𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

05. The Path to Breaking

Jillian didn't lose consciousness when she was punched, but it did disorient her enough to allow her to be dragged back to the brig, where she was roughly tied with her hands behind her back and thrown into a small room that was not her cell. The captain entered less than ten seconds later, his knuckles bloody from where he had landed the blow to her face.

     She glowered up at him with cold eyes, struggling against her bonds. If only the shark wasn't in the waters at the time. She could have escaped and avoided this mess completely. The wounds on her arm from where it had bitten her were burning badly from the saltwater, and she began to think that infection could still seep in. After all, this ship was dirty and the men here clearly didn't care about hygiene.

     The pain in her back had resided to an endless throb. The whip had cut deep enough to leave permanent scars and most likely they would be the first to catch an infection.

     She watched the captain - whose name she still did not know - pull a large, fancy-looking dagger from his belt and lean against the wall, fiddling with it before he locked eyes with her and chucked it right at her. It struck her shoulder.

     The cry of pain escaped her lips and the shock of it was frightening enough. At this point, she'd die from blood loss at the rate of how quickly she was getting life threatening wounds.

     "I've been in need of target practice, Swan," the male before her purred as she caught her breath, unable to reach up and pull the blade from her skin. So this was why she had been bound.  

     "Why do you call me that?" She questioned, trying to take her mind off the searing pain of her wounds. Her fingers itched to rip the knife out of her skin and toss it at his face.

     He tilted his head, those dark eyes holding no mercy as he drew another knife. "I can't tell you all my secrets. But I will give you the knowledge of my name."

      Jill furrowed a brow and said nothing. 

      "Call me Capitán Ramìro." He threw the second knife, aiming for her face, but Jill ducked to the side, feeling it whiz right by her ear. It barely nicked her. 

      Jill pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in reply. "You missed."

     "I noticed."

     He drew a third, hopefully the last and simply stroked the blade for a moment. "I'm just toying with you, Swan." The third knife twitched in his hands.

     "I don't understand why you want to just keep me here like some caged parrot. If you want me dead, just kill me now."

     "I told you. That would simply interfere with my plans."

     "And what exactly are those?"

     He threw the knife at her abdomen, and she curled forward with a scream when it struck dead center. The pain was growing increasingly and her breath came out in labored pants. "I'm not telling you my plans, Swan. That would spoil everything."

     Jill closed her eyes and tried not to drown in pain, electing to ignore her new scars, but it was difficult knowing there were two knives embedded in her skin.

     Ramìro walked toward her and placed a hand on her head, tilting it back to expose her throat to him. Her eyes widened, but the pain made her too weak to fight against him.

     He tsked and eyed her with an expression that was completely unreadable before he leaned so close to her face she could smell his breath. "You are mine, Swan. Better get used to it. I won, and you lost. You are merely a trophy. I can do whatever I please to you."

     "I belong to no one," She seethed, anger in every word. She figured spitting in his face would only gain her more pain. "Especially not you."

     He smirked down at her. "I will tame your wild spirit, Captain. And when I do, you will be nothing more than a caged sparrow."

     Jill was finding it hard to breathe as he spoke.

     "After I'm finished here with you, I'll tell my men to tie you to the main mast. There, you'll be able to see your sweet sister."
  
     "You better have not hurt her," She wheezed, voice barely heard as the pain grew more intense. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to regain her breathing more steadily. Every tiny movement she made only caused more pain to flare.

     Ramìro watched her, still holding her head. "I'm sure the broken arm we gave her will heal on its own."

     Jill gritted her teeth. "You said you wouldn't hurt her—"

     He cut her off. "But after that little stunt you pulled, tackling one of my crewmates, I figured you could use a lesson in respect. Also . . ." he smirked, "I'm sure she's freaking out less about the arm, and more about the rabbit we took away from her."

     All the air left Jill's lungs. "What did you do to him?"

     He merely gave her a wicked smile and released her, stepping back a few paces and taking in her helplessly bound form with a satisfied gaze.

     "What did you do to Simba?" She repeated in a more panicked tone.

     "You'll find out soon enough," He purred and backed away, limping towards the door. "I have work to do. My crew will take care of you for the time being." A pause. "You'll be brought to the mast at nightfall. It'll be a cold one tonight, so prepare yourself." And then he was gone, limping out of the door he came through.

     Jillian was left alone in the dark.