III

As the longboat neared the ship, Lailah’s eyes scanned the ship suspiciously and focused on the black and red flag on the back. She quickly turned to Melisande, “Pirates? That’s who you’ve cast your lot with?”

Melisande looked Lailah in the eye as responded sternly, “They are finer people than any I have ever known. They brought me out here without being asked to, and without any thought of reward.”

The longboat bumped alongside the Black Vengeance as Baltazar guided it to the ladder. He called up to his ship, “Ahoy, Gilles!”

Gilles appeared on the side, “Captain, ye’ve returned and…”

He saw the angel in the boat and nearly fell overboard, “Blessed Mother of God…”

Melisande helped Lailah climb up the side. As she got on deck, Lailah turned to Gilles, “Not Mother, just a servant.”

The rest of the shore party climbed onboard as well. Every eye in the place focused on the angel. They were no strangers to the supernatural after meeting Melisande, but encountering a real flesh and blood angel was a little more than they expected. No matter which way Baltazar looked, he could see curious stares, “I understand this is new and unusual, but you all have work to do, so get to it. I promise that I’ll bring you up to speed later.”

The men quickly responded and returned to their duties. Melisande guided Lailah to the main cabin. Baltazar followed close behind while Papi went below decks.

Baltazar turned to Morgan, “Do the best you can to quell the men’s’ curiosity, and get the ship combat ready. I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”

Morgan saluted, “Aye sir… what should I tell them?”

“The truth.” Baltazar replied in nearly a whisper. “I’m not keeping this from them. They need to know what we’re dealing with.”

Morgan nodded in approval, “Very good, sir.”

Baltazar turned back and entered the cabin. Melisande and Lailah were behind a privacy blinder. When he realized what they were doing, he quickly turned his back and stood near the door.

Melisande peeked out over the top of the blinder, “Just a few more minutes.”

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Melisande and Lailah appeared from behind the blinder. Melisande had helped Lailah clean herself, put her into a white maid’s dress, and combed her hair. The angel was stunning now that she had been cleaned.

A knock came at the door and Papi entered the room carrying a tray, “I thought Lailah might appreciate some decent food.”

Lailah’s eyes lit up at the smell of actual cooked food. When the tray was placed in front of her, she quickly grabbed everything she could and stuffed her mouth. Within minutes, everything that was on the plate was gone with the exception of some of the fat from the salted pork.

Lailah licked her lips, cleaned her hands and looked up. Everyone was staring at her wide eyed. She lowered her eyes, “Forgive my lack of manners, but so many years of eating nothing but what I could forage for or catch left me famished. Too long have I dwelt in that dark cavern.”

Melisande nodded, “It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re doing better now.”

“Yes, thank you.” Lailah replied. “Now I expect you want me to tell you about your past?”

“More than anything.” Melisande insisted.

“Are you sure?” Lailah asked in a serious tone. “I will share with you what I know, but once you hear the truth, there is no way of going back. Once you know who and what you are, your destiny will be forever altered and your life will never be the same. Are you sure this is what you want?”

Melisande looked over at Baltazar as though asking his opinion. Baltazar smiled and nodded to her. She smiled and turned back to Lailah, “The abbey I lived at has been destroyed in an attack. All those people who helped raise me are dead.”

She pointed to Papi and Baltazar, “These two are all that remains of that time.”

Lailah’s eyes widened, “Mont Saint Michel was destroyed? Sister Mary… I can’t believe that…”

“Believe it,” Baltazar replied, “and we’ve been blamed for it. A French warship has been hunting us for over a week.”

“I see…” Lailah said sadly. “I can’t believe he’d be that brazen…”

“Who?” Melisande insisted. “Who would do something like that?”

Lailah hesitated for a moment, “The only being that could… it’s the same being who murdered your family… the same being who did this to me. The one that is many… Legion.”

Lailah showed them her torn and scarred wings, and the burns on her skin, “I was unable to stop him, and now he’s running rampant.”

“Lailah, please speak plainly.” Melisande pleaded. “I need to know!”

