The Lost Phantom

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Ahoy and welcome me hearties to the realm of, well, me! This is where I post the history of my pirate, the tales of him you never knew, in the form of a story. This is the second book in the Shadow Sorcerors Chronicles, The Lost Phantom.

For those of you who are fans of my story, welcome back! Prepare for another thrill ride full of sword fighting, voodoo, tears, and of course, the infamous crew of the Shadow King, the Shadow Sorcerors! I welcome you back mates, and hope you enjoy the sequel to my original tale.

For those of you that are new, I would wait to read this story, and first read book one in the chronicles, Shadows Rising,

Mates, I promised you a sequel, and here it is. Don't expect it to be as good as the first though Enjoy the beginning to my second book!

Prologue

He felt the gravel beneath him, and heard the cawing of ravens above him. The air was cold, and still. An icy breeze blew through the area, chilling the man to the bone. He slowly opened his eyes.

He saw the sky first. It was almost completely cloudless, with a bright blue sky. It was probably late afternoon, and the sun would be setting in a few hours. Around him were steep cliffs of some sort of black rock. Black birds, the ravens he had heard, flew overhead in massive flocks, cawing at each other.

The man groaned and slowly sat up. He was exhausted, but didn’t know why. Then he realized, he didn’t know anything. He tried to remember how he got here, but couldn’t. The last memory he had was… waking up, just a few moments ago. What was going on?

“What in the world…” he muttered to himself, holding up his hands to look at. His hands were perfectly clean, with cut fingernails, and smooth palms. He slowly stood up, resisting dizziness and nausea. He shook his head, and examined the rest of his body. He was wearing a pair of dark orange suspenders, perfectly clean except for a little dust from the ground he was lying on; a pair of dark black breeches, black boots, and a box belt. He felt his hair. It was long, but it was tied back in a ponytail which stuck upward. He pulled down a strand of his hair to his eyes. It was a dark red, almost brown color. He shook his head again, keeping his eyes from blurring.

He examined his surroundings again, now that he was standing. He was standing in the middle of a large open area, a small canyon between the cliffs. To one side was a small building, possibly a tavern of some sort. To the other side was a small little town. But the town was a wreck. Buildings had their roofs gone, and walls ripped open. It could have once been a lovely little town, a center of commerce and where people would live their lives, but no longer. It was a ruin.

The man took a few shaky steps towards the town. His legs felt like they hadn’t moved for years, and it took a while before he finally got the hang of walking again. After that, he walked normally, but cautiously, towards the ruin of the town.

He walked between a few small buildings, and then through a crumbling stone arch into a small plaza. Laying around the area were skeletons, dozens of them. Some were missing limbs, others had blades stuck through their bodies, and yet others were just piles of bones. The man suddenly envisioned the area filled with skeletons, but animated ones, armed with blades and guns, slaughtering innocent people. And there was a woman. A woman clinging to a small child, screaming out for help as undead closed in on her.

The man cried out, clutching his face, trying to shake the scene around him away. The vision only got worse. More undead poured in, and more were killed. A few fighters bravely fought against the undead demons, but they were slowly killed off. Buildings around him exploded as they were hit by strange, spectral cannonballs. The man screamed loudly now, shutting his eyes as tight as he could to get this horrible scene to go away. He fell to the floor, clutching his ears, trying to mute the sound of screaming people, crying babies, exploding buildings.

The sound faded away, but the man laid face down on the ground, sobbing. Soon he drifted off into a half sleep, and then he went completely unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~

He woke up a few hours later. He could tell because the sun had just set, and darkness was closing in. He stood up, shuddering at the memory of the vision he had had. Somewhere inside of him, he knew it was real. That vision, it was real, and he had been there. It hadn’t happened here, but somewhere else, in a plaza much like this one.

He decided to leave the town. He walked back through the crumbling arch, and then realized something. It was deathly quiet. The only sound he had heard before was ravens cawing, but it was gone now. There was no sound at all, except for the distant sound of waves lapping on the shore of wherever he was.

