1868, the Dawrey Ocean
Adelyn could hear everything. The blood rushing through her ears, the steady thuds of her heartbeat, and the pounding of footsteps above her. Every so often, dirt would trickle through the floorboards as someone walked by, falling through the air and disappearing on the floor.
It wasn't long before Adelyn heard the rushing of water against an incoming ship. She peered out the porthole, watching as the waves bent and rolled, and the black boards came into sight. The first thing Adelyn saw was the terrifying sculpture that was nailed to the front of the vessel. It reminded Adelyn of a serpent, leaping off of the bow and into the sky. It's teeth were far larger and far sharper than those of the siren on the Siren's Beckon. Adelyn shivered, watching the ship creep up to the side of the one she stood on. It was only so far away-- she could hear the screams of it's crew. They were slinging threats and cheering, as though they were going to war.
Adelyn forced herself away from the porthole, deciding she didn't want to watch what came next. She stepped back into the corner, lodging herself between Nina's bed and the wall. She heard the ruckus start on the main deck only a few moments later. Boots thunked against the boards as the invading crew swung aboard. When she closed her eyes, Adelyn could see it happening. Men flying over the sea on ropes tied to the mast, with swords and guns and all kinds of deadly weapons.
A shiver crept down Adelyn's spine as a scream pierced the air. Yelling soon followed, and Adelyn heard a familiar voice in the middle of it all. Captain Greywell's voice was not one that Adelyn would have forgotten so soon.
"Kors, long time no see." Greywell's said, arrogant as ever. "Where ya heading?"
"Here and there," Nikolai said. Adelyn didn't have to see him to know he'd shrugged, playing Greywell's hidden accusation off as though it wasn't there. "Nowhere in particular."
"You're a liar and a half, you know that?" Greywell hissed. Adelyn heard the soft thumps of boots clicking on the boards above her. Dust fell from the cracks between them. Adelyn pressed herself further against the wall, closing her eyes in the hope that Greywell's crew would go back to the other ship and sail away into the night.
Adelyn flinched when she heard the sound of the door to the lower deck open, it's handle slamming against the outside wall. It happened whenever it was pulled open too fast. Adelyn flinched, her eyes shooting open. She watched the door to her and Nina's room with wide eyes, terrified that it, too, would open. She'd locked it, but Adelyn knew for a fact that no lock was entirely reliable. There was always a way to unlock them.
On the main deck, Adelyn heard Nik's voice yell out, "All that's down there is empty beds and storage, matey. Don't waste your time."
"If that was all that was down there," Captain Greywell cooed, "then you wouldn't be trying to keep him from checking it out. Down you go, sailor."
Adelyn listened as shoes thudded against the stairs. The sounds of hinges squeaking made Adelyn's breath waver-- they were opening doors. It was only a matter of time before they got to hers, and a locked one would raise suspicion.
Adelyn swallowed, quickly getting to her feet. She hesitated for only a second before flipping the lock on the door and crawling under Nina's bed. Adelyn clamped a clammy hand over her mouth and pressed her body as close to the wall as she possibly could. Part of her wanted to close her eyes and pretend she was elsewhere, but a bigger part of her couldn't tear her eyes away from the door.
All Adelyn could do was watch as the knob turned and the door was pushed open. Two pairs of leather boots filled her vision, both old and worn. She'd never thought shoes could be so frightening.
The closer of the two men stepped inside, and Adelyn held her breath. Tears of fear threatened to spill from her eyes, a matter that wasn't helped by her body's trembling. Her ears rung, and she could no longer hear the muffled conversation up on the main deck. All she could hear was her own heartbeat in her chest. Her lungs begged for air, but Adelyn didn't dare give in.
The boots turned back towards the door, and Adelyn almost sighed with relief. She turned her eyes away, staring up at the metal bed frame above her and the dirtied mattress above that. She let her muscles release and her shoulders relax.
A hand gripped her ankle, yanking her out from under the bed. Adelyn let out an ear-piercing scream, her head skimming the floor, making her wince. She reached around to grab something, anything, but her hands caught nothing. In one second, she was out from under the bed and in the open.
Two men towered over her, grinning like fools that'd won a prize. She was pulled to her feet and hauled from the room. Adelyn didn't put up much of a fight against them, for she knew it would have no use. She let herself be dragged up the stairs, with her heart thudding against her ribs.
The main deck looked like a scene right out of one of her books. Men from both crews were kneeling on the deck, held down by the blades of men from the opposing ship. Neither crew looked like they were about to back down. Nik and Greywell stood in the middle of it all, their guns out but neither one aimed at a target.
Blood littered the floor, making it a gruesome scene. Tucked away behind the small crowd, Adelyn could see a body laid out on the ground, pale skin glinting in the moonlight. Adelyn's stomach tied itself in knots, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. It wasn't someone she recognised, but that wasn't saying much. She barely knew 4 men on Nikolai's crew, she doubted she'd be able to pick them all out from the mass.
"You," Greywell said, pointing a finger at her. He let out a humorless laugh, and Adelyn's skin crawled, "I remember you. From Fraysner's."
Adelyn's eyes met Nikolai's, and he gave her a sharp shake of his head. His eyes were almost as wide as hers, filled with just as much fear. She kept her mouth clamped shut, knowing there wasn't much she could say to help herself.
