Chapter 23

In Despair Again

Saihrena was sitting up from her bed of silks when it hit her that she shouldn't be there. Looking around her she saw Gabriella, Rakasha, and Elizabeth out cold on their own beds of silk. She sat staring for moment wondering how she had gotten there; she couldn't for the life of her remember what had happened.

The room looked oddly enough like her room when she was in the harem, right down to the colors of the silken bed she sat on. The walls were also covered in silk, and she could see small circles of light trying to shine through them. Port wholes her mind supplied, she could tell she was on a ship by the gentle swaying of it, back and forth on the waves. She heard a soft moan and looked at the other occupants to see which one had made it. Elizabeth was stirring slowly, her eyes blinked a few times to try and accustom themselves to being open.

"Where am I?" She whispered.

"We're on a ship, though which one I could not tell you. Nor can I tell you why we are here instead of in Port Royal," Saihrena said. Elizabeth turned and stared at her.

"We're on a ship?" She squeaked. Saihrena simply nodded sympathetically.

"Can you remember anything before waking up here?" She asked.

"I remember the tavern, you girls getting drunk and then everything is blank," Elizabeth replied solemnly.

"I see," Rena mumbled. "The thing is this is all so familiar to me, so familiar that it frightens me," she said, her eyes filling with tears at the thoughts that were forming in her mind. It was all too similar to her old home, there was only one explanation for it.

"What do you mean?" Liz asked as she stood and walked unsteadily over to her friend. She sat down and put her arms around her friend who was beginning to sob.

"God please not again," Saihrena sobbed into her friends shoulder. Elizabeth just held her and tried to soothe the sobs that were raking Saihrena's small body. She couldn't go through it again, didn't think she would survive life in the harem again, not after finding her love and freedom at last.

"Saihrena please tell me what's wrong?" Liz asked after a while.

"Isn't it obvious Liz?" Rakasha asked, the two girls looked over quickly to see her sitting up and looking around the room. Elizabeth shook her head at Kasha's question. She sighed and walked over to them, sitting and placing her hand on Elizabeth's back. "Were going back to the Sultan's harem," she whispered. Her voice as she spoke was that of a woman accepting a death sentence.

"What do you mean? I thought Jack killed him," Liz said.

"He did, oh God, it's Surnin," Saihrena gasped, sobbing even harder at the thought. She had been forced to pleasure the man once before, she had almost not survived the night. The things he made her do, the things he did to her... When she had arrived back with the harem the next day her sister wives had gasped at the blood and bruises that ravaged her body. She had spent weeks recovering and thankfully the Sultan had forbidden his brother to touch Saihrena again. But that hadn't stopped him from doing it to other less loved wives of the Sultan. He was an evil man and she prayed for death before going back to him.

Rakasha's eyes grew big at Saihrena's proclamation. "Your right, oh Shiva the Great Destroyer, please take this ship and its passengers into your embrace," she prayed.

"Why do you say such things Rakasha?" Elizabeth asked.

"Dear one, you should pray to your God for death as well, for if we make it to Surnin then you will surely wish for it, and the one you would receive eventually would not be as kind as the sea," Rakasha whispered, her eyes glazing over. They sat like that for a while the only sounds breaking the silence were Saihrena's soft sobs.

Will had returned just after dawn and they pirates had pounced him, forcing him out the door just as he entered. After Will had reported Elizabeth and the girls missing to Gillete he had found out that not much could be done until the Commodore returned from escorting a friend of the crown home to somewhere, he thought it began with a t, though he couldn't remember for sure. When they reached the docks they realized that the Dauntless was indeed missing.

"We need ourselves a ship, mates," Jack said scanning the bay.

"Not again," Will murmured, Jack just smirked as he spotted a small enough ship for them to handle.

"Come on," Jack whispered as they moved towards the dock and snuck onto the ship. "Check it out, kick anyone off who's on," he whispered and they took off. The ship was surprisingly empty. They all came back on deck a few minutes later deciding that they had all gone ashore. The five men ran about the ship quickly unfurling the sails and tying them off. Within ten minutes the ship was ready for sail, and not a moment too soon either for a man was sauntering down the dock heading for it, and he began to run and scream as Jack took off from the small harbor in which the ship floated.

"Well Jack that was truly something," Will said coming up behind the Captain and laying his hand on his shoulder.

"Captain," Jack muttered.

"What?" Will asked.

"It's Captain, Captain Jack," Jack demanded.

"Sorry Captain," Will laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. "Do you think their okay?" Will asked suddenly somber.

"They'd better be," Jack growled, his eyes on the horizon. They would reach Tortuga by early morning the next day, hopefully his crew would be sober. For the first time in Jack's life he wished rum had never been invented, for it would be impossible to find his crew sober in Tortuga.

There you all go, another chapter. It's short, this I do know, and nothing really happens in it either. The reason for this is because barely anyone reviewed 22 except for Agent Katy, Alori Kesi Aldercy, and Nikki. Thank you three for reviewing!!! You are all so incredibly awesome that you deserve rum and cookies, (gives you rum and cookies). So school starts tomorrow which means... you all guessed it, less updating! Sorry all, I know you're all used to updates everyday but it ain't gonna happen anymore. So I'm demanding at least 10 more reviews before you find out what happens in Tortuga and why Gabriella isn't awake yet. Come on, 10 isn't bad at all! So get to it all! And enjoy, I'll see you again around... oh probably Saturday. Until then BYE ALL!