Saving The Pirate (Book Two)

48. On The Road

I followed the group to the village, shuffling along behind Captain while looking around the scenery. Because the sun was setting, and setting fast, I saw a few lights of the little shack houses and the vast shadows of the jungle behind the houses. It was almost spooky how they looked, and I was a bit afraid something would jump out and eat me.

But I stayed with the group, making sure I was close to them when discovering this new world, but even if I was close in distance, everyone seemed to be in their own little worlds.

Tristan and Gata were attached to Jack like a parasite. Jack seemed alright with it; the woman captain was humming a little song to herself while continually glancing at her son, and Captain, well, Captain was trying to take in where he was at, surveilling the environment closely. Lastly, I watched them all, not too sure how I should act around any one of them.

I decided that it would probably be best to keep to myself, and really, only speak when I was spoken to if that was my job as Captain's right-hand woman, ensuring that I get a lovely paycheck for this.

I mean, what could I do? I was afraid of Jack and the woman captain for what they were; I wasn't quite sure what to say to Tristan without appearing desperate and in the way with him and Jack, and Captain, I didn't even want to try, so that left only myself. From all the practice of being by myself through the years, I was alright with that.

Yup, just me and my thoughts. Yeah, I'd be alright.

"I trust you all know how to ride a horse, yes?" The woman captain said as we approached a stable at the end of the road.

Bloody hell. Here came the 'you can't ride a horse to save your life' thoughts. Just wonderful.

The woman captain didn't even check to see if anyone couldn't ride a horse. She just led us through the stable doors and to the nearest horse. Immediately, the awful smell of manure hit me, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust, but no one seemed to follow my lead.

"Tristan and his cat can ride with me," Jack said, leading the first horse out of its stable and began to saddle it up. The woman captain nodded.

"Alright. Let us try to use as few horses as possible. Anne can ride with you, son, if that's alright with you both." She turned to look at Captain, who gave a confirming nod before glancing at me. I nodded back, glad that I didn't have to ride and possibly die.

Once it came the time when it came to get on the horse, I couldn't get on the horse. As much as I tried, I couldn't get on the bloody animal. Everyone was already on the road except Captain and me.

"Do you need help?" I heard him say behind my back as I tried once again to balance my foot in the stirrup. I turned around and blushed, not able to say anything. He came to me. "Get off for a moment." I got off.

He was in front of me. "Here ye go," he said, grabbing my waist and lifting me. I gasped when I didn't feel my feet on the floor and almost choked on air when I was placed upon the horse.

"Swing your leg around." I did as I was told, paralyzed to do anything different. With that, Captain got on and swung his leg around the horse, which neighed with the extra weight. Once he was on, he looked back at me. "Grab hold." I didn't have time to process all that was going on because the next thing I knew, my hands were clung to Captain, and we were after the others.

***

We walked in silence, the group of us too tired to talk, but I was perfectly alright with that. I didn't care to hear anyone's voice, not even my own.

Between mythical creatures, my captain's mother being the leader of them, and the new world, I didn't want to hear a peep from anyone.

Of course, we can never get what we want, can we? No, the world just had to do that to you. Just as I was going to fall asleep, my cheek inches away from resting on Captain's back, his mother decided she wanted to say something.