Eric couldn't breathe past the searing pain in his gut, but when he saw Jim and then Ariel suddenly topple forward, he released a yell. He immediately regretted it, doubling over weakly, as if curling into a ball would lessen the pain. He felt someone grab onto his hair, and his head was jerked up. His sea blue eyes met deep brown eyes, and a toothy grin.
"Firs' mate Eric. I needs yer," Silver said, menace laced into his voice.
Eric's eyes narrowed with distaste. "What do you want."
"Yer hand."
"Wha-?" Before Eric could guess what the fat man said, he saw Silver rear back with his sword in hand. Panic filled Eric's every sense. "Stop!" He yelled. "What do you really want?"
Silver raised an eyebrow. "Ah jus' tolja."
Eric's quick mind made the connection. "You're with Flint?"
Silver began to clap, an ironic smile on his face. "So ya figured it out, eh?"
"How did you find out about this mission?"
Silver shrugged. "Good luck and great timin'." He answered. "Flint's knows Montressor's custom, an' sent me thar to git on tha ship. Everythin' after was easy."
Eric coughed, bright red blood spilling out of his mouth. Silver's face twisted in disgust. "Ah need yuh hand, sir," his tone mocking.
Eric shook his head. "It won't work. It takes my pulse too, so that filthy pirates like you won't be able to get in with my corpse."
Silver raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He sighed, shaking his head. "Yuh had to make it difficult, eh?" With a heave, he threw Eric over his shoulder. Eric screamed in pain, and warm blood gushed out of his wound, staining Silver's apron. Silver just sighed as if it was an inconvenient setback.
Eric's eyes alighted on the prone forms of Ariel – his precious Ariel – and Jim. Then the darkness enveloped him.
-x-
Ariel groaned softly as she moved. She stretched her hand out, as if reaching…reaching for what? Her memory was fuzzy. Did she fall asleep on the floor? The last thing she remembered was going into Jim's room. Maybe she fell asleep on his floor?
Her eyes fluttered open slowly, and she became aware of a throbbing in her temple. Moaning as she sat up, she looked ahead of her. The tavern they had been was afire, and her memories caught up with her. The fight, Eric's wound, Jim falling unconscious…
Jim!
She spun around and looked for Jim. With a sigh of relief, she noticed he was still lying where he had fallen. She crawled over to him, and felt for his pulse. She released a sigh of relief and she felt its strength against her fingertips. Lifting his head gently, she placed his head on her lap.
She slowly looked around the area, and with a sinking heart, noticed Eric wasn't around. She searched to see if he had dragged himself somewhere – a fool's hope – but he was nowhere to be found. She looked at the unconscious boy on her lap, then her mind returned to the man who had just confessed his love for her. Should she leave Jim and look for Eric? A part of her mind told her that looking for Eric was the stupid choice, because she had no clues to his whereabouts or who would have taken him. Why would someone want to kidnap a dying man? The other part of her mind told her to search for him anyways. However, there was a feeling that she felt more, a feeling that made the second choice impossible.
She couldn't leave Jim.
Her mind came up with various excuses: he could be taken as well, even if she hid him he may be robbed or mauled, how could she drag him to a safe place without hurting him, if he did wake up he may begin to look for her and Eric and they'll be going round in circles…but the utmost reason was that she couldn't allow him to wake up alone.
She gently brushed his hair from his forehead, humming softly. She really hoped he was all right. Worry began to knaw in her gut as she thought about Eric again, and then if Jim was seriously hurt…panic was mounting in her chest and she found it hard to breathe…but she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Don't think of anything. Just breathe. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she pulled an old tune and she began to softly sing her favourite part:
Just a boy, just an ordinary boy…
But he was lookin' to the sky.
As he asked if I would come along,
I started to realise, that everyday
He'll find just what he's lookin' for,
Like a shooting star, he shines.
Jim's eyes began to flutter open, and his eyes locked onto hers. He blinked a few times, confusion written on his features, and Ariel gave him a weak smile. Impulsively, she bent down and kissed his cheek. Her relief at seeing him alive and conscious was palpable.
Jim's eyes grew puzzled, but he didn't say anything. He sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Where's Eric?"
She bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes. "…I don't know."
-x-
Silver grunted as he dropped Eric unceremoniously on his rear. The man moaned and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, but he didn't say anything otherwise. Silver leaned back, his hands on his ample waist, and grumbled as his spine popped, releasing tension.
