Chapter 10:

"Hey wench, ya you."

"Pretty girl."

"Just one little look up here?"

"Wooh, she's getting steamed now."

"Baby girl's even cuter when she's mad."

It was driving her insane, the endless catcalling and whistling. As long as there was light, someone was almost always above Zarabeth's cell, taunting and goading her till all she wanted to do was scream.

"Get a move on, the lot of you! Leave the lass alone, will ya? She'll have enough of a time without you low-lifes gawking all the while."

If Zara did find any rest, it usually came in the form of the ship's first mate. Even with his very low tolerance for slackers, the girl couldn't tell whether it was pity or simply his orders which drove the man to constantly be looking out for her. But whatever his reasons, Zarabeth was thankful for it.

He was an alien man, his skin a light blue hue, his shoulders and other joints covered in scales of about the same color. His face was long and rounded, a set of large fin-like appendages in place of ears on either side, the fins moving with the emotions in his face. His eyes were large and dark, making even the radiant lights of the Etherium reflect back out as only a dull glow over their surfaces.

Finally Looking up from her lap, Zara dare to let a hint of a sad smile cross her lips, her eyes meeting those of the alien pirate for only a moment, the man simply nodding in her direction before making his way back out of sight.

The world around her quiet once more, Zara let out a trembling breath in relief, careful to avoid aggravating the aching muscles of her stomach as she rearranged herself, now sitting with her legs beneath her. One wrong move or twist and Zarabeth was cringing in pain, the continued price she was paying for her fight with Damian. Every time she thought about it, Zarabeth just wanted to cry and scream all at once. The things he'd said to her, the memories of Jim's voice yelling Damian's words down at her, those amethyst eyes glowing in emotions she couldn't separate, those were the things he'd left Zara with to work through over and over again in the loneliness of the night behind her.

As the Etherium faded from twilight into deeper darkness, the deck above Zarabeth gradually began to grow quiet, the pirates either retreating back to the galley or their hammocks for the night. Pressing her ear to the wooden wall behind her, Zara could hear the sounds of drunken singing coming from the galley maybe a few rooms behind her, something she hadn't picked up on the other nights. The novelty of her discovery soon faded, her mind drifting to other things as she slowly got to her feet, the chains on her wrists clanking and grinding together as they dragged behind her.

Zarabeth slowly paced about the cell, only going as far as the chains would let her before turning to walk in the opposite direction. There was nothing to do, nothing but worry, but that was getting her nowhere. Where was Jim? Was he coming to get her? Did he even know? She wished she knew something, anything.

"Need a deck of cards?"

Startled by the sound of a man's voice behind her, Zara turned to see a human leaning casually beneath the low light of the lamp just outside of her cell.

"I'm-I'm sorry?"

"You look bored."

Releasing a heavy breath, the girl moved some hair out of her eyes before crossing her arms in front of her, more curious than frightened by the pirate's presence. "Wouldn't you be? What are you doing here?"

The human man was middle aged with good build and brown hair fading into gray only behind the ears, his beard cut close to his sharp jawline. He carried himself in a rather casual manner, his dress like most of the other pirates Zara had seen.

The man simply shrugged, his eyes darting about the cell before once more ending on the girl. "That skin changer was supposed to come down here to get rid of the lamps, but he claimed to have other priorities. Trust me, sweetheart, of the line of guys volunteering to come do it instead, you're fortunate that I'm the second mate. I got dibs."

"Fortunate." Zara repeated the man, shaking her head as she rubbed a hand over the back of her neck.

"That kid, the one supposedly coming, he your husband?"

The pirate's words took the girl by surprise, following his eyes down to her left hand before pulling it protectively to her chest, her engagement ring still on her finger. "He will be. I'm actually surprised none of you have tried to take this from me."

"Pirates are a superstitious lot, lass," he laughed quietly. "We don't take wedding rings or dressed, don't pick fights with clergy, and try to stay clear of widows, that is unless we just made them one, then we do whatever we want."

Zara had nothing to say to his crude remark, the silence persisting between the two making the muffled sound of singing and laughter from the galley more audible. Motioning her head to the wall behind her, the girl did her best to riddle some information from the pirate. "Sounds like you're missing quite a party back there."

"Captain's given us all the night off to do as we please. For most of the men, it's just permission to get drunk. Lucky for you, I'm very sober."

Zarabeth couldn't help but let her disgust show in her eyes, the girl assuming a taunting air as she stood her ground, never taking her eyes from the man. "Any special reason for it?"

"Celebrating, of course. We've finally reached Risona."

"Risona? That's the 'mystery destination'."

Risona was one of two planets in that system not under the royal family's rule, the other being Tresslar. The nomadic planet of Tresslar was home to thousands of runaways, criminals, or impoverished families hoping to escape the hand of the government, but Risona's surface was more treacherous than Tresslar's, its rugged terrain making it the perfect hiding place for pirates and criminals, but a difficult place to actually live.

"W-Why there?"

Surprised by her ignorance, the man straightened up slightly. "You really don't know anything?"

"No one's been very willing to tell me."

"The key? Flint's Legacy? Nothing?"

"Flint's Legacy?" The man's words sparked Zara's mind into a flame of sudden understanding. "You mean, it really exists?"

The man laughed low and hard, drawing a hand over his eyes as he leaned against the bars separating the two. "Oh, lass. You are in a spot, aren't you? If it didn't exist, I wouldn't be standing here, now would I?"

Her mind working over what she'd just been told, a memory began ceaselessly playing in Zara's mind. A few years before, when she and Silver had come through Caliban Fever, Silver had given her and Jim something, something he thought was connected to the rumor of Flint's Legacy. Supposedly, before he died, Flint put aside a small portion of his trove for someone, leaving behind a way that only that 'someone' could find it after his passing. Silver said that what he gave them was one of three pieces needed to find that treasure, Silver having the second. Zarabeth hadn't thought about that night in forever, assuming that Silver had given up on finding the third piece. She couldn't even remember where Jim had hidden theirs.

That's why they needed Jim.

"All of this...All of this is for that stupid chunk of metal?"

Zara hadn't even realized she'd spoken aloud until the man's voice spoke up to answer.

"Watch it, sweetheart. That 'stupid chunk of metal' is gonna make us all rich."

A thought suddenly struck the girl, unconsciously stiffening at its new presence in her mind.

The pirates had one piece, Jim had the other, but did they know that Silver had the last one?

"Hello? You still in there somewhere?"

Zarabeth shook her head from side to side in quick succession, as if hoping it would clear of the terrible thoughts plaguing it, pulled back into reality at the man's voice. "Yeah, no. I just...need some sleep."

"Suit yourself." Seeing that the girl's mind was still elsewhere, the pirate simply shrugged as he turned out the few lamps in the brig. "Well, I think I'll be joining that party you were so interested in. Sleep tight."

Left standing alone in the darkness, a dull glow coming from the lights of the Etherium as they shone down through the grate above, Zarabeth could feel herself slipping into deeper fear than she had before.

Silver.

If Jim came, they'd know how to get to Silver. If he didn't show, she could always just feign ignorance of the cyborg's whereabouts. But, if Jim came for her, either of them would be forced to talk if the life of the other was threatened.

A thought, cancerous and defeating, was growing in the girl's mind, the revelation bringing her to her knees as she stared out into the darkness of the world around her, looking but not seeing. There was nothing left to do. She couldn't be saved. Jim had to stay away from her.

They would all be in danger if he didn't.