Pirates Part 1:

Sydney watched as the flames danced with her fingers, throwing ominous shadows around her chambers. It was a terrifying and wondrous thing to be capable of.

Her father would kill her if he knew.

And she was certain he was catching on. He suspected something wasn't quite right with her; he'd caught her sneaking around more than once. It was only a matter of time before he figured it out. He'd disposed of evil time and time again. It was what he did, and Sydney was positive he would make no exceptions—even for his own daughter.

So, the question she contemplated as she stoked the magic flame was this: wait or leave? Wait for her father to figure her out, or leave before he had the chance?

A simple scrying spell had told her there was a ship in the nearby bay. Her knowledge of local law told her it was there illegally. She was certain she could talk her way on. They'd give her safe passage, and in return she would not inform the authorities of their presence.

She stopped the flow of energy to the flame, and it slowly flickered out. She lifted herself out of bed, and reached for her armoire in the dark. By feel, she pulled her favorite dress out of the chest. She took a deep breath, and then let it out. She barely made a sound.

It was paranoid, she knew, as her father slept on the opposite side of the wing, but she sometimes felt as if he were all knowing. As if he could read every thought of hers, could hear every breath.

As if he would know what she'd decided on.

She pulled the nightgown above her head, and lowered it to the floor.

Her breath caught.

She slipped the new dress on.

She could feel her heart beat in every part of her body.

Sydney reached under the bed, and pulled a bag from underneath.

Her hands shook.

She packed.

She closed her bedroom door behind her.

Then the front door.

She was out.

She made her way down the drive, sticking to the shadows. Twice she passed by night guards, and twice she went unnoticed.

She clamored down the rocky slope, struggling to keep her balance.

She let out a breath when she reached the sandy beach. In front of her spanned a world of water, black and mysterious. Slight ripples distorted the reflections of stars.

A long look behind her revealed that the castle still slept, oblivious to her departure. Her sisters, her mother, her father—they all remained in their beds.

She shook her head. She had to leave. It was for the best.

Now, how to get to the ship…

It was well hidden behind the rocks. You wouldn't even know it was there if you weren't looking for it. The barest bit of wood showed above its craggy shield.

She set course for the boat. It was anchored not too far out; she reckoned she would be able to get their attention.

But, as she crept closer, something nagged at her attention. A flag hung limply in the still night air. The dark and the lack of wind made it unrecognizable, but still Sydney wondered. A flag would tell her so much more about this ship than her scrying spell.

She'd figured it was merely a merchant ship come to trade with the village. The dock was now charging outrageously high prices for a spot. This wouldn't be the first ship to simply anchor in the bay and manage its affairs from there.

But from what she could make out, the flag was completely black. Not a splash of color to be seen.

"Hello?"

Sydney jumped, her eyes finally straying from the flag.

"And who would you be?" Off to the side, lounging against one of the rocks, was a man. He was so pale that his skin glowed white as he stepped into the moonlight.

Sydney cautiously started toward him. "Who are you? Is that your ship?"

The man stood, and Sydney realized he towered over her. This close she could make out his features. He was young—handsome, too. His eyes were a vivid shade of green. She'd never seen eyes that green before.

"Yes," The man said. "Do you want something with it?"

"Just passage." Sydney said, but now that the time had come to bargain her place, she was focused on something else entirely. His accent.

It was a medley. Some words sounded like they'd come straight from the royal city itself, while others had a strange harshness to them.

"Passage to where?"

"Anywhere." She came to a stop in front of him, just out of arms reach.

"Running away, are we?" His eyebrow was raised. Something in his tone was teasing.

"That's none of your business." Sydney said. Though, of course, he knew he was right. She was requesting passage on a strange vessel in the middle of the night. What else could she possibly be doing?

"Got yourself in a spot of trouble, did you?" He sounded sympathetic. "I know what that's like. So, what did you do?"

"Again—none of your business. Is there room for me or not?" She demanded.

He eyed her, his gaze sweeping up and down, a small smile on his face. "Look, whoever you are, I'm not sure passage on this boat is exactly what you're looking for. Just go back to your bed and sleep away this night. It'd be best for you."

She made a small noise in the back of her throat. "Is there room on your boat or no?"

He gave her a hard look. "Not for your type."

"My type?" She asked incredulously. "Look, never mind. You're merchants, right? You make frequent stops? Well, you can let me off at your first one. It can't be more than several days away."

He suddenly looked as if he was holding back a long, great laugh. "Yes, merchants we are. Fantastic merchants. You'll never meet merchants quite like us. But, my answer remains the same. Go back to bed before one of my crewmates spots you."

"You aren't in a position to deny me anything." Sydney dug in her heels and played her card. "You're anchored here illegally. I could turn you in and who knows what kind of consequences you would face. Their getting stricter and stricter about this kind of thing, you know."

The laughter was gone from his eyes. "One last chance. Leave."

"Make me." Sydney said.

"Oh, but those aren't the orders." He sighed. "Well, you can't say I didn't try."

"Orders? What are you talking about?"

