CHAPTER 2:
The pirates had escaped with two barrels of water and one crate of grain. The woman Lishay had fought had fought until a shriek pierced the air, and had then flipped over the side of the barge into a rowboat.
But it was not the loss of food or water that had shaken the crew, it was the Mark.
Three white wolf heads, a serpent, and a dove, the wolves fighting both. Above them were three words.
Virtutis Gloria Merces
Glory is the reward of valor.
Lishay listened to the scraping sound of her blade on the whetstone in front of her.
She sheathed her blade and walked over to a wooden chest in the corner of the room. She unlocked it and pulled out an arrow. It had raven feather fletchings and was made of white wood. Black writing spiraled across it.
Lishay. A part of your name means 'for myself', though I have found that could not be less true. You are the most selfless person I have met. You would lay down your life for those you love if it meant they would be free. Here I am, complimenting you with an arrow I shot into your bedroom, not brave enough to tell you this myself. You are not just a beautiful face, but a beautiful soul. Your heart belongs to those you love. Your mind creates such beautiful pictures and realizes the impossible, such feats I will never achieve. You are the bravest person I have ever met and you continue to amaze me everyday since I met you. I love you. If you do not feel this way about me, I hope you find someone else. -Tarik
She lifted the arrow to her lips and closed her eyes. "Wǒ ài nǐ. Wǒ huì bàofù." I love you. I will get revenge.
Lishay watched the rockback whales rise and fall slowly with each movement of their tails. The ropes that tethered them to the ship tightened and slackened with each movement. The moon and stars reflected off of the water like sinking jewels.
She turned and walked around to the back of the ship and looked at the wall. The wolves, dove, and snake had been burned on with a branding iron, but the written on with a hot piece of metal in a slashing hand writing.
Something sparked in her memory. The woman who she had fought; the way she had looked, the way that had triggered something in Lishay's mind.
Lishay held the arrow in her hand up to look at it, and her heart skipped a beat.
She knew whose hand writing the woman had. She knew who that woman had looked like.
That woman looked like Tarik.
Of course I'm stopping it here! :) I be evil… So who could it be….. Leave it in a review, because (You saw this coming) I will not continue until I get 8 more reviews! Mwahahaha! -IADS, Queen of Cliffhangers