Mia leaned her head against the window, her eyes gazed upon the sea, the hue of the water bright enough to tint her face blue. She was careful not to look up, aware the moon would leave her petrified. Her eyes instead focused on the fires below, bodies of pirates who broke code, burnt alive as they floated on rafts set ablaze. The sight frightened her, but the fire reminded her of Calow.

She continued to play back the memory of him over again. Each time his features would become a bit clearer, each time the longing to see him again became stronger. Even their arguments seemed romantic to her, full of passion and rage. His ferocity, his intense crimson eyes, and his unbreakable confidence.

Everything reminded her of the Dragoon's fire, the fire Abigail had so passionately described. A flame so long, women have sworn to feel it in their chest. Something about his danger felt exciting to her, like firing a pistol for the first time. She wanted to control a power royals have feared, a man dangerous to the world...but caring toward her.

A pirate soon unlocked Blackbeard's cabin and allowed Mia to step out to the main deck. The royal cautiously followed the mute pirate, nauseated by the rancid smell of wine which trailed behind him. The hot air of the war balloon swirled above her, she looked up and felt the humid gust nearly scorched her face. Though the main deck was dark from the shade of the balloon, she managed to spot Jayden by the front of the ship.

She had almost begun to feel her chest tighten, the wounds of his betrayal was still fresh in her mind. Her anger quickly subsided and gave way to shock, the young captain was not how she remembered. Jayden stood on his knees and stared at his palms, his hands somehow the size of watermelons. His height had grown a few feet as well, his massive frame made him a giant amongst the other pirates.

"Jayden?" Her eyes scanned his body, her head craned to get a better look at him. "You're...you're enormous!"

His silver eyes rose a bit to look down at her widened eyes, a pitiful smirk curved on his face.

"Blackbeard told me this might happen." said Jayden, surveying his own body.

"What do you mean?" Her eyes still darted about his tall frame.

"He wasn't always as big as he is now," replied Jayden. "The day the Blue Moon was taken, he just grew overnight."

She reached up as far as she could and placed a hand on Jayden's chest. Even his heartbeat felt strong, like a fist punching against his chest.

"How bizarre..."

"It has to be the curse," he sighed. "Maybe it affects the Captains first, but whatever it is...I don't trust it."

"As you shouldn't," said Blackbeard. The Captain stepped onto the main deck, Darlan and Boggy stood closely by his side. He finished a mug of rum and crushed it in his hand, again Mia saw no blood or any sign the glass had punctured the skin. "Cursed power is never free, which is why we must return it back. Let us go. Grab on to Captain Jayden if you will, Ms. Rose."

Mia gave Blackbeard a confused look, but he paid it no mind. The Captain led the others below the main deck, and down a long wooden staircase. At the bottom of the steps, Mia could see a circular room with rifles lined along the walls. Jayden and the others grabbed a few weapons and gathered at the center. Several black ropes danced between them, attached firmly to the ceiling.

Jayden turned to Mia who stood cautiously away from them. "Take my hand."

He extended his massive hand toward her. Mia hesitated at first, her eyes scanned the room and caught sight of the other pirates. All of them grabbed onto their own rope, and the floor beneath them slid open. The fresh breeze rushed through and blew Mia's hair back.

Below she could see they hovered a few hundred feet over a strange island. The island's most prominent feature was the massive mountain at its center, similar to that of a human skull. The pirates tugged the rope and were lowered rapidly down toward the shore of the island. Jayden had become impatient and pulled Mia into his chest. The frightened royal clung onto the Captain's waist. Her eyes darted down toward the pirates, whom looked more like dots below them.

With a tug, the two were sent down toward the shore. Mia's gaze could not look away from the island. The waves of the sea became clearer as they approached, the blotches of green became palm trees that blew with the breeze. Their descent slowed just before hitting the shore. Jayden landed with a slight thud on the ground and allowed Mia to stumble away.

