Conveniently placed stepping stones, the remnants of some ancient street, idly bobbed in the dark waters, giving them a clear path from their ship to the newly risen chapel. Ivan reached out to touch the moss-covered stone. It held even when he pressed down with all his might.

“I still think we should reconsider this.” He said even as Alek brushed past him, keeping the skull with him.

Ever the fearless captain, Alek stepped off the ship and onto the stone. It held his weight. “Come on. Both of you.” He motioned for Jean who still clutched his hands together though his prayers had gone silent. “The rest of you guard the ship.”

Their crew looked as if they’d rather do anything else, but Gator, a fresh scratch down his cheek, gave a serious nod. “You go on ahead, Captain. We’ll hold it down for you. Go and get our treasure.”

Something in his tone disquieted Ivan, but if he chose to stay behind, the risk to their captain would be too great. He swallowed and stepped out into the open sea. The stones did not waver as he crossed, and reluctantly, his face pallid with the effort it took to hold it together, Jean followed.

The chapel steps were slick with algae and sea water once they arrived. Ivan stepped carefully, eyeing the water with some misgiving. Nothing moved below the watery depths. Perhaps Jean had simply imagined whatever he’d seen; it had not been an easy couple of days. Darkness surrounded them as they entered the chapel. Ivan covered his nose with his sleeve, the scent of mildew digging into his nostrils and making his eyes water.

“Anyone think to bring a lantern?” Alek called back to them. At his words, unseen candles nailed into the walls flared to life. Jean murmured the beginnings of a prayer before Ivan slapped his arm in warning. “It’s alright. This chapel isn’t very big." Their captain assured. "We should be in and out.”

Something skittered in the shadows. Ivan did not like to think he frightened easily despite his recent misgivings, but that scratching sound had the hair rising up on the back of his neck. He could handle seeing people run through or decapitated aboard enemy ships, could handle the most gruesome of injuries, had seen in all in the past few years, but this was almost too much. He kept his eyes on the brown trenchcoat of his captain, his friend, mere inches in front of him as they walked the length of the corridor and entered the main area of the chapel. Rotten pews sat nailed to the floor on either side of them. Straight ahead, a golden statue stood staring at them.

Ivan stopped, causing Jean to run into the back of him with a curse. “What are you doing?” Jean hissed, an edge to his voice.

“I don’t recognize that idol.” Ivan said, still staring at the statue, even as their captain kept walking, clearly aiming for an empty doorway in the corner. Jean came around him and followed his gaze.

It was a woman, taller than the both of them, standing there with silver plated eyes, her full lips smiling wide in a show of benevolence and peace. She held her shiny golden hands together, but whatever she’d once held was gone. Likely stolen years ago.

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“I found it! Come look.” Alek’s jubilant voice called out, startling the both of them.

Ivan and Jean glanced at one another before stepping around the altar to the room their captain had vanished into. They nearly stumbled down the sudden drop as it led immediately down a set of steep stone steps. Ivan started as he rounded the corner and came face to face with the grinning skull of Blackheart sitting atop a stone pedestal.

“Behold me treasure.” He said to Ivan who shuddered and kept walking into the room. Eerie candlelight glittered on piles upon piles of gold coins, many having spilled from upturned bags. Alek had already opened one of the many treasure chests. The gleaming of rubies and sapphires reflected in his eyes.

“We found it.” He turned towards Ivan and Jean, holding a pile of jewels in his hands. “This will easily be enough for every one of us to live wealthy lives.”

The uneasy look in Jean’s eyes faded just a hair as he strode to a pile of yellowed scrolls stacked against a far corner and began to pick through them. “I collected each and every bit of this treasure.” Blackheart told them proudly, the candlelight flickering around them. “Me and me crew. We knew trouble was gaining fast on us so we knew this place would be the best to hide it. No one could possibly know it existed, the people here had all been slaughtered months earlier. There were still bloodstains in the streets as they prepared to destroy that dam.”

“They killed people so they could destroy the dam?” Ivan asked, picking his way through the treasure. He stepped on silver and gold coins as he counted more than twenty chests, each full of its own treasure.

“Oh, no, this was once a bustling town full of pirates and their families, most of whom had set aside that sort of life to settle down. Once it got out there were kids being slaughtered here, they broke the dam to cover their own crimes.”

“Who’s they?” Alek asked, only half listening.

Blackheart made a sound suspiciously like a snort and said. “A man and his family who commanded a fleet of ships solely to eradicate pirates and take their treasures for themselves. They wanted to become rich off our spoils. What was that name…”

Ivan bent to touch a silver-handled cutlass lying against the wall next to the chest Alek was still sorting through. “Ah, yes,” Blackheart continued, “I remember now. Fairweather. Pretty sure they stole that name too.”

Ivan froze, his family name hanging in the suddenly chilly air. He glanced at Alek and held his gaze. Alek pressed his lips together and gave a single shake of his head. For some reason, it felt wrong to admit to who he was in this place, as if the ghosts of the past might suddenly claw their way through these walls and drag him off to make him pay for what his ancestors had done so long ago.

“Let’s go back to the ship.” Alek said, wiping his hands on his pants. “We’ll need help carrying all this out of here. Ready, Jean?”

Jean gave a serious nod and hurried after them as Alek grabbed Blackheart’s skull on his way out and thumped up those stairs. Ivan followed last, his thoughts heavy with what he’d just learned. He’d no idea where his family had gained its fortune or fame; it was something his father had never thought to disclose to his second son. How many people had they murdered here? How many children?

Jean swore, jolting Ivan from his thoughts. Jean stood in the center of the chapel, a shaft of moonlight shining through the stained-glassed window, sending streaks of red across Jean’s pale face. He pointed a shaking finger at the golden statue. Ivan turned, his heart pounding inside his chest, as he followed that finger to see the statue no longer smiling demurely. Her lips had twisted into an angry sneer, her hands clenched into fists at her side, and one wielded a wicked scythe.