Last Voyages

Chapter 32

Isabella's POV:

Night passed faster than I thought it would.

Daybreak was now here, the sun beginning to peak over the horizon as our ship drew nearer to the island. I stood on the edge of the ship, holding onto one of the ropes for support as I watched the distance between me and the island get smaller and smaller.

"Prepare the long boats." I order, turning my head to make sure I was heard. My eyes narrowed slightly when I saw the uneasy looks on the men near me, and at my look they saluted me, shouting "Yes ma'am!" before running off to do what I told them to.

"Nothing can stop us now." I mutter under my breath, a dark look in my eyes as I stare at the forsaken island, knowing my daughter was there right now.

Hopping down from my perch, I look around, spotting Harry ordering the men to get their weapons ready for battle. Walking over towards them, I find myself growing more tense with each step. We were so close now. We were so close to getting Layla back.

"Drop the anchor. We're close enough now to paddle the boats the rest of the way." I command and Harry lets out a sigh before nodding to the men, who followed my orders.

Soon the sound of the anchor splashing in the water made me take in a deep breath, my body trembling with anxiousness. I needed to get to my daughter.

"We're taking three boats. You will ride with me. Shayla, Niall and Louis will be in another, and you choose your best men to fit in the third boat." I say to Harry and he raises an eyebrow confused.

"If we want to infiltrate them why not take our full forces?" he asks and I give him a wry smile. "We won't need them. I have a feeling a smaller invasion force will work better than a large one." I say and Harry opens his mouth to protest but thinks again and closes his mouth, nodding to me.

"That's true. They'll be expecting a large force to come attack." he says and I nod, turning away and putting my hand on my waist, my finger on my sword's hilt.

"Harry...we are getting Layla back today. No matter what." I say and the tense atmosphere around us thickens. "Yeah," he says after a pause and I look over my shoulder, seeing him giving me a determined look.

"We'll get her back." he says surely and I smile.

A few minutes passed, and after all the preparations were made, our groups climbed into the long boats, getting lowered down into the water before we bid farewell to the rest of the group, promising them we'd be back before nightfall.

Everyone was silent as we approached the shore, and the feeling of a battle began to press onto my chest. There was no way we were getting out of here without a fight. But then again, we could beat these guys, so it shouldn't be that pressing of a matter.

The sun was halfway hidden behind the island when we got to the shore, all of us getting out and dragging the long boats to a safe distance, trying to be as quiet as we possibly could.

Every single one of us were silent as we walked towards the front line of the trees, unsure of what would meet us once we got inside the forested area. The eight of us crept towards the trees, drawing our swords as we got closer.

Harry stuck his hand out in front of me, a wary look on his face as I gave him a stare. He stared into the forest with a cautious eye, and I followed his gaze, all of us trying to see what he saw.

"There could be an ambush waiting for us," He whispers and I frown, looking past him and into the trees, an odd hue reflecting off of them because of the strange morning light. "We have to be on our toes." he says before we continue cautiously, our eyes looking around as we entered the line of trees.