𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

02. Below the Deck

Jill could hear the rats scampering through the brig as she was led below deck. The captain, as she observed, spoke little to her and more to his crew in a language she could barely understand. Never in her life had she learned how to speak Spanish.

     Every step he took was slow and careful, seeming to be a limp of some sort and his grip was definitely not welcoming. She was shoved unceremoniously into the cage, her back hitting the cold wall as her face smashed against the filthy floor.

     "Make yourself at home, Swan," The male sneered mockingly at her.  And then he was leaving, the cell of the brig shut tight without a chance she could possibly escape.

     If only Saebeorht was here. . .

     Had the Magnificent Frigate bird been with her, he would have snatched the keys up and she would well be on her way. She could leap into the sea and escape quickly without them even noticing.

     But then again, the blood leaking from her wounds would attract sharks. Sharks were never a good sign.

     One of the rats entered her small, filthy cell and twitched a whisker at her. It attacked her leg, sinking its rabid jaws as it got hold of the skin near her ankle.

      With a shriek, she thrashed her leg and kicked the vile flea ridden animal away. How disgusting. . . At this rate, she'd most likely be eaten alive.

     There had to be a weakness of some sort in the prison she was locked in. The material felt strong and sturdy enough to withstand anything. Definitely not a good sign.

     There didn't seem to be any other prisoners around in the brig. Had they all been slaughtered? Jill wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. With her own ship, she normally didn't keep prisoners around long.

     There were three rats invading her cell now, each of them scrawny little things with barely any meat on their bones. They were obviously starved, and to them Jill looked like a five course meal.

     "I swear to the Great Halawir . . ." She grumbled, leaning her head back. Most pirates called to the Great Eagle due to his reign over the seas of Erdas. He was the image that flew upon most flags of ships this far away from land.

     Her foot kicked at the nearest rat that dared approach her, sending the little thing soaring a few paces back. It let out a pitiful squeak as it hit the front of her cell. The other two twitched their whiskers and bared their teeth, sniffing around before scampering away at the quick movement.

     Truly a horrible sight to see. She hated rats.

     Her thoughts drifted to Wendy. What could be happening to her? She had never seen another male other than Ammiras, seeing as she had been on The Winged Victory since she was a baby. The ways of men were cruel and she had the sinking feeling of what could have been happening. She just hoped they wouldn't kill her right then and there. At least as a slave she'd have a better chance at surviving. But then again, it was a horrible fate to be doomed to. A female slave to a ship full of male pirates? Wendy was only eleven - she would certainly break.

     Jill's teeth sank into her bottom lip as she craned her head back to rest on the wall behind her. She should have listened to her brother. Better yet, she should have prepared from the moment she caught sight of that dreaded ship. Now look at her.

     Ammiras was most likely shark food by now and her beautiful ship was definitely at the bottom of the sea.

     Her ship . . .

     That had been the greatest treasure of all. The Winged Victory had been a gift from the previous captain before Jill. Her name had also been Jill, and back then, Jillian's original name had been Swan Meyers. After her friend passed on, she took on the name Jillian to make the world think that the original captain had survived the lethal attack that killed her.

     She should have known moments like that never lasted.

     From that moment on, the captain of the winged victory rested her head on her knees and simply waited. There wasn't anything else to do after all. There was barely enough room for her and she certainly didn't have any access to food or drink.

     Her throat already felt parched from the amount of blood she had lost in the back of her neck. As long as the wound didn't get infected, she believed she would be fine.

     Her dark blue eyes fluttered close as she tried to get her thoughts straight. She couldn't just wallow in pity and give up just yet. There had to be some way out. This shouldn't be impossible. She got herself into her mess, she was fully capable of getting herself out of it. She was a pirate.

     Jill pushed herself to her feet and walked to the front, eyes scanning around for any sort of guard who might have been lingering around. There were none.

     For a moment she felt as though things were going her way. But it didn't last long. She was still in this cell and her spirit animal was still gone. The skin where one of the rats bit her was throbbing slightly, but it wasn't enough to prevent her from standing.

     How was she going to get out of here? The brig was meant to hold captives, and they could do anything to her while she was trapped down here. When they had captured her, she had accidentally dropped her cutlass.

     She was vulnerable and unarmed, save for the tiny dagger she had stashed away in her boots. Hopefully it will come to great use.

     Jillian peered out from her "cell" and looked around, hoping to spot Wendy out on the deck. A deep sigh escaped her when nothing happened. She hoped the girl wasn't dead or suffering badly. What if they killed her spirit animal?

    Simba was a beautiful rabbit, a lionhead with thick fur and floppy ears. He was a large rabbit, with a gorgeous caramel coat that faded to gray at the tips. He was an angel.

     Maybe Wendy would keep him in passive for the time being. If the men didn't know she had a spirit animal, they couldn't use it against her. But what if they did know? What if they forced her to release him?

     Or worse. . .

     What if they forced her to kill him? It would be unbearable for Wendy. A decision like that would shatter her completely. 

     Jillian pushed the thought out of her head. No. That wouldn't happen. She would make sure of it.

     Wendy deserved much better than this. She deserved to be by her side as they sailed through the open seas. She deserved to smell the salt in the air and feel the wind through her hair. She deserved to be free, not forced to work as a slave for a party of men who took pleasure in her pain. 

     She closed her eyes. Wendy . . .

     A soft sigh left her lips as she let the silence of the prison wash over her.

     Squawk.

      Her head shot up. 

      Squaaaaaaaawk.

     "Saebeorht?" Her voice was soft and uncertain, but filled with hope nonetheless. Had her spirit animal really come?

      Sure enough, a black face peered in from a window, and somehow, someway, the fat seagull wiggled his way into the brig and looked around, ruffling his feathers slightly.
     
     Jill breathed a sigh of relief and held her hand out of the cell. "Hey, buddy," she said softly, stroking his wings. "I need you to do me a favor."

     The fridgebird craned his head in response.

      "I need you to find the keys and bring them back to me."

     As the bird took off, Jill allowed the slightest smirk to form in her lips.