Reviews:

Icha: It makes my day to see you're enjoying the fresh perspective this fic brings, thank you for your review!

Creeper: Thank you! I hope this chapter is detailed enough too!

A/N: The fic is coming to an end! There are only two more chapters after this one. Thank you for reading! Would you be interested if I made a sequel? I have a rough storyline in my head. If you would like one, the storyline would be quite basic, I'd admit. It also probably wouldn't be the most satisfying story. I merely want to practice my writing abilities while at the same time letting you guys have something that may possibly entertain you. Let me know if you're interested in a sequel!


Chapter 15: Battle-Ship

The worst feeling in the world is to know that something might happen, yet be utterly powerless to do anything about it. That's how Jerrick felt as the wind carried the ship away from the island. If Krogan and his Singetails came on board, they would be powerless to do anything. Jerrick didn't have a doubt that that was exactly how all his friends felt too. There was a tense atmosphere on board the ship, everybody on some form of heightened alert, aware that anything might happen.

The hull of the ship was dark. Small slithers of light managed to filter in between the cracks in the wooden planks, but other than that there was no light. They hadn't had a chance to light a torch before boarding. Jerrick and his friends kept their weapons close to them. Quite frankly, three swords and two axes were useless against dragons, but they just felt safer that way. They kept their ears peeled for any sounds. No one could relax on board the ship. Jerrick could hear his heart beat firmly in his ears.

"Since we're stuck here, let's take a look at what the ship has," Dustin suggested. Jerrick didn't see any reason not to. It might help to ease his worries too.

"Dustin and Helka, check out what's behind that door." Jerrick pointed to a door at the end of the corridor. "We'll look around here," Jerrick said.

The siblings nodded and headed off, at least, it looked like they did. It was really hard to tell in the dark. Corey headed off to the left side of the hull. Jerrick thought it wise to follow him.

Jerrick reached for Kari's hand in the dark. Kari's slender fingers intertwined with his, and together they edged their way to the side of the hull. Their eyes had adjusted slightly to the dark, but it was still too dark to see clearly. Silhouettes of barrels could be seen lying against a wall. Jerrick opened them and tried to peek inside, but it was too dark to make anything out. Gingerly, he inched his hand into the barrel. What was inside? His fingers grazed something scaly. He pulled his hand out immediately. A snake? Was it venomous? Think straight. No one would keep a snake in a barrel. Kari squeezed his hand gently, egging him on. Slowly and cautiously, Jerrick moved his hand down the barrel again. He felt the same scaly thing, and pulled his hand up a little. It didn't feel alive. Jerrick tapped the scaly thing a few times just to be sure. Yeah, it was dead. Satisfied, Jerrick gripped the scaly object and pulled it out. It was a…

"Fish?" Jerrick said, confused. Kari held the object.

"Feels very much like a fish to me," Kari said sarcastically. Jerrick poked her in the ribs for good measure.

"It's preserved," Jerrick noted. There was salt all over the fish. "They must have been preparing the ship to leave."

"There's fresh water here," Kari said, swishing her hand around in a barrel.

Jerrick opened another barrel and dipped his hand in. His hand met water, but the water felt different. It didn't have the pure quality that fresh water had. Jerrick licked his fingers. A burst of salt tortured his tongue and he grimaced.

"This one's salty," Jerrick said, smacking his lips to remove the horrible taste.

"Brine water?" Kari asked.

"Yeah, should be." Jerrick didn't feel like reaching into the barrel to find out what was inside. He opened another barrel and dipped his hand in again. The sleek smoothness and stickiness of oil met his fingers. Jerrick grimaced. Oil was disgustingly impossible to wash off-

Kari screamed. Jerrick whirled. Something wet flopped on the wooden deck. Jerrick didn't hesitate. He dashed over and stamped on it. Jerrick felt the creature squish under his boot. Kari was still breathing heavily. Jerrick embraced her.

"Are you okay?" Jerrick whispered into her ear.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kari said. "I just touched something slimy and slithery and…" Jerrick felt Kari shudder. "I'm sorry, I overreacted and-"

"It's okay," Jerrick interrupted her. "I know you're scared of these things. You didn't overreact. It's dead now."

"I think it was dead before you stamped on it," Corey said.

"How do you know?" Jerrick asked, slowly breaking the embrace but still keeping a hand on Kari's shoulder.

"There's a whole barrel of them here." Corey pulled out another of the slimy creatures. The dark silhouette hanging from Corey's hand didn't budge at all. It just hung there loosely.