He picked up his pace slightly, even though he didn’t know where he was going. He left the town, and found himself back in the open area inside the small canyon. He glanced up at the sky. It was night; however, this night was not normal. The sky wasn’t a dark, deep blue like it should be, or rather he thought it should be, since he had no memory. It was almost pitch black. Something about this place was not natural. And then he heard the howling.

Not the howling of a normal, earthly animal, no. This was something strange, something not of this world. It sounded like the moaning of a soul that was in pain, was lost, and worse, unspeakable horrors. The man didn’t want to know what was the source of this howling, so he ran towards the ruined tavern. He tried to open the doors, but they were locked. He shook the handles desperately.

God damn it! he screamed inside his head. He let go of the handles, and turned around towards the howling, and he caught his breath. He stared in horror at the source. The sound was emanating from nothing more than a misty red figure. It was shaped roughly like a disfigured circle, hovering two or so feet from the ground. It was something that shouldn’t cause all this fear, but it just did. When the man looked at it, his body filled with an indescribable fear. It slowly moved across the plaza, coming towards the man. It seemed that it hadn’t noticed him yet, but it would.

Cursing under his breath, the man stealthily moved behind a pile of crates, sitting down behind them with his back to the strange being. He could hear more of its pained howling as it came closer to him. He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see it if it noticed him. Time almost seemed to slow down as it came near him. The man couldn’t help but open his eyes as the being moved to the other side of the crate pile. It was facing, or at least the man thought that was the way it was facing, the same way as him, and hadn’t noticed him yet. If the being just turned to its right, it would be staring him, if the thing could stare, straight in the face.

And then, the man did something he regretted. He meant to merely shift his arm, but it ended up knocking down one of the crates. He caught his breath and stared wide eyed at the being. The red mist seemed to shift, as if turning, and then, it changed. The mist stayed, but the form of a man materialized from it. The man couldn’t make out the clothes that the being was wearing, as the whole thing was just a silhouette, but on the face, he could make out two eyes, glowing red with hatred. The being looked him directly in the eyes, and the man cried out in fear as he realized he was about to meet his fate. The being had found him for sure now, and there was no telling what it would do now.

He shut his eyes, preparing for the worst, but it never came. He slowly opened his eyes to see the being walking away from him, continuing on its original path. The form of the man slowly melted away until it was just a blob of red mist, hovering away.

The man laid back, letting out a breath of relief.

“Where am I?” the man asked himself. “More importantly, who am I?”

-----------------------------------------

If you have a guess at who this character is, keep it to yourself. If you can't bear keeping it in, PM me to let it out

Commentary? And stay tuned for Chapter 1 mates!

[Crestshot]

Haha, of course, as soon as I finish Shadow Rising, I see this.

Yes, I know. No, I won't say anything. It's a very good start though, mate. I can't wait to see where you go from here. What piques my curiosity most, though, is the...*ahem* Red Orb. I'm curious as to why it didn't attack. I'll just wait to see how it's explained, aye?

[Captain Del]

Ah, good! I was gonna be very upset if one of my favorite authors chose to put down the pen

Very interesting start, I must say. Very eager to find out what happens next. As to who the person is...? Well, I have an idea

[Captain Sharktooth]

Good intro to your sequel... I hope it turns out better than the first. I have no idea who it could be but I have a guess.

Edit: Ok, I am pretty sure who it is, a couple lines gave it away, assuming I was right.

[Davy_Mcwrecker]

Hm... Why Didnt The Ghost Attack?!?

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Here is Chapter one mates! Remember, if you have any ideas of what may happen or is happening, keep it to yourselves!

