persuasion

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ENCHANTED LAND
[PAST]

Corvus didn't sleep well, the sounds of loud shuffling, shouting and crashes from downstairs kept him up almost all night. He hated this Inn, he hated this town, he couldn't wait to leave and continue his journey with William.

          He woke up again by the sounds of footsteps in the hallway, the walls were so thin that he could hear almost anything in the building. He decided to get out of the cot, slow and groggy. He glanced back to where William was sleeping in another cot beside his, the young warlock was still sound asleep.

          Morning light peeked through the tiny holes on the curtains and on the sides. Corvus set his bare feet on the wooden and creaking floor, quietly walked forward toward the window. He peeked out, one eye out the window to look outside, the streets were almost empty, the townsfolk must be still sleeping. His attention was caught on the same pirate he met last night, he was just stepping out of the Tavern and started walking down the street, the street that was leading to the docks. Corvus stepped back, grabbed his cloak from the chair and put his boots on.

          He left the room quiet as possible without alarming William. The Warlock was breathing deeply and loudly, telling Corvus he was deep in sleep and might be having a dream. The door squeaked when Corvus opened it, winced by the sound as he froze then looked over where William was sleep. But made no movement. Slowly and quietly as Corvus could, he opened the door until he could squeeze through enough. As he did, he closed the door gently then continually made his way down the stairs quietly.

The tavern downstairs was messier than last night when Corvus and Williams first came in. Without the people in the place, it was worse, tables and chair and stools were all over the floors. Drunks passed out on the floor and tables, the woman who worked as the servant was cleaning up. Corvus felt sorry for the woman cleaning up all that mess that he wanted to help her. But he had to keep going.

          It was raining, it was a gloomy morning, the mist hovered all over the bay and half of the town. Corvus pulled his hood over his head and followed where the pirate had went. The town was barely awake at this time of the day, people still in their beds, in their homes and getting ready to start their day. The town didn't seem so terrible in the morning, least until these streets are packed with full of frauds, thieves, innocent poor people treated terrible and such. It wasn't the worst place he's been to. Being in this vile town made Corvus miss his old home.

          Corvus was a farmer, lived in a farm with his father until he passed away, leaving the boy in the good hands of a Warlock. He knew that he wasn't the reason why they had to leave his life behind, it was only because of William, he was a stranger to Corvus's village and as soon as they knew who William was, the townsfolk wanted him to leave and he was not wanted. So William has no choice but to leave, respecting the village's wishes and also took the boy with him. Corvus remembered how he immediately hated travelling on the first month, he remembered how many times he used to yell at William and demanded to go home. Corvus was a child back then, almost confused, never understood why he had to leave until growing up.

Corvin had a hunch where the pirate had went. The young hooded boy arrived the docks, there were two pirate ships and most there were small and big sailboats around. A very few men on each boat and towing them onto the shores. Corvus found one of the pirate ships oddly familiar, perhaps it's the sail that gave away, its skull above the two bones. Unlike the other ship that had no detail on the sail, Corvus was certain the ship he was approaching to was the one he had seen in his dreams.

          The boy stood on the dock, the ship standing tall over him, he glanced up and waited for the pirate to come out. He stood there for long several moments until finally, the pirate came out, climbed down the ladder, the pirate never noticed the boy waiting for him until he was on the dock.

The pirate let out a peevish sigh when he saw the boy waiting for him, "Shouldn't you be in bed? Quite early for a boy like you to be out and bright in this early morning"

"I'm a morning person" Corvus replied, "but shouldn't you be in bed after a long night of binge-drinking?"

"Well, I'm a morning person as well for a drunk— excuse me" the pirate walked around the boy.

Corvus followed him toward back to the town. "Have you thought of what I said last night?"

"There was nothing to think about, Seer" he mocked.

          "My brother and I have nowhere else to go but out there" Corvus motioned at the sea. "Like I said last night, we could be useful, we could be your cabin boys, but we're no fighters. As the matter of fact, we could be more than cabin boys"

          "Don't need cabin boys and I don't really care if you can raise the sea" The pirate replied cold and sharp. "Besides, my ship's full. No room for a seer and a warlock, boy. Do yourself a favour, go home or go back wherever you came from. Save yourselves"

Corvus walked quick as the pirate and attempt to even the man's walking to remain beside him. "Unfortunately, home awaits for my head or myself and my brother to be perished in flames by my own townsfolk"

The pirate halted, expressed an odd look at the boy. "Where are you from?" He questioned.

