Punching Circe in the face was probably one of the most satisfying moments of Reyna's life. It felt good to just let some of her anger out and punch the witch across her stupid, smug little face. It didn't feel so good to be caught with a palm to her nose. She winced in pain and was thrown backward.
Reyna rolled backward and made it to her feet. She dodged a blast of fire from Circe and grabbed her cutlass. Circe suddenly tensed. Reyna heard an explosion and turned. The room they were in wasn't that large. It had a few desks, and filing cabinets circled the room. The only door was to Reyna's back.
"What did you do?" Circe demanded. Reyna placed a hand to her nose and didn't answer. "Are you working with him? Do not throw away what we have."
"What we have?" Reyna questioned. "We don't have anything! You have been manipulating my sister and using her to complete all of the business that you aren't brave enough to even touch. Without us, you would be nothing."
"Without you two?" Circe asked. She laughed. "I still remember the two little girls that stumbled onto my island, scared and without a home. Answer me this, Reyna. What would have happened if I turned you two away? Could the two of you really survive out at sea? Would you have been able to live out your pirate fantasy?"
"I can't believe that I debated about whether I should help you or not," Reyna snapped. Circe smiled coldly. "You are nothing more than a monster. I'll be glad to take you down."
"You still act like a child," Circe said. Reyna gripped her cutlass, but she was suddenly thrown to the side. Her cutlass was torn from her hands, and as she hit the ground, she slid a few feet. Her ears were ringing, and it took her a few moments to lift her head. There was a large hole in the wall.
Marcus stepped into the room. He was now wearing a bulletproof vest, despite the fact that none of the attendants would use a gun. He wore gauntlets on his arms, and he held a rocket launcher in his hands. Marcus turned and tossed the rocket launcher at one of his men.
Marcus said something, but Reyna's ears were ringing too much to catch it. She slowly tried to sit up and placed a hand to her forehead. Circe stood and created fire in her hands. She spoke back, but it was all jumbled garbage.
Reyna slowly managed to sit up and grab her cutlass. She sheathed it and stumbled to her feet. Marcus said something and spat to the side. Reyna turned to leave, but she saw two of Marcus' men at the door. As the ringing started to dissipate, it was replaced with the sounds of screaming and fighting.
"You with me, kiddo?" Marcus asked. Reyna slowly looked back at him, trying to regain her senses. She managed a nod. Circe looked between the two and tried to look dignified, but they all knew the truth. Circe had been defeated before the battle had even started.
"I am," Reyna confirmed. She placed two fingers to her temple and studied Marcus. It looked like three of his men were backing them up.
"I humbly thank you for the help," Marcus said with a bow. He then gripped his shotgun and walked towards Circe. The witch glared as the shotgun rested against her chest. "You're so predictable, Circe. I knew that having Reyna nearby would distract you and keep you from properly checking your perimeter. You were worried she would do something here."
"This won't last, Marcus. You'll be back in chains before you know it," Circe said. Marcus raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers. Two men moved towards him, and they held chains. Circe glared. "You are nothing more than a slave."
"There have been plenty of slaves in history who have revolted against their masters," Marcus said. A cold look came to his face, "But, you are not my master."
Marcus fired his shotgun, and Circe howled in pain. She collapsed to the ground, and the two men rushed forward. They chained her and pulled her to a standing position. Marcus looked ready to put a second shell into her head.
"You have held your attendants back and treated all kinds of men guilty and innocent like they are animals. I am taking over your island, but I will not kill your attendants. I won't torture them. They will join my group and be taught how to properly fight and survive. The only one who will be punished is you," Marcus said.
"I will escape, Marcus. Do you know what I will do to you?" Circe questioned. Marcus waved his hand, and the two men dragged Circe away. Three more men joined them. Reyna glanced at Marcus.
"Well, that was easier than I thought," Marcus said. He turned on Reyna and loaded his shotgun. "I didn't mean to trick you, but I knew this would prove your loyalty. You didn't have a choice in the matter."
"I already swore to help you," Reyna muttered. Marcus clasped her shoulder and smiled at her. Then, he rested his shotgun against her chest.