Chapter 1: Strange Rumors

Davy looked out at the sea. He never grew tired of looking at it, even though it was almost always the same. That bright, sparkling blue hue. So peaceful and calming. He turned to his crew, and watched them work. This was no ordinary crew, however. This was a crew full of sorcerers, or Sorcerors, as they spelled it. They were able to control voodoo energy, and use it for whatever they pleased. They could lift heavy objects with it, or send fireballs at their foes when they were in combat. They even were able to increase the speed of their ship by controlling wind or currents in the water. This made the crew who they were. It made them the crew of the Shadow King.

The Shadow King herself was a mighty ship. Her hull design was that of a Ship of the Line, one of the most powerful in the seas. The sails of the ship were made of a cloth that was black as pitch. The sails seemed to arouse fear in whatever foe they approached. Only one ship in the Caribbean flew sails of that style, and that was the Shadow King. Then there was her hull. Made of a black wood, the color of wood that had been burnt. The hull was extremely powerful. It would take many broadsides of even the most powerful naval warship before it would break significantly. It had served the crew well when they went to battle with Jolly Roger, the leader of the undead army, and his flagship, The Harkaway.

That was ten years ago, Davy thought to himself, hands gripping to the railing of the Shadow King. So much has happened since then…

“Davy,” a man said, walking up to Davy. Davy turned to face him. It was his first mate, and his best friend, Sam Bladebeard. The two had met on Tortuga a few months before the Shadow King had sunk The Harkaway.

“What is it Sam?” Davy asked.

“Meg, our current lookout, has spotted Tortuga. We should be there in a few hours.”

“Good,” Davy replied. “When we make port, let’s make repair and restock on ammo and supplies. I think we should stay for a few days, to let the crew rest up before we set out again.”

“Aye, they’ve earned it.”

With that, Sam left, leaving Davy alone again. Davy remembered back, ten years ago, to that battle with Jolly Roger. Every time Davy was reminded of it, he shed a tear. He had lost the last of his blood family that day, when his brother gave his life to defeat Jolly and save the crew of the Shadow King. Davy had been separated from him when he was ten, and was reunited with him almost ten years later, when he was nineteen. Then, he was taken away from him once again. Now he was approaching the age of thirty, and he still missed his brother more than ever. Davy took his mind off of it, and walked down onto the deck to assist the crew with their duties.

Davy did this for the next few hours, until they began sailing into Tortuga Harbor. Once they landed, Davy gave each pirate their share of plunder, which he had divided up last night. It had been a good voyage, and they had brought in a good amount of plunder. It would be enough for the crew to give to their families, and they would have enough to feed themselves for at least the next six months, with enough left over to spend on luxuries.

Davy waited behind for some of his friends; Sam, Matt Scurvytimbers, Zolina Crestrage, Meg Mcbones, and Kate Gunhound. They quickly stopped by the shipwright, O’Malley, and made sure that he would keep watch over the Shadow King. As always, he agreed to. The group decided to take it easy for the rest of the night. Or as easy as things can go in Tortuga. They headed over to The Faithful Bride tavern, the best tavern on the island. They could get some drinks there, listen to some new gossip, and then head back to their shacks.

They chatted on the way to the tavern. Davy was mostly quiet, contempt with listening to the sound of his friends laughing, and the sounds of the rowdy town around them. After several more minutes of walking, they arrived at their favorite tavern. Davy opened the door, letting his friends through before following himself.

They walked down the flight of stairs which lead to the seating area. They walked through the crowd of crazy, pirates and found a table.

“You guys sit tight here,” Davy said as they sat down. “Zo and I will get the drinks.”

“Aye, aye Captain Fireskull,” Meg said in her Icelandic accent.

Davy and Zolina left the table to go get the drinks from Carver, the bartender. Davy had become good friends with him several years ago after he put out a fire that nearly burned down his bar. After that, Carver promised him drinks at half price every time he came. He ended up regretting that, because Davy always came with his crew, meaning Zolina as well, who was notorious for being able to beat anyone in a rum drinking contest.

“Ahoy there Davy!” Carver greeted. “Good seein’ you again mate! It’s been a while!”

“Indeed it has!” Davy said, clasping hands with him.

“What’ll it be for you today?” Carver asked.

