Avarice of the Sea | | b o o k 1

8: Disaster Awaits

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:  C H A P T E R  E I G H T :

Avarice had already walked off to tend to some separate duties by the time Archer gripped his hand on my arm and steered me towards the stairs leading down into the hold. Scrambling after his fast pace, I followed him down the wooden planks past pirate bunks and hammocks pregnant with the weight of men sitting on them, scrubbing off the soles of their boots, or lacing up patches on their trousers.

Archer had the keys hooked to his belt, which was decorated with knives and daggers, and a sword on one end. As we descended into the next floor, the light dimmed, and he struck a match from a pouch on his belt in order to light one of the lanterns. He carried it with him through the jagged corridor between storage rooms.

It was quieter down here, but haunting in a way that made my skin crawl. The only sound was the creaking of the ship and the clanking of chains from inside the storage compartments. Our boots marched over the floor, and after a little while of walking, we were in the hall before the dungeon.

He did not utter a word as we approached the turn that would take us down the stairs and into the dungeon. He halted in his tracks and located a hook on the wall for the lantern. I opened my mouth to ask what the problem was, but he held his hand up to quiet me.

My skin was crawling to get out of here. As if the dungeon didn't already give me the creeps, Archer made them ten times worse. He was getting something from his belt, perhaps the key loop, but then I saw his belt come loose and I panicked. I turned to run, but choked when he grabbed the back of my coat and hauled me back over.

My back hit the wall and his hand held me in my place by my neck. "Y-You can't," I stammered, holding my hands out to keep him at a good distance from me.

"The captain ain't here, is he?" he replied, a smirk on his lips. He yanked off my jacket and tossed it against the wall behind him. I shrieked when a chill stole up my skirt, along with the fabric as he gathered it up so he could reach his hand under. A horrified gasp came from me when he did this, and I kicked even harder at him, but he was too close to get a good angle like I had with Avarice the day before.

Hot tears were searing lines against my cheeks. When he yanked at my undergarments, he nearly tore them, and that sent me over the edge. My hands didn't know what they were doing until I'd gotten a good grip on one of the daggers on his belt and swung it out of its hold with a vengeance I dared not feel again. He was pressed up against me, hot and overbearing like the sweltering heat on a late Damunian summer day.

I was grappling for the power to plunge the dagger into his heart, but just as I'd committed to it, he noticed the lantern light gleam on the blade, and grabbed at it. When he couldn't do that, he captured my wrist and slammed it back into the wall. Pain sliced down my arm, and I screamed for him to let go.

He leaned close so his cheek was pressed up against mine. "I won't have ya ruinin' this, beautiful. It's been so long since I had myself a girlie like yerself," he whispered.

My free hand caught hold of another knife on his belt, and this time I didn't hesitate to plunge it into his side. I heard the breath get caught in his throat, and a second later all the pressure he had on me vanished as he stumbled back. I went woozy at the sight of the knife handle still sticking out of his side, and managed to let out a horrified scream as he fell against the wall.

I clasped my hands over my mouth and jumped away. He grabbed onto the knife's handle, and screamed in agony. He kept his hand firmly on his side as he hissed and cursed, and yelled at me most of all. "You bitch! Yer gonna pay for this!"

My breathing was ragged and uncontrollable. I was panting so quickly my vision was starting to skew, but no matter what I did I couldn't get ahold of myself. I skidded down the wall before taking off at a full out sprint away from Archer and the dungeon.

I needed to get out of there, off the ship, anything!

I climbed the flights of stairs that took me up to the hold where no one was in sight. Everyone was up on deck releasing people out on boats to take to shore. I took the initiative to run up the final staircase up the hatch and into the dimming sunlight.

"It's Maxine! Captain!" someone shouted the instant I came onto the deck. Not wanting to take any chances, I ran straight for the railing in front of me, and as the sailors around me yelled and panicked, I heaved myself up onto the railing.

I wished my jump would have been more graceful, but it succeeded in doing what I hoped it had. I flew like a bird before my weight carried me down, down, down to the ocean below. Arms pointed out, I dove for the waves, and when I crashed, all I could feel was the cold.

Suspended in the water, I squeezed my eyes shut and fought for the surface. When I broke through, I gasped for air and floundered on the waves before taking up a fast-paced stroke away from the shadow of the ship. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and I felt my chin begin to chatter up and down. It was blisteringly cold, and my dress was weighing me down significantly, but my fear of the ocean diminished significantly when I made the bold decision to jump off that ship.

A crash in the waves behind me brought my attention back to the ship. A moment later, a head popped up not too far away from me, and I was momentarily stunned frozen at the sight of the familiar coal-colored hair that donned Cody's head.

"Cody!" I cried, stiffening when I saw him starting to swim his way towards me faster than I could ever paddle. Frantic to get out of there, I turned and started to go in the other direction, but it wasn't long before he was right up next to me, grabbing onto me around the waist and hauling me back to the ship. "No! Let me go!" I shrieked. "Cody!"

"Sorry, princess," he said, panting with the effort to drag me back to the last place I wanted to be.

I gave up fighting when I realized no matter what, the current was not in my favor. As we approached the ship, the men tossed down a knotted up rope with a loop on the end. Cody swept me up into his arms and slipped his foot into the loop, and his hands onto the knots. After he had a good hold on the rope, he called up to the crew to lift us up. As we raised higher and higher from the water, I stared ahead at the slimy wood on the exterior of the ship. Barnacles decorated the bottom, as well as other sea critters and clams, and just looking at them made me want to hurl.

We approached the railing where I let go of Cody's shoulders and gripped the edge with both arms. A few men hauled me back into the ship, and held me up as my legs dropped onto the ground. I collapsed onto the floor, thoroughly exhausted, while Cody climbed over the railing himself.

"Where is she!" someone shouted, breaking through the crowd. Avarice's voice could easily be picked out, and he was angry. I backed up until my back hit the railing, and at that point, he broke through the crew members and came to tower over me. He simply glowered at me until I could not look him in the eye any longer. "Any attempt at leaving this ship means punishment, do you understand me, girl?" he snarled through clenched teeth.

"But-"

"Do you understand!" he roared, causing me to flinch and curl in on my self. I nodded feebly. His eyes were wild and furious as he turned away and marched down the length of his crew. "Now where's Archer! Bring 'im here!"

Oh no.