Adeline (Watty Awards Finalist 2013)

Drinks and Dungeons

She smiled, "Well let's be on it, where would we look first?" she asked. My smile quickly disappeared; I had no idea where to start.



Sara noting the disappointment on my face thankfully made a suggestion. "How about we start looking in the places where men become drunk with drink?"



Not having a more plausible idea, I nodded. We made our way to the very first pub in the line of buildings. It was a nice one, considering the hell holes I'd seen since becoming a pirate. I walked in and took a look at all the people inside. Indie was nowhere among them. I sighed and turned to exit when Sara gripped my arm.



"What is that they're drinking? Is that the drunken drink?" She asked, her eyes filled with excitement.



I nodded slowly. "But that's not really the kind of drink we should be having. So let's be on to the next one." I told her as I dragged her out of the pub. She looked at the place with longing before allowing me to pull her to the next one.



As we walked along, I realized that I kind of understood Sara's interest in rum. She had been deprived of almost everything while living underwater. I of course had never tried it, but it was not for lack of having the chance. It was my choice not to drink.



I turned to her as we walked to the entrance of the second pub. "Do you wanna try rum perhaps?" I asked.



Her blue eyes lit up. "Yes! I know it's frowned upon, but I've always been curious. Some of the men that I've...um dined with over the years have had the drink in their system. It wasn't very hard to catch those ones I can tell ya."



I nodded, not really finding the fact of murdering men funny, but who was I to judge. At least she chose to leave that behind. I nodded and entwined my fingers with hers. Her scent of the sea wafting up my nose, I inhaled it and pushed open the pub doors.



There were less people in this one, but they still stared at us all the same. Their beady eyes especially drank in Sara, she was of color with blue eyes, and everyone was intrigued. We made our way over to the bar, all eyes following us.



"One drink," I breathed. The barmaid stared at us and nodded.



"Oh make that two please!" Sara said rather loudly in an excited tone.



I turned to her shocked. "You want two of them at once?" I asked in incredulously.



She scoffed, "Of course, but maybe later. Right now we shall drink together," she said as the barmaid put two pints in front of us.



I immediately shook my head, giving her a nervous glance. "Sara I do not drink...this stuff." I whined.



She rolled her eyes, a habit she had likely picked up from Loki. "Oh Adeline just stop it. You are so cautious all the time. It's one drink, there's no way it could do you any harm." And with that she picked up her drink and took a long sip.



Her face squeezed up as if she had just sucked a lemon. 'This is positively awful." She complained, and then took another gulp.



I stared at her wide eyes. Did she not just pronounce the drink awful? And here she was gulping it down like a new born baby hungry for its mama's milk.



She rested the empty mug down with a gleam of pride in her eye. "Tis your turn Adeline."



I looked at the drink with distaste and shook my head. "Sara I cannot." I said shamefully. I would not drink the very thing that poisoned my father.



Sara sighed and took the drink; she looked at me one last time before downing it herself. She put the second empty glass down alongside the first, "May I have another sir?"



Four drinks later, Sara was drunk. But she was unlike my father, where he was abusive and angry, she was happy and funny. Of course her feet were unsteady, but other than that she was herself. Just a bit happier than usual.



"Sara I think it's time we take our leave, we still are not even close to finding Indie and it's nearly nightfall. We must be getting back to the docks," I said as I steadied her.



"Oh Adeline, you do worry a lot. Just relax and enjoy life, it could be worse. You could be a mermaid who eats men but dislikes killing. Now that's a contradiction." She laughed.



I smiled and began standing her up and pulling her towards the exits. "Let's get you out of here."



We were just about to push open the doors when an angry voice barked at us. "And who is paying for the six pints that girl has just had?" I turned to see a frightening man standing beside the barmaid. His arms were crossed over his chest showing scars running along his arms.



I swallowed and quickly leaned Sara's weight that I was holding onto the doorway. I quickly dug into my pockets and gasped. My hand was poking out of a rather perfectly cut hole in my pants. I gaped at my hand, had I really been robbed? Someone had stolen the little pocket money that Loki had given me.



