Page 20 of Sea's Secret

“So, if we leave the ocean, we will gain legs,” Finn said with such a large grin that I frowned.

“No, Finn, tell me you will not leave the ocean.”

“We should see.”

“It is forbidden to leave the ocean. It is not safe for magical beings on land.”

“But why? I bet you that the Great War has been over for hundreds of years! I have patrolled the seas around Marren, and humans sail the seas regularly; there is no sign of war. It should be safe for us above. The Ancients said they would fix the world, and I am sure they have.”

“I don't know, Finn. We are waiting for the Ancients to tell us.”

Finn put the book down and looked at me with a teasing smile.

I glared at him.

“Well, my plan worked.”

“What plan?” I asked.

“I got you to forget your disappointments!” he smiled as he put the book back into the trunk.

“Yes, maybe, but this is even more worrisome.”

“Oh, it is a great mystery, and it will be awesome to discover its truth,” he said, and he closed the lid and scooted it over to a better spot, further away from the water. “This should keep it safe.”

“We should go; it's getting late.” I was not sure what to think. Sure he had distracted me from my worries about Edmar, but I was then worried about Finn and if he was going to do something foolish, like going up on the land. I also wanted to know more about my mother, and why, exactly, she had been banished. Would I ever know?

Would I ever not yearn for things I should not?

Chapter Seven

Dominick

“You only got him first ‘cause I let you,” Sands said, standing beside me as I smirked. I kept the pirate who I’d pulled away from the rest of the crew pinned to the ground with my foot on his chest, and my sword at his throat.

“Ah, you let me, did you? You being slow to pin down a young pirate is not because you are letting me pin this one first. It’s because you couldn’t help yourself to the first mate’s golden watch,” I grunted as the pirate I’d restrained, reached for his boot. I kicked at his foot and reached down to remove the knife I was sure he had hidden there. Not very original.

“I need a watch,” Sands said.

“You have over a dozen.”

“Can’t a pirate be punctual?” Sands grunted; then in a huff, he turned to me. “I’ll get the next one, first.” Sands smiled at me as he, finally, pinned down the boy. “Also, not my fault that this one doesn’t have any sense of self-preservation.”

“Self what? Ye be tryna’ kill us!” the pirate shouted.

Sands smiled again. “If I wanted to kill you, this isn't the way I’d go about it. I believe a death should be memorable. This would be a bad end for you, so you're welcome,” Sands said with a nod.

I chuckled.

Sands reached down to check for a knife on the young pirate's person. “How many of you landlubbers are there on the ship?” Sands asked.

“It be a full crew. I ain’t no landlubber,” the young man said. I hated that he was so young. It was clear that he was inexperienced, just as was the boy I had pinned to the ground. He looked to be around the same age that my brother would be. I hated how weak my heart was, so that it made me think about Peter, the brother I had barely known. I hoped his life was better than mine.

A full crew meant more than twenty. Veeto would kill them all, even the young pirates. He didn’t like loose ends, and a dead pirate doesn’t share his secrets.

“Can you dogs swim?” Sands asked with a smirk, his black hair, not fitting in his almost nonexistent ponytail, shifting in the wind to cover his brown eyes. Sands and I, along with a few other pirates, always invaded the ships that Veeto wanted to capture, first. We rounded and then tied the crew up, preparing them to be sent to the Crimson Blade and Veeto’s wrath. But, whenever we captured young pirates, we tried to save them. Sands’ face was playful, but fierce, as sweat dripped from his cheek. There was a time when I did it all by myself. And back then, I was rarely able to save anyone.

Sands had joined the crew only five years earlier. He had been captured as he was robbing Veeto at the Sorran port. It was one of those rare situations when Veeto decided that instead of killing him, he would take him in and make him a part of our crew. Sands was an incredible ally, but I wished he could have had a different life than the one we lived. He deserved something better, even though I enjoyed our friendship. He was the only person on board the Crimson Blade that had an ounce of any morals.

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