She took deep breaths as she collapsed to her knees. Her eyes swung left to right and analyzed their new surroundings. They stood on the edge of a beach, with fine white sand and lined with curved palm trees. In front of them was an incredibly small town, thirty buildings at most, and the skull mountain which towered behind it.

"Where are we?" asked Mia, she stood staring into the dark caves that made the mountains eyes.

"Skull Island," replied Blackbeard. The Captain walked the path toward the town, the others followed close behind. "This is one of the forbidden islands under imperial rule."

"Why is it forbidden?" her eyes turned up toward Blackbeard's face.

"Many bad things have happened here," replied Boggy. "The island is said to be haunted by wicked spirits."

"This village here for example," said Darlan, his hand extended toward the quiet homes. "It was once a booming merchant spot, till one day everyone vanished. When the Imperial Fleet got word of it, they came with their ships and found the homes were empty."

"They say the soldiers found the pots in the kitchens still simmering," Boggy leaned toward Mia's concerned face. "And the cribs of the infants swaying about, as if they had just been taken away."

"Don't listen to them," said Jayden, who shook his head. "That's just a myth to scare people."

"How do you explain it then?" Boggy retorted.

"I can't," replied Jayden simply. "But, I know for sure it wasn't ghosts. How many people have you killed sailing with Blackbeard? If ghosts existed you'd be the first one to be taken."

Boggy said nothing else, knowing Jayden's words to be true. The pirate threw his thumbs inside his pockets and walked with his head hung.

"Calm yourself, you lot," said Blackbeard, with a smirk. "We're here to deal with the living, not the dead."

The group walked through the abandoned town in silence, the creaking of wooden doors rattled Mia as they went. They soon stood at the mouth of the skull, a massive cave with stone teeth hung above like icicles. A harmonious sound echoed from inside the cave, it was a hymn, like the strings of a harp. The sound alone calmed Mia's spirit.

"That music," said Mia in awe. "I've never heard anything like it before, it's so soothing."

"Funny you say that," said Blackbeard, through a light chuckle. "What you're hearing now are the screams of Javana, the weeping widow."

"Tyserra's tits, that's beautiful," said Boggy. "If my wife screamed like this, I'd actually enjoy laying with her."

"Too bad she sounds more like a dying horse." Darlan's grabbed Boggy's shoulder and smirked.

"True indeed." Boggy nodded, their laughs echoed throughout the tunnel.

Mia shook her head at the pair of pirates and turned to Blackbeard. "What happened to her?"

"She was cursed by the Magi to serve a life sentence here," replied Blackbeard. He took a torch from the side of the cave, set it ablaze, and led the group into the darkness of the cave. "Javana's Secreto allows her to heal her own wounds. The Magi understood her power, and trapped her in a cell to constantly cut into her flesh. The poor woman is unable to escape or heal her wounds fast enough to ease her suffering."

"That's why we need your power." said Jayden. His silver eyes glowed, activating his Secreto to look further into the darkness of the cave.

"Your Red Mist can heal with the power of a god," Blackbeard turned and gave her a look of appreciation. From his pocket he pulled out a small silver key, and unlocked the choker from her neck. "I need you to cast your mist onto her, only then can I ask Javana what I need answered."

"And what questions are those?" asked Mia. Her breaths were shaky, the result of the warmth she felt as her powers returned.

"Javana was the first person to take the Blue Moon," replied Blackbeard. "She'll know what needs to be done to stop it."

The captain reached a metal door that stretched toward the ceiling of the cave. The music had grown as loud as ever, and began to ring through Mia's ears. Blackbeard pushed the door opened and Mia quickly pushed in front of the other pirates. The room was small and square, the ground etched with the symbol of eight sabers in a circle.

Javana was by far the most disturbing thing about the room. Her black hair was wild and unkempt, her blue eyes riddled with red veins from her fatigue. Her body was chained inside of pod, oval shaped and made of emerald. Hundreds of knives pushed out of holes on the sides of the pod. The blades tore through her flesh just as Javana would heal her wounds, it was a never ending cycle of pain.

