Blagden had moved Hali to a room that was above deck, and it was significantly nicer than the one she was in before. However, she was confined mostly to her room because Blagden still doubted her sudden change of heart. She was allowed on deck on occasion. Whenever she was on deck, she took in her surroundings to see if she knew where they were, but everything looked unfamiliar to her. So Hali stayed in her room most of the time, until one day, Blagden came to speak with her.
“We have targeted two ships sailing east. We should be ready to strike at sundown, this is your time to prove your loyalty.” He said
“How am I supposed to help you without a weapon?” Asked Hali
“Don’t you worry bout that. Just be ready.” And with that, he turned around and left her locked in her room. Hali sneered at him behind his back. Once sundown arrived, two crewmates came and took Hali out to the deck where Blagden was waiting. He pointed to some approaching ships in the distance. Hali could already tell by the size of the ships that they would be easy to rob. Just then, Blagden handed her a small, curved sword with leather on its handle. She couldn’t help but think of Kian and Avalee upon seeing the perfect blade and sturdy handle they had made. She quickly shook the thought of them away and set her mind to the task at hand.
“To the boats!” Blagden commended, and immediately, everyone hurried to the boats. Then Blagden grabbed Hali’s arm and said,
“Yer coming with me. Don’t want ya to get any ideas bout running off.” He said with a wicked smile.
Hali yanked her arm away.
“If I wanted to escape, I’d be gone by now.” She said with a fierce stare.
“If you say so.” He said with a chuckle. “Come on.” And with that, he ran off towards one of the boats and Hali followed. Once they were all in the boats, Blagden signaled for them to move, and they were soon very close to the ships. Then, with the signal from Blagden, they began to climb up until they reached the deck. The sounds of fighting and swords clashing rang out as soon as they stepped onto the ship. Hali smiled at this familiar sound. She immediately set to work doing what she did best. She moved so quick that Blagden lost sight of her. He looked around but couldn't see her anywhere. Afraid that she might have escaped somehow, he commanded all his crew to spread out and look for her. He was enraged when they all came back with nothing.
He was about to command them to search again when he heard a voice behind him.
“Whacha looking for, old man?” Said the voice. He turned, and there stood Hali, smiling smugly, holding her sword and a bag full of treasure, which she threw in front of Blagden. It was at least three times bigger that the other crewmate’s bags. Blagden looked shocked but only for a moment.
“Excellent work, Hali.” Then, turning to his crew, he said, “Alright, our work here is done. Let’s go!”
Once they were back on their ship, a cry of victory went up. That night, there was much singing and dancing, which reminded Hali of her family. She missed her family, but showed no sign of it. She joined in the singing and dancing, and everyone began to trust her that night. Blagden stood watching the celebration with pride. Hali glanced at Blagden and saw him standing there, looking so proud. She shook her head and thought to herself, “What a fool.”
Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. I know it's really fast paced right now, but I am working on improvements. As always, your constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! 😊
This was a great action packed part! Loved it!