A Thief's Journal

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Sanctuary Outpost was bustling with people. The small, sandy streets provided little shade, and the crowd refused to move fast enough to his liking. Vendors loitered the road at every bend, citizens and pirates alike were coming and going through the stores to either buy or sell their wares. Raif had forgotten all pleasantries several minutes ago after their ship had docked while they now weaved in and out of the sea of people. The captain of the small merchant vessel had promised he and Kaia safe passage to Sanctuary, but from here they would need to find another transport.

It had mattered little then, but Raif had not missed the menacing sails billowing red against the hot sun- Rathmore and his crew were fast approaching. They knew they were here. Traditionally, the jolly roger flown by most pirates was black...but not Jack Rathmore's. A red flag often meant that no quarter would be given. The bleeding hourglass so prominent on it also did not bode well for passersby. To them, it often signaled that their time was running out.

And it would seem this was true for themselves right now.

Rathmore had been the wrong man to mess with, Raif soon came to realize, but they have evaded him this far. Still, he was on edge as he held a firm grip on Kaia's hand, leading her down the street. "C'mon, move," he murmured loudly, shouldering into another man. He'd start shoving others if they continued to slow them down.

"Do you see it?" These words were now spoken towards Kaia in regards to the library. Sanctuary had a small library of not just books, but also ledgers of hundreds of pirate lords and merchant ships from the past alike...as well as their diaries, or so they were told. There was one in particular that they were searching for.

As tall as he was, Raif was fortunately able to see over most of the heads within the crowd, and when he looked behind them, he noticed the red-flagged ship had already docked, and he wasn't sure for how long. They may have less time than he thought.

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The crowds of Sanctuary Outpost made Kaia uneasy. Not only was it hard to navigate through the unhurried mass, but the mingled voices rang through her ears, making it difficult to focus. Thankfully, Raif had taken the lead and dragged her along as he trudged through the crowd.

They would not be in this predicament if Raif hadn’t messed with Rathmore. Though, this was partly her fault for not being present to stop him at the time. She was his calm, his voice of reason, most of the time. Just as he was her strength and stability. It wasn’t that Kaia was a fragile woman, that was far from the truth. She could hold her own when she needed to, but when she seemed to lose herself, Raif had always been there to help her out.

She had barely heard his question, and so it took her a moment before his voice registered with her. “Huh?” She blinked out of the fog she was in and finally scanned the area, eyes squinting in the sunlight. “There.” Finger pointed in a direction not too far off. Though the crowd thickened just in front of the building as if something was happening on the streets. She silently prayed that they’d get through and that inside the building was quiet. Any longer out in this chaos, she feared she would temporarily lose her mind as she had done so many times before. It seemed to be getting worse, specifically when she was stressed or anxious.
Her hand squeezed Raif’s lightly, in a signal that she could feel an attack coming on if they didn’t get away from the noise soon. All the voices in her head. She couldn’t stand it.

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Following her slender finger, Raif saw the small building a little way down the busy path. It wasn’t a very impressive building, nor was it a big one, and would have been overlooked were it not for the indicating sign right out front. But this was a favored pirate outpost- what else did he expect? Their kind didn’t often fancy a good book to read.

Those bright eyes regarded her from over his shoulder when he felt her tiny hand squeeze around his own, knowing instantly that the crowd was beginning to get to her. And not in the way it was getting to him. Shouldering a few more people out of the way, his pace quickened to reach the library door. There was a drunken brawl taking place right there, garnering the attention of everyone that passed by. With a growl and another shove, Raif managed to pull Kaia in front of him and through the library’s door to shut it behind them.

The hollering crowd was still loud, but it was certainly muffled in the silent library. It was dimly lit, despite the blazing sun just outside; rows of scrolls and tomes filled the lower level with several piles of discarded books on any available surface. Some, he noticed, even had a thin film of dust on them, proving they hadn’t been moved in quite a long time. A quick scan of the place, he only noticed a couple people walking around. The danger was not there yet...but it was inevitable.

Glancing up the stairs to the second level, he decided to look around here first. Finally letting go of her hand, he tried to recall what the old woman told them. Nani mentioned needing to “look beyond the stars”...which really offered no help. There were no stars in a library. It was also day.

Fingers brushed against the spines as he walked down an aisle, not really sure if he’d be able to spot it when he saw it. “What would a pirate’s damn diary even look like?” He was mainly grumbling to himself.

