OK, this chapter is kinda borgin but the next one will be better, I promise, or at least more ineresting. Enjoy.

Chapter 19

They swam out to the Dauntless and grabbed the anchor. All they could do now was wait, and pray that they wouldn't be hauled up and shot on the spot. When Mari looked around and saw David wasn't with them.

"Where's David?" She asked in a whisper.

"He swore an oath to get aboard with me, so he's stuck on the ship." Rhia said, holding back tears and keeping her voice steady. She wouldn't cry, not now, and not ever, anymore.

"He'll be ok. He's a strong lad." Mari said reassuringly.

They waited in silence as dawn crept over the horizon. There was a tug on the chain as they were slowly hauled aboard.

"Commodore! This line's heavy, can you help?" a sailor shouted. Then a familiar voice answered.

"Yes, but I want this ship going double time. We have to catch that pirate ship, my cousin's aboard it." Bill said.

"Yes sir." Said one of the officers. As Bill looked over the rail to see what was weighing the anchor down and gasped.

"Haul it up now!" He barked and helped to hoist the anchor up then helped Rhia and Mari over the rail. Both caught themselves before they fell and looked at the crew. They stood around them. If they wanted to arrest them the only way of escape was back into the sea. But Bill came up and hugged them both.

"I'm so glad to see you're both safe. We have been chasing that pirate ship for days, hoping you'd still be alive. Come on, I'll escort you to your rooms." Bill said. The crew left and went back to work and Bill led Mari to one room and Rhia to another. Rhia said nothing, but Mari wanted to talk to him. So Rhia went to her room and Bill and Mari walked off to spend hours catching up.

It was sunset when there was a knock on Rhia's door. Rhia was sitting on the bed, clutching her stomach, she felt sick for some reason.

"Rhia, sweetheart, come on. They have dinner ready." Mari said as she opened the door and looked in.

Rhia looked up and smiled weakly.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry."

"Just because he didn't come with you and be a pirate doesn't mean you should hate him forever Rhiannon."

"I don't hate him, and it has nothing to do with Bill. I just wish David hadn't done that deal, just for me. He's stuck back on that creaking tub going through a living hell right now, because of me." Rhia said, her voice still staying solid, for which she was grateful. She wasn't about to cry in front of her mother. Her mother never cried, her father had told her so.

"Well, at least change out of those clothes into some dry ones. I'll have some food saved for you in case you get hungry." Mari said, and just before she left, she added. "And he wouldn't want you to worry over him."

Rhia waited for her mother to leave before she did change, then she collapsed on the bed, she put her hands behind her head, and her fingers brushed the bite mark David had left. She ran her finger over the mark several times, smiling as she remembered his promise. She sighed and curled up, hand resting on her neck, to sleep.

Hours later, her door opened with a creak, it wasn't very loud but it was enough to wake her up. She lay perfectly still, pretending to be asleep. She listened to whoever was in her room, one hand reached slowly for the dagger at her belt. She gripped the hilt tightly, tensed her muscles and sprang into action. She lunged at the man with her dagger but the man seized both her wrists and put enough pressure o the armed one to make her drop the dagger. He forced her back on the bed, she gasped in surprise as the candlelight revelaed the man. It was Bill.