Phantom

The Phantom was a ship of both beauty and intrigue.

It was smaller than most ships, and so at first was thought of as a joke for a pirate ship. But soon it became known for its great speed and many good people began to fear how it would sail in, rape your ship of its goods and be off in such good time you'd have no time to gather your wits about you. That was the magic of the Phantom. Nobody could catch her, and certainly nobody could defeat her.

Her crew was small in numbers, but great in stout. She held fifteen men in all, captain included, and in her fifteen years of service had seen men come and go while she sailed on with the same captain at the helm. In the year that she fell her fifteen crewmen were as follows.

The captain was a man named Robert, and nothing else. Though no one would ever dare to call him that. It was always 'Cap'n' to his men and those who knew him by tales told in pubs called him the Black Phantom. He was a cunning man, with many scars, tattoos and piercing's over his body. He never took prisoners, and attacked all the ships that came along his path, no matter what their might. And in the twenty-five years that he sailed the Caribbean, he had never lost a fight.

Nothing was known of his past, probably because like most pirates he didn't share his. He was born poor and became a pirate. He became a Captain when he came to own the Phantom. That was the life of this pirate.

Their Quartermaster had far more scars than Robert, though fewer body parts. After several fights he only had one eye, seven fingers and one and a half leg left. He had been given the name Stede Johnston at birth, but now was known only as Horse because of his strength, and because he no longer seemed human. The entire crew respected him because he had been alive and a pirate longer than any of them and oh the tales he would tell about his many journeys . . .

The first mate was a surly man known as Cutthroat Red, Red because of his hair and face when he flashed with anger. And Cutthroat because he would kill any and all if he had to. It was a man that truly knew no love. For sure Robert did not trust him, but he was a good man to keep around because he always got his job done and he never asked for much in return. The men may not have respected him, but they did fear him.

Their Coxwain was a quiet man who kept mostly to himself, but when he did speak he was stern and no one dared challenge him because he was wicked with a blade (though not as wicked as Dogger. Mind you, I'm getting ahead of myself). His name was Simon, and some called him Seaworthy Simon. He had been on the Phantom as long as Robert had, and probably knew him the best. He was a stern man, and when he gave an order (passed down from the Captain of course) others followed, and usually in haste.

William Marshal, their Master of Arms, was perhaps the one crew member who looked like he didn't belong. He liked to wear fancy clothes (albeit dirty and smelly, fancy clothing) and held his head up high acting as though he was superior to most of them. Nobody knew how he had come to be an officer on the Phantom, because they only knew him to show cowardice. Quite sarcastically he was given the name Master Bill, but he thought it a sign of respect.

They had a carpenter onboard. He was the youngest of the crew, though one the favourites. For in many a sense he kept the Phantom afloat. His predecessor had recently died when he had broken the code of conduct and out of haste for a replacement Simon had suggested the very first carpenter they could, this one still an apprentice when they found him, by the name of Jack Ruddigar. He had a youthful face, not yet weathered like the rest and whenever ashore was quite popular with maidens and wenches alike. For that he was sometimes called Roger Ruddigar.

Joseph Miller was their Gunner. He had been the son of a miller. Though quite rightly had left home at an early age and had joined a pirate's ship quite soon after that, looking for adventure. He came and went from ship to ship until he finally came to the Phantom and was made their Gunner. Though Joseph was old, he was a fright in battle, he would rant and laugh as he fired off cannons and his eyes would seem to pop out of his head expecting death like a child expects candy. And for that he was mostly called Mad Eye Joe.

To help Mad Eye Joe with the cannons he was given his own assistant, a Powder Monkey by the name of Thomas Cox. He wasn't much older than Ruddigar, but he acted much younger. The crew didn't see him all too often, he spent most of his time in the bowels of the ship sleeping in the gunpowder, which earned him the name Black Tom.

Morgan Levy was the Helmsman, and seemed to spend most of his time sleeping on deck with a bottle of rum in his hand. But nobody complained, because he seemed to steer them to where they were headed anyway. He also made sure there was always a good supply of rum onboard at all times, and because of that became Rummy and a good friend to all.

Their Navigator was thought of as a joke for the most part; except by Rummy himself. The first time he started as Navigator he lost his bearings and kept sending them north when they were trying to reach Trinidad until they were near Florida. After that he was named North and nobody believed that he knew where he was going.

The Phantom's Lookout was a keen eyed pirate by the name of Henry Jackson, Quick Jack as he was known to most, who had been a Corsair - a Pirate of the Mediterranean - but after making too many enemies from all his cheating he had sailed away to the Caribbean where Robert took a shining to him and his good eyes and took him aboard the Phantom.

The man with the second worst job on the ship was Fred. He took care of the longboats, officially. He helped out with the sails and all just like everyone else. But more often then not you'd see him sitting in one of the longboats, often drinking Rummy's rum, or just sleeping. He had no nickname really, he was just known as Boat.

Of course, the man with the worst job went to Jim Dogger, he was the 'Swabbie', he cleaned the deck. He didn't mind it too much though, as long as he was on the sea he was happy, he had spent most of his life on the water, and avoided going onto land. He was born on a ship even, his mother, a slave, his father, a Spaniard. When he was four, the ship he and his mother were sailing on was attacked by none other than the Phantom. Robert took him in when he found the young lad fending off men with a stick. He took him onboard and taught him to use a real cutlass and named him Jim after his father. He used to be a Cabin Boy, but seeing he was neared to being a man now, nobody called him that. Just Dogger.

Then there were the twins.

Edward and George Finnel, they fancied themselves the kings of the Caribbean. Their mother died giving birth to them and their father, a pirate, died months before that. So they went to an orphanage. They 'escaped' ten years later and joined a pirate ship. Edward spent most of his times on the mast with the sails, or with ropes, and George spent most of his in the galley. Both the spitting images of their father Albert Finnel, a famous pirate in his time.

By the time Robert found the troublesome twosome they were adults and full of mischief and knowledge of the sea life. He took them aboard, Edward (or rather Evil Eddie) as his Boatswain and George (or rather Gory George) as his Cook and the young twins fit in instantly with the rest. In many ways they acted like a family might.

And that was the crew in the year that the Phantom fell.

The way things came to be, was that a man that Robert had known from a past ship came to his apparent demise when he set sail and was never heard from again. The man was Captain Riley, perhaps the most dreaded pirate at the time. Forty years he had sailed the Caribbean, twenty of those with his own ship and crew. His ship, the Fairway, was the most dreaded ship known of. They plundered and killed more than any other pirates and showed no mercy to anyone.

Robert had sailed with Captain Riley for some years, but left to become a Captain of his own and apparently the two never spoke again. It seemed that Robert had come to fear Captain Riley just like every other sensible person. But he also admired him just like every other pirate because they all knew that from all the death and destruction that followed him, he had enough gold to cover an island (so the tales told).

The news that Captain Riley had disappeared spread fast through the sea, and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance were spoken highly of as well, until it came to be known simply that Captain Riley and his crew were dead.

"The whole crew went to the island they did," said Ruddigar as they ate dinner.

"None of 'em came back," Jack added with a wicked smile.

"Took all of his treasure he did." Eddie continued.

"Buried it." George finished.

"And left a map," Dogger added with excitement in his eyes.

The five shipmates looked at each other and then around and the others. All were speaking of the same thing, and all were thinking the same thing. That they should go look for the treasure. After all, they were pirates, treasure digging was part of the job description.

"Well, before we do anythin' we need to be gettin' our rudder fixed." Ruddigar reminded all of them. The rudder, pride of their vessel, had been hit by a cannon ball the last week in a battle. Because of it, the Phantom was suffering greatly in speed.

"George! Food!" That was Mad Eye Joe. He sat alone, by choice. He was convinced that the rest of the crew was insane and that it would rub off on him.

"One bleedin' second ye bugeyed prat!" George snapped back at him, and then in a much cheerier voice added. "Best serve the starvin'." He then left the table to go fetch whatever fish meal he had cooked up that evening.