The large man cleared his throat, "Problem lass?" he asked, but nothing about the way he said it made me believe he actually cared. I quickly patted down my pants on both sides hoping that the money was somewhere else, but it was gone.



"Um...I've seem to have lost my money sir." I said lowly.



"I am an extremely good swimmer." Sara mumbled.



'Well that's gonna be a problem lass. We don't give away free drinks." The abnormally large mad said as he stalked towards us.



I cowered back, dragging Sara behind me, "Please sir, we can go get money and bring it back, I swear it!"



"I even had a pet sea turtle when I was nothing but a young fish!" Sara hiccuped once again.



"Do I look like a bloody fool to you?" the man hollered, his spit showering onto my face. "I know that you'll just run away and not come back. I want what I'm owed now!" he shouted once again coating me in spit.



I wiped at my face with the sleeve of my shirt. "I haven't any money on me at the moment, but please if you'd allow me, I can go and get some and be back within the hour." I pleaded. I had no idea what people around these parts did with people who could not pay their bill. I also wasn't too keen on finding out.



"Jellyfish are bothersome little things. They're the equivalent of mosquitoes except they sting instead of bite" Sara mumbled from behind me.



"Shut it." I whispered to her.



"No can do girl. By rights I can take payment from you as I see fit." He said with a dangerous gleam in his eye. He licked his chapped lips and stared shamelessly at my nonexistent bosom. "I can charge the both of you." He said sliding his beady eyes over to Sara.



"Rubbish! What kind of law is that?" I cried. This man could not be serious.



"Newly passed" he said with a smirk. "Now come on, let's go to the backrooms.." he said reaching for me. I squeezed my eyes shut as his rough calloused fingers closed around my wrist, I braced myself.



I heard a loud hysterical scream before warm liquid sprayed all over my face. I gasped and opened my eyes to the scene before me. The man lay sprawled before me, tears streaming down his face and into his beard. He clutched his arm as it bled profusely. I looked at him with confusion until I realized his hand was still clamped around my wrist.



I screamed and jumped back knocking into Sara as I shook my arm wildly and pushed his detached hand off. As it rolled onto the floor, I continued screaming. I touched my face, my fingers coating in thick red liquid.



Rough hands grabbed my shoulders, "Adeline calm down darling, you'll give yourself a heart attack." the familiar voice said humorlessly. I looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and nodded in a daze. He smiled at me, dimples showing. He let go of my shoulders and picked up his sword, cleaning the blood off on the now unconscious man's shirt.



"Pick up your friend and we'll be off. We have plenty to talk about." He said as he sheathed his sword. He pushed a hand through his blond hair. He made his way to the exit, me dragging along a silent Sara as we followed.



"Who is he?" she slurred. "I can sense him as I would sense a sister!" she exclaimed. I just continued dragging her along never faltering. "That's Indie, Flynn's brother." I answered.



"Impossible! I cannot sense Flynn as I sense this man. Flynn is not one of us, he is." She argued.



"Sara you are drunk, you do not even know what you are saying. Does this man look like a woman to you, how is he one of you sisters?" I asked as I dragged her along following in Indie's wake.



She glared at me, "Oh hush Adeline. I did not say he was one of my sisters, I said I can sense him as one. What is he?" she whispered more to herself than me.



I shrugged, "Can you not walk on your own accord now? Surely you can if you are able to talk coherently." I observed.



Sara nodded and stepped away from me, but immediately leaned back on me. "The drink is stronger than I thought. I cannot even stand on my own." She complained with a frown.



My brows furrowed in confusion. "That is odd."



"And here we are ladies" Indie called from ahead. I looked up to see a rather large building.



"What is this place?" Sara asked in a frightened tone.



"I have not the slightest idea, but we're gonna get the map back and head to the docks. Surely they wouldn't have left us." I reassured not only Sara but myself as well.



"Well hurry it up, we can't leave our guest waiting," Indie rushed as we walked passed him.



He opened the doors and ushered us inside, "What guest?' I asked suspiciously. He ignored my question as he turned us down a dark dimly lit hall. I walked slowly taking in my surroundings.



