The Avallon Chronicles (BOOK I)

23 | He's a Pirate

A warm breeze swept its way through the cobbled streets of Serebia, a small town found south of Everdaile. It was an Elven tribe famous for producing the greatest weapons of all time due to its finest resources throughout the land of the Immortals.

The crescent Celestria moon shone brightly in the newly awakened evening sky, and its white light reflected off the calm blue sea. It felt too calm and peaceful for the pure brown-eyed boy that sat beneath the stars at a creaking ship's crowbar.

A stoic expression landed on his lips as he waited for something magical to arrive.

The seconds passed by, and still, he remained in his position. The boy had turned to accolade his blade. The sharpness of the silver scintillated in the moonlight and reflected the sadness of his eyes that had witnessed a tragedy that could never be unseen, a memory of a dark past.

Beside him lay a bottle filled with the finest coconut juice from where he was born. He took a sip of the last drop together with hope glimmering in his eyes. The young lad still bore some hope deep inside his heart.

He sheathed his cutlass sword in its brown scabbard. This blade came from someone else before it came into his possession.

"I am right that I would find you here."

The ghost-quiet evening was interrupted by the sweet voice of a young lady. The shadow of the girl loomed over the boy before she sat down on the railing of the crowbar.

The young lad found the lass conceited for it argued a lot. "We're now ashore. Why aren't you leaving?" the boy asked.

"Well, you slimy seaweed, have you forgotten that you and your stupid crew imprisoned me here?" the girl conceitedly asked.

"Oh, really?" said the boy innocently. "Then I'm freeing you now! I don't want you here anyway!"

"You, tyrant!" the girl exclaimed. "You imprisoned me for," she trailed off and groaned, "since the time you got here! Now you don't even know that I can't go back home because you took something from me!"

"Would you please just zip your mouth, you, ugly barnacle? You are not the only one annoyed and suffering here!" The boy cut off.

"Fine, then just let me go!" the girl commanded.

The boy's attention was caught by the woman behind him, his mind boiling up with chaotic emotions. "Don't you see? I don't have any idea what or where that thing you are saying is!" he exclaimed, putting aside the empty bottles in his hand. "I don't even know this place where I am right now!!!"

The girl paused, her heart filled with guilt. However, she tried to keep still the courage on her face.

"Alright then," she spoke before standing up from where she sat down. "My family is surely looking for me, and by the time we meet, you are the one going to pay!"

The girl went back to her quarters below the upper deck. She took her last glimpse of the worried man and headed on.

"Great!" the boy spoke sarcastically. "Stuck on an unknown island with the crew separated from me and stuck with an annoying little stranger girl!"

His eyes faced the horizon, his heart longing to see something familiar.

It's been two days since the tragedy happened. They were sailing towards an unknown island, with his captain being the only one who knew where the crew would go.

The crew cheered up across the hall, merrily dancing as they feasted for the next big adventure.

Rei was at the same spot where he was at, right at that moment, keeping an eye on the horizon. Everyone was busy walking and singing below deck except for him. This time, the captain entrusted him with a very important matter.

The night was ghost-quiet, and the moon of Celestria was gleaming brightly above them.

"Keep your weather eye on the horizon, lad," the captain spoke as he watched him from the captain's cabin.

"Aye, Captain," replied the young boy. His eyes were focused on what might come ahead.

"Being the captain's favorite, eh?" he heard someone speak from behind him.

There he was, the captain's son, being his partner for tonight's lookout.

"What are you talking about, Montgomery?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on the horizon.

"Never mind," Montgomery grinned. "Why don't you come down for a second, and I'll be the one to switch up your place for a while? As your best friend, I know that you want to taste that fresh coconut juice that me and the other boys made."

"I think I have to pass this time," Rei answered. The taste of the special coconut juice lingered in his lips.

"Well, I'm telling you this now because, after a few moments, you know that it will not be fresh anymore," said Montgomery.

Rei sighed, "Fine! Besides, I missed drinking fresh juice."

"You go down, eat something for dinner, and drink some juice while I stay here while waiting for you to come back," Montgomery spoke in a friendly tone as he watched his friend head down the ratline.

Rei headed towards the upper deck where the crew had gathered around, eating some meat and drinking rum.

He was just about to head towards where his friends were when all of a sudden, everything turned out to be enveloped with silence that broke the merriment of the crew.

"What's happening?" he heard the captain ask as he rushed towards the front part of the deck.

"A mysterious figure, ahoy!" he heard Montgomery shout with a sense of fear in his voice.

In front of them appeared a pile of dark stormy clouds that would soon enough pour heavily towards the direction where they were going.

"We're heading the right way, me hearties!" the captain spoke, his mysterious desire almost fulfilled.

As the crew was taking their orders from the captain and his first mate Stefan Wren, something strange caught Rei's attention. On the captain's hand, he saw the chart he was clasping. Through that, a memory flashed before his eyes – a memory that came into his mind since his childhood.

With the eyes of many fixed on the figure, they didn't notice the tides slowly rising and getting stronger every moment.

From where the steering wheel was the captain who was anticipating something. As the wind blew colder and harder; the compass he was using suddenly spun around in any direction as if it was not working well... or worse, something was wrong.

Rei took a sharp eye on the deck, finding that there was almost zero visibility as they entered the area where there was a thick fog covering the surroundings.

All of a sudden, there was a huge bang that shook off the ship and its crew. "We've been hit!" yelled one of the crew members.