I had never woken up in chains before. Reality came back to me slowly. I could hear the muffled thud of boots against the earth. Rolling over slowly to face the sound, I shook my head free of the remaining murk of unconsciousness and sized up my situation. My arms were bound behind my back; I could feel the bite of metal into my wrists and arms. My calves were similarly bound, giving me only enough mobility to roll over. Harsh laughter sounded from all around me, I couldn’t help the sneer that crept across my face. The boots stomped closer, until the scarred face of Tempest Storm loomed at me from the darkness.
“It’s about time you woke up… wench,” he said, a distorted smile hovering on his features. “I was beginning to think Vidan had done a right proper number on you, damaged you to the point of no return. But here you are, and with such a pretty rock around your neck. Tell me where you got it… or I’ll kill you.”
I squirmed from my place on the ground, pulling my neck back awkwardly to look at the chain around my neck. The signet ring was still there, but it looked nothing like a gem of any kind, the captain was making no sense.
“None of your business,” I spat. “It’s mine, and if I were you I’d let me go.”
“Or what?” he taunted. “You’ll destroy me? Report me to your precious captain? I’m sure he will thank me for my services, once I’ve knocked some sense into him.”
I clenched my hands into fists, closing my eyes as I attempted to tune out his words as I called my magic to the surface. I may not have been able to get free, but I could still burn the man from here. I began to struggle against the chains, wriggling around in the dirt as I tried to come up with a plan. Even if I killed the captain, his crew was sure to be nearby, and I was still chained up. Nonetheless, it would be worth it to wipe the smirk from his face.
A savage kick struck against my ribs and my eyes snapped open, expelling the fire I had been holding onto in a burst of heat around me. My assailant cried out once, and then collapsed in a pile of ash and greenish dust. Tempest Storm laughed again, a safe ten feet beyond the ashy circle I had created around me.
“I wouldn’t do that again if I were you,” he said, a self-satisfied grin plastered to his face. “Then again, I say you should try it. Have you heard what happens if a person uses up their magic?”
He stepped into the perfect ash of the circle, his boots stirring flecks of grey ash spiraling into the sky. He did not touch me, but leaned close enough that I could not escape the stench of his foul breath.
“They die,” he whispered, backing away once more before dissolving into laughter. “So try to burn my camp down again, or die trying. One way or another wench, you will tell me what I want to know. You will tell me how you got the blood diamond you wear around your throat, or you will suffer a pain that makes death seem merciful.”
“Why not take it from me yourself?” I snarled. “What pirate bothers to ask where their prizes come from?”
He shook his head slowly, rolling his eyes dramatically. “Stupid wench, do you think I know nothing of the blood diamond? Or are you truly ignorant to the rules that govern the object?”
I said nothing, unable to come up with a decent bluff. Storm’s laughter pealed out once more, now joined by laughter from his unseen crew, surrounding me with the sound.
YOU ARE READING
FireSweet
Fantasy"My name changed before my eyes, the paper before me read "Welcome Gittoran Scarlet", I felt a searing pain in my left shoulder and the world spun around me. I dropped to the floor, and blacked out." Gittoran was your average party-girl with attit...
