Chapter Two: The Battle of Foarth

Elden Hazzard took a deep breath, needing a break from the hopeless negotiations he’d been thrown into. The salty ocean breeze filled his nostrils and expanded his chest. He glanced left and saw two ships in parallel with his own, each flying the flag of Revus, which was a red field with a golden phoenix in flight stitched in. He glanced right and saw two more ships with the same red flag flying high at the main mast. The sight of it made him swell with pride. That was all he felt when he looked on his adopted nation’s flag. Elden worked for Revus, but he was born in Ringland, however he had never felt an affinity for that Kingdom. He had grown up in the slums of Ringland, in a city called Wainscot. No one who lived there felt an affinity for the crown. When he came to Revus that was the first time he truly felt a part of something good.

Not wanting to return to the negotiation, Elden turned to his navigator, Roger Apptitude. “I don’t understand this.” He said under his breath. “Why would these people come here? They know they can’t keep control of it.” He spoke of the men who had invaded the island called Foarth and taken it from Revus control. They had arrived only a few days ago, and when news of the invasion had come to the King of Revus, he ordered his top privateer, Elden, to take back the island.

“I’m not sure.” Roger said in his wise voice. Roger was the oldest of all Elden’s crew, and also his oldest friend. They had met when Elden was still working in Ringland and had stayed friends ever sense. Roger was his ship’s navigator. He knew more about the seas than any other sailor in both the East and the West. “And we don’t even know who they represent. A band of bandits. Another kingdom? We don’t know.” Roger was so smart, so logical. Elden envied his intelligence, but what could he expect. Roger was a man from Amplet, and they were known for their intelligence.

“But why this island?” Elden pushed, “All the kingdoms know the island Foarth was colonized by Revus during the War of the Waters.” The War of the Waters was a world war between the all the kingdoms of the East and the West. There were no sides, only violence.

Roger merely shook his head, “I do not know. There is no doubt that we will take back the island, it is only a matter of how many lives will be lost.” 

Elden nodded. He would do his best so that blood would not be spilt, but he had a suspicion that he knew who was behind this, and if he was right there blood was sure to fall.

“Whoever you are,” Elden called out to the group of men standing atop a stone walls, “or whoever you represent, you have broken the Treaty of Water Control by invading the island Foarth. You are here by ordered by the King of Revus to vacate the island and his waters, or be charged with acts against the crown and sentenced to death by way of the rope.”

“I think you know who we represent, Elden.” At that Elden panicked. How do you know my name? He had not recognized the voice before, but there was something in its condescending tone that struck a familiar feeling of hatred deep inside Elden. It resurrected feelings of hate and hurt from Elden’s past that he never wanted to remember.

 Elden ignored the thought and tried to remain professional. That was his life now. When you worked for the crown, you had to maintain composure at all times. It was still a task he was getting used to. In his past line of work, Elden could act out as much as he wanted and there were no repercussions.  “You have taken an island that is part of the Kingdom of Revus, and as decreed by the Treaty of Water Control, the Revian Navy can use whatever force necessary to take it back.”

“This was our island before the war. I have simply taken back what rightfully belongs to us.” The man shouted back, the familiar condescending tone still prevalent.

Elden’s anger flared. “There is no reasoning with them.”

“You’re not here to reason with them, sir.” Roger said calmly.

Elden took a breath and nodded. He had to maintain composure for the sake of professionalism. “If you do not comply, we will take the island using every power of the Revian Navy.”

The man who Elden ordered to stand down was standing on the wall that surrounded the island of Foarth. He had taken the island with very few casualties when they had arrived one week ago. Foarth was a peaceful island, and with the violent nature of his men, it was all too easy to take them. He was thankful he’d decided not to kill the natives of Foarth the moment he arrived, for he wouldn’t have the number of hostages in his possession now if he had. Those hostages provided him the sliver of sanity he needed to not lose his mind, because he knew that he was on the wrong end of a losing battle. He took Foarth with a crew of one hundred sailors, and he was against the Revian Navy, not to mention Elden Hazzard, the most legendary sailor of all time.

