Charge

Chapter 2 - Unlikely Alliance - Part 1

        Mae and I found each other ten summers ago when I was only ten summers of age. We'd snuck onto a cargo ship going up into the above. The ship was full of mercenaries and thugs - the kind that wouldn't have taken well to finding young girls hiding in a crate - so we had to work together. Back then Mae was a small girl, with no meat on her bones and only eight summers old. Over the years she grew taller than me, with arms as thick as logs made entirely of muscle. She was like a sister to me, the only family I had.

        I'm not sure how many moments have passed since Cal left, but the light coming in through the window is turning orange and I've done nothing but sit with my back against the wall, unable to lift myself. The betrayal stings worse than the bleeding skin under my cuffs or the wound on the back of my head. I can't even bring myself to cry, only staring off into nothing as the time passes around me. Maybe my impending doom isn't so bad since I have nothing to return to. Finally, my chapped lips crack a smile at how pathetic I sound. After being shut off from magic for so long, my fingers are still buzzing from the clash with Cal's. Gods, I can't believe that man. Just thinking about him brings fire to my thoughts, and my muscles tense. For the rest of my, admittedly few days, I can never forgive the Empire for what they did, and what they still plan to do. They killed my parents, and it's not that much of a jump to assume the same of Cal, and yet here he is. An Imperial Captain.  I wish I'd scratched him harder now.

        The ship hisses and groans, my stomach lurching as it begins descending. This is weird. The capital should still be moons away. I scramble to my feet and stand on the very tips of my toes to peek out the window, watching as the clouds part to reveal a small town on the outskirts of a swamp, where Imperial insignia decorates every flagpole. The air filling my lungs feels thicker, reminding me it's been many summers since I've been on the surface. Why are we stopping here? I stand back from the window, grabbing the cell bars as the ship comes to a violent stop nearly throwing me off my feet.
"F*ck!" I spit out instinctively as my body gets caught by the cuffs around my wrists, nearly giving me whiplash. If I make it out of this one the first thing I'll do is take the warmest bath and soak for as long as I want. Though if I'm honest I'm not sure how I will scrape through alive. I stand back on my tippy toes, looking through the window as a bridge is lowered onto the port. Soldiers dressed in armour climb aboard, the thump of their boots against the metal ringing softly through the wind. I've never seen Imperial soldiers in armour before - they almost look like knights. I sigh, standing down and easing myself into a sitting position. A chill races down my spine as an eerie feeling settles into the pit of my stomach. My magic feels disturbed and threatened. My stare hardens as the hairs on my neck stand straight. Something is terribly wrong.

        My eyelids twitch as each sound and movement of the ship feels amplified like my senses have been heightened to an alarming degree. There's a different kind of magic in the air, one that fills my nostrils with a foul stench and my chest with panic. I've spent so many years running away from magic only for every kind of magic to find me at once. I sit on the stone floor, unable to unclench my muscles with my stare fixed on the door. The metallic confines of the cell have been ice-cold ever since I was thrown in, but now I can feel heat curling off of me and into the walls, the floor, the chains. I can feel it in the cuffs around my wrists yet my skin doesn't burn. Come to think of it, it never has. The warmth feels thick around me and if I hold my breath I can hear... everything. I can hear my heartbeat hammering in my chest, but I can also hear boots scraping against wood, heavy breathing and... something else.
        Him.
        I can hear Cal.
        I jerk my body upward, my pulse racing furiously as I try to pinpoint his location only to realise it's rapidly approaching. I barely have enough time to scramble to my feet before the cell door bursts open, a dishevelled captain throwing himself in before shutting the door behind him. It all happens in a single breath, making mine hitch in my throat. He takes gulps of air into his lungs, his chest heaving as he walks toward the lock on the cell bars. I can't so much as string two words together, still surprised by his sudden explosive appearance.
        "We need to go, now," is all he says, his hands grasping desperately for the lock. Cal has discarded his Imperial coat, standing before me in a billowy white button-up shirt tucked into black leather trousers. He looks more like a pirate than me right now, especially with his hair messy and falling over his eyes.
        "Excuse me?" I ask incredulously. "I'm not going anywhere with you," I step closer to the bars, glaring at him. He finally looks me in the eye and my strength falters for a second - there's no colour to them anymore, just two black holes against the white of his sclera.
        "We don't have time for this," he hisses, sliding his fingers across the front of the lock, black smoke drifting from the tips and filling the keyhole before it clicks and falls to the ground. Cal practically tears the bars from their hinges, stalking toward me. I take a step back before realising I have nowhere to go.
        "There is no 'we', what the f*ck is going on?"
        "If you want to see the sunrise you'll shut up and do as I say, got it?" He reaches for my cuffs, wincing at the heated metal but persisting. "Both our lives are at stake," his voice is deep and forthright, making me bite my tongue. With another flourish the cuffs fall to the ground. My raw, bloody skin cries with relief but before I can massage my wrists, Cal grabs hold of one of them. My blood boils at the thought of him touching me, and I snatch it away from him forcefully, pulling my arm back.
        "Do not touch me," I spit. Cal inhales sharply, stepping closer to me, eyes boring into mine.
        "I do not touch you out of want, pirate, now listen and listen quick; this ship is swarming with Order members, members who want our heads, now I'm more than happy to have a lovely little chat about exactly what that means for both of us but could we maybe save it till we're not about to be killed?!" he snaps. I instantly shut my mouth, remembering the armoured Imperials I saw out the window. The Order. "Now let's go,"