Lailah nodded and closed her eyes as though it were painful to remember, “Everything that is happening now, everything currently in play, is the direct result of the Celestial War.”

Baltazar’s eyes narrowed, “Celestial War… you mean a war in Heaven?”

“Exactly.” Lailah replied. “I was there… it was before humankind even walked the Earth. A young revolutionary known as Lucifer sought to free all of us angels from bondage. The lord Most High had spoken of creating a child race in his image. To that race he would give his love, his affection, and his unending forgiveness. Lucifer thought this to be unfair as angels were created first and had served for immeasureable ages, but we received no such care. We were servants and nothing more as far as he was concerned.”

“What happened,” Papi asked.

“Lucifer recruited one of our top strategists and soldiers… Xaphan.” She replied. “Together, with the legions of angels they managed to recruit, they attacked the Celestial Temple and almost completely destroyed it. The attack caused our forces to scatter. We were forced to pull angels back from other duties, including one that was to serve as a guiding light for damned souls. This young angel helped lead a mission that helped end the war after eons of fighting.”

Baltazar’s eyes were wide and he was having trouble believing what he was hearing. Lailah continued on with the story, “After Lucifer and Xaphan were captured, they were exiled… unfortunately something the Most High didn’t count on happened. They found Sheol…”

“What’s Sheol,” Baltazar asked.

Lailah turned to him, “Sheol is a place where the Most High imprisoned the darkest parts of his mind. Like humans, even he had anger and hatred, but he managed to cast them off… something that humans have never been able to do. Those parts formed their own personas over time… one especially wicked part became so powerful that it took over Sheol, that was Legion. He lay in wait to get back at his master for many years… then Lucifer arrived.”

Papi leaned forward attentively like a child listening to an interesting bed time story, “What did Lucifer do?”

“He ruined Sheol.” Lailah said through clenched teeth. “He perverted the land into a wicked place that attracted evil souls after they died. He turned it into his kingdom. Legion was nowhere near powerful enough to stop this perversion and hid in a dark corner of the underworld. He’s laid in wait for a very long time to strike. His mission above all else is to retake the underworld and lay waste to everything else.”

“But what does that have to do with me?” Melisande asked.

“I’m getting to that.” Lailah replied. “Ages passed and things settled down, or so we thought. The truth is that Lucifer was waiting for the opportunity to strike. No one knows how, but he was able to convince Michael, the Most High’s most trusted general, to join his cause. The young angel responsible for helping to end the war uncovered his plot, but was betrayed by Michael, stripped of her powers, and kicked out of the Celestial world. She was sent here to the mortal realm to die.”

“Who was this angel?” Melisande asked.

“Her name was Adaline,” Lailah replied, “and she is your ancestor.”

“How is that possible,” Melisande demanded.

Lailah struggled as she continued the story, “She was blinded and near death when another ancestor of yours, Giovanni Patrisi, found her and cared for her. Eventually, with Giovanni’s help, she was able to uncover Michael’s treason and defeat him, but the cost of victory proved very high.”

Lailah lowered her eyes, “Adaline was murdered and Giovanni was left in a deep state of depression. No one thought he would pull through. However, because of her heroics, the Most High restored her to life and transformed her into a seraph as a reward.”

Lailah smiled, “I’ll never forget her words… ‘The voice of the one I hold most dear cries out to me from beyond our realm…’ She rejected the Most High’s gift and asked instead to trade her wings for a mortal heart. It was… an unusual request to say the least. The Most High granted it, and sent her back to the Mortal Realm. She sought out Giovanni and they lived out a long life together, giving birth to two children, only one of which ever had another child.”

“Those people,” Lailah said as she looked up at Melisande, “are your ancestors. The angel that is reveered as a hero in the Celestial World looks exactly like you. You were named Aralyn Patrisi in her honor.”

“But I don’t understand,” Baltazar cut in, “if Adaline was transformed into a human, how is it that Melisa… I mean Aralyn… or… whatever, how is it she has these powers?”

