Rouge Argent Sea: Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Oh.

Orville was shoved into a polished office, the ropes being roughly sliced off of his wrists. The second his hands were free the door was shut an locked behind him. Orville shut his eyes tightly, rubbing the rope-burned skin on his wrists, and let out a sigh.

This was a fucking problem.

He was about to peer down into his pocket. Reese had gone perfectly still; Orville doubted she was asleep, he was more positive she was just terrified.

Before he could a sudden voice broke the stillness of the room.

“You may take a seat if you'd like,” a soft, feminine voice broke in.

Orville's eyes snapped open, finding a young woman at the back of the room. She was barely older than twenty, moving more into his view with a controlled grace, seeming almost like a cat with the way she prowled.

At first glance she appeared to be an elf, or possibly even human, but a few more hints showed that she was different. She lacked ears entirely, and her nose had a tint of pink to it, seeming almost triangular. When she spoke, it revealed sharp teeth, and instead of nails, she had claws at the tips of her fingers. Orville quickly put it together that she was a Lykoi; a type of cat-like species similar to werewolves, who lived in Juia with the druids, generally a slave race. She wore a scaled purple collar, and a small wave of nausea washed over Orville. Her being on Tia's ship didn't mean she escaped slavery, it just meant she had fallen into the hands of a new owner.

Her hair was pitch black, fading into a deep purple, several faint purple streaks throughout. She had bright, almost unnaturally big green eyes, adding to her catlike appearance. She was clad in pirate clothes, a step fancier than the general garb than the other grunts were wearing, but nowhere near the extravagance of Tia. Her cheeks and nose were a faint red, her skin was so pale it almost lacked pigmentation entirely, and her entire appearance was bony and sallow.

She had scars.

Orville froze.

One on each cheek, down the jawline and a bit into the neck. They were a pink, offset by a bit of brown around them, showing that they were old, but torn open often.

They matched his exactly.

“I wouldn't try running,” the woman stated. Her voice was quiet, spoke with a firmness that she didn't seem at all firm in. “My name is Mary Fabre. First mate. As it stands, I have a knife and an entire crew that would come at my call if I just raised my name in the slightest. I wouldn't try anything, were I you. But please, do take a seat, Mr. Zabala.”

She spoke as if she were dead; like something was possessing her body and lacked the passion to make her words alive. Every word seemed forced and controlled.

Orville narrowed his eyes, but did as told. He moved into the room, and took a seat in front of the lavish desk.

Reese, still in his pocket, desperately wanted to get a look at the situation. Not knowing what was going on was only making her anxiety worse, she was clueless overall and it terrified her. All she could see from her spot was a bit of Orville's jawline, and some of the ceiling. She was surprised that the woman, Mary, hadn't seen her yet, but she was small enough to not even make a bulge in Orville's pocket.

Orville kept his eyes on Mary, resisting the urge to check on Reese. Anyone on this ship finding out that he had a princess on him would make things an infinity worse. Orville knew what Tia did to normal sized people, he didn't want to see what torture she could wreck with a woodlander in her hands.

Mary moved around the desk, behind it. She didn't take a seat in the thick, plush chair behind it, but rather took a spot standing behind the chair, one hand resting on the backrest.

If she was bothered by Orville and her sharing the same scars, she didn't show it.

“Interesting scars,” Orville commented, keeping his voice controlled. It wouldn't do to release his anger on her, and ruin an opportunity.

Mary stiffed slightly. He saw her resolve waver, her green eyes dart down to his scars for a moment, before flicking back up to his face. A silent understanding passed between the two, apparently them having matching scars didn't escape her notice at all; it did quite the opposite.

“If you help me, I can get you out of here,” Orville said, keeping his voice even, “I know what the scars mean. I've gotten away once, I can get you out of here too, all you have to do is help me.”

Mary hesitated for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, when there was the loud clack of heels in the hallway outside, the door being thrown open a moment later.

Tia strode into the room, shutting and locking the door behind her.

She moved in to stand behind the desk, taking a quick glance at Orville before turning her attention to Mary. She gripped the younger woman's face rightly, bringing her in for a fierce, one sided kiss.

“Thank you for watching him, pet,” Tia stated, once she parted the kiss. She pushed the woman aside so she could sit behind the desk.

Mary shifted back into her blank persona, taking a step back into the shadows but still remaining behind the chair.

