CHAPTER FIVE
❛ 𝙰 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝙸𝙽 𝙾𝙿𝙴𝙽 𝚂𝙴𝙰 ❜

         THE CLOSER THEY GET TO NOVYI ZEM, the warmer the days become. Nights are pleasant and the salt air feels refreshing on the skin. The briny winds awaken Marya's senses; a much needed cleansing after the days of stale and sewage-ridden Ketterdam air.

The glass window at the center of her cabin brings colorful lights into Marya's cabin. Once upon a time, the window hadn't been more than a circle of rotting wood and badly sealed edges. But now, with time and care, the stained glass currently stands as a mosaic of colorful fragments, bringing a certain iridescence to her private corner of the Repentance. It goes along with the rest of the space, after all, the Captain's cabin has always appeared to be a jarringly out of place location— as if the moment you step through the door, you're no longer on a pirate ship.

Marya checks her pistols for what feels like the hundredth time, legs propped up against the arm of her chair. Ravi sits on her lap, playing with curls of her hair with the outmost focus while, just a few paces away from them, Emerens and Neyar hover around the center table. Or, well, Neyar hovers while Emerens sits with his boots on the table.

         The girl from Ketterdam said that Sturmhond had left only a few hours beforehand. So, at most, Sturmhond is less than a day ahead. The good thing is that they've all been at sea for a good long while— and Marya knows what zones to avoid, what shortcuts to take. Where the winds threaten to wipe your ship off of the surface. Where to tread carefully. Where to march past.

         The sound of metal makes Marya straighten.

Neyar looks unimpressed as she turns to the blond. "What are you doing?"

         Emerens looks up at the Shu girl with his lips parted, flask in hand. He raises a brow. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He exhales loudly. "We're going up against a well-known pirate and his whole crew with little to no chance of infiltrating them beforehand. Not a chance to do reconnaissance." The Kerch boy raises the metal container, as if making a toast. "So, I'm drinking."

         Now that they've finally put some distance between them and the island nation of Kerch, Emerens seems to be returning to his naturally annoying self. He takes another drink.

         "Lovely," quips Marya.

         Emerens goes to take a third sip, before he catches Ravi staring with those big brown eyes of his. He raises a brow, waving the flask in front of him. "You want some?"

         Marya's jaw twitches. "He's seven," she says, a warning tone slipping into her words.

"So?" Emerens shrugs. "I started drinking at seven."

Neyar scoffs. "And look how well you turned out, right?"

Ravi's focus returns to Marya's hair, fingers carefully braiding her curls. "You should put that down," He pipes up. With the room only being Marya, Emerens and Neyar, he seems grow comfortable enough. At ease. The young Suli boy briefly glances up at Emerens. "You look like a mess," he adds nonchalantly.

Emerens snorts, the corner of his lip curving upward. "Thanks, kid. Appreciate it."

         Neyar shakes her head, hiding the blossoming smile on her lips. Marya, on the other hand, lets out an amused chuckle, fingers gently carding through Ravi's messy hair.

If they play their cards right, they'll be cutting off Sturmhond before he can dock his ship at Cofton. And if finding him means finding Karim, then...

         Then things can finally go back to normal again.

         Hope is a dangerous thing. Nurture it, let it get out of hand, and a small flame can grow into a wildfire. Marya knows this, and yet she can't help the blooming feeling taking root inside her chest.

         Karim would be safe. Ravi would be safe. Saints, Marya would let them set shop in a place of their choosing. Somewhere warm, somewhere lively, somewhere they would be safe from the life she chose to lead.

         Her chest tightens as she feels Ravi gently braiding her hair. She chose the life at sea. She should've never allowed them to get involved in it. She should've chosen a city far away from the coast for them to live in— somewhere they wouldn't be easy prey for slaver ships.

But you couldn't help yourself, could you? The thought feels bitter, poisonous. Of course she couldn't. She always knew having them live near the True Sea was a risk, but she believed she'd be able to handle it if the time came.

         Foolish, she thinks, arrogant.

         All because she couldn't bare to stay away from them for too long. The two reminders of the girl she once was— of the life she might've once had. Land, she could let go of. People— that, she could not.

         "Thank you," Marya murmurs suddenly, so quietly she's not entirely sure if she's said it out loud. But Ravi stops braiding her hair, while Emerens and Neyar turn to look at her. She closes her eyes, inhaling softly. "I know I haven't been at my best the past weeks," she continues, this time, her voice leveled and louder. She clears her throat. "It... It means a lot."

         There's a brief moment of silence. Neyar and Emerens share a look, before the latter breaks out a lopsided smile. "Come on, Captain," he begins slowly, teasingly. "Don't tell me you're going soft on us now."

