The Pirate Prince of the Ice Sea (Book 1 of The Legend Of Kaleania)

Chapter 18

I climbed onto the main deck to find two men that weren't part of my crew, asking Kara and the others where I was. I saw one of them pull out his saber and pointed it at her.

"I'll ask ye one more time, lass," he spat. "Where is he?" After he said that, I rushed in between them and his face looked totally confused.

"Did you say you were looking for me?" I asked.

"Who in Kerala's Firealm are you?" he asked.

"You don't know who I am?" I asked, moving his sword away from Kara. "I am desperately heartbroken." I said with a smirk.

The other man came up and said, "This the prince, all right,"

"Finally, a man that knows about me." I said. The man with the saber understood and he placed the point of it at the base of my neck.

"Are you to surrender or not?" he asked.

"Aye," I replied, putting my arms in front of me. He put his weapon away and got out a rope and started binding them.

"Airon, what are you doing?" whispered Kara, behind me.

"After I leave, tell the pirates to wait until morning for me." I said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. The men lead me away to the side of the ship, where a boat was waiting.

"Just trust me," I said as one of the men picked me and threw me over his shoulder as he climbed down into the boat.

As we rowed further away from it, I saw Kara, standing on the forecastle with Sarngika. "Airon, promise me that you won't die! Promise that you'll come back!" she shouted. I nodded, telling her that I will.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We arrived on the ship just before sunset. I was shocked when I aboarded it to find that the mast, the railings and the entrance to the captain's cabin had skulls of people that Nekian had probably killed. The sails look like they haven't been taken care of in like a million years. I felt like I was in a nightmare that I will never wake up from. But then this nightmare got a whole lot freakier.

Out from the captain's quarters, a tall dark skinned man-I thought that he might be Kuala's twin- glared at me with his fiery red eyes that made me feel weak. He carried an axe that was placed on his back and a sabre at his side. He walked up to me and I felt sweat dripping from my forehead with his eyes scanning me like he was examining me. "You must be the prince that we've heard so much about."

"Aye, and you must be the hideous first mate that I haven't heard so much about." I said. "And your breath smells like something has died."

"I just had a Kusayaichan a while ago." he said. I felt like I was going to hurl. I remembered a time watching Richard and a couple of his regents eat it and I was the one that brought to them. It smelt like rotten fish eggs mixed in with vinegar and bird feathers. "I see that you have chosen to surrender."

"I had no choice but to do it. People will die either way but if I didn't, then everyone will." I replied. He smiled and ordered the men to bind me to the mast. Great, now I won't be able to escape with everyone watching, I thought as they shoved me against it. One of them got another ribbon of rope and started wrapping it around so tight that it felt like it was going crack my ribs as the other one unarmed me and unbounded my arms when the other man was done.

"I'm impressed that you're not trying to escape," the first mate said.

"It's because I can't. Not right now anyway," I said. He walked up to me and grabbed hold of my neck.

"You're going to escape once you find out our plan, is that right, prince?" he asked.

"Hmm, I've never thought of that. Thanks for telling me," I smirked. He squeezed harder and I was starting to feel blood rushing to my face. "If you kill me, then my crew will kill all of you and burn this ship to the bottom of the sea." He laughed. He let go of me and he left me in the care of the crew, which kind of freaked me out. Each one of them had violet or red eyes and I kind of thought that they were Akumas from the Firealm. I have to get out of here, I thought. But how? Nekian's crew are everywhere and I'm unarmed so I won't be able to fight. Pretty soon, I remebered that my dagger was in my boot but I couldn't do it now.

Soon out of nowhere, a piece of bread hit me at the side of my face. I looked around to find a couple of men, holding moldy food in their arms. They did seem much as kids or adults. Mostly, in their early twenties. One of them threw a rotten herb at my neck and then continued throwing until I smelt like food for a rat's dinner. The rest joined in as they called me names that would make your mother cry in her grave, which was an insult and started sent anything sharp my way. One of them cut my cheek as I tried dodged it. They kept it up until it was completely dark with lanterns lit. I kept quiet through all of it since they didn't ask me to speak or anything. I was surprised that the first mate or Nekian hasn't come out during this. But apparantly, I thought too soon when I saw the first mate come out, watching me become a human throwing target.

When the others saw him, they stopped and saluted him as Master Yashomi. He went up to me and said, "You look terrible,"

"You're not the one that has been tied up like a beast who was thrown at," I muttered. He called for one of the men to pummel me in the side. He obeyed and that him laugh. "Did Nekian want me to surrender so you can make me feel like some workhorse?"

"Actually, she ordered me to do whatever I want to you and I choose to take all you pride and dignity away from you and leave nothing but an empty shell of your useless and weak body." He whispered in my ear. I could hear blood boiling in my ears as he told everyone to do whatever they wanted with me but leave me bound to the mast. I begin to wonder what Nekian and Yashomi were really planning to do to me, other than be their plaything.