THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART X
In the beginning, Reelé only sought revenge. With her beauty, she hoped to capture the pirate's attention by finishing him off without raising too much of a fuss.
She moved people around like chess pieces, and Firebeard was one of them. With her enchantment, she managed to control him, but it also allowed her to act according to the pirate's needs.
That would leave him out in the open, with enough evidence to make him pay for his injustices.
Even his privateers were caught up in the sorceress's game. He believed he was invincible, and the wraith repeated it to him again and again: -You are not invincible, Firebeard!- But he simply ignored those words.
Loyalty never lived in Firebeard's life. His recurring deception would eventually work against him.
The specter, sent by the sorceress, would appear before him with an unsettling presence. The curse was the sentence she dictated to Firebeard. It brought with it the echoes of the voices of the victims of the nefarious pirate, and that presence sent a shiver down his spine. The sky, at times, became dark and opaque, and putrid odors - the scent of death and decay - were one of the effects that accompanied the specter's visit.
The days were supposed to pass on the high seas, but everything accelerated in a terrifying way. The pirate ship broke in two and sank into absolute darkness, leaving only voices from beyond echoing in the storm. Firebeard had no one on his side; his luck had run out.
-My dear Firebeard,“ the wraith's voice boomed with an intensity that cut through the air, ”you have always been despicable. I have no memory of a single beneficial action on your part towards the people. You stole, you exceeded the limits of respect and abuse. Do you want me to forgive you? In truth, I could not.
The specter came closer, his voice overpowering the storm and the wind.
-This is a price you had to pay. By the way, the water your men drank... was the blood of your first corsairs, the ones you threw overboard. Do you remember? -He continued, in a voice that seemed to tear through the silence - the blood of those who once trusted you, now mingled with the storm that engulfs you.
She spoke, and in those words, Firebeard felt his punishment had reached its peak. The story of betrayal, death and regret was being woven in the darkness of the night, in a silent but deadly judgment that seemed to have no end.
-You will suffer! And you will die, Firebeard. When you have experienced the torture of your last victim, all you feel, see and hear will be pure suffering. Your ship will emerge from the depths only to sink again, again and again. Your life will become an endless chain of moments you will wish you had never lived. The curse will trap you in an endless cycle of pain, and in the darkness, you will wish oblivion would consult you.-Reelé completed her spell.
She disappeared from Firebeard's presence. Everything appeared with a vast calm, as if such frightening scenarios had never happened...but in a matter of minutes the cycle would begin to play out as the sorceress expressed it.
That story will be known throughout the town as The Pirate Firebeard and his curse on the high seas.
The End
SPANISH
En el principio, Reelé solo buscaba venganza. Con su belleza, esperaba captar la atención del pirata acabar con él sin levantar demasiado alboroto.
Movía a las personas como piezas de ajedrez, y Firebeard era una de ellas. Con su encantamiento, lograba controlarlo, pero también le permitía actuar según las necesidades del pirata.
Eso lo dejaría al descubierto, con pruebas suficientes para que pagara por sus injusticias.
Incluso sus corsarios estaban atrapados en el juego de la hechicera. Él creía ser invencible, y el espectro se lo repetía una y otra vez: —¡No eres invencible, Firebeard!— Pero él simplemente ignoraba esas palabras.
La lealtad nunca habitó en la vida de Firebeard. Su engaño recurrente terminaría por jugarle en contra.
El espectro, enviado por la hechicera, se presentaba ante él con una presencia inquietante. La maldición era la sentencia que ella le dictaba a Firebeard. Traía consigo los ecos de las voces de las víctimas del nefasto pirata, y esa presencia le generaba un escalofrío que recorría su espalda. El cielo, en ocasiones, se tornaba oscuro y opaco, y los olores putrefactos —el aroma de la muerte y la descomposición— eran uno de los efectos que acompañaban la visita del espectro.
Se suponía que los días transcurrirían en altamar, pero todo se aceleró de manera aterradora. El barco pirata se partió en dos y se hundió en la oscuridad absoluta, dejando solo voces del más allá resonando en la tormenta. Firebeard no tenía a nadie a su favor; su suerte se había agotado.
—Mi querido Firebeard —la voz del espectro retumbó con una intensidad que cortaba el aire.—siempre has sido despreciable. No tengo recuerdos de una sola acción beneficiosa de tu parte hacia el pueblo. Hurtaste, te excediste en el límite del respeto y del abuso. ¿Quieres que te perdone? La verdad, yo no podría.
El espectro se acercó más, su voz dominaba la tormenta y el viento.
—Este es un precio que tú debías pagar. Por cierto, el agua que bebieron tus hombres… era la sangre de tus primeros corsarios, aquellos que lanzaste por la borda. ¿Lo recuerdas? —continuó, con una voz que parecía desgarrar el silencio—. La sangre de quienes alguna vez confiaron en ti, ahora se mezclaba con la tormenta que te envuelve.
Ella habló, y en esas palabras, Firebeard sintió como su castigo había alcanzado su punto más alto. La historia de traición, muerte y arrepentimiento se tejía en la oscuridad de la noche, en un silencioso pero mortal juicio que parecía no tener fin.
—¡Sufrirás! Y morirás, Firebeard. Cuando hayas experimentado la tortura de tu última víctima, todo lo que sientas, veas y escuches será puro sufrimiento. Tu barco emergirá de las profundidades solo para hundirse de nuevo, una y otra vez. Tu vida se convertirá en una cadena interminable de momentos que desearás nunca haber vivido. La maldición te atrapará en un ciclo de dolor sin fin, y en la oscuridad, desearás que el olvido te consulta.—Reelé completó su hechizo.
Ella desapareció de la presencia de Firebeard. Todo se mostraba con una extensa calma, como si nunca hubiesen sucedido tales escenarios atemorizantes...pero en cuestión de minutos el ciclo comenzaría a actuvarse como lo expresó aquella hechicera.
Esa historia será conocida en todo el pueblo como El pirata Firebeard y su maldición en altamar.
FIN
READ PREVIOUSLY
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART I
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART II
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART III
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART IV
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART V
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART V
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART VI
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART VII
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART VIII
THE PIRATE FIREBEARD AND HIS CURSE ON THE HIGH SEAS/PART IX