Whispers of the Sea (The Compulsion Bride Series) Book II (Unedited)

Chapter One

Rage was the only emotion, he felt coursing through his body. It surpasses the burning pain that emitted from his shoulder, which had a wooden arrow piercing through his flesh. The sharpened shaft could be felt, peeping from behind his shoulder as his back pressed against the trunk of the tree. He sat breath labored, near his fellow crew members, who share the same fate as their captain. Some had arrows in both shoulder and leg while others had the privilege to had removed there's. He should have known to be more cautious when coming ashore, his men had fought well beside him but they were no equal to the skilled archers that shot them from within the trees.

The cold wind, mingled with sweat caused his hair to plaster against his neck and forehead, his chest was still rising rapidly both from exertion and anger. Jake threw his head back on the tree trunk and watched as some of their captors sat around the flames of fire. They were a strange group, they grew long tresses that served as a clothing and blanket, and it was dark and sparkled under the twinkling stars. Necklaces made from different type of animal teeth, Hung loosely around their olive brown necks and a cloth draped around the waist to cover their privates. Who were these people? And most of all why had they not killed them? Not that Jake was complaining about that last question. It was irksome not knowing these answers after being dumped here, wounded with no chance of escaping. Lambs waiting to be slathered.

"Captain! We are all going to die here!" The man voiced beside him was full of terror and pain. "We should have never come here, the old man is as good as dead!"

Jake wanted to hit his surgeon, Oliver, across the face that would definitively knock some sense into his head. Such thoughts should not be voiced. No man needed to be reminded that his fate was doomed at the moment "Welcome back Oliver, did you enjoy your sleep?" Jake remembered Oliver fainting as soon as the arrow bore through his leg and because Jake was fortunate, Oliver was the one that was dumped beside him.

Oliver was never optimist, five years he had been on the spirit of the sea and his unorthodox tales of omen and his life being curse forever had made Jake question his judgment of crew members. Some were thieves, some were runaways and some were from ships he had stolen from that showed him loyalty. It did not mean that he trusts them. He trusted no one, a man's mind was like the weather, unpredictable. "I am glad to have awakened at all considering the mess you got us in!" Jake pivot his head to stare at the man, pinning him with one of his glares that went unnoticed by the surgeon.

"Just look at them, waiting for the meat to savor their pots" His head shook with despair.

Jake bit his lips preventing himself from laughing at such foolishness. These people were indeed the strangest inhabitants Jake had ever seen, they were neither Africans nor Indians but cannibals? Surely they ate animals but Humans? He shook his head in denial. "Your imagination Knows no bounds, Oliver" A group of young ladies caught his attention, they stared at him and quickly turn away giggling among themselves. The older folks never spoke only watched them with curiosity before returning their attention to cooking around the fire.

"Captain! How do we get off this Island?" One of the crew members shouted earning a chorus of Aye's around him.

"Do you think, Smity would come for us!"

"What are they going to do to us, Captain?" Questions were thrown at Jake from different directions. Questions Jake didn't have any answers for. Jake yearned to be back on his ship, cuddling a bottle of whiskey, with his wrist clammed together by heavy ropes. He saw none of that happening, right now. He was saved from further disappointing his crew members by, the approaching strange men, their long staff thudding against the damp soil. Jake watched as they threw Pablo, on the ground to join the others, Pablo was one of the men he acquired after raiding one of the Spaniard's merchant ships. He was a young man with a body of an old muscular man, the man can lift a chain as heavy as the anchor that was in the bottom of the Ocean a few distances away from this island. Jake didn't even miss one of his men, this caused him to recall and do a quick count of the men that were present with him. It was then he noticed Julian was missing and fear send a chill through his entire body.