Chapter Twenty-Five

I woke to find a large, tender lump adoring the soft skin just behind my right eye. My head spun as I rose into a sitting position, my stomach clenching, and I quickly lowered myself back onto the hard slab I rested on. The walls around me pitched wildly and the floor swayed, both made of long curves of dark wood. Standing between them and me, sharp lines of metal caged my makeshift bed in a confined rectangle barely large enough for me to take four steps. Whatever food was inside me rolled and I flung myself over the edge of my bed, waiting as the sickness spewed from my shivering body. I coughed, wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, and shifted into a more comfortable position.

Cl-thun-ink. Perplexed, I crawled to the edge of the wooden bench and peered at the floor. The small, leather pouch I had taken from Gale sat in a brown lump on the boards, a dark shape in the faint light. I reached down and scooped it to my heart. Gale.

He was gone. I quickly scanned the barrels and crates that were scattered about the room, which I identified as the brig of a ship. The pirates' ship. Gale was nowhere among the soft thuds of the waves hitting the sides, nor was he laying wounded somewhere inside a separate cell. I was alone, without Gale, except for perhaps my gold. I didn't know why I had taken it, but I opened the pouch and fingered through the coins inside. All of the pieces were there, but it didn't matter. The boy who loved me, the best friend I could ever have, was crumpled on the grassy cliff far away, mostly likely dead. Dead.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes and I curled into myself, wrapping my arms around my shoulder and lowering my head into the small gap between my knees. I squeezed my eyelids closed, forcing the salty droplet of water to slide down my cheeks and soak into my leggings. There was nothing left for me expect to return the coins to their owner, and now, all of that seemed like a waste.

The sound of hard-soled boots on wood roused me from my despaired huddle and I lifted my head sullenly. A pair of legs, followed by a torso and head, appeared from a rickety flight of steps. The boy who had been among my kidnappers stood on the bottom step, his hands on his hips with the sleeves of his puffy, white shirt rolled up to his elbow. Slithering down his forearm was the tattoo of a viper, its black fangs spreading out to cover the knuckles of his ring and index fingers. His shoulder length black hair was chopped and jagged, falling across his solemn eyes. I stared at him, my face red and swollen from sobbing. The boy's gaze slid up and down my body through his hair, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. It was suggestive, but there was something arrogant and amused behind the small flash of teeth.

"The, er…" he cleared his throat, running a hand through his bangs. "Captain wants to see you."

I raised my eyebrows at him, glancing at him the way he studied me. "What? Do I not deserve a 'lass' at the end of that sentence?"

With a quick shrug, the boy held out a set of tarnished keys. "C'n I let you out, or are you thinking of trying something?"

I snorted, the closest I could come to a smile or laugh. There was no reason to smile or laugh anymore. The boy's eyes bore into me, but I remained silent. Sighing, I slowly lowered my stiff legs to hang over the side of the cot, gripping the edge and tilting my head away carelessly. Satisfied with my reaction, the boy strode forward, his boots clicking and clomping in a strangely comforting sound. He produced one of the keys from the loop and jammed it into the lock of my cell. Wiping the tears from my face, I pushed myself to my feet and rubbed at the back of my neck. A small, red bite burned at my touch and I grimaced inwardly. Of course. On a ship filled with pirates, why hadn't I anticipated the fleas?

The boy gripped one of the crumbling bars and tugged, assuming it would simply swing open. The lock held and he frowned, jiggling the key and then trying again with a firmer pull. It took three more attempts before the door finally swung open with a small explosion of metals filings. I wrinkled my nose and stepped into the doorway, my eyebrows raised.

"Now what happens?"

"Now," the boy said, pocketing the keys. "Now, you meet Captain Jones."

I took a moment to gather myself, keeping my eyes focused straight ahead and trying to calm my trembling legs. Then, I stepped forward. The boy moved aside to let me pass, a hand resting causally on the butt on his sword as he fell into step behind me. I paused at the stairs and straightened my shoulders. There was nothing these men could do to me now. Not a damned thing. Because real stories…they don't end the way we expect.

Holding my head high, I mounted the first step.

…Happily Ever After?