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Vvarden

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Ciara

The girl claimed to be confused, but there was no way that she was nearly as confused as James was feeling right then.

He was holding her. In his arms. He'd never cradled a person like this before. It had been so long since he'd shared more than fleeting physical contact with anyone, and now he had his most elusive target in his clutches, so to speak. He had never imagined that he'd find himself worrying about what became of her, but here he was, fervently praying to the gods that Currel and the other pirates left her alone from now on.

When they had brought her back down and thrown her in his cell, his shock had very quickly turned into something verging on panic. Her body had been spasming from lack of oxygen, so he attempted to do what he'd done only once before, when a boy had nearly drowned back on Merirosvo. Thinking about it now, he cringed, realizing what she must have thought was happening to her. He supposed he was lucky she only bit him. But damn, had they done a number on her.

And it made him angry. Would Surmata have allowed this to happen? Maybe. The thought sickened him. He'd gotten to know the pirate captain rather well over the past year, becoming accustomed to her unforgiving ruthlessness. And he actually didn't blame her for it, considering what she'd been through. But he felt strongly that the girl in his arms did not deserve to suffer because of Surmata's vicious streak. That wasn't why he had taken this job. He had always prided himself on doing things for the right reason, not that it mattered much anymore. As soon as he had killed those men, he had forfeited his claim on what was right. Even so, some part of him was whispering that bringing the girl to Surmata would be a mistake. That it was the wrong thing to do. Surmata would probably just torture her, and keep her barely alive, so that her dragon complied with whatever the pirate queen had in store for it.

Bile rose in his throat at the thought of it. Whenever he had delivered targets before, some justice was being served. Whether or not it was redemption, punishment for a wrongdoing— whatever, some good came out of it. But all of his meticulous planning, careful searching, and frail justifications had flown out the window at the sight of the girl after Currel had spent only a few minutes with her.

There was something different about her. Maybe he was just used to being around unsavory characters, the thugs and pirates and thieves who made him so cynical. But for some reason, he got the impression even after a few minutes talking to her that this girl was not like them. She did not deserve to be dragged down to this level of questionable morals and outright treachery.

When James had planned this out, he had hoped to gain her trust by playing prisoner. If he as really being honest with himself, he had to admit that he had simply wanted the chance to speak to her. He didn't want to reveal to her anything about Sahko, or his own involvement in her capture. Instead, he hoped to keep his hands clean, by leaving the dirtier work up to the pirates, and maybe redeeming himself somehow by persuading her to go along with Surmata's wishes without anyone getting hurt.

Then Currel had decided to enact his petty vengeance on her, and it all changed. Whatever foolish optimism James had held for this situation was replaced by the grim reality of his actions. He had brought this girl to what would likely prove to be a living hell, and even though he had no experience with dragons besides Sahko, he didn't like the idea of one suffering needlessly. It was cruel. And he had never considered himself to be a cruel person.

A soft whimper disturbed his thoughts, and looking down at the girl's tense features he realized he was gripping her rather tightly. Immediately he loosened his hold on her, and she relaxed back into her sleep.

What am I doing? Was he being… kind? James did not know. All he knew was that it would be a mistake to let Surmata get her hands on the girl and her dragon. But he'd have to be careful about it. Discouraging the pirate queen from pursuing them would be a challenge, but James felt strangely hopeful that he could do it.

Why, though? Why not just let Surmata have her way and leave all of it behind? Return to Merirosvo, pick up with Sven, look after Gammel and Vitur…

Because it's the right thing to do. But that wasn't all of it.

Because that's not what you want, the voice in his head whispered, and he frowned. Of course that's what I want! That was the primary motivating factor for my involvement with this entire thing! Going back to Merirosvo and living my life.

No, it's not. She's the reason you did this, and now that you have her, you realize what a mistake it was to lead the pirates to her.

James wanted to groan with frustration. How could he have been so stupid? Surmata was likely leading her forces against the unprepared, unsuspecting people on that island as he sat on the floor of his unlocked cell, holding a sleeping girl in his arms. A beautiful sleeping girl.

What? Where were these thoughts coming from? Roughly he shoved them aside, bringing his attention back to reality. He fervently hoped that those dragons would defend their home and the people of the village, otherwise all of their blood would be on his hands.

The hatch at the top of the stairs opened, illuminating his dingy surroundings. Heavy footfalls sounded on the creaky wooden steps, until the two thugs from earlier appeared outside of his cell, grinning unpleasantly.

"Aw, isn't this sweet." James shot them a warning look, and their grins faded.

"Currel wants to see 'er again," one sneered.

"Then I'm coming, too."

"He didn't ask for ye," the other said.

"I don't care. He has no control over me, something you all would do well to remember," he said darkly, making sure he didn't wake the girl.

"Wha'ever," the first thug spat onto the floor. "Just get 'er up. Now."

James softly shook her, ignoring the two men leering in at them.

"Wake up…" he realized he didn't know her name. "Come on."

She mumbled something that sounded like "aku", whatever an "aku" was. Then her eyes shot open, and her face filled with alarm as she pushed away from him.