Tia leaned back in her chair, steepling her hands together.

She was an imposing woman, six foot six, towering and threatening even when sitting. Her face was square, her jawline sharp, and stubble graced her cheeks. Her cheekbones were high, her reddish brown eyes were sharp and piercing. One side of her head was shaved, the other half of her hair was let loose around her right shoulder, its dark brown complimenting the light brown of her skin nicely. There was a massive burn scar over her lip and part of her nose, but that did nothing to sway her fearsome appearance, it only complimented it. She was dressed in fine clothes, and held an aura around her that absolutely demanded respect.

She smiled.

“It's been a long time,” Tia spoke, “What, nine, eight years? And not even a letter.”

“Cut the shit, Tia,” Orville snapped, him being harsh surprising even him, “What do you want?”

Tia let her eyes move languidly over Orville's body, gazing down from his face, to where his shirt opened to reveal part of his chest.

She flicked her eyes back up to his face, and bit down on her lip in a manner that was meant to be alluring. She leaned forward, shortening the distance between them.

“Maybe I'm just back for what I had all those years ago,” she said, “Time complimented you well, Or. I have Mary for now, but I wouldn't mind an extra pet. It'd keep things exciting. I'd love to tear into you now.”

Orville was panicking inside, but kept his calm composure. If he was going to get himself, Reese, and the rest of the crew off the ship alive, he couldn't break down now.

Besides, panicking or crying would just put Tia in more of a position of confidence or power.

She did always love to see him cry.

“I'd sooner die than even touch you again.”

Tia stared at him, quirking up one eyebrow.

“You say that as if you have a choice.”

Orville steeled himself.

“What do you want?”

Tia sized him up for a moment, sharp eyes narrowed in scrutiny. Her smile dropped, and her gaze turned more serious, less flirtatious.

“You know what I want,” she said, her tone harder than before, her true personality beginning to glint through. “I know you have the princess. I want her.”

“Princess?” Orville asked, playing dumb. He leaned back in his chair slightly.

“Don't try to play me, Orville. We both know I'm better at these games. Besides, word has been heavy, plenty of talk about you and your little captive. And you just want ransom from her family, how stereotypical of you to think so small.”

“I'm getting more cash and notoriety than a pick-pocket slum lord like you could ever dream of,” Orville returned easily.

Reese stilled, her heart beginning to race at the conversation about her. Luckily Orville seemed to have no intentions of turning her over, though she doubted he would have much of a choice. It was unnerving to be talked about like that, just a means to money, and something ran through her head saying that however this ended, it was bound to be badly.

“You might have the princess, and you may have a deal worked out with her parents, but there's one thing that you have that I lack that puts me ahead.”

“That being?”

“Weaknesses.”

Orville's expression faltered.

“I might kill the child first,” Tia began, leaning back in her chair. “Terrify him a bit first, you know how children are. I'd love to hear him scream. Then there's the other woman, the faun. And the elf with bangs. I'd love to toy with both of them, maybe at the same time. Drag out the torture before killing them. Make the green haired elf watch, before killing him.”

Orville's grip on the chair's armrests tightened.

“And the purple haired naiad, they're fine. I'd love to keep them on board. I am tiring of Mary, I'd love to have someone new to play with.”

“What do you want?” Orville snapped, the sudden shout from him half terrifying Reese.

Tia's lips slipped into a smirk.

She knew she had him.

“Here's the deal, Captain Zabala,” she stated, her words fluid and confident, “You give me the princess, and I let you and your crew leave, alive and unharmed. No one has to die, you're free to sail away and never see me again.”

Reese felt her veins turned to ice in terror; she began to tremble at the unseen person's words. Orville wouldn't actually give her up, would he? Maybe if this had happened in the beginning, but they'd grown close over the past few months. She had to be a person in his eyes, not just a ransom figure, right?

Orville paused.

“What would you be doing with the princess?” he asked, his voice calm, ignoring the shaking woman in his pocket.

Reese shook even harder, starting to hyperventilate slightly.

He's considering it.

“You're thinking of ransom from her parents, and that's too small. I don't know what figure you have on her head, but I guarantee I've sold woodlanders for more. Do you have any idea of what people pay for the little things? They make wonderful toys, pets, snacks, you name it. People pay thousands for a regular one, imagine what people would give for a princess. A little something special for their collection, or dinner table, depending on whomever has the highest offer. I already have a few buyers in Nitalia lined up.”