         Marya scoffs a laugh, tilting her head slightly. "Never."

         Neyar takes Emerens' flask from his loose grasp and takes a drink. She raises it, exhaling a loud breath. "To hell and back."

         "To hell and back," Marya and Emerens respond in unison.

Marya feels the webs inside her chest loosen. If this had to happen, she can at least be thankful she has Emerens and Neyar to get her through it.

"To hell and back," Ravi repeats quietly.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"ANYTHING AHEAD, DAMIEN?" The Captain's voice threatens to get carried away by the wild wind.

         The Ravkan boy looks down from his post, looking glass in hand. He gives a firm shake of his head.

         "Nothing in sight, Kapitan."

         She responds with a curt nod, and Damien returns to his position. The dim gray light of the early morning doesn't help them with their search— that, as well as the sudden fog that seems to have risen out of nowhere.

         It's odd, Marya notes as she walks down the deck of the ship. Especially among these waters. Skies should be getting clearer the closer they get to Novyi Zem— not the other way around.

         Still, despite the sudden grayness surrounding her ship, Marya can't deny the fact that the deck of the Repentance feels undoubtedly alive. Crewmen move along the platform like fish in a riverbank, some preparing weapons while others adjust ropes and sails.

         As Marya heads closer to the sails, she sees Neyar talking to one of the ship's Tidemakers— a Zemeni girl named Raziya. Neyar says something she doesn't catch, but Raziya simply offers nod, heading towards the bow of the ship. She pulls her hands into wide arcs before thrusting them forward. The fog around them seems to dissipate slightly, breaking way for rays of sun.

         Neyar's trusted sword hangs from her belt as she heads towards Marya.

         "Tell me."

         "At this pace, we should be cutting them off a day or two before they reach Cofton," Neyar responds, looking up at the Repetance's two Squallers manning the sails.

         "That's what I like to hear," Marya notices the lack of a certain Kerch Alkemi on the deck. "And Emerens?"

         Neyar's golden eyes flash with anticipation. "He's down in his cabin preparing the flash bombs and explosives for our arrival."

         "I like the sound of that."

         Raziya calls out Neyar's name, making the two girls turn. The Tidemaker keeps her hands in front of them, features twisted into a confused frown.

         "What is it?" Neyar asks as the two draw closer to the Tidemaker.

         "I can't pull back the mist," she explains, brows furrowed. "It's like— like something's pushing against me."

         Marya and Neyar share a look.

         "Get Aleksei to help you," Marya orders, watching as the fog seems to grow denser and denser. She ignores the chill that runs down her spine. "I don't want us going in blind."

         Raziya pulls back her hands, and the gray mist seems to cling onto the deck of the ship with newfound strength.

         Marya hears the ship rocking underneath her feet. The slap of water over the hull. In the blink of an eye, she can barely see five paces ahead of her.

         She doesn't like this. She doesn't like this at all.

         "Where's Ravi?" Marya hears Neyar ask.

         "He's in my cabin with Darius," the Suli girl responds, hearing footsteps along her deck. "I don't want him getting caught in the line of fire when we get there." The fog expands, a blinding force. Marya turns her head towards the front of the ship. "Raziya! I want the fog gone now," she calls out.

         The two Tidemakers thrust and curl their hands, and the mist seems to finally let up. Rays of sunlight seep through the fog for a moment.

         Neyar calls out another command for the two Tidemakers. The Repentance is finally visible, but an unrelenting cloud still surrounds them.

         "Something's wrong," the Ravkan Tidemaker calls out. Aleksei crosses his hands, thrusting them forwards once again. "Something's keeping the fog in place."

         "Whatever it is," Raziya furrows her brows, trying to keep her focus on the task at hand, "—it's coming from over there."

         Marya narrows her eyes, trying to see beyond the heavy mist. "Damien!" She yells out, making the crew's lookout straighten. "What do you see?"

         The Ravkan boy shakes his head again. "The fog is too thick, Kapitan."

         "Something's not right," Marya turns to the rest of the crew. "I want everyone ready on their posts now. Anya, I want you out front with Fiona and Maksim— and where the hell is Emerens?"

         Steps hastily shuffle along the deck, the sound of pistols clicking and swords being unsheathed. A head of dirty blond finally poles out of the sub-level trapdoor.

         "Looking for me?"

         "I trust you made enough flash bombs."

         "Of course I did— I'm not a novice."

         Marya turns to the Ravkan Tidemaker. "Aleksei— where do you feel the most resistance coming from?"