He gave the man in the cell a satisfied smirk. "Bones, ah hope yer ready to die."
Bones knew what was about to happen. First Mate Eric – one of the best fighters on Montressor and Atlantis alike – was near death. There was no getting help from him. his eyes showed his fear, and Silver's smile grew wider. The big man leaned in, pressing his tanned face against the glass separating the two- but not for long.
"Scared? Ya should be."
Bones swallowed, and stared at Silver with steely eyes. He was a man, goddammit! He'll take his death like a man. "Do what yah came to do, swine."
A vein pulsed in Silver's forehead, and he grabbed Eric's hand. Slapping the hand against the control, the handprint scanner glowed green. Within a few seconds, the pad flared white and an audible 'click' was heard as the room unlocked. With a savage yank, Silver opened the door to Bone's small prison. He hauled the smaller man up against the wall.
"Do it," Bones taunted. He did what he had to do, wanted to do, and he was willing to accept death. After years of waiting for the opportune moment, he would not regret giving all of his valuable information for nothing in return. He knew he would meet suspicion, but Captain Amelia and the First mate treated him better than he could have hoped. As their prisoner, he was still treated to three meals a day and comfortable – if confining – living quarters.
He saw Silver hesitate, and he felt true terror. If Silver wasn't going to kill him, he may take him straight to Flint. And Flint would not kill him, but subject him to days of torture.
He gave Silver a cocky grin. "Wha' happen? Scared? Of a helpless man?"
He saw the anger flash in Silver's eyes, but the man still didn't make a move.
Bones looked way from Silver and spat. "Damn, gettin' killed by ah man withou' any balls. Meh granma had more than ya."
He felt a stinging pain in his side, and looked down to see a spreading circle of red. Silver's sword was impaled in his side, and while Bones knew it wasn't a fatal wound, it hurt like a bitch. He growled at Silver, and gave him a sardonic smile. "Still ain't got the balls to kill me, eh? The guy who betrayed and stole from Flint? Eh? What kinda lap dog are yeh?"
He saw Silver grit his teeth, and knew that these were his last moments. The searing pain spread from his side to his middle. Even though he wanted to die, didn't mean he was going to die easily. He tried to stagger away from the blade, but to no avail. Silver had cut straight through his stomach, and Bones held the wound. The blood loss was making his vision become blurry and he felt weak. The last thing he saw was Silver's blade descending upon him.
And then, blissful darkness.
-x-
They were walking back to the ship, heads bowed in thought. Jim snuck a glance at Ariel, and saw that her face was streaked with tears. Of course, idiot! He thought, wanting to smack himself on the head. Eric is missing and we don't know where he is. And she…
He looked at her again, an indescribable feeling rising in his chest. Was that…anger? Impossible. Why should he be angry that she loved someone? He shook it off as best he could but he couldn't get it out of his mind. Why had she stayed with him when she could have begun searching for Eric by herself? But she had decided to stay with him, even singing him a song…and then that kiss. The last time he had been kissed like that, it was by his mother when she was putting him to bed. Is that what she thought of him? As a little kid?
He clenched his hand, his fingernails digging into his palm. He should not be feeling whatever he was feeling. They were co-conspirators at worst, friends at best. That's it.
He cleared his throat. "So, what should we tell the Captain?" Talking about anything would help him get his mind off of…whatever it was.
She blinked slowly a couple of times and wiped her cheeks. "I don't know."
Anger flared in him. that's all she said to him since he woke up. "Well, get an idea."
She spun on him, her face showing her rage. "Why do I have to get an idea? We're both in this, so why just me? You think of something!"
"Why should I?" He screamed back. "It's not my boyfriend that got taken away!"
She took a step back, shock evident on her face. Damn, he cursed himself silently.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Oh, well sorry. So the love confession earlier was a lie?"
Her jaw tightened, and she turned away from him. "I don't have to answer to you." A tear traced her cheek, and Jim immediately felt guilty. He turned away from her, not knowing what to say. This was a huge mess, and he didn't know what to do to get out of it.
Hearing a small gasp, his head whipped to Ariel. A hand was clamped over her mouth, and she was being dragged to a dark alleyway. Jim ran after her, and saw her try to disengage. He had seen Mer fight before, and knew of their advanced speed and strength as compared to a normal human. So even though he was worried about Ariel, the rational part of his mind reminded him that she could take care of herself.