“The usual please. Got me usual party with me tonight.”

Carver nodded before hurrying back to fetch the drinks.

“I think I need extra rum tonight,” Zolina muttered.

“Why?” Davy chuckled.

“Do I need a reason to drink more rum?” she responded.

“Well…”

Carver came back now, with the drinks on a tray.

“Here ye are Davy!” he said, placing the tray on the bar.

“Thanks mate,” Davy said, sliding down the gold to Carver before picking up his drink. “Zo, mind taking those back to the table? I’ll meet you in a second.”

“Sure, make me do all the work,” Zolina joked. She picked up the tray and walked back to the table with it.

“So Carver,” Davy started, taking a sip from his drink. He had ordered his favorite rum tonight. It was a little more expensive than the others, but he had the money to spare. It was a sweeter rum, aged about ten years, stolen from an East India Trading Company vessel. Davy continued. “Any recent rumors ye’ve heard?”

“None that would particularly interest you,” Carver said slowly. “Except for one.”

Davy raised an eyebrow, and pulled up a stool to sit on. “Do tell.”

“I hoped ye’d say that,” the bartender said with a grin. “There’ve been rumors lately of ships reappearing. Ships that were sunk long ago.”

“Oh dear God,” Davy said wide eyed. “Jolly Roger?”

“Thank the heavens no,” Carver said. “These aren’t the ships with tattered masts and rotten hulls. These ships look almost exactly like they did in life… except… there is something different about them. Nobody knows exactly what, but when they look at them… well, they just give you a strange feeling, you know what I mean?”

Davy nodded, “Aye.”

“The strangest things about these ships,” he continued. “Is that they are there, and then they vanish!”

“Vanish?” Davy said. “Just… poof?”

“Poof,” Carver said with a small smile. “Poof and they’re gone! The same thing has been happening with people all over the Caribbean. Dead people. Don’t worry, not rising as undead, but people claim to see people who died long ago walking around. Then, they just go ‘round a corner, or the person blinks, and they’re gone! Nobody can explain it! Some say that it is just a bunch of crazy people, but I’m not sure. If this many people on this many islands are reporting this, something’s up.”

“Very odd,” Davy said. “Very odd indeed.”

“Also, there are reportings of ships, Navy vessels especially, coming to port and acting, well, strange. The ship itself is intact, but the crew seems… possessed almost. They are different, less responsive, more aggressive, not themselves. I heard a rumor about some Navy sailor coming home like this. A neighbor reported seeing him murder his entire family before vanishing into the woods, never to be seen again!”

“Don’t know what to make of it…” Davy said, taking a sip from his rum.

“Neither do I,” Carver muttered, rubbing his finger across the bar. “We can only hope that it’s a bunch of drunken sailors rambling about things that don’t exist, or if it’s real, then we can only hope it will pass.”

Davy nodded and took everything in.

“Davy!” Matt called to him from the table. “Come on mate, you’re ignorin’ yer crew here!”

“Get over here!” Kate said, waving.

“Must be going,” Davy said. “Been good talking to you.”

The two clasped hands again, and Davy headed back to the table. Zolina passed him his way to the table, intent on getting seconds.


--------------------------------

Comments, praise, constructive criticism?

[SEAKING23]

Love it! its great as usual!

[Jack Shipsteel]

Geez Louise Davy. I come back after 5 days and you've already finished your one story, and started this one!

And I know exactly who said person is. One line in particular helped me realize it.



What? Are you waiting for me to tell you which one? Read it if you don't know!

[Davy_Mcwrecker]

no comments, praise, constructive criticism...
Just FIREWHISKEY & RUM CAKES

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Ugh, sorry I haven't been able to do any writing guys. I've been extremely busy lately. Haven't had time to do much of anything between managing the guild and its new site, school, extra-curricular activities... I'm a busy busy boy...

Chapter will be out this weekend! I promise!

