I search the area around us. He is a luminescent beacon in the dark, why has no one come running yet? Sitting up I take a moment to inspect him. He doesn’t seem hostile if he is, he would have attacked me by now.
Is he the one in charge? He is dressed in vintage 1920’s attire which includes a long beige coat.
Using the bottom half of my body I slide back, my palms grazing the wall once again in search of the door. If I can get inside, I can lock it, and then no-one can get me.
“Who are you? Who sent you? What do you want with me?”
He remains still. Is he even breathing?
“Miss Scarlet.” He dips low his arm bending out in a bow. “My name is Gabriel and I am a friend.”
“A friend!” I shriek. “Who are you? If you come any closer, I will kill you.”
His sigh is audible, exasperated. “Any friend of Jesse Valentine is a friend of mine. When we heard of your impending danger, Jesse sent me at once.”
I am now close enough to the wall to press my back up against it.
“Jesse? Jesse sent you?”
What the hell is going on!
The bombshell has me in shock which gives Gabriel the opportunity to grab hold of my torso and drape me over his shoulder. I scream, kicking my legs out and flailing against his back with my fists. His body is stiff and hard, my knuckles coming away bruised.
“Put me down!”
The darkness lifts one of my legs hitting the doorframe to the bridge as Gabriel flips me over the soles of my boots cementing themselves on the ground.
“Stay here. My time is limited, the Knight Powder only lasts so long.”
“You leave them alone!” I roar as he disappears back into the darkness.
I stumble out behind him. The men cloaked in balaclavas must have been alerted to my whereabouts from my scream because as soon as I exit the cabin a figure looms over me.
Instinctively and with every nerve in my body buzzing I stab him. The smog lightens. The luminescent man is straight ahead of me. He has the head of one of the costumed men in his grip and within a single second the man is dead on the floor, his neck broken.
So, he is on our side after all?
“Cris!” Riley yells out.
He is behind the luminescent man. His eyes large and bewildered, worried even.
I run to him, embracing him tightly and then we are lost to each other. Two black-clad figures have him by the shoulders. They drag him back, another two joining them, holding down his arms and binding them.
“No!” My voice is hoarse from screaming.
“No! What are you doing? Riley!”
“Cris! Hide!” He bellows wriggling in an attempt to get free.
The tallest of the four men inverts his sword using the hard pommel to knock him out.
They sling my heart so casually over their backs, mimicking my position only moments before as they steal him away.
The sobs that follow are of a tortured soul. I don’t even realize I am moving towards them until Gabriel’s grip pulls me back.
The Zeppelin wavers, the flicking electricity escalating as it begins to recede.
“They took Riley,” I whimper cowering into Gabriel.
I can’t breathe. I feel as if my life is ending.
The pale man is freezing as he hugs me. “You need to come with me.”
“No,” I cry out flinching away from him.
“These men are my family. Jesse abandoned me!”
I am so agitated, overcome with grief. I can hardly comprehend what he is saying, or what I am saying. I am just yelling out words, wishing the pain would stop and the warship would come back.
Gabriel’s arms stretch out trying to grab hold of me again. I shy away.
“Cris, he didn’t! Look at me girl! You are not safe.”
“I don’t care, I don’t care!” I scream running back to where I had left the Captain. My thoughts no longer make sense. Reality does not make sense.
“Jesse still cares for you! I am proof of that. The one they took, they know you love him and for that reason, they will not harm him, but they want you and they will kill you when they get the chance.”
I wrap my arms around my torso hugging myself as I shake.
“If that’s what it takes to get Riley back so be it.”
“So be it? They are The Escriptors!”
“I don’t care who they are! Get out of my sight! You could have saved him but you chose not to!”
“You are what matters. I did what was needed to save you.”
“Leave!” I scream, my skull filled with static when I see the Captain’s limp corpse.
I collapse beside him, sobbing over his chest. My fingers searching for a pulse. He is bleeding badly, his skin ashen but still warm.
“Caiseal!” I yell, “Caiseal!” My voice breaks.
Caiseal is a mass of leather armour and darkness as he kneels down beside me.
