Page 8 of Enchanted By a Pirate
As Anna tugged on the chain, she felt someone watching her. She glanced up and saw one of the pirates on the dock staring at her. The look in his eyes seemed unusually gentle, as if he didn't belong to the crew. However, the saber and knives hanging from his belt and his tattered clothing left no doubt that he was one of them. He glanced at the captain, who was fearlessly fighting the mutineers, and rushed to her.
"What are you doing here?"
Anna's fingers tightened around the chain. She stared at him in disbelief. "You know me?"
"Of course. Quick, leave before the captain sees you!"
He was trying to help her? Anna didn't think for a second about what his motives were or how she might know someone like him. "The chains are iron, the pirate said."
"Luckily, I'm the key master." From under his tattered shirt, he took out a ring with several keys hanging on it. He grabbed one and put it in the lock, which clicked, releasing the metal shackles.
Stunned, Anna stared at him. "Thanks."
"Quickly, don't waste time!" He held out his hand to her. Without hesitation, she grabbed it, climbed over the railing and, as she landed on the dock, she felt another gaze on her. Goosebumps spread all over her body, her heart beat faster, andas soon as she landed on the wooden dock, she froze. She slowly turned her head back to the ship.
It was the captain.
He stared at her in surprise, his dark eyes wide, his mouth gaping in disbelief as a cry escaped his throat that pierced her bones.
"Ani?"
He nearly shouted it, and the unfamiliar nickname echoed loudly through the night. As if time were standing still, he didn't move, and neither did his opponents. Beneath his penetrating gaze, Anna felt as if her knees could no longer support her. She stared transfixed at the strange man who knew her and who had called her name, but whose face was completely unfamiliar to her.
Suddenly, the captain was grabbed from behind and a blade rushed toward him even faster than usual, as if someone had sped up time. He immediately fended off the attack with his saber. The pirate who had helped Anna pulled her by the hand and gave her a strong shove toward the port.
"Run, before he gets his hands on you."
Anna blinked several times, her heart pounding when she finally realized what she needed to do. Escape. As quickly as she could, she ran past the abandoned buildings and into the darkness, away from the pirates… and away from the menacing captain, who was only prevented from following her by her captors. The sound of blades clashing spurred her onward. As long as the men fought, they were distracted, so she needed to put as much distance between herself and the ship as possible.
She ran across a meadow. No settlement, no lights, and no one to help her. Damn it, how was she supposed to get home? Should she wait for the friendly pirate? Maybe he would follow and help her.
She heard the captain shout "Ani" again, the call following her through the dark night as if he were directly behind her. The emotions echoing in the scream caused her to shiver. Without giving it another thought, she hurried from the harbor into the unknown.
4
She raced off, but soon she was engulfed in darkness and she had to slow down. The meadow Anna hurried across was illuminated by nothing but the light of the stars and the broad crescent moon. The sounds of the battle in the distance started to die down, so her steps automatically accelerated. She hoped the pirates wouldn't come after her now that they were done fighting.
What was going on? Where had she ended up? Why had the men abducted her? And how did the captain know her?
But the biggest question was: who was the pirate who had helped her and warned her about the captain? How did he know her? And why had he prevented the captain from getting his hands on her without her asking for his assistance?
The captain… A tingle ran through her stomach as she thought about the captain's almost black eyes. How would they know each other? And why had he called her Ani? Nobody called her that. Had he mistaken her for someone else? But then why had he been staring at her as if he were seeing a ghost?
Regardless of such questions, she had to find her way home somehow. Or a police station. Or a mental institution, becauseapparently she was losing it. Had she actually flown there in a glittering boat? Had she imagined everything? Was she perhaps dreaming? She tripped over a rock and landed sprawling on the grass, scraping her shin on a sharp edge. Damn, that hurt. It definitely wasn't a dream.
Anna gritted her teeth and picked herself up again. Even though she tried to ignore the pain, the wound stung. But she didn't want to stop and limped to relieve the pressure on her leg.
She glanced over her shoulder again. No one seemed to be following her. Everything was quiet and gloomy, and even the lantern's glow near the harbor was barely visible. How long had she been running? Her legs had become leaden, as had her eyelids. The adrenaline was starting to wear off even though she wasn't safe. Where on earth had she ended up?
Every step became an ordeal. The darkness pressed down on her shoulders as if to say: "Come, lie down and sleep so that I can unleash the next horror on you." Anna, however, didn't give up. She certainly wasn't going to lie down in the middle of this meadow, which — as far as she could tell in the darkness — had just a few small hills where the pirates could discover her from to then seize her at sunrise. There was no question in her mind that the captain and his crew, who had fought off her captors, would be searching for her.
Exhausted, she trudged on. One step after the other. Just don't give up, don't fall asleep. Every foot, every yard, became her personal marathon, with the stars in the sky being her fans standing along her path and cheering her on. Only the moon apparently didn't want to participate, as it had retreated behind a cloud — presumably so it wouldn't have to witness her defeat.
She couldn't give up, so she struggled onward and suddenly bumped into something that was soft on the outside and hard on the inside. But what in the world could that be? Was she dreaming again? Everything in front of her was dark. When shereached out, she touched something like a body — only it was too big. Way too big.
Stepping to the side, she attempted to bypass the obstacle, but it was so long, it seemed to have no end. Was this some strange form of magic again? Maybe a barrier? Some kind of fence around the magical world where the pirates had brought her? Was her world behind it?
She touched the obstacle again. It felt warm, like a living being. But of course that couldn't be. She stroked the surface, which was rough and — hairy?