Ariel drove her elbow into the assailant's stomach a few times, and with a grunt, the person released her. Ariel twisted and threw a punch to the person's face – Jim couldn't even see her fist, she was so fast – but with an equally fast reaction, the person blocked it.
"Stop it, you idiot!" The person hissed.
Upon hearing the voice, both Jim and Ariel snapped to attention. Amelia brushed back her hair so that it was perfect again, and gave the two teenagers a hard stare. "Report."
They looked at each other, and Jim somehow lost the contest. "A tavern fight erupted between our sailors and Flint's pirates. Eric tried to escort us to the ship and to safety, but was attacked in the process. Ariel and I dragged him out of the tavern, but someone knocked us unconscious. When we woke up, Eric was gone."
Ariel whimpered softly, but Jim ignored it.
"Damn. Ok, I have commandeered a smaller ship, hidden on the other side of the city. I'll try to find any survivors and bring them there. You are to go straight to the ship and get it ready to depart. Understood?"
The two nodded, not willing to go against the captain's orders. She stared at them for a moment more before nodding briskly. "Great. I'll meet you there in an hour. Then, we leave this God forsaken city." She then disappeared towards the direction of the tavern.
Jim and Ariel looked at each other. Jim sighed and began walking towards the direction the Captain has gestured towards, but a hand on his sleeve made him pause. "What about Eric?"
Jim shook his head. "Didn't you hear the Captain? Get to the ship and ready it. She's depending on us."
"But Eric could still be alive!"
Jim spun around and gripped Ariel's shoulders. "Ariel, he's either dead or on the verge of death. We have no clue to where he was taken, and what would we do when we do find him? Save him? We'll just be changing the place where he dies. You saw that wound yourself. He won't be able to survive that."
Ariel looked away, tears shining in her eyes. However, she nodded. Jim released her shoulders and sighed. Suddenly, he wrapped her in his arms. "It's all right. Eric is strong; he'll resist to the end. You don't have to worry about him." She nodded into his chest, and he held her closer to him. He felt as if he was betraying Eric, but he wanted to continue holding Ariel like this.
-x-
Silver kicked the first mate, and the handsome man groaned. "Still alive, eh?" He asked, crouching near him. Eric's face was deathly pale, and he was sweating. Silver looked at his wound and saw it was still seeping blood. He sighed. "Eh, seems yeh ain't got long agen."
He stood up and looked at his bloodstained clothes in disgust. Not only was Eric bleeding all over his clothes earlier, Bone's blood had splattered all over it too. He looked at the two dead men. Well, one was dead. The other might as well be.
He began to walk away, wondering if the princeling and his cabin boy were still alive. Rubbing his chin, he said aloud, "I may have ter kill 'em."
A hand shot out and grabbed his foot. Before he could look to see who, a sharp pain in his thigh erupted. With a roar, Silver kicked savagely at the person, but his attacker merely dragged the blade down and across. Silver yelled again, and kicked at the person. The person fell limp and the knife stopped moving. With a scream of pain, Silver yanked out the bloody knife. He glared down at his attacker, and saw Eric's prone form.
With a curse, Silver kicked the first mate repeatedly until his injured leg gave out on him. He fell heavily on the floor, coming face-to-face with the man. As he tried to get up, he saw a flash of silver.
He screamed as he felt a sharp pain in his left eye. He lashed blindly at Eric, but didn't hit the man. Staggering, he stood up and stepped away from him. He spat on Eric's body, and kicked him again. Cautious. He stooped down and felt Eric's pulse.
Even though he waited for a whole minute, he did not feel a thrum of life under his finger. Standing slowly, he spat on Eric's corpse one last time.
The Mer seemed to have saved his last reserves of energy to strike at Silver, and Silver would forever curse him for it.
I know, I know. I'm weak with taunting. That whole Silver/Bones scene had me like KJHEBGC.K UAC,GHGLJS DIE! Meh. And yes, the song was 'Ordinary Day' by Vanessa Carlton. I thought that part of the song summed up Jim and Ariel for some reason.
Ok, you guys didn't know this, but your reviews from the last chapter decided whether Eric would live. Even though most – if not all – of you said, "don't kill Eric"…I did. I weighed the option of having Eric alive vs. his dead, and decided the story would flow better with him dead. Sorry guys! But because you all wanted him to live so badly, I ensured he went out with one helluva fight ;)
Review, please!