Lailah shook her head, “That’s not easy to answer. Long after Adaline died, it was discovered that a fraction of her powers had not been removed. They were hidden deep within her soul and were passed on to her children. By the time it was recognized, it was too late to fix. Those powers lay dormant within the Patrisi bloodline for generations, but they needed someone with the right traits in order to access them. They continued to lay dormant, gaining strength for years. We informed the Patrisis and they agreed to allow us to be present for the births of their children.”

She looked Melisande in the eyes, “Then you were born… you have the right combination of your ancestor’s heredity, and you are the only daughter born to the Patrisis. Your are also the only one to bear the make of divinity.”

“My eyes…” Melisande replied, touching her cheek.

Lailah nodded, “Correct.”

“I… I…” Melisande stumbled over her words. “How is this possible? I am nobody…”

“You are the heir to Adaline’s blood line.” Lailah replied. “Like it or not, all of that power is within you and will soon come to light.”

“Is that why Legion wants her so bad?” Baltazar asked.

“It is.” Lailah replied. “Angels aren’t easily manipulated… but a human/angel hybrid… such a thing has never existed before. Aralyn basically has all the powers of an angel… if not more… but she also has the fallibility of a human. So now all three entities are vying to get to her. Our side, the Choirs of Angels wants to protect her, as well as the rest of the mortal world, Lucifer believes that he could manipulate her to defeat Legion and maintain his tenuous hold on the underworld, and Legion wants to steal her powers to gain more for himself and retake what he views as his while laying waste to all of existence…”

Melisande shook her head, “I don’t want this… I can’t deal with this…”

Lailah looked at her sympathetically, “I’m sorry, if I could take it away from you, I would, but that’s not possible. Like it or not, your destiny is yours. You must learn to accept it.”

“No,” she replied, “no, I have to get out of her.”

She jumped up and ran out of the cabin. Lailah stood up, “Aralyn!”

“Don’t call me that!” Melisande replied as she slammed the door behind her. “It’s not my name!”

Papi clasped his hands together, “Little Messy… All these years… I never knew… I cared for her like she was my own daughter.”

Baltazar placed a hand on his shoulder, “There was nothing you could have done to prevent this. It was not in your power.”

He turned and looked at Lailah, “I will talk to her.”

Lailah nodded, “I am sorry to place such a heavy burden on you.”

“Can’t be helped I guess,” Baltazar replied, “But there is one thing that I don’t understand.”

Lailah nodded, “Then ask.”

“Why were you in that cave? Why didn’t your people come for you?” Baltazar asked.

Lailah reached back and touched her wings, “My confrontation with Legion left me horribly scarred as you can see. I was forced to experience pure agony which damaged my mind. My wings were also badly damaged, making prolonged flight impossible. What’s more, an angel’s wings are where most of her power rests. Their removal would mean that she would become mortal… damaging them… “

She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing, “I… lost my connection to my Kingdom. Given how badly wounded I was, I hid myself from all eyes until I could find a safe haven. Unfortunately, by then, I had no way to contact my people.”

Baltazar nodded, “So you lived in solitude in that cave, hoping against hope that either Melisande or your own people would eventually find you?”

“Yes…” Lailah admitted. “Though I had already resigned myself to an eternity of madness by the time you came along.”

Baltazar lowered his eyes, “I am sorry for you…”

“Thank you,” Lailah replied, “but I don’t need your sympathy… someone else does.”

Baltazar looked at the door and nodded as he turned his attention to Melisande.

Readers,

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-Jim

V

Melisande woke up the next morning in the cabin of the Black Vengeance. There was another set of clothes waiting for her. A new blouse, vest, and trousers sat folded on the edge of the bed. While these weren’t as fashionable as the ones Baltazar left for her before, they would allow her to be feminine while at the same time functional. She quickly changed into the lighter clothes and made her way on to the deck.

To her amazement, the ship looked almost totally different. The hull had been painted black with a brown trim, and was now equipped with red sails. The name on the side and the back was painted in gold. The helm had been replaced with a brand new one with a shiny finish on it and the cannons had been polished. The crews were finishing up the deck repairs and moving on to the lower hull damage.

