Avarice of the Sea | | b o o k 1

5: Unexpected Guest

Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.

:  C H A P T E R  F I V E  :

I sat in the blackness for an eternity.

At first I sat, yes, but after a while I tipped onto the ground with my cheek pressed up against the sleeve of the stranger's coat. There was nothing more upsetting than not knowing when day would rise, or knowing that my family was in Valens without me.

I regretted being furious with Father, though he never knew that I was, in fact, plotting a revolutionary speech. He did not deserve to have my childish anger forced upon him, not in a time like this. Theo was probably going mad with distraught, which in turn pressed a wave of guilt to lash up at my ankles all the way over my shoulders, engulfing my hair in its cold embrace. I trembled at the thought of being beneath the waves, and recalled Theo's twisted arm after he fell from a high boulder.

I feared the ocean, and here I was, on a pirate ship of all things.

When my tears dried out and I had worn myself down, I fell asleep at a point I could not recall. It was all exclusive darkness, though when I was awake, I could hear the roar of waves crashing in our wake, and the moans of the prisoners. Try as I might, no amount of plugging my ears could rid me of their sounds.

At some point I did not know which way I was facing--was it north? East? I hadn't a clue. But I saw a dim figure become visible in front of me, and found that candle light was being scattered over the bars of my cell. I bolted up into a sitting position, going dizzy from the abrupt move, and spun around in search of the lantern-keeper.

"Rise and shine, princess." It was the cat-eyed pirate. He clasped the lantern over his head and I watched as he bent down. He was bowing.

"What're you-"

"Cody, son of Captain Aloysius Avarice of The Avarice of the Sea. Pleasure meeting you," he announced in a bold voice before popping back up into a standing position. As he swung out the ring of keys, shuffling through them until he found the right fit for my cell, I stared blankly at him.

"Wait, what?"

"If ya weren't payin' attention the first time, it'll cost ya fer a second." I went bright red when he winked at me, a sly smirk playing on his lips. He stuck the key into the door, and I hastily stood up and walked over, observing the numbers etched on the metal as the lantern swayed overhead. When the door creaked open, I moved back and away from the man named Cody, son of Avarice, as he came over to unlock the cuff on my ankle.

My hand reached for my necklace, but was lost in the air of where it used to be. I felt as though a hole had been punched through my heart when Avarice took it away, and only now I was just feeling the pain. I felt it all the way to my stomach, which was growling out of hunger. I hadn't minded skipping breakfast, considering the vast meal I had eaten the day before, but now I was starting to feel the grumbling.

"Is there anything to eat?" I asked hesitantly, and brought my hands to my stomach rather than the absent necklace.

Cody looked back at me from where he was retrieving the lantern. "What? Ya feeling hungry already?"

I remained quiet. He made it sound like a meal a day was hardly amiss. For some odd reason, I had the urge to one up Avarice's crew in this so-called game of life. To them, being a royal was a sign of weakness out at sea. They took it as a lack of experience, and years of living the sheltered life. When I tried to rationalize that it wasn't all that, I had to step back and realize that it was, in fact, a limited lifestyle. I may be worldly and cultured, but against the rough and tough barbarians out in No Man's Land, I was just a mouse against a hawk.