"Unaqlus have mercy." Mia whispered.

Blackbeard approached Javana and got a better look at her face. Even though knives continued to stab her body, her glazed blue eyes shifted from the ceiling and focused on his face.

"She sees us," said Blackbeard, his emerald eyes went wide. "That's good, the pain hasn't driven her mad. Step forward, young rose, quickly. Ease her suffering so I may speak with her."

Mia approached Javana and raised her hands. She did her best to ignore the stabbings, but the sound of sliced flesh caused her stomach to turn. A deep breath activated her Secreto, her hazel eyes glowed as the Red Mist shot out of her hands. The glittering red cloud covered Javana's body like a red quilt. The sound of music stopped, Javana then croaked and began to gasp for air.

The cuts on her body vanished, and the Red Mist protected her from the knives that continue to ram against her body. Javana looked down at the Red Mist and then focused on Mia, a wide smile stretched upon her face.

"Thank you." said Javana breathlessly. "You've given me relief from a lifetime of pain."

"Why did the Magi do this to you?" asked Mia, her eyes darted about and scanned Javana's tired face.

"They were hired to do this, by the royals," the thought of them made Javana's eyes twitch, and Mia's heart sink. "I was arranged to marry one of them from the capital. It was a horrible arrangement that left me scarred and broken," she turned her eyes to Jayden and her face eased. His handsome face reminded her of the man she loved. "Then a pirate came from the sea and whisked me away. What started as a kidnapping soon became love, and my jealous fiancé chose to punish me for it. My love was murdered and I was sentenced to endure this hell."

Her story had nearly brought Mia to burst into tears. She sensed a shadow sweep over her and turned. Blackbeard had stepped face to face with Javana, his eyes intense and flickered from the torch in his hand.

"I'm in need of your help, my lady." said Blackbeard, with a polite bow. "A terrible curse has fallen upon us now."

"I sense the magic off of you," her eyes surveyed the Captain's body. "The Blue Moon is dangerous, its power is unmistakable. The world knows my love and I to be the first to take it, but that's far from the truth. We were merely the first to find the pearl. My love learned of its true power and chose to leave it be. The murals written within the temple tell the tale. Most pass them in pursuit of the treasure, but my love was wise enough to read its warnings. Your world could use a man like him now, I think."

Blackbeard sighed through his nose and reached into his pocket, from it he pulled a glowing blue sphere. The light was incredibly bright, just a slight gaze had burned Mia's eyes.

"It's said that returning the relic will end the curse," Blackbeard's face was tinted blue from the light of the Blue Moon. "But, the temple is no longer there. We've sailed back to the island to return the pearl, and found nothing but open water."

"The gods have taken the temple back." Javana sighed. "The Blue Moon is sacred to the gods. It's the first gift Unaqlus gave to his wife, Tyserra. If anyone should take the gift from its resting place, the temple will vanish."

"Why take the temple back?" asked Jayden.

"The gods believe in sacrifice," replied Javana. "Each night the moon will take more people, turning them into stone under its moonlight. You and your men are protected by the treasure you hold, but soon even the pearl won't save you. If you want to end the curse, you'll need to sacrifice some of those who've been turned to stone. Through the stone of their bodies, you can build a new temple, and return the Blue Moon to end the curse."

His thoughts went to his only daughter, the thought of her sacrifice had nearly brought the Captain to weep. He had murdered men in hopes of saving her, countless children who would never see their fathers again...was it all for nothing?

"Those that must be sacrificed, will I have a choice of who to offer?" asked Blackbeard, his rough voice was surprisingly wispy.

"Yes, brave Captain," Javana leaned forward and kissed Blackbeard's forehead. "You'll have the power to choose. You'll also need a map, by your eyes I can tell you know where to find it. The map is special, it cannot be read by common eyes. Those words have meaning to a few, but will lead to a place guarded by godly children."