The man glanced down at his hostages, hidden behind the castle walls. There were around eighty, each with a blade at their throat, ready to be slaughtered when Elden advanced. He hoped they could hold him off for a few minutes at least, but he doubted it. He looked back at Elden, and then at fleet of ships that were docked beside him. We are all going to die, he thought solemnly.  He wiped the sweat from his eyes and took a breath, trying to force out the fear inside him. But the fear he felt when he looked at Elden was nothing compared to the wrath he would face if he disobeyed the man he worked for. He would rather die than face him.

He wanted to fight back, he wanted to take down Elden and the Revian Navy, but he did not have the man power. He came here with a hundred men to his name. Three died during the capture of the island, and a few had died of illnesses. It was decent amount, but when compared to the Revian Navy, it was nothing. They outnumbered him and his men five to one. But he could not surrender, his king would put him through unthinkable pain if he did. The thought sent shivers down his spine.

Elden eyed the man, wondering what his response would be. Surrender, Elden thought, Just surrender, don’t be a fool. We will take this island back either way.

But the man did not surrender, instead he shouted, “Try and take this island if you must, Elden,” and then disappeared beyond the wall.

What does that mean? Elden wanted to ask Roger, but the thought was cut short by the sound of cannon fire. Elden’s instincts kicked in and he tackled Roger to the deck of his ship just as a cannon ball flew over their heads. Roger let out a soft sound of shock as he fell to the ground. Elden tried to position himself so that he cushioned Roger’s fall with his own body, but it did not matter. The fall hurt either way. Elden always tried to protect Roger. He was getting old, and although Roger would never admit it, he needed protection sometimes.

Elden stood up with his ears ringing, helped Roger to his feet, and then examined any damage that came on his ship. It was fine. The cannon ball had soared over them and landed in the ocean waters behind them.

“Come on men, let’s take back this island.” Elden shouted, and his crew cheered. A majority of them were citizens of Revus and were willing to do anything for their kingdom, including work for someone with a past like Elden.

Elden ran down the stairs from the quarterdeck, where the steering wheel was located, and onto the main deck, where his crew was ready to attack. His crew rushed down the gangplank to begin the battle with their unknown opposition. Elden watched his men, eager for battle, but he had to wait for one, his apprentice.

“Samuel!” Elden called. He waited for a response, but when none came he called again, “Samuel! Where are you?” And from amongst the rowdy crowed fueled by anger that was his crew, he heard a voice call out.

“I’m here. What is it, Captain?” Samuel, a sandy-blond headed boy of sixteen years, came up to Elden holding a sword and wearing a mail of armor much too large for his lanky body. Samuel was Elden’s apprentice, he was smart and very capable, which wasn’t a surprise, as he, like Roger, was from Amplet. Elden could easily see him taking over his ship one day, but today was not that day.

“What are you doing?” Elden didn’t wait for a response. “Give me that sword. And stay on the ship.”

“Sir, I can help.” Samuel tried to argue.

“No. That’s an order. Stay on the ship.” Elden almost changed his mind when he saw the disappointment of Samuel’s face, but he couldn’t. Elden made a promise not to expose Samuel to the trials of war. Samuel was to be a captain of the high seas, not a warrior of the battle fields.

“Stay on the ship.” Elden turned away from Samuel to join his crew, storming down the gangplank, rushing toward the shore of Foarth. There he could see blood was already being spilt, and not all of it was the enemies. This sent anger shooting into his stomach. Those were innocent lives being lost. Innocent blood being spilt. He gripped his sword and charged forward.

“C’mon Elden, we don’t have time to wait.” Gryson called. He was a member of Elden’s primary crew, as was Roger and Samuel. He was the ship’s gunman, and a proud citizen of Revus. He wanted to save those of Foarth more than anyone.

