Operation Phoenix

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The water was clear. From what could be seen between the splashing of waves, its crystal waters were nearly transparent—if not for the warped way the liquid twisted the rocks and sand below. It was night, but the light from the copper lantern reflected softly off the surface of the ocean. The flame wouldn't be there for long, shift change was ending and if someone saw the beacon so freshly lit in the dark there would no doubt be hell to pay. Even in the night the fear of being seen was still there, whether it be from a leader or a guard—it aches inside bones and tore shivers into the skin. The cold didn't help either.

Maybe it had to do with constant need to look over shoulders, or the inevitable looming fear of being in a secret, undercover club that was only meant for taking down the capital—but no matter what was done it always felt as if someone was watching. There was no rest from it, it slithered into dreams, lingered in the shadows and hid behind corners. No matter the situation, there was always the risk of being caught red handed and punished accordingly... and sometimes not accordingly. It was a terrible anxiety that scraped at the pits of stomachs with each step taken closer to the water, the longer the lamp was on the deeper it dug, the shakier their hands became. No one questioned why the lantern trembled the way it did, nobody was bothered by the quivering light, as all of them too were wobbling in their own anxious fear.

Merida had not taken the time to change out of the hide boots she wore on her feet, and as she walked into the salty ocean they only filled with water. It sent additional shivers into her bones, hissing up her arms and pushing goosebumps tightly across her skin—though she was wearing her green flannel, a thick jacket lined with fur and black denim jeans, she still felt the chill bite at her underneath. She debated whether or not the chattering was from the winter night or the clinging vulnerability that hung in the air. Whichever, she did not know. She could see her breath, flooding from her lips like phantoms—ghosts, but it didn't feel the way a normal chill might. Mer didn't really have time to process, the lantern had to be put out.

She licked her fingers and pinched the wick, watching the flame extinguish and longing to feel the sting on the pads of her digits. Something, anything that told her she was still feeling normally, and that the fear hadn't thrown her nerves out of whack.

Her eyes tipped up to the man towering above her, his black curls shifting in the wind as he gripped the edge of the canoe with determination. Though his expression seemed to be glaring down at her, his eyes only reflected something similar to a firm, assertive resolve. She wondered what he did on a normal night, if he'd be sleeping in his bed or counting the stars. His job on a 'normal day' would be to sail out to the reef and fish—but he'd been ecstatic to assist in the coup that Jack and Mer were staging—which meant sailing farther than they ever had before... which meant a bigger boat.

His name was Maui.

Jack was the first to climb in, stepping up onto the wood (barefoot, as Mer expected), shoes in hand. As soon he was situated, he turned around and offered his hand, which Merida gladly took for assistance into the contraption. Kristoff followed shortly after. They exchanged a look of resolution before they glanced back at Maui, nodding silently as a way to inform him they were ready to leave (though the gesture was barely seen in the darkness). The massive sailor placed his hands on the wood and pushed as hard as he could, until he felt the boat give and start to move. He shifted as if he was readying himself to climb in, but stopped at sound of shouting in the distance.

At first, Merida had thought it was the guards hollering for them to halt, but she was proven wrong when she watched a girl around her age racing into the water. She was waving her hands like crazy, her waves of chocolate brown hair falling down her back amidst her layers of clothes. A simple khaki colored dress, though thick for winter, and an olive green parka fit with a red scarf. "Maui!" She shouted, stomping noisily into the salty ocean with no regard for the quiet atmosphere.