Prologue

Captain Elizabeth SheVal more commonly know as Captain She, struck fear into those who had ever crossed paths with her, and even those who looked upon her name written in a book. She was a vixen, a cobra, a flower with thorns that has said to have lost her heart only to cut of the head of the offender and put it back into place, now with a heart not that of a human but of a god, a monster, or so the tales tell. Captain She disappeared on the fateful day before a hurricane, they say that in her fury she unleashed the unstoppable force to plague pirates cove. Over 5,000 men died on that day their lives lost in the furry of Captain She, the survivors of that fateful night swear to this day to have seen her silhouette laughing on the docks. Her waist long silver hair dancing wildly around her with her arms spread wide, embracing the power of thehurricane behind her, damming those on shore and out at sea to an unspeakable death. Those left alive would say that her eyes glowed red with her last triumph almost as if the devil himself spat her back out of hell. Captain SheVal was never seen again but the fear lived on in her legacy, the legacy of a single son with silver white hair and eyes so dark they resembled the pits of hell of which Captain She could look out of waiting for the perfect moment to strike, or so the legend says.

The truth is not as glamorous, not as forbidding but the fact still remains, Captain SheVal did not have a heart fit for a human, she was cold even to her own son who was a mere shadow her expectations, and of his true abilities held back only by his will to lead a normal life.

This is their story, not the legend of Captain She and her rein, rather the story of Captain She and her son, Dominick.

Chapter 1

Captain She looked down at the man below her; he was cringing with pain but dared not to cry out, afraid that he would be in worse pain than he already suffered if he did. The man had shaggy uncut hair that fell below his shoulders; he had various scares across his face and a patch covering an eye, his lips trembled in pain as Captain She circled the bed he laid on. The man had his left hand wrapped tightly in a bandage that had begun to unravel, relieving two bloody nubs in place of his leftmost fingers, the tissue around the numbs had a greenish black look to them and Captain She could tell right away that infection had set in and in time gangrene would take over.

“Good sir,” Captain She started in her educated voice flipping her silver hair out of her face, “I have good news and bad news for you,” a devilish smile crawled over her thin lips as her eyes leapt with amusement of the man’s pain. “Tell me, which would you rather hear first,” the captain’s voice rang high in a delicate pitch that almost soothed the man’s nerves, almost.

“Captain,” the man said in a shaky voice that was husky with rum and alcohol, Captain She’s smile disappeared in an instant, if there was one thing that she hated, it was men aboard her ship that drank rum. “Tell me what I need to know.”

“Thebad news is that you will only loose your hand,” Captain She’s smile slowly found its place once again as she started circling the bed once more until she was looking into the mans good eye with her ice blue eyes that seemed to hold no warmth. “And thegood news,” she started slowly in a low and dangerous voice, “is that if you bleed to much on my deck, I will personally throw you overboard for the sharks to feast upon.” With that she let her smile grow wider as she watched the mans eye grow wide with terror, still daring not to breath that of a whimper. Captain She stood up straight looking around the crew’s quarters once more seeing for the first time two or three crew members sitting on their beds with timid looks plastered on their faces.

Captain She slowly walked up to the closest man, letting her eyes scan his entire body almost as if sizing him up, “are the decks clean,” she asked while inspecting her nails with a bored expression on her face once again.

“Yes Captain,” the man said, he was a one of the younger men on board; he was rather attractive, not one scare marring his face yet, although, he was still unaccustomed to sea life under Captain SheVal’s ever-watchful eye. Glancing at the ground lazily, Captain She inspected the clean floor with an irritated look.

“Give me your hand,” Captain she said as the man did so reluctantly, Captain She observed his fingers had not yet developed calluses, she made clicking sound with her tongue as she tightened her hold on the mans hand. “Laziness is not permitted on my ship,” the captain explained as she used her other hand to draw a dagger from where it hung at her side, immediately the man tired to pull his hand back but the captain had a firm grip on it that tightened with his efforts. “If I catch you slaking off again,” Captain She explained as she brought the dagger to his skin just below his shoulder running it lightly against his skin watching as a small trickle of blood appeared and the mans mouth opened in a silent scream. “I will make you a mess for you to clean up, and you will scrub the desks until your fingers turn raw, am I understood?” the smile once again found her face as the man nodded his head. “Good,” Captain She said as she seethed her dagger and reached into pocket retrieving three gold coins, “for being such a good example.” She said as the man glanced around the room finding it empty with only the exception of the man lying on his bed cringing in pain, Captain She placed the coins in the mans hand she still held before giving him one more smile before she turned to leave.

Making her way to the main deck, she breathed in the salty air and watched as her crew danced about the ship performing their chores, some singing a song or whistling as they moved about. The wind moved about the ship almost as if it were dancing with the crew, the wind tickled her as it lifted her hair so it too joined in with the dance.