Gryson ran past Elden, down the gangplank, and into battle with two pistols in his hands, aiming and squeezing the trigger at anyone who threatened his life or the life of his shipmates. Elden chased after him, ready to do his duty to the King and to the people of Foarth. On the shore, the battle had turned sour and bloody. The life of Elden’s companions stained the sands, turning the gentle lapping of the ocean tides into a deep red pulse of the tides. He ran across the beach, trying to reach the gates of the castle, there he’d be able to find the leader of this group of bandits, get some answers, and stop the fighting.

Elden was almost at his destination, but a man holding a long sword stood in his way. He was shirtless and ugly. His teeth were all rotting out and his belly hung over his waist.

“Fight me, Elden.” The fat man said.

Elden didn’t recognize the man, but obviously the man knew who he was. It was less than a challenge to take him out. Elden did a hop and a skip to get around the man and knocked him into the sand, using the man’s low mobility and weight against him. Before the man could stand again, Elden knocked him over the head with the butt of his sword, leaving him unconscious.

He continued to run across the beach, taking out any enemy who crossed his path, but there were only a few. With the five other ships that joined Elden’s, they were able to apprehend them fast. There were already thirty of them bound and on their knees, and another twenty dying in the sand. It might be easy now, but the real struggle would come when they breached the castle walls.

Elden looked on the castle of Foarth. Smoke was rising from the towers, and he could hear screams between cannon fire coming from inside the walls. He needed to get through them. There were innocent lives at risk. Elden tried to think of a plan. He looked left and saw men fighting, he looked right and saw men fighting, he glanced behind and saw men flowing from the ships on to the doc and into battle, but when he looked forward, he only saw the castle walls, so strong and tall. He did not know how he would breech through. He stood still for so long thinking that he had forgotten about the battle raging on around him.

The shout from across the shore brought him back to the presence, “Elden!” He turned to see Captain Luis, one of his fellow captains of the Revian Navy, sprinting toward him. “Look out!”

He was tackled to the ground just before a cannon ball came zooming past his head. He and Captain Luis landed in the sand behind a rock with a hard crunch. He blinked the grains of sand from his eyes and tried to catch his breath. He and Captain Luis were out of sight from bullet or cannon, and could take the time to gather their thoughts.

“Captain Luis.” Elden said to the man helping him up. He was an older gentleman whose sword was as big as his ego, Elden had discovered. He was a captain of one of the five ships who accompanied Elden’s.

“What’s your plan?” Captain Luis said.

Elden thought for a second and said, “We need to get inside the walls. There are bound to be captives in there. We need to make sure there are as few casualties as possible.”

“Alright. I’ll take the lead. You follow. Let’s go.”

Elden didn’t have time to consent or object with this half-thought-out plan before Captain Luis started charging across the sand toward the gates of the castle walls. Any man that stood in his path was on the ground a moment later. He was an unstoppable giant squashing peasant beneath his feet. He hovered over them for half a second, making sure they never stood back up. Cannon fire raged on around them. Shouts of pain and shouts of victory echoed across the battlefield.

They reached the gate and, to Elden’s surprise, there was only a single guard protecting it. Luis charged at him, growling a fierce sound of intimidation before he disarmed the man and stabbed him in the belly.

“This is hardly a fight!” Luis laughed, ready for more. Yes, but why fight? And why leave one man to guard what they want to protect? Elden thought as they burst through the gates and breached the walls. Elden took two steps inside, and was struck still. The bandits had only taken Foarth a few days ago, but it was already a massacre. Men and women and children, all Revian citizens, lay slaughtered on the ground. The corpses were covered in mud, mud formed from their own blood and the dirt they died on. Elden knew what had happened, the man on the wall had ordered for their execution the moment he disappeared behind the wall. Elden wanted to be sad, but he was angry. He wanted to capture the man who was responsible, and bring him justice.

As Elden was standing, thrown by the carnage, his crew and the crew of the other ships flooded in and started fighting off the enemies who still stood. Elden heard a scream of pain, and thought he recognized the voice. He spun in a circle, frantically looking for the source, fearing one of his own had suffered the same as the people of Foarth.

