Dancing On Ice

Lost at Sea

Aeralie ducked as a chunk of wood flew over their heads, blown clear from the front of the middle ship which was losing its fight at a disarming rate. With explosions from both sides and no room to turn around, the ship was merely target practice for the assailants.

Kazimir swerved to the side as a length of metal narrowly missed his jaw.

"Aera, we need to go!" he shouted, looking down, only to find her not next to him.

Looking around, his heart pounding, he saw, to his horror, his cousin swimming towards the ships!

She was staring up at the white-sailed ship, trying to spot something, apparently oblivious towards the carnage around her.

She didn't turn when he screamed her name, he wasn't even sure she heard him so he was forced to go after her, dropping back below the waves, speeding through the water, fighting to stay on course as the waves rolled around him – the sea telling him this was not a good idea.

He knew that! She was the one who was ignoring the bleeding obvious.

"Aeralie!" he cried, bursting out of the water again only to see her catching hold of the rope nets that hung from the sides. "What are you doing?!"

"I want to see the people!" she shouted back.

"Are you insane?!" Kazimir screamed, knowing the answer. Yes! Yes she was complexly mad! He had never seen her disregard her own safety like this before. Was her fascination so extreme that is blinded her? This had to stop. He was going to make it stop!

Launching out of the water with a tremendous sweep of his tail, he shot into the air and caught hold of her tail.

The force of his weight coming down on her arms, that already had to hold up her own weight out of the water, was too much for Aeralie and she was ripped from the ropes, the pair plunging back into the sea.

"What are you doing?" she cried indignantly, staring back at him as they surfaced again.

"Me? What am I doing? I'm saving your life! We're going!" Kazimir shouted back, looking away.

His eyes widened.

Land.

They were closing in on The Shore.

He hadn't even noticed the waves pushing them and the ships along but they were nearing the shore.

They were so close he could even see humans appearing down on the beaches or, at the top of the cliff, where a beautiful, towering castle sat, people appearing on the balconies, pointing out towards the sea battle.

Barely any time would pass and they would be washed ashore.

If they were seen... if they were found...

He spun back to Aeralie, grabbing her arms, and the fear in his eyes must have given her reason to pause.

"We need to go," he pleaded, "We'll come back as soon as we can and look through the wreckage, I'll come with you to the surface and we can watch the castle, we can even sneak into the lagoon and see if we can spy the prince, whatever you want but please! This is dangerous!"

Aeralie looked at him and an explosion overhead made them both look up.

Kazimir shoved Aeralie back without a second thought right before an entire chunk of the pirate ship came crashing down on them, rigging, smashed wood and jagged slices of metal pouring down with fire.

Aeralie scrambled wildly as netting fell on her, tangling her up, terror instantly exploding in her chest as she realised she was trapped.

She whirled around, her hair tangling in the rope, her arms getting caught in the holes, her tail getting wrapped in knots.