         The man crosses his arms in front of him, slowly extending his hands. He closes his eyes, brows furrowed. Finally, he stops. "Over there," he says, pointing West.

         "Angus," Marya turns to one of the Squallers manning the sails. "When he throws the bomb, I want you to direct it with as much precision as possible— can you do that?"

         "Yes, Kapitan."

         "What do you think it is?" Emerens asks, pulling out a fist-sized cloth ball from his belt.

         "I think," Marya signals the Squaller to focus, "—we've got company."

         "Good thing I came prepared, then."

         She glances up at him. "Tell me you put as much phosphorus as you could into that flash bomb."

         "It's like you don't even know me."

         Marya raises her hand, feeling as a newfound tension washes over the deck. Distantly, she can hear water slapping against rocks. Except— except they're still in too deep for rocks.

         Anya raises her hand, fire sparking from it with a flick of her wrist. Marya holds up her palm, inhaling deeply.

         "Now!"

         Emerens throws the flash bomb as far as his arm will let him. It soars across the air, a gust of wind carrying it farther away with a fireball trailing after it. Swallowed by the fog, there's a moment of eerie silence. Then—

         BOOM!

         Fire collides with phosphorus, and the gray sky is set alight with a blinding explosion. Marya shields her gaze for a moment, before turning her eyes back up.

         "There's a ship ahead!" Damien yells out from the crow's nest.

         Her heart pounds inside her chest at the sight of the vessel. A large ship without a flag— but plenty of people standing on its deck. With the brief release of the fog, Marya watches as the Repentance draws closer and closer.

         "Prepare for boarding!" Neyar calls out as boots shuffle along the deck.

Marya's heart drops to her stomach when she sees it. A head of ruddy hair— one that she has been committing to memory since she first saw it.

The dull thud of grappling hooks connecting to wood is enough to snap the fading string of silence. Commands echo from the other ship, but it's too little, too late— and before any of them can make sense of the situation, half of the crew aboard the Repentance is climbing and swinging over onto the opposing ship.

Marya lands onto the deck with a hollow thud, the deafening song of blades and bullets echoing around her. She rises to her full height, a hound on the hunt.

Muddy green eyes meet her sunlit brown.

Sturmhond raises his sword, surprise catching on his features for a fleeting moment. "You?"

Marya bares her teeth. "Me."

The Suli girl unsheathes her sword, the loud clang of metal against metal ringing in her ears.

Sturmhond blocks her attack with ease. "You sure do know how to make an entrance. Pity about your timing."

"Arrogant," she snarls. "You'll be kneeling in a moment."

"You want me down on my knees?" The red-headed pirate tilts his head. "My, darling, we're only just getting to know each other."

Marya takes another swing at him, sword against sword, metal against metal. She can hear bullets soaring in the background, bodies toppling over. A strong gust of wind rushes past them, followed by fiery attacks.

She swings, and he blocks. He parries, and she ducks. He doesn't fight like a pirate— not like any she's met before.

Their swords clash again, and this time, they're close enough that Marya can see the sweat beading at his forehead. "I'm gonna enjoy watching as you slowly bleed out to death."

Despite the current situation, Sturmhond chuckles. "I do love a woman with conviction."

This dance is getting her nowhere.

"Where is he?"

"He?" Ruddy curls swing over his forehead as his chest rises and falls erratically. "I get around quite a lot. You're gonna have to be more specific."

Anger boils inside her veins. Hubris will be his downfall— she'll make sure of it. "Suli boy. Twenty-one. Healer," she scowls. "You stole him off Novyi Zem three weeks ago." She knocks his arm back, sending him reeling against the mast of his ship. "Where is he?"

There's a brief glint in his eyes she can't bring herself to place. "Now, gorgeous, can't you tell? I'm a natural born leader— I don't need to take people, they just tend to follow me."

He kicks his leg against her chest, body colliding against the wooden border of the ship. Sturmhond lunges at her with a sword, and she holds her hands out in front of her.

The sword bends harmlessly before it can even make contact with her skin.

"Fabrikator," he marvels, brow raised. His green eyes have never looked clearer before. "Now I truly am sorry for this."

His now useless sword clatters harmlessly against the deck, hand reaching for another weapon by the back of his belt. Marya doesn't give him another second to arm himself. She kicks him back with all the force she can muster, giving her enough time to stand up.

"Where do you sell your indentures?" she asks, voice cutting. If things keep going on like this, she won't be able to interrogate him later. "Are they still on this ship?"

His eyes darken, hand clutching his shoulder. "I beg your pardon?"

He's probably belowdecks, a voice whispers in her head. End him while you still have the chance.

