by G. Bailey
"Sevten. We trade a lot there, and these grow on the trees,” he tells me. I wonder if I’ll get to see any other islands. I spent so long looking at the maps of our world, wondering about what the islands actually look like.
"A lot of trees have died on Onaya," I tell him, trying to keep my eyes down on the wooden floor. I glance up as he nods at me. I watch him as he puts the cut-up banana pieces onto four slices of bread, and he puts them on a metal tray that rests over the pot.
"Some say the changed ones brought the rain and kept the land alive," he says, and I look at him in shock. I’ve never heard that one before. I know little of the supposed powers of the changed ones. I want to ask him more about what he has heard.
"Others say the changed ones have ruined the land, and we will all suffer," he says as he turns the sandwiches over with a spatula. My heart bangs against my chest, I have heard that one before. My father said the king told him it.
"Which do you believe?" I ask him, trying to keep my voice neutral.
He turns a little, so I can see his smile. "Neither," he says.
Zack takes the sandwiches off the tray and puts them on to two plates he has out. He offers me one, and I take it.
"You must be hungry," he says and opens a barrel. He pulls out an apple and offers me that as well.
"Here, I know Onaya once had lovely apples. These are green and not red, but they are still good," he says. I nod as I take the green apple off him, noticing how they are slightly rounder than the red apples we had. The apple may only be a small thing, but it reminds me of home, and it’s sweet that he thought to get me it.
"Come," Zack turns with his plate and heads out into the corridor. He opens the door on the other side of the corridor. The room is lit by candles, so I can see it and it’s empty. There's a long, wooden table, with dozens of chairs and pretty flowers in pots in the middle.
A pirate ship with flowers? Everly would never believe it if I told her. I guess I’ll never be able to.
Zack takes a seat, and I take the one on the other side of the table, so I’m opposite him. I take a bite of the sandwich; the taste is so nice, and it’s only seconds before I eat it all. I’m not used to much hot food, even at home.
"You’re the cook?" I ask after we’ve eaten all of our food in silence.
"Yes. I was brought up on Sixa, and my parents were well-off. They were the richest in the town and both of them were on the council,” he starts telling me. I remember reading about Sixa; the island is covered in snow and people are said to live in houses made from ice. There is also said to be massive creatures, completely white and dangerous that live there. I don’t know how much of that is true, but the island is the smallest in our world.
“I used to cook food to give to the poor. When my family found out, they killed twenty people to stop me from helping them," he tells me, as he leans back in his chair. I’m surprised by how casually he tells me this, like it’s just something he happens to know and not something that personally happened to him.
"Why would they do that?" I ask him, shocked that he would tell me this. It’s shocking that he would tell me something so personal about his life. I’m not shocked that his parents killed that many people. They sound just like the council on Onaya, like my own father.
"I was in love with a poor girl. She was kind and yet, no match for my family. I was locked up while they killed her and all of her family," he tells me, and it’s the first time I see any emotion on his face, but it’s gone in seconds.
"I'm sorry," I say, and his bright green eyes meet mine.
"I killed them. Both of my parents. I paid for that and then escaped. The men you are running from saved my life," he tells me. I finally know why he told me this story of his life, for the ending. I don’t want to admit how much I respect him for killing his parents after the terrible things they did. I could never do that to my own father, no matter how many people he killed. It must have been a horrible decision for him, but I’m guessing it was mainly done out of anger.
"You think I should trust them, trust you?" I ask, and he smiles.
"I believe you already do, my little fighter," he says, his words soft when he says that little nickname he calls me, and he stands up. I glance over his whole body, noting how big he is, how muscular. The long gloves and high neckline of his shirt hide most of his golden skin from me, and I wonder why he wears the gloves. It’s warm in here, so it’s not for that reason. I watch as he walks to the door.
"Go to sleep, and someone will show you around in the morning. You know the way to the room you woke up in,” he says, and our eyes meet once more before he looks away.
I have to take a deep breath before I can say anything. "Wait," I say, and he stops in the doorway. "Is Chaz ok?" I ask quietly. I don't want to admit the guilt I feel for hurting him. I know I shouldn’t want to know, but I do. I need to know he is okay.
"Only his ego has been bruised. I'm sure he would rather you didn't mention it," he says with a small, cheeky grin in my direction before he leaves.
10
Zack
“So, what do you think of her?” Chaz asks when I lean back on my bed inside my room. Chaz is sitting on the desk by the door, sharping one of his daggers. I glance at my huge axe leaning against the wall, thinking that’s it’s been a long time since I’ve had any excuse to be in a fight and use it. The waters are calm, and most of the other pirates wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to fight us. Our ship is one of the biggest in the water. The only ones who could battle against us would be the guard’s ships, because their ships are the same size as ours. The king’s ship is the largest in the seas, and no other ship would win a fight against it. I look over at Chaz, who is still watching me for my answer about Cassandra. I still remember the soaking-wet woman Jacob pulled out of the water. I watched as Chaz saved her life, breathing air into her lungs, and she coughed up a lot of green water. We all knew that it would be touch and go on whether she would wake up. Every one of us has watched her the last two days while she slept. She had a fever the first day, but once that passed, Chaz believed she would survive. I don’t think any of us expected her to be so headstrong when she woke up. I knew she must have been hidden somewhere and I would guess her parents are high up, even on the council of Onaya. The only reason she would have run to the sea would have been because someone found out about her. That mark would have been a death sentence for her on that island.