Baltazar walked up next to her as she emerged from the cabin, “How do you like the Black Vengeance?”

Melisande shook her head, “It’s like a whole new ship…”

“Don’t worry,” Baltazar replied, “it’s still the same one, I assure you.”

“So why all the changes,” Melisande asked. “She seemed functional as she was.”

Baltazar frowned, “Well for one, we’ve got two major powers coming after us, and for two, Jaspart was a rather cheap man. This ship was in desperate need of updating to more than just her armament.”

Melisande looked around with her eyes open wide, “Well I’d say you’ve done a splendid job, the ship looks completely different.”

“Well thank you,” Baltazar replied, “I’m glad she meets with your approval.”

Melisande’s face turned serious, “Baltazar… listen… about last night…”

“Yes?” Baltazar asked as he gave her his complete attention.

“What you did for me…” she replied hesitantly, “It was really sweet. You made me feel like I belong here.”

Baltazar smiled, “You’re one of us. You do belong here.”

“I know that now,” she replied, “and I appreciate all of you and your crew’s help.”

Suddenly, a panicked cry came from the yardarm, “Sail ho!”

Baltazar’s eyes narrowed, “What…?”

He looked up at the crow’s nest with an annoyed expression, “Lookout, of course you’re seeing sails, you’re in a harbor for God’s sake!”

The lookout nodded, “Sorry sir, should have been more specific… it’s the galleass sir, coming in directly astern.”

Melisande followed Baltazar as he franticly scrambled to the aft castle. He grabbed the spyglass as Morgan joined them. He looked through and saw the ship coming in, “This can’t be… we shook them off in the fog.”

He turned to Morgan, “What’s the status of the repairs?”

“All the external damage has been repaired,” Morgan replied, “We’re just replacing a few of the braces below deck.”

“Anything we can’t repair at sea?” Baltazar asked.

“No sir.” He replied. “The crew is all back aboard and we’re fully resupplied. The support isn’t a crucial one either. Replacing it will be easy.”

“Then release the mooring lines and get us underway.” Baltazar ordered. “I want full sail. Make it happen and make it happen now.”

Melisande looked at him worried, “But Baltazar, wouldn’t they be able to blow us out of the water the moment we passed through the harbor entrance?”

“They could, yes.” He replied. “That’s why we need to hope that all the work we did on our ship wasn’t for nothing.”

Baltazar turned to another nearby crewman, “Make sure the name on the back and sides are covered. I doubt they saw either, but you never know.”

The new sails came down quickly as the crew struggled to get the ship moving. Melisande looked in awe at the beautiful crimson color that now adorned the masts. The ship pulled away from the dock and moved out into the harbor.

Baltazar ran over and grabbed the helm from Gilles, “Go and help get this ship moving.”

Gilles nodded and disappeared into the chaos on deck. Melisande watched as Baltazar placed his hands on the helm gently as though saying, ‘It’s okay, I’m here now.’

The ship began to pull away from the dock as the wind caught her sails. Melisande grabbed on to the hand rail to prevent falling backwards as the ship picked up speed. As the last mooring lines were cast off, the Black Vengeance made her way out into the harbor. Melisande watched from the back of the boat as the beautiful city slowly grew smaller. Someday, she thought, I would love to come back here.

The Black Vengeance reached the cove where the harbor met the open ocean. Here, they came face to face with their pursuers. They got so close that they could see the name on the side Le Terrible. Baltazar and Melisande ducked down to get out of sight. They could hear the groans of condemned men rowing the opposing ship as they passed. The sounds seemed to pain Melisande as they passed by. The two crews eyed each other suspiciously as the Black Vengeance exited the harbor.

Jaspart looked at the ship suspiciously. It looked like his ship, but it couldn’t possibly be. It looked almost completely different and the idea that a pirate would waste so much time and money to alter a ship that much was ludicrous. Not wanting to alarm his already suspicious host with possibly false information, Jaspart kept it to himself.