"What is that?" Kari asked.

"Eels. Raw though, so don't think about eating them."

"They're pretty tasty when cooked. Maybe we should cook them now," Jerrick joked.

"I'm not touching those slimy creatures ever again," Kari said, shuddering again.

"Guys, come here," Corey's voice echoed in the dark. How did Corey move around so fast? Jerrick's eyes met Kari's, and they began to make their way towards the source of the voice. She seemed glad to leave the eels behind. Jerrick's eyes were almost fully adjusted to the dark by now. He walked across the darkened hull confidently.

Corey stood in front of a weapons display of some sort. Grey silhouettes of swords, bows, maces and axes hanging menacingly from the wall. Krogan's army seemed to have some sort of satisfaction watching weapons hang off the wall. A few crates were stacked underneath the weapons. Jerrick pulled off the wooden cover and glanced inside. Bolas filled the interior of the crate. Experimentally, Jerrick tried lifting one. He could lift it, but to say that it was easy to do so would be lying. A pile of ropes were coiled up beside the crates. Beside the ropes were a few bear traps that were open. Who in their right mind would leave these traps open on the floor? Someone could step in them and lose a leg. Jerrick shuddered as he realised how easily they could have stepped on them in the dark.

"Think we could use any of these?" Jerrick asked, picking up one of the ropes and checking its length.

"Hopefully," Corey said. "Maybe we could booby trap the entrance to the hull or something."

The entrance to the hull was just a trapdoor on the deck. A narrow staircase led down to the bottom. In fact, the staircase was so narrow that if anyone told Jerrick it was a ladder, Jerrick would've believed them. Once they had climbed down the stairs-ladder hybrid, a darkened corridor with walls that amplified the suffocating darkness eventually opened up to the main hull of the ship. On the left side of the hull lay the barrels of food and water, and on the right side were the weapons. And the dangerous bear traps.

The trio left the weapons display and headed to the door that lay directly in front of the darkened corridor. Jerrick had seen enough ships to know that the door led to the commander's quarters.

The commander's quarters were even darker than the hull. Next to no light was able to enter the room. Everything in the room was outlined by dark silhouettes. Yet despite these dark conditions, Jerrick could see that the quarters were surprisingly cramped. A desk and chair that seemed to fill the entire room stood firmly in the centre of the room. It had a miniature dragon skeleton on it. Jerrick didn't want to find out if it was real or fake. Something large was pinned up on the wall behind the desk. Dustin and Helka were pouring over it, but Jerrick didn't even bother to look at it. It was simply too dark to make anything out.

"What's in here?" Jerrick asked the siblings.

"Nothing much," Dustin replied. "Just this table and this map."

"Nothing else?" Jerrick pressed.

"Nothing useful," Dustin shrugged.

Jerrick swept his eyes around the room. There had to be something else. Perhaps the darkness had simply hidden it. Suddenly, a small edge caught his eye. It barely jutted out an inch, and yet the slight difference in the colour of the silhouette caught Jerrick's keen eyes.

"Did you guys see this?" Jerrick asked, heading over to the crates tucked in the corner of the room.

There was an audible pause in the room as Dustin and Helka noticed the crates for the first time. The crates weren't even small, when they were stacked up their height reached Jerrick's chest. How they managed to miss it was beyond Jerrick. Jerrick opened the crates and reached in. A smooth, waxy layer lined the top of the crate. Jerrick pulled it out. It was way larger than he thought, and it turned out to be a waterproof tarp. Jerrick reached in again, and his hand was greeted by stacks and stacks of paper. Jerrick ruffled them about as he dug his hand further in, but there was nothing more. Just more paper. The waterproof tarp was probably protecting the paper from getting wet.

It took a moment for Jerrick to realise that everything that could be discovered on the ship had been discovered. The commander's quarters was the last room. There was nothing left to find. The group of teenagers looked expectantly at Jerrick. The master planner. He had to find a way to keep Krogan and his Singetails away. With the information available, a plan was slowly starting to form in Jerrick's mind.

"Well then, let's start preparing," Jerrick announced. Giving instructions to the others, Jerrick headed onto the deck. After being in the dark for so long, the bright light stung his eyes. Jerrick squinted as his eyes watered and adjusted to the light. There were a few bola launchers on deck, and that was what Jerrick was trying to get. He thanked the gods for the invention of wheels, if not he would never have been able to drag the launchers to the hatch. Hollering out a warning, he pushed the launcher into the darkness of the hull. It landed with a loud crash. A second one followed immediately after. Neither landed the right way up, but five teenagers should be able to lift them the right way up.