"Forget the rudder for a bit then. Now if Riley and 'is crew is dead on the island, who's got the map, eh?" Jack asked looking at his companions with scepticism.

"I hear he has a wife." Dogger said with certainty.

"I hear he was twenty!" Eddie said, showing off his rotting teeth and laughing. "Maybe he gave each a piece," he added with a snort.

"Maybe the map's on the ship." Ruddigar said and all went quiet at the thought.

"Oh great that! The ship's by the island ye twits!"

"STOP THIS TALKIN' AT ONCE!" Horse's voice rang out through the decks and all the crew turned to find Horse and Robert standing at the doorway. A chime of quiet 'cap'n's rang out to great him. Horse stomped the wooden block he used as a right foot. "The Cap'n has somethin' to say!"

Robert stepped forward.

"By now you've all heard about Captain Riley's untimely death-"

"Untimely 'cause it wasn't sooner!" Rummy shouted with a laugh.

"Keep quiet!" Master Bill ordered in his nasally voice.

"And you've all heard of this treasure of his! Well I'm here to tell you that it don't matter how much gold that man buried, we're not looking for a nugget of it. Not one piece of eight. Not one jewel!"

Everyone was silent.

"It's not a matter for us to be concerned with! We're returning to port to fix our rudder and we'll not speak another word of this!"

Then he left to return to his chambers and all the pirates looked at each other in dismay. Their dreams of a daring adventure and treasure hunting dashed.

"Well, I guess 'is twenty wives will 'ave a laugh findin' the treasure for 'emselves . . . " Jack muttered with some bitterness.

Dogger was looking at the entryway, thinking to himself. "He sailed with Riley . . . "

"Aye, that's true. Why, ye know somethin' of it?"

"Well if I did, I wouldn't tell ye mangy dogs," Dogger said, looking back at them with a smile.

Then George walked past them and slapped some cooked fish onto the table.

"Feast me mateys!" He said and was off to the next table.

Jack grabbed his food. "I best be off to me nest again," he said, speaking of his lookout.

"So early?" Ruddigar asked.

"Nay, no earlier than usual, George was just late with all 'is talkin'." He smiled at them. "See ye lads later." Then he was off.

Eddie, Ruddigar and Dogger began to speak of other things then, the matter of Riley drifting to the back of their minds. The topic thought of as finished now.

But that was not the end of the matter.

"ALL HANDS ON DECK!!!"

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"ALL HANDS ON DECK!!!"

Rummy rolled over in his cot, pushing his hands into his ears. "I'll kill that Bill! What's his hurry!?!"

Bill continued ringing the bell and shouting at the top of his lungs and all those below decks began to stir, muttering death threats as they went. And then Boat ran into the room, his face flushed.

"Ya won' believe it! There's been a murder!" He shouted and almost instantly everyone was staring at him is silence. "Black Tom's been a-murdered!" Then he rushed back out, the other men quickly followed.

Then men soon found themselves on deck, the sun just beginning to rise and there was Black Tom, stuck between two boxes on the deck, his throat slit from one ear to the other, his head almost falling off his neck.

Already around the body was Robert, Horse, Cutthroat Red, Bill, Boat, Jack and Mad Eye Joe. The men regarded the body for a few minutes in silence and then began to look around at the others warily, knowing that one of the others had to be responsible and that that man would most likely share the same fate. To be honest, some men were actually anticipating an execution.

"I can assure you," Robert began speaking quietly, taking most by surprise. "That young Thomas here did not kill himself. One of you will come forward and speak."

All the men began thinking about what had happened last night. As they started thinking about it, they soon realised that Black Tom hadn't been at dinner the other day, neither had Robert, Cutthroat Red, Simon and Horse (dismissing their brief entrance of course). North was half there, he kept coming and going, he always walked around the ship. Black Tom not eating with them happened often. He could have been killed any time during the night.

"Henry," Robert said sternly, looking toward Jack. They fully realised then what a foul mood he must've been to be addressing them by their given names. "You were out here all night. What did you see?"

"Nothin' but the sea and the sky. I don't look towards the ship unless I 'ear somethin'," said Jack, looking at the body, then to his nest. "Even if I 'ad looked down. I wouldn't have seen Tom, 'is body's too close to the mast."

Robert nodded in annoyance. "And you heard nothing?" He asked, just to be sure.

"No, but that doesn' mean there weren' some noises, my 'earing's not the best."

"No, obviously not," Robert almost hissed at him.

"Did anybody else hear or notice anything?" He looked around at the crowed glaring.

"I heard people walkin'," Boat said suddenly. The officers looked to him instantly. "But I though' nuthin' of it. It were just walkin', nuthin' else."

Robert walked up to him. "There was just walking? When were you on deck?"

"Not on deck, in the longboat like always. After dinner I comes up here, like always. Some time durin' the night's there's walking, but tha's all."

"What about you John?" Robert asked walking over to North. "You're always walking about at all hours? Was that you?"

"N-no sir, I wasn' on the deck all night."

"Mr. Monty, you seem nervous." Horse chipped in.

"I's jus' that this sort o' thing makes me nervous. But I didn' see no murder, and I didn' walk on the deck this yesterday. Tha's the honest truth."

"Sure ye didn't lose yer way North?" Mad Eye Joe asked, glaring at North as he did so.

"I swear I didn'!" North was beginning to sweat. He stepped toward the Captain. "I swears on my life Captain! Ye believe me, right?"

"I believe ye John," Rummy yelled out, though perhaps less certainly than he usually sounded when defending North.

Robert kept staring for a few more minutes, then waked away.

"The question that is beginning to plague my mind is not 'who's done it?'," he turned around. "But 'why's he done it?'. If you know anything, come to my cabin."

Then Robert walked away, Horse and Cutthroat Red on his heals.

"Alright ye bastards! We're going to get back to work like normal days! Fall out!" Simon began shouting.

"C'mon, get to work!" Bill joined in, but he was only met with sneers.

"Dogger, Joe, clean him up." Simon said, pointing to poor Tom and then walked away.

Dogger and Mad Eye walked over to the body and pried him out from the boxes, making sure not to move his head about too much. The body was stiff, and that told them that he must have been there for quite some time. Also, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of blood for such an extreme wound.

"A bloody waist this is." Mad Eye was muttering as he moved Tom's legs onto a plank so that they could move him. "Looks like I'll be needin' a new Powder Monkey . . . "

"Odd he didn't scream," was all Dogger said. Both didn't reply to the other. "Maybe there were more than one."

The two then hoisted the plank to the side of the Phantom and let the body fall into the sea. They looked on as the body disappeared and they regarded it with a quiet respect for the boy they didn't truly know or care for.

"Think it might have been abou' Riley Cap'n?" Cutthroat Red asked, his hands on Roberts desk.

Robert was staring out his cabin window in thought. "Even if it was, why Thomas? He was just a boy, what would he know?"

"Might've overheard something," Red suggested.

"Something? Something about Riley? Something about a mutiny? I just don't know . . . " Robert said, looking at the two men.

"Maybe it was a warnin'," Horses added from the corner quietly.

"Warning's are usually a little clearer than this."

"Then maybe the message isn't done."

"Maybe it was just a fight that got out of hand." Red thought aloud.

"No, someone would have heard that-"

A knock came to the door.

"Can I come in Cap'n?" Dogger asked, already half in the cabin.

"Yes Jim, come in." Robert was the only person who called Dogger Jim.

Dogger came in, closed the door behind him and walked over to Robert. He looked at the other two men, and once he decided that it didn't matter if they were there or not, began speaking. "I was sayin' goodbye to Tom and it started me thinkin' on some interesting things."

"And they were?"

"Well Tom was a bit stiff, not to make too fine of a pun, but from what I can tell he was sleepin' in between the boxes since last evening. Also, I don' think he was killed there."

