Chapter 54 :) Sorry it took so long

Chapter fifty-four— Escaping Hellfire

                                                                                     

We hit soft ground, grassy and singed. I gasped when I felt a blast of heat on my left side, and when I turned, I gaped in horror when I saw that Fiona’s cottage was alight in flames.

I’ve lost too many people from flames. The fire licked the sides of the windows, engulfing the whole left side of the cottage. It was golden and bright, with menacing reds and blues. It was too hot to put out without magic.

I heard somebody screaming. “Where are the others? Are they inside!?”

My amulet transformed into its golden sword, glowing a heavenly light against the hell fire that spewed out of the cottage. Water poured out of the tip of my sword, attempting to soak the cottage and put out the fire. Nikki joined me and tried to help with her staff, but the there wasn’t enough water. Elizabeth looked around nervously, wondering what to do while the others tried to find our friends. I felt bad for Elizabeth; she barely even knew anybody here.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “Rain, we need help! Make it rain!”

I knew it would start raining. It always would. My mother and sister were somehow connected to the rain, and I was connected to them.

I felt one drop. Then another. I looked up and smiled, and it started to pour down like a shower. Elizabeth looked around in confusion and I nodded at Nikki and her to follow.

There was still a fight going on, and the ground was plastered with blood and contents of the undead. I felt like I wanted to vomit, but I kept going. Sophia appeared in front of me, soaked to the bone, but unharmed.

“Did you find them?” I asked loudly, trying to speak through the chaos and the pounding rain.

Sophia nodded, smiling. I wondered where Abby and Danielle were at. “We need to get out of here now. If we don’t, more people will get hurt. Malistaire is searching for us, and when he figures out we’re not here, he won’t kill anymore innocent people.” Sophia’s voice was at a yelling volume now.

“He saw us, Sophia.” I yelled back, avoiding spells that rebounded our way. The rain was pelting down on us so hard that it was almost hard to see. “Right before we ported, he saw us in the Jade Palace. He shot a spell at me, and I think he hit me.”

“Are you alright?”

I shook my head, wet hair sticking to my face. It was like talking in a public shower. “It doesn’t matter. Where are the others?”

“Ronan still has his ship. We are planning to go to the portal that will take us to the planet of Dragonspyre. They’re waiting for Nikki, Elizabeth, and you.”

There was a lot of water on my face, but I felt one very hot slide down my cheek. A tear. “I can’t, Sophia.”

“What?”

I shook my head, wanting to fall down and die. “I can’t go. Not after whats happened.”

Sophia took my shoulders, and made me face her. She looked me in the eye, determined and sorrowful. “We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Mary, but battle on.”

I kept shaking my head, and my heart burned in emotional pain. “He killed Caspian. I have to make him pay. I have to make him feel what I have felt.”

“Mary, you don’t know if he killed Caspian.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” I cried out, hanging on to Sophia as if for dear life. “He wants the things that hold me to the subject wanting to live to break. To be crushed. He took my family. He’s taken my friends. He’s received no pain like I have, when he is the one who most deserves it. He deserves what I feel!”

There were voices. Shouts. They were getting closer, and they didn’t sound very encouraging and safe.

“Mary, Mary, Mary...” Sophia spoke my name multiple times, as if trying to wake me up. “We have to go, Mary. Come with us. Be with your sisters. We need you.”

I finally nodded, biting my lip, trying not to cry more then I already was. I took Sophia’s hand, and Nikki took mine and Nikki took Elizabeth’s with her other hand.

We walked into the rain. I didn’t know where we were going, or that we were even near a sea. In a matter of ten minutes, I saw a large mass enter my view through the rain and the fog.

It was a dock, and anchored there was a large ship. It looked more like an arc, and I recognized it from the ship that Sierra and I were on when we had traveled to Krokotopia and Marleybone. I remembered that I had slept through the mysterious portal of whatever waters we had been traveling on the first time I’d gone to a different world/planet. The portal to Dragonspyre must also be in the sea.

