Garrin

Garrin groaned under the weight of the heavy pack strapped to his back. He tried to catch the sound, but it was too late. The nearby guard heard. Garrin heard a crackle in the air behind him, then the stinging lash of a whip across his bare back. He bit his lip until it bled, trying to refrain from crying out at the pain.

"Get on with it, Krage!" the bosun screamed at the man with the whip. "Get the scum below deck!" The bosun's eyes were bulging in his head and his face was blistering red, though Garrin couldn't tell if it was from a sunburn, or from his uncontrolled temper.

Krage grinned maliciously, another crackle erupted, and Garrin winced in agony at the new welts on his already bloody back.

Below deck, the space was dark and crowded and smelled of putrid flesh and filth. Garrin winced as the pack was removed from his shoulders and he was shoved into a corner.

"Look him up," Krage growled to another soldier, then spun on his heels and strode out, slamming the door behind him.

Without the sun there was very little light below deck. A couple lanterns swung from the rafters, casting dancing light and shadows on the grimy faces of the other prisoners. The men were chained and shackled, the women and children locked behind bars. Garrin tried to keep his back away from the splintered wood of the rocking hull, but the waves were growing larger, and the ship was tossed about quite roughly. Thankfully, the second guard didn't seem to care much about noise, and ignored his stiffled moans.

A small boy nearby dropped his apple, and the swaying of the ship rolled it right to Garrin. His starving stomach growled and even a half-eaten apple looked like a delicious meal to him. But as he lifted it up from the straw, his eyes met the boy's and he paused.

Such big brown eyes, and so full of tears... they looked oddly familiar. The moistened cheeks and silent stare cut Garrin to the heart. Leaning as close as he could to the boy, he reached to hand him the apple. Small, grubby hands snatched it from his fingers and the child bit down fervently, as if he were starving.

"He probably is," Garrin thought to himself. These bastards weren't likely to share their food, even with a small boy. Disheartened and in considerable pain, the man leaned his head against the hull and closed his eyes.

"My name's Tobi."

The small, quiet voice jarred him awake. He jerked up and glanced wildly around. All the prisoners were asleep but for him and the small boy. Tobi had apparently slipped out between the iron bars and was now kneeling at his side, brandishing a whole, fresh apple. Garrin snatched the apple from his dirty hands and began to take ravenous bites out of the juicy fruit.

"Uncle Buro says we're all gonna die, but Mama says you're an angel come to rescue me."

Garrin looked up in surprise at the boy's blatant honesty, and his mother's strange claim. "And why would she say that?" he finally asked in a gravely voice.

"Because you have wings," Tobi responded gravely. Garrin followed the boy's gaze down until his eyes rested on the birthmark on his abdomen.

He had carried the purplish mark since birth, but had never noticed the wing-like shape it bore. He smiled at the boy and touseled his hair playfully.

"I may have wings," he said softly, almsot sadly. "But I am chained and beaten... I will not be saving anyone now, not even myself."

Tobi looked sad and disappointed for a moment, and his dejection sliced Garrin's heart. Then the boy brightened, a revelation siezing his young mind.

"I can get you out," he whispered excitedly.

"How's that?" Garrin asked, skeptically.

Wordlessly, the child produced a small, rusted key from inside his shirt. Garrin stared at it wide-eyed.

"Where did you get that?" he breathed in a raspy whisper.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy boots clomped down the stairs. Tobi looked terrified over his shoulder and Garrin whispered hoarsely, "Get back to your mother, boy!"

Tobi scrambled back through the bars, barely getting himself inside just in time, as Krage came storming through the doors.

"Someone took my key!" he practically screamed at the guard, who had been jolted from a light nap by the stomping boots. "One of these prisoners has a key, and we're going to search each one until we find it!" He glared around the group of huddled, terrified people with a malicious grin and cruel gleam in his eyes. His voice dropped from an angry roar to a wicked growl. "And when we find it... the fool that took it will be hung from the mast for the birds to peck at."

Tobi visably trembled in terror. When Krage was not looking, he shot an anxious glance at Garrin, which Garrin returned with a small shake of his head and a painful fear in his eyes.

Krage and the other guard stomped heavily around the room, roughly handling the prisoners, checking each one for the key, and screaming obscenities at them when they did not find what they were looking for.

Finally, the guard came to Tobi's cage and began searching his family.

Garrin was shocked to see the pained look in the guard's eyes when he found they key in Tobi's trembling fist. He hesitated and did not look away from the boy's teary eyes. But Krage saw the pause and stormed over.

"Did ya find it?" he roared. The guard stood and nodded.

"Aye, sir. Twas in the straw in front of this cage." But his lie did not work.

"That boy must have taken it!" Krage screamed. "Come on you!" He grabbed Tobi roughly by the arm and dragged the now sobbing child out of the cage. His mother scremed and threw herself against the bars as the guard quickly locked the cage door, her arms reaching wildly for her boy. Tobi struggled in Krage's iron grasp, stretching out towards his mother, his sobs becoming cries of anguish as their fingertips barely brushed and Krage yanked him back.

Suddenly Garrin lurched forward, straining at his metal bonds and chains. "Wait!" he cried out.

Krage spun around and glared at him. "What is it, curr? You dare challenge me?"

"The boy didn't take it, I did! I... I dropped it!"

"Then you'll come as well," Krage seethed, tightening his grip on Tobi. "The two of you shall be a kingly feast for the birds. Bring him!" He barked at the guard who quickly obeyed.

Out on deck, the sun shone bright and hot, but black storm clouds flew towards them on the horizon, and the wind whipped at the sails and the red and black flag above them.

The guard tentavely spoke to Krage. "But sir... he is only a boy... barely eight, by my guess. Can't we spare him and just hang the man?"

Krage spun around and spat angry words in his face. "And appear weak to the prisoners so that they'll send a child to swindle us all? Never!" His roar deepened to a growl of almost hatred. "And if you so much as pretend to defy me again, I'll have you bound to a cannon and send you down to Davy Jones."

The guard nodded and turned to grab some rope nearby. Suddeny he froze.

"Krage!" he gasped. "Pirates!"

"Damn them!" Krage roared lividly. "Put these two back below deck, we'll deal with them later. Roll out the guns! Arm yourselves! Take down the sails! Run out the sweeps!" Krage stormed off, barking orders to the rest of the crew.

"Come with me," the guard said quickly. He led them back toward the door to go below.

On an impulse, Garrin slung his shackled hands around and caught the guard on the head, knocking him, unconscious, to the ground. Snagging the key from the guard's loosened grip, he unlocked his chains and snatched Tobi up into his arms.

He didn't know how to escape cutthroat pirates, any more than heartless slave-traders, but he knew that with every ounce of strength left in him, he had to do everything to protect this boy... Tobi. And Tobi's lovely mother... the beautiful girl that he recognized as his one true love... the girl he had given so much to little less than eight years ago on the shores of England.

His heart pounded furiously as he snatched up the sword from the guard's hip.