"What do ye mean?" Red asked curiously.

"Well, maybe it's just I, but when I cut myself I tend to, uh, bleed," Dogger said, a smile on his face as if he were talking about the weather.

"Again Jim, what do ye mean?"

The four men were soon standing by the boxes and staring down at the spot where Tom's body had been hidden for so many hours. Sure enough there was barely any blood where his half-decapitated head had been. Robert kneeled down, looking bewildered.

"He must not have been killed here . . . " Robert mumbled.

"I imagine the walkin' Boat heard were men putting the body here," Horse said.

"That's a bold statement. Thomas could have been here since before dinner," Robert said rising again.

"Yes, but tha's most likely the time he died." Red said.

"Another bold statement. I don't want to assume anything. We can assume of course, that Thomas was not killed here. Jim, say you'd killed him, when would you have taken the body here?"

"Well sire, being that I'm not the murderer, I can't say for sure, o' course. But if I had been making plans, I'd do it durin' dinner, I don't think nobody was on deck then. I know Jack wasn't, at least not during the beginning."

"Yes, he was on the deck quite a bit by himself afterwards..."

"And it was dark Cap'n."

"Yes . . . Well Jim, go back to your duties. We'll do our investigation, and you keep your ears and eyes open."

"Ye do the same," Dogger said and he left, giving a grin to Horse.

"I don' know if I trust that boy." Horse grumbled with displeasure.

"If there's one thing I've learned on the sea, it's that you're not to trust a single man, no matter how long you've known them."

"Well boys, who ye think it is?" Rummy asked as he sat behind the helm, his hat over his eyes, bottle in his hand - half empty.

"Should we really be pointin' fingers, now?" North asked, his voice still shaky.

"'Course we should, we didn' do it . . . " he lifted his hat to stare at his two companions. "Did we?"

North and Boat both shook their heads.

"Good," he let his hat drop and took a long drag of rum.

"I think it were Mad Eye," said Boat, taking a sip of his own rum. "He's always aroun' Black Tom, init he? Tom wouln' have seen it comin' from him."

"Yeah, probably snapped," Rummy said, snapping his fingers to emphasize his point.

"Oh I don' know if it were him . . . " North said.

"Who was it then?" Boat asked curiously.

"Oh I don' know. I ain't one to be pointin' fingers." North looked away.

Boat eyed him as he took another sip of rum. "Fine then, don't matter too much. Just a bit o' fun. Right Rummy?" Boat looked down at Rummy, but all that came from him were soft snores.

"Ya know," Boat added. "If Mad Eye didn't kill him, then one imagines there had to be a reason for poor Tom's death, a conspiracy even. Ye don't know about any conspiracies, do ya North?" Boat leaned in.

"I know nothin'! Quit pushin'. Now I'm off," he said quickly and walked away. Boat smiled to himself.

"Well my gen'lemen of misfortune, I'm beginning to unravel this odd little plot," Dogger said as he sat down with his friends up on the mast, Jack sat above them in earshot.

"Ye know who the killer is?" Eddie asked eagerly, George smiled with him.

Dogger grinned. "I know who isn't the killer." He looked about his companions. "First off, you Quick Jack, are innocent."

"Well now that ye've said it . . . " Jack began with sarcasm.

"I believe that Tom was killed when ye were with us. I am very sure of it in fact. So in that case the five of us are innocent, o' murder at least." He added, giving another quick glance.

"So what's this 'plot' all abou'." Ruddigar asked from just below them.

"Thank ye for asking Roger." Dogger put his hand up for silence. "Methinks for sure it involves Captain Riley's gold."

George opened his mouth to say something and Dogger held up his hand again.

"A moment kind sir. I believe that someone on this ship knows of the whereabouts of this island and intends to sail there. Perhaps a meetin' was going on durin' dinner - perhaps just before in fact - that Tom overheard and was henceforth executed. He was then dragged upstairs and we found him the mornin' after."

"Well that's a lot of story tellin' Dogger. But ya lack any real clues, facts - and above all - suspects."

"Here's a clue, notice how the rudder seemed to be damaged right before this all began, Ruddigar?"

"That was in battle."

"Was it?" Dogger asked, his eyes digging deep into Ruddigar's. "Slows us down, takes us off course. Could be very helpful for some."

"Some yes, but who?" Eddie asked

"Who ye think dunnit?" George asked his question from before.

"Cap'n, Red, Simon and Horse weren't at dinner." Dogger stated.

"North kept leavin'," Eddie pointed out.

"One of these men, or more likely two of 'em had to have been responsible for moving the body durin' this time."

"If it was durin' that time." Ruddigar added. "We don' even know if if were two. I say ye're making all this croc up."

"Well I don't hear you coming up with explanations, Jack."

"Oi! Don' be stealin' my name!" Jack yelled from his nest.

"Ye're Henry. He's Jack."

"It does not matter what our muthas called us, but what our life 'as named us."

"My money's on Bill," Eddie accused almost playfully as he glared at Bill who was currently marching up and down the deck with his nose high in the air.

"It was Cutthroat and Horse. I'm sure of it." George said with certainty, ignoring the quarrel around him.

"I'm sure Horse was with the Cap'n." Eddie pointed out. "And I don' think the Cap'n's done this."

"Well maybe not Horse, then-"

"Maybe it were North." Jack said, looking down at the ship and watching North walk away from Boat and Rummy.

"To be honest, he does strike me for being very ungen'lemanly." Dogger said eyeing him.

Ruddigar looked down. "I have to be goin'," he explained suddenly and began to climb down. "If I don't get to my chores, I think I'll be left at the next port."

Dogger watched him go. "Gen'lemen, do ye think it'd be interesting to follow our dear friend Ruddigar?"

"He wasn't killed above deck, so we go below." Robert said as he walked through the bowels of the ship. He was walking by the cannons where Tom spent most of his days. "Split up, look for clues."

Robert began to look at the cannons and the surfaces around them, looking for spots of blood, or perhaps broken glass to show signs of a struggle. The search lasted for a few minutes, each looking at different sides of the room. Then Robert came upon the gunpowder and the blanket where Tom had slept. It was covered with powder and was right beside the wall. There was no blood, but-

Robert looked closer near the ground, in the wall there was a small notch that led into the room. Light streamed in. Robert leaned down and looked through, it led into the cabin where everyone slept. It was a good hole to spy through, Robert thought. Then he felt something on his hand which he had placed on the blanket.

"Stede, come here." He called over and the two men came over to him. Robert held his hand up. It was wet with blood. He quickly pulled the blanket off the ground and there was a puddle of blood, and in the middle of it was a knife that they recognized, the knife belonging to Mad Eye Joe.

"Why would he be so sloppy? Leavin' the body, leavin' the knife . . . ?" Red asked them, confused.

"Maybe they were buyin' time." Horse muttered in alarm.

"For what?" Robert asked.

"Ship off the port bow! She's comin' up fast!" Jack's call sounded and almost immediately Bill was ringing the bell, repeating the call.

"On deck! Now!" Robert called and the men ran to the exit, but not before grabbing the knife.

"Nothin's here!" North yelled quietly at Ruddigar as the two rummaged through the Captain's cabin. "Maybe he's wrong! Maybe the Cap'n don' know where the island is."

"O' course he does!" Ruddigar snapped back. "My father knows him better than anyone else. My father knows that he-"

The two heads jerked up and saw Dogger standing before them.

"My, my North. Get lost again?" He asked with a smile.

North's face flushed red with anger. "Don't call me that anymore Jim!"

"Ah, so I was right."

"What about, ya bleedin' moron!?!" North demanded.

"First names are on'y for friends and enemies . . . And seeing as how ye're not my friend." Dogger drew his cutlass.

"There is a conspiracy going on here! Morgan! Steer us away from that ship!" Robert yelled once on deck, his quartermaster and first mate following swiftly behind. All the men seemed to be accounted for in front of them.