After several panicked moments of searching, Elden saw Gryson on his knees holding the body of a young child in his arms. Elden could see he was not hurt, and a slight feeling of relief came over him, but he could not show it. Gryson was a massive man, taller than Elden by a head with a barrel chest and thighs the size of tree trunks. It shook Elden to see a man like that in tears.

“Gryson, I’m so sorry.” Elden walked and placed a hand on his gunman’s shoulder.

He looked up at Elden, tears streaming down his cheek. “This is my niece, Maria.” Elden saw the pale body with its throat stained a sticky red cradled in his arms. “These men, killed her for no reason. She came here with her parents to colonize Foarth. She was a good girl.”

Elden clenched his jaw tight. “I’ll find who did this.” Elden said through his locked jaw, and then he charged forward, pushing past the fighting and the blood, searching for the man on the wall. He came to the castle doors and entered without hesitation. Even more massacre followed. Servants and butlers lay pale and cooling on the stone ground. He ran up the stairs, sword in hand fighting off any and all who tried to stand against him. He made his way to the main hall, there hopefully the man would be waiting for him. But to his disappointment, it was empty and silent.

“Where is he?” Elden shouted in frustration, kicking a wooden chair, sending it across the hall in a loud clatter.

“Who?” Captain Luis and several other men came into the main hall behind him. They were just a surprised as Elden to see the room empty of more men.

Elden did not get a chance to answer Captain Luis’s question. He was walking around in a blind rage, too preoccupied with where the man on the wall could be, that he did not see the carnage before him.

“My gods.” Luis said. Elden looked up and saw Luis and his men walking to the throne at the head of the room. Elden followed suit, but did not know what they were looking at. He came closer and closer, still thinking of what disturbing piece of work the criminals had left for them. He nearly lost his stomach when he saw it: the head of the governor of Foarth on a spike just before the throne. And on the throne was the body, laying spread eagle and lifeless. Blood stained the front of the corpse’s clothes.

“Where is he?” Elden demanded. His rage was fuming. He always tried to keep himself in check, but in times like this he could not keep himself calm.

“Who?” Captain Luis said as he took off his cloak and draped it over the body.   

“The man on the wall.” Elden said too shortly. “He’s their leader. I am sure of it.”

“He probably jumped ship.” Luis scowled, picking the spike with the severed head up and covering it with his shirt, sparing them from the grotesque sight. “Or he’d better before I find him. I’ll make that bastard suffer ten times what Marcus Franklin faced.” Luis spat on the floor and started to pace, only stopping when he found an open bottle. He picked it up and began to drink. After several gulps, he wiped his mouth and said, “We’ve taken back the island. There is no way he’s getting out of here alive.”

“Yes, but why would they come here?” Elden thought aloud. “Why take Foarth when its parent Kingdom is less than a five days sail away in even the slowest vessels.”

“It doesn’t matter now. If that man hasn’t killed himself already we’ll find him. He won’t even be able to get a bird out in time.”

“A bird?” Realization swept over Elden, and he was off. He sprinted through the hall to the tallest tower. More men kept popping up the higher he climbed, and he knew he was right. The man on the wall was sending a letter to his leader.

Elden came to the Bird Keep, and guarding its door were two men, both well over six feet tall with arms the size of Elden’s head.

“Out of my way.”

“I don’t think so, Elden.” One of the men said as they both drew their swords.

“Who do you work for?” Elden said, drawing his sword in return. He was out of breath and his muscles ached, but he had to get in that room. He had to stop him, whoever he was. He swayed on the stairway, letting himself take a step back and regain his balance. He knew what the men before him saw: a weak, exhausted, man who had lost his game, but it was a deception. As soon as the men charged at him, Elden came alive. He deflected the swing of their swords into each other. The strength behind each was enough to take off a head, but when deflected at just the right angle, Elden knew it would send both men to the ground tumbling down the stairs.