Orville paused, rolling the situation around in his head.

He was forming a plan. He was positive it was bound not to go as smoothly as he hoped to, but it was all he had.

He'd given up on times before, but he couldn't allow himself to do that now. If his family was going to live, he had to cling onto whatever reckless hope he could muster up.

Orville raised his gaze from Tia to Mary, and raised a hand up to scratch his face. He trailed a finger over one of his scars, it being barely noticeable. He locked eye contact with Mary as he did so, making sure she noticed the move.

Her eyes narrowed as she realized what he was doing, what he was silently asking by just touching a scar.

Mary hesitated for one moment, before straightening herself, and nodding sharply.

Tia procured a jar from a desk drawer, in her search for it she had been oblivious to the two's silent conversation. She set it on the desk, sliding it in Orville's direction.

“Tick tock, I'm getting a little blood thirsty, if you don't decide soon I may have to take it out on someone.”

Reese was positively shaking like a leaf in Orville's pocket, wishing there was a way to talk to him, to see what was going on. She was utterly terrified at the thought that he might give her up, her heart pounded violently in her chest in the uncertainty of the moment.

As if on cue, two gargantuan fingers slipped into the opening of the pocket. Reese let out a inaudible whimper, pushing herself back into the folds of the pocket, her beginning to hyperventilate harder.

Despite her trying to push herself out of the fingers reach, Orville caught her easily. He pinched her between two fingers none to gently, raising her up. He lifted her up carelessly, and she kicked her legs out at the sudden lack of anything beneath her feet, his pointer finger on her back and thumb on her chest being the only things keeping her from falling.

Orville brought her up, looking at her for a moment. Tears sprung up in the corner of Reese's eyes, and she silently begged to him to not do this.

This was worse.

The ransom would never come, but she would have escaped from the Night's Fall eventually, or she would have figured something else out.

But with this, with someone like Tia, her fate would be sealed. She'd be sold off and reduced to absolutely nothing, just a toy, a fancy living object for giant's entertainment. Nitalia was an ocean away, she'd never get back to Rouge Argent.

With this, her lack of freedom was set in stone.

She gripped Orville's thumb with her hands, tears rolled down her freckled cheeks. Her eyes pleaded with him.

Orville's stony expression didn't even waver.

He moved his hand over the jar, and dropped her in carelessly.

Smacking into the glass of it was enough to leave bruises all along her side. The second she oriented herself, Reese scrambled to her feet, pressing against the jar with her hands, tilting her head back to look up at Orville.

She wanted to beg, she wanted to scream, she wanted to give into panic and curl up crying.

Instead, the terror slowly faded from her body, leaving just a void. Everything started to drift away, her anger and her terror and her hope being chipped at until one thing remained: utter betrayal.

Reese stared up at Orville, one palm pressed to the wall of her glass prison, tears welling up her eyes.

Even though she couldn't speak, what she was thinking was evidently clear.

But I thought I could trust you.

She was so caught up in looking at her former friend that she didn't even flinch as Tia slammed the lid down onto the jar, it snapping shut.

“Look at it, it's crying,” Tia said, sounding like a sociopath commenting on a whimpering puppy. “Isn't that cute, she cared about you. These little creatures can be so funny.”

Orville glared at Tia, not daring to look back down at Reese, lest his resolve waver. Seeing her like that practically tore his heart to shreds, but he couldn't let that ruin things.

“Let my crew go.”

Tia smirked once more.

“Tell the girl what you really think of her, then I'll escort you off personally.”

Orville forced himself to look down at the woodlander, forced his green eyes to meet her blue and white.

“My crew is my family. They're all that matters to me. And you, you're not my crew. You're not my family. You don't matter.”

Reese felt as if her heart was torn from her chest.

This was it.

This was her end.

She didn't take her eyes off of him as Tia bounced to her feet, snatched the jar off the table. She shoved it into Mary's hands, uncaring of how Reese was being tossed about in the glass confinement.

“Take her down to your room, pet, don't let her out. Don't let her out of your sight. You'll be watching her until we reach Nitalia and sell her off.”

Mary nodded, not speaking a word.

Tia moved across the room, headed for the door.

“As for you, Captain Zabala, lets get rid of you, shall we?”

Orville stood, turned, left.

Reese watched him go.

He didn't even look back.