"Somewhere where people like me are not welcome and the use of magic is a sentence to death"

"How unfortunate, indeed" the pirate proceeded walking and seemingly on their way back to the tavern. Corvus still followed him. "Look, kid, where I'm going may not be the best place you'll ever be. Seas are very dangerous to be in . . . Worst of all, seasick"

"Oh that must be truly terrifying" Corvus responded sarcastically. "Can't be worst than this place—" he waved his arms up, gesturing the town. "And I've been through worse"

          "Can't imagine" the pirate said as if he doesn't believe the boy. "Already said and done. Not taking little boys. Find another ship and good luck" the pirate walked to a different direction.

          Corvus has no doubts at all, he knew that this was the pirate with a hook hand that'll take him and William to the place he's been searching for. This man will also betray both boys by turning them in to a boy whom Corvus calls the Green Boy. The boy heaved a sigh sharply, cold air escaped his lips, "I know what you're after . . . Killian Jones"

          The man halted, almost startled but somehow not surprised, should he feel surprised? He never really believed that the boy was an actual Seer. If he's a Seer, then the boy knows his name, and what Jones is after. Jones expressed a peevish look when he glanced around at the boy, as if tired of bumping into people like the boy. "Exactly what do you think I'm after?" He decided to test the child.

          Corvus stood still, he breathed sharply, "Vengeance . . . You're overwhelmed by anger, hatred . . . and grief. Hence you turn to drinking, only way to numb everything out, is that right? Only time you feel . . . Nothing"

          Killian Jones made no response, he stood there momentarily at his tracks, merely stared at the boy. Everything the boy said felt like a hit in the face and chest, like it all came back. He just can't escape from it, can he? Instead of saying anything else, the pirate walked away.

          William wasn't happy when Corvus wandered out of the tavern alone. The young warlock was already awake when Corvus arrived and immediately gave him a several long moment of lectures before they left the room. They broke their fast downstairs, with bit of pork sausage, boiled eggs and fry bread.

          "Now where do you want to go?" William asked as they stepped out of the tavern.

          Corvus smiled as his gazed wandered off to the bay. "To the seas, my friend"

          "Did you finally persuade that drunk pirate to take us in?" William grumbled, clearly unhappy where this was going.

          If Corvus tells William what Jones said, Williams may not let them both go right now. So Corvus has to lie because he trusted himself and his dreams. "Yes. He said when we reach the next land towards west, we'll be on our own and I'm certain we'll find a new home"

          William let out a sigh of doubt, again Corvus is never wrong, he got them both this far and they're near to a place where they'll potentially call home. "Lead the way then" they walked into the a small crowd of townsfolk as they worked left and right. The two boys strolled through, towards the docks. "Why this one-handed-drunken pirate, Corvus? Out of all the rest we've met and seen"

          "Because this is the one who's guiding us to the place we're meant to go and he knows where" Corvus assured.

          When they arrived the docks, Jones's ship was still there and spotted him on the dock as he's getting the ship ready to sail off. As the two boys approached him and Jones saw them. "Oh bloody—" he paused as he stood up straight. "Did I not made myself clear, little boy? I told you, no, even if I had room on the boat, no"

          William shifted his gaze at Corvus, disappointed that the boy lied. "And you said—"

          "Shh!" Corvus snapped and stepped forward to talk to Jones. "I never meant to offend you if what I said earlier. I wasn't insulting you or mocking you. I just— I empathize you. Not only that but I'm more than of what I claim to be, I just feel what you feel and that's how I knew"

          "How impressive" Killian murmured sarcastically. "And how exactly would that make you useful? Empathize a bloody whale's feelings or a shark's? Or another pirate who's much worse?"

          "You're right, I may be useless" Corvus admitted, "I don't know how to fight like you, I can't move things or wave the enemies away with my own hands without even touching them like my brother but I do know something—"

          "Oh yeah? Besides you've seen how I die or when I'm going to die? I think death is the last thing in the world that I think about"

          "Well, yes, I know how you die but its when is truly the least you'll think about, at least not for a very long time" Corvus told him. "But that's not it. There is something that I know that you may be interest in"

          "I assume I'll die in the old age on my death bed, least I'm not going to die by drinking myself to death" Killian finished untying the ship's rope off the dock. "Good to know . . . And what is it that I'm interested in?"

          Corvus smiled, not a smirk or a smug kind of smile. Just a plain and innocent one. "I know where to find the Crocodile"

*****

Sorry for not updating but I promise you
I'm not planning on abandoning this story
I'm still interested into this book and want to
continue! I just have too many projects that
I either don't want to abandon!
I hope you understand :)
Thank you if you're still sticking to this
book <3