Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

One, Two, Three, Four Trials Too Many

The walls were grey, the air was humid, and she had seen three mice since she had seen sitting in the dingy cell. The only thing interrupting the sameness from the stone wall she had been staring at was a consistent dripping sound, water leaking into the jail. She had begun to count the time between each drop. One drop, two breaths, another drop. One drop, two breaths, another drop. The pattern repeated as Theo counted in her head. Drip. In for three beats, out for three. In for three beats, out for three. Drip. Again. In for three beats, out for three.

It was the only thing keeping her sane. The only thing keeping the numbness from turning into emotions she couldn't control. For the first hour she was in the cell, she was trying to piece together what had happened and how she had missed the signs but her mind kept blocking her path forward. Her thoughts were a loop, a constant thought of nothing except for: Ava was Avery Vaith, she had been lied to. It was frustrating going in the same circle, so she stared at the wall and attempted to drown out any sort of thought that entered her mind.

Before resorting to the wall, Theo had instinctually found herself praying to Riva, asking for guidance, but she stopped before she could ask for anything else. A burning sensation in her chest that could only be described as rage settled over her. Riva was a fucking god, she was supposed to know all. There could have been a million ways to warn Theo about Avery, to make Theo aware of who she was; but Riva had failed to do so.

Avery Vaith had been on her fucking ship for close to a length. Avery Vaith had been by her side, in a position of power, for far longer than she should have ever been. Avery Vaith had managed to get Theo to fall in love with her and Riva didn't even step in once. Another thought entered her head.

Neither did Xyra.

She shut her eyes tightly and felt a pang in her chest, it couldn't be true. Theo clutched the slides of her head, trying to recall what she had seen while getting arrested. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Did Xyra actually know? Or was it her head telling her that Xyra's nonchalance was because she knew it was coming? Theo's head once again blocked her from trying to make sense of things. No other memories were coming to her except for the look in Xyra's eyes when Theo glanced over at her earlier that morning.

Theo opened her eyes back up with a sigh. It was the only thing that brought some sort of relief to the immense pressure she felt in her chest. Her gaze was filled with cold, wet stone once again. Drip, two breaths. Drip, two breaths. The pattern was broken when Theo heard footsteps approach. She slowly allowed her head to turn to the side, looking out through the bars to see the guard that had silently been on duty guarding her cell being relieved. In his place came a familiar pirate, Yaer. He had been a deckhand at the same time as her stint as first mate on Barge's ship.

Yaer took over the wooden chair that the previous guard had been sitting in. Theo made brief eye contact with him then turned back to the wall, much preferring that than the sight of an old crewmate watching over her in a dingy cell. The energy had shifted though, from silent and calm to a bit more charged. She could feel the intrigue radiating from Yaer, even without looking she knew he was positioned slightly forward in his chair, observing Theo and waiting to ask. It was almost like what Ava would do. Except it wasn't Ava that did that, it was Avery. It was a calculated attempt to seem cute while extracting everything she could from Theo. The thought made her empty stomach flop around and she kicked herself for going there. She clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to shake off the feeling of heartbreak.

As Theo was undergoing a small crisis over the thought of the redhead, Yaer found it best to spark up a conversation. Theo had to stop herself from groaning as she heard the first sounds come out of his mouth.

"So, did you do it?" Yaer asked, there was no accusation in his tone, "Work with the Vaith girl and Lord Vaith?"

Theo turned her head slowly. She raised one eyebrow, "Are you asking me if I'm the rat?"