"Aye, aye Cap'n!" Rummy yelled, on his feet once more.

"Joseph Miller, step forward and claim yer knife!" Horse yelled at the crowd, they parted and Mad Eye stepped forward and sneered.

"I'd like to say, for the record, tha' it may have been my knife to do the biding, but it was not my hand."

"Then, do ye know who killed Thomas?" Horse asked, not really believing him.

"Ya did it ya scurvy bastard!" Boat yelled from the sidelines. Mad Eye glared at him, his eyes almost right out of his head. He laughed at him.

"Ye want to know who did it then!?!" Mad Eye screamed and laughed as he did so. He brought his hand up to point, but never had to reveal the killer, because right then Mad Eye fell to the ground, a bullet hole in his head and all eyes turned to Seaworthy Simon who held his fire arm ready.

No reaction could be made because all heads turned to face a new sight and sound. It was Ruddigar being thrown out of the Captains cabin, holding his cutlass before him. Then Dogger and North followed, deep into a fencing match. North was red and furious, Dogger seemed to be laughing. The two fenced over to the middle of the crowd and then another gunshot sounded out and in the confusion North tackled Dogger with a short yell.

Dogger looked up as North climbed off of him at the musket held to his head. "Well this is interesting." He muttered.

"Simon, what is the meaning of this!?!" Robert yelled at his coxswain.

"Isn't it obvious Robert?" Simon asked, looking up at his long time friend. "Cap'n Riley has an island full o' gold out there and ye know where it is!"

"You're mad."

"No, he was mad," Simon's head jerked toward Mad Eye. "I'm just yer average pirate."

"You're a traitor."

"Oh please. Don't grow a moral system all o' the sudden Robert."

Ruddigar and North took their firearms out and were holding them ready beside their leader who still had Dogger on the ground. The other men looked around suddenly questioning if they were more loyal to gold than to their Captain.

"Cap'n! The ship!" Jack yelled from above and suddenly ropes were being thrown on the side of the ship and men were swinging over, cutlass' and muskets emerged, but the crew of the Phantom did not resist because they knew they were outnumbered.

"Ah, my men have arrived for me!" Simon said with a sickening smile, then he grabbed Dogger by the collar and pulled him to his feet, the musket to his head and his arm wrapped around his body. "Now listen up! The rest o' you mangy crew are not invited with us!" He turned to Robert. "You are, Cap'n."

"I won't tell you anything." Robert said without any expression on his face, but his eyes were locked onto Dogger.

"Oh, you don' have to tell me a thing Cap'n! But if that's the case, I'll have to blow the Spaniard's brains out - and I know you have a certain fondness for the half breed."

Dogger felt a great sense of hatred swell up inside of him toward Simon, a man who he had known his entire life and never seen him under such a light. He was threatening his crew, his Captain, his self. And now he was insulting him . . .

But he dared not fight back, because his curiosity wouldn't let him. What if Robert did know of Riley's island? What if they go to dig for treasure? It was certainly worth letting the disgusting man fondle him for a few minutes. So Dogger stood there rather expressionless and rather anxious to set sail.

"Simon, don't be a fool," Robert said, mocking him.

"Oi lads! Get to the other ship!" Jack yelled and fired his musket. Suddenly one of Simon's men fell and instantly all hell broke lose. Dogger hesitated, still wanting to see this treasure and in that second, Simon used the butt of the musket to knock him out.

Cutthroat Red and Horse fought like unleashed beasts. Musket in one hand, cutlass in the other, they cut through the strangers like a knife through butter. Jack grabbed a rope and went sailing across to the other ship where he began fencing as well. He was quickly joined by the twins.

"Jack! What are we goin' to this ship for!?!" Eddie asked as he sliced through a man.

"Our rudder's broken! Remember!?!"

"Oh right!" George smiled wickedly as he shot a man.

"Get him below!" Yelled Simon and Ruddigar and North grabbed a hold of Dogger's legs and started dragging him below deck. "Robert! Will ye come quietly!?!"

Robert drew his sabre.

"Even better." Simon grinned.

The two began to fence.

"Ye coming!?!" Boat asked Red and he cut through a man and ran past him toward the port side.

"Just go!" Red yelled, Boat didn't look back.

"Set sail! Set sail!" Some of Simon's men began yelling, some in glee with the thought of taking the fastest ship in the Caribbean.

Rummy and Bill were the last to come over. Bill seemed extremely distressed at what was going on around him, and so Rummy found himself fighting most of the men around them. And then the Phantom began to pull away as the six men defeated those around them and saw Cutthroat Red and Horse fall beneath the other men.

Simon and Robert were still fencing as the six of them continued shooting at the Phantom.

"Dogger and the Cap'n are still onboard!" Bill cried in even more dismay.

"They can take care o' 'emselves." Rummy said and to his great distress found no rum beside him.

"We have to follow 'em," Eddie said.

"We 'ave to wait. If they sees us followin', they'll be sure to steer 'er away from the island. We need surprise to be with us when we attack." Jack explained, his full plan coming to view in his mind.

"I think I should be in charge here," Bill spoke up, but nobody listened to him.

"And when do we attack?" Asked Boat.

"When they've got the treasure."

Simon and Robert continued fencing, ignoring the men around them as they began to sail away from the other ship.

"You fool!" Robert yelled with a smile. "You know our rudder's broken. You'll never get away from them!"

Simon parried Robert's lunges and managed to cut Robert's arm.

"I admit that things are not goin' as I had planned 'em." Simon snarled back, then pushed forward and pinned Robert against the mast, their blades locked together mere inches from Robert throat. "But I got you, and I got yer boy and from the looks of it," Simon turned to look at the ship becoming smaller behind them. "Yer crew's decided that there are more important things than their 'Captain'."

Robert pushed back suddenly and almost threw Simon to the ground, but he stayed standing and the two began to fight up and down the deck. It was obvious though that Simon had the upper hand as he continued to mark up Robert's arms. Robert began to slow down, pain searing through his arms, though Simon dared not kill him, because they needed his mind to take them to the island.

Then Robert tripped on some rope and fell, Simon's cutlass hanging above his throat.

"Now will ye come quietly?" Simon's face sneered down at the man.

Robert said nothing.

"Now, ye'll tell me where Riley's safehold is or I'll go down there and kill yer boy like I killed Tom."

"What makes you think I even know where it is?"

Simon laughed. "Robert, I've known ye for fifteen years. Ye've mentioned before the island where Captain Riley would often take ye. Now tell me."

"Fine. I'll tell you, and you let the boy be."

Simon laughed. "Raise the Jolly Roger!" He ordered and some men began hoisting down Robert's black flag with a cutlass and it was replaced with Simon's red flag with a skull over a time glass. Skull for death, time glass for soon, red for no mercy.

"You alive Dogger?"

"... Define alive . . . " Dogger mumbled, there was a searing pain in his head and noise and speaking didn't seem to help it one bit.

"Yeah, ye're good." The voice came again, and this time Dogger recognised it as Ruddigar.

Dogger's eyes snapped open and he sat up, the events leading up to this flooding into his mind. "Have we set sail?" He asked rather eagerly. He looked about, he was still on the Phantom, though now he was chained to the mast below decks.

"Set sail?" Ruddigar was sitting at the table beside him. He looked confused as all hell. "Are ye mad? Ya want to be here?"

Dogger shrugged. "No more or less than ye do, one supposes."

"Well what I wants don't matter in this, do it? My father makes my mind for me."

"Well, not good to let yer father run yer life. Say," Dogger began anew without skipping a beat. "I've heard ye mention this father earlier today. It's odd though, I don't remember yer havin' one."

"Everyone has a father Dogger, even you do."

"Perhaps, but who's this father of yers now?"

Ruddigar paused, stared at Dogger then sighed. "Simon."

"Seaworthy Simon?"

Ruddigar nodded.

"Simon Ruddigar then?"

Ruddigar nodded again.