I had a sudden jolt of realization shoot through me, making me freeze. My mother’s letter, her wedding present, and Adam’s book were in the cottage. By now, they would have either been burned or soaked. They couldn’t be saved.

I sighed miserably, and walked on.

I walked up the ramp to the ship, relieved to see everybody aboard. However, Sierra and Alia began to walk down the ramp, back towards land. “Where are they going?”

Everything seemed rather vague and dreamy, as if nothing was real. I wondered when the last time I slept was.

“They wanted to stay. It’s good if we have a few people to stay behind and obtain information when needed.” Ronan explained, coming up from behind me, also holding Fiona’s hand.

I looked at Sophia. “I could have stayed.”

“No, Mary.” Sophia put her hand on my shoulder. “You’re coming. We need you the most.”

I took a shaky breath, and walked towards the captain’s quarters. I yearned to be inside.

It was warm and dim-lit, which is what I craved. I sat down in a chair and put my face in my hands, willing myself not to cry.

My whole world is the pain inside me. The best I could really do is just get through the day. Maybe after many years, when life before is only a memory, I'll still wonder why the Fates let me walk through this place. Though I can't understand why this happened, I know that I will when I look back someday, and see how I’ve brought myself beauty from ashes.

Maybe. Not likely.

I heard my sister’s shuffle inside and sit next to me. Looking up, I grimaced. “I feel like crap.”

“Who can blame you?” Nikki answered back, lighting a few more candles. “You’ve been through more shiz than all of us.”

I studied the scene. Danielle wasn’t here; she must be being taken care of her injuries and such. Elizabeth sat quietly in the corner, listening with curiosity.

I ran my hand through my hair in stress, brushing against the back of my neck. I gasped when it stung, as if it was severely sunburned. Then I suddenly recalled the tingling sensation I had felt when we had ported.

“Whats wrong?”

“I…” I frowned, gently touching the back of my neck. It felt… Different. “Is there something wrong with my neck?”

“Let me see.” Abby walked over to me, and I bent my head over as she gently brushed away my hair to see my skin. I heard multiple gasps, and I felt extremely awkward.

“What is it?” I exclaimed, slightly trembling. I hate not knowing something that’s wrong with me. Its like a friend pointing out there is a black widow somewhere on your body, and they wont say where.

“Mary… There is a tattooed symbol on your neck.” Elizabeth’s voice sounds worried, almost strangled. I remembered that we still had to tell her about the S.A., and the unfortunately alive beings of the Falsarium-Noctis (Or F.N.)

“What do you mean? I don’t have any tattoos.” My eyes widened. “Did anybody get a tingling sensation when we ported? As in, on your hands and the back of your necks?”

“Uh,” Nikki sounded disturbed, and I saw her touching the back of her neck. “I think I have it too.”

“Dear Fates.” Sophia gasped. “I felt it, too! It feels like the back of my neck is sunburned.”

“I have it as well.” Elizabeth added, sounding frightened.

“Abby, do you have it?”

“I do.”

I got up from my position. “Somebody give me pencil and paper.”

“Here,” Elizabeth moved to Ronan’s desk, and grabbed a piece of parchment and a ink pen. “Will this work?”

“It’s fine.” I thanked her and took the pen and parchment. “Nikki, can I see your tattoo?”

“Sure.” She picked up her hair, as if putting it in a ponytail, and showed me the symbol. It was a beautiful, graceful kind of symbol. It looked as though there was a large circle with a triangle inside it, with a smaller circle. It held a kind of spiral feature, and a line across it. I used the pen to draw it.

“Is this everybody’s symbol?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s my symbol.”

“This is so strange.”

“Weiirrddd…”

“Since all of us have it, Danielle probably has it, too.” I proceeded, passing the parchment around.

