Not just mortal and Fae book I (Azriel x Suree)

CHAPTER 3

Despite the fact my departure for the island wasn't for a couple of hours I woke up early to pack. I only needed essentials, like clothes, food, water, blankets and my beloved knives. As a young girl, whenever I was in my room I would make a habit of throwing sharp objects on my bedroom wall whenever I was bored or angry. It eventually became a skill and when I was sixteen, my brother brought me my first knife. I now have six, one named after every person I care about in my life, my brother, my friends and my parents. I never met my parents, they both died when I was barely a toddler, my father was a war veterinary, guarding the inside of the wall, like my brother and my mother was a house wife. I don't remember them, only the pictures of them, my father in his military uniform, a handsome young man that closely resembled Zander and my mother, a tall women with long hair, pinned back into a loose bun, holding a small baby girl in her arms and a young boy, clutching her other arm, peering down at the baby. Me and my brother. I decided to take the pictures with me, that way I knew they where watching over me. As I grabbed my coat and prepared to leave I went to check on Philip and the other chickens to make sure I had given them enough food. I went out into the yard and found him and the others wandering around, I looked to their bowl to see it still full.

"Alright, Pama's gonna come by everyday to feed you, please don't attack her." He clucked and I patted him on the head and I realised how much I was going to miss him. Despite the fact he'd drive me insane and I thought he was far more useful as food, he was practically family and I wouldn't have survived this long without him. I kissed him on the head and said goodbye, "see you later, Philip." As I left the paddock, I took one last look at the orange tree, glowing under the sun's light and closed the door behind me.

In no time I arrived down at the dock. I had already given Starton, my resignation, he just patted me on the shoulder and told me I always had a place at the power plant station. Now I was bidding farewell to Pama and Olan.

"I still can't believe your doing this." Pama said, clutching my hands as if they where a lifeline. I shrugged playfully, "I am pretty unbelievable." The sound she made was somewhere between a sob and a laugh. " How can you make a joke at a time like this?" Olan put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and looked at me, downhearted, "You be careful out there, those lands spare no one, and show no mercy." Behind him I heard the dock master call out.

"Two minutes till boarding ship to the island."

I looked back at Pama and Olan and gripped both of there shoulders.

"Listen to me, both of you, Olan I left my house in your name, if anything happens to me it's yours and anything in it," he looked at me shocked, his eye's going suddenly misty, "Pama, I have all my savings all my money in your name, take it, sell that stupid bar and see the world like you always wanted." She stared at me in awe before pulling me into a tight hug, her body wracking with sobs as I hugged her back. "I don't care about the money, I just want you to come back, please come back, no matter what happens, no matter what they do to you, never stop fighting." I couldn't speak, my throat closing up so I just nodded. She released me, drying her eyes, as I heard the harbour master calling.

"Boarding now for journey across to the island, I repeat, boarding now for journey across to the island."

I smiled at the both of them one last time and made my way toward the ship not daring to look back. Once I checked off my ticket and found a seat at the back of the boat I found myself looking out at the endless sea, only it wasn't endless there was something there, at the end, waiting for me, weather it was death or victory, I would not be afraid.

                                                           ***

At one point I must of dozed off, because when I woke, I no longer saw my home. I closed my eye lids, trying to shake the growing home sickness. When I opened them I decided to take the time to look around at the other passengers on the ship.

There was probably ten, maybe less, I noticed an elder women, hunched over, mumbling to herself, a older man, sitting against a pole reading, a girl, who looked a bit older then me, sketching, a group of three, two boys and one girl, most likely siblings, playing games and laughing. But they weren't the one's that caught my eye, at the back of the boat, four figures, where standing close together talking in hushed tones and looking over their shoulders every now and again. They looked normal enough, no different to anyone else on the boat, still I couldn't ignore my instincts, telling me to keep one eye on them. Unfortunately, one of them caught me staring and I immediately averted my gaze, but it was too late, I could hear footsteps coming up behind me and my hand went to my dagger, hidden in my coat. I kept my eyes ahead as the footsteps neared, prepared for a fight if need be. But just as I felt a hand grip my shoulder a noise suddenly came from above.

Every one immediately stopped what they where doing to look as it had been quiet the whole time. I strained my ears as well, trying to make out the sound, but it had become eerily quiet again, and I had begun to think I had mistaken the sound for a seagull or something when I heard it again, the flap of wings, large ones, beating against the air but as soon as they had come they were gone. People looked at each other confused, wondering what could have happened, one man had lit a lamp at the front of the boat to see through the mist. What occurred next happened so fast I barely had time to blink. One moment the man had turned his back away from the front of the boat, the next, a tall, shadowy figure was looming over him.