Marya brings her hands together, focusing every sliver of attention onto the metallic particles around Sturmhond. The buttons on his coat. The silver around his neck. The emerald ring around his finger. Pistol. Sword. Bullets. Ring. Buttons. Clasps.

She focuses on all of them, ready to turn every last atom against him. Her fingers curl into a fist, her powers barely leaving her fingertips, when it all suddenly stops.

Her heart tightening inside her chest, her lungs set on fire. Her knees buckle, body limply slumping against the deck. In the distance, Marya can see a Shu woman with her hands outstretched in front of her.

Heartrender.

Shit.

Her body grows colder, like a hand wrapped around her heart, slowly tightening its grip. Blood starts to drip down her nose. At this pace, it won't be long until her knees can't hold her up anymore.

Sturmhond shares a nod with the Shu Heartrender, hand curling against Marya's shoulder. "Not to cut this introduction short," he says, the sound of the battle around her growing unbearably distant, "but I've got a client to meet with."

Marya clutches her chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Neyar fall to the floor, a big Shu man with his hands out in front of him.

Shit, shit, shit.

Saints, she's so close. She has him at an arms reach. Karim might as well be on the underbelly of the ship.

Saints, please. Let her be their sword. Let her deliver their judgement.

"Sturmhond!" she hears a distant voice call out.

The world darkens around her eyes, stars painting her vision. Is this where it ends? Has this all been for nothing?

Get up.

Karim's voice is like a bullet through her skull. Then, suddenly, it's like a breath of fresh air. Her body nearly topples to the floor. Her sword is too far away, but her knife— her knife is in her belt, then her hand, and then— she throws it.

She nearly misses, blood returning to her system at an unsteady pace. Sturmhond stumbles, knife embedded onto his shoulder, mere inches shy of his neck. Not enough to kill, but enough to throw him off.

Marya feels rabid. Like a wolf on the hunt. She feels like there's blood pooling out of her mouth— hell, maybe there is.

Her heart beats unsteadily inside her chest, like there's still a phantom of a hand around her vital organ. She feels like her chest is overcrowded— two hands battling for control of her pulse. It makes her breaths shallow, her vision blur, her movements clumsier, but she manages.

"Heartrender!" She hears an unfamiliar voice call out.

Marya lunges at Sturmhond. His body lands against the floor with a loud thud, the two struggling for control. But he's losing blood, and her knife is still embedded into his skin.

And, eventually, he's underneath her, and she's pinning him to the deck.

Her breath is shallow, his chest rises underneath her, his blood pooling on the floor. She can feel his heartbeat— she wonders what it will feel like when it fades.

Sturmhond looks up at her with unreadable eyes, chest rising at an unsteady pace. She unsheathes the last dagger in her belt. Marya leans closer to him, lips nearly brushing against the shell of his ear.

"I hope the land that greets you on the other side is barren and dead," she hisses, and raises her knife.

End him.

Her dagger is a breaths away from his chest when she hears him scream. Her heart drops to her gut.

And there, her mistake.

Marya whirls around. She doesn't think, doesn't hesitate— she turns to the sound of his voice, towards the scream that ripples from his throat.

On the opposite side of the deck, near the bow of the ship, Ravi's young hands are held apart by a member of Sturmhond's crew. He tries to pull, struggling against the taller man. A boy against a giant.

"Get away from him!" Marya snarls, pulling her hands into a wide arc. Guns and swords fall to the floor as if they were embers. Knifes and bullets pause in the air, anger and fear being pumped into her system at a rapid pace.

And then, the hand around her heart returns. It tightens and tightens. The stars in her vision trickle back in.

The Shu woman jumps off the rigging, landing besides her with perfected ease. "Goodnight," she says, fist held out in front of her.

Marya is out before she hits the floor.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A/N.

a shorter chapter than usual... what do we think? what better way to meet your future partner than first (1) flirting with them at a casino and second (2) trying to kill them? they're so romantic fr fr 😍😍

sorry if this chapter feels a bit rushed, i'll probably come back to edit it later. my head hurts and feels as if someone filled it with cotton 😃 ah yes, the joys of being sick. i also have an oral exam tomorrow at uni so i BETTER feel GREAT by tomorrow 😃👍 (pray for me i'm begging)

anyways!!!! the upcoming chapter is one i'm particularly excited for because we get to learn a little more about marya's backstory! 👀 thoughts?

anyways, i really should be getting to bed rn— not because its late but bc i feel like my head's going to explode 🙂 again, help

[ Started: Jun 25th, 2023 ]
[ Posted: Jul 2nd, 2023 ]

( word count: 3.5k )