{Chapter two}
USUALLY, THE PORT OF WEDDLE WAS PACKED WITH SHIPS. As the group of three crouched behind a huddle of barrels, they peered warily at the only ship docked in the harbor. Crewhands scattered the deck, doing regular jobs that would occur just before they departed.
"Only two ships in a harbor town? Something's not right," Mal stated the obvious.
Alina shrugged. "Maybe Bohdan ordered them away."
"First army doesn't have jurisdiction here." The hunter replied.
"Perhaps the promise of 20 million kruge is good enough to buy our access to the docks," Alina said, pulling a newspaper out of her sack. On the thick paper laid a well-done drawing of Adaline, her sister, and her lover whose name she couldn't bring herself to say. In the picture, he and Adaline were holding hands, both surrounded by darkness while Alina shone her light.
The second her eyes met the paper, she turned away. The risk of bursting into tears at the sight of his face was too great.
Mal let out a short sneer. "I wish he was alive just so I could punch that face again." He glared at the paper image of him.
Adaline's hands twitched at her side, and flickers of shadows curled around her shoulders that neither of the two noticed. They itched to take Malyen by the throat and choke the life out of him for the statement.
Alina scoffed and looked down at the newspaper. "Thanks to him, the whole world sees me as a traitorous villain that-"
"Have you no sympathy for what you've done?" Adaline snapped, turning to face them and throwing the dirtiest look she could muster at the couple. "You can gloat in private about your 'accomplishments', but don't you ever say shit like that again in my presence." She realized she mainly had appointed her anger at Mal and then turned to stare her sister in the eye. Adaline would take no part in their incessant bullying and make sure the threat was clear.
She took the newspaper from her sister's hands and ripped it in two, then threw it to the ground.
Mal and Alina were quiet for moments. They exchanged looks with one another which made Adaline's blood boil. She could always tell what they were thinking; and right now, they thought she was crazy for loving him and wishing things hadn't been the way they were.
"So, what now?" Alina finally cleared the silence.
"We find that Sea Whip." Mal shrugged, squinting at the ship once again. "Hang on. That ship's not flying any flag. It's private."
"Which means it can be chartered," Adaline murmured, gathering her things and standing. She began to move towards the ship while pulling another gold pin from her bag when she realized she heard no footsteps following behind her. She turned back to glance at her sister and Mal, just to find their lips locked in a clearly passionate kiss.
Watching the action made Adaline despise the pair even more. She didn't understand how they could love each other so freely in front of her when they were the reason she could never have that happiness herself.
Pictures of his lips pressed against hers as he pressed her into the table flew through her mind in bright flashes. Her fingers tugged on his silky dark locks while his calloused hands gripped her hips, pulling her as close as possible. It was as if his body was made to mold against hers. He felt like a perfect, warm, and solid wall of utter man to keep her safe and cared for.
Adaline squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head to rid herself of the memory. If she thought about him for too long, she wouldn't be able to do what she needed to do. Her motivation to keep going every day was the mere adrenaline she got from the thought of following through with her plan.
That's exactly what she'd do. Follow through. If not for him, then for herself.
Mal muttered to Alina as their noses brushed, then stood and went to follow Adaline.
"Hey, stop," Alina called when they approached the deckhands. "We need a charter out of here immediately. "
The rather tall male and female duo, who was clearly in charge of the small group, shrugged and looked at each other.
"We can pay," Adaline held out her hand to present the hairpin. "It's gold," she said when the woman took it from her.
She bit down on the pin, then made a face and cocked her head. "That'll do." She handed it to who Adaline assumed was her brother.
"Come on then, hurry up." He said as he inspected the gold. "I'll take you to the captain."
Alina gave thanks and began to climb the ramp when Bohdan appeared, rounding the corner with a handful of soldiers at his side. "You! Stop!"
The female sibling who'd taken the gold pin from Adaline removed an ax from its holster at the speed of light and flipped it effortlessly. "You wanna fight, Ravka?" She angled the weapon threateningly, raising an eyebrow.
"That man is a deserter of the First Army," Bohdan said, pointing at Mal. "He belongs in our custody."
"Is that so?" The woman challenged. "Alright then," She grinned and drew a second ax as she turned to face the crew lining the port of the ship. "Ravka wants a fight!"
Adaline couldn't suppress a grin when the crew all drew weapons of their own and pointed them at Bohdan and his soldiers. She just knew she'd like the ax-wielding woman quite a bit.
"I don't want to escalate the fight with the Shu Han." Said Bohdan. The words made Adaline scoff. How could a man be so clueless and offensive?
The man who stood behind her stepped forward, removing his own sword as he squared up the Lieutenant. "We're not with Shu Han. We're independent." He nodded at his sister.
"Maybe you save your bullets for the war, old man?" Her brother placed his palm on top of his revolver as his sister spoke. "First Army needs to know its place." She sneered.
Adaline grinned menacingly. "Better get running back to base, Bohdan. I can't imagine this ends well for you."
****~****
"Request for charter, captain." The half-Shu man said as he led Mal, Alina, and Adaline into the Captain's Cabin.
"Immediate charter," Mal demanded, stepping into the room. Alina followed quickly after.
"He means we need to leave right now." She said. Adaline stayed hidden between the two of them, peering at the captain from behind.
He was tall, with thick blonde hair and striking blue eyes. His jacket was sea-blue with gold detailing and complimented his features well.
"Let's be clear about two things," He stated, planting his hands on his large desk and leaning forward. "I don't take orders on my own ship." He said, monotone.
"And we're already underway. I'm glad you've joined us," His voice turned a bit more condescending as Adaline looked out of the small window to see that they had, indeed, already made away from the port and into the ocean. "Now, maybe you'd be so kind as to give the room a little light."
The phrase made Adaline pause. "After all, you are Alina Starkov. A 20-million-kruge Saint." The blonde man raised an eyebrow and cocked his head at Adaline, who still stood semi-hidden behind Mal and Alina. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Darkling."
The term made the hair on the back of Adaline's neck stand. "You are worth just as much."
He placed his pistol on his desk. "Dead or Alive."
With a simple flick of her hands, the candles in the room went out and left the room enveloped in darkness as her shadows covered the walls. She could clearly hear the blonde man reaching for his gun, and the man from earlier unsheathing his sword once more, but nobody could see through the dark except her.
Her movements were quick, and so light nobody heard her coming.
Another snap of her wrist and the shadows evaporated, leaving those in the room confused and looking around in defense. The man with blonde hair and blue eyes flickered across the room quickly, searching for his opponent when he heard a click near the back of his head.
A glance at his desk confirmed that his pistol was now missing.
Adaline pressed the barrel of the gun to his neck just a tad harder. "So sorry to break it to you, captain, but the only person that will bring harm to my sister or our companion, is me."
****~****
a/n
Hello, hello! Back for another chapter. No big update this time, just stopping by to say hi.
How are you guys liking the story so far? Is there anything you're particularly excited about?
Oh, actually there is a big announcement.
Noble Hope is nearly at 200k views! That's literally crazy. Would you guys be interested in a little bonus chapter as a celebration? If so, what kind of scene would you guys want to see?
I'll be in touch!
Love you all bunches and hope you enjoyed the chapter!
See you next time :)