Once they were in open water, Baltazar nodded and handed the helm over to Gilles, “Well now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Aye Captain,” Gilles replied, “but how could they have found us so quickly?”

Baltazar shrugged, “Sheer luck, or maybe their captain is a better tracker than I gave him credit. Either way, we’ve evaded them again, so I wouldn’t think too hard on it.”

Gilles nodded, “Not a bad idea, Captain.”

“Capitaine!” A voice cried out from the deck.

Batlazar turned to see that it was one of the original crewmen of the Black Vengeance, “What it is mate?”

“Monsieur, I can’t be certain, but I thought I saw our old capitaine over there.” He replied nervously.

Baltazar’s blood ran cold, “That’s impossible, I ran him through with my sword. I saw him fall over the side! He’s dead.”

The man shrugged, “I’m sorry, mon Capitaine, I’m just telling you what I saw.”

“I see…” Baltazar replied. “If it was him, that will complicate things.”

He thought about it for a minute before returning his attention to the crewman, “Thank you, crewman, back to your duties.”

The crewman nodded, “Oui, Capitaine.”

Gilles shook his head, “If Jaspart be on us, we’d best be putting some distance between us and them. I think I can coax a little more wind out of the sails.”

As he headed for the deck, Baltazar turned to Melisande who hadn’t moved since they passed by the Le Terrible. He came up behind her and looked out onto the ocean, “From here it should be about a weeklong voyage, weather permitting of course, but we should arrive in Venice before too long.”

When Melisande didn’t respond, Baltazar placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him, “Are you okay?”

Her face revealed an angered expression and tears in her eyes. Baltazar pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the tears away, “What is it?”

“The Le Terrible…”she replied, “where do they get the men to row that ship?”

Baltazar’s lips twisted as he responded, “They’re usually condemned criminals, but they can also be captured enemy sailors and slaves.”

Melisande didn’t know how to react. She was teetering between rage and despair and both were easily seen on her face, “There must be at least a hundred people over there!”

“Aye,” Baltazar replied softly, “with replacements and such, I would think considerably more than that.”

“What a horrible thing to do!” She shouted, “What kind of a country would do that?”

“Pretty much any significant naval power,” Baltazar responded calmly, “Spain and France have done it on several of their ships. The thought is that it’s a much better way to get cheap, or in this case, free labor. Since most of those men were condemned to death, some would view this as merciful.”

Melisande shook her head, “A short time rowing might change their minds.”

“Probably,” Baltazar agreed, “but keep in mind, many of these men are there for a justified reason. Many of them are murderers and rapists who, in my opinion at least, belong there.”

She thought about it for a moment and nodded, “I suppose, but that doesn’t make it any easier to listen to.”

“No it doesn’t,” Baltazar nodded, “but there is very little we can do about it. Why are you so concerned for them, if I may ask?”

Melisande was about to respond when she stopped dead in her tracks. She had no idea why it bothered her so much. She’d read about the suffering of others, but it never impacted her like this, “I… I don’t know. I’ve never been like this before. Stories of atrocities never gripped me like this… Maybe it’s actually seeing it up close…”

“Or maybe you’re changing.” Baltazar added. “Whatever you did on the Specter may be affecting you in more ways than you know.”

“Maybe.” Melisande replied.

She quickly turned back to face the ocean and leaned back onto Baltazar’s chest for support, “I’m afraid, Baltazar… this is becoming dangerous.”

“What frightens you?” he asked.

She lowered her eyes, “Many things… If anything wer to happen to all of you, I don’t think I could forgive myself. You’ve all become dear to me in the short time that we’ve known each other. What am I risking just to find out what may be better off left a secret?”

“There is always that risk.” Baltazar replied. “In the end you simply have to decide what is easier to live with; the unknown, or knowing something bad.”

Melisande turned back to face him, “What about you?” She asked. “Would you be better off not knowing your connection to the House of Habsburg?”

