The 8th sea

Chapter Thirteen

His brown hair tumbled into his eyes, it had been so easy to fool them all. Too easy. Carefully he lifted Ra's delicate hand off the floor carefully checking up pulse. Alive but unconscious. His smile had a shadow of the friendliness that had once dominated it as he lifted the silver whistle to his lips. The shrill sound rang through the house followed by the drum beat of feet.

Cryth Smiled.

*****

Dikeledi jumped up as if an electric current had crackled through them, Cass following them, eyes wide. Her breathe swooshed out of her body like a bird taking flight. Dikeledi grabbed her arm in a titanium tight grasp as they started to run. The red tiles under their feet blurred and the cityscape became a grey palette before their eyes. Cass could only see the slight green form of her friends, steady and unwavering unlike Cass's hammering heart that seemed to want to escape its bony prison.

Swallowing her growing panic she carried on running. She could feel the pollution, the dirty magic that flowed off of the black ships that were advancing towards them. Cass could feel her own magic tingling as if it wanted to leave her and run away from the evil that seemed to be want to claw its own way in.

With a gasp Cass's feet were no longer attached to the slippery tiles of the houses. Thin air clawing at her hair flipping it around her face. The ground reached up to grab the pair as they hurtled towards it, jarring bones and grating skin.

They carried on, racing through the streets with reckless abandon. The bell tower loomed in the distance seeming further away with every step. Cass's breathes wheezes out of her dispelling any calm that she had retained.

Dikeledi pulled Cass behind them, trailing her like a broken kite. Their exterior was expressionless but their heart beat like a wild stallion within their chest. The peace, the pretend futile peace was about to be broken.

The black door to the bell tower came into view, its colour menacing in the dimming light. Cass's hand hit the smooth wood swinging the door open wide shooting light into the dark stairs behind. Dikeledi let go of her hand racing up the stairs their arms pumping. Cass limped after them her breathe coming in short bursts of panic.

Suddenly Cass's world was filled with the deep the deep sound of the bell. Ringing through the city shouting its warning. People paused looking at the clock tower then slowly turning towards the sea, the black sails of the ships stood up like warning flags. Then the screaming started.

Feet pounded down streets in homes, babies crying, the bell chiming. The noises were cacophonous. Weapons were dragged from ancient hiding places, tears fell and confusion reigned.

Cass paused as she felt a familiar presence enter the bell tower. She almost melted with relief after being so lonely she craved company slowly she started to walk down the stairs. Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder pulling her roughly into a cupboard on her left.

The blackness consumed her and her assailant and rough hand covering her mouth. Her breathes came in rasps as she slowly turned around. Dikeledi stood behind her. Their expression unreadable. Confusion clouded Cass's mind she felt tears bubbling up in eyes. Betrayal!

Dikeledi put a finger against their mouth pointing to the crack in the door. Cass pressed her eye against it, peering into the dimness beyond. A dark figure stood there, back towards her. A sword held loosely in his hand glittering slightly as it swung gently.

The bell had stopped chiming but the noises in the city below continued. But to Cass in the dark cupboard it sounded as if they were all underwater, far, far away. All she could hear was the blood pumping through her veins and every painfully loud breathe she took. Shouldn't all men of fighting abilities be on the beach, even Cryth and Licium would be there?

Her breathing relaxed as the figure moved away from the door and out of sight. She felt Dikeledi's hand rest upon her back, Cass stood away from the door and turned to face them. Their fiery eyes contained fear and warning, their breathe hardly making any noise. She rested her head upon her chest letting out a couple of shaky breathes, releasing the tension that coiled up her body.

She couldn't do it, sure she had trained but was it enough? Was it really enough to face the owners of the black ships that she knew were crowding along the horizon? Her heart beat quickened to almost a painful drum beat. She felt her tears once more crowd against her eyes, she wasn't ready, and she wasn't prepared. She didn't even know what was expected of her.

She felt arms around her pulling her closer. She looked up to be met with fiery eyes filled with sorrow and worry. Their hand brushed circles on her back as she let her tears fall freely, blurring her vision. "Shhh." they whispered reassuringly to her. Slowly they both sank to the floor, leaning against the cold stone of the walls that surrounded them.

They sat there in the dark in silence comforting each other, holding each other together. A small slip of light cutting through the darkness revealing the swirling motes of dust that they had disturbed. The darkness hugged them both, hiding them.

Suddenly the door was pulled open, the sudden light stabbing at their retinas. A silhouette appeared against the dazzlingly white background, the light glinting off the sharp edges of the sword that was held in his hand. "Ahahahahaha," the laugh seemed odd, like metal striking stone. It jarred against the silence, familiar yet cold. "Well isn't this touching?"

Cryth's smile spreading even wider, like the Cheshire cat's.