“Excuse me,” Elizabeth’s voice rang out, slightly frustrated. “I still don’t even know whats going on. Who and what are you people?”

“We,” Sophia smirked. “Are your sisters by blood but not by genetics.”

“And I am the daughter of Medusa.” Elizabeth replied cleverly, crossing her arms. “We are not sisters.”

“Well, we use the term sisters because it makes the most sense.” I explained. “It’s not like we’re going to say distant cousins or something.”

Elizabeth gaped at us.

I sighed. “I wish I could show you the letter my mother wrote, but it perished in the fire in our friend Fiona’s house. The others, like Caspian and Sier-“

I stopped. Abby made a choking sound and made it to the door. Sophia tried to stop her and comfort her, but she left the room.

“Whats wrong with her?” Elizabeth looked worried, and I pursed my lips.

“Caspian is a good friend to us, and a brother to Abigail. He, well, seemed to have passed away recently.” Nikki explained numbly, avoiding Elizabeth’s eyes.

I cleared my throat. “I don’t want to hear about him right now.”

Somebody patted me on the back softly. “It’s alright, Mary.”

I turned away, looking out into the window. It was no longer raining, and the black sky had turned into a blue hue. It looked about six. “Elizabeth should know who she is.”

“I agree.”

I bit my tongue, fighting back emotions. I took a deep breath, and turned them off. It was numbing, and though I couldn’t feel any relief or happiness, I couldn’t feel any pain either.

“Mary, you should tell her your life story.” Sophia told me quietly. “You know the most about this stuff.”

I glanced at them and nodded. “I’ll try.”

Elizabeth scooted closer, eager and excited to hear what I had to say. I, however, felt neutral. Tired, even.

Silence. “Where should I start?”

“Anywhere.”

I cleared my throat, and went all the way back to Earth, where it all truly began.

I told Elizabeth about the six friends who were powerful wizards, and about their kids. I told her about what Jane did and the consequences, and what happened to Firenze in Mooshu. I told her about my mother living through her mother and uncle’s death, along with leaving her father behind on Earth. I told her about the High Council, and how my mother and Malistaire had most likely met there. I told her about my mother realizing how dangerous Malistaire was, and that she had birthed me in secret and that Wolf’s father was the doctor who did it, which was how I was connected to Adam. I told her about my step father, of which I remembered of him, and of my sister and my mother’s plans. I told her about all the things that had happened to me, such as the Golem Court incidents, the whispers in the wind, and the Library of which I found Adam Deathbringer’s book. I even told her about my family’s murders committed by my own father, and my mother’s letter I had read afterward.

It became rather obvious that Elizabeth was getting a feeling on what she was when I was explaining the Angels to her. I pointed them out, telling her that Nicole was the Angel of Remembrance and Intelligence, Sophia was the Angel of the Hunt and Battle strategy, I was the Angel of Wisdom and Spirit, Abigail was half-Angel and had spiritual powers, Danielle was the Angel of Nature, and that she was the Angel of Love and Beauty.

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, wide eyed and speechless. Finally, after a minute or two, she spoke. “Wolf knew that there was something going on, but I don’t think he ever knew it could be… I mean, I didn’t even think so…”

“How much does Wolf know?” Nikki asked, suspicious. “How does he even know things? We keep things rather top secret around here.”

“Besides the spies and all that.” I added, “Which, by the way, are everywhere at the moment.”

“It was kind of obvious Juan was a spy.” Sophia sighed. “We were just so busy to notice.”

“Well, we will be more careful this time.” I decided, voice slightly faltering from using it so much. “I know who we can trust now.”

“So how do we know we can trust this Wolf Deathbringer when we meet him?” Nikki asked, looking annoyed. “All we know is that he is Elizabeth’s friend.”

“He’s really smart.” Elizabeth told us, twirling her hair with her forefinger. “For a guy who spends more time fighting then in the library, that is.”

“Which is..?”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “He’s intelligent. He’s also kind of moody.”