The doorway was clear. Elden broke through and there he was, the man on the wall. Elden had recognized his voice before, but now he could see his face, and he knew why he thought it so familiar. The man on the wall was his former colleague.

“Cornelius.” Elden had not seen Cornelius in over five years. Not since he left Ringland. Not since he left the Pirate Order.

“What, Elden?” Cornelius spun around wildly, flailing his arms about. Elden could see he was not in the right mind, his eyes blood shot and his skin deathly pale. “You’re too late. I’ve already sent the birds. Two of ‘em.” Cornelius moved closer to the open window. Black and white bird droppings covered the ground, and their stench tainted the air. The birds squawked and called and sang their unpleasant songs.

“What’s going on, Cornelius? Why are you doing this? It was a hopeless battle from the beginning.”

“Shut up!” Cornelius shouted at both Elden and the birds above them. All was silent. This was the first time Elden had noticed that the cannon fire, as well as the screams, had stopped. The battle was over, but the reason behind it was still unknown. “I knew it was hopeless from the beginning.” Elden eyed Cornelius suspiciously. “I ordered my men to stay fighting while I ran up here to send word of my failure.”

“To who. Who are you working for?” Elden pressed.

“The Order, of course.” Cornelius snapped. “That’s why I’m here,” he said, suddenly calm, “the new king.”

A new king? “Of the Order?” Elden said, “The Order is back?” Before Elden was a member of the Revian Navy he was a part of the Pirate Order. Over five years had passed since the Order had been disbanded. And Elden had not heard any rumors of its return.

“The Order didn’t end when Cringus died, Elden. Nor did it end when you left us.” Elden was very high in the Order back in the day. He had worked directly under the Pirate King, Cringus, but when he died it sent the Order into a power vacuum, searching for a new Head, a new leader. That was a dark time. Captains killed captains, and crewmembers killed crewmembers, all fighting to be the Head of the Pirate Order, to be the new Pirate King. Elden had seen this, and was disgusted. He had never known the disloyalty of the Pirates before then. Each and every one of them was only there to make money, and as soon as they had a chance to take more, they took it by any means necessary. So he left to find work for a more reputable place of business.

“Who’s at the Head, Cornelius? What’s his name?” Elden said, desperation in his voice as Cornelius moved closer to the window. Elden had thought that the Pirates would end up killing each other off before a new Order was formed, before a new king was found. But that evidently wasn’t the case.

“You don’t know him. He’s a nobody. I’d never heard of him. Not till he was already king.” He started to laugh. “He convinced me to come here. I knew it was suicide. But he convinced me. He says its part of his plan. He says he got the plan from Cringus, like I believe that. Cringus is dead or in hiding. Either way, it doesn’t matter. He was the best Pirate King we’d ever seen and he’s gone.” He shook his head. “This new guy. They say he’s going to change things.”

Elden could tell something was wrong with Cornelius. He was scared. Cringus was scary, dangerous even, but he didn’t strike fear into men like Cornelius. This new king… Elden didn’t know how dangerous he could be. “Cornelius. I can help you. I got out. I can get you out too.”

“Oh shut up. I’m already dead.”

“I can save you.” Elden dropped his sword and showed his palms.

“I’m already dead!” Cornelius shouted. “You don’t understand, Elden. He’ll kill me…”  Cornelius stepped up to the ledge of the window.

“Cornelius, please.” Elden took a step forward.

“No! No… no… he won’t, He’s not ganna kill me.” He took one more step, and fell from the tallest tower onto the ground sixty feet below.

“No!” Elden shouted.

There was no scream from Cornelius as he fell to his death, only a loud splat, like when a bucket of water is thrown on the deck of a ship. Elden turned his head and flinched at the sound. The birds returned to squawking and screeching at him. A wave of exhaustion fell over him and he nearly collapsed. He did not remember walking down the stairs, or how he found his way back to the main hall where Captain Luis was giving orders, only that the Pirate Order was back, and its new King was dangerous enough to cause a grown man to kill himself out of fear. 

© 2016 Chase Collins