Black Tides

Prologue

                                                       I was drowning.

The iciness of the sea was a shock to my system. It paralyzed me, filling my boots and soaking my clothes. I thrashed trying to make my way to the surface but that only seemed to push me further beneath the waves, entangling me in the tails of my coat. Water filled my lungs and burned its way through my nose. Squinting against the inky blackness that crowded the edges of my vision I desperately searched for light. Light that would tell me which way was up. Light that would guide me to air. Light that would save me. My chest ached for the sweet taste of oxygen. Blood clouded my vision but the pain from my wound paled in comparison to the sharp sting of betrayal. It weighed me down like an anchor. There was nothing up there for me anymore. I could still hear the crash of swords and the boom of cannons as the battle waged on. Men thundered with battle cries until they were silenced by the enemy and given to the sea. Thud. Thud. Thud. The thump of my heart slowed and as I sank further into the ocean's open arms the din of battle grew faint until nothing but silence enveloped me. I welcomed it, this was the first time in all of my twenty years that I've felt at peace. Free. I closed my eyes wanting to relish it. But a crescendo echoing in the quietness of my watery grave had them opening. A massive shadowy figure cut through the water towards me. Great. Just what I needed, a shark to put me out of my misery.Squinting I made out arms and legs instead of fins and teeth. Death then, he's come to claim me. Fear washed over me and I screamed into the deep blue abyss. I wasn't ready. I had a world to explore and a name to make before I was ready to leave this earth. Most importantly, I had a debt to settle. I vowed I would make him pay for what he did to me. I tried to kick towards what I thought was up. But my attempts were in vain as my legs were sluggish and lacked power. My lungs cramped and my vision was going black. Revenge was my last thought before death reached out his hand and pulled me under.