[Captain Sharktooth]

Great job Davy! This is prbably one of my favorite chapters in any of your books, I can't wait until the next chapter, you set this story up so well from where you left off and I can't wait until what happens with the mysterious ships....

[SEAKING23]

hope it will be out quickly...

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Sorry it took forever for me to write this chapter... been extremely busy, but here it is! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: A Ghostly Encounter

Smelly the dog barked as Davy, Sam, and Matt entered the shack. This shack was where Davy had met the two, about ten years ago. It was where they, along with Billy, had lived their lives before they met Davy, and started their adventure aboard the Shadow King. Smelly was Billy’s dog. He was one of those shaggy dogs that Navy jail keepers kept around, putting the keys for the cells around their necks. The dog was very affectionate, but was aggressive when his masters were in danger. During the battle with The Harkaway, his chest had been slashed by a skeleton. The wound had healed, but it left a large white scar beneath his fur. After Billy had gone, the dog went into a state of depression that lasted a few weeks. He had known Billy since he was a puppy, and losing his master after that much time was traumatizing for him. He finally adjusted, and chose Davy as his new master.

After they had finished their drinks, the group separated into two groups, the ladies going off to their place, a few minutes walk from Davy’s. This shack was his home on land. Whenever he arrived at Tortuga, he looked forward to seeing the little shack, with its simple design, small set of cozy beds, warm fireplace, and no-privacy privy. The three men walked in, shutting the door behind them. Matt went to greet the excited dog, and went in the back to go fetch him some meat.

Davy sat on a chair by the fireplace, and Sam sat next to him. Davy yawned.

“Big day,” Davy said quietly. “Let’s just rest up for the next few days. I told the crew to meet back at the Shadow King in three days. That should be plenty of time.”

“Aye,” Sam said. “We need the rest. I’m exhausted. I feel like I could sleep through the sound of a broadside.”

Davy chuckled. The two sat in silence. Smelly trotted over with a steak in his mouth. He sat next to Davy, chewing on it quietly. Matt came in a few moments later, and took a seat next to Sam.

“So Captain,” Matt said. Whenever he said ‘captain’, he always meant it jokingly. Him and Davy were on a first name basis, but he liked to call him that anyway. “What is our plan for our next voyage?”

“Not sure,” Davy said. “If I don’t think of something, we will probably end up plundering some merchant ships, or reminding the Navy to fear the Shadow King.”

“Hmm,” Matt said, not amused. He was someone that was always looking to try something different, and fun. Raiding Naval vessels did get boring after a while.

“Aww come on Matt!” Sam said, slapping him on the back. “It’s a new adventure every time!”

“Ehh,” Matt said. “I’ll bear with it. Maybe we could find a Navy fort to raid on some island in the middle of nowhere…”

Sam and Davy laughed.

“Well mates, it’s been a long day!” Davy exclaimed. “Time for me to get some shuteye.”

“G’night mate!” Sam said.

