Chapter 15 Maximus #2
As I watched him stride away to rejoin Wells, I tried to ignore the nagging doubt in the back of my mind. Eric was right—the system was corrupt. And if bending a few rules could help ordinary people…
I twisted the silver ring on my finger. I told myself it was the right choice. That I could trust him. Trust the man I loved.
But it wouldn’t be the last time I lied to myself for Eric Cunningham.
The next two months passed in a haze of false cargo manifests and secret meetings.
Eric grew increasingly distant, spending hours locked in his quarters with mysterious visitors.
I kept my suspicions to myself, quietly documenting discrepancies while maintaining the charade of the dutiful first officer.
I still shared his bed, still wore his ring—and that was the cruelest part.
Despite everything, a part of me still loved him.
There were moments when the old Eric would resurface.
When we’d sky-drop together beneath the stars, his laughter was genuine as we spun through the air.
When he’d trace patterns on my skin in the darkness, whispering plans for a future I increasingly doubted.
But while I played the devoted lover, I was building my case.
A journal hidden beneath my bunk documented everything: cargo that disappeared; mysterious payments; names of contacts who boarded without authorization; coordinates of meetings that appeared in no logs.
Small pieces of a puzzle I knew formed a damning picture.
Then, one morning during a briefing, Eric announced, “We’re to rendezvous with a merchant vessel near the Crimson Isles. A special assignment from the very top.”
I frowned. “The Crimson Isles? That’s well outside our patrol route.”
“Nevertheless, those are our orders.” Eric’s tone left no room for argument. “Plot a course, Lieutenant Commander. We depart immediately.”
Something felt wrong.
That night, Eric joined me at the railing, his shoulder brushing mine as we gazed at the stars.
“Beautiful night,” he said softly.
I nodded, twisting the silver ring on my finger. “I wish things hadn’t changed,” I whispered, just to see if he’d deny anything had.
“Change can be good, Max. Sometimes we need to leave the familiar behind to find our true path.”
“Is that what we’re doing? Finding a new path?”
He turned to me, his expression unreadable in the moonlight. “I’ve made choices, Max. Difficult ones. I hope someday you’ll understand why.”
Before I could question him further, he squeezed my shoulder and walked away, leaving me with a sense of foreboding.
The next morning, I watched the dawn break over the Crimson Isles, painting the sky blood-red. I stood on the bridge, scanning the horizon. The islands loomed ahead, jagged teeth against the scarlet sky.
“Any sign of our rendezvous vessel?” Eric asked, joining me.
“Nothing yet, sir.”
“Keep looking. They should be approaching from the south.”
Minutes later, the lookout’s cry pierced the morning stillness. “Ship approaching! Port side!”
I studied the horizon. A vessel emerged from the morning mist, its silhouette becoming clearer.
My blood ran cold as I took in the dreadnought—sleek, predatory, gun ports open.
The distinctive ruby figurehead of a snarling wolf was unmistakable—the infamous symbol of Captain Rayna Vex’s Windcutter, the terror of the eastern trade routes, second in notoriety only to The Black Wraith.
Not a merchant vessel. A pirate ship.
“Captain,” I said, lowering the glass slowly. “That’s not our contact. That’s the pirate ship Windcutter.”
Eric didn’t seem surprised. He simply nodded, eyes fixed on the approaching ship. “Sound general quarters. Prepare for engagement.”
The alarm bell rang through The Valiant, sending the crew scrambling to battle stations.
“They’re not slowing down,” I warned as the distance between our vessels decreased. “Captain, what are your orders?”
Eric ignored me. The pirate ship pulled alongside us, close enough that I could see figures moving on its deck. A woman stood at the bow—tall, imposing, with a gray fur coat and a face scarred by battle.
“Captain Vex,” Eric murmured.
I stared at him. “You… know her?”
Before he could answer, the pirates opened fire. The first volley hit us broadside, cannons roaring like thunder. The Valiant shuddered under the impact, wood splintering as the balls tore through our hull.
I grabbed the speaking tube. “Return fire!”
Eric snatched it from me. “Hold your fire!” he ordered.
“Sir, we’re under attack! We need to ready the shield!”
“Stand down, Lieutenant Commander! That’s an order.”
The crew hesitated, caught between conflicting commands. In that moment of indecision, the pirates launched their boarding hooks, metal claws biting into our railings.
Charging out of the bridge, I drew my sword as the first boarders swarmed over our railings. All around me, my crew fought desperately, outnumbered and caught by surprise. I cut down two pirates, rallying nearby crewmen to form a defensive line.
