Maelstrom (a UC fanfiction)

Chapter 9

  “How’s your leg?” Thorn asked after what must had been an hour of silence after the captain left.

  Ambrosius glanced at him, then down at his leg, which he noticed doesn’t hurt all that much now. Whatever Remi had put on it seemed to not only heal the wound, but numbed the pain as well.

  “It’s fine,” Ambrosius responded curtly. His gaze shifted to the porthole and he stared at the limited view of the sky. He wasn't sure how far from land they were. He wondered if they find a way out of the brig now, they could just swim back, but that’s a hopeless thought.

  “We’ll find a way out,” Thorn said and Ambrosius met his gaze. “I swear it.”

  Ambrosius said nothing as he looked down, pretending to be interested in his fingernails.

  “There’s something specific they want and they’re going to use us to get it,” Thorn spoke up and Ambrosius looked back up at him. “I don’t think the captain wants anything from us personally. He’s going to use us for something.”

  “What makes you think that?” Ambrosius asked as Thorn sat cross-legged in front of him, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “He didn’t answer our questions directly, but in a way, he did. When I asked if he wanted to take my kingdom or money, he said specifically that he isn’t going to take my kingdom.”

  “He didn’t say anything about money,” Ambrosius murmured and Thorn nodded. “Are you insinuating that it’s just money he’s after? Reinga’s money?”

  “Reinga isn’t his target,” Thorn said, shaking his head. “The ship isn't lurking around it, it's not even circling it. We’re leaving it entirely. They’re taking us elsewhere.”

  “Then why us?” Ambrosius asked, scowling.

  “We must have just ran into them at the wrong time. I don’t think they were looking for anyone in particular, or they would’ve already known who we were.”

  “But the crew spoke of you being a prince as if it had some sort of importance to them,” Ambrosius mentioned. “And my brother. They left him behind and took us. Why didn’t they bring him, too?”

  Thorn shook his head, rubbing his forehead as he contemplated. “Was there anything in particular they did, or perhaps something they said, after I was conked out?”

  Ambrosius licked his lips in thought, furrowing his eyebrows as he gently massaged the sore muscles near his wound. He replayed what happened at the time of their kidnapping, trying to remember their words and actions without the buzz of fear and adrenaline blocking them out. He blinked when he remembered something and looked at Thorn.

  “One of them carved something onto my brother’s chest,” he said. “It must be a symbol. It looked like an A.”

  Thorn frowned. “They left a message. Almost as if…”

  Ambrosius waited for him to finish, but then he realized the end of the sentence himself, and his eyes widened in disbelief and befuddlement. The reason the crew left Theo behind became more clear. “As if they wanted the others to know who did it.”

  “But why? Pirates don’t usually claim attention to themselves, do they?”

  “Not if they had a death wish,” Ambrosius responded with a shake of his head. “Something’s wrong here.”

  “Maybe they’re too confident in themselves?” Thorn suggested and Ambrosius frowned.

  “That’s what I hope is the case, but I doubt it. The message is a part of some plan, a plan they’re using us for, and the fact that you’re a prince benefits them somehow.”