"Why do we have to come all the way here just to talk?" I asked hiding the fear from my voice. I had never saw Indie as anything other than a brother of Flynn who happened to be nice, but after witnessing him cut off a man's hand like it was nothing, even if he was trying to save me, made me weary of him and his intentions.



"Just this way please" he said kindly as he led us down a long set of stairs. The walls were made of stone giving the narrow stairway a musty damp smell as water seeped through it.



"Where are we going?" Sara asked, all her slurring completely gone. This puzzled me, if she was no longer drunk, then why could she not walk?



"We are going to talk a bit of course, and then we'll see our guest for the evening. Come now, we haven't very much farther to go." He rushed.



After several minutes of aimless walking, we reached what Indie said, was our destination. We were in a small neat room. There was a fireplace lit, illuminating the room. In front of the fire place was a table and four small chairs. I moved to the table and sat Sara down on one of the chairs.



The relief of being free of her weight was like heaven. I stretched as Indie took the seat next to her signaling for me to sit across from him, I complied.



We sat in silence before Sara spoke. "So what is it we're here to talk about?" she asked.



Indie smiled, "I had planned to speak with just Adeline. I was unaware that she had a friend of your...sex. But you are welcomed just the same." He turned his blue eyes on me, "Adeline you're quite quiet when we both know you have lots of questions that Flynn, Loki, and Argo will not answer. Now's the time to relieve yourself of said questions."



I inhaled. "Okay first question, that time that we met in open sea and you were gloating to Flynn, how were you able to make the waves move when you left?"



Indie eyes widened but he spoke before I could know for sure that he was unsettled, "How very observant of you. Many would not have noticed that. It was a gift from my father really; I can slightly manipulate the waters. Nothing big or drastic really; I'm no Poseidon."



"Why can you do that and Flynn cannot?" I asked.



He smiled, "Flynn can also, and he chooses not to accept the gift. A broody one his is. Next question."



"How has he given you this gift if he is dead?" I asked astounded.



Indie smirked. "He is not dead, far from it." I sighed and changed the subject.



"What is the significance of the drawing that you and Flynn are constantly at each other's throats about?"



Indie licked his lips, hints of his dimples showing, and said, "It's a drawing of our mother, the only picture of her in existence. Say what you will about our wickedness but we are sentimental at times."



I bit my lip finally understanding. They were more alike than I could have ever imagined.



"What-" A loud banging interrupted me. Indie quickly stood up sending me a dazzling smile.



"I do apologize ladies that I will have to cut this short, but do give Flynn my love." He waltzed over to the door and pulled it open. Four men walked in, one of them the arse that had hit me over the head with a rock.



They walked up to us and grabbed us roughly. "Indie what is the meaning of this?!" I yelled as the men dragged us out of the room.



"Don't take it personal dearest, I'll just be needing a head start to the cure." He yelled. I fumed and struggled with the men but it was useless. Sara didn't even try to put up a fight seeing as how she couldn't even walk, but that didn't stop her from insulting them.



"Where are you taking us?" I asked desperately.



"You'll see" one of the brutes sneered. I was just about to demand he tell me when we walked into a room with bars all around.



A dungeon.



I started struggling like never before, but it was no use. They threw me in a cell, Sara thrown in beside me.



As they locked us in, I rushed to the bars. "We must leave immediately. Our captain will be searching for us and you will suffer his wrath." I screamed at their retreating backs.



They all starting laughing as they left the way they came. I rested my head on the bars, a single tear streaming down my face.



"Adeline! Come quick!" Sara yelled.



I quickly wiped at my eyes and turned around. "What is it Sara?"



I gasped as I saw what she was looking at. A man lay in our cell unconscious. Dried blood from a gash on his right temple stained his face. I dropped to my knees and crawled over to him. I put my hand on his forehead. He was burning up.



"What are we gonna do?" Sara cried.



"I have no idea" I said softly as I ran my hand over our captain's forehead. With Flynn out like this, our future was even more uncertain that I thought.



Where were Loki and Argo when you needed them?

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