Dogger stared him over intently, then leaned back against the mast. "Well, ye have the look of yer mother."

"What?"

"Well Seaworthy Simon has the look of a pig, but ye look more like a disease infested whore, and something tells me that's the on'y woman who'd sleep with Seaworthy Simon."

"Shut yer trap Spaniard!"

"Ooo, I quiver."

Ruddigar took out his musket.

"Come now, ye can't kill me, or else Robert will never tell ye where the island is." Dogger smiled and blew him a kiss.

Ruddigar put his musket on the table. "Ye ain't worth my time."

"Ye've never been worth mine. I don't suppose the Cap'n's about? Is he?"

"Aye, he is. But he's Cap'n no more."

"I guess he's just the Black Phantom now."

"He'll be a Phantom soon enough."

"Huh, perhaps. And the others?"

"Jumped to the other ship."

"Prisoners?"

"No, they took it."

"Ah. Has it yet occurred to ye what a bad idea this is?"

"It's working out so far."

"Is it? Ye've stolen a ship with a broken rudder and the other and faster ship has been taken by the men ye've just betrayed. Do ye really think they're going to leave ye alone?"

"They're not following us, I doubt they'll come for the likes of you."

"No sire, not the likes of me, not even for Robert, but they will come for you and yer father and yer mates! And what is most important, they will come for yer gold." Dogger flashed him a grin and a wink. "Think on that."

The storm hit quickly that night. The clouds came almost out of nowhere.

"Set sail men!" Jack called out from his new nest. "We'll sneak up on 'em in the storm."

"I should be in charge! I should be in charge!" Bill called out, holding onto the rail for dear life as the boat rocked about and sheets of rain fell onto him.

"Shut it Master Bill!" George yelled as he past by him laughing, shoving him to the deck.

"When we get the Cap'n back, ye're all going to pay for this!" Bill yelled, and continued to yell but most of his screams were drowned out by the storm.

George climbed up the sails to help Eddie.

"I really wish he had been with 'em!" George yelled. "Then we could drag him beneath the ship!" He added with a spark in his eyes, quite reminiscent of Mad Eye's look.

"Look at it this way! If we run out of food, we can eat him!" Eddie yelled back and the two roared with laughter as they continued to work on the rigging.

"We could lose 'em!" Boat yelled to Rummy.

"No we won't!" Rummy yelled, wielding the helm like it was a part of him.

"Especially with no rum!"

"We'll find that ship and get our rum back!"

"AYE! AYE!"

"What will we do with a drunken sailor, what will we do with a drunken sailor-?"

"Shut up Jim!" North yelled, holding onto a table to keep for sliding back and forth across the ship as it rocked.

"Wey! Hey! And up she rises! Wey! Hey! And up she rises! Hey! Ho!-"

"JIM!!!"

"EARLEY IN THE MORNING!!!"

"I'm going to kill him! I'll cut his throat wide open! THEN LET'S SEE HIM SING!!!" North yelled, his face red with anger.

"Can't shut him up!" Ruddigar yelled back. "Dogger lives for this!"

"Hoist him aboard with a runnin' boyline!!!"

One of the men came down.

"We need help up on deck! The rudder's not holding out too well!"

"We can't leave him!" North yelled, pointing towards the still singing Dogger.

"I don't think e's goin' nowhere!" The man yelled and then the three of them climbed up on the deck.

Dogger's head swung over to the table where Ruddigar's musket still lay. He smiled.

"Master Bill, get up on deck!" Boat called down below the deck after several hours had past and a second day was upon them.

"Stop calling me that!" Bill shriek up at him.

"What shall ye have me call ye then?" Eddie asked as Bill's head popped up.

"Something not so condescending!"

"Ooo, big word Bill."

"Oh shut up! Shut up the lot of ye! I'm only here because there was no where else to go!"

"No where else to run, ain't that what ye mean?"George asked.

"How dare you! I am not a coward!"

"Ye're barely a pirate!" George snapped back.

Bill drew his cutlass. George drew his musket.

"Do you have no honour?" Bill asked.

"Honour is not a word commonly used with pirates."

Bill put his cutlass back in its sheath. "It should be." He snapped and walked away to the helm.

"Jack! See the ship still?!" Rummy yelled up at Jack.

"Aye! I see somethin' else as well!"

"What then?"

"I see land!"

The five men on the deck looked at each other with anticipation.

"I didn' think it'd be so close!" Boat exclaimed happily.

"Where abouts are we?" Bill asked, looking at Rummy.

"Well, we was somewhere south o' Haiti before, and we've been a-headin' east. So..."

"Nowhere," Boat said.

"Aye, we're in the middle of nowhere lads."

"Well not really nowhere," Eddie began. "We have just found Riley Island... I think."

"All hands are on deck Jack?" Simon asked his son, looking over the men.

"Aye, aye Cap'n."

"Hello sire, lovely day for treasure huntin'," Dogger greeted Simon with a pleasant smile.

"I hope ye know that ye'll on'y live 'till we've found the treasure."

"Much obliged sire." Dogger nodded his head, North kicked him. "Well that was uncalled for."

"Prepare the longboats! We're goin' ashore!" Simon walked up to Robert all smiled. "You first, Robert."

"They still don't know we're here, so we go around the north'un cove and stay out of sight." Jack explained as he loaded his musket.

"Are we goin' to follow 'em onto shore?" Boat asked.

"No, we wait 'ere, ready our arms, and once they leave 'er, we sail out and take the Phantom back!"

"We're only six, they're bound to leave more on the ship. There was over twenty of them," Bill reminded them, nearly horrified at the thought of going into battle.

"Yeah, but we've already took some out. We'll attack 'em, and I won't rest 'till each man on that ship is dead... Cap'n and Dogger excluded o' course. If we see 'em floatin' 'round we'll pick 'em up."

The island was small and one could understand why so many ships could pass it by. It was a great mass of black rocks, many cliffs and no trees and there could be several ships around the cove and you'd never see them. There were ten men in all rowing towards it, five in each boat, nine had been left behind on the ship.

"There's a cave we must enter, on the south side," Robert explained once they were in the longboat. Their ship was on the west side of the island, and they were now rowing around it.

"I do so hope that this journey has not been in vain," Simon said, holding his musket towards Dogger.

"Ye must believe that I am in the same mind as ye sire, though perhaps I don't wish my death nearly as much as ye do." Dogger replied, looking at the musket unamused.

The longboats came up to the island and began to row into her bowels. There were several caves along the shore, but Robert assured them that this was the right one to go in. The men began lighting torches because of the fading light and soon found themselves in a glittering cave. And then the cave widened and the boats came onto a shore.

Almost instantly the men were out of the boats, pulling them out and readying themselves for the treasure hunting, axes and picks held high. Robert came out slowly, dreading what was to come. Dogger did not move.

"Move it Swabbie," North sneered at him.

"This has all been a very magical and interesting trip, but I think I'll stay here." Dogger explained with a nervous smile.

North put the musket to his head. "Move Jim."

Dogger stood up shakily, his hands chained together a little over a foot apart, making them not very helpful as far as standing was concerned.

"Go on ahead North, I've got him," Ruddigar said, pushing Dogger out of the longboat. North put away his firearm and followed the rest of the men down the cave. "Come on Dogger." He ordered softly, pushing him ahead.

Dogger stumbled as he walked, tripping, falling into walls. Ruddigar was becoming increasingly frustrated with him, and then Dogger fell to his knees and began to empty his stomach. Ruddigar turned away in disgust.

"What's the matter with ye Dogger? I ain't never seen ye sick once in my life!"

Dogger looked back at him, whipping his face with his left sleeve. "Alas, I jus' don't have my land-legs."

"Ye're just bein' a prat-" Ruddigar came forward and grabbed his left arm to pull him up. Then he felt something pushed into his stomach. He looked down and saw Dogger had a musket in his right hand... a very familiar musket.

"Lose something?"