His eyes were locked on something behind her. "I really wish you'd just listened."

Her head whipped around, and she barely had time to make out a group of human figures before she was on the ground. Sand rubbed against her face, and she felt a length of rope rubbing against her wrists. She was flipped back over, and her eyes met emerald green.

A feeling of dread snaked around inside her, and her eyes locked on the dead flag. Under her breath, she whispered an incantation with the purpose of summoning wind. A slight breeze ruffled the flag. Slight, but enough.

Her own eyes revealed to her what the scrying spell hadn't.

"What did you say?" He asked.

She stared up at him, finally realizing what that second accent was. And as she studied him a second, more terrifying truth showed itself.

Fangs.

Fangs and a black flag.

She really should have listened to him.

"You're a vampire pirate."

"That's a mouthful," He remarked. "Just call me Adrian."

Without thinking, she summoned fire. It bit through the rope, but it also singed her dress. She yelped, and almost succeeded in bucking her captor off.

"That was the worst escape attempt I've ever seen." He pinned her down by her shoulders. Her hands were trapped under her.

She worked to free them. "What are you even doing?" He asked.

There.

One hand out and held away from the dress, she summoned the flame. Before he could even register the ashen remains of his rope it sparked to life.

His hands slackened and a look of shock crossed his features.

It was enough.

Sydney pushed away, regained her footing, and sprinted across the beach. Adrian shook off his shock and started after her.

The odds quickly became apparent. She was laden down in a dress and had very little experience with beaches. Adrian, however, suffered neither of those disadvantages.

So, for the second time that night, she was tackled and forced to the ground.

Her breath whooshed out of her lungs in one great gust. She wheezed, "Get off."

"What the hell was that?" At least he sounded shaken.

"I said—" He slapped a hand against her mouth.

"Don't." He said. Her mind went numb. "Answer my question."

She knew she shouldn't. But all of a sudden it seemed like a really good idea. So, as soon as he took his hand away, she said, "It was just a fire spell. Don't worry. I wouldn't have let it hurt anyone."

Subconsciously, she knew he'd just compelled her, and she should be fighting and keeping her mouth closed, but she did none of those things. She lay there, still and dazed.

"Adrian!"

He looked over his shoulder. "Rose."

"What'd ya catch?" A dark beauty entered Sydney's line of sight. Never had Sydney been particularly envious of another girl, least of all about looks, but here was a girl she could be jealous of.

"I caught…" He trailed off, and Sydney could see him working through what to tell the other girl. "Just a runaway looking for a free ride."

"Just a runaway, eh?" A new voice entered the conversation, and if Adrian's compulsion hadn't already frozen her, this man certainly would've done the trick. He looked like an honest to god pirate. A real one, with an earring and a feather hat. Yet, through all the sparkling, ruffled plumage was a man Sydney was sure could inspire fear no matter what he was wearing.

"She knew what I was, captain." Adrian added.

"I was just leaving." She fought her way through the haze, breaking Adrian's spell.

"Were you, now?" The man chuckled. "We can't have that."

Even from her spot on the ground, she managed to muster up some dignity. "I don't associate with Moroi or pirates, and you can be sure I would never have approached if I'd realized I would be dealing with both."

"Moroi?" The man cocked an eyebrow. "It's been a while since I've heard that word from a human. You're in the know."

"The know?" Rose scoffed.

"Five pounds she comes from one of those alchemist families." A redhead had joined the group around her, along with three friends.

"I do," She informed him. "And about 100 more inhabit a castle just half an hour's walk North. When they realize I'm gone, they'll start looking." Her eyes locked on the captain's. "So let me go."

"But you were just running away, were you not?" His teeth flashed in the moonlight. He was grinning.

"I've decided to run away another night, on a different ship." Sydney informed him. She kept her voice calm, though there was a fierce panic welling up inside her.

Here she was, on a secluded beach, held captive by a ship of unnatural criminals. Everything she'd been told about their kind came back to her in a moment.

They have no souls.

They keep humans for blood.

They don't like sunlight.

They go into your mind and dictate what you think.

They are able to control the very world around them. And not in the way Sydney was able to. No, they didn't need incantations or ingredients to help them with their spells. They weren't even fatigued by their kind of magic. It was natural in the most unnatural way possible.

The captain laughed, and several of the men and women clustered around them joined in. "Come on, lads. Let's get the gold on board. Adrian,"

This was it. Would they let her go?

"Tie her up. Put her in my cabin, I want to have a little chat."

Sydney began to scream. Which really, she thought, I should have been doing from the moment I first saw this man.

He put a hand over her mouth and shushed her.

"Don't you dare compel me again!" She shouted into his hand. "You soulless, evil bastard!"

"Soulless and evil, huh?" Rose said with laughter in her voice.

"She's not wrong there." The redhead agreed.

Putting his mouth to her ear, Adrian backed his tone with an ample amount of power. "Shout and struggle all you want, but don't even think about pulling that fire stunt again. Captain Mazur will never let you go if you do."

Well, there it is.

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