“No kidding.” I smirked, putting my feet up on the table. “He’s lost a parent. Even I have to stop myself from getting moody all the time. I’m not sure why I’m not depressed yet.”

“Eh.” Elizabeth looked out the window. “I started to hang out with him a few years ago. I’m always in the library, because there are usually no guys there. As an Angel of Beauty and Love, as you say I am apparently, they’re always swooning around me.”

I could imagine boys following Elizabeth around, obeying her every wish, when really they just want to get inside her pants. I felt bad for her.

“How many years was it?” I asked, curious.

“I think three.” She replied, still gazing out the window.

I raised my eyebrow. “My mother and sister were murdered three years ago.”

Elizabeth observed me quietly, mouth slightly ajar. “Maybe he heard the news and thought there was something special about what you were involved in.”

“No,” I frowned, now serious. “No, everybody gets curious about the daughter of a killer, but to spend three years studying us? No. He probably figured that we were searching for something, and only then would he find true interest.”

          “Well, I believe he is smart enough to guess that.” Elizabeth decided, tapping on the table with her fingers. “He knows Malistaire only kills for a reason. If Malistaire tried to kill you, then Wolf would have found interest in what you were doing. Everybody knows that your traveling to places, Mary, and nobody knows why except a few people. I think that’s why he found you, and possibly you- our sisters fascinating.”
          “You know who we should try to find?” Sophia wagged her finger at me, smirking. “Mary’s stepfather.”
          “No!” I shot up out of my chair, nearly knocking it over. “He’s weak and a coward. Plus, we don’t even know where he is.”
          “Settle down, woman.” Sophia made me sit down with a slight push and I crossed my arms and legs stubbornly. “It was only a suggestion.”
          “I’m not going to look for that bastard.”
          “Alright, alright.” Sophia sighed. “He’s probably dead, anyways.”
          “I don’t even know his name.” I lied, avoiding their eyes. I felt my face burning in both anger and sensitivity.
          I’m pretty sure his name was Cody. It was a familiar name that I remember, but I never knew anybody else named Cody.
          He also wasn’t dead, I knew. Not from old age, anyways. He had most likely been in his twenties when he was with my mother, so he’d probably be in his forties by now.
          It was quiet. We sat there, fumbling with our clothes and sitting in silent grief. I thought about Caspian, and the thought of him sent a jolt of emotional pain through my heart. I knew now that I loved him, but now I had lost him. I had never felt such a pain before, even when my family was murdered before my eyes; for back then, it was a different pain: it was the realization that I was alone, their souls abandoning me on this planet that used to be our race’s savior. With Caspian, it was knowing that I will never find somebody like him again that made it so frustrating. I was immortal, and I would spend eternity without a love that was absolutely true.
          And I had been desperately in love with him, and had never experienced anything but a confession from him.
          I vividly remembered back in Marleybone, when he first figured out who I was- what I was- the way he closed in on me by the fireplace, the way his perfectly tanned face was inches from mine, the way his magnificent blue eyes with flecks of gold gleamed when he gazed into my eyes like they were open doors, or how his dark chocolate hair- almost black- fell into his eyes when he had leaned into me… And how I felt when his skin touched mine, how divine it felt, even if I didn’t know what love felt like then.
          But now I was alone. I was with five sisters, ones who were only by blood but not by genetics, but I was still alone. Alone with the cruel world and everybody in it.

But then I realized that there was nothing wrong with the world- just the minds of the tortured souls that walked this fantasy plane of life. The ground we stood on was meant for us. The air we breathed was meant for us. Every single object had a meaning, and we distinguished ours as something inconceivable. Nobody thought of the consequences anymore. You can either survive and live with the pain, or drown in your own self pity.

Unfortunately, the fact that our magical world that had been our safe haven was now our death trap. Somehow, even if we live through this war, our souls weren’t going to make it out alive.

