The Stolen Soul Key

The Pond

Amaya couldn't think of a time where she had been more pissed off than she is right now. First, she gets kidnapped by pirates. Then she gets saved by an ex pirate that brings her to some tree haven. And then, to top it all off, she gets kidnapped by a pirate again.

This was starting to become tedious.

Her feet dragged on the ground as River pulled her through the forest. She had fallen asleep in his arms last night so she had no idea how long they had been traveling for. All she knew now was that the sun was up and shining, and that her head hurt.

"Where are we going?" she whined. "I was very happy back there, just for your information. You didn't need to come kidnap me. Again, might I add."

River chuckled to himself, "You get cranky when you don't sleep well. Noted."

"Who said I didn't sleep well?" Amaya had thought that she slept great, albeit that she didn't know for how long.

"Sure," River says. "I always have a good sleep when I'm mumbling to myself the entire time." What?

She gasped, "I don't sleep talk!"

"No," he replies. "You sleep mutter. I couldn't make out what you were saying, I only heard bits and pieces."

Amaya cringed at that. She didn't like the thought of River listening to her talk to herself while she slept. It made her more annoyed than she already was. Her feet were screaming at her in the golden sandals that Ivy had lent to her before she gasped again.

"Wait," she dug her heels into the ground. River turned around to look at her patiently while she continued, "I borrowed this outfit from someone. I need to give it back."

He laughed in her face before continuing to drag her forward.

"I mean it, River!" Amaya smacked at the hand that he had firmly wrapped around her arm. "I need to return this dress and the shoes back to her."

River finally stopped and peered down his nose at her. He stepped closer while taking hold of the edge of her sleeve. "I rather like this dress on you. You should keep it," he adds while fiddling with the fabric.

Amaya frowns at him, "Thank you. That still doesn't make it my dress. I need to return it."

He steps away from her and presses the edge of his lips down, "You probably wear it better than she does. Let's go."

"What does that even mean?"

River shrugs, "Does it matter? We're not going back there."

Before she realizes what is happening, he has his hand wrapped around the back of her knees and is lifting her into his arms once again. She huffs but doesn't complain, seeing as this takes the pressure off of her feet.

Amaya looks up at him with her eyebrows raised, "Enjoy carrying me, do you?"

"Why do you even want to go back there?" He stares straight ahead as he avoids her question. "Last I checked, you were standing alone looking miserable while everyone else was partying. Had you been dancing with the rest of them, I might not have been able to take you so easily."

"I was upset that I couldn't go home," she says. There was no point in lying to him, he would see right through it. "Everyone there looked so comfortable and happy. I had that once too, with my mother."

River sucked his teeth for a moment before answering her. "Technically, you can go home. You just have to bring Kai with you."

Amaya laughed at him, "That's a grand idea. I'll get to see my mother for two seconds before he rips her head off."