CHAPTER 66: [66] THE VILLAIN, THE FOOL, AND THE VIPER

interesting plans for each of you."

She gestured toward the amber heart with her scaled hand. "This artifact has been calling to worthy vessels for centuries. It requires someone with the capacity to channel its power, to serve as a conduit between its ancient wisdom and the modern world."

Pierre’s inherited memories stirred uneasily. Stories his father had told about things that slept in deep places, waiting for the right person to wake them. "You want me to bond with that thing."

"Want is such a crude word. I need you to fulfill your purpose." Moreau’s golden eyes gleamed with fervor that bordered on religious ecstasy. "This heart belonged to one of the Great Serpents, beings that ruled the seas before the current age began. With it, I can reshape the balance of power across all four seas. No more Navy tyranny, no more Revolutionary failures, no more corrupt Marquis playing games with ordinary people’s lives."

The chamber shook suddenly, dust raining from the curved ceiling as something massive impacted the volcanic stone above them. Moreau’s smile became radiant with triumph.

"And there’s our heroic fool, arriving exactly on schedule."

Another impact, stronger this time. Cracks appeared in the amber ceiling, spreading like spider webs across the golden surface. Pierre could hear muffled shouts from above, Jack’s voice carrying through the stone with characteristic volume and complete lack of subtlety.

"You led him here," Pierre said, understanding flooding through him. "You want him to find us."

"I want him to eliminate you as a rival for the artifact’s power," Moreau corrected. "Heroes are so wonderfully single-minded. Point them at a villain, and they’ll destroy anything in their path to reach their target. Including inconvenient witnesses and potential complications."

The ceiling cracked with a sound like thunder, amber fragments raining down as a section of stone gave way. Through the gap, Pierre could see flashes of pink and blue energy—Jack’s signature power building for another devastating attack.

"The beauty of heroes," Moreau continued, raising her voice over the increasing noise, "is their absolute certainty in their own righteousness. They never question whether they might be someone else’s weapon."

Saxe Webb moved for the first time since they’d entered the chamber, his scarred face turning toward the failing ceiling. The silent man’s twin sabers sang as he drew them, the steel reflecting the amber light in deadly arcs.

The ceiling exploded inward with a detonation that shook the entire chamber. Chunks of volcanic stone crashed down around the amber heart’s pedestal, while golden fragments scattered like deadly confetti. Through the smoking hole in the chamber’s roof, a figure descended with theatrical grace.

Jack Steelheart landed in a perfect three-point hero pose, his vibrant blue hair somehow remaining perfectly styled despite having just blown through solid stone. His muscular frame radiated confidence and righteous fury, while his handsome face bore the expression of someone who had never doubted his own moral superiority.

"Your reign of terror ends here, villain!" Jack declared, pointing dramatically at Pierre with one perfectly sculpted finger. "I, Jack Steelheart, future Pirate Lord, will protect this sacred place from your evil schemes!"

Pierre stared at the protagonist in disbelief. "Are you kidding me right now?"

Moreau’s laughter filled the chamber like poisoned honey. "Oh, this is even better than I hoped. Our hero has already decided who the villain is. How wonderfully convenient."

Jack’s eyes swept across the chamber, taking in the Black Serpent pirates, the amber artifact, and Pierre’s crew with the kind of surface-level assessment that had always infuriated Pierre about this character. No depth, no nuance, just simple categorization based on appearance and assumption.

"Release those innocent women, red-haired menace!" Jack shouted, his voice echoing off the curved walls. "Your crimes against the people of Orellia end today!"

"Innocent women?" Raven sputtered, her blue eyes blazing with indignation. "Who are you calling innocent, you muscle-brained—"

"Fear not, fair maiden!" Jack interrupted, striking another heroic pose. "I shall rescue you from this dastardly criminal’s clutches!"

Pierre felt Hardy’s darkness surge through his veins, responding to his rising frustration. The amber heart pulsed in harmony with his anger, its alien warmth spreading up his arm like liquid fire. "Jack, you moron, we’re not the—"

"Silence, villain!" Jack’s power flared, pink and blue energy crackling around his fists. "Your lies won’t work on Jack Steelheart! I can sense the evil radiating from your very soul!"

Moreau stepped back toward the chamber’s entrance, her golden eyes bright with malicious joy. "Saxe, Henrik, protect the artifact. Let our hero handle the thieves."

The chamber erupted into chaos.

Saxe Webb moved like lightning, his twin sabers creating silver arcs through the amber-tinted air as he closed the distance to Pierre. The silent man’s face remained expressionless, but his blades sang with deadly intent.

Pierre ripped his hand away from the artifact and rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding Saxe’s opening strike. The saber carved a gouge in the amber floor where his head had been, sending golden sparks flying. Hardy’s stolen strength flowed through Pierre’s muscles as he brought his rusty pipe up to block the follow-up attack.

Meanwhile, Jack launched himself forward with a battle cry that shook dust from the remaining ceiling. His target was Pierre, but his trajectory carried him directly into the path of Henrik, the elderly pirate who had been moving to flank Raven.

"Out of my way, old man!" Jack shouted, backhanding Henrik with casual dismissal. The doctor flew across the chamber and crashed into an amber wall with a sickening crack.

"Henrik!" Moreau’s composed mask slipped for the first time, genuine concern flashing across her features as her crew member crumpled to the floor.

Raven used the distraction to strike, her knowledge of pressure points allowing her to drop one of the flanking pirates with a precise blow to his neck. But the remaining Black Serpent pirate was already moving, his cutlass whistling toward her head.

Alyssa’s riding crop cracked like a whip, the weighted tip catching the pirate’s wrist and sending his blade spinning away. "Touch her and die," she snarled, her pale green eyes blazing with protective fury.

The chamber had become a whirlwind of violence, with amber fragments still raining from the destroyed ceiling. Saxe pressed his attack on Pierre, his twin sabers moving in patterns that spoke of decades of training and countless battles. Each strike was precise, economical, and potentially fatal.

Pierre gave ground, using Hardy’s enhanced endurance to weather the storm of steel while looking for an opening. But Saxe was too good, too experienced. The silent man fought like he breathed—naturally, effortlessly, and without wasted motion.

"Stand still so I can save you, villain!" Jack bellowed, his power flaring as he prepared another devastating attack. The pink and blue energy built around his fists, promising destruction on a scale that would collapse what remained of the chamber.

"You absolute moron!" Pierre shouted back, ducking under another of Saxe’s strikes. "We’re on the same side!"

"Lies!" Jack’s energy reached critical mass. "Evil always tries to corrupt the pure of heart!"

The amber heart pulsed brighter, its alien light casting shifting shadows that made everyone look like demons. Pierre could feel its call growing stronger, promising power beyond imagination if he would just reach out and claim it.

But first, he had to survive the next thirty seconds.