Thus, I knew now, with the fire of Caspian’s death leading me on, the fight had truly begun. I wasn’t going to drown in my self pity anymore. I was stronger then this, and if I was to be stronger than Malistaire and his growing army of the undead, I was going to be stronger both physically, but mentally as well. I was not going to let him win this way. Caspian wouldn’t want to see me depressed as I had been lately- a weak little nineteen year old girl who doesn’t know nearly enough magic to fight her own father to the death. 

“Mary, I know this is a hard time for you…” Nikki spoke up and she put her soft hand on mine reassuringly. “With Caspian’s death and all that, along with the other stuff that has happened to you…” Her voice trailed off, and I knew she was monitoring her words. They were afraid that I would break. “But we are wondering if you could tell us why you were with Juan tonight?”

I swallowed, throat feeling dry. I willed away the tears, afraid that if one fell from my eyes, they would not stop coming down. I yearned to be in water; somewhere I could bury myself and my tears would go unseen. Somewhere where nobody could hear my hurt screams and my weaknesses. Somewhere like in Caspian’s arms; he had always been my water. It was him who never really judged me by what I was, for he was something just as special. What creature (how strange to say such a thing when it’s about Caspian) he was had not been anything I knew about; I had always thought he was perfect, despite his cocky and stubborn self, but never supernatural. If he is what Juan thinks he is, what could he possibly be? Another Angel? Demon?

What the hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a zombie unicorn in disguise.

Well, maybe.

“Juan saw me blast one of the Falsarium-Noctis away from me when the demon had tried to kill me. Juan seemed to know what the Falsarium-Noctis was, I don’t remember how… My memory is quite blurry from what I’ve figured out today…” My mind was actually still thinking of Caspian, unwilling to think of anything else. I sighed and forced my mind to reluctantly go back to the maze and my death and the reasons of why I did what I did. “He told me that if I went with him to sacrifice my life, the Falsarium-Noctis would be destroyed and all of you would be saved.”

“Oh, Mary.” Sophia seemed to melt and she gazed up at me with sorrowful admiration. “You shouldn’t have. What made you think it was true?”

“Because I am related to Malistaire,” I explained, feeling embarrassed. “And if Malistaire dies, so do the Falsarium-Noctis, because he is the master of them. It would make sense if I die, because I have his blood in my veins.”

They looked as thought they were trying to prove me wrong, but they seemed too exhausted and guilty to say a word. They knew I was trying to be noble, and I would have been annoyed as well if somebody tried to die for you. It’s complicated.

“When we get to Dragonspyre, I want to have a funeral for Natalia.” I decided, looking at their eyes pleadingly.

“Did you ever have a funeral for your sister and mother?” Elizabeth blurted out. Nikki glowered at her, but Elizabeth didn’t seem like she cared.

“They did, but I left for Krokotopia before the funeral had taken place.” I replied gloomily. “I’m not even sure where my family was buried.”

“Sylvia Drake and Sabrina Ravengem?” Elizabeth coughed, and took a swig of water from a flask. “Right before I was captured by that wretched Elephant demon thing, the coffins of Sylvia and Sabrina were brought into the Necropolis, which literally means Valley of the Dead, very near the Dragonspyre Academy. I thought you knew this.”

“I never knew such a thing!” I exclaimed, and I felt anger flare up in me. “I mean, I know that we’re kind of on the run, but I’d still want to know if my family’s graves were being relocated.”

“I’m not sure where they were in the first place, but now they’re in Dragonspyre.” Elizabeth shrugged. “Probably to keep their corpses safe.”

“Yeah, not many places are safe right now.” Sophia grimaced, cleaning off the blackened blood off her arrows. “All I’ve been doing is expecting the unexpected… Which makes it quite expected, does it not?”

“What I want to expect is a five-star hotel with a delicious feast and a day off for goodness sake.” The air was heating up, and Nikki began to fan herself with a book. “But I can unexpect that to happen because heroes like us don’t get days off, because our lives are that crappy.”

