Return to Inheritance

Chapter II

It must've been the middle of the night, because when the girl woke up to the sound of fighting she was very tired, which she usually wasn't in the morning.

Alarmed by the sounds, although tired, she jumped out of bed and reached for her sword.

But it was missing.

Second by second she started remembering what had happened the previous day. She was captured by Willy Buns and supposed to marry him soon. Her crew was dead and she was captain of the ship no more; now she was a prisoner in her own cabin.

But the sound of fighting outside meant they were attacked. She would certainly die soon, a defenseless prisoner, and everyone would forget her. She refused to think anymore and let her instincts take over.

Jade was at the door, knocking to be let out. If she was going to be killed, it might as well happen quick and easy, that's what her head told her.

In only a matter of seconds a sword pierced through the wood, missing her neck by a few centimetres. Immediately another came through, before she had time to fall back, and this time scratching her right side at level with the ribcage. In agony she took a few steps back and held her opposite hand on the wound to keep it from bleeding, although her mind told her to let it be. Luckily, it wasn't a very deep cut so the flow of blood would stop soon.

As she was doing her best to stand up, on her guard, the door was being shattered to pieces until several pirates were able to storm in. They each had their swords unsheathed but didn't attack her, only grabbed her. Against her will, they took her out on the deck.

It was the break of dawn apparently, and there was enough light already to see everything clearly. There was fighting going on everywhere, pirates against pirates, but one thing caught her attention. One dark hooded silhouette was dancing through them all, aiming for their necks or under the armpit, slicing them dead with what appeared to be just his hand. It was surely a dagger. The way that person managed to get so close to his targets armed in longswords was impressive.

The pirates that took her out of her temporary prison left her alone and minded their own fighting. They probably wanted to keep her the last victim to die or as a live trophy.

Her head said 'let them do whatever', but her body was already acting against these thoughts, following the instinct. She was reaching for one of the many corpses on the deck, trying to get hold on a sword so she'd have what to defend herself with. It wasn't her sword so it felt funny in her hand, but it would make do.

Everyone was her enemy, so she started fighting with all who dared approach her. Even as her left hand was busy holding the wound, she could fend off all aggressors. However, it seemed like they didn't take much interest in her so she had to find her own target. Immediately she thought of Willy Buns. She wanted him dead.

As her eyes shifted from one place to another, she finally saw him fighting with the hooded silhouette she had noticed earlier. The stranger had now taken out a sword of his own and were fighting on the forecast deck. She didn't know who the hooded man was and didn't care at that point. Following her instinct again, she ran towards them because she wanted to be the one to kill her life-long enemy.

By the time she reached them, her target was already wounded, but noticed her and gasped in surprise.

"Help me, Beatrice, my love," he pleaded before being forced to turn his attention back at the other man.

"I never was and never will be your love, you fat street dog!" she shouted back at him and charged in fury.

He parried quickly, but his attention was now on her. He didn't know the mistake he had done. Not even a couple of blows did they have time to exchange that he suddenly froze and fell flat on his face with cold open eyes. She wished him a more painful death, but she was quite satisfied with what she got: Willy Buns' corpse. Diverting her attention to the surrounding world again, Jade noticed the other man standing there with his dagger in hand, the sharp point in her direction.