(A.N- sorry for the extremely late update. I've had a pretty chaotic past few months. I'll try to make it up. Um yeah... Enjoy.)
"Stay with Lefiern. I'll be right back." Tavern said as she strapped some daggers to her thighs. "If this goes well it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes."
Tavern would be accompanied with five crew mates, Sasha, Neil, Wisteria, Izzy, and Graham. The group looked menacing, all of them over 5'8" tall and covered in muscles, weapons and scars. Both Izzy and Wisteria wore katana's strapped to their backs while Sasha wielded a scythe. Neil sported a bow and arrow accompanied with a pair of daggers and Graham had a sword. With a good bye the group disappeared over the side of the boat.
The crew and I waited anxiously, a guy was even biting his nails as he stared towards where the disappeared. Suddenly there was a strike of lightening and a cackle. The man biting his nails looked at me for a minute and grinned. He took a step towards me, then another. He kept walking toward me before he was so close I could feel his breath. Then he stepped back and launched himself off the side of the boat.
"Seth!" Lefeirn yelled. "Witches! Get the cannons ready, lower the sails and draw your weapons! Rachel, get below decks."
"No," I shouted back. "I can help. I know how to fight." I was too shocked to process what was even happening when a crooked nosed witch swooped down on a broom and cast a fire ball in my direction.
"Leda!" Lefeirn shouted, and a woman in a blue Sari stepped up and waved her hands. A wave of water doused the fire and I stood back in awe. "Rachel, below decks, now!"
This time I complied. I climbed the rope ladder down and watched the crew load and fire cannons. They were systematic. Everyone had a job and every action fit together like a puzzle piece. I felt out of place.
The boat shook and I lost my balance, tumbling on to the wooden floor. A gun shot when off beside me and my ears rang. I stayed on the floor listening to the muffled screams and steadying myself to the near constant sways of the boat. It took a few minutes for the ringing to stop and the boat launched forward.
"We can out run them, Shaun, give us some air!" Lefeirn yelled. The boat took off and we sped away. What about Rachel? The thought racked through me. I stood up and ran to the deck and found Lefiern meaning the steering wheel.
"What about Rachel?!" I had to shout over the books of the canons and the howl of the wind.
"She will find her way to us, we need to get you safe first!" He yelled back.
"We can't leave her, what if something happens?!"
"She's a crafty girl, she can take care of herself."
"What if she's hurt?"
"Lucifer won't hurt his niece." He offered me an encouraging smile and I took in a deep breath.
"Hopefully," I muttered. He didn't hear me.
"You should go back below decks. Get some sleep." He yelled.
I nodded and let my feet guide me to a cot. I tried to sleep but my thoughts kept raging like a fire through my brain. I couldn't stop worrying about her. I can't believe she would risk so much for me.
I tried not to think about it. Eventually I fell asleep.
•••••
The boat lurched and I was cast off of the cot and into the floor. I sat up. "Sorry bout that!" Lefiern called from above deck. God, was he loud. He probably grew accustomed to casting out his voice from how loud the winds were last night. From the sound of it, it had stopped raining. I coughed and rubbed at my sore throat.
Finally, I made my way up to the deck. I realized that the lurch that woke me up was the boat docking. "Here, this will help your throat." A woman, Leda, I recognized from last night, handed me a mug. It was filled with a brown liquid.
"What is it?" I must have been making a face because she laughed.
"Hot chocolate." She had a comforting voice.
"Thank you," I replied. She gave me a warm smile. "Are you from India? I couldn't help but recognize your accent?"
"Yes." She replied.
"How did you end up here?" I asked.
"I had run away from home, with my lover. He had convinced me that we would go to america and get married. We made it to America like he promised, but things were not so good. We could not find work, and we feel into poverty. He decided to make a deal with the devil, or rather Lefeirn," she laughed. "Back then Lefeirn was looking for crew members and he recognized my talent for water manipulation before I did. My husband offered me up for a job and some money. And that's how I got here."
"That sounds terrible." I said.
"Eh, I was better off with out him, if you asked me." She replied with a grin that made wrinkles appear at the sides of her eyes. "I do miss India though. It was a beautiful place. And I miss my family."
"How long have you been here?"
"A long long time." She stared down at her lap. She didn't look to be past her forties. Maybe time worked differently here. She pushed her brown wavy hair behind her ears and looked up. "I better get back to work. Enjoy," she gestured at my mug of hot cocoa.
I took a sip and it made my mouth water. It was one of the best drinks I had tasted in weeks. I finished it in under a minute and wished for more. Man, had I missed the taste of chocolate.
"Rachel!" Lefiern called even though he was less than ten feet away from me. "Welcome to my island."
"You have an island?"
"Yes, all mine. It's the one neutral, peaceful place in all of hell." He laughed.
"Don't listen to him, he likes to boast. I can't even count the number of bar fights that break out every week on one hand." Leda said, approaching us. She held a crate in her hands as she hauled herself off the boat and onto the docks.
Lefeirn smiled and descended after her. I followed. It felt weird to have my feet back on constant, solid ground.
"Shaun!" Lefeirn yelled right next to my ears and speed walked over to a red headed man carrying a barrel.
I was left alone to gawk at the scenery. I was a beautiful island. The foliage was the deepest shade of green and the sand was the the brightest shade of golden yellow. The waters were a brilliant turquoise.