Simon and his men heard the gunshot distantly as they trekked through the caves. All went silent and turned around. Then it was shortly followed by another shot.

"Jack," Simon whispered under his breath. He sounded near concerned, but then he turned back to the rest. "Come, we best get this done with fast."

"But Ruddigar-" North began.

Simon shot him a glare. "Two shots tends to mean one of 'em is dead. We'll know soon enough which one it was." Then he turned and with the rest of the men followed Robert.

North looked back for a few seconds and then continued on with the rest. If it was Ruddigar who had been shot, Dogger would soon follow him. There was nowhere to go.

There was nowhere to go, but forward. Dogger quickly reloaded the musket and looked down at his bonds.

"This will not do," he commented silently. Then he held the gun toward his left wrist, and aimed towards the chain rather than his flesh. He made sure he was aiming right and then closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath he pulled the trigger.

The metal warmed up, seared his skin, and then fell lose. The lock was broken. Not wanting to waist more shots, he wrapped the chain around his right arm and grabbed Ruddigar's cutlass, noting that he would not be needing it anymore. Then he walk on through the dark, not wanting to pass up finding the treasure.

Simon and his crew were not far ahead, Dogger could easily follow them from the excited whispering on how much treasure they would find. And so he began to walk down through the cold caves, stumbling as he went, always a few feet away from them, not too sure what his plan was for when the found the treasure. For now he was simply playing it by ear.

Then Dogger turned a corner and found before him the group of men in a circle. Their torches held high and their smiles wide. In the middle of them was not rock, but sand.

"Often we would sail by here to hide treasure, and when the coast was clear we'd come back to claim it," Robert explained softly.

"Alrigh' men! Dig!" Simon ordered and with a happy cheer the men began to dig their shovels and their picks into the sand.

Dogger waited until he was sure all the men were only paying attention to what was before them, and then began to creep around the room, always staying behind rocks. He was trying to get to the far side of the cave where there was a ledge looking over the room. If he could get up there then he'd see the treasure. He was so excited about seeing this treasure that he was grinning madly.

Once he reached the landing he climbed up and there his hand found something. He couldn't see it in the shadows, but it felt like a medallion on some sort of a thin chain. He almost giggled. There was the first of the treasure. Quickly he put it around his neck, under his shirt for protection, then he went to spy on the diggers.

He was sure that his crew mates would show up at any moment then, and they'd all fight these men, take the rest of the treasure from them and re-take the Phantom.

There was a happy end in his mind.

The nine men on the Phantom were resting in the sun when suddenly one man jumped up and yelled.

"Ship coming 'round the north'un bend!" He cried and in an instant the men were up and shouting orders as the other ship swooped in like the reaper from the north.

"Man the cannons!" Yelled one man, it was seemingly he who was in charge.

Four men then disappeared below the decks and began to drag the two cannons from the starboard to the port side which was pointing north.

"I don't believe mine eyes," one man whispered. "That's our ship!"

"Never ye mind that, grab yer musket!" The man in charge ordered, followed by: "Fire the cannons!"

The cannon balls began to fire, none of them yet hitting the other ship. Jack was up on the mast, his musket held ready.

"Bill, how many cannons are there?"

"Six, three on each side," Bill called up. "What does that matter?"

"We needs the cannons."

"What!?!" It wasn't just Bill who yelled that.

"We need the cannons!" And just to emphasize why, a cannonball hit their bow, almost taking their jib right off. Jack held onto the mast for all his life to not fall. "Now Bill!"

"You're talking about firing on the Phantom!" Bill yelled back, not budging from his spot.

"Man the cannons Bill!" Jack yelled as another cannonball hit them.

"Jack-"

"MAN THE CANNONS!!!" Jack yelled, his face becoming red with anger. He dropped to the deck and Bill shortly nodded and then headed below decks.

"Boat, Eddie, go with 'im," he ordered a tad more gently. "Aim for their cannons."

"Aye Cap'n," Eddie muttered and threw him his musket, Boat gave his to George and the two went under to load the cannons.

"Alright Rummy, take us astride the Phantom. Let's try to take her back."

"Aye Jack!" Rummy yelled, swinging the helm around and taking out his own musket.

"Ready boys!?!"

"ALWAYS!" George yelled, gleefully holding out his muskets ready.

Suddenly the ships were aside each other and George and Jack wasted no time in swinging over. The cannons still shot out from beneath them. The three men beneath deck found themselves ducking more than firing, but not before long their cannons were ringing out as well.

Above the decks on the Phantom firearms and cutlass' clashed. Almost instantly one of the men on the Phantom went down. It was four to three, and then there was a great explosion near the stern as one of the Phantom's cannons blew up, killing two of the men below. Suddenly the remaining two climbed up, covering in blood and gunpowder. Bill, Eddie and Boat came up as well and quickly swung over, taking out their cutlass'.

The four uninjured men then swung off of the Phantom and everyone but George went after them. George ran past the injured men and into the bowels. He needed to see how much damage had been dealt to his ship. Once down there he saw a substantial hole on the port side of the ship and there was a small fire that he immediately put out before it found its way to the gunpowder. Luckily all the damage was above the water level. George smiled at that, she would still sail.

Rummy was the first to go down, least experienced with a cutlass. He was stabbed and fell, and the others moved on, not being able to stop for him.

"Ye bastards!" Boat yelled as he cut into the man he fought.

One of the men then grabbed onto a rope and swung around the mast, kicking Eddie in the back, he was pushed forward and his head hit some wood. He fell down.

Outnumbered now, the men moved in on them, not giving them any time to breath or to gather their thoughts. To their ultimate surprise, Bill was the best with a blade - when he wasn't scared it seemed - and at that moment seemed to have gathered all his courage together and fought like a true pirate.

Boat then lunged at his man and stabbed him in the arm, he yelled and his cutlass fell, but before Boat could finish him off the man's free arm swung out and punched him. Boat stumbled back, dropping his own cutlass and holding his nose. The man didn't relent, he continued to send blow after blow onto him.

Jack found himself being forced up the stairs to the helm because the man he faced gave such an onslaught. Jack felt sure he would be slashed at any moment, but his feet didn't give out and soon Jack was smiling.

"Ye know," he said as the man's blade swung to his head, he ducked down and it became embedded in the wood behind him. "They don't call me Quick Jack for nothin'."

The man's eyes went wide with pain as Jack slid his own cutlass through the man's stomach, but he did not scream. Then slowly he fell to his knees. Jack took a deep breath and then ripped his cutlass out and jumped over the railing to help Bill. The man who had been fighting Boat had vanished, and Boat lay on the deck unconscious.

"Bill!" Jack yelled happily in greeting. "Great to see ye again!"

"Wish I could say the same!" Bill yelled back as he lunged at the man before him, but he parried.

The four fencers continued on for some minutes until suddenly Jack felt a blade stab him in his side. He doubled over in pain and then the man's foot connected with his face and he fell onto Bill. Bill grabbed onto him and tried to steady himself, but he found himself falling backwards... into the open hatch leading below decks.

The two remaining men looked at each other and smiled.

"Best we go 'elp Josh get the other one," one sneered and the two swung over back to the Phantom where their mate, Josh, was waiting on the deck.

Rummy pushed himself up on one elbow, his one hand over his wound. He couldn't move, he could only watch as the men disappeared to go after George.

"Is someone awake!?!" He yelled.

From by the mast Eddie started to get up.

Below the decks George heard everything go quiet. He had nothing on him but his musket, and held it ready as he started hearing footsteps above him. Someone had won. He began walking for the exit when suddenly a man jumped down. George didn't know him.

George raised his musket and suddenly two men jumped down as well, all had cutlass' raised and ready.

"One shot, no blade... could take one of ye at least..." George muttered almost to himself as he started backing up, the men advancing on him were smiling. Then to George's his great disappointment he realised that both the hole and the hatch were cut off to him. "My shipmates?"

"Dead on the other ship."

George looked around for a quick second.