Looking up Captain She could see Dominick hanging off the main mast with a telescope in hand searching every angle of the sea until finally he was convinced that their was no land to be seen, his loose white shirt was blowing in the breeze revieling a dark blue tattoo underneath.

“Dominick get down here,” Captain She called in an almost shrewd voice, Dominick was her third child, the first two, a boy and a girl, were miscarriages. Because of this, she was strict with him almost more so than the crew, teaching him the skills he needed to take over her post as captain from as early as seven. Now he was seventeen, a fine young man reaching 6’1 in height. Dominick glanced down as his mother with a sigh as he folded the telescope back into its compact shape and grabbed hold of a rope dangling from the mast and with out a second thought jumped down, swinging so he just barely missed the foremast before hitting the deck.

Elizabeth looked at her son, he looked so much like her; they shared the same silver blond locks although his hair was cut at his shoulders and brushed lazily out of his face that was deeply tanned from being under the sun for so long. He had long black eyelashes that framed his deep-set dark brown, almost black eyes and a firm square jaw. His full lips were a light rosy red that almost screamed to be admired, Elizabeth hated to admit it but even she was jealous of his beauty, as she watched him grow she could not help but feel more than love for a son towards Dominick although she dared not act on her feelings, even she was above incest.

“Dominick go fetch the cook and tell him that there is a man who needs his hand amputated,” Captain She said as she pinched her fingers on the bridge of her nose. “And tell him not to make a mess,” she finished as Dominick nodded his head while rolling the sleeves to his loose white shirt once again so it came just below his elbow.

“Anything else,” Dominick asked in a bored manner as he brought his head up and stared into her ice blue eyes seeing that she was having a bad day.

“No, but if you bother me before tomorrows dawn I might be forced to assign you to skut for the rest of the week.” Captain She said, her steady gaze not flinching once, Dominick once wondered if she was completely heartless, he had never seen her mourn the death of a close friend, not even Dominick’s father; after awhile you grow used to it.

Dominickcould still remember the day when he was ten years old, slowly creeping out of the Captain’s quarters after a raid on anther ship that lay burning not to far off. He walked the decks seeing the many dead, searching for his mother and father, but could find neither among the living. He then turned to the pile of corpses and there his father lay, cold but not yet dead, he smiled when he saw Dominick a twinkle in his eye, instantly he ran to find his mother, finding her in the lower quarters with the crew gloating over their booty. He screamed for her help and she ran hurriedly after him thinking that the ship was once again under siege only to find her husband. She smiled ever so slightly, as she walked around him examining his wounds, her smile never faltered, not once even when she ordered he be sunken with a cannon ball strapped to feet. She did that with all the men who were in either critical condition or were among traitors of the ship, Dominick stared in horror as he watched his father sink below the surface, she didn’t bow her head or whisper a final pray for him she just stood there with her smile on her cruel face watching him go away. Dominick stared at his father and on his face was the same smile, but his was a sad one, one of regret, maybe of marrying Elizabeth, maybe because he knew he would die. Seeing it almost tore Dominick’s heart out.

Dominick hardened his gaze as he watched his mother turn towards her Cabin, wondering if she would strap a cannon ball to his feet if he ever got hurt and watch him as he slowly sank to the pits of the bottomless ocean.

Turning sharply on his heal Dominick headed towards the kitchen to fetch the cook, hoping that his mother would at least permit the man to have a bottle of rum to kill the pain.

As Dominick entered the kitchens the groups of men seemed to hush their voices or stop talking altogether, the men had been doing it a lot lately, even his friends seemed to be avoiding him. His mother said it was because they were jealous of his position, but his friends had never cared before, why now?

A part of his thought it was because they were plotting something, but even if they were, Dominick wasn’t sure he would tell his mother, she would just kill them and life would go on, at least this way, after Captain She killed the traitors during their uproar she might reconsider her actions.

Dominick lightly bumped into someone, but dismissed it until he felt two hands on his back pushing him forward, Dominick slowly caught his balance before turning around and glaring at the man or boy really who had pushed him.

Brooks; a man just eight years older than himself at twenty-five who was taken from his village at the age of five by Captain SheVal, for three years she acted as his mother, teaching him everything she could, that was until she became pregnant for the third time. She had stopped spending as much time with Brooks, being she was always temperamental and her husband, Dominick’s father- Seth- would stand by her side night and day with his dagger at ready.

When Dominick was born, Brooks was tossed in with the rest of the crew and Captain SheVal forgot about him. He, still having sore feelings, always picked on Dominick.

“Watch your step Dominick,” Brooks growled as his eyes flashed with anger, the men around him drew back slightly as he took a step towards Dominick.

