The Sea Witch's Revenge (ON HOLD)

Chapter Twenty-Four

 "I'm hungry."

The captain pauses mid-mouthful. Slowly, he puts his fork back down. He looks at Victoria out of the corner of his eye, then narrows them.

"So eat," he replies.

Victoria grits her teeth in frustration and leans back on her chair.

"I'm not hungry for this," she says, gesturing to the bowl of stew before her.

In their rush to leave Ship Wreck Cove, none of them had thought about what to do once Victoria's hunger returned.

Now, a month and a half into their journey, those wretched pangs in Victoria's stomach have come back in full force. 

The rest of the crew look around at each other nervously whilst Victoria and the Captain glare at each other.

"We're hundreds of miles from land," he finally says.

"Do you want me to starve?" Victoria asks. "I told you two weeks ago when we passed that trading ship that I was getting hungry and you did nothing."

She grits her teeth in frustration.

"We are only a few weeks away from the Shattered Arctic," he says. "I'm sure the Frozen Witch will have something for you there."

Victoria lets out a long slow breath. "It's the fucking Arctic, captain," she growls. "It's a frozen wasteland. What land mammals, but the Frozen Witch, is going to be there for me to feed on?"

"Polar bears?" Thessaly asks, wincing slightly as Victoria shoots her a harsh look.

"A polar bear will not sustain me as much as a human, or troll, or pixie, or dwarf..." she growls.

"I'm not attacking a ship, Victoria," he sighs and stands. "We do not need to be drawing attention to ourselves. You can hold out for a few weeks until we get there and you can feed on whatever is available."

Victoria bites back a growl twists her mouth awkwardly as her teeth start to grow. She forces them back and lets out a long, low breath from her nose. Her hands clench tightly on the table, turning her knuckles white.

"I'll eat you if you don't help me get some proper food soon," she warns.

"Won't you be infected by the curse? It's caused Severed Fell after all, surely that twisted magic will be in all of our blood and flesh," Aurora says.

Victoria leans back and taps her belly.

"Please, there is nothing that this stomach can't digest," she says proudly. Then, she glares at the captain as he leaves, slamming the door behind him.

"I'm sorry Vici, but he's a stubborn arsehole," Oscar says.

"Yeah, why do you think he and I barely talk," Thessaly says, scoffing and rolling her eyes.

Victoria nods her head. Thessaly and the captain are strangely distant. Sometimes Victoria even forgets that they are siblings.

"Come on Vici, help me clean up," Otto says. "Maybe that will keep your mind off it for a while." 

Victoria grumbles to herself as she stands and helps the chef clear the table of all the dirty dishes. The rest of the crew slowly disappear, going back to their tasks. Victoria angrily scrubs the pans, continuing to mutter to herself as she does so.

Otto laughs and pats her on the shoulder.

"It's only a few weeks, Vici," he says. "And you're strong. You can hold out until then, right?"