“I don’t think unexpect is a word… Aren’t you the Angel of Knowledge?”

“Expect the unexpected, and the unexpected is the opposite of what you expect from me is what you were just given.” Nikki smirked.

“This makes total sense.” I smiled, but didn’t laugh. I didn’t feel up to it.

“I wouldn’t mind having a funeral.” Sophia decided, putting her weapons gently beside her. “It would be nice to remember the good things they had done.”

“It’s been three years.” I sighed. “I will be able to handle it.”

“Funeral it is.”

I sighed, and lay myself upon a small settee, my head on my hands. I yawned, knowing that I was truly exhausted. It was as if I was experiencing it all over again, leaving for Krokotopia and for Marleybone. The same sway of the ship. The same whistle of the salty winds.

          I closed my eyes and let them rest for a minute, savoring the great sensation of letting my heavy eyes fall. But then sat back up and ran my fingers through my hair in tired annoyance. This was Ronan’s quarters. We would have to the rooms on the ship together, and I would most likely end up with the room Sierra and I stayed in.
          “I’m going to find a room.” Sophia yawned, and picked up her stuff. “I have a feeling we’re going to need a lot of rest for whats to come.”
          “We’ll have to share rooms.”
          “Aight’.” Elizabeth looked at Sophia. “I’m sleeping in the same room as her, because if something happens, she’s going to be the one killing things.”
          Sophia grinned and did a little wink. “You know it.”
          “I’ll sleep with Abby and Nikki, then.” I decided, picking up my stuff and walking out the door. Mooshu was already lost in the darkness and we were in a world of salty waters and calm skies. I hoped that Sierra and Alia were going to be okay; they knew how to protect themselves. What I don’t understand is how much we tried to save them, only to let them go again. At least we got Ronan and Fiona.
          Elizabeth and Sophia walked past me, chatting quietly. The darkness of the night engulfed them, for there was no lights but dim lanterns over the deck, and they disappeared into somewhere of the ship.
          “Things are getting pretty bad, aren’t they?” Nikki came up behind me, yawning and putting her hair in a messy bun. We were both tired, both mentally and physically.
          I sighed, and crossed my arms and stood there, staring into the night, like a stone figure. “It was already bad… We just didn’t save what we could have saved on time.”
          “Like Caspian.”
          I turned to her. “He shouldn’t have died, no matter what he did. I could have saved him. He could have come with us.”
          “You thought you were protecting him,” Nikki sounded sympathetic, and she put a soft hand on my shoulder. I shook it off. “It was either the curse or your father that would have killed him. You chose the less obvious.”
          “I was stupid.”
          “You were not.”
          “Then what was I?” I glared at her, but then softened my gaze when I saw hurt on her face. “I’m sorry… I’m just frustrated.”
          “I understand your upset-“
          “It’s not just because of Caspian.” I lamented, running my hands through my hair periodically in stress. “It’s the fact that I feel like we haven’t done anything.”
          “Mary, we’ve done more than enough.” Nikki attempted to reassure me, but I shook my head angrily.
          “Part of Mooshu is most likely destroyed. We ruined Marleybone’s whole economy- most likely, and we haven’t done jack for anybody who needed us. We have saved nobody. If anything, more people have died at our hands then had been saved by us.”
          “Mary, listen to me-“I turned away from her, but Nikki took my shoulders and turned me towards her forcefully. I tried to wiggle out of her grasp. “Mary- Mary. Stop struggling. You were given a quest to find us. It was your first priority to find the Seraphina-Alleyen, not to put the Spiral at peace. We are together now, and we can finally start looking for allies and saving what should be saved. You’ve done more than enough.”
          I stared her right into the eyes, and she knew I was thinking of Caspian. I could feel it. “Obviously not enough.”
          I shook her off of me and turned around, trying not to stomp away, but to walk away gracefully and diligently. I was halfway into the dark when she called out to me. “You can’t turn off your feelings like this, you know. You’re going to have to feel, no matter how painful.”
          I turned my head. “Not feeling anything is the only way I can survive now. I just can’t take that chance.”
          And then I walked to my room, and took off my clothes, and put on a loose nightgown, flimsy but comfortable. I got in bed and pretended to sleep, wondering if I was going to break like they thought I would.
          I shall not be broken.
          For the first time in days, I actually slept without nightmares. It was pure bliss.



