𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

019. Emotions

Jillian felt as though she was about to hurl up every single one of her intestines.

     Her chest burned and her heart pounded in her chest as she panted heavily for air, walking away from the bucket she had thrown up her breakfast in and returning to the warm comfort of her bed.

     Something wasn't right.

     Then again, it had been a long time she had gotten a decent meal. She had a feeling it had to do with the food.

     Her silky brunette hair was unbound and cascading down her back like a waterfall, and frankly the captain didn't feel the energy to tie it back up. She felt drained - both physically and mentally.

     Saebeorht was watching her from where he was perched upon her vanity. A coo of concern left his beak and he fluttered over to land upon her shoulder to comfort her. The captain smiled at the weight of the bird and ran a hand through his soft feathers.

      "Stop that," She chided although her lips were upturned in a smile of some sort. "The food didn't agree with me today."

     The seabird almost seemed to tilt his head as he let out another coo. His red chest jutted out like a ripe tomato and he clicked his beak once. Their bond was strong enough for her to know what he was trying to tell her.

     "Oh stop that. I'm not going to die of food poisoning," Jill snorted. "A long rest does sound nice however, but unfortunately we have some work to do. We can't just lie around in bed all day."

     The seabird almost looked to be disappointed as he let out another coo. However, this time a few of his onyx feathers spiked up. 

     "Stop that. I'm fine, really Sae. Leave me be and go out on a flight. You deserve better than being cooped up here."

     Her spirit animal didn't move.
  
      "You heard me. Go!" Jill huffed as she gave the magnificent frigatebird a light push. "You're a real mother hen, aren't you?"
 
      Saebeorht gave a low coo in reply and sidled up against her neck. The gesture caused her smile to grow and the captain stroked his feathers passively.

      And then the moment was ruined just like that.

      Another wave of nausea had her racing towards the half filled bucket which she heaved and expelled the rest of the bile that had filled her throat. The taste was disgusting and caused her eyes to water.   

     Grimacing, the captain straightened herself and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her nose wrinkled at the sight of the bucket. She really needed to get rid of it now.

     Picking it up, she walked out of her chambers and up the stairs, avoiding eye contact with everyone as she moved toward the rail and dumped the bucket over the side of the ship, which had been dubbed the Winged Shadow.

     A sigh escaped her lips as she retreated back to her room. She didn't want to stay and be confronted by her crew. They'd only have a long list of questions she wasn't ready to answer yet.  

      Hell, who was she kidding? She would never be ready to answer these questions.
  
     She shut the door carefully behind her, sighing and leaning back against it as she closed her eyes for a split second. What was happening to her?

     Jillian felt off. Not completely sick, but simply off.

     Maybe it wasn't the food . . .

     She slid down, her back against the door, and tangled her hands into her hair.

     For some strange reason, she couldn't help but feel as though she were being watched.
     
     Where had Saebeorht gone? She felt as though she were in danger.

     Pushing herself to her feet and rubbing her arms nervously, she peered around with a suspicious look. Was it Ramiro again? Had he come back to torment her? The shadows seemed empty, but something wasn't right.

     She moved toward the door, opening it to head up the stairs.

     Instinctively, Jill's eyes fixed onto the sky as she searched for any sight of her spirit animal. He wasn't there.

     Her breath caught in her throat. Why didn't she see him leaving? 

     Moving one step more, she stepped up onto the first step, only to feel something move behind her. A split second later, a strong arm wrapped around her midsection and jerked her backwards into her room. A single movement landed her on the floor, sprawled on her back, and she took a deep breath. Weight slammed onto her shoulders as someone pinned her to the wooden floor, and a cloth that smelled sweet was pushed up against her face.

     She did her best to struggle, holding her breath as she fought for her life.

     "Breathe, little lady," a deep male voice hissed. "Go on. Deep breaths. This will be easier if you comply."

     At that point, she couldn't even hold her breath any longer, so she obeyed, going limp and breathing in the strange sweet scent of whatever poison they had filled the cloth with.

     A minute passed, then two. She could no longer feel her fingers or toes.

     Another minute. She felt strangely tired, her eyelids fluttering.

     The male chuckled. "There. That's it. Breathe. In and out, lass."

     She whimpered, trying one more time to get away as black spots crept up the edges of her vision. She was losing sight of what was around her, her senses muffling as at last her world faded slowly into a torrent of darkness.