Chapter 34 - "How did you find us?"

Slowly, Isla looked down the blade to the one holding it. Jakks stared back at her, his face calm as ever as if their paths were crossing at a tavern. But in his eyes, she could see sparks of emotion.

Anger exploded in Isla's chest but she reigned it in, knowing it was a useless emotion. She glanced at the front of the carriage and saw Loch and Brockton pinned in their seats, kept there by two swords each pointed at their chests.

Without looking to the back, Isla knew she would find the same thing with Hawk and Orin. They were armed with daggers but that would be ineffective against swords. She darted a gaze to the ship and saw the crew rounded up and held still by more swords and sailors. Clenching her fists, she focused on Jakks, her mind racing to find a way out, to make sense of it all.

"How did you find us?" Isla asked, her voice more even than she expected it to be.

"The storm passed us," Jakks said, matching her tone. "We spotted you as you were sailing away from the coast of Gadolphie."

That left one question answered, but what he was here for was unknown. Whether it was Raif, the emerald, or the secrets in Isla's head she wasn't sure. At the thought of Raif, she realized he was still in the carriage and she hadn't heard anything that would prove he had been spotted.

Jakks held out his hand to Isla, the blade in his other unwavering. "I believe you have an emerald for me."

Isla narrowed her eyes at him. "Were you always after it?"

Something darkened in Jakks' eyes but disappeared before Isla could understand it. "It's only business."

"Not to me," Isla growled at him.

Behind her, Isla heard the thunk of a door banging open, a startled grunt, and the clatter of a sword on stone. Jakks jerked his head around at the sound and Isla reacted. Grabbing the wrist of his sword hand, she kicked him in the side then spun around and punched the closest sailor. All hell broke loose from there.

Hawk jumped from the back of the carriage and tackled the startled sailor and swept the legs out from another. Orin kicked the head of a sailor holding a sword to him as Loch grappled with his attacker and Brockton aided Raif in disarming the other three opponents.

On deck, Sparrow let out a howl of war, ducked under a blade and charged. Bin slapped one of the sailor's swords away and slammed his fist into the man's face. With the chaos, the rest of the crew entered the fray. Shouts ripped the night air and metal clashed with metal. Despite Jakks' men having the advantage of youth, the crew had the advantage of experience and held their own.

Isla snatched up a discarded sword and swung towards Jakks, but his blade shot through the air, stopping hers. The metal collided with sparks.

"Was this what you had planned all along?" Isla said, jabbing him.

Jakks parried the hit but didn't counterattack.

"This was never what I wanted!" Jakks said, frustration coiled in his voice.

As Isla lunged forward, Jakks raised his sword to stop her and Isla knocked his blade away, spun and hit him in the jaw with her fist. Grunting, he backed away before she could utilize the opening. Around her, Isla was aware that men were dropping to the ground but wasn't sure whether they were the crew or Jakks' men.

"How did you know we would have the emerald?" she asked, as they circled each other.

"Lord Sutherland sent a messenger earlier warning us that you might have it."

Rage tore through Isla and she attacked with a vengeance, slicing and stabbing at any part of him she could, wanting to cut him pieces. Jakks deflected every blow, matching her for skill.

"How long!" she shouted. "How long have you been under his command?"

Jakks backed up a step and lowered his blade. "From the beginning."

Isla could have sliced through his chest right then but held herself back instead slamming her boot into his stomach. Jakks bent forward and Isla hit him on the side of the head with the sword handle. He collapsed to the ground and Isla knelt on top of him, her sword pressed against his neck. Jakks blinked away his dizziness and stared up at her.

"Why?" she snarled. "Why was it so easy to betray us?"

"I never did!" The rough note in Jakks' voice made Isla pause.

"But you're working for Lord Sutherland," she said, still boiling with the fury of it all.

"Yes, for you!" Jakks' anger roared its ugly head, meeting Isla's face to face.

The fire inside Isla consumed her, but at his words, she found she couldn't move, unable to grasp what Jakks was saying. Even though her sword wavered, Jakks made no motion to take advantage of it, his eyes boring into her like hot coals.

"Lord Sutherland hired me to follow you," Jakks said. "I knew Trager from my time on the ship and he helped me with my promise he could join my crew after." He swallowed, the blade nicking his skin. "Lord Sutherland wanted me to keep you from ever delivering the emerald. You were too valuable to let free."

The battle continued to rage around Isla, men crying out, bodies hitting the ground, but all she was aware of Jakks. She put pressure on her sword and Jakks gulped but didn't flinch. "How was that for us then? You would make it so we were never out of his control."

"Because if I didn't agree to do it he would hire some other cutthroat who didn't care about you or the safety of your crew."

Isla buzzed with adrenaline and anger but at the ring of truth in Jakks' voice, she didn't know how to act. The world was getting flipped around and she was tossed about with it.

"What about the night that the ship was attacked? Was that you or someone else?"

"The ship was never supposed to be damaged! Those incompetent fools panicked when your men fought back. I hired them to grab the Duke but not harm anyone or anything."

"The damage almost cost us everything! We were nearly trapped in Lord Sutherland's hold for good."