“I will, thank you for always looking after me,” Dominick replied knowing that Brooks would merely snort before going back to what he was doing. Sure enough, he did, but not before, he let out a deep, low growl. Dominick would have laughed at how easily the man's mood could change but he held his tongue, the last thing he wanted to do was get in another fight. Last time, Captain She got wind of it and made Dominick and the man fight until death, it did not take long for Dominick to kill his first man, it was rather quick actually, that was when he was twelve. After that, people became wary of him and would more likely than not ignore him to avoid the fate of that man he had killed that had bee almost three times his size.

Dominick shock his head before turning once again to fetch the cook- a rather large man that doubled as the doctor on board. Dominick found him quickly in the kitchens as always, surrounded by questionable meats that he never named and a variety of chopped vegetables that seemed to have gone brown with age and potatoes that would undoubtedly go into a stew- a watery stew, it always was.

"There is a man in the crew's quarter’s that needs his hand amputated," Dominick resisted dully as the man's eyes light up with anticipation, now if your wondering, this man, the cook on board was a very strange man, he, despite his warm and welcoming attitude, loved pain almost as much as Captain She herself... almost. But as it was said so many times before, Captain She did not have a heart fit for a human, and she herself would be the first to admit it.

The cook grabbed his meat cleaver from where it laid wedged in the cutting board, tucking the knife into his belt he grabbed a variety of other knifes, and cleavers all equally large and intimidating. Dominick would have questioned why the cook would have need for so many knives, that their seemed to be two of each, but he had seen the cook chop off a number of limbs with one clean stroke from his cleaver, and did not feel like giving him a reason to lash out at him.

The cook ambled away, his knives tucked in every fold of his cloths and even cradled in his arms, Dominick should have been suspicious then of what might come to pass, but he merely shook his head and called after the cook. "Captain She said not to make a mess," the cook looked back, but rather than seeing a disappointed look like he should have seen, their was a mischievous glint to them, almost that of anticipation. If Dominick had not caught on to why the cook would need so many knives, he should have caught on when the cook didn't cry out in displeasure, but he didn't, he merely scratched the back of his head and followed the cook up the stairs.

As they arrived on the deck, Dominick was slightly surprised when he found not a soul upon it, not singing their marry tune or swinging from the riggings, it was almost like walking onto a ship that had been plundered and every person tossed over board. Again, Dominick should have seen the foreshadowing but he merely grabbed the nearest rope he could find and pulled him self up, one hand after another until he was at the top most mast looking down at the deck below.

The cook quickly shuffled into the crew's quarters closing the door behind him, Dominick did not think much about this as he pointed his face in the direction of the setting sun. The cool nights breeze tickling his skin as he breathed a sigh of contentment, listening keenly to the movement down below in the crews quarters, expecting to hear a blood-curdling scream at any moment now.

However none came, only the sound of hurried footsteps and hushed voices, it wasn't until he heard the sound of a knife drop and the sound of at least three people cursing did Dominick even begin to think something was up. He cursed himself quietly as he once again found the thick strong rope in his hands and slid down to the deck silently, walking nimbly towards the captain's quarters.

With a timid knock, Dominick waited for his mother to answer the door, however, she merely threw an object towards the door where it shattered and fell to the ground. Dominick, his heart beating faster now, knocked harder, hearing more muffled protests as undoubtedly hid her head under her pillow.

Dominick was about to pull his hand back and start pounding on the door before he heard a husky voice behind him, one that belong to none other but Brooks, "What are you doing dear brother," he asked, causing Dominick to furrow his brows together in confusion, Brooks had never called Dominick his brother, not once.

Timidly he turned around staring into Brooks' eyes, thinking of some reason as to why he was pounding on his mother's door after she ordered him not to bother her until mourning. "I had a question I needed answered," Dominick replied vaguely as Brooks' smile grew wider.

Dominick, now seeing a meat cleaver tucked away in Brooks' waist band, his breath caught in his throat and looked around Brooks, standing around them, the crew dorm a half circle, each armed with some sort of weapon, from knives to post of wood. Dominick was vaguely glad Captain She locked away all the arms in her quarters, but with a dawn of realization, Dominick cursed himself for allowing the cook to betray him and his mother right before his eyes.

Brooks took a step closer, pinning Dominick to the door effortlessly, as Dominick was still laying out his plan of attack. "What was that question you wanted to ask our mother," Brooks asked as he smiled again, his yellow teeth looking especially disgusting up close.

"I wanted to ask her," Dominick started as he located all eight ropes that hung down from the masts over Brooks' shoulder, "if she wanted to come out and join the party," Dominick finished as he pushed violently against the unsuspecting Brooks and removed the meat cleaver from his waist band sticking it into his own.

Everyone, most of all Dominick himself, seemed surprised by his rash actions as he waved in and out of the front-heavy attacks the crew were throwing at him. With a leap into the air Dominick grabbed the thick rigging with one hand and drawing the meat cleaver with his other as he swung around several men, cutting at anything and anyone that came in his path.