“She is brave, smart, and beautiful. A very deadly combination with that mark on her forehead,” I reply. Cassandra is all those things and more. I knew from the moment I met her dark eyes that matched the long, brown, soft-looking hair that she was different from any other woman I’ve met. The fact that she threw a chair at me when I walked in just made me laugh. She is brave, so brave to do that. It’s surprising, as she couldn’t have had much interaction with people, especially with men. Yet, the way she spoke to me earlier, you wouldn’t think it. I knew she was scared, but she didn’t show it. I like that about her.
“I know she’s deadly. I got distracted by her beauty, too,” Chaz huffs, and I laugh. Chaz is a good fighter; all my brothers on this ship are. They may not be related to me by blood, but we have spent three years fighting for each other and making sure we all stay alive. It’s not easy when nearly every island has someone looking for us, for various reasons.
“She’s also a small girl with no powers, who managed to knock you out with a book,” I say, chuckling. Chaz narrows his eyes at me. I’m surprised she managed to knock him out cold with only a book. She must have some upper arm strength to do that. I wonder if she was taught to fight. I remember her small body, every part looks soft, and yet, her eyes blaze with a fire. A fire that tells you that you will get burnt if you get too close.
“Shut it,” he says, making me laugh more.
“We need to keep her in one of our rooms until we get to Fiaten. I don’t trust the men and women we have on board. You know as well as I that people act out of fear more t
han sense most of the time,” I say. The people we have on board are getting off at our next stop, but they still can’t be trusted. We may have helped them, but everyone fears the changed ones. They would fear her.
“Agreed. I will speak to Ryland about her sleeping in one of our rooms every night,” Chaz says, looking down at the dagger and twirling it in circles. I don’t like the idea of her sleeping in other guys’ beds all the time, but there isn’t much choice. We take it in turns to stay up at night and watch the ship, so she will always have an empty bed.
“I feel drawn to her, protective of her,” Chaz says, surprising me. The strange thing is, I feel the same way. I haven’t wanted to be close to any woman in years, so the feelings I get around Cassandra are strange to me.
“You are drawn to her as well,” Chaz says after I don’t reply. I am, more than I want to be. I would be of no use to a beautiful girl like her. I wouldn’t ever push her for more than a friendship. My body is nothing to be admired after my punishment for killing my parents. I glance down at my glove-covered hands, knowing she would hate to see what they look like uncovered. All the scars.
“I know little of changed ones, but they are said to be kissed by the Sea God. Any beautiful woman kissed by a god would be easily drawn to. That’s all it is,” I say, and Chaz leans back in his seat, his eyes watching me too closely. He flips the dagger in the air and catches it, before repeating the motion.
“I don’t believe it’s just that. We should ask Ryland and Hunter about changed ones. There were many in their family, so if anyone knows anything, it would be them,” he says.
“Yes,” I nod. The twins’ parents were changed ones, so they would be the ones to ask. The only problem is that they don’t speak of their parents at all. They’re running from them, like everyone on this ship is running from something. Cassandra has more in common with us than she realises.
“I have to go and check the ship,” Chaz say, walking out of the room. I lie back on my bed, thinking about Cassandra and knowing that I won’t be able to stop for a while.
She may never want me, but it doesn’t mean I can’t help her sort her life out and be her friend.
Just a friend.
11
Cassandra
"Morning," a deep voice pulls me awake, and I lift my head from the comfy bed. I blink my eyes open to see Dante sitting on the desk on the other side of the room watching me. His clothes are similar to what he wore yesterday, but a different shirt; it’s tighter, showing off his chest. His blue eyes shine, as the morning light fills the room. His eyes really do look like the sea, so bright.
"How long have you been in here?" I ask him as I sit up.
"Long enough to know you have a cute snore, pretty girl," he chuckles, and I feel my cheeks going red.
"That's creepy, pretty boy," I say with a little grumble, and he laughs. I stretch my arms up, and my top rides up my thighs. I glance over at Dante who is fixated on the little part of skin that he saw, and he clears his throat, looking away.
"Breakfast is nearly ready, and I'm sure you will want to clean up. There are only three women on board and none of them are your size. So, we got the best we could," he says. I wonder if one of the women on board is his wife.
One of them must have a long-term partner on board or a girlfriend. They are very attractive pirates, and I bet they have their choice of women. I can’t see Zack having one, considering he’s on the run from the people of Sixa.
"Thanks," I say, and he nods before he slides off the desk. I see the long sword on his back as he walks to the door. The blade is a strange green in colour, not silver like I have seen other swords. It’s massive and wide for a sword, too. I imagine it must be heavy, and it’s in a leather holder on his back, the handle is a dark green metal, too.
"See you in a minute, pretty girl," Dante says.
"I have a name. It’s Cassandra," I tell him, ignoring the flutter in my belly every time he calls me that.
