Fabluri

The rope rubbed against her wrists which were tightly bonded together, her back stiff from standing still against the mizzenmast that she was tied to. A limp body was lying in front of her, a boot keeping him on his side as he groaned in pain from the bump on the side of his head. The rest of her crew was tied together at the side of the ship. She looked back at the face the boot belonged to, his grey eyes seemingly pierced through her skin. He was young, his face unshaven and his lips seemed to be stuck in a permanent scowl.

There were no clouds in the bright blue sky, the sun was reflected in the deep water that stretched around them. The bow of her own ship could still be seen above the water as the rest of the ship sank beneath the surface.

"I'll ask you again and perhaps you can save this man from another hit to the head," the pirate leaned in closer, "where is it?"

She eyed the rapier that hung by his hip, "where is what?" she spits out,

He laughed sadistically, his crew wearing confused expressions as they looked towards each other wondering what was so funny.

His laughing stopped suddenly as his hand found its way to her neck forcing her to look at him,

"Don't be coy with me," he scowled. He was so close she could feel his breath on her cheek, "Do you see the flag, over there?"

He wanted her to know who he was, so his reputation would make her fear him, so she would feel more inclined to answer him. For these reasons, she responded with, "no I don't. Why? What does it look like?" she purposefully looked up in the sky looking everywhere but the deep red flag with a silver saber in the centre.

"It's usually an incentive, tells people who I am and makes people want to do whatever I say," he leaned back, a small smile fluttering onto his face as he watched her struggle against the ropes. He enjoyed watching her struggle.

"You haven't told me to do anything, Captain Nikos"

His eyebrows arched, "I have told you to tell me where the thing that I am looking for is,"

"And you haven't told me what it is you're looking for. It's rather hard to tell you when I have no idea what you're talking about. Whatever it is, it's probably on my ship that you decided to destroy," I responded.

"Oh no" he tutted, "nothing as precious as that would sink with a ship,"

"That's where you're wrong, the most precious things, they're what gets lost first,"

He studied her, his face contorting with uncertainty, "Do you have a name?"

She shrugged as much as she could his her hands still tied behind her, "I have many,"

"What do they call you?" he asked gesturing towards her crew,

"Captain," she responded,

"And everyone else?"

She paused before saying, "Saráff." It meant serpent, but no one cared about the meaning they only liked the way the word sounded against their lips as they say it.

He scowled, "And the name you were given at birth?"

"I will only answer that if you answer mine,"

"This is not a negotiation, this is not a conversation, this is an interrogation,"

She shrugged," the way I see it, you have questions, I'm offering to answer them if you answer mine"

"And what questions are those?"

"How old are you?"

He took an intake of breath, his eyes narrowing slightly, "what do you want to know that for?"