"The water dragons." He watched as Javana nodded to his words.

"Seek the girl, Blackbeard," her voice was cold and stern. "She's inside of your heart," her eyes turned to Mia and narrowed. "She's inside all of your hearts."

Mia tried to find meaning in the words but found none. Perhaps Javana's pain had truly driven her mad...

"What about our height?" asked Jayden. He walked by Mia, his shoulders towered high over her head. "Blackbeard and I, we've both grown in height and strength. Is this part of the curse too?"

"No, young Captain," replied Javana. "I'm afraid this is a different curse entirely. It seems the gods are displeased with you. Don't be fooled. You may think you've been blessed, but you've merely been given a sweet poison. This curse...it will claim your life one day. It's a curse that will affect all men sooner or later."

"Why only men?" asked Mia.

"It's a man's world, my love," she leaned toward Mia, her mouth stretched again into a wide smile. "In a man's world, greed is king...and in a man's world, death is certain."

Mia wanted to speak with Javana more, but Blackbeard had forbid it. He thanked Javana and led the others out of the cave. Mia flinched at the sound of music, she knew her mist must have worn off and Javana's torture had resumed again. It was strange to hear it, almost haunting, that such a beautiful sound could come from such a tortured soul.

Mia eyes squinted as they left skull mountain's mouth. Afternoon had passed, the sun began to sink into the horizon and paint the sky orange. The group continued on and walked through the abandoned town, all of them pondered the wisdom Javana had left them.

"It hurts that I couldn't do more for her," said Mia. "No one deserves a fate like that."

"Are you actually sympathizing for the wife of a pirate?" asked Blackbeard, through a gruff chuckle.

"We're making progress with the royal, boys." said Boggy cheerfully.

"Whatever," said Jayden. "At least now we know what needs to be done."

"Aye, but what was she on about?" asked Darlan. "How could you two becoming stronger be part of a curse?"

"I don't know," Jayden stared blankly at the orange sky. "Maybe she didn't know what she was saying, Mia's healing was wearing off in the end."

"She seemed pretty sure of it to me." said Mia.

"Aye, but now isn't the time to worry of that," said Blackbeard, his eyes turned to Jayden. "We need to focus on returning the Blue Moon, and fixing what your love started."

"I'm confused though," said Mia. "You told me this Dreamstead woman was the one who took the Blue Moon, so why do you have it?"

"The Greys found the pearl in her cabin and returned it to me," replied Blackbeard. "The battle she had with them on Crescent Island must've forced her to leave it behind."

"So now that I've helped you," Mia looked at Blackbeard with a hopeful face. "Does that mean I can return home?"

"We did promise her, Captain." Said Darlan, he grabbed a silver flask filled with rum and took a hearty swig.

"Aye, that's right." Blackbeard nodded. "We'll return you to Port Ruby as planned, but I ask for a bit of your patience. We must remain here for a few days and mine some coal for the journey back...I do want to thank you, young rose. You've helped save many lives today."

"Not everyone though," said Mia, she looked down at her white shoes and sighed. "The church taught us the Gods were forgiving, I can't believe they'd want people to die to fix what that girl has done."

"Sacrifice is cruel," said Blackbeard, stroking his beard with a scarred hand. "But if you make a mistake without a price, what lesson of value could you learn?"

The men returned Mia to the floating pirate ship and retreated to the hall for dinner. Mia politely asked to be excused, and Blackbeard obliged. The Captain still showed little trust for the royal, and called a pirate to escort her back to his quarters. When they arrived at the den, the pirate swiftly placed the blue diamond choker back onto her neck and locked her inside.

She sighed and stared around the room. Trapped again, she thought. Her hazel eyes shifted toward the Captain's desk, a large tomb rested near a bottle of wine. She sat on Blackbeard's chair and pulled the tomb toward her. Her eyes surveyed the cover, Atlas was written in gold against the black leather binding.