“Help him!”
Why is no-one doing anything?
His face is stony as he inspects the wound.
“I can fix him.” He murmurs gesturing for Elvin and Kevin to help him.
The three men fashion a sling by intertwining their hands together and lifting the Captain from the ground.
I remain seated, biting down on my lower lip as I stare at the congealing blood around me.
Somewhere at the back of my mind, I recall the glowing man. I turn, my eyes flicking up and down the ship, but he is gone.
My chest feels hollow. My eyes as if they have lost all moisture. Something in me dies then, and unlike before with my false death, I suspect no potion and no amount of time will be able to resuscitate what is now dead and buried.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I lie on my stomach, my head pressed into the soft cotton cover of Riley’s pillow.
There is a quick succession of light knocks on the door. I remain silent, my eyes strained and swollen. I have no idea how much time has passed since the attack. After the Captain had been moved to his sleeping quarters which smells of tobacco and musk I’d sat by his side waiting for the same potion to heal him as it had me.
Caiseal had said he only needed a drop, but I’d stayed, anxiously waiting for him to regain consciousness. Once he had I retreated both into myself and into my cabin.
Gus insisted we turn the ship around and return to Solange and I’m wasn’t arguing. In fact, there isn’t much I can do other than sit on my bunk and breathe in the smell of Riley.
He is gone.
Those men had taken him because of me...
Jesse is alive, and I’d screwed up my only chance to find him.
The world is upside down. I just want to stay in my cabin, to curl into a ball and admit defeat.
“Cris, the Captain was hoping ta say goodbye...” Gus’ voice trills through the wood of the door.
I ignore him.
“Cris... Please.”
Finally, I relent. The Captain had decided to stay on the island with Solange since the amount of potion we had given him had only staunched his bleeding. He still has internal wounds and he refuses to take more. I know and share his fears. That potion had saved my life, but it had changed me too.
Patting Riley’s pillow so that it lies flat I straighten out and drop to the floor. I am dressed in sweats and an oversized t-shirt. I don’t bother to put on my shoes. I open the door, my body creaking with lack of use. Gus looks relieved when he sees me.
“Where is he?” I ask my voice soft and hollow.
“Upstairs.”
I drop my gaze to the floor, concentrating on shuffling one foot in front of the other. I don’t want to see the others. I can’t see Jamie’s jolly smile or Caiseal’s unyielding frown. I can’t bring myself to see them and know that they can see my pain so unabashedly displayed. I increase my pace, jumping at every creak. I don’t knock when I reach the Captain’s door.
He is seated at his desk, bandaged and pale. I immediately feel terrible and self-absorbed. I shoul
d have spent more time at his side, but I’ve been so torn up. I still am, and seeing the Captain makes it all the more real for me.
“Lass,” he says his voice lacking his usual jaunty boom.
My eyes swell. “Captain?” I rasp in reply.
The shake of his head is slow and morose. “I knew one way or another yer heart would be broken by this romance.”
Sniffing I say, “I’d rather not talk about it...”
“I won’t make ye.”
I wipe at my eyes sitting opposite him.
“Now ye know I’ve decided ta stay on with Solange. A Captain rarely gets a vacation and I am in dire need of one. Gus will make the transition easier for ye, he knows what ta do and ye know what ye need ta do. You’re in charge now lass.”
My brain feels inflated, my eyes heavy. What is he saying? Does he honestly think leaving me in charge of a bunch of drunken men, men who rather I left and never came back, who would fight every decision I make, will help?
My head drops into my hands. “I don’t think I can do it. I think I should go home.”
The Captain’s sandy blonde hair flops lazily from side to side with the movement of his head.
“Cris, those men took Riley. Maybe it was leverage, maybe it was something else, but the fact is that they could do worse to the people you love. It’s safer they don’t know you’re alive.”
I swallow my stomach squirming. This is all my fault. The Captain has to leave to recover because I'd forced death upon them, upon Riley... I sniffle forcing the tears that want to cascade down my cheeks back into lockdown, this is the time to be strong, I have been weak for too long. I’d been weak and scared then and they took him, I can’t think his name anymore.