"Bugger," he mumbled, pointed his gun at the gunpowder and pulled the trigger.

One of the men's picks hit something, he looked up excitedly. All the men got down on their knees then and began to dig at the dirt with their hands. Everyone who wasn't digging leaned in expectantly and then it was uncovered.

Rock.

Nothing but rock.

"Robert," Simon hissed, turning around and pulling his musket out. "What is the meanin' o' this!?!"

Everyone looked up shocked and angry. Dogger's jaw dropped. All this searching and killing and then there was nothing? Had Robert led them astray? Had there never been a treasure? Only one man knew for sure, and he was dead somewhere.

"You asked me to lead you to Riley's safehold and here it is!" Robert said pointing to the ground.

"Ye know what I wanted!!!" Simon screamed, his hand shaking with fury.

"If you had asked for Riley's treasure I would have told you then: it doesn't exist! I knew Riley, he wouldn't leave a cent behind! That's why I didn't want to go looking for it!"

"Ye're lying!!! YE KNOW WHERE IT IS!!!"

"Ye know me better than anyone Simon. I'm not lying."

"NOOOOO!!!" Simon yelled in fury and pulled the triger.

Dogger almost fell of the ledge in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He couldn't believe that the two men he had known all his life had come to this. They had been friends, they had sailed together for fifteen years. Dogger had always regarded them as being close and now... And now the treachery of pirates was truly known to him. He suddenly realised that there was not one man he could trust.

Robert lay on the ground, blood flowing from a wound in his neck.

"We can comb the island, look down other caves for where the treasure might be," North began, but Simon cut him off with a glare. "No, it's over. Now let's go find my son."

Dogger couldn't contain himself anymore. This was more than he could endure. How could this man be so calm about killing Robert? He took out his cutlass and musket and then with a scream leapt down from the ledge firing his musket and killing a man, his blade pointing for Simon's heart. Simon reacted quicker than thought imaginable and soon the two blades were locked and the two men were glaring at each other.

"You killed him!" Dogger spat, pushing his cutlass forward with all his might.

"You take my son, I take yer father!" He replied, then the two began to fence.

Then the rest heard the cannons.

"Go protect the ship lads! This is my fight!" Simon yelled.

Five men left, dropping their digging tools and screaming curses the likes that Dogger and North had never heard. Dogger could recognize that each were out for blood. North stayed with his torch, but the two fencers ignored him as they went head on.

Simon was almost taken aback by his skill. He had known the boy almost all his life, him and Robert had taught him to fight and he never expected that he had gotten so good. Too good, Simon thought bitterly. He couldn't get one lunge in, couldn't even scratch him. He dodged or parried everything. He truly lived up to his name right then.

North watched on in horror. He instantly recognized what was happening. They seemed a match for each other. No, North thought to himself. He could see who the better swordsman was. Simon was old, tired, had been in many battles that had left him scared. Dogger was just the opposite.

Then what both North and Simon feared came to be and in an instant Simon's cutlass flew to the other side of the cave, knocked away from him. And Dogger pressed the tip of his blade into Simon's neck.

"Say hello to yer son in Hell for me!" He spat and pressed forward when suddenly a shot rung out. Dogger felt something hit the side of his head and realised that the bullet had hit the wall and shrapnel was hitting his face. He fell back in pain. "Ye prat! Ye filthy, filthy prat!" Dogger yelled, holding the right side of his face and he felt blood on his hand.

The two probably would have attacked him right then, but suddenly they heard an explosion and all three heads turned toward the cave entrance, shock on all their faces. Dogger took the interruption in their fight and ran off, down a different cave than they had entered.

He didn't look where he was going, his face was in pain and his mind in a disarray. He just knew that he had to get away for a moment, let himself gather his thoughts. He held his cutlass before him, so that he didn't run into a wall.

The cave then began to rise and Dogger noticed that he was beginning to see again. He was headed towards an opening. He stopped for a moment, caught his breath and listened. No one was following him. He put his cutlass on his sheath and began to climb up as it was going straight up. Light flooded over him and he squinted to see where he had come out.

Dogger had found his way to the top of the black island. To the west he saw smoke, and knew that his shipmates must have arrived, and he also knew that one of the ships must have been destroyed. He was about to go and see which one it had been, when something caught his eye. He was to the east end of the island, and over the edge he saw something rising a little south of him. A mast.

Pulling himself to his feet and walking towards it he began to notice that it wasn't moving. It must have waded anchor. Was it perhaps his ship mates? Had they sailed around the island? But so fast? Dogger began to run now, curiosity overcoming him. Finally he came to the end and his eyes fell upon a grand ship, the likes of which he had never seen. And a pirate ship for sure. At the top of the mast was a red flag, a Jolly Roger if he'd ever seen one. No one was on the deck.

Climbing down the side of the cliff looked far too tedious and slow for his likes. He looked towards the ship, it was close to the island, so it must be deep.

With a shrug Dogger backed up, then took a run for it. He came to the side and jumped off the edge. He felt like he was hanging in the air for en eternity, and then his feet hit the water and he submerged, happily not hitting any rocks or the bottom. He came back above the water and his head stung, the salt agitating his wounds.

He swam over to the ship and used the anchor climbed up the side until he was on deck. Total silence consumed him, and a stunning realisation hit him. This was Captain Riley's ship. This was the Fairway.

A thought entered his mind then. What if there was a treasure indeed, and rather than bury it, what if it had stayed here? After all, there had to be one treasure, he had already found a little piece of it. Then again, what if that piece had been dropped years ago? It had been in the complete dark after all...

Pushing the thought from his mind Doger walked quickly to the stern of the ship and opened the door to the Captain's cabin. He entered and found himself in a lush room with beautiful and fancy furniture and paintings on the wall. No treasure here, but there was a pretty penny to be fetched from all of this...

Dogger's thinking came to a halt and his breath was caught in his throat as he looked to the Captain's desk. There, as plain as day, and polishing his musket was Captain Riley. He was very thin, as if he hadn't eaten once since they had docked and his pale skin told Dogger that he probably hadn't left his cabin either. It seemed in all likeliness that he had gone mad.

"I don't appreciate intrusions, especially not from Spaniards."

Dogger stared at the man in disbeliefs for a few seconds and then gave him a nervous laugh. "I'm not a Spaniard," was all he could say.

Then Captain Riley raised his musket and shot him. Dogger stood there for a second more, and then fell to the ground unmoving.

Captain Riley sighed. "Now I have to start all over again," and he began to take his musket apart to re-clean it.

Eddie was just on his feet and stumbling towards the Phantom when it quite suddenly exploded before him. He was thrown back, hitting the mast once more. Blackness swam before his face, and then he heard Rummy screaming.

"GEORGE!!! GEORGE!!!"

There was movement around him then, someone was climbing up from below the deck. There was more yelling.

"No one could survive that!" Someone yelled in dismay and then Eddie's eyes snapped open as he suddenly understood what was being said.

George had been on the Phantom.

Fighting against the blackness Eddie struggled to his feet and someone grabbed his arm to steady him. "Edward, I'm sorry," someone said, using his full name.

"Sorry... sorry for what...?" Eddie asked, suddenly plagued by denial. He looked towards the burning ship before him, expecting George to climb up the side, a smile on his face as he explained what a close call that had been. But the only thing that changed was that the Phantom's mast fell in to the water.

Boat was awake then, watching the ship burn as well. Bill looked away and began to attend to Rummy's wounds, trying to ignore everything that was happening around them. The Phantom gone, George dead. Nobody knew yet the fate of Dogger and the Captain.

"Are you alright?" Bill asked Rummy.

"I could use a pint o' rum..." Rummy mumbled behind clenched teeth.

"I don't... I don't think I understand..." Eddie mumbled and suddenly his knees gave out and he fell to the deck. "I feel sick."