Jerrick jumped into the hull and closed the hatch. The moment the hatch closed, everything went black. He huffed as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness again. Jerrick called out to the others, who quickly came and righted both launchers before dragging them away. Jerrick started to walk, but a shout from Kari stopped him in his tracks. "You might step on a trap," she warned before taking his arm and slowly leading him further into the blackened hull. Like a blind man, Jerrick added. The sweet scent of lavender made Jerrick smile as she held him close and led him to the back of the hull. Jerrick heard someone making kissing noises, and knew without a doubt it was Corey. He was always teasing them. Jerrick suddenly realised something. Did Corey see the two of them in bed yesterday? They must've fallen asleep together, because Jerrick woke up with his arm underneath Kari. Corey had to have seen them.

As the blackness of the hull gradually faded to grey, Jerrick began to drag the bolas in between the launchers. Both launchers were facing the narrow corridor below the hatch. Just as Jerrick loaded the second bola, a loud roar sounded from above, followed immediately by heavy thuds on the ship's deck. Jerrick's heart sank. His eyes hadn't even fully adjusted to the dark yet!

"Go-word is 'yes', move!" Jerrick said urgently. Why was 'yes' the first word that popped up in his head? Everyone scrambled to their stations. The tension was palpable, the very air they breathed in felt thick like liquid. Jerrick's heart beat as though it wanted to break out of his rib cage. All in all, Jerrick counted five dragons. Dark, ominous, bassy footsteps echoed around the darkened hull as the soldiers walked about on the deck. Jerrick's skin crawled. Muffled voices broke through the wooden flooring. A chill ran down Jerrick's spine. If this didn't work, they would be sitting ducks.

The hatch slammed open with a loud crash. Jerrick jumped. Light poured in from the open hatch, illuminating the part of the corridor directly under the hatch. Four soldiers jumped in.

"Can you see anything?" Someone called from above.

"Too dark to see anything, Ake," one of the soldiers in the hull said.

"I'll find you a torch," Ake said. Jerrick heard the receding footsteps on the main deck, and chose this moment to step forward. Hands raised above his head, Jerrick stopped just before the corridor, letting the light that was streaming in through the hatch scrape his feet. The soldiers definitely saw his silhouetted shape, because frantic shouting suddenly burst out followed by the raising of bows and drawing of weapons.

"Don't move!" The soldier closest to Jerrick shouted in a gruff voice. His jawbone jutted out uglily, giving him a stern face.

"I'm not," Jerrick said. Slowly and delicately, he began to kneel down, all the while keeping his hands in the air.

"What are you doing?" Jawbone growled.

"Kneeling down. To show I'm not a threat."

Jawbone didn't say anything, but Jerrick knew he must've been deciding whether to strike Jerrick or not. He simply glared at Jerrick as he slowly sank onto his knees and leaned back on his haunches. Jerrick's heart beat in overdrive as he slowly placed both hands behind his head. The soldiers kept their weapons trained on him, poised to attack at the smallest sign of aggression.

"Found that torch yet, Ake?" Jawbone said, never taking his eyes off Jerrick.

"Not yet 'sarge," Ake replied from a distance. Jerrick guessed that Jawbone was the leader of this group.

"Why don't you use your Singetails for light?" Jerrick asked.

"Shut your mouth boy!" Jawbone hissed.

Jerrick ignored him. "Why not? Oh wait, yes, I remember-"

The moment Jerrick said the word 'yes', Dustin and Corey each swung a bucket at the soldiers. The contents of the bucket - a mixture of eels and brine water - flew over Jerrick's head, splashing the soldiers firmly in the face. Salt filled the soldiers' mouths and stung their eyes, and slimy eels smacked against their faces. It was merely human instinct to forget everything and spit out anything that enters one's mouth straight away, and the soldiers did exactly that. Mission forgotten, the soldiers lowered their weapons and began to spit out the salt and clean their eyes.

At the same time, Kari and Helka fired both bola launchers. Jerrick felt the wind rush past as both bolas sailed over his head. The first bola wrapped around all four soldiers and sent them to the ground in a cursing heap. The second was just insurance.

"Move!" Jerrick said, rising to his feet. Jerrick jumped over the fallen soldiers and scrambled to close the hatch. Darkness enveloped the hull. The soldiers stopped shouting as the others knocked them out. But Jerrick knew that their shouts had been audible from above. Whoever Ake was definitely heard them.