Baltazar sucked in a deep breath and thought about it for a moment. Finally, he smiled and shook his head, “No, I would not be better off not knowing, because that knowledge made me what I am. I’m happy that I know who my father is, because if I didn’t, I couldn’t defy him. Knowing where I come from enables me to do what I think is right. I may be related to the Habsburgs, but they are not who I am. It’s because of that knowledge that I now stand before you in command of a mighty ship.”

“That’s true,” Melisande said thoughtfully, “and actually makes a lot of sense. Knowing who you are prompted you to choose the life you did. You realized that you didn’t have to be like the rest of them. You chose a life that you find fulfilling and makes you happy.”

“Exactly,” Baltazar replied, “a Habsburg may be what I am, but it’s not who I am, and in the end, what you are, isn’t nearly as important as who you are.”

Melisande nodded thoughtfully, “Yes… yes, that is very true! Thank you Baltazar, you are absolutely right.”

“Glad I could be of use.” Baltazar said cheerfully. “So the question now is what do you want to do? If you want, I can turn the Black Vengeance around and we can go back to raiding Spanish ships.”

“No,” Melisande replied adamantly, “if it’s okay with you and the crew… I would like to continue. Sister Mary and the good people at the abbey died to keep my secret safe. It would be a disservice to them to turn back now.”

“Good,” Baltazar said confidently, “I already spoke to the crew; they are all onboard with this so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Thank you.” She replied. “Thank you all.”

*

The next week passed by uneventfully for the most part. There was no sign of the Le Terrible, and most of the crew assumed that she was still patrolling the waters around Spain and France. The Black Vengeance kept to the coast as they sailed. The last bit of land they would see for days came into view when they passed through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Baltazar smiled as the land disappeared behind them, “Goodbye Spain.”

Within a few short hours, they broke loose into the Alboran Sea. By the next day’s end, they were in the Balearic Sea. By the third day, the crew sited Sardinia.

Melisande couldn’t escape the feeling that she had been this way before. The feeling grew stronger as they passed through the Tyrrhenian Sea and passed by Messina. There was some discussion about stopping, but they still had enough supplies to go on and decided against it.

By the fifth day, the crew was growing restless. Baltazar could see it in their eyes. They would never say such a thing out loud as they were men of honor and were loyal to Baltazar, but they were in need of a break. They hadn’t touched land in quite a while and most weren’t used to long voyages.

Less than a day away from Venice, Baltazar ordered his ship to put about in Ravenna to give his men a break. He divided up one of his shares from a previous voyage and sent the men on their way.  Gilles and Morgan departed together.

Baltazar stopped them at the walkway, “Don’t you two get yourselves into any trouble now, I want you back here tomorrow at high noon.”

Gilles smiled, “Aye Captain, don’t worry, I’ll get this old bastard back in one piece.”

“Like hell,” Morgan replied, “don’t be assuming that just because ye be younger then I that ye’ll be drinking me under the table!”

Gilles laughed, “Hey captain, why don’t ye come have a drink with us, like old times!”

Baltazar looked back to see Melisande staring off into the northern sky. She was alone and deep in though. It almost seemed like something was reaching out to her from the north.

Baltazar decided that it was probably not a good idea to leave her alone and shook his head, “Next time.”

Both men saluted as they left the ship. Baltazar shook his head and smiled as he walked the length of his deserted ship and joined Melisande on the forecastle, “Are you okay?”

She glanced back at him with a faint smile and nodded, “I can feel it… the land to the north of here, it calls to me. The answers I’m looking for are waiting for me there.”

Baltazar placed his hand on her arms just below her shoulders and gently squeezed. She looked down to see them and raised her right hand to touch his left, “I’m sorry Baltazar, I probably won’t be good company tonight. You probably should go with you men and have some fun at the taverns.”

From the ship, they could hear the sounds of loud, drunken, laughter. Baltazar shook his head, “No thank you… I’ve had my fill of tavern girls.”

“If you are sure,” she replied, “I know you enjoy spending time with your men.”

“Aye, they’re a fun group,” Baltazar nodded, “but right now, this feels like where I should be. It’s where I want to be.”

Readers,