"You did," Marcus whispered. "But, I do not trust you. I never did. After all, who can trust someone who only goes where the money is? How can I trust someone who works for the highest bidder?"
Reyna glared at him and moved her hand to her cutlass. Marcus rested his finger on the trigger and gave her a warning look. Marcus spoke, "Come on. Your friends are outside. And keep those dogs in your pocket."
The only thing Reyna could do was force a nod. Marcus moved behind her and rested his shotgun against her spine. They carefully walked outside. Reyna could see the attendants were being subdued and rounded up. They walked away from the main part of the spa and towards the pools.
As they made it there, Reyna saw that Piper and Nico were on their knees. Their hands were behind their heads. Men were holding guns to their backs. Reyna spoke, "Leave them out of this."
"Not to worry, quartermaster. You have a chance to save them," Marcus said. Reyna counted ten of Marcus' men around the pool. Three aimed their guns right at her. The others aimed at Piper and Nico. Reyna slowly made eye contact with Nico. There was one question on her mind. Nico's eyes moved north, to the docks. Another glance around showed that Jason and Arke weren't around, so hopefully, they had made it back to the ship.
Marcus shoved Reyna forward and spoke, "Have you ever used a gun before?"
"Yes," Reyna answered after a few moments. She turned and looked at Marcus. He held a pistol out to her. Reyna slowly grabbed it. The pistol looked like some of the ones she had seen on Blackbeard's ship. It took her a moment to make sure it was loaded.
"One shot," Marcus said. He grabbed his own flintlock pistol. "It is as simple as this. You and I are going to duel. If you win, you will walk free with your friends, but you're not going to win. I'm going to put a bullet in your head, and you will die."
"Now for the rules," Marcus said. "He motioned to the pool. "That's about ten feet long. We'll each stand at one end with our backs turned. One of my men will count to three. When he says three, we turn and fire. May the best shot win."
Reyna stared at Marcus and tried to calm her racing heart. How had everything escalated so quickly? Why didn't she just slip out when she had the chance? A duel was the last thing that she wanted to be involved in, especially when she fulfilled her end of the deal. Reyna stared down at the flintlock in her hands.
Despite what she said, Reyna had never used an actual gun before. She was decent with a bow and arrow and a good shot with the ship's cannon, but none of that was going to help her now. It took Reyna a few moments to speak, "We don't need to duel."
"Your friends won't interfere, and neither will my men," Marcus said. He walked towards the end of the pool and studied Reyna. All she did was stare at him.
"Marcus, we do not have to do this," Reyna said. "I don't want to duel with you. I held up my end of the bargain. You have the island."
"But, what is to stop you and your sister from turning around and stabbing me in the back?" Marcus questioned. Reyna stared at him and opened her mouth to explain how much of an idiot he was. "No really, quartermaster. You don't understand, but I do. If someone paid you and your sister enough, you would help take this island. The two of us aren't close enough for me to have your loyalty, and you don't work for me."
"I don't care about this stupid island," Reyna snapped. "What is your problem?"
"You do not work for me; therefore, I cannot trust you," Marcus said. Reyna just glared at him. She gripped the pistol and debated on just shooting Marcus then and there. "I wouldn't do that. It isn't until we take our places that we can fire without your friends being harmed."
"After we take our places. Fine," Reyna said. She didn't want to go through with this stupid duel, but she would play by Marcus' game. Maybe, he should have worded his instructions better. Reyna walked towards the other end of the pool and studied Marcus. He studied her and then turned his back to her.
Reyna slowly turned and gripped the pistol. She rested her finger on the trigger and focused on the ground in front of her. She glanced to her side and saw that Nico was staring at her. He gave her a reassuring look.
Reyna gripped the pistol and heard one of the mercenaries speak, "Sir Marcus will fight against Quartermaster Ramirez-Arellano. I will count to three. On three, both will turn and fire their guns. The winner will be the last one standing."
Reyna knew that she wouldn't beat Marcus in a shootout, even if it was just one bullet. The man had the accuracy of a marksman. Reyna would need to cheat, and she was going to. She studied the gun and took a deep breath.