"Sergeant?" Ake's muffled voice sounded through the closed hatch. Jerrick climbed to the top step and crouched directly below the hatch. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. The mere thought of what he was about to do sent a shiver through Jerrick. A teenager pulling a fully-grown soldier - who would probably have his weapon drawn - into the hull? What was he thinking?

The hatch opened. All thinking ceased.

Jerrick sprang. He grabbed Ake by his tunic and yanked him forcefully into the hull. Ake and Jerrick were suspended in mid-air for a brief moment, before Jerrick landed on Ake's stomach. With Ake winded, Jerrick punched him in the head. The fight was over immediately. Ake went unconscious. A long and angry burn mark stretched up Ake's cheek. Jerrick suddenly realised that this was the man that he had burnt with Inferno in the amphitheater. Deep down, he felt a pang of guilt. Jerrick winded and stood up.

"Good work guys," Jerrick said. He took a moment to examine the situation. Four unconscious soldiers entangled in a bola. One more unconscious soldier lying at his feet. Only the Singetails were left. Once the dragons were gone, they could load these soldiers into one of the escape boats and send them away. After that, there should be more than enough time for them to sail to a village and hide. Jerrick went to open the hatch…

And saw two more dragons hovering in the air. Jerrick heard some soldiers shouting. How could he forget that dragons could hover? Jerrick cursed and jumped down. The hatch slammed shut. But it was too late. A Singetail roared. They had seen him. Jerrick and his friends weren't out of the blue yet.

"Get more eels! Load the launchers!" Jerrick shouted as he dashed back down the corridor. Dustin and Corey scrambled to refill their buckets. Kari and Helka rushed to reload the launchers. Jerrick ran towards the ropes lying on the floor and grabbed a few ropes that were about the same length.

Suddenly, the hatch smashed open with a loud crack, sending splinters flying to the floor. Light streamed in, illuminating the part of the corridor underneath the hatch like a spotlight. Jerrick spun around, ready to fight. But he wasn't prepared for a Singetail to fly straight in, grab the unconscious soldiers, and fly straight back out. Even after the Singetail had left, Jerrick remained rooted to the spot for a few seconds.

"Come out and we won't harm you," a lifeless voice called out. Jerrick knew that voice. Yakfeet. Or Blondhead. It didn't really matter. They were both equally dull and equally boring. But Jerrick didn't doubt that they were dangerous. What should he do? Go out and give up? While the prospect of being unharmed sounded good, capture didn't. The only other alternative was to fight back. But how? Yakfeet and Blondhead would see them from above. Light was pouring in from the hatch.

But the light ended at the end of the corridor, just before the main hull began. They couldn't be seen there. They could still get in position. They just had to do it silently. Using signs to give instructions was the best way.

The first sign, Jerrick put a finger to his lips. Stay silent.

The second sign, Jerrick pointed at Kari and Helka, and then at the bola launchers. Stay here.

The third sign, Jerrick pointed at Dustin and Corey, and waved a palm forward. Move forward. With the ropes clasped in his hands, Jerrick led the way forward, staying out of the line of sight of the corridor. At the end of the corridor, Jerrick placed the ropes across the floor of the corridor. In the light it would be obvious, but in the dark it was practically invisible.

"Come out," Blondhead continued. Jerrick was sure it was Blondhead. Whispering final instructions to Dustin and Corey, Jerrick took a bucket of eels and headed to the hatch.

"Need some friends?" Jerrick said as he flung the contents of the bucket upwards. The eels splattered all over a cursing Blondhead. A Singetail roared, probably at the sight of the eels, Jerrick guessed. He darted back into the blackness of the hull, jumping over the ropes. Turning around, Jerrick expected to see Blondhead chasing him.

But there was no one there. Instead, all he heard was a Singetail roar and the receding sounds of strong wings beating. Jerrick rushed to the hatch and looked up. The Singetails were flying up into the sky. The soldiers were leaving!

"Did they just… leave?" Corey asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

"Yeah…" Jerrick replied hesitantly. Was that it?

"Did we just win?" Dustin asked. No one could really believe it. Did five teenagers really win against trained soldiers and dragons?

"I think so." The soldiers were gone. They were retreating. Had they won? They had won. Jerrick couldn't believe it. But it was true. The realisation slowly set in, replacing his disbelief. They had won!

"We won." Jerrick said half to himself, still unable to fully believe it. "We won!" Jerrick punched a fist into the air. The hull erupted in cheering and whooping.

Then there was a loud boom.