I won’t be weak again. I will fight and show the world who Cris Scarlet really is.
“Yes, you’re right Captain. I’m sorry. What should I do when we find the princess or better yet, Faelwen?”
“Ye come back ta Solange.”
I frown. “Before or after we find the village?”
He shrugs. “I’ll let ya decide.”
“And what about Ri-” I can’t, I can’t even say his name. My hands tightened into fists at my side.
The Captain knows what I mean though. “If they know what he means ta ye they won’t harm him.” He pauses. “Solange and I will do our best to help in the meantime.”
With that said I immediately feel lighter. Solange would find Riley. We will rescue him, and I’ll fix the world while I do it.
Other Works By this Author
Blood Sipper – Jack the Ripper short horror
http://bit.ly/sipper001
Sleight of Hand – co-author – dark fantasy
http://bit.ly/SoHbook
Other Books published by Sera Blue
Horror
Our Immaculate by Jason Hes
http://bit.ly/immaculate001
Fantasy
Heka and the Colour Thief by Dennis Dvornak
http://bit.ly/hekacolour001
Into the Dark by Kelan Gerriety
http://bit.ly/EONdark
Crimson Skies by Kelan Gerriety
http://bit.ly/EONCS
Urban Fantasy
Misfortunism by Bill Masuku
http://bit.ly/Misf001
The Black Cube by N M Millen
http://bit.ly/TheBlackCube
Steampunk
Clockwork Renegades by Ashleigh Hattingh Macfie
http://bit.ly/clockworkren1
Anthologies
Relative Scale by Abi Godsell
http://bit.ly/RelativeScale
Ethereal – multi-author anthology
https://amzn.to/2q97B2K
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ETIENNE AND MELISSA
- For the constant support and love. My aim was to write a book I wanted to read, a mixture of all the magic I find so inspiring. A lot of what drives me when writing is memories of us growing up together. The stories you’d tell me and the games we played. This series wouldn’t be what it is if I didn’t have you guys as siblings. You encouraged my imagination and my dreams. I will always be grateful for that. (Even if Melissa did once try and feed me dog poop wrapped in leaves (I can NEVER eat Dolmades, thank you,) and Etienne tricked me into swapping all of my old South African coins for a box of paper to write my stories on.) You guys are great, and I couldn’t have wished for a better brother and sister.
LOUIS
- For constantly listening to me ramble on about my worlds and taking it in stride. Most people wouldn't give the twelve great adventurers of Erthe much listening time, but you aren't like most people, which is why I love you as I do. Thank you for being my biggest supporter and encourager. Now prepare yourself for the ramblings of book two!
ALTHEA
- For the stunning cover art. Thanks for being a part of this project. I cannot wait to see how you envision the covers for the rest of the series!
SIMONE
- For the overwhelming love and support. You have no idea how much it means to me that you come to my launches and read my books! I love you, my hilarious friend. I hope you enjoyed the pirates. I am sorry they are not sexy pirates. Maybe next time.
KELAN
- For always going above and beyond to ensure every book is a work of art.
SPARROW
- For being my one constant throughout The Lost Days writing process. Your tiny little paws have imprinted onto my heart. You are more than just a cat to me, you’re my fur-kid.
BETA READERS - Rachel, Ashleigh, Maureen
- For the helpful and insightful feedback that turned this book into what it is. (There will be more magic and pirates and I’ll answer all the questions I can’t right now, I promise!)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ilse V Rensburg (B. November 20, 1989) is a South African author of young-adult, urban and dark fantasy novels. A self-proclaimed ailurophile and lover of words, Ilse has a BA in Languages and Literature, and a love of cats.
Ilse has written a short horror titled ‘Blood Sipper’ and co-written a book titled ‘Sleight of Hand’ with Jason Hes. She is currently working on her 8 book saga, The Lost Days, the first 3 titles release in 2019 starting with Time Torn.
About the Publisher
Sera Blue is a niche new age publisher based in Johannesburg, South Africa. We focus largely on Fantasy, Sci-fi, Horror, Paranormal Romance and all the sub-genres for these areas of fiction.
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