Dominick, who had lost his momentum and was starting to slow down, tucked the bloodstained cleaver in his waistband and scurried up the rope hurriedly, watching as some of the other men, starting climbing ropes, but a lot slower, and with out half of youths grace.

Dominick soon reached the top and surveyed the damage below, three men lay dead on the decks, blood gushing from their necks like water in an over flowing pot. Five men cradled various parts of their body close to their chests leaving about thirty armed and very dangerous pirates left.

Dominick, having been never in this situation, or even one close to this was on the brink of panic, the only thing that he seemed to be able to register in his mind was that he could not do this alone. Dominick threw his head back, and cupped his hands around his mouth, as he balance on the thin mast. “CAPTAIN SHEVAL,” his voice rang clear as several of the men flinched as threw terrified looks at the captain’s door. “TRAITORS RUN AMOK ON YOUR SHIP!” and sure enough, it was only moments before Captain She ran out of the door, armed with her two favorite blades, only to be surrounded by the crew who stood around her in a timid circle.

Dominick did not have time to blink before she was moving amongst them in a blur, feeling a wave of relief Dominick watched as three men struggled up the ropes, he would have laughed, but the twisting feeling in his gut prevented him from doing so.

The first man that reached Dominick was a short skinny man that looked not to be over twenty-five, as he steadied himself on the mast and stood up straight, Dominick recognized him as Shruddy, a man that was picked on most of the time for being so lanky, however, the man could throw a knife and hit a target a ship leangth away.

He walked forward, not to fast and careful not to loose his balance, at this Dominick smirked walking forward and whispering a silent ‘sorry’ before lifting his cleaver and slicing his neck open in one clean swipe. For a second nothing happened as Shruddy balanced there, opening and closing his mouth, with blood now running out of his neck, soaking his white shirt red almost instantly, and without any warning, he toppled over, falling back down to the deck in a lifeless heap.

By now, the two other pirates were balancing on the mast, and Dominick was already starting to feel queasy from killing and seeing so much blood. He didn’t let this show, however as he charged forward with the balance of a feline, knocking the other men off with a thin line across their necks, that blood soon came pouring out of.

Dominick looked disgustedly at his blood covered cleaver as he tucked it back into his waist band, regretting how it too, became bloody, Dominick grabbed hold of a rope that hung in front of him and jumped from the mast, determined to get his hands on a weapon better suited for him.

Dominick’s feet collided with the deck with a bang, and he instantly found his mother in the middle of the action, no one even noticed his descent. Dominick took this as a chance to sneak into his mother’s quarters and grab his multi-barrel guns, sticking them in the back of his waistband, and grabbed his cutlass, only to charge back out of the room onto the decks.

Drawing a gun, Dominick aimed at the nearest pirate and shot, the shot sounded throughout the ship and for a split second the ship was silent, as many of the pirates just remembered that they had forgotten about Dominick. The pirate hit the ground instantly, followed by half the crew charging at Dominick.

Dominick unloaded five more shots into the crowed that was now heading towards him, and five more bodies hit the ground, with the last shot, Dominick tossed aside the gun, drawing second gun, he laid to rest six more pirates with asimle. Once the gun was empty,the silver haired youth tossed it to asidebefore hecharged into the pirates, with his cutlass in his hand.

Dominick sliced through the middle of a man, his blood-curdling scream piercing the ears of the pirates, making them even more reluctant to continue their attack, as the blood hit Dominick’s face. He found it sick how a part of him was enjoying this, how he had to almost command his tongue not to reach up and lick some of the blood.

Dominick split a few more pirates before his mother came into view; she was not doing well. She had only one cutlass in her hand, her other lost or in the hands of another pirate, her empty hand was clasped over a wound on the arm that held her cutlass and she was steadily being backed into a corner.

The youth killed four more men in a furry, trying to fight his way towards his mother, that however, was not working to well.

Captain She let out a small cry,and without thinkingDominick turned, ignoring the pirates that were closing in on him and began to run to his mother’s side, killing all that got in his way. However, Dominick didn’t last long before he felt a blow to the back of his head and he fell into a crumpled heap on the deck, as black covered his vision, he could have sworn he heard his mother scream his name, but quickly dismissed this thought. After all, she was a woman who possessed a heart not of a human, but of an uncaring monster, a part of Dominick wanted it to be her, a part of his heart wanted her to care even though his brain knew better.

Just before everything went black, Dominick looked up into the uncaring face of Brooks, he had a smug smile on his lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes. In his hand, was Captain SheVal’s gold incrusted cutlass, which never left her side, seeing him carrying it made Dominick feel as if he should strike out and take it back from him, however, when Dominick tried to move, Brooks merely kicked him in this side, and everything finally faded to black.