Of The Sea : John Murphy

21

Rage shook through me as I dismounted the horse at our secondary camp. I pointed to two of my people who were watching me carefully. "Go back to home base, " I ordered. "Bring me the outsider and supplies."

They nodded and departed without a single question, and that was how I wanted it to remain. I turned back to the twins that accompanied me and gestured for them to follow. "It will be impossible for us to enter without being noticed, there are few members there so there is a high chance that everyone knows everyone."

They too, dismounted the horses and listened in. "So we send in the outsider!" One partially exclaimed.

I shot him a dark glare with my arms firmly folded over each other.

The other rolled her eyes and punched her brother hard. "Weren't you listening? Everyone knows everyone! If they see someone they had banished, don't you think they'd know?"

"So what are we doing? I don't get it?"

I growled under my breath as I myself did not have the perfect answer to that question.

I heard an enthusiastic gasp from the girl and I focused my attention on her as she batted her hand excitedly, as if she was desperate to say something.

"What is it?" I half snapped, my face twisted in a horrified frown at her strange behaviour.

"Jobi nuts!" She expressed.

Her brother and I frowned further, not understanding her sudden words.

"Jobi nuts!" She repeated. "Native to these lands! They give you wild hallucinations!"

"What good will that do?" Her brother sneered.

I thought about it for a moment then nodded, "I see where you're going with this..."

She nodded perkily and continued her thoughts. "We somehow get it into their food supply and bam! The whole camp will suffer and we can sneak through without anyone giving us a second glance."

"That's a good plan you have there... uh..." I struggled to recall her name.

"Joni."

"Yes, Joni, I like your plan, but we can't all be going in, it'll be too risky." I praised. "I will go in alone while you stand guard in the shadows incase this go south."

She nodded understandingly.

"You seem to know a lot about these Jobi nuts, why don't you and your brother... Jamie is it? You two gather as many as you can find before the night and return here." I ordered.

"But what about you, Chief? We're supposed to be protecting you." Jamie protested.

I shook my head. "Getting my son back is more important than my safety, now go!"

They nodded and got back up on their horses, setting off in a different direction leaving me alone in the woods.

It was a couple of hours before I had received any further human contact and in that time I had set up a few logs and started a small fire, one to keep me warm until the ones I sent back returned with clothes and Murphy.

I was deadly furious. My instincts were telling me kill and wreak havoc but I had to keep calm in the best interest of my son, I couldn't jeopardise his safety. Not only that but I alone could not take Anya down a few pegs, I wasn't about to bring my people in to a fight so quickly.

When the hours were up, four horses approached. They're riders jumped down and came towards the mid day fire.

"Leo, strange to see you out and about." I greeted. "Thore, just the muscle I needed."

Leo grinned and rubbed his hands together and passed me to tie his horse.

"Adrian." I nodded. He returned it with a gentle solemn smile and passed me as well.

The very last of them was Murphy. I let out a soft sigh when he looked from the ground and into my eyes. "Are you willing to betray your people?"

He shrugged. "They're not my people. And even if they were, I already have."

I nodded and pat his shoulder comfortingly, showing him towards the fire. "I don't need much from you."

"Please, whatever you need, you can have it." He assured me.

"What did they do to you?" I half whispered, making sure that no one else could hear. I never knew what the people at Ton DC did to him, I never cared until now.

He shrugged with a broken smile. "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter." I told him. "It gives me all the more reason to want to tear them limb from limb."

His smile brightened slightly, "That's sweet, but really, it doesn't matter."

"No, you're right, it doesn't matter, not right now anyways." I held my chin up and crossed my arms. "What matters now is to get my son back as quick as possible."

I literally named the twins after my top shop jeans but shorter chapters for hopefully more frequent updates :)