Through the smoke and chaos, I saw Captain Vex herself storm aboard, her gray wolf coat billowing behind her as she cut down two of our officers with brutal efficiency. She barked orders to her crew, then headed straight for the captain’s quarters.
Eric slipped away from the bridge, following in Vex’s wake. My instincts screaming, I fought my way after him, ducking beneath a swinging cutlass and plunging down the corridor toward the captain’s quarters.
I reached the partially open door just in time to see Eric unlock his personal safe and hand Vex a leather document case—one containing classified aerial charts and patrol schedules for the entire Eldritch fleet.
“You were right on schedule, Captain Cunningham,” she said, examining the contents with evident satisfaction.
“As promised, Captain Vex,” Eric replied. “The ship is yours.”
Understanding crashed over me. This wasn’t an ambush—it was a delivery. Eric had led us here deliberately, had sold us out to pirates. Had betrayed everything and everyone, including me.
I stepped into the room, rage burning through me. “Eric! What have you done?”
He turned, his expression oddly calm. “What is necessary, Max.”
“You betrayed us! Your crew, your oath—”
“I chose freedom,” he cut me off. “The chance to make my own rules instead of following someone else’s.”
Captain Vex studied me with predatory interest. “So this is your first officer. The one you spoke of.”
Eric nodded. “Lieutenant Commander Maximus Blackwood. The finest officer in the fleet.”
“Should I kill him for you?” she asked casually.
“No.” Eric’s eyes never left mine. “I want to offer him a choice.”
Outside, the battle raged—screams of the wounded, the crack of pistols, the clash of steel on steel. My crew was losing, cut down by pirates who’d known exactly where and when to strike.
Eric stepped toward me, lowering his voice. “Come with me, Max. Join our partnership. Nothing has to change, aside from the fact that we’ll continue to work with Vex.”
I stared at him, unable to reconcile this stranger with the man I thought I knew. “You’re asking me to betray everything I believe in?”
“I’m asking you to be free.” He reached for me, his fingers brushing my cheek. “What I felt for you—that wasn’t a lie.”
I recoiled from his touch. “Everything about you was a lie. You’re a monster.”
Something hardened in his expression. “I hoped you’d understand. That your love for me would be stronger than your misplaced loyalty.”
“My loyalty isn’t misplaced,” I spat. “It’s with the people you’ve condemned to die today.”
Eric sighed. “So be it.” He turned to Vex. “He’s made his choice. Take the ship. Kill the crew.”
“And him?” She nodded toward me.
“Lock him below. I’ll deal with him later.”
Before I could react, The Valiant was rocked by another explosion. The deck lurched beneath my feet, sending me stumbling backward. When I climbed to my feet, Eric and Vex had already slipped out of the door.
“The ship’s going down!” someone shouted.
Chaos erupted as pirates abandoned their fights to grab whatever valuables they could. My surviving aeronauts tried desperately to reach our sloops, only to be cut down as they fled.
I fought my way through the melee, determined to find Eric. Through the smoke, I spotted him near the boarding planks. “Eric!” I shouted, raising my sword.
He turned, drawing his own blade. “Don’t be a fool, Max.”
“I’m done with you making me a fool,” I growled, attacking with all the fury of my betrayal.
Our swords met with a clash. He parried easily, his expression almost sad.
“I did love you,” he said as our blades locked. “I really did.”
“Your love is poison,” I spat, breaking the lock and slashing at his chest.
He dodged, but not quickly enough—my blade caught his arm, drawing blood.
Before he could retaliate, another explosion rocked the ship. The mainmast began to topple with a deafening crack.
“Look out!” someone shouted.
I dove aside as the massive timber crashed down. When I looked up, Eric was gone, lost in the smoke.
The ship was dying around us. Fire spread across the deck. Most of my crew lay dead or wounded, the survivors fighting a losing battle.
I struggled to my feet. If I could save even a few of my people…
The deck lurched again. I lost my balance, sliding toward a massive hole torn in the planking. My fingers clawed desperately for purchase, finding none.
I fell, crashing onto the deck below. Pain exploded through my body. I lay stunned, unable to move as the ship continued to break apart.
Then I saw it—the mizzenmast, swaying dangerously above me. I tried to crawl away, but my body refused to respond.
The mast gave way with a thunderous crack, plummeting toward me. I rolled desperately, but not fast enough.