Chapter 2

She was roused from a sleep she was unaware she had fallen into by the quiet whickering of her horse as he stilled. She slowly sat up from where she had ended up hunched over in the saddle, gasping slightly at the sharp aches that had developed in her muscles, giving a small sniffle as she blinked herself into awareness. Back into the reality that her son and parents were hostages.

She was struck by a light sea breeze, and took in her surroundings. She and her horse sat atop a small crest, able to see the hillside below as it sloped down to a shoreline in the distance. She had to squint a bit, as her eyesight had never been particularly good. It was one of the reasons she had always stayed in close spaces. She didn't have to worry about not being able to see. The ocean, among many other things, terrified her by its sheer vastness.

Even here, safe astride the horse that had born her so loyally, the sight of the far distant horizon, gleaming in the sunrise, caused her heart to race. But that reaction paled in comparison to violent trembling that started up as her eyes perceived a blur moving across the water. Despite her eyes only being able to make out the shadow of it, she knew, deep in her bones that it was the ship. His ship.

She took a shallow breath before bending over to run her hand along the neck of the animal below her, feeling her joins snap and pop and muscles tremble as she stretched them, shakily murmuring her gratitude in his ear. His clear blue eyes swiveled to look at her, pleased that he had done right by his liege lady. He nodded his thanks at her words, but his nerves at the presence he sensed in the far distance had him side stepping lightly, trying t persuade his lady that this was not the wisest course of action.

She soothed him, trying to find the courage that made her parent so well known. Her parents... Henry. Fear gripped her heart tightly again as she considered what could be their fate. They were depending on her. She swallowed hard, feeling the tears that had dried in her unplanned rest start to well back up again. She gave a small sniffle, before she took a deep breath.

For Henry.

She nodded, find a small modicum of courage enough in the thought of her son to grasp the reins again and flick them, giving her stead a light tap with her heals, urging him forward.

For a moment he dug in his heels, before giving in to his liege lady's foolish request with a sigh. Carefully, mindful that the lady astride him was not well versed in the saddle, he picked his way down the hillside toward the shore, feeling as the lady astride him began to tremble as if she were a piece of straw in the wind. He tossed his head, trying to pretend that there was nothing to be worried about as he felt every hair in his hide itch with how much he longed to turn away.

He shook his head and whisked his tail in irritation that he should even harbor such thoughts, rebuking himself for being afraid to go where his liege lady demanded he follow. Rolling his eyes at himself, he continued to descend the hill, until he felt the ground level out under him, and then begin to sink in under the weight of him and the lady. He could smell the salt and seaweed, as well as the cloying stench that clung to all evil things. He snorted, in the hopes of dispelling the awful stench from his nostrils, but it lingered, making him sigh.

When he could finally go no farther along the shore without putting his lady at risk of wetting her fine clothes in the surf, he stopped. The reek of darkness here was near overwhelming, but he dutifully knelt down to allow his lady to slide from his back, whickering in concern as she stumbled slightly, a cry of pain on her lips, before he rose to turn to face her. He noticed she was crying again, and she was still trembling, so he reached out to brush her hair from her face with his nose, blowing lightly on her face to dry her eyes.

She gave a watery smile, appreciative of his affections. She allowed herself one more moment of comfort before she gently pushed his head away. Then she stepped around the animal and looked out across the horizon, disturbed only by the shadow the made its way eastward leagues from the shore. She conjured up the smiling face of her son, taking one deep breath to steady herself. The she whispered the only words that she had been warned to never repeat.

"Killian Jones, Dark One, I Summon Thee."