Black Hearted

Part 19

Sean ran up the steps, grabbing the stair railing for support as he panted out heavily. "Mark! Please! Turn the ship around!" All the crew on deck turned to look in their direction with concern. Mark grabbed the railing by the helm, staring intently out across the ship as he growled back at Sean. "What have I told you about barking orders at me. You have no right-" Sean rushed up the last two steps to stand beside Mark, cutting him off to butt in sternly. "MARK! Listen to me, damn it! Turn this fucking ship around, or we're all going to die!" Mark drew his cutlass so fast that Sean flinched. The sharp cold blade touched the side of his throat in subtle warning. Sean locked eyes with Mark's hardened ones. In a dark deep voice, Mark told him without any trace of mercy. "Not another word. You wanna stay on this ship? Than learn your place! Now get off my deck. You are not my Quarter Master." 

Sean gritted his teeth, defiantly snapping back. "I am a prince of the seven seas. There is no pirate on this ship that can read the ocean like I can. You shouldn't talk that way to ME." Mark pressed the flat edge of his blade to Sean's throat.  Dragging it up along Sean's neck, then across the underside of his jaw, until the tip of the sword was under his chin. Mark raised his chin with the sword, stepping closer to tell him threatening. "Watch yourself, Little prince. You're talking about mutiny. That kind of talk will get you killed." Sean continued to stare down Mark, boldly stating out. "You have no idea where you are." Mark's jaw clenched up and Sean smelled his fear clear as day. It was true. The ship had drifted on its own out into waters he was unfamiliar with. Sean couldn't wait for Mark to realize he was right. Dashing off back down the steps, he jumped up onto the side of the ship. The crew all watched him with wide eyes. Sean wrapped his arm around one of the free shroud ropes and swung himself down to the water.

Bracing his feet on the side of the ship, Sean sank his hand into the water and took control of the ship. On deck, Bob gasped and released the helm as it spun quickly to full Port. The ship road the current he had created, sending the ship in a rough U-turn around a rock. The crew yelped and clung to the ship as the sudden change tossed them off their feet. Sean got the ship around the rock, but when he tried to speed the ship up to go forward... it didn't move. Sean felt his magic working, but something stronger had the ship. Panic flooded Sean as the ship began to drift backward through the water. The crew on deck leaned over the sides with confused looks. Sean tried to use all the power he had, but he couldn't break the ship from it. The pull was only getting stronger. Sean kept trying. He was the only thing keeping the ship in place. From the mists surrounding them, came a soft sweet humming sound. Sean glanced up at the crew, his heart twisting in his chest.

The crew were all squinting into the fog with perplexed looks. From the crows nest, Wade called out loudly in the eerie calm. "Captain! There is something moving in the fog!" From above, Mark began barking out orders to arm themselves. Sean shook his head. This wasn't going to work. Not here. Sean's arm shook from the strain of trying to fight the current. He wouldn't be able to hold this for long. Desperately, he called out to Mark. "Mark! I can't hold it! Do something!" Mark glanced over the edge for a brief second to see him, then shouted out to his men. "Quick! Take that rope there and wrap it around that rock! NOW!" There was a scrabble on deck followed by heavy thumps. Sean was determined to hold on as long as he could, when a soft flutter moved past him in the fog. Jerking his head up, he found himself face to face with a figure on a small rock.

The fog obscured what the figure looked like, but its beautiful feminine voice was loud and clear. The figure cocked its head, sweetly stating aloud in a calm collected voice. "What's this? A merman? Among pirates? Well, that is interesting." Sean swallowed nervously, the hairs on his arms and neck rising. The figure chuckled and it echoed off the cliffs... No. There was more of them above them. Sean removed his hand from the water, climbing back up the rope as he shouted out to Mark in horror. "MARK! ABOVE YOU!" Sean got over the side enough to see Mark look up. Sean then screamed in agony as a pair of sharp talons pierced into his shoulders and lifted him off the ship! The creature holding him laughed beautifully. Sean thrashed, glancing up at the one species that his kind hated.  A Harpy. The creature was often mistaken to humans as being an angel. They were beautiful... if you could get past their arms and legs.