The Other Tide

Prologue

The waves crashed against hardwood, the barnacles that grew on the bottom of the ship were rough. The sails flapped in the wind, moving the ship forward. A flag was raised above, the wind blew through it. A black flag with a skull, announced the arrival of someone people feared. The moon shone brightly, giving the crew a very good sight of what they were here for. Up on the hill, was the General of the royal navy's mansion. His daughter slept in her room up the stairs. The town below echoed screams of civilians being chased out of their homes, fire everywhere. These nasty pirates were here for a map that the very daughter of the General had....

Sariah was woken up by her trustful servant. "We must hurry Miss, pirates are raverging the homes. We don't have much time." The servant pulled her out of bed. "Wait!" Sariah stopped, letting go of the servant's hand. She quickly grabbed her mother's necklace she held dearly to her heart. She turned back to the servant. "You must hurry and flee with the other staff, I'll be fine. I just need to take care of something." The servant nodded, scurrying with the others through the secret passageway through the kitchen. Sariah grabbed one of the swords from her father's collection, walking onto her balcony. She watched the small town she called home be destroyed right in front of her. Her eyes landed on the few figures heading towards her house. "Of course this happens when father is away." She thought to herself, looking displeased. The tall figures were part of this pirate crew, doing as the Captain had told them to do. Retrieve the map.

The doors bursted open, the sound echoing through the halls.They stuffed their pockets with anything valuable. A very tall, lean man spoke. "We don't have all day! Find the map!" He ordered, sternly. The other two men scurried off, the floor boards creaking. One creak caught the tall man off guard, causing his gaze to sharpen. He stepped closer to the study's doorway, immediately met with a sword blocking his path. "Take one more step, and your chop liver...literally." Sariah stepped from behind the wall, now getting a clear look at eachother. The man's eyes traced every curve, her gaze following his. She looked down, realizing she was still in her nightgown. She jerked her head up, keeping her tough persona. She cleared her throat. "It's rude to stare." She pointed the tip of the blade at his chest. "You've got some guts to threaten a member of the HornWood ship." The man smirked, moving the blade to the side with his hand. The sword quickly found its way back. "It's called defending my home you just rudely broke into." Her eyes narrowed, raising an eyebrow. The man rolled his eyes. "Listen here, lassy..-" "I am not your lassy." She interrupted, stepping forward. The tip of the blade pressed more against his chest. The man sighed, looking back as the other two crew members came back down the stairs. They noticed Sariah pointing a sword at their fellow crewmate, drawing their swords as well. "Well, lassy, you're outnumbered. Besides, we're only here for one thing and one thing only." The man smirked, observing her reactions. She tilted her head slightly, a slight smirk forming. "It's a shame that you won't be able to find it." She retaliated. "It's not something that is found." She added, the wind howling outside causing an eerie effect. "Seems like you know exactly where this....thing is." The man stepped closer, the tension cracked in the air passed them.