𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

026. Missing Shadow

It was sunset when Jillian awoke from her not-so-comfortable rest.

     Dark circles had formed under her eyes and they almost seemed to sag in - she was that exhausted. To her, it seemed the nap only made things worse.

     To top it all off, she had no idea where Saebeorht was.

     She hadn't seen him at all since she returned to the ship she called her own, and honestly couldn't even sense him nearby. Since she was captured by the rogue pirates, there had been no trace of the frigatebird.

     She was starting to worry.

     What if someone had captured the bird? Or worse . . .

     She just hoped even if that was the case, that he'd somehow manage to get out of that situation and find his way back to her. They were bonded after all. Saebeorht always did have a funny way of always knowing where she went.

     It was strange that she couldn't sense him at all. It was as if he didn't exist. Simple as that. The familiar tug on her heart had gone still almost three days ago. She had felt nothing since then.

     The emotion felt so foreign to her. She was afraid of what had become of her spirit animal. Perhaps she was just being paranoid. Maybe Saebeorht was enjoying his time being free.

     A knock on her door startled her momentarily before she recovered soon after. "Who's there?"

     "It's me," Wendy piped up from the other side. "May I come in? I heard you shuffling around and assumed you were awake."

     Jillian gave a deep sigh. Her sister would never let her be at pace until she knew what had happened. "Come in." She tried to sound as kind as possible.

     The door opened, and in padded Wendy who regarded her with a simple expression as she moved to join Jillian on her bed. "How was your nap?"

     "Could have been better," Jillian chuckled.

     "That's too bad," Wendy replied with a few blinks. "Now, you want to start telling me what has happened the last few days?"

       And so she did.

     The captain talked and talked until her voice became hoarse and her eyes became scratchy with tears. It was good to pour her heart out to her sister. Even though Wendy wouldn't completely understand, she was there nonetheless and would still provide the ears and comfort Jillian needed.

     The woman finished and leaned back, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes. "Where . . . where is Ramiro?"

     Wendy looked caught off guard by the question. "What?"

     "Where is the captain?"

     Wendy's eyes widened slightly. "Outside probably. Why do you ask?"

     Jillian stared at the door. "No reason. I'm going to go out and see him now. If you wish to come with me, you can. I need some time away from this room anyway. My legs are pretty cramped right now."

     Wendy shook her head kindly at her. "No. I think I'll give you two the space you need. If you want anything, sister, don't be hesitant to ask."

     "Thank you, Wendy."

     Without another word, the captain of the winged shadow stepped out of the doors and began to walk outside. The air was crisp - breezy in a way that it brought a feather-like sensation to her skin. It reminded her of sailing.

     She spotted Ramiro a good distance away sharpening one of his daggers with an expression that was hard to read. When he saw her approaching, he raised an eyebrow.

     "What do you want?" He asked, seeming mildly surprised as she halted a few paces away.

     "I've come to the realization my spirit animal is still missing. Will you accompany me to go find him?"

     The male snorted, smirking. "The death pigeon." He turned his gaze upward, to the sky. "And why would I accompany you?"

     He was right. Why was she asking him of all people to come with her? Color bloomed in her cheeks and she averted her gaze, gritting her teeth and balling her hands into fists at her side. "Because you have a ship. You have a crew. You'd be able to get us there quickly with no trouble."

     Ramiro shrugged his shoulders. "Why not ask your brother? He has a ship and a crew . . . well, half of a crew."

     "Because I don't want him to get involved just in case we run into trouble. No offense to him, but as you've seen, my brother isn't exactly the best fighter out there."

     The Capitán grunted in response, almost seeming amused. "If that is what you wish, Swan, then very well. We will depart shortly then."

     She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and nodded, adjusting the captain's hat on her head and turning away. Why did she trust him? He had tortured her for days, she would wear his scars forever. Why did she long for his company?

     Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she glanced at the ship. "I'll be waiting then."