Davy climbed into his bed, pulled up the blanket, and shut his eyes. He fell asleep within seconds.

~~~~~~~~~~

Davy woke up in the middle of the night. Immediately he wondered how the hell he could wake up when he was so exhausted. He glanced out the window, to see the moon high in the sky, signifying that it was somewhere just past midnight.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes. He lit a candle, providing the shack with a dim light. His two friends and the dog were all sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by Davy’s waking, or the lighting of the candle. Davy yawned, and looked out the window again. But this time, the path that lead by their shack was not empty. Davy caught his breath. He couldn’t see the source, but just out of his view was something emanating a blue light. Davy rose an eyebrow, sliding out of bed. He quickly threw on some clothes, and slid on his boots. He thought for a moment, and then decided to strap on his sword. You never know who or what will wander Tortuga at night. After glancing back at his sleeping friends, he quietly opened the door, and slid through. The cold night air woke him up immediately. He didn’t expect it to be warm, but it was colder than it should be. Something was not right. He shut the door behind him, and walked down the path.

He had been walking for about a minute when he caught sight of the light again, but this time it seemed to be moving. It slid between a few trees, and disappeared. Davy bit his lip nervously, and began jogging towards the Wildwoods of Tortuga. His hand instinctively moved towards his sword. He walked through some trees, following the blue light in the distance. After a few minutes, he lost sight of it, but kept going in the general direction.

He drew his sword now, cutting through ferns that blocked his path. His sword was not any ordinary sword. He had put spells on it so that anything that it slashed would become poisoned with a powerful venom. It didn’t kill unless it got a lucky hit, but it caused excruciating pain. The ferns wilted as he cut through them. Davy took note of a swarm of bats flying overhead. Why did he get the feeling that they were not moving toward something, but moving away from something?

He shrugged off the thought, and continued through the bush. He finally came to a small clearing. Floating in the middle of the clearing, was a blue, misty orb.

Davy took up a fighting stance, holding out his sword. He didn’t know what this thing was, but it rang a bell in his head. He couldn’t remember; however, if it was friend or foe.

The orb began to change, and it was then that Davy remembered. Out of the orb, the form of a woman materialized. She was silhouette-like, but Davy could make out her features enough to recognize her. He lowered his sword.

“Joanna…?” Davy asked.

“Yes, Davy Fireskull. It is I,” the ghost said. When Davy had been stranded on Raven’s Cove, he had encountered a ghost that had tried to kill him, and almost succeeded. He managed to overpower the ghost with his mind, destroying the rage within it, and changing the ghost back to its original form. This ghost was the one that stood before him. But how could she be here? Ghosts were locked on Raven’s Cove, and weren’t able to leave it.

“How did you get here?” Davy asked, sheathing his sword. “I thought ghosts couldn’t leave Raven’s Cove.”

“They couldn’t before,” she said, in her misty, echoing voice. “They can now.”

“Care to explain?”

“I cannot stay for long…” she said nervously, nervousness appearing on her ghostly face. “I am assuming that you have heard those strange rumors? The ones about the dead coming back?”

Davy nodded.

“They are not rumors. They are real.”

“Continue,” Davy said, intrigued.

“Strange magic is at work in the Caribbean, Davy Fireskull. Dark magic. The dead are rising. They were restricted before, but they are slowly growing power. As does their patriarch. He will soon be at full power, and will rise again from his imprisonment, and will take revenge on the living.”

“Patriarch? Who?” Davy asked.

“I cannot stay any longer,” Joanna said. “Davy Fireskull, you must sail to Raven’s Cove as soon as possible. Your questions will be answered there, and you may find more than just the answers to your questions there. Hurry! Time is short!”

“Wait!” Davy said, running towards Joanna. But it was too late. By the time he had gotten to her, she had disappeared. He cursed, kicking the dirt at his feet. He stood in the clearing, taking in everything that had happened.

The dead are rising? Davy asked himself. How can this be? Why now? And who is this patriarch? Something is amiss… and what was she referring to as the other thing that I will find?

Davy gritted his teeth. He hated having unanswered questions.

I’ll just have to go there and find out, Davy thought. He headed back through the jungle. In ten minutes, he was coming back down the path to the shack. The sun wouldn’t rise for another few hours. He could still get a bit of sleep before he needed to wake up. He opened the door and snuck inside. Smelly was still sleeping in the corner, next to Sam, who was snoring deeply.

Davy looked at Matt, who had shifted positions. He opened an exhausted eye to look at Davy.

“Mate, where were you? It’s the middle of the night for God’s sake,” he grumbled. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Davy looked at him wide eyed. “You’d never guess…”

-------------------------------------

Doez you feelz tehh suspense? I sure hope so... because I feel it myself. By the way, if you are reading this and you haven't read my former story, I would read it, because this one has a lot of reference to it.

Comments, praise, constructive criticism? Rum?

[SEAKING23]

Great as usual!

[Captain Sharktooth]

Yay, hats off to another great chapter! I cannot wait until the next one comes out.... Hurry!