Sea Of Seagulls: A Pirate and Fae Tale

Chapter 43

Fire burned in Ansel's eyes. Rage and hate all shown in her glare.

"Hey Ansel," Theodosia gave Ansel a cold smile.

Ansel turned to Noelle. She looked at her daughter who was hesitant at facing her mother. Noelle finally made contact with her mother, guilt shown on her face.

"You traitorous bitch!" Ansel kicked Noelle's bad leg. Noelle shrieked as she collapsed, her leg bending in a way it shouldn't have.

"Where is the wyrdkey?" Theodosia stepped in front of Noelle, sword in hand, waiting for the moment she could kill Ansel.

"You should be thanking me. Your father is a monster," Ansel looked to her daughter, backing away with the help of Shaye.

"A monster, sure but at least he stuck around."

Ansel looked as if she had just been shot in the chest.

"Give us the wyrdkey, Ansel. You can leave and we can forget this happened," Shaye took a few steps away from Noelle, joining Theodosia, standing at her side.

"You think I'd believe that you would let me go. I know what you would do. I'm not letting you and your parents lock me up for the rest of my life."

"You surely deserve it," Theodosia cursed under her breath.

"It isn't even you leaving that makes me hate you, Ansel. It is the fact that you constantly lied to us and used Noelle because you knew she was vulnerable. You knew you could manipulate her into believing you. You weren't even successful keeping the secrets you hid."

Ansel looked around for something, anything. She didn't have a weapon on her, Shaye noticed.

Ansel grabbed Noelle's bow. She tried striking Theodosia but Theodosia didn't even flinch as she used a sword to block the blow. Ansel took a step back trying to regain energy to swing again. This time at her. Shaye ducked when Ansel swung the bow above her head. Ansel stumbled forward from the miss. Theodosia took the opportunity to use her sword on Ansel's back. A long slice was in Ansel's shirt. Blood started staining the cream shirt. The cut had barely made it deep enough to hold Ansel back.

Ansel looked as if she was going to use her hands, the bow not being effective enough. She would have easily lost that battle. Theodosia must have thought the same thing.

"Go. Get a sword, come back. When I kill you, I want a fair fight. Otherwise, there is no fun or honor in the feat."

Ansel scurried away towards the tent.

"You ready?" Theodosia placed a hand on Shaye's shoulder.

"I've been ready for a while now."

+++++++++

Jack crunched through the dry leaves that covered the forest. He was planning to take Ansel by surprise, but thanks to the leaves, that plan was forgotten. Samuel trailed behind him, keeping to himself. Glancing at Jack every now and then to check if Jack could still see him. He was probably trying to find the perfect moment to escape. But Jack would be ready for him.

"This is pointless," Samuel complained, Jack flinched at the now broken silence.

"This forest is too big, I suggest we give up now and not waste half of our lives looking for two lunatics who don't even like me."

Jack smiled before freezing in place completely. Someone was coming. He pulled out his sword and swung around alerting Samuel. His eyes widened at the rustle through the bushes. A small shadow appearing through the trees. He took a deep breath, this is what he trained for.

A little crow emerged from the wood, and Jack sighed.

"Oh, it's just a bird," Jack smiled as he retracted his weapon.

"No," he heard Samuel whisper.

Jack didn't even have time to blink before the little crow morphed into a girl.

"Astrid!" Samuel yelled anger traced in his voice, "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you don't get yourself killed," Astrid said loudly.

Samuel let out a groan, "it's not safe here,"

"Right, that is exactly why we should leave. We all know that you are useless without your powers. You wouldn't last two seconds out there with them," Astrid grabbed Samuels's arm and started pulling him away.

Jack came to his senses and pulled out his sword. "You're not going anywhere," he said firmly.

Astrid looked at him as if she noticed him for the first time, "I wouldn't do that if I were you handsome," she addressed him sweetly.

Right, he thought, her powers.

Jack hesitated for a split second but resumed walking towards them.

"Didn't you hear me?" She spat, "I could kill you!"

"Yes but you won't," Jack responded calmly, "you don't want to kill people."

Astrid's face saddened a bit as Samuels's head whipped back and forth between Astrid and Jack.

"You do not know what I want," Astrid raised a hand ready to unleash her power amongst them.

"Why don't you just go back to the Red Desert, you aren't needed here," Jack remarked.

"Come on sis," Samuel joked, "I can fight my own battles."

"I can't go back," Astrid lowered her hand.

"Maybe we should...," Samuel started, but Jack interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"Wait, do you hear that?"

++++++++++

Noelle watched as Theodosia fought her mother. She lay unmoving on the forest floor, tears running down her face from the pain. Noelle wouldn't try to stop it this time. She had lost all faith in her mother, faith that she could be good again. That she could change...

Noelle felt a warm hand take her shoulder, she looked up to see Shaye leaning down to help her.

"Shaye," she whispered weakly.

Shaye smiled at her sadly and pulled her up to a sitting position.

"It's all going to be okay," Shaye reassured her. Noelle tried to stop Shaye before she undid the bandages, but it was too late.

Shaye started at her damaged leg, "We need to get you to a healer now."

Noelle winced, she didn't have to look to know that it was infected,

"Can you walk?" Shaye asked her. Noelle answered her with a slight nod and struggled to pull herself up. Noelle grasped the sharp edges of the rock with both hands. Noelle took a branch, but it snapped under her weight. She yelped as she was shocked by the sharp pain from the fall.

"I- I can't get up," she said through tears.

"It's fine," Shaye said, growing anxious. "I'll just need to find help."

The both in unison looked at Theodosia, she thrust her sword at Ansel's face. Ansel stepped backward, but not fast enough causing a deep cut along her cheek.

"She can't help us," Shaye spoke, standing up. "But she could buy us some time. I'm going to get help, stay here."

Noelle forced a laugh, "I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon," But Shaye was already gone.