          I gasped, and woke up suddenly. I didn’t have any nightmares, nor was I in cold sweat or had been woken up. I just felt as if I had been abruptly pulled from my sleep in a matter of seconds, harshly thrown into the cold world of reality. It was dark out; probably one or two in the morning. The air was chilly and… Not silent. I frowned, and sat up in my bed, listening like a wolf.
          There were noises. They could be voices, I wasn’t sure. There was something different with the way the waves moved with the boat. Something was disturbing the waters, and I suddenly wished I wasn’t wearing such loose pajamas. It seemed pretty windy out… Could that be whats disturbing the aura of this ship?
          No. Wind doesn’t make the sound of male voices. Could it be Ronan? He was the only male on the ship.
          I saw a shadow in the corner of my eye, and I willed myself not to jump, as startled as I was. I turned my head, and Abby was sitting up in her bed as well. She looked at me, and put a finger to her lips. There was a window right next to her bed, and the slight shine of the moon made her body dark and mysterious. Even through the darkness, however, I could tell she had been crying.
          I stiffened when a light flitted past the window, almost like a flash light. It was the light of a wand, although I wasn’t sure where it had come from. Abby, however, slowly crept out of her bed, moving away her blankets and putting her feet on the old wood floor. She was wearing a white tank top and blue checkered shorts, contrasting with her pale skin and black hair. I got out of my bed as well, and tip-toed towards her. I could see fear through her bloodshot emerald eyes, but only for a second. I whispered to her hurriedly, glancing at Nikki’s sleeping form. “There are people here.”
          “Not here,” Abby frowned, looking as though she was in deep concentration. “But in the water. Another ship.”
          “Is it bad?”
          Abby’s eyes widened. “Your animal- the Pegasus. Its here.” She looked over at Nikki, and her fair skin paled even more. “And her owl.”
          “Then we are in danger.” I bit my lip. When Abby saw our spirit animals, we were in danger. It was always a heads-up, however most of the time it happens too fast for her to tell us of the upcoming danger. “Where is Ronan?”
          “I don’t think he knows yet.” Abby replied. “Let’s wake the others. Fast.”
          The door suddenly opened with a creak, and I almost jumped into Abby’s arms. Elizabeth’s pretty face poked through, looking anxious. “Bell is freaking out. Do you hear that stuff outside?”
          “Yeah, we do.” I replied quietly. “Whats wrong with Bell?”
          “She’s saying that there is danger coming from the water.” Elizabeth’s twinkling eyes flitted to Nikki. “You should wake her up. I’ll go wake up Ronan and Fauna.”
          “Fiona.” Sophia corrected, but she was already gone. Sophia rushed over to Nikki and started to shake her. Nikki grumbled, but when Sophia whispered to her, she jumped out of bed like a fox, grabbing her staff from under her bed. I grabbed my amulet and transformed it to its radiating golden sword, and gripped it as I walked outside the door, and onto the stairs.
          I stopped suddenly when I heard a bang on the upstairs, and Sophia’s arrow pricked into my back, making me yelp quietly. “Sorry.” She whispered apologetically.
          There was another bang. Then a third. Then a fourth. My eyes widened when I realized that those were feet jumping onto the ship. I heard Nikki swallow nervously, and Sophia didn’t seem to be breathing, which worried me. I sighed. “We can do this. They’re only people. We’ve fought worse things.”
          “Then let’s go.”
          “Wait.” I stared at the door to the upstairs. “We need to wait until the last moment…”
          “Why?”
          “Just wait…”
          I heard heavy footsteps and loud voices, gruff and harsh. A pair of footsteps vibrated the ground with its heavy steps, walking towards our door. A few more steps and they will find us…
          “Mary…”
          “They’re coming…”
          “Just wait.” I gritted my teeth.
