Page 3 of Blood Sea

I point the pistol at Mr Burcham. He doesn't know my skill with a sword, so the pistol will instil far more fear in him. I need him to be afraid, for him to step out of my way and let me leave.

“Why exactly must you protest?” I demand, any patience I usually have for the dull man is absent. Every second they’re taking up is a waste of my time. I need to get out that door, now.

“You're not even dressed, it's improper,” he stammers the words out. I glance down. I'd ditched my layers to swim, and am only wearing my white corset, underwear, and a thin white underskirt. I'd swim naked by myself, but with James I always keep this layer on.

“Your concern is for my state of bloody dress?” I ask incredulously. I pause and place the pistol on the table, and they both sigh in relief, mistakenly thinking I have conceded. Instead, I cut my skirt roughly at the knees with the sword. Now I can run faster without worrying about tripping.

“Azula!” Mr Burcham exclaims, scolding me.

“You're right, Iwasdressed unsuitably. I will be able to run much faster now,” I state as I grab the pistol again. “Now get out of my way, or so help me, I will fire,” I add.

“You couldn't possibly know how to use a firearm,” he says. I roll my eyes and fire the pistol at the vase close to his head. He jumps back and stares at me. He looks at me as if he is seeing me for who I really am for the first time. I am not just the sweet, innocent daughter of his friend who reads all day in the library. My father trained me to be more than that, taught me how to fight for my survival. And now I will doanythingto fight for his.

I switch my pistol out for another that’s already loaded. They’re a damn pain to reload, which is why we leave these two ready in here in case of an emergency. I look back up, staring Mr Burcham down. He sees my determination and steps out of the way. Only James blocks my exit now.

“Please, James,” I plead, tightening my grip on the sword.

“Zu, I can't...” he says weakly, trailing off, but he stands firmly in my way. His body is standing strong where his words are not. His pale-grey eyes are filled with sadness and remorse. I hate that I’m about to make it worse, but there’s no time for another option.

“You chose this, not me,” I say, as I raise my sword. He stands completely still, convinced I wouldn’t hurt him. That belief in me is what I use to make my escape. I dart forward quickly, slicing the side of his arm. I make sure not to cut deeply; I don't really want to cause him harm. A crimson line bleeds through the slice in the white shirt, staining it. James jumps back, clutching at his arm and looking at it in disbelief. Before he can regain his senses and realise how shallow the cut is, I sprint out the front door and down the white stone steps. My boots pound into the ground loudly as I run down them, rushing to get away.

I hear a voice calling my name repeatedly. I ignore it at first, but then it occurs to me that it's not James or his father, it's a woman's voice. I turn and see a maid running after me, leading a horse by its reigns.

“You will be faster by horseback, and you may even catch up with him on Blue,” she says as she comes to a halt next to me.

“Why?” I ask gingerly.

“Your father is a good man,” she says simply, and I nod briskly. She crouches, offering me her hands clasped together to lift me up. I don't normally ride Blue, as he is my father's horse, but he’s the fastest we own, so I appreciate her thoughtful choice. I place my weapons down on the ground and then I swing onto him, using her offered hands to help me get up.

“Wait,” she calls, just as I’m about to move. She hands me a man's jacket, and I pull it on. I shiver, not having realised just how cold it has gotten tonight until pulling on the jacket. She then hands me the pistol, which I pocket. Glad to now have a safe way of carrying it. “Had I known you were going to be carrying a sword, miss, I'd have gotten you a scabbard and belt to carry it,” she says weakly.

“You've done more than enough, thank you. Forgive me, but I don't know your name?” I ask her.

“Tulu,” she whispers, her face shocked that I asked for it. I suppose the astonishment is well deserved. She has been working here for a long time, not that I have ever paid her much attention. Her pretty, brown eyes now tell so much in the silence between us as I watch her for a moment. She tucks a strand of pure white hair behind her ear.

“Thank you, Tulu. I will repay you for this,” I promise her. She nods and steps back from my path.

“Ride fast,” she says simply. I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile and set off. I head in the direction of the town, guessing that would be where my father would look for me first. Biting my lip, I turn my head as I begin to ride, and see James standing in the doorway. He gets smaller and smaller as the distance between us grows further.

An uncomfortable, empty feeling settles in my stomach, but I turn my head around again, facing forward. I need to be focusing on the challenge ahead.

I will not let my father die trying to find me, I couldn't live with myself if I did.

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Chapter Three – Azula

As I reach the town, the sounds of screams, gunshots, and general chaos meet my ears, and I swallow the lump in my throat. I direct Blue into the line of trees, slowing his canter down to a trot so we can remain hidden in the greenery, as we skirt along the edge woods. I can see flames through the gaps in the trees, and I feel tears rolling down my face from the destruction these pirates have brought to our small island.

They burn buildings down, forcing the owners into the street where they can then attack them. The vampires are not able to just come into your home, they must be invited. Businesses seem to be different, they can enter without invitation. Nobody is quite sure of the reason why, but my nanny used to tell me stories of the vampirates, the blood suckers that sail the seas. She would tell me that the Sea Witch cursed all vampires to keep them from the land during the day, and to keep them from our homes in the night. I don't much understand why a Sea Witch would care for those of us on land, but I have always taken comfort in the fact the vampires can't enter our homes. But now, here I am out in the open, the screams and blasts ringing in my ears the closer I get to the centre of town. I must have gone mad.

Shaking my head to clear the thought, I continue on, peering through every gap in the treeline for sign of my father. It’s not long before I realise that I will have to leave the safety of the trees to search for him. Sighing, I bring the horse to a halt. I jump down, bending my knees as I land on the mossy ground, being careful not to slip. Checking my pocket for the pistol, I'm glad to see it's still in place, despite my having reservations about using one. I look around helplessly for something to use to tie Blue to a tree, as his reigns aren’t long enough. Looks like I am leaving my father's prize horse untied, able to just run off. If the vampirates don’t kill me, he surely would.

Steeling my nerves, I step out from the trees and look upon the havoc that has descended upon my town. The buildings are burning, and the people are running around screaming. I can see men in the distance, the vampirates, carrying off the belongings of our townspeople. Fear strikes into me at the sight of them, but I try not to think about it too hard. I have to find my father, he must be here somewhere, looking for me.How can we miss each other, when we’re trying so hard to find each other?

Throwing caution to the wind, I race straight into the throws of chaos. Darting between terrified people, burning fires, and thieving pirates, I quickly notice that I'm running in the opposite direction as everyone else. Knowing my father, I’m sure he did the same in his search for me. As I delve further into the thick of things, the more carnage I see. People with torn and bloody clothing, bodies littered on the floor, people just running right over them. I’m not sure how many are victims of the pirates’ attacks, and how many are victims of the panic the pirates caused. Their bruised, crumpled bodies have been trampled too much to tell the difference, and I quickly step over them, trying to ignore the bile rising in my throat.

A small figure huddled by a burning building catches my eye and I freeze. I debate in my head between continuing to look for my father and tending to the child. Sighing, I turn off course and head for the kid, knowing that I may or may not find my father, but I can definitely help this child. As I get closer I notice it's the tavern owner's son, Marco. I'm sure he's only nine or ten. He’s close in age to James’ cousin, Lela, if I remember correctly.

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