Token of the Western Sea

Chapter Two: Jace

There was a horrible storm last night, washing debris of a wrecked ship onto the sandy shore. Men from the island made their way down to the water's edge, picking up bits of broken hull and tossing them into a burning pile. A small band of men were sent on a boat into open water to search for survivors, in hope they would at least find one.

I spent quite a while picking splinters of ship out of the sand, lodging splinters into my hands in the process. After some time, I found myself wandering toward an outcropping of rock. I couldn't quite place it, but there was a curiousity surrounding the rocks, almost like I had to see what I could find there.

Climbing the rocks, I went farther and farther away from the group. I stopped at a small pool formed by a washed-up plank blocking off the flow of the sea, trapping a handful of brightly colored fish inside. I lifted the wood, sending the water rushing and the fish wriggling back to the rising tide of the cove.

Something floating gently in the water caught my attention. It was an iridescent blue scrap of...satin? I carefully climbed down the rocks into the warm water and picked up the cloth, running my fingers across it.

That's odd. The water shouldn't be this dark...Something's wrong. I reached down, scooping up a handful of water from the cove.

Blood.

The water was filled with blood.

I waded along the edge of the rocks, searching for an easy spot to climb back up. The blood became darker, more of it swirling around my calves. Then there was more fabric. A dress...

...attached to a girl!

She was sprawled out on the rocks, her head barely above water. I stumbled over to her, pressing my fingers into her wrist, searching for a sign she was still alive. After a few moments that felt like hours, I felt the slow, weak pulse beneath her pale skin.

She was barely holding on, but she was alive.

I moved quickly, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her up onto a large flat rock. Her arms were covered in bruises and scratches. There was a tear in the side of her dress revealing a deep, jagged hole in her skin. Her face was covered in a dried veil of crimson, a gash tracing its way along her forehead.

She was badly hurt, and I was the only one there to help her.

I pulled my knife out of the sheath on my hip and cut away the tattered fabric from around her side. I carefully picked the rocks and shreds of cloth out of the wound and scoop up handfuls of clean water, gently rinsing the dirt out. After it was as clean as I could manage, I ripped off strips of her skirts and bound them tightly around her ribcage.

I cleaned and dressed the rest of the scrapes on her arms, revealing smooth pale skin beneath the layer of blood.

I tore another piece of her skirt, soaking it in the warm cove water before gently wiping away the dried mask from her delicate features.

I let her lay on the rock a while, trying to warm her with the late morning sunlight and changing the improvised bandages every so often.

Soon, the afternoon sunshine grew too hot, and I knew I needed to find a doctor to heal her wounds.

Moving to pick her up, I slid my arms underneath her arms and legs, trying to pull her up. Her skirts were still weighed down with water, making her nearly impossible to lift. After a few moments of debating with myself, I unsheathed my knife once more and cut off the wet fabric to just above her bruised and battered knees. Returning the knife to my hip, I picked her up once more. Without the added weight, she was light as a feather.

As I started climbing back up the rocks, her sleeve slipped off her shoulder, revealing a raised patch of scar tissue decorating her collarbone. I paused, taking a closer look at the unusual shape.

It was no ordinary scar.

She had been branded with a sparrow carrying a dagger.

The pale, red-haired girl who had washed up in the cove was a pirate.

My heart skipped a beat as I stumbled forward, steadying myself just before I had the chance to drop the girl. My mind swirled into a panic.

I can't take her to the doctor, she'll be killed! But I can't just leave her here to die on her own... I need somewhere safe.

But where?