Bloodtide

Part 59

Hallow dragged me through the forest as everyone was still fighting over this damned heart, the clash of steel and battle cries fading behind us.

"Hallow! Where are we even going?" I screamed as she charged ahead, her grip like iron around my wrist. The trees felt like they were closing in, the sounds of more of the king's ships arriving on the shore growing louder.

"Off this island!" she shot back over her shoulder, not slowing down for a second. The panic in her voice was enough to keep me moving, but my feet stuttered to a stop as reality hit. I yanked my arm free, breathless. "We can't escape! What about Henry? What about John?"

Hallow turned, her chest heaving as she folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. "Them? Or John?" The challenge in her voice made my throat tighten. She could see right through me, and I hated that.

"That's not fair," I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady. But the truth was there, hanging between us. I wasn't just thinking about the others—I was thinking about him.

"No, it is fair," she snapped, stepping closer. "You're thinking with your heart, Ella, and it's going to get you killed."

"I can't just leave him!" I shouted, the frustration bubbling up. "I won't! He's still out there fighting!"

"He's a pirate, Ella!" Hallow's voice was sharp now, her words cutting deep. "Pirates live for the sea and the danger, not for you. They don't settle down, they don't stick around. They'll leave you before you even realize it."

I shook my head, refusing to believe her. "You don't know that. He—"

"He will, Ella," she interrupted, her voice softening, but her eyes hard and certain. "Pirates are the worst to love because they will always leave you first. Whether it's the ocean calling or the danger... they never stay. Do you really want to give up everything for someone who's going to be gone the second things get hard?"

I opened my mouth to argue but the words stuck in my throat. Was she right? Could I really trust that John wouldn't abandon me when the sea called him again?

"You're safer without him," she continued, her voice calmer now, as if she was pleading with me to understand. "Let's get off this island, Ella. Please."

But my heart was pounding in my chest, torn between the truth in her words and the burning need to go back, to find him. Hallow might be right, but I couldn't let him go—not like this, not without knowing for sure.

"I can't," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I can't leave him, Hallow."

Hallow groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "You are impossible, you know that?" she muttered under her breath, pacing in front of me for a moment. Finally, she stopped and turned back to face me, her expression a mix of anger and reluctant determination. "Fine. Fine! If we're going to die for your pirate, we might as well make it count."

Before I could say anything, she grabbed my arm again—not as harsh this time—and we turned back toward the sound of the battle. My heart raced, torn between gratitude and guilt as we plunged deeper into the forest.

The clang of swords grew louder, and I could hear the grunts and shouts of men fighting in the clearing ahead. As we pushed through the last line of trees, the scene unfolded in front of us: John, Henry, and Jones, locked in combat with the king's soldiers, all of them fighting desperately to keep the chest out of enemy hands.

My breath caught in my throat as I spotted Henry, clutching the chest with the heart now. His face was set in grim determination as he kicked away a soldier trying to grab it from him, but the odds were shifting. More of the king's soldiers were arriving, pulling up in boats on the beach, their gleaming armor catching the sunlight as they charged into the fray.

"Damn it, Ella," Hallow hissed beside me, "they've brought reinforcements!"

We didn't have time to think. Without a word, Hallow and I burst out of the trees, weapons drawn, and plunged into the chaos. My sword clashed with the soldier nearest to me, the shock of the impact vibrating up my arm, but I pushed forward, driven by the sight of John fighting against impossible odds.

Hallow was beside me, a blur of movement as she fought off two soldiers at once. "This is madness, Ella!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar of the battle. "But we're in it now!"

John's eyes found mine across the clearing, and his face changed—shock, anger, and something else flickering across his features as he fought his way toward me. "Ella, what the hell are you doing here?!" he shouted, his voice raw with emotion as he sliced down a soldier in his path.

Before I could answer, a soldier lunged at me from the side. I barely had time to react, raising my sword to block the blow, but I wasn't fast enough. John was there in an instant, shoving the man aside and stepping in front of me, his expression fierce as he threw himself into the fight to protect me.

"Stay behind me!" he growled, blocking another attack with his blade. His eyes burned with frustration and fear.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" I shouted over the clash of steel, refusing to back down. I knew it was reckless, but I couldn't abandon him now.

"Now probably isn't the best time for that conversation" he laughed.

Henry, meanwhile, was still clutching the chest, fending off the last of the soldiers trying to steal it. But more were coming—too many. I could see the tide turning, the sheer number of soldiers threatening to overwhelm us.

"We need to get out of here!" Hallow called, slashing through another soldier as she made her way toward us. "If they take that chest, it's over!"

John gritted his teeth, his gaze darting between me, Henry, and the soldiers closing in.