𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

09. Captain No More

Wendy couldn't muffle the whimper that escaped her lips the moment the cold metal of the knife pressed against her neck dangerously.

Her body trembled with fear and she met her sister's eyes with a terrified expression.

Was this how she would die?

At the hands of a foreign captain to spite her sister?

If only Simba was with her . . . had the rabbit not been taken, she would have snuck out in the middle of the night to free Jill and escape the dreaded ship. Now she had to worry about his safety and the safety of her sister.

"Don't hurt her, please," Jill's voice was barely above a whisper of horror. Wendy could see in her dark eyes the fear of an older sister who could not protect her own.

Wendy could feel the knife graze deeper into her skin and a thin line of blood oozed down her skin. She shut her eyes with a whimper.

She could hear the sneer in the foreign captain's voice. "Give me one reason to let her live."

Jill looked beyond distressed as she watched the thin droplets of blood drop down her younger sister's neck. "Please."

Wendy trembled even more, frozen in place. She couldn't speak with the knife at her throat - couldn't do anything but look her sister in the eye.

Ramiro shifted his weight against Wendy, chuckling darkly when Jill bowed her head, unsure of what to say. "That's not a reason, lass," He sneered sarcastically. "I'll give you fifteen seconds to try to change my mind."

The former captain of the Winged Victory sucked in a terrified breath. "I-I'll . . ."

Wendy widened her eyes. Somehow, she knew exactly what Jill was going to surrender in exchange for her safety. "You can't!" She hissed in anguish despite the knife at her throat.

"I have to," Jill breathed in reply. "I'm not letting you die."

Wendy could feel the tears leak down her face. The knife tightened against her throat, preventing her from saying another word.

How could she let this happen to her sister? Why did she have to be so helpless in a situation like this? Everything was going wrong . . .

The male laughed, obviously getting the idea of what Jill was proposing. "That does sound like a fun bargain . . ." He purred. "Consider it done then. Here." He removed his knife and shoved Wendy into Jill's restrained form. "You can have fifteen minutes with her at the most, then she goes back to work."

Jillian looked down at Wendy, who leaned against her, tears in her dark eyes. Wendy couldn't believe that her sister had surrendered something so precious, so . . . wrong . . . in exchange for her life.

"I'm sorry, Jill," Wendy breathed shakily, not meeting her sister's eyes. "This is my fault . . . I'm so sorry."

"No," the woman said forcefully, her head bowed. "Don't talk like that. This isn't your fault, Wendy."

"If I didn't come over here, this wouldn't have happened," Wendy whispered as she held onto her sister for dear life.

"Don't worry," Jill said weakly. "I'll be alright. Listen to me, when it gets darker out, you need to find a way to get to Simba. Saebeorht is out in the sky, he should lead you right to him. When you find him, I want you to get out of this place right away."

"What about you?" The younger girl asked quietly.

Jill chuckled softly, although it looked more like a grimace. "I won't be leaving for a while. As long as you're safe, I'll be fine. You need to find Ammiras. He's out there alive. He can protect you."

The words finally dawned on Wendy. Jillian knew she wouldn't leave this place alive. It only caused her to break down and release even more tears. How could she live with herself knowing she had sealed her sister's fate?

When they found out that Wendy had escaped, they'd surely turn their violence against her sister. Never in her life had she felt this helpless . . .

But she needed to be strong. She needed to get out of here for her sister's sake.

A deep breath. "Okay . . . But I'm coming back with help as soon as I find him. We'll get you out of here."