Jerrick's ears rang as though a bell had been struck right beside him. The ship rocked violently. He collapsed to the ground. Debris and dirt rained on him. Jerrick couldn't think straight. The ringing made him dizzy. The burning light singed his eyes. He pressed his hands against his ears and squeezed his eyes closed. Stop ringing. Off the light. It hurt to think. Someone gripped his arm and yanked him to his feet.

"Move!" The person - was it Dustin? - sounded as though he was underwater. Jerrick felt his arm being dragged away from him. His legs struggled to maintain the pace. Dustin was mumbling something. Jerrick strained his ears to listen. "...our eyes, look…" Open your eyes? Jerrick forced his eyelids open a little and looked up. There was something grey and bright filling the place. It was moving. High-pitched ringing still filled his ears. Jerrick felt thick air enter his lungs. He coughed violently. Dustin was still pulling his arm. His legs couldn't keep up with the pace. He stumbled and crashed onto the floor.

"Stop, you go on, give me time," Jerrick mumbled. He shut his eyes. When would the ringing stop? When would the light go off? Jerrick coughed again. Why was the air so thick? He coughed again.

Suddenly, cold water splashed against his face. Bolts of ice flew through his veins, shocking him awake. Jerrick gasped, his eyes flew open immediately.

But when he saw the hull, sheer terror gripped him like a rope around his neck. A large flaming and gaping hole had burst open right above. Burning wooden planks and splinters littered the hull. The entire rim was ablaze. Thick black smoke rose from fires in the centre of the hull. Jerrick's heart raced, his breath hitched.

Jerrick immediately realised what happened. The Singetails had fired at the ship. He knew there was something wrong when Blondhead showed emotion. Jerrick coughed again. The choking smoke was filling the hull. That's why the air was so thick.

A slap stung his face. "Wake up! We need to move!" Dustin yelled, yanking his arm. Jerrick scrambled to his feet and half ran, half stumbled to the hatch.

"Where's the rest?" Jerrick asked.

"Outside already!" Dustin yelled back. Jerrick doubled his efforts to reach the hatch.

But the moment he stepped into the corridor, another explosion flung him backwards. The wound on the back of his head exploded with pain. Jerrick groaned and clutched the back of his head. Dustin tugged his arm urgently.

"Get up!" Jerrick fought against the wave of dizziness threatening to overpower him. With the back of his head throbbing, Jerrick pushed himself to his feet and followed Dustin into the burning hull. The smoke was so thick Jerrick could barely see his legs as he ran. The swaying smoke didn't help his dizziness. Jerrick coughed violently. His eyes stung and watered. Dustin grabbed two buckets and passed one to Jerrick. Jerrick filled his bucket with water and rushed back to the blazing corridor. He drenched the corridor in water, leaving just a few small fires. Dustin dragged him back into the grey smoke to get another bucket of water. Nausea was slowly setting in. His head still throbbed. Jerrick could've filled the bucket with the tears leaking from his eyes. His lungs were probably black by now. Jerrick coughed violently again as he dashed back to the corridor and doused the staircase with water. A small sense of relief filled him when he saw the fires extinguish. Jerrick turned around. Dustin was right behind him. Dizzy and nauseous, Jerrick began to climb out of the hatch. Every step was agony, every pull on a rung was pure torture. But Jerrick kept going. He couldn't afford to stop. Just three more rungs. His head pulsated. Two more, his eyes burned. One last rung, he coughed hard. A pair of strong hands grabbed his arms and started to pull him out. Jerrick let himself go limp. The strong hands pulled him out of the hatch…

…and slammed him on the deck. A heavy knee pressed painfully into his spine. Air rushed out of Jerrick's lungs. He coughed and spluttered, trying to get as much air into his scorched lungs. Jerrick felt his hands being wrenched behind his back, but he did nothing about it. What with an aching head, stinging eyes, burning lungs, Jerrick was in no condition to fight. All he did was hiss in pain as his hands were bound painfully behind his back. The rope chafed his skin as the knots were tied. Once the knots were done, the pressure on his back lifted. Jerrick sucked in fresh air greedily. Fresh air never tasted so delicious before.

A pair of boots came to a stop in front of him. Jerrick glanced up. Blondhead scowled back at him. Jerrick couldn't help but think that in a single scowl, Blondhead was showing more emotion than he had ever seen.

"Why did you do this, Jerrick?" Blondhead asked in a toneless voice. Jerrick was about to give a snarky reply, but simply shrugged. He didn't have the strength for it. "Bring them to the dragons." Blondhead ordered. Jerrick let out a gasp as he was hauled to his feet and marched unceremoniously towards the waiting Singetails. Glancing around, Jerrick saw that all his friends were treated just as royally. Hands tied behind their backs, a soldier holding the ropes tightly from behind.

