Sails of Love and Torment

Chapter V

Mud caked my boots, flying up my legs. We were running. Jumping the final fence I made my way towards my mother. 

We hadn't meant to leave her up here alone. It had been an accident. Joe ran ahead, still trying to chase down the guards. We had no way of stopping them. 

The sea spread out over the cliffs edge, high tide disguising the beach below. Guards stood at the edge, admiring their work. I only noticed them briefly as I saw my mother. 

Collapsing beside her, praying to the gods that she was still here. Hoping that this was all some elaborate trick of the divines. 

The gentle utterance of, 'she's gone, L.' Tore all sense aside. My life had fallen apart. 

She crouched next to me, hugging my quivering shoulders. Turning into her hug, I allowed my emotions to take over and we sat. My tears stained her shirt. Her embrace held me together. Neither of us said a word. We didn't have to. 

The sun had begun to set when, through bleary eyes, I saw the flower she was holding. A rose, white in colour, with a small note attached to it. 

To my Icarus,
The best daughter a mother could ask for.
Love mum ❤ 

I broke again. Holding the rose to my chest, sadly smiling at her use of her nickname for me.

~~~~~~~~~~

He stood holding a flower, it had been left for my mother. Bold. Confident. 

Terror and hatred flooded my mind, mixing like blood in the sea. How dare he stand there. Guiltless, even when he ordered his men to kill my mother because she dared to protect me. 

‘You know,’ he said as if reading my mind, ‘I will never understand why she took you. Or why, off all places, she’d choose this backwater dump.’ He turned to me, seaking my answer. ‘Or did she just want you all to herself?’

I dug my nails into the palms of my hands, forcing myself to be silent. He knew why I was taken. He knew my mother didn’t want me to end up a hopeless slave, married to a man who didnt care. I knew I had failed her. I had been married to a man who only wanted me for pleasure, caught under my fathers polished boot. I was back where I never should have been to begin with. 

‘Leona?’ The name pulled me from my spiral.

‘You know why she left.’ I muttered from between clenched teeth. 

‘Come now, you know how I feel about muttering. You’re my daughter,’ He paused for a second, allowing me to see my friends being pulled across the field, guards holding weapons to their throats, ‘and we have an audience.’ 

I instantly closed my eyes, wishing this was a dream. Praying this wasn’t real. During this moment I made my final decision. I will not let him hurt my friends. ‘Let them go.’ I demand, praying the anxiety isn’t clear behind my eyes. 

He smiled, ‘Now why should I? This one,’ he points the rose at Ethan, 'He's escaped from a high security dungeon and is now a wanted fugitive for evading punishment.' 

I stumbled backwards afraid of what he might do. Trying to distance myself from him. I thought I caught a glimpse of his eyes flicking to me, he must have noticed the flaws in my plan. He stepped away, towards Joe. I completely froze. Her hands had been tied with rope, her eyes looking anywhere but at me. As he took the step the guard lowered the sword and stepped aside  letting my father stand directly behind her. 

'And this one.' He grabbed her by the hair pulling her head up, forcing her to look at me. Forcing me to look at her. 'The kidnapper of my dear daughter and a known associate of the Pirate King, menace of my waters. Murderer of my wife. What reason do I have to let her live?' 

His labeling of Joe as my mothers killer removed all filters I was using, smashed through the mask I had donned. 'It was your men that killed her, not Joe! You took everything from me.' I had been so focused on my father I hadn't noticed my feet nearing the edge. 

In an instant he was upon me. Holding me by the throat, Forcing me only my toes. 'You will not speak to me like that. I am your father. Shut up and maybe I'll let you all live.' He didn't raise his voice, he didn't shout. This was a threat and an effective one. He removed his hand from my neck and I dropped, gasping for air as he turned and walked briefly away. 

'Ari. Ari, are you okay?' I hear Joe ask before hearing the thud of her being kicked. I couldn't look up, too focused on fixing my breathing. 

'Please,' I whimpered out between shaky breaths, 'please don't hurt them. I can't let you hurt them.' 

Slowly I began to stand up, my breathing now recovered. 

I didn't notice the shifting rock. Didn't notice just how close to the edge I truly was. The only sign I received was the cries of my name as I fell. The last thing I saw was Joe fighting off her guard and restraints as she tried to catch me. 

Then I was gone. And all I saw was sky.