"Oh, gods," she grimaced, looking out at the pirates. "It was real."

James felt bad for her. "Unfortunately."

"If you two are quite finished, Currel is waitin'!"

Resisting the urge to stab the both of them through the bars, James got to his feet and held out his hand to the girl, who took it with surprising strength. Her brief rest seemed to have done her good, but he noted she was favoring her ankle, even though she did her best to hide it. She left the cell with her head held high, turning back with surprise when he followed her out.

"I'm coming along," he said, and she looked slightly confused at his wording, but didn't get the chance to ask him anything as the first thug yanked her forward.

As they filed up to the deck, James glanced around, catching Sahko's eye. Ever so slightly, he nodded at the Skrill, who blinked slowly, giving no sign of understanding. Which, James should probably have been used to by now, but it would be nice on occasion to know that Sahko was actually on board with their carefully crafted plans.

Then he looked farther up the deck, to where the girl's dragon was heavily chained and muzzled, surrounded by a group of jeering pirates. Its bright blue eyes were fixated on the deck, but then flashed up to meet his own, as though it had sensed him watching. James's heart skipped a beat at the intensity he saw reflected in those knowing orbs, and felt reassured that what he was about to do was the right thing.

The thugs shoved them forward, so that they were standing side by side. James didn't for a moment think they had gone anywhere, though, and he was right. On the opposite side of the ship, Currel was shouting at someone, but soon was walking towards them, scowling at him in particular.

"What do you—" he began, but James gave him a look that said, Shut your mouth if you know what's good for you.

Swallowing his comment, the rat-faced man turned towards the girl.

"Feeling better, are we?" he asked mockingly, grabbing her neck and giving her a little shake. She didn't answer, simply meeting his gaze. With a look of disgust, he brought his arm up and swiftly backhanded her, the sound echoing across the ship. Her head had snapped to the side, but she slowly righted herself, making no sound.

A hot anger was building in James at Currel's treatment of her. He dearly wanted to inflict a slow, painful evisceration on the slimy rat, but knew if he made one wrong move, the game would be up, and he might end up getting both himself and the girl killed.

But now Currel reached up with his filthy hand and grabbed her face, inspecting it, and the malevolent gleam in his eye shifted into something positively repulsive. James resisted the urge to reach out and snap his wrist as he ran his fingers over her hair, her face, down her neck, and over her chest.

"I think we can come to an arrangement," Currel said in a low voice, causing a few of the gathered thugs to laugh menacingly. "If you do what I say, everythin' that I say, I might just let you and your overgrown lizard live. How does that sound?"

She closed her eyes, and James nervously waited for her response. He needed her to hold out a little longer, while he figured out how to create a distraction. But when she opened them, her face was a mask of amusement. "I think we can come to an arrangement."

In a flash she had kneed him in the groin, and when he doubled over, she kneed him again in the face before yanking him upright and spinning him around to put him in a chokehold.

"Now," she said, leaning in to speak in his ear. "If you do what I say, everything that I say, I might just let you and your overgrown thugs live. How does that sound?"

Currel could only sputter, as his face turned a deep red color.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

His hands scrabbled at the arm around his neck, unable to break her iron grip. James was too stunned to do anything but gape, as were the pirates. For a moment, the tableau remained, then everything burst into chaos. The thugs rushed her, and James waved his arm at Sahko, who immediately tore free from the rope "tying" him to the railing. The Skrill spun around, tripping everyone on the deck with his long tail. Unfortunately, this included the girl, and she lost her grip on Currel before falling to her knees. In an instant James was beside her, pulling her to her feet and away from the raging dragon.

She tripped on her bad ankle and stumbled, but James steadied her, before meeting her gaze. "You need to get out of here."

"But what's going on? How did that Skrill get loose? What…?" she looked miserably confused, and James resisted the urge to cup her bruised cheek. Instead, he looked over at Sahko. The Skrill was watching him carefully, waiting for a command. James signaled for Sahko to shoot, before diving at the girl, pushing her from harm's way as a lightning bolt exploded where she had been standing. All of the pirates around him immediately scrambled for cover. Sahko fired again and again, setting the deck alight with flames. With his final shot, he targeted a cluster of barrels, not knowing that they were full of oil. They exploded dramatically, sending shrapnel and liquid fire flying out towards all of the nearby pirates. Looking up, the dragon noted with dark pleasure that the sky was overcast with storm clouds, and he immediately took off into the atmosphere.

Over the roars of the angry dragon, Aeri could hear the screams of injured men. Winter was holding her down, pressed firmly against her as he shielded her with his body.

"Listen!" He was staring hard at her, shouting at her. "You need to get off this ship! Surmata will be attacking the village with the rest of her ships, and—" he was pulled roughly off of her and tossed to the side by an enormous man, whose face was tense with anger. The pirate lifted a hammer and brought it down with all his strength. Aeri barely rolled out of the way in time, but found herself pinned against the mast, the man preparing to strike again.