Jack shook his head is dismay and then looked towards the island, where he saw a longboat with five men headed towards them. "Can't ye give us a moment for God's sake!?!" Jack ran over to the man he'd killed and grabbed his musket. He aimed and fired.

One of the men in the boat died and then the other four pulled out their musket and began to fire at them. Bill ran up to Jack.

"We need to fire the cannons!" He yelled.

"Aye, and we need to set sail!" He added.

Bill then went down below the decks. Boat began to cut lose the ropes that were keeping them there and was quickly at the helm and slowly but surely the ship began to sail away. The cannons firing as they went, though it wasn't hitting the longboat. A few minutes later the ship was sailing away north, knowing that they might be marooning their shipmates with them, but knowing that they had no other choice.

With no other choice, the longboat began to row back the way it came, muttering more curses and swearing to God Himself that they would kill Seaworthy Simon for getting them into this mess in the first place with false promises of treasure and grandeur.

Once they had gotten back to the cave they found North and Simon rowing out of it.

One of the men stood up and raised his musket. "They're gone and they've destroyed the Phantom!" He shouted, his finger ready to pull the trigger.

"We've not been marooned!" Simon shouted back.

"Says you."

"Says the ship around the bend."

"What are ye talking about?" The man asked, lowering his musket a tad.

"Ye've heard the tale, haven't ye? Captain Riley came, nobody left. So it reasons to say that his ship's still here and the on'y place it can be is around that bend!" Simon yelled, pointing to the east.

"If there's no ship, I will shoot ya," the man reassured him.

"If there isn't ye might as well, we're all dead anyway," Simon muttered bitterly and then the two boats began to row around the bend and sure enough just as Dogger had those short moments ago, they came upon the Fairway in all here glory, just sitting there, ready to set sail once more.

"Funny his ship's here, but his treasure's missing," one of the men grumbled bitterly.

"I don't suppose a one of ye has thought that maybe the treasure's on the ship?" Simon asked, suddenly the men's faces lit up as they imagined all the gold in the bowels of the ship. They came up to it and quickly climbed up the side. The six of them looked around the silent ship.

"Alright, ye four go look below. North and I'll be checkin' the cabin," Simon ordered and began walking towards the cabin, his musket ready, North behind him.

The two men entered the cabin and came upon the same sight Dogger had. Captain Riley sitting in his lush cabin, cleaning his musket out.

"Dogger!" North yelled, looking towards the body on the ground.

"Well, that's convenient," Simon muttered with a cruel smile.

"I don't appreaciate intrusions," Captain Riley said, looking up.

"Oh shut it, ye barney prat," Simon growled and shot him in the head. Captain Riley slouched onto his deck, blood dripping onto his clean musket.

Simon crouched then and opened Dogger's coat, his shirt was covered in blood. "Poor bastard. Couldn't dodge a bullet, could ya?" Simon almost laughed.

Then the yells came. "Gold! GOLD!!!"

"Well, this is very convenient," Simon rose again, smiling widely.

The five remaining crew members of the Phantom sailed on in silence. Bill had taken Rummy below decks to care for his wounds, and after patching him up had returned above decks, quite sure that he would live.

Boat had continued steering the helm, and after some time of trying to speak with Eddie, Jack had given up and climbed back up to the nest. Eddie himself didn't move or speak, he just continued to stare out at sea, half of his soul ripped away. Everyone understood that he needed time to be alone.

But although they were willing to give them this time, Seaworthy Simon was not so considerate.

"Ship coming astern!" Jack yelled suddenly, and all eyes looked behind them and before long saw the mast of the Fairway behind them. "The reason I warn ye is so ye can get ready yer weapons! Now stop gawking and do so!" Jack yelled again and quickly everyone, but Eddie, began to bustle around, finding blades and loading muskets.

Bill went back below the decks to ready the cannons. There he handed Rummy two muskets so he could shoot anyone who came below decks as he worked.

Jack climbed back down to the deck and made ready some muskets of his own, he handed one to Eddie who took it without really acknowledging so.

"Think it's Simon and his crew?" Jack asked Boat, coming up beside him.

"They're coming from the south, aye, but they could be anyone."

"Their flag's red," Jack pointed out.

"Simon's not the on'y bastard with a red Jolly Roger."

"Yeah, there's also Captain Riley," Jack said with a wink. "This will be interesting."

"Cannons loaded!" Bill yelled up.

"Be ready to fire!" Jack yelled back down to him. "Fred," Jack turned to Boat, using his given name for the first time. "I think we should let 'em come aboard."

"What do ye mean Henry?"

"I mean, if it is Simon, there aren' very many. And that ship is certainly better than ours is at the moment."

Boat smiled. "I see."

"Bill! On deck now!" Jack yelled down, and Bill quickly climbed up.

"What then?" Bill asked, a little agitated.

"We've had a change of plans. Bring Rummy on deck."

The Fairway took off from Riley's island and not too long afterwards had their target ship in their sights once more. There were only six of them, but Simon was still sure that there were more of them. Their ship was in better shape, they had more weapons and men, and most importantly, more gold. This would be easy.

They were upon them then, and cannons from both sides began to shoot, though only theirs seemed to be hitting anything.

"Hello again!" Simon yelled over to them.

In response Jack fired his musket, just missing him, and Bill came up from below decks.

"Take 'em boys!" Simon yelled and swung over on a rope, North and three other men followed him. Bill, Jack and Eddie stood there and were instantly bombarded.

Bill once again outdid himself as far as the swordplay was concerned and went after Simon. He seemed a good match for them, though not as good as Dogger had been.

Eddie didn't take out his cutlass then, he pointed his musket and took one of the men down as he swung across over to him instead. Then with a craze in his eyes none of his mates had seen before he took out his blade and began to fight.

Jack lunged at one man, and when he parried Jack continued on through and then gracefully grabbed the rope and swung to the other side. The man followed him and when he landed on the side with his cutlass ready, a gunshot rang out and he fell. Boat stood beside him. Behind him the man they had left was dead, and Rummy was sitting at the side, shooting his musket. The Fairway was beginning to pull away.

Simon turned around then, his eyes went wide in shock and while he looked away Bill ran off, grabbed Eddie's arm and they both swung across to the Fairway. The other three shooting their muskets to make sure they couldn't follow.

Bill quickly found his way below decks and began to fire off the cannons. They could hear the three men cursing at them and they laughed. All except for Eddie who went right on cursing them.

"Bill!" Jack yelled

"Yes Cap'n Riley?" Bill asked with a smile, coming up from beneath the decks once they seemed a good distance from them.

"Did ye fire into 'er 'ull?"

"Aye, she'll be under water in half an hour," Bill said with a grin and the two began laughing.

"Eddie," Rummy said, trying to get him to stop screaming. "Eddie!" Nothing. "Edward Finnel shut yer bleeding yap!"

He shut up and looked over to Rummy.

"They're gone, there's no one left to shout at."

Eddie said nothing, he just kept staring at Rummy in distress.

"Jack! Ye best come in here!" Boat yelled from inside the Captain's cabin.

Jack quickly headed towards him, Bill following closely behind. "What is it?" He asked, then he entered. "Oh," he said, taken aback.

"It's Captain Riley," Bill said in wonderment.

"It's Dogger," said Jack, looking at the ground. Boat was crouched there, looking him over. Dogger's shirt was covered in blood, and so was half of his face.

"Oh Dogger..." He mumbled.

"Hm?" Came the quiet reply.

"Dogger!?!" Jack asked quickly and slowly one of Dogger's eyes opened.

"Now that was interesting," he whispered.

The other three men laughed in relief.

"How are ye alive?" Boat asked.

Dogger's hand came up and dipped into his shirt, he then pulled out a diamond medallion that had shattered, and there embedded in the back was a bullet.

"I don't believe it," Jack muttered.

"Then ye'll never believe what's in the bowels sire..."

And that was the year the Phantom fell.

(To read more about the adventures of the remaining Phantom crew, check out 'The Princess, The Pirate And The Musketeer'.)