Jakks' eyes hardened. "I offered you a way out and you wouldn't take it! If you'd married me we could have taken Sutherland down together! But you refused every time!" Isla felt Jakks' fury rising off him. "I would have gotten you out!"

"But at the cost of my own freedom!"

"It would have been better than being under the thumb of the old fool!"

Isla gripped the sword handle, shaking with anger. "Tell me Jakks, did you want to get me out of the debt or did you want me for the secrets I knew about the Currents?"

Jakks held her gaze, simmering with barely controlled fury. He didn't answer and Isla had her answer.

"Don't cross me again Jakks, next time the years of friendship won't hold me back."

She slammed the hilt into Jakks' forehead and he slumped beneath her. For a moment, she stared at her old friend, remembering the fatherless boy, barely eighteen, standing on deck with her, asking her to marry him for the first time. But the boy she knew was gone.

"Isla."

She jerked her head up. Hawk was standing with the rest of the crew. Jakks' men were sprawled out on the ground, most unconscious, others moaning in pain, while some clutched bleeding wounds. She surveyed the crew. Though she could see some had sustained wounds, most were fine even if a bit battered.

"Do you still have the emerald?" Isla asked Hawk.

He nodded and she relaxed. "Good. Get the ship ready to sail. Lord Sutherland never planned for us to hand over the emerald and pay off the debt. If we stay here we risk him sending guards after us. We'll travel to Talvin and wait for him there. He won't be able to refuse the emerald when we stand on his doorstep."

Buoyed by a sense of anticipation and accomplishment the crew dispersed, hurrying to put her command into action. Hurrying to sail to their freedom.

When the port had emptied, Isla looked to the one figure who hadn't moved. Her heart grew heavy. Raif closed the distance to her. His pristine attire was disheveled, his hair was in disarray and there was a cut on the corner of his eyes. Gently, Isla brushed away the line of blood from his skin. This was how she liked him best.

She noticed the blood speckled on his shirt. She had been right. When the time came he fought for the crew, for her. For that she would always be grateful to him.

For a breath, they stood before each other feeling the weight of where they were, who they were and the divide between them.

Raif's gray eyes were a storm of emotion: sadness, determination, fire, and resignation. She could see he knew what was coming, like the going out of the tide.

"Isla," Raif said, holding her face, his callused fingers caressing her cheeks, soaking her in. "Don't leave me."

Isla placed her hand on his chest, feeling the rapid rhythm of his heartbeat. It was like the thrum of the ocean.

"Don't ask me to stay," she said. "This is not my world. The sea is my home."

Raif edged closer as if feeling each second that widened the gap between them. "Let me come with you. I'll leave everything for you. My life. My title."

Isla trailed her fingers along his jaw wanting to create a memory of the feeling. He was clean shaven and she knew she liked the rough feel of stubble more.

"Leaving will not change who you are. You still have a title. A title that ties you to your father. I have a crew and a ship to protect."

Isla kissed him one final time and Raif held her fast, clinging to the moment. When she pulled back, she saw how he searched for something to say that would keep her with him. She touched his face

"Goodbye, Raif."

Turning away, Isla strode to the ship. Even as she felt a piece of her heart being left behind, she heard the sound of the crew getting the ship in order and knew she was heading to where she belonged.

As she climbed onboard, the weight in her chest that had been there for so long lightened. They hadn't failed. They were free.

As Isla moved to the helm, passing by each sailor, they paused, meeting her eyes with respect. A respect she no longer felt misplaced. She had the scars to prove that she would do anything for them and in turn they would do the same.

Isla climbed the steps and peered back at the dock. Raif stood there, unmoving, growing smaller and smaller. She felt a twist in her chest.

As she turned back to the helm, Isla locked gazes with Hawk. He nodded once. The simple gesture seemed to say everything: approval, pride, and loyalty.

The ship bobbed, the tide calling it back out to sea. Isla brushed her hand over the wheel, the wood smooth and familiar beneath her hands. It felt like everything she fought for: freedom.

Lifting her gaze, she looked from the ship, to her crew, their horizon and smiled.

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HOLD IT! PUT THE DAGGERS 🗡 AND CUTLASSES ⚔️ DOWN THERE IS AN EPILOGUE!! YOU HEAR ME, THERE IS AN EPILOGUE!!

Jeez! You make it so your main Ship doesn't sail and the whole world comes for your blood! Guess it makes you guys real pirates! 🙈

Now that you know that there is hope on the horizon want to tell me what you thought about this chapter?? 🗯💬💭⚔️🗡

Since it is a chapter away from the end lets keep with tradition and answer questions regarding the whole book!

What was your favorite moment?

(I always like the ones between Isla and Hawk)

Favorite character?

(Probably Sparrow, I mean how can you not love him!)

Something that surprised you?

(How much the memories revealed about Isla and her past)

I have to say, it's weird to come to the end of this voyage. I am happy that Isla and the crew are safe and will find their freedom at least! They earned it! 🌊⛵️

I hope you stick with me to the very end cause let's face it, we are happy that they have their freedom but we really want to know what will happen with Raif. If anything will happen...😁

Vote for shared experiences, comment on the rocky waves we faced, follow adventure!