She thought of Sarah Dreamstead. The woman responsible for the curse...for her abduction. She brushed her blonde hair away from her face, sifting through the pages with haste. She recalled Sarah was an applicant from Crescent Island, and quickly moved toward the C's of the Atlas.

After a few moments, Mia found Sarah's page under People of Interest. To Mia's confusion, there was no information on her...only a strange poem.

Safest with one
Doomed with many
Given to the selfish, never to be shared.
I can't exist if no one cares.
What am I?

"Having some trouble there?" said a voice.

Mia's head shot up and looked around. For a second she thought she had gone mad, no one was in the room and the door was still closed. She had thought perhaps it was the wind, but soon a black cat jumped onto the desk. The feline laid her yellow eyes upon Mia and chuckled.

"Who are you?" asked Mia, leaning back toward the seat.

"My name is Mira," said the black cat, her voice was seductively smooth. "I'm Jayden's Oracle."

"Jayden's...How did you get in here?" Mia checked the door again, to see if it was left slightly open.

The cat chuckled again and walked toward the bottle of wine. Her yellow eyes glowed brightly, and her body phased through the bottle as if it weren't there.

"An Oracle can still tap into their Secreto." Mira explained, she stood near the atlas and peeked down at the page. "Now, what do you have there? I hope it's interesting, the rest of this ship is such a bore to me."

"Sarah Dreamstead," said Mia, her eyes darted back down to the page. "I wanted to learn more about her, but...all I see are these imp scratches."

"These aren't imp scratches," said Mira. "These are Magi writings. Those clever ones, they write the atlas for the Captains who pay them. Each one unique from the other, each with its own hidden knowledge. What you see is a safe, the true words are hidden in its meaning."

With a rush of excitement, Mia's eyes darted back toward the page. The Magi were keepers of the most valuable information in the world. If they thought to seal Sarah's information, something about her was worth guarding.

She read the poem aloud, hoping that hearing the words would give them more meaning. "Safest with one, doomed with many. Given to the selfish, never to be shared. I can't exist if no one cares. What am I?"

She thought of the words, but could think of no answer. A soft purr tickled her ears and she watched a black paw move onto the page.

"A secret." said Mira.

The words seemed to respond to the black cat, and glowed with bright white light. Soon the entire page shined, and caused Mia to shield her eyes with her hand. Slowly the white light faded away, and new text began to appear on the page. Most of the information Mia had already seen, except for the identities of Sarah's parents. Veronica Dreamstead was her mother, and her father...

Mia gasped, her eyes shot up and found Mira. The black cat grinned widely, her eyes practically gleamed with excitement.

"My god," said Mira gleefully. "Now that is interesting."

The grinding of a key to the lock forced Mia to action. She hastily ripped the page out of the atlas and stuffed it inside her white dress. Mira hopped off the desk and disappeared through a bookcase. The door opened and Mia saw a pirate step inside. The man wore a black hood over his outfit, the top of his nose and eyes were hidden in shadow.

"Dinner, my lady." said the pirate, with a plate of chicken and potatoes in his hand.

"Thank you," she moved for the cover and slammed the book shut, her finger pointed toward the edge of the table. "You could put it down there for me, please."

The pirate set the plate down and walked around the desk. Mia's eyes followed the man, her chest tightened and twisted. The pirate stood in front of her and knelt on one knee, his hand gently grabbed one of her wrists.

"I was worried that you'd be hurt," said the pirate, he kissed her hand and smiled. "But you look as beautiful as ever."

"I'm sorry," she pulled her hand from his grip and leaned away. "I think you should leave. I'm not interested, not with you or any man on this ship."

The pirate chuckled and rose up to his feet.

"What about a dragon?" he asked.

The black hood was lifted, and a pair of crimsons eyes stared back at her. She felt her heart pounding fast, her eyes almost as wide as her gaped mouth.

"Calow?"