QUEEN OF THE NIGHT

Chapter two- Eyes Of Fire

(There is a brief map above of some places that I will mention in the book. I might add some more in the future in needed) :)

Dictionary:
Qubtan- Captain

I was frightened, unsure of who to turn to or what to do. I wished that he was with me here, the boy I met at the palace, so I didn't feel so alone and confused.

After I paid my ticket, I managed to find a small space at the deck to rest. People were everywhere, some men adjusting the sales, others shouting orders across the ship. I hated the feeling of loneliness, over here, I knew nothing and no one, and after years of being sold to different people as a slave, I should be used to it. But I'm not. And I wanted to cry so badly , I wanted vengeance for what they did to Mina in the palace. She was good and innocent and pure and they were the complete opposite. What kind of people could kill a child and feel no remorse. They will get what they deserve one day.

"You! Girl!" Someone shouted and I was suddenly snapped out of my trance. I glanced around over the ship, trying to make out where the noise was coming from. Not a moment or two later, a largely built man marched towards me, an angry look plastered across his face. I looked up at him, from my seated position and cautiously stood up using the wall behind me as a grip. He was very big, and very muscly, with a long black beard trailing off his face like a tail. I knew he was from the east, easily recognised by the dark skin and hair. But he looked scary, and angry, which are two things that do not go well together.

"What are you doing just sitting here?! The ship isn't going to sail by itself!" The man said angrily, his tall body leaning over mine.

"Uh..yes! Ofcourse not! How stupid of me I'll just.." I said, stumbling on my words before a woman with a barrel in her arms approached us. She was built tall and wore a scarf around her hair, her loose clothes were white and gold and I also noticed she carriend a sword around her belt.

"You leave the girl alone Qubtan. We have more than enough men to do the job" She said, putting the wooden barrel down next to the others.

"Don't tell me what to do! I am the Qubtan of this ship! People take orders from me! You're just a woman" He sneered at her in disgust. She paused before giving out a laugh and shaking her head.

"I may be a woman, but I'm more stronger than you will ever be as a man" She said with her eyebrows raised. She fixed her belt and gestured for me to follow her. I looked at the Qubtan one last time before quickly following her. He let out a growl and stomped away into a dark room out of sight.

The woman took me up a few wooden stairs and then to the end of the ship, where the view was magnificent. The water was a clear sapphire and the sky was the exact same colour. There was no visible land from where we were standing but I knew that beyond the water, was a world waiting for me. Which made me scared to death but also more excited than ever.

"You're from Nightwood" The woman said, leaning her arms on the wooden rail and looking out toward the sea. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think so, but I'm not certain to where I'm from" I said, also leaning on the rail.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Naeva" I replied. "And yours?" I asked.

"Anisa of Paqath. You are from Nightwood" Anisa said, looking at me. I gave her a confused look and as I was about to speak, she interrupted.

"You have eyes of fire. You have to be closely related to the High King Cyrus, may he rest in peace, to have those eyes" She said, smiling at me.

"Eye's of fire? What do you mean by that?" I say in confusion.

"Your eyes are visibly red, it means you have eye's of fire. No ordinary human has red eyes" She explained not so clearly.

"It can't be. I'm just a slave, my parents may have had red eyes too" I said looking away.

"Tell me, who are your parents?" she said, turning toward me.

"I don't know. I'm an orphan" I said silently, looking down.

"Exactly. You do not know where you are from. You do not know your parents. And yet you are denying that you are from Nightwood" She smiled.

"Maybe I am from Nightwood. Maybe I'm not. All I know, is that I am a free woman now" I said, smiling back. We shared the happiness for a moment, before it was cut away with the sound of a sword being drawn. We both turned around, to be faced by three men. One of them I recognised as the Qubtan from earlier, and the other two were smaller men that I hadn't seen before.

As they came closer to us, my body went numb and my heart began to race. All three men held their swords drawn and looked like they were ready to kill us. I backed away slightly and Anisa reached for her sword.

"Qubtan. Don't let it end this way" She said in a serious tone, her sword still not drawn.

"I've kept with your disobedience for five journeys. No woman shall ever disobey me again. I will use your heads as a warning" He said, walking towards us and almost striking at Anisa, but she managed to dodge perfectly. She drew her sword and the fight began, all three men were swinging at her as I moved to the corner to further myelf from the fight.

She moved like a bird, so effortlessly and so gracefully, and her skill was impeccable. I had never seen a woman fight like that before- even a man. She dodged every strike, defended her body perfectly and fought against their steel like a warrior. And all that happened next was too quick for me to process. The only thing that was visible to me was the head that now layed on the floor. And I froze in place, unable to think or speak or move.