New Horizons (A Pirate Story)

Chapter 19: The Beginning of the End

The ship looming over them looked like it was going to swallow them whole. Astryd and Tom's longboat collided with the hull of the large ship under the force of the crashing waves. Tom leaned over Astryd and waited for another shot to sound, but none came. Instead, their boat was raised out of the water.

Astryd's eyes met the infuriating smirk of the privateer, who was standing near the edge of the vessel. He nodded to a man standing beside him, and the man roughly pulled Astryd from the boat and held her in place in front of James. Another man removed Tom. Astryd could hear Tom's groans as the pirate gripped Tom's injured arm and forced it behind his back.

"That," said James, "was pathetic." The cheeky grin never left his face.

Astryd glared at the privateer while extending a protective arm in front of Tom, who was still gripping his injured forearm.

"I should thank you, actually, for keeping my crew on their toes. Always good to switch things up a little."

"Funny you say that," said Astryd, "since your crew was oblivious to our plan until your other prisoner alerted you."

James's grin fled from his face in an instant, and he let out an unhuman like growl as he balled his hands into fists. He shoved Astryd out of his way and roughly grabbed Tom by his injured arm and yanked him out of the dinghy. Tom cried out as he was slammed onto the deck. Astryd did her best to keep a stone face as Tom scampered to his feet, and two men held him in place. James glared at the boy and then turned back to Astryd.

"I've kept you alive this long only because Bancroft will hold me in more favor and allow me more freedom if he's the one that gets to kill you. But your runt here is worthless to me." James raised his hand above his head and then brought it down across Tom's cheek. Tom's gaze dropped to the deck, and his face remained expressionless despite the blow. "One more word from your mouth, and the next shot won't be in his arm."

Astryd bit down on her tongue so hard that she thought she tasted blood. She held back every retort that rose to the surface with all her willpower.

"Craig," James snapped at one of his men. The man came forward and stood at attention. "Take these two back to the brig, and stand guard."
"Aye, sir," the man mumbled before guiding them both back to the brig.

Once they were locked back inside their cage, Tom sank to the floor and nursed his arm.

"I'm sorry, Astryd," Tom mumbled. "Now we're both stuck in here."

"Good thing too," the former boatswain spat from across the room, still crouched down in his corner.

"Didn't Tom tell you to shut up?" Astryd snapped.

"So what? Can't do anythin' to me now behind bars." He grinned.

Tom let out an infuriated sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. "I really wish I could rip 'im to shreds right now."

Astryd gripped a jagged rock next to her feet. As soon as the former boatswain looked away, Astryd aimed her rock through the iron bars and threw it with all her remaining strength and stored up anger. She couldn't tell exactly where it hit in the dark corner of the room, but Astryd saw that it hit somewhere near his face. Th man let out an uncharacteristic yelp from the darkness.

"To match your scar," she snapped.

The rest of their voyage consisted of solemn conversations and sad attempts to lighten the mood, but they couldn't escape or ignore the dark cloud looming over them. There was no way out, and no more hope.

Their food rations remained the same as they were before Tom was added to Astryd's cell. James's reasoning was they only had enough rations for two prisoners, so they would have to fight it out. Though the former boatswain's rations did not change, and Astryd assumed it was because he alerted the crew during the attempted escape.

James visited their cell often to boast of his achievements, namely capturing them. He also enjoyed seeing the bruise he gave Tom's face as it grew steadily worse over the passing days.

Astryd took every chance she could to pelt something at the vile man, but her supply of small rocks dwindled quickly.

As for Tom's gunshot wound, Astryd used an extra piece of cloth to bind it, but that was all she could do. Thankfully, the bullet went clean through, and Astryd silently prayed the bleeding would stop quickly.

Their journey to Esterbell took several more days. Or was it weeks? Astryd wasn't sure anymore. The days blurred together as they wasted away and waited for their inevitable fate.

Astryd thought she was finally numb to it all, to the thought of death. She forced it so far back in her mind that it didn't seem real anymore. But one day, when she peeked out their sad little porthole and saw the coast of Esterbell, reality came flooding back, and her body shook with the shock of it all. She was returning to the one place she never wanted to see again, forced away from the sea and what she loved, and it was all caused by the one man who she had started to believe she could trust. It was just too much to bear. She lay on the ground and sobbed as Tom tried to comfort her, but soon the tears were streaming down his face as well.

And then, there she was, on the top deck of the ship once again with her hands bound behind her back and Tom at her side. She reveled in the sun that warmed her now tanned skin and cherished the few deep breaths of salty air before she was shoved onto the gangplank behind Tom.

There were no more tears shed. They were all but spent. All that was left was doom and despair as her future laid ahead of her in Esterbell's castle that sat at the top of the highest hill on the coast.

This was the beginning of the end.

AN:

Thank you all for being so patient on waiting for this chapter! I know a lot of you have been asking when this chapter would be released, and it's because of that that you guys motivated me to write this chapter. You all have been such huge motivators in keeping me writing, thank you for that!