Short Fiction: Turning the Tide

“Captain? They’re gaining on us,” one of the crew called, as though Davin couldn’t see that for himself.

The Valiant Effort was a nimble little ship; the crew was devoted, if green. Both were all Davin and his small band of adventurers could afford. The ship pursuing them was bigger, faster, meaner, and certainly better armed. Davin grinned, feeling the wind ruffle his hair as the Annihilation drew closer.

The Annihilation might be the better-appointed ship, but he and his team had gotten to the abandoned islet first, had beaten back the monsters that lived in the pre-Catastrophe stronghold, and had claimed the treasure that lay within. Maybe they shouldn’t have mocked the crew of the Annihilation on their way by, but what was the point of being a pirate if you didn’t have a little fun?

A cannonball whizzed past the Valiant Effort, and the crew members around Davin cringed. Davin’s grin faltered. Right—so the Annihilation meant business. A sickening crack sounded from below decks: another cannonball, this one finding its mark. A sky battle wasn’t something Davin had planned on for this mission, and the ship could only take so much damage before it plummeted to what remained of the ruined world below.

“Someone go tell Estrellana it’s time to earn her keep,” Davin said. The crew, if anything, looked more frightened at the prospect of retrieving the Storm Scarred.

Another cannonball screamed past. No one moved. 

“Oh, by the old gods. I’ll get her,” Amina said, glaring. The cranky middle-aged monk had no patience for other people’s fear, even if it was well-founded. “She’s a seventeen-year-old girl, not a demon.”

A hush fell behind Davin a moment later, and he knew that Estrellana had arrived. The Storm Scarred teen was so pale she was almost translucent, and flashes of electricity danced beneath the surface of her skin. 

Crew members made small warding signs as she walked past them; it wasn’t clear whether she noticed or cared. Her ivory hair hung loose around her shoulders, and she looked at Davin with her unnerving all-white eyes, waiting for his go-ahead.

“We seem to have some unwanted guests,” he said. He aimed for nonchalance, but his voice was tight and nervous. 

Even Davin couldn’t deny that Estrellana was intimidating. He’d called her Essie—once—and the withering stare she gave him made him flinch. Young people were scary enough; add in the power of a storm, and it was no wonder the crew were terrified of her.

“Right,” she said and turned toward the Annihilation, raising her arms. Static charged the air around her. “This will take some time.”

The booming report of the cannons was getting louder, and the Valiant Effort shuddered as another cannonball struck home. Time was something they were running out of. 

Davin turned and rallied the crew around him, directing the wide-eyed sailors to battle stations they’d never planned to use. The Valiant Effort’s two small cannons were no match for the bristling hulk of the Annihilation, but Davin was a fighter. He wouldn’t lose the treasure, his ship, or his team without a fight.

A puff of smoke rose from one of the Valiant Effort’s cannons, a sharp report. The cannonball fell far short of the Annihilation, and Davin swore. They wouldn’t even be able to score a hit until the Annihilation was closer, and by then, his ship would be scrap. 

Behind the Annihilation, wisps of cloud appeared in the otherwise sunny sky, barely enough to cast a shadow. The clouds swirled and rolled, moving toward the other ship with unnatural speed.

“Keep firing!” he called. The crew members stared back at him, knowing it was futile. “We have to buy the Storm Scarred time!” 

The Annihilation drew closer, its bulk blotting out more of the sky with each passing minute. The Valiant Effort shook under the larger ship’s onslaught. Davin turned to Estrellana, tense. He’d paid her good money to join the crew, and what was she doing? Calling in a bit of fog? Light cloud cover wouldn’t be enough to hold the Annihilation off. 

The smell of ozone hit his nose, and he watched as the lightning beneath the girl’s skin brightened, quickened. She seemed to glow, even in the brightness of the day. Her hair floated around her, an aureole filled with flickering static charge. Her hands turned in the air for another moment before she whipped them toward the deck. Sparks of lightning crackled from her fingertips.

Above the Annihilation, now bearing down upon them, the clouds coalesced into a sudden dark thunderhead, an anvil looming above the larger ship. Blinding lightning bolts struck the approaching ship, hitting cannons, masts, and crew. Flames licked along the rigging and the sails. A cannon shot went wide. The Annihilation started to fall away as the fire spread. The other crew was panicking, abandoning the fight to save their ship. 

Estrellana gathered her staticky hair into a messy bun, shaking sparks loose as the tension in the air faded. “That ought to slow them down. Anything else?”

“I think that’s what we needed,” Davin said, his voice faint. He’d seen Estrellana shoot lightning from her palms during combat, but this was the first time any of them had witnessed the full extent of her power. Even Amina looked impressed.

The Storm Scarred sighed as though bored. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll be below.”