Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Seraphina

I reach the kitchen, feeling slightly less hungry than before, but force myself to eat something anyway. I shove some fruit into a sack along with dried meats and stale bread to save for later�"just in case. 

I leave the kitchen and head to the upper deck to exit the ship. 

Far from Crimson Cove, blocked off by boulders and the sea, I take a seat at the top of the highest rock. It became slippery as the tide rolled in, but climbing high places was always easy. I watch the sun slowly descend from the calm sky, bursting with colors of reds and purples and oranges. The sunsets on the island have always been stunning. That’s the only positive thing I could say about Astoria. The landscaping, the beautiful beaches, and the Luminoth Mountain Range, which spans for miles and miles would awe any outsider's perspective, it looks like a paradise. Unfortunately, I know the dark truth about these lands; the jungle is too deadly to cross. I’ve tried once, and I came crawling back after a too-close encounter with a Veradin.

These creatures have terrorized the island for decades now. They remain deep inside the jungle, rarely crossing into the human territories. The thing looked like it was conjured by the Goddess of Death herself. Its golden eyes and razor-sharp talons stared back at me, like I was a mere ant. I ran like hell hoping I wouldn't be its next snack. I couldn't bear another beating and I thought that by running away into the maze where monsters roam wouldn't be as terrifying to face than the monster I live with. I was dead wrong. I have never felt more like a coward since that day and I will never allow myself to feel weak. I will not cower. I will show no fear.

I pull out a mango from my rucksack and peel the skin off carefully with my dagger, my thumb controlling the blade as I slice it into pieces. I lick off the sweet nectar from my sticky fingers, devouring the fruit in a few bites. I guess I was that hungry. I watch a pod of dolphins jump through the waters alongside a fleeing ship, which disappears into the sun. 

I wish I was able to go with them.

It’s been a while since I’ve actually sailed anywhere. I’ve been stuck here, where The Captain can watch me closely. He had stopped sending me on ‘business trips’ to the other Isles for about three years now�"since I ran away. I lost his trust, not that he had much in me anyway. So my Father decided to replace me with Killian to deal with political affairs, just to add salt to the wound. 

Killian and my father meet with other Pirate Lords across The Isles with whom we trade. We only transact with the Islands who signed the peace treaty between Corràn and The Seven Isles, which five out of seven of us chose to agree to Corràn's terms. The Isle of Zhilan refused to be leashed by the newly established government, and Morwyn never responded with an answer�"it was like their Pirate Lord had vanished. No one’s heard a whisper from the Island in over a decade. I hear that anyone who attempted to sail into their territory to make communication became lost at sea, never to be seen again. I wonder if those people are still alive.

My father sent notice that there will be a Pirate Lord’s meeting in the coming days, and told me I would be there to ‘welcome’ them. 

I pull the messenger scroll from my pocket and re-read his letter to me just to make sure I wasn't imagining things. 

Daughter, 

Your presence is required upon the request of the Deputy Mayor of Corràn. I am uncertain why she has chosen you to attend, but I presume it is because she has been informed of your mutant nature. Be sure to conceal your freak-show and appear as if you were born natural and not an abomination to mankind. You shall not speak unless spoken to. You will sit silently and will not embarrass me again. I expect you to be on your best behavior as you know what the consequences shall be if otherwise. 

That must have been the nicest letter he’s ever sent to me. Looking forward to burning it just like the rest of them.

I bite my lip, feeling the nerves creep in at the thought of the Deputy Mayor’s presence. She is considered to be one of the most powerful people across the land and sea and her reputation is admirable and horrifying. 

From what Killian has told me, she was one of the most infamous pirates ever known. Something happened to her and her crew one night, an ambush�"I believe�"and everyone was brutally killed. She was the only one who made it out alive. Since then, she has decided to leave piracy and has become involved in politics. She and the mayor built a new society from the ground up. They agreed that it would be in the best interest of both sides that the pirates stay away from Corràn and wreak havoc elsewhere. Corràn banished the pirates from entering their borders and forced them to live on the seas or on the Isles. They don’t get involved with pirate affairs and allow the Pirate Lords to rule as they please, as long as they stay there. 

Unless, that is, they come here. And that is what I am most concerned about.

All I know about  Corràn and the mainland is that they live lavishly and luxuriously. There's no worrying about when your next meal will be or if you're the next target on someone's to-kill list. 

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like. To be a ‘Lady’ who promenades amongst other snobbish folk. There are more rules, restrictions, and laws to obey. Aside from having a full belly and not being beaten to a pulp every day by their own father, it sounds like another prison. Another hell. As much as I wish to leave Astoria, there's nowhere I can go that welcomes my kind. I have no idea where the Fae fled after the pirates attacked all those years ago or if they are still alive. Corràn has banned magic and does not welcome those born with Fae lineage. That, I know for a certainty. So, I will be stuck here forever, leashed by my father to do his bidding.

I crumple the piece of parchment into my fist and shove it back into my pocket.