        Cal leads me out of my cell, into a quiet hallway decorated with many of the same doors I just came out of as far as the eye can see. Are these all cells? Cal grabs ahold of my wrist again and I begrudgingly allow him, shaking away the thought of how many others are trapped here as I was. We walk past several more corridors until we come to a large set of stairs leading up. He leans down closer to my ear.
        "Listen, once we get up those stairs there's gonna be guards at nearly every turn," he whispers. "You follow me, you say nothing, you do nothing unless I tell you to, got it?"
        "... Got it."
        "Good. Now stay close," he pulls me along with him, but before he can take another step I tug on the sleeve of his shirt, making him turn back to face me.
        "Why are you helping me?" I whisper. His eyebrows raise slightly but his grip on me doesn't loosen.
        "Think of it as a debt repaid, not to you, but to our people," Cal replies, before turning on his heel and starting up the staircase once more. My bones ache deeply and there's dried blood caked on my skin - yet I persist, walking carefully up the stairs trying not to make a sound. Once at the top, Cal releases my wrist and holds up his hand, his eyes meeting mine and telling me to stay still before he peeks around the corner. For such a tall man he's oddly graceful, moving like a shadow. He gives me a sharp wave before slipping into the next corridor, his back never leaving the wall. The hairs on my neck stand on end as I slowly creep after him, my eyes darting between each room we pass and my heart pounding louder and louder in my ears.

        Every hallway, room and passage begins to look the same, a maze of grey and white stretching out endlessly in all directions. It pains me to know without Cal I'd never be able to figure my way through even if I had escaped my cell. The moment we're out of danger, however, I want seven skies between us. Preferably more. At the moment he's a means to an end - my way out. That's the only thing keeping my anger beneath my skin where it burns intensely. Cal suddenly stops and I almost smack right into his back. Without hesitation, he grabs my body and pulls me into a small alcove, holding me tightly against his body. I freeze in place, fear and fury seeping through every cell in my body. He must sense it because he quickly wraps one hand over my mouth to stifle any protests. I squirm slightly but he holds me in place.
"Stay silent," his urgent whisper grazes my cheek, scarcely audible but laden with a commanding edge. Thoughts of defiance swarm my mind, contemplating strategies to break away from his hold. I entertain the notion of sinking my teeth into his skin or aiming a forceful strike at his boot, yet a sudden stillness envelops me, and I stand motionless. Heavy footsteps echo through the hallways, growing louder and nearer by the second.
        "This is ridiculous," I instantly recognise the voice of the Commander and my head aches at the reminder of the beating he gave it. I grit my teeth together to stop myself from burning him where he stands - not to mention Cal. "The Captain will not stand for this,"
        "He is no longer your captain, Commander," a deeper voice responds. Cal's body stiffens behind me, his fingers twitching around my face. The aura emanating from him is slick with a quiet, sharp rage that he manages to keep below the surface. What did Cal do?

        The two men finally pass and we remain as still as possible until we hear the door at the end of the hallway close. I tear Cal's hands off me and fill my sore lungs with air.
        "That is the last time-"
        "I touch you, trust me it will be," Cal cuts me off sharply, his eyes narrowing and he steps away from me. "Come on,"

        We clear the next floors without incident, silently working our way towards the main bridge. I assume he has a plan for what to do once there, but he's yet to share it with me. At least that means I don't have to listen to his voice any longer than necessary. All I know is the debt he owes our people is nowhere near repaid; I doubt it ever will be.

        The next door we come to is rundown, wood chipping in places.
        "This should lead us onto the bridge, it's an old side door, not used in years," Cal whispers. He presses his lips together and moves forward, pushing the door open and beckoning me outside. A gust of cold air rushes into my face and I sigh with familiarity. The crisp night air fills my nostrils and for a moment I feel at ease - until the smell of the swamp below us assaults my senses. I gag involuntarily, immediately covering my mouth and nose with my hands. Cal looks down at me with a smug look in his eye. "Princess never been in the marsh before?" he teases in a hushed tone. "Don't worry, it's gonna get so much worse," With that ominous warning he turns around and begins weaving through wooden crates toward the railing. I hesitate, scanning left and right for guards or soldiers. Satisfied that we're not being watched I hurry after him before he disappears into the shadows cast from the night sky. I climb over one more bundle of nets and storage crates and drop down next to Cal, standing atop the railing. My lungs forget how to breathe at the sight below me. The entire marsh stretches out, lit by the faint glow of the moon and the stars shining brightly above. I haven't been this close to the surface in years - let alone water. The only water I've seen has been stored in barrels and bought at Skyports. I stare, transfixed, taking in as much as possible and letting the wind ruffle my hair. I don't hear Cal beside me, but I assume he is.
        "What now?" I ask, but I already know the answer.
        "We jump," he replies, sounding unsure of himself. I glance sideways at him, and he looks back.
        "Can we make it?"
        "It's that or get killed by The Order," he says grimly. "Can you swim?"
        "No," I reply, looking back down at the water. "Can you?"
        "Of course," he answers firmly. "Do you trust me to pull you out of the water after we jump?"
        "Of course not," I snap. "Why would I?"
        He shrugs nonchalantly. "Do you have any other choice?"
        "I suppose not, then..." I mutter bitterly under my breath. "Are you going first, Captain?"
        "If you insist, pirate..." he smirks. He stands tall, pushing his hair out of his eyes as they fill with an inky darkness. "See you on The Surface,"
With that, he leaps over the edge of the railing and goes plummeting through the air with a strange elegance. There's a loud clammer from behind me that pulls my attention and I realise suddenly I need to jump - now.  My heart starts pounding painfully in my chest and I swallow hard. I look down at the murky waters, my hands heating up and replacing my blood with magic. It swirls within me, urging me to keep going. To jump. With one last inhale, I close my eyes and push off the railing, into the embrace of the winds as it carries me downward. For a moment, I'm weightless.