Sea Of Seagulls: A Pirate and Fae Tale

Chapter 20

Shaye walked up to the spot that they agreed to meet. It had been two hours and she found nothing. Idiot. She scolded herself. She should have found a way. She should have tried harder. Shaye wondered to herself if the other two had more luck than her. She had to find somebody. Right? When her deep red hair came into view, her suspicions were confirmed. A young man trailed behind them with a weathered piece of paper in his right hand. Theodosia looked incredibly annoyed as they walked up to Shaye.

"I see you found someone," Shaye said, looking him up and down. Looked to be around their age. He had blond hair and was around 5 foot 6.

"He says he knows where Ansel is," Theodosia claimed.

"Really?"

What a coincidence that he knows exactly where the person they are looking for is. She would just need to keep an eye on him, but she doubted he would be stupid enough to take her on.

They all got on their horses. Thankfully, Kai had a camel of his own named Bud. It had two humps and had an extremely matted coat of hair. They walked in silence through the desert. They did not take any breaks despite the brutal heat. Shaye did not feel like making friends with Kai anyway. They could see the buildings start to take shape. In this town, they would find all their answers. Noelle could find her mom and she and Theodosia could get that wyrdkey.

They entered the town late afternoon. It was surprisingly busy. There were rows and rows of stores selling colorful clothing, food, jewelry, you name it. Shaye fought the urge to burst into one and try everything on. They had a mission. And she wasn't going to get distracted no matter what.

Shaye eyed the guards watching them closely and panic rose within her. Did they know who she was? Were they going to try and bring her back home? She hung her head, turning her attention away, trying not to look too suspicious.

"So where is Ansel?" Shaye asked Kai.

He looked at her expressionless.

"You do know where Ansel is correct?" Shaye asked boldly, raising her voice.

"Well..."

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"What do you mean you don't know!" Theodosia yelled in dismay

"I brought you to Xandria! I just don't know her exact location!" Kai yelled back.

Theodosia let out an irritated sigh. She knew this was too good to be true. She knew she couldn't trust him. Now they had to search all of Xandria for a woman that they never met.

"At least you have some information. Instead of being yelled at, I think I deserve a thank you." He said smugly.

"A-A thank you!" Theodosia screamed. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Noelle.

"Theodosia, maybe we just need some rest," Noelle said softly.

Something about Noelle's voice calmed her down a bit. So she agreed only after sending a glare to Kai. He smiled innocently at her. UGH. That smirk just made her want to punch him in that ugly face of his. That oughta shut him up, at least for some time. She could always punch him if necessary.

They found a small inn where they would for the night. Theodosia flung herself on one of the soft white beds in their suite. And stuffed her face in one of the pillows exhausted. There were only 3 beds so Kai was forced onto the floor. Theodosia decided she was not going to sleep that night. There was no way that Kai would go unsupervised. When the sun rises, they would find Ansel. After Noelle reunited with her mom, they could find whoever had the wyrdkey. And she could go home once and for all.

Theodosia wondered how her dad had heard a word of the wyrdkey being in Red Desert. Maybe he had been involved in whatever was going on. She didn't feel in the mood to go deep in thought about it.

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Shaye woke up with no light in the room. There were not enough windows to let any natural light in. Fumbling around, she lit a lantern. She would probably wake everyone up soon. As the light illuminated the small inn room, Shaye's eyes bulged. Shaye was unsure if it was out of fear or just surprise. She bent down onto her knees to see Kai. He was laying in a puddle of dried blood. His blood. A fine line ran across his throat. His face was still in a silent scream. Someone was watching them. Someone had to know something. Shaye ran to wake the others up.

Noelle became frantic. Theodosia was shocked. Shaye wondered who could have known. They had asked half the city about Ansel. It could have been anyone at this point. Shaye looked at Theodosia with a worried face.

"What, I didn't kill him," Theodosia assured.

"You better not have," Shaye scolded.