Huntress' Heart

Prologue

'Priamos! Priamos you ass!' A young woman, appearing to be in her early twenties, yelled wildly as she flew down the length of the Port Quinn docks, boots thumping as she hurdled fishing crates and stray dogs as she raced for the 'Chief Descendant'. The merchant ship was sea ready, crew members rushing around the foredeck as they made last minute preparations; doubled checking the sails, pouring over maps, and securing the food supply.

'Watch yourself, wench,' an old beggar who resided by the docks hissed as she sprinted past, the young woman shooting him a mischievous grin over her shoulder, her mocha brown hair flying in the salty wind.

'Priamos! I swear to the depths of the sea, if you leave this port without saying goodbye, I will drown you myself!' The woman threatened as she skidded onto a small jetty, the 'Chief Descendant' bound securely to the mooring. 'Pria-'

'Hush, Chaska! It is ill fated to mention death at sea before setting sail,' A young man hushed, a broad grin on his face as he stepped down the gangway. He was tall for a man, standing over 6 foot with a well-toned physique and a ruggedly handsome face. Soft black hair bobbed in the breeze, and his green eyes glittered with amusement.

'They are nothing but half told lies, and you know it,' Chaska retorted, drawing the man into a bone crushing hug. The embrace was over as quickly as it started, the woman stepping back and crossing her arms over her chest, eyebrows raised above her lilac eyes. 'Superstition has no place aboard ships.'

'That may be so, yet it still grips the heart of many sailors,' Priamos scolded lightly, shoulders shuddering with contained laughter at his friend's untamed antics. 'Not Priamos, Warrior of the Seas. For he is as fearless as they come, the very waves quiver before him.'

'That's a load of shark shit and you know it!' the woman laughed, punching her friend in the shoulder with mirth. The man smiled softly, reaching a hand into the pocket of his trousers to produce a circlet of leather adorning a green pendant. The charm was fashioned into the shape of an arrowhead, both sides smooth and straight, coming together at a point which faced away from the thin chord.

'A gift, for the fair lady,' he said with sarcastic chivalry, dropping into a sloppy bow. Chaska's eyes were wide with wonder, the sea-stone pendant seeming to capture and reflect the rolling ocean in the beautiful blemishes and marks to the surface. 'So not to forget me on my journey.'

'It's beautiful,' she murmured, looking form the pendant and to Priamos' softened eyes. He reached forwards, looping the leather circlet over Chaska's head and letting it fall around her neck, the charm resting against her collarbones.

'A beautiful necklace, for a beautiful Elf,' Priamos remarked gently, and Chaska again drew him into a tight hug, burying her face into the crook of his neck. 'A particularly touch Elf, I'll admit.'

'Hush you,' Chaska sighed, pulling away reluctantly. She let her hands linger on his arms before letting go, taking a step backwards. 'You wouldn't want me any other way.'

'You speak the truth, dear friend,' the young man nodded as he stepped back to the gangway, glancing up at the sound of raised voices onboard. ''I pray you'll be awaiting my return; I'll miss you.'

'Hurry up and get back here,' Chaska called as he ambled up the gangway, pulling the plank of wood back and untying the mooring. The ship started to drift forward, taking the slow current to the end of the jetty. The young woman jogged alongside the hull, looking up at her friend as he looked down to her.

'So impatient, for an Elf,' he chuckled, leaning on the railing as the boat reached the end of the dock, leaving Chaska to lean out over the rolling waters to watch him go.

'Be careful, dear friend,' She whispered, raising her hand in a final farewell as the ship rolled open the main sails, catching the coastal breeze and setting off for another trading run. She bowed her head, shielding her eyes as an icy drizzle started to fall.

She stood upon the end of the dock, hand raised to her eyes as she squinted to make out the now distant ship, just catching sight of the pearly white sails through the sheets of rain. The wind had picked up, rain falling in frozen curtains to the wrathful sea below.

Thunder boomed overhead, accompanied by a crack of bright lightning. Chaska shrank back from the edge of the dock, hunkering down into a crouch by a nearby pylon. Even the old beggar retired to the port tavern as spray was thrown up by crashing waves, soaking the woman's trousers and shirt thoroughly with the help of the bucketing rain. It didn't take long for the young woman to start shivering, teeth chattering quietly as she still watched the 'Chief Descendant'.

The ship was rolling on the angered sea, swaying dangerously from side to side as its crew struggled against the howling wind. Under the ever-watchful eye of the young woman, a furious crack of lightning stuck the highest point of the ship, the crow's nest.

'Priamos!' Chaska bellowed, on her feet in an instant, hanging off the pylon as she stared out across the sea, mortified beyond belief. Almost instantly, flames kicked upon on the foredeck, barrels of rum set alight by the lightning strike.

Flames spread across the ship's deck as the central mast snapped with an almighty 'crack', the sound echoing across the treacherous sea. It was all the woman could do to watch as the ship was battered by the waves, tossed about as the craftsmanship slowly fell apart.

Tears glimmered in her violet eyes; hand pressed firmly over her mouth as she shuddered with sobs. It was only when the secondary mast snapped and the loose sail fluttered across the waves that she moved, thumping back down the dock and heading straight for the tavern, yelling for help.

'The 'Chief Descendant' is in grave danger! The sailors will perish if we do not send aid!' Chaska threw open the battered door to the tavern, all eyes turning to her as wind whipped through the building. The tavern was silent, save for a few muffled coughs from men near the back of the pub.

'What say you, girl? To what peril is the ship under?' The bartender asked a moment of sullen silence. The young woman strode further into the dingy tavern, passing beggars and drunken merchants alike.

'Their ship is battered by the storm, both masts are snapped, and the deck is aflame,' she cried, gesturing to the rolling sea sending spray flitting through the still open door.

'Then there is no helping them,' the bartender remarked with a solemn chuckle, turning from the woman as he made to serve his next customer. 'The ship will be lost before the sun begins to set.'

'Do we not launch boats to rescue survivors?' Chaska asked firmly, tears welling in her eyes as she caught sight of the troubled ship through the doorway. 'They will sink to their depths in this storm!'

'They will sink along with their boat!' The bartender growled, a heavy silence hanging over the tavern. The woman took an involuntary step back, her jaw set and fists balled. 'There is no use in sending another ship to its doom, when the attempt is fruitless.'

Chaska turned on her heel, marching from the tavern as warbled laughter followed her, mocking her. She ran down the dock, tears rolling down her cheeks as her eyes started fixed on the ship. She came to the end of the rickety jetty, falling to her knees as she started out across the waves, sobbing as the hull split and began to take on water, sinking slowly below the waves.

'Priamos...' the young woman whispered, choking on a strangled cry. A hand moved to the pendant around her neck, thumb tracing the smooth sides. 'I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I love you. Please come back to me, Priamos. Please come back to me, my friend!'

The pain she felt was unfathomable, her heart seeming to crack in agony as the ship sunk from sight, below the waves where it would rest forever. The rain poured, the wind howled, the sea rolled, and the woman broke.