          The footsteps were right outside the door.
          A hand touched the doorknob.
          The doorknob began to turn, the door clicking and opening-
          “Now!”  I screamed, and pointed my sword at the door. I shot a burst of light at the door, and it exploded, sending shards of wood and metal up above. I heard about three screams, and a hardy shriek of anger.
          Running up the stairs and avoiding the damage I caused, I twirled the sword in my hand and grinned.
          The people up on our ship had large, metal swords. They wore dirtied coats and pants covered in salt water, and even the classic eye patch. We were being attacked by Pirates.
          “Ye’ shouldn’t mess with the Pirates of the Demetrius Sea.” One burly man growled that out of his massive throat, his dark hair matted with dirt and seaweed. I tried not to look at his muscles and be intimidated by him.
          “Ye’ shouldn’t mess with me, because whatever the hell you were expecting, it wasn’t this.” I lifted my sword to my face, and the light illuminating from the sword caught my face like I was looking into a fire. I heard the pirate step backwards, suddenly realizing who I was.
          I heard him shout, no longer manly. “Captain! The girl of death’s brew is on the damn ship.”
          The girl of death’s brew? That’s a new name for me. I suppose it’s what they call me in Pirate Language.
          I heard him gurgle something, and looking closely, I realized that one of Sophia’s arrows had pierced him right through the gut. I grimaced and walked away, turning off my feelings and finally becoming unmerciful.
          I heard Elizabeth shout something, her wand pointing up into the sky. A streak of bright white light lit up the air, and I could finally see clearly. Half the Pirates that had broken into our ship were slaughtered. Sophia had only three arrows left, Elizabeth’s whip was bloody and glowing with intimidating power, Abby was throwing knives and slithering around like a cat- obviously no match for a pirate with a sword- and Nikki and Bell were nowhere to be seen.
          I felt something cover my mouth, and I yelped. The hand tasted like ash. I brought my foot backward into the guy’s private area, and surprisingly it was more effective then I thought it would be. Turning around, I brought the hilt of my sword on top of his head, knocking him out for a good hour or two.
          More Pirates were jumping onto our ship. I turned around, and a monstrous ship that looked about ten times larger then ours was parked right next to ours in the water. “Really!” I exclaimed in annoyance. “We escape from death and we get attacked by pirates? What the hell.”
          I heard a scream, and I gasped. It was Fiona. Whipping around, I tried to find where the scream had come from. I looked up near the captain’s quarters to see Ronan helping Fiona away from the fight, his tan face pale and eyes scanning frantically for help. There was a knife in her leg, but considering how dirty the pirate’s knives were, she was most likely going to get some kind of blood poisoning.
          “Enough of this!” Bell screeched, loud for somebody so dainty and small. For the first time, her eyes looked wild. Something about her was strange. It was as though she was… Glowing. No, radiating. She closed her eyes, and spread out her arms like she was going to fly. Everybody stopped to stare at her as she began to lift off the ground, and I gaped as she floated in mid-air, as a glowing figure of beauty and nature. Her mouth opened, and I tried to gain my balance as the boat began to shake. It was as if it was an earthquake, but we were on a ship.
          I felt water touch my feet, cold and surprising. I gasped, and for a second I thought we were sinking. I turned around slowly, and was face-to-face with a tidal wave, hovering in the air like it was waiting to be given orders.
          Then I couldn’t breathe. Water was in my mouth, burning into my eyes, my nose, pressing into every possible part of my body imaginable. I was spinning out of control, until my head hit something hard and metal-like.
          Then things went black.