"So do I, but everyone calls me it. I think you are going to be special," he says and leaves me with red cheeks as I watch him shut the door.
Why do these pirates make me so flustered?
I stand up on the cold, wooden floor, resisting the urge to climb back into the warm bed. The room is so much colder than I’m used to. Onaya is warm nearly all year, so it was never cold when I woke up. This room is cold, and it’s strange to get used to the rocking of the ship. I walk over to the desk, seeing the pile of clothes. The clothes turn out to be a very long, white shirt with buttons down the middle, and black trousers that look a little better, but look big. I can pull them up over my stomach and tie them with the laces. I pick up the clothes and look around the room for a bathroom.
There’s a small door on the other side of the room, and I open it to find a box with a hole in it on the left. I’ve read about these, they have a tube that goes out the side of the boat and the bucket of water on the floor next to it is for pouring down it to push it out to sea. We have something similar at home but there is a lever to push water down that comes from the sea.
I use the toilet while I look at the other side of the room, there’s a small glass-enclosed unit with holes in the floor. I glance up to see there’s a metal circle unit above it and I’m guessing the switch on the wall turns it on to let water out. There are also a few wooden shelves with soaps and shampoos in glass bottles by the door. Underneath it are piles of neatly-folded towels. The bottles are tied to the wall with little pieces of string. I’m guessing that’s to stop them falling in bad weather. It’s actually quite smart. It’s not too far from what I had at home. I undo the bandage and leave it on the side. I brace myself after I pull all my clothes off and pull the switch. Cold water falls from the little holes, only in little amounts, but I soon manage to quickly clean up and wash my hair. I dry myself with one of the towels I find on the shelf, and I’m surprised by how soft the towel is. We could never get them this soft on Onaya. I pull the clothes on after redoing my bandage, annoyed to find the shirt may be long but the first three buttons are missing. My breasts are now easy to see, but I don’t have large ones, so it’s not too bad. The trousers tie up nicely, and I pull on my flat shoes by the bed.
I find a small hair tie on the dresser by the bed, which I use to tie my hair up. I leave out the feather that's braided and tuck it behind my ear. Once I drink the water on the table, I move towards the door. I open it up and walk out, the loud sound of people laughing and dishes being moved coming from the kitchen and dining area. I mutter to myself about not being scared before moving my feet. I can do this.
I walk down the corridor. The door to the dining room is open. When I walk in, it's packed. The whole table is full of people I haven't seen. Hunter and Ryland are sitting in the middle, and an older lady with long, grey hair sits next to Hunter. Her eyes meet mine. She stands, and the room goes silent,
"You knocked out one of my boys?" she says in a crackly voice.
"Yes," I reply and cross my arms. I'm not going to say sorry for it, not to anyone other than Chaz. I resist the urge to look for him as the older woman stares at me. Even in her old age, you can tell she was once very beautiful.
"I like her," she says, and her crackly tone fills the room. "I am Laura and the boss of this ship. Sit down," she orders, and a few people laugh in the room. Ryland's laugh is loud, and I hold in a chuckle when Laura hits him on the back of the head with a large, wooden walking stick. For a small old lady, she can move fast.
"You and that damn stick," he says as she sits back down. Apparently, she doesn't care.
"Here," Jacob’s voice comes from next to me, and he holds a seat out for me to sit in.
The room is still silent as I take the seat and mutter out, "Thank you."
I glance around the table; all the guys and Laura are sitting in the middle of the table. The only one who isn't here is Chaz. On the left side of the table are four men, all of them a lot older than me and eating their food. They don't look my way, but my gaze
goes to the pretty woman sitting next to Ryland. She meets my eyes briefly before looking away. I know that look; she’s scared of me.
The other side of the table has two women and to my surprise, three children. The children all look under ten, and they smile at me.
What an odd group of pirates.
The table has a lot of food I have never seen on plates in the middle. Most of them are fruits and vegetables. There are two large bowls with porridge in them. At least I recognise that and the bread. The purple, pink, and yellow fruits are new to me. I do see the bananas that Zack made me last night, and I see some apples.
"Eat up, and then we are having a little chat with you," Dante says, making my eyes drift to him. He is sitting on the other side of me, and he starts eating straight away as I watch him. Everyone carries on with their food as I sit in silence watching them. It’s not an awkward silence, they just seem to be comfortable with each other. I try to catch the pretty woman’s eyes but she doesn’t look up. I do catch one of the other men’s eyes, and he nods at me.
"Did you sleep well?" Jacob asks from my other side.
"Yes, thank you," I reply, keeping my tone neutral. I don’t want to be nice, but I can’t be mean to him. This pirate saved my life.
"Good," he says and smiles a little at me. I look away as Dante fills my plate with porridge. Ryland picks an apple up and places it next to my plate.
"Thanks," I mutter, and he nods. This is weird, and I’m not sure what else to say to them. The table goes back to talking once I start eating. I listen to their conversations about things I don’t understand. Mainly about the running of the ship and how close they are to Sevten. The children giggle as they throw a ball between them and one of the mothers tells them off. It’s so…normal.