"Shade!" she shouted, seeing her dragon struggling against his bonds out of the corner of her eye, and the man grinned nastily.

"The beast ain't going to save you, now!" He raised the hammer again, but before he could smash it down on her skull, someone reached around and stabbed a jagged splinter of wood into the side of his leg, sending out a spurt of blood. With a hoarse scream the man dropped to one knee, revealing Winter behind him, looking furious. He had a long cut along the side of his face, and he was holding another sharp piece of wood, which he did not hesitate to drive down into the man's exposed neck.

Aeri was too stunned to feel sick. Winter stepped over the man's twitching body and held out a hand, which she grasped. He pulled her to her feet, their faces inches apart. His gaze traveled over her face, before his dark eyes settled on her lips. Was he going to… kiss her? She would never know, because behind him loomed another beast of a man. Reacting to her widened eyes, Winter spun around more quickly than she would have expected him to be able to and simply leapt at the pirate, who was wielding a large battle axe. The axe flew from his grip, and Aeri ran to it, raising it high. But the two men were too close to each other, wrestling for the upper hand.

Despite his slimness, James was holding his own, and finally managed to pin the struggling pirate down. Glancing up, he saw the girl holding the axe, ready to come to his rescue, and something funny twisted in his chest.

"I've got this!" he shouted. "Go, get your dragon, get out of here!"

"But what about you?" Her face looked conflicted. A loud screech sounded, signaling Sahko's return.

"Don't worry about me. They want me alive." Still she hesitated, and he scowled at her. "Go! Now!"

With a shaky nod, she did as he said, spinning around and disappearing into the smoke from the fires, hobbling in the direction of her chained dragon. As soon as she was out of sight, James slid one of his knives out and quickly sliced through the struggling man's throat, silencing him. Grimacing with disgust, he slowly got to his feet, feeling his ribs beginning to bruise from being thrown so hard. A series of bright flashes lit the deck as Sahko struck again, before disappearing back up into the storm clouds.

He had not intended to kill again, but some instinct had kicked in when Surmata's men threatened the girl's life. The pirates and he had never gotten along, and now they all had the chance to hash it out. He almost chuckled darkly. He might be smaller than them, but the fight was still grossly unfair. Wiping the blood off the blade onto his pants, he decided it was time to get Sahko and go. Where had he gone? Distracted, he didn't notice the figure creeping up behind him, raising a sword high.

Aeri yanked off Shade's muzzle and set to work on freeing him. She still had the battle axe, and repeatedly she smashed at the chains, despite the ache in her shoulder. The smoke was thick on the slanting deck, making her eyes water, and even better, a steady rain had begun to fall. But she persevered until one by one, they broke. He growled and instinctively she ducked, allowing him to fire a plasma blast at an approaching pirate. "Good work, bud." With a mighty swing, she smashed through the last chain holding him down, and with a furious roar, Shade spread his wings, shaking off the chains and looking around for more enemies.

But the fire was fully consuming the ship now, racing up the masts and across the sails. Coughing, Aeri hauled herself into the saddle, keeping her weight off her ankle. "Come on!" Shade leapt skyward, beating his wings hard with determination. They were getting out of there. After all there were pirates below, and a Skrill was somewhere in the clouds above, most likely collecting more electric ammunition. But Aeri tugged at him, pulling him back, and he shot her a disbelieving glance.

"We have to find Winter!" she shouted. Shade wanted to disagree, but knew it was futile. So he circled the plumes of smoke rising from the doomed ship, coming in low. "There!" she pointed, and he could see the man standing on the deck, wiping something on his pants.

"Winter! Look out!" Aeri screamed, and Shade noticed the rat-faced bastard coming at Winter from behind with a wicked looking blade. "Shade, take him out!" Hearing her, her fellow prisoner spun around to see his attacker approaching, but he was defenseless.

Knowing he didn't have much time, Shade swooped in and fired a blast at Currel's chest. His aim was true, and the pirate's body flew back, crashing into the mast. There was no possibility of the slimy rat surviving that blow. Aeri's only regret was that she couldn't have done the deed herself. As they soared skyward and circled back again, they saw that the mast was unstable, and the force of Currel hitting it had knocked it off balance.

"Winter!"

James heard his name, but also heard the ominous creaking of something large breaking. He looked up just in time to see the flaming mast coming down towards him, sails billowing. Ah, shit.

"No!" Aeri screamed, but it was too late. The mast came down with a loud crash, smashing through the deck and breaking the ship in half. The entire thing began to sink below the surface. Shade beat his wings hard, but the smoke was getting to him as well, so he turned around and began to fly away.

"No, Shade, we can't just leave him!"

"Aeri, there's no way he survived that! We have to get back to Heimme!" He growled, before bringing down his wings hard and blasting off in the direction of the island.

Thunder rolled in the sky above, the dark clouds mirroring her mood. Behind her, the ship sank beneath the waves. Tears streamed from her eyes, and she sobbed helplessly. He had saved her life, and she was responsible for his death.

Oh, no. Things are grim, are they about to get even worse?