Page 7 of Enchanted By a Pirate
"Who are you and what do you want from me?" she shouted after him, but he just gave her a piercing glance over his shoulder by way of an answer. She was surprised by his suspicious expression. And hadn't he turned so he wouldn't have to walk past her? If she didn't know better, she would say he was afraid of her. Did the pirates think Anna knew Taekwondo or some other martial art? Did she look so athletic and capable of defending herself? Hardly, given her slight build.
Briefly, she glanced down at herself. She was wearing her favorite sweater, the white, airy crocheted one, with a light-colored top underneath. The sweater wasn't low-cut, but the collarbone peeked out, revealing very little muscle. Her arms were reasonably covered, but her jeans were snug — there was no doubt that there wasn't any muscle mass to speak of underneath those either. So what made the men believe she could escape or use tricks and become a threat?
She watched her captors warily. The crew — at least the ones she could see — consisted of five men. The one with the red-checked scarf seemed to be the leader, the captain. He shouted out one command after another as the remaining pirates pulled on the ropes. Wait, there were a few men up on the ropes too. And one was even sitting in the crow's nest. Meanwhile, the presumed captain was standing behind the helm, steering the ship through the sky.
"At the second star on the left," someone called out to him.
What kind of directions were those?
As the sails inflated and they picked up speed, Anna slid along the railing, clutching it for dear life. Even though she needed to escape the pirates, she certainly didn't want to fall overboard into the endless depths. Who knew if the wood of the ship wall her shackle was attached to would support her weight. Speaking of what was below — why couldn't she see any lights? They were low enough that at least one or two big cities should have been visible. Yet all she saw was blackness.
They were traveling at breakneck speed, but to where?
Wait, wasn't there movement? As she saw the broad, crescent moon's silvery-yellow reflection on the ground, she heard a faint noise. Were they descending? It was hard to tell without a landmark, but she had a feeling in her stomach that reminded her of being in an elevator and told her they were losing altitude.
Anna stared over the railing. She wanted to know what awaited her down there. Where would they end up? A secret cove? A deserted island? Would they even land on water, given the ship could move without it?
But, yes, water. There were waves beneath them. She heard the roar punctuated by the captain's orders. They were heading toward water, a sea. How could that be? She lived hundreds of miles from the beach. How had the men gotten to the open sea so quickly? As Anna studied the ship, the answer became clear: just as the men had managed to abduct her with a flying ship.
As unbelievable as it sounded, something strange and magical was happening and Anna was right in the middle of it.
There was a faint light up ahead. She turned toward its source. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the railing tightly, trying to see where the pirates were taking her. An icy wind tousled her long strands and tugged at her sweater, but she didn't turn away. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on what appeared to be the landing site. Was there a dock? A small port? It was hard to tell, since there was just the one dim light.
Were the men taking her there? Was there perhaps a way to escape? Her heart pounding, she stepped closer to the railing and the scraping of her anklet returned her attention to the planks. How was she supposed to escape with a metal chain around her ankle?
"Heave-ho, heave-ho!" the pirates' voices echoed through the darkness as they lowered the sails. As they touched down on the sea, there was a loud splash. Fountains of water sprayed up and a stream hit Anna square in the face. Astonished, she wiped the drops from her forehead and cheeks with her hands and pushed the wet strands behind her ears. The glitter on the ship had disappeared as if it had never been there.
The pirates headed straight toward land, in the direction of the dim light coming from an old-fashioned lantern located on a road leading away from the harbor. A few unlit buildings lined the docks, of which there were fewer than ten. Other than that, there was nothing to see, no movement, not a soul to be heard. Not even a cat strayed past the houses.
The ship rocked back and forth until it settled calmly on the water and the captain steered it toward the harbor. As soon as the hull bumped the dock, Anna raised her arms and waved her hands wildly in the air. "Help! Does anyone hear me? I was abducted, I…"
"Quiet, stupid woman!" A sack was placed over her head again. Damn. She fought back with her hands and feet, but the pirate held her in an iron grip.
"I have you now!" a deep voice boomed through the night.
She heard numerous footfalls and sabers being drawn and then everything was quiet. For a moment.
Who was that? She didn't recognize the voice.
"How did you find us?" That was the captain — Anna clearly recognized his voice. But she hadn't heard the other before, had she? She strained to hear even though the bag over her head muffled all sound.
"I have my people everywhere. What were you thinking, stealing my ship?"
Stealing the ship? So, was he the real captain? Then who were the men who abducted her? Would the other men let her go?
"Surrender or walk the plank!"
Anna was released and the footsteps quickly moved away as one of her captors bellowed, "Surrender? Never!"
Blades clashed and a commotion broke out, and Anna swiftly lifted the sack off her head. Four men had come aboard and were fighting the pirates who had abducted her, while at least a dozen men waited on the dock. Their clothes were just as tattered and their bellowing just as frightening. They definitely wouldn't let Anna go. She was going from the frying pan into the fire.
The tallest of them had his back to her. His black cloak fluttered around him as he expertly dodged the captain's attack.
"Surrender or you'll become fish food!"
He was the real captain. It had to be him. She only saw him from behind, but everything about him seemed threatening. His shoulders were broad and his movements resembled those of a big cat. Every step he took with his boots thundered distinctivelyon the planks. He battled the mutineers mercilessly as if he would gladly accept their deaths.
For heaven's sake, she couldn't fall into the hands of that monster! Goosebumps shot up her arms. She had to get away from the ship quickly before he spotted her. Before she became his prey. She yanked on the chains, but they were firmly anchored to the side of the ship. Damn. She might have been able to bust the wood with an axe, but where would she get one? The pirates hadn't even left her the bucket.