"One!"
Reyna started to lift the pistol. She let out another deep breath and shifted slightly. All she had to do was injure Marcus. She wasn't going to kill Marcus, so she would aim for center mass. It would be easier to hit. His vest wouldn't stop a flintlock pistol, right?
"Two!"
Reyna turned and raised the pistol. Before she could even begin to aim, something slammed into her jaw. The pistol slipped from her hand, and she stumbled towards the pool. Upon attempting to look up, she saw Marcus' shotgun. It slammed into her temple, and she fell into the pool.
Reyna woke up coughing. She wheezed for breath and tried to sit up. The shotgun slammed into her temple again. Reyna collapsed to the ground and groaned in pain. Her temple ached, and the world was definitely spinning. She coughed out more water and rolled onto her stomach. Then, she threw up her breakfast.
"Don't make a mess of my pool," Marcus complained. He pulled Reyna to her feet. Reyna stumbled and collapsed against Marcus. "You really tried to cheat, didn't you? Just can't trust a pirate."
Marcus threw Reyna backward, and she couldn't even begin to catch her balance. Reyna's head bounced off of the harsh tile, and it took her a few moments to open her eyes. She knew she had blacked out again. Marcus appeared over her and raised the stock of his shotgun over his head.
"Stop," Reyna wheezed. She raised her arm to try and protect her head. The ringing in her ears was worse than before, and she felt sick to her stomach. She turned on her side and started to retch.
"Pathetic," Marcus said, and he spat down on her. Reyna's head involuntarily dropped back to the ground.
"Leave her alone!" Nico yelled. Reyna's eyes drifted upwards. She saw Nico struggling with the mercenaries that were holding onto him. Piper had a gun held to her head, and a hand covered her mouth.
"I offered you a job, kid. You turned me down. Do you remember that?" Marcus asked. He made a motion, and Reyna was pulled to her feet. Her world spun, and she felt nauseous. Her knees went weak, but Marcus' men held her up. "No one turns me down, especially not some punk-ass like you."
A pistol rested against Reyna's forehead, and she was forced to look up. Marcus spoke softly, "I'm going to kill you. Your sister is going to be so mad that she rushes right towards the island and into my hands. I don't know much about being a pirate, but I would love my own fleet. Any last words?"
Reyna couldn't even begin to form a coherent sentence. The two men let go of her, and she collapsed to the ground. Marcus stood over her and spoke, "This is absolutely pathetic. Stand and die on your feet."
"Don't," Reyna wheezed. Her hand moved to Marcus' boot, and he kicked her hand away.
"Stand," Marcus ordered. Reyna slowly pushed herself up using her hands, but it was no use. She collapsed back to the ground. "Get up!"
"Stop this," Nico snapped. "She can't even stand! Just leave her alone!"
"I guess you're going to die on the ground, just like a coward," Marcus said. He pushed Reyna onto her back and pressed his shotgun against her chest. "I'll leave your face intact, so your sister knows who she is burying."
Reyna watched Marcus' finger move towards the trigger, and she tensed. As his finger rested on the trigger, a phone rang. One of the mercenaries rushed forward and whispered something. Marcus frowned and then held his hand out. The mercenary handed him the phone.
"This better be important," Marcus said. It was quiet for a few moments. Then, he nodded. "That is a lot of money, but how do I know this is legit?"
It was quiet for a minute. Reyna didn't have the strength to even lift her head. In fact, her head ached with the slightest movement, and the sun was too bright. All she wanted to do was pass out. Marcus finally spoke, "It's a deal then."
Marcus hung up his phone and lowered the shotgun. Reyna groaned as she was pulled to her feet again. It took her a few moments to stutter out a half coherent sentence. "Trevor isn't good. His word. Not."
"I have no clue what you just said, but I'm assuming that you're worried about the Avenicci family. Don't worry. It wasn't them," Marcus said. He glanced at his shotgun as if debating whether to slam it into her temple again or not. In the end, he just lowered it. "Get this trash off my island."
