The Stolen Soul Key

Shoved back into a cage

(River's Point of View)

A blinding light woke River from his slumber. He had been sleeping peacefully up until now, the nicest sleep he had had in a long time. Sleeping in a cot on a pirate ship was nothing compared to sleeping in an actual bed next to a beautiful girl.

His eyes shoot open as his hand reaches out onto the bed beside him. The sheets are cold. Amaya is gone.

Suddenly wide awake, he jumps out of bed and wildly looks around the room. She isn't in here. The door is not closed fully and it bangs against the wall as he pushes through it. There's no sight of her anywhere. He checks the bathroom and all of the little nooks in the kitchen, but she is not here.

He curses as he runs a hand down his face. Where could she have gone? They were in the middle of nowhere, nothing but forest for miles. She couldn't have gotten far.

The partially open front door stops him in his tracks. His blood runs cold as he realizes that she truly did run away from him. They had a deal and she ignored it. Everything that he did for her, she threw it all away to run away from him in the middle of the night.

Something had changed between the two of them, he had felt it yesterday. There was something there that wasn't there before and he knew that she felt it too. It was all too surreal for him. That moment that they had shared in the water, hell that whole time that they had been in the water, they had changed. He had felt that they were at least becoming friends.

He had felt wrong, apparently.

He screamed out loud as his fists clenched and he turned to the wall, punching a hole into the center of it. His ears were ringing from rage as he removed his hand from the wall, staring down at his bloody knuckles.

She was going to regret running away from him.

This was the last time he went soft for somebody. Kai had told him to lock her up then drag her kicking and screaming back to the ship, but he had refused. For whatever reason, he couldn't bring himself to hurt the girl. Every time those chocolate coloured eyes looked up at him, he could feel himself melt. He had softened towards her and she took advantage of it.

That was a mistake that he wasn't going to make again.

For this, he knew he would be punished. Kai was not going to take this lightly. Sure, he could go and bring her back, but it will never change the fact that she was easily able to escape him. He had spent years building himself up in the eyes of his Captain, he had made a name for himself on the ship. He was respected, trusted, and loved by his crew of pirates that he had just made a mockery of. Kai will make sure his punishment fits the crime.

His head turned back towards the door as a thought dawned on him. Kai might not have to know. If he can go and retrieve her in the next couple hours, Kai might never find out that she had left at all. This could all be a well kept secret that is swept under the rug. He wouldn't have to be punished at all.

One minute later and he is ready to go. His boots are laced and his pockets are filled with his knives, way more than he needs. This might be overkill but he will not fail this time.

Amaya has just offered herself as prey, and he is more than ready for a hunt.

~~~~~

Hours later, River returned back to the cabin empty handed. He had searched everywhere for her, but it seemed as if she had simply disappeared. The forest was nothing new to him and he was well aware that if she had still been in the forest, he would have found her. He hadn't stopped running the entire time and his skin was damp from perspiration. She must have left hours before he had woken up to have been able to get so far away so fast.

His knuckles were white as he stood in the empty cabin, suddenly feeling lonely in the small room. For whatever reason, her betrayal had hit too close to home.

All of his anger had just continued to build as he scoured the trees searching for her. He had been abandoned before many times in his life, and it always felt the same. You would think that it would get easier over time, but it never did.

His fight or flight instincts were starting to kick in as he knows deep down that he needs to contact Kai. He had to fess up that he had lost her. At this point, there was no hiding it. He would have to take whatever punishment Kai decides to dole out.

Sighing, he headed to the bedroom. Under his pillow, he kept a small seashell. This cream coloured shell was his key to contacting his crew, and a well-kept secret amongst the pirates. Most of them all had one. This way, they could speak to each other from wherever they were. They would never be lost or alone.

Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out the shell. His knees give out as his body drops to the floor. Leaning against the wall with his knees against the side of the bed, he presses his thumb to the bottom of the shell.

Kai's sharp voice rings throughout the quiet room. "You better be contacting me for a good reason, boy. I have four more days before I come back. What is it?"

River hangs his head as he whispers, "I lost her."

There is silence on the other end. Nobody speaks for at least a minute before Kai finally says, "You lost her?"

"I woke up this morning and she was-"

"You lost her!" Kai now screams into the shell, causing River to wince and hold it farther from his head. "What happened?"

"When I woke up this morning, she was gone. The front door was open and there was no trace of her anywhere. I swear I looked for her."

"This morning?" Kai is now seething on the other end of the shell, "It is almost evening and you have neglected to inform me all day that the most important thing to us all has been missing since this morning! I gave this job to you because I thought that you would be able to handle it, River. It seems I was mistaken."

"Please," River says. "I will find her. Just give me time."

"I don't need to do anything," Kai replies. "I will find her and you will go get her back. This time, do as I told you and tie her down. Lock her in the cabin, tie her to a tree, I don't care. Just don't lose her this time."

River says nothing as there seems to be nothing to say to that. He let down the man that had only ever trusted him and uplifted him. Guilt was currently crushing him.

Kai continues, "You're lucky I am able to find her so easily. You do not want to know what I would have done to you if you had lost her entirely." There's another pause before he says, "She is in the city."

River lets out a quiet grunt at that. It will be even harder to retrieve her if she is surrounded by others. He was hoping to find her sleeping in a tree so that he could just drag her back. "I will bring her back."

"I wish it were that easy," Kai says. "It seems our little escape artist has been arrested." What?

River sputters, "But how?"

Kai ignores his question. "You will need to figure out how to free her first. Once you've done that, you will bring her back. Do not disappoint me again."

"I won't."

"Oh, and River?" Kai's voice drops as he speaks, "Be prepared for when you come back. I will not have forgotten about your failure here."

His hands shake as he drops the shell, knowing exactly what Kai is referring to. He has only ever been punished once before, but it is not something that he can forget. Kai will make sure that he remembers this one too.