"You think you're such a hero, don't you, Jerrick." Jerrick recognised that voice. Ake. He spat Jerrick's name as though it was poisonous. "Doing all this to free the dragon riders. Attacking us, fighting us. What do you get from this?" Ake suddenly stopped near the flaming hole. "I'll tell you what you get. A whole lot of trouble." The way Ake spoke, it sounded more like a promise than a threat. Jerrick gulped nervously. A sense of dread welled up in his chest. Ake bent down and picked up a broken plank that was still burning. "And a whole lot of pain," Ake finished.

Jerrick suddenly realised what Ake meant. Ake wanted revenge. Jerrick's skin crawled as the flame came closer. He tried to run, but Ake's grip on the ropes was too strong.

"Ake, stop," Blondhead ordered.

Ake waved the flame beside Jerrick's face. Even though the flames never touched him, Jerrick could feel the burning heat sweep past his face. Jerrick's heart hammered in his chest. He struggled hard, but Ake was too strong. Ake's hand crushed Jerrick's head painfully, holding it in position.

"That's just a taste. Now for the real thing," Ake said, but Jerrick didn't hear him. All he could hear was the crackling of the fire. The heat washed over his face again. Jerrick whimpered. The flames kept coming. It was going to burn his face. He couldn't do anything.

The flames touched him.

Jerrick screamed.

Nothing had ever come close to the pain he felt. Every nerve in his cheek tore. Searing pain scorched through his whole body. Jerrick let out a bloodcurdling scream. He writhed in agony. His face screamed. His mind blanked. The few seconds that the fire burned his cheek felt like an eternity. Even after the flames were lifted his cheek throbbed painfully. Warm tears streamed down his cheek. The blood pumped deafeningly in his ears.

"That's only the first part," Jerrick heard Ake say. Despite his pain, Jerrick twisted his head around to glare at Ake. The man grinned cynically.

"Ake, stop," Blondhead's voice sounded again.

"Your pretty little face won't be so pretty anymore," Ake hissed. Jerrick's cheek was still burning, still throbbing, but he prepared himself to fight. He wouldn't take it again without a fight. Out of the corner of his eye, Jerrick saw Ake lift the burning piece of wood to his head level. Jerrick reared his head forward slightly and steeled himself. Headbutting Ake would hurt, especially with the wound on the back of his head, but it was the only choice.

Something whistled past Jerrick's ear. Jerrick heard a thunk sound as the thing landed. At the same time, something splashed on the back of Jerrick's neck and Ake began spluttering. The flaming plank clattered to the floor and then there was a loud thud. Utterly confused, Jerrick turned around slowly.

Jerrick would never forget the wretched sight that greeted his eyes. Splatters of crimson red blood painted the deck. An arrow protruded brutally out of Ake's neck. The way Ake's lifeless eyes stared blankly into the sky would forever haunt Jerrick's dreams. Jerrick heard Kari scream. Blood gushed out of the wound, forming a sticky pool underneath Jerrick's feet. The sickeningly dry and metallic scent of blood made Jerrick's stomach flip. He suddenly realised it was blood on the back of his neck and all over his tunic. A man just died. Jerrick felt sick to the core. A man just died! He tore his eyes away from the horrific scene and retched violently over the side. Jerrick didn't know how long he was slumped against the railings. Time seemed irrelevant. A man just died! The tortured sight and smell came to his mind again. He retched again.

Eventually, a soldier grabbed him by his bound wrists and led him to one of the Singetails. Jerrick looked away from… it, instead fixing his eyes on Blondhead in front of him. Blondhead didn't look affected in the slightest. How could someone kill another human being and not feel anything?

"Why?" Jerrick croaked as he passed Blondhead.

"He didn't listen to instructions," Blondhead said emotionlessly.

"You killed someone because they didn't obey you?!" Jerrick practically yelled. Blondhead merely shrugged. Jerrick gave up talking to him. He knew he wouldn't get anything else out of the dull man. And frankly, Jerrick didn't mind. This whole day was beginning to take a toll on him. With a throbbing head, a burning face, the sickening sight… Jerrick had had enough.

As the soldier dumped him unceremoniously on the Singetail and took off, Jerrick let himself slump back against the soldier's chest. Who cares where they went? Who cares what happened to them?

Jerrick needed to rest.