a mutiny against the captain?

  Griffin preferred not to find out, but he feared that he didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t a hero. He wasn’t even courageous. What devil had ridden him to leave his safe home to go on a reckless adventure? If he was captured or even killed by pirates, it was nobody’s fault but his own. What an idiot he had been! But that was what he got. He wasn’t even armed! As far as he was aware, there were no weapons in any of the barrels or boxes. He’d had time enough to search them all.

  Through the cracks in the deck, blood began to drip down. Red, the way the Jolly Roger used to be. Jolie Rouge. Now the she was black, like death. He didn’t know what language her name had come from. But it was certainly just as dead as those who saw her, the black flag.

  Griffin cowered, shivering in a corner, and covered his ears. He couldn’t bear hearing the screams of scared and dying sailors anymore. He shut his eyes tightly and rocked back and forth. If he couldn’t hear or see anything, maybe it would turn out not to be real… Maybe he’d wake up and be back at home in bed knowing he could never have the courage to sneak onto a ship that would be attacked by pirates.

  Everyone on this ship was marked for death, including him if he was found. He only needed to conceal his presence for a little while and then he could flee somehow… Everyone else was as good as dead anyway…

  He sobered up in an instant.

  Skip.

  Griffin wasn’t sure if he could really call him a friend, but he was the closest to one he’d ever had. Over the last few days, the other boy had come down several times to keep him company and talk. He had kept Griffin’s secret and had promised to help him start his new life. He couldn’t just leave him to his fate, could he? Right? His head told him he ought to go outside and fight for his ally but his body had different ideas. He was paralyzed, not able to move, never mind get up to fight. His limbs weren’t answering his commands and instead shook uncontrollably. He felt imprisoned in his own body. Griffin had to use every ounce of his willpower to eventually draw his hands from his ears and open his eyes.

  Silence.

  After a moment, there were footfalls, but no more screams or fighting sounds. It was over.

  At least, it was too late for Griffin to join in. He was almost relieved. Only his guilty conscience and the fear of what was to come kept his head on the ground.

  The door to the storage room flung open.

  “Griffin?”

  Skip. He had no visible injuries. Griffin slowly left his hiding place.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Skip l
aughed.

  “My crew attacked the ship. We still had an old bill standing with the old sailor. He and his crew weren’t exactly the nicest people. Now come on, I want to introduce you to someone,” he added light-heartedly.

  Griffin gulped. Pirates. And Skip was one of them. Maco probably as well. Bad, very bad. Especially if he was supposed to meet the captain of the crew now.

  Carefully, he followed Skip up on deck. There were corpses everywhere. Cruel. That was what pirates were. Nothing but cruel. Griffin felt sick. Blood raced through his body, making him feel hot and cold at the same time. His head went dizzy. The smell was awful. Griffin closed his eyes, trying to escape from reality, but the image was burnt onto his retinas. The boy tripped over a corpse, landing face-first in the blood, his hand brushing an open wound of one of the fallen. That was too much. Griffin gagged and emptied out his stomach in violent convulsions until he thought he was going to throw up his organs. Skip waited patiently, watching him. Griffin stared at him. How could he just stand there so undisturbed in the midst of all these dead people? As if it were no big deal at all? Was he that indifferent to murdering a bunch of people for no discernible reason?

  As if Skip had heard his thoughts, he gazed over the corpses and said, “Have you ever wondered how Captain Morris became wealthy enough to command a whole fleet?”

  He paused, giving Griffin the chance to shake his head.

  “He made his money through the slave trade. Last month, they went to a small island in the East, kidnapped an entire village and sold them to the Marine. They said they were criminals. An entire village, Griffin. Children, wives, workers. Attacked and sold into the worst fate possible.”