"Not very talkative are you, love?" Greywell said, clicking his tongue. Adelyn watched as he made his way over, his steps slow and tedious. She stood pin straight and still as he approached, not daring to meet his eyes when he stopped just a short foot away from her. Fingers brushed her shoulders, making the fabric of her sleeves tickle her skin. Adelyn shivered.
Nikolai swallowed, watching Captain Greywell with tense arms. Adelyn couldn't tell if he had a plan or not, but she hoped he did.
Greywell pulled his hand away, cocking an eyebrow, "No one special, eh, Nik? So un-special you had to bring her aboard?"
"Pretty little things make good company after dark, Old Man," Nikolai said, grinning. He played his part well, Adelyn couldn't deny him that. Nik took a few steps forward, shrugging. He snorted, lifting his arms in a shrug. The gun in his left hand lifted, too, and Adelyn flinched. Waving such a weapon around in the air seemed like a stupid idea to her, but Nikolai didn't seem to be very concerned. "Even you know that, I'm sure."
"Indeed," Greywell laughed. "But I get the sense you're lying again, Kors. We both know you're very good at that."
"Why would I lie to you?" Nik snickered, "you know what they say about treating your elders right and such."
Greywells laugh was dry, and Adelyn wasn't sure what was going to happen next. The older captain's eyes drifted downwards, and it wasn't until he'd taken her wrist in his hand that she realized what had caught his attention. The burn on her hand hadn't properly healed, and the bandage was anything but unnoticeable. Though Adelyn knew only she could see the arrow in the midst of it, she still felt her heartbeat quicken the longer the older man stared. He pulled at the gauze and it slipped from her fingers, falling to the floor by her feet.
"That looks like a nasty one, alright." Greywell said, clicking his tongue. He dropped her hand, and Adelyn let it fall to her side. "How'd you do it."
"She--"
"I was asking the girl, Kors." Captain Greywell snapped without skipping a beat.
Adelyn swallowed, willing her voice not to shake. "I put my hand on the stove. Silly me, I didn't realize it was on."
"Silly you, alright." Greywell mumbled. Adelyn could tell he didn't quite believe her, but as long as he didn't know how she'd really gotten it, that didn't matter much. The ship grew quiet, and all eyes were on Adelyn and the two captains. Finally, Greywell nodded. It was a slow motion-- so slow it was odd.
Greywell lifted his gun towards Nikolai, but Nikolai aimed his right back. If Adelyn had blinked, she would have missed the entire movement. The Captain's barrels were pointed right down each other's noses, and either one could have fired to kill. It was just a matter of who was quicker.
The men on Adelyn's arms loosened their grips, and she shook their hands off. Glinting in the dim candle light, a sliver of a blade caught Adelyn's eye. It was tucked in the belt on one of the two men's waists, just a twitch away from her own hands.
It was easy for Adelyn to reach over and flip the casing on the dagger's sheath. Quickly, Adelyn pulled it out into her grasp and slid it up into her sleeve. No one saw a thing, and the bearded man beside her felt nothing, she was sure. Making sure people didn't notice her was her profession.
Greywell's hand jerked, and Adelyn flinched. The sudden motion made images of a blood splattered deck and a hole in the front of Nikolai's head fill her mind, and she had to blink them away. The thought was gruesome, and it made her feel queasy.
She felt significantly less sick when she thought of Greywell's blood on the ship instead.
Adelyn had never been the kind of person who sat back and watched things happened. She'd learned a few things about life back in Fraysner's, and one was that nothing ever went in your favor if you sat idly and waited. With her fear tucked deep in the furthest part of her mind, Adelyn readied the blade in her fingers and swung it forwards.
An image of Gardner flashed in Adelyn's mind, and she shivered. Her hand was firm, holding the dagger in place in the middle of Greywell's neck. She didn't push as hard as Gardner had with her, but she didn't have to. She stood up as tall as she could, and Greywell leaned back, away from the blade and into her.
The bearded man on Adelyn's left reached for his knife, surprised to find it gone. The man on her right reached for his own, but Adelyn angled herself so Captain Greywell stood between him and her. Nikolai stood just beyond that, his gun no longer aimed at Greywell, but instead at the deck by his feet, as if he didn't know where to point the barrell.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with knives, doll?" Greywell cooed, laughing. The sound was raspy and humorless. He dropped the hand that held his gun to his side, and the pistol clattered to the ground soon after.
The air suddenly felt colder to Adelyn , but she thought it could have just been her nerves. There were 2 different pirate crews gaping at her, and at least one of them wanted her head. She felt the shudder of Captain Greywells throat as he swallowed. She wondered if he could feel the pounding of the blood in her veins.
Nikolai whistled, and Adelyn looked up at him. He was smiling in the childish way he did, making him look like a young boy that had just won a game. "Bested by a girl, Greywell. Why am I not surprised?"
"Call off your wench, Nikolai." Greywell said, and before he'd even voiced his threat, Adelyn felt a blade press itself into her side. There was just enough pressure that Adelyn knew it was there, held in place by the bearded man that'd snatched her from downstairs. She wondered where he'd been hiding the second dagger, but she wasn't about to ask. Adelyn cursed, but she did nothing. She made no move to let Greywell go.
"Only if you say please," Nikolai mocked. He'd lifted his gun then, ready to take aim. The man with the knife at Adelyn's side was his target. With a sigh, he wet his lips. "This is going to go on forever old man. I say we just get to the fighting."
That was the only warning Nikolai gave anyone before he fired.