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The muffled noise was a huge relief to Kaia, and once they were inside, she found a chair and sunk into it, sighing a breath of relief. Eyes closed and she rubbed her temples, offering no help to Raif in this moment, as she needed to gather herself before the sickness took over her again. He understood this, though, as her ‘craziness’ was no stranger to both of them at this point.

A few calming breaths was able to help Kaia ward off the sickness for now, and she felt her strength slowly coming back. When she looked up, Raif was no longer in her sight. He was on a mission to find this journal book that Nani had told them about so long ago. Though it was mostly for her benefit, Raif treated it as if it was his. She appreciated that about him, that he was so willing to help her no matter what it would take.

She slowly stood, gaining her balance, and she glanced around the library. For a place to read, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of light to aid in such a task. Eyes squinted to try and better look around her. What was that clue Nani had given them? To look beyond something? An annoyed sigh escaped her lips— her memory wasn’t what it used to be. Though, she was sure that was part of the sickness.

Kaia walked through the library, looking down the aisles in order to find and catch up with Raif. When she found him, he was already looking through the spines of the books down an aisle. “What was it we are trying to look beyond? I can’t remember…” She wanted to help him, but lately, she felt she was starting to become a huge burden to him.

Her own slender fingers brushed along the spines of the books, reading each title, as if maybe it would jump out at her, ‘A Pirate’s Diary’. Right, they could only be so lucky. What would a pirate’s journal look like? In her head, she saw a dusty, dirty old leather book, torn and battered as if it had been through some adventures— the pages curled and crinkled from such wear and tear.

“Do you think Rathmore saw us come in here? They were almost right behind us…” She really hoped they hadn’t, because this would give them the perfect time to rest and take their time to really search. “And are you sure this journal is definitely in this place?”

She had already become bored of reading the spines of the books, and started to walk off out of the aisle. Another new trait Kaia had taken on from the sickness— lack of ability to stay focused. Everything was distracting to her. And in that moment, she spotted a beautiful tapestry on the wall across the way. She shrieked with excitement. “Oh Raif! Look at how beautiful! Can we take it with us?” She looked back at him and pointed to the tapestry. It was woven beautifully with an image of a night sky. The moon covered in some clouds were in the foreground of the image and just beyond that were large stars that gradually faded to tiny silver specks that portrayed a galaxy of stars. Kaia always had an appreciation for art, and was constantly stealing pieces for her quarters in whatever ship they traveled in. It made her feel comforted and like it was her home.

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He was usually more attentive of her after she was stressed by something, but there was no time to assure that she was completely fine. Kaia was talking, at least, so she was okay or eventually would be. If Rathmore and his men weren’t already on the outpost, they were about to be at any moment.

Raif was well-toned and fighting fit...and as much as he might be the first to jump into a drunken bar brawl, he couldn’t take on an entire crew alone. Let alone make sure none laid a hand on Kaia. He wouldn’t say it out loud to her, but that was possibly what worried him the most. It was why he was so focused on the task at hand, even while she didn’t appear to be. “The stars,” he answered her somewhat pointedly. Raif tried to never get annoyed with her when she started to drift off task, but it was a little difficult to avoid it right now. So much was at stake. Everything rode on them finding the journal, and he was fairly certain they couldn’t linger for very long.

“Yes,” he sighed. “Sanctuary Outpost. Nani said it a million times.” Bright eyes looked sidelong to her in mild concern before he went back to scanning the shelves of old books that no one seemed to have touched in years. It was a wonder this library was even still standing at this outpost mostly frequented by thieves and pirates, who more than likely didn’t care about reading. Oddly enough, he quite enjoyed it whenever he found the time. There were only so many things one could do to pass the time when traveling.

Annoyance painted his tanned features when she got excited about something...which clearly wasn’t the journal. “Kaia, no, I need you to focus. We don’t have-” He was about to remind her that there was little time for these silly things, when he happened to look at the very tapestry she spoke of. It stopped him short, as if something immediately clicked in his brain.

Moving closer, blue eyes scanned it. “Look...beyond the stars…” With one hard tug, Raif pulled the tapestry down from the wall, ignoring the large cloud of dust that billowed up. With the tapestry out of the way, they would see a small locked door set within the stone wall. Not another word, he reached over for one of the bronze candelabras on a table nearby and blew out the candles. Flipping it around, he used the heavy base to slam down upon the lock.

“What in all of Astirath are you doing?!” exclaimed an elderly voice. The weathered librarian was watching them with wide eyes from behind his round spectacles.
“We’ll be out of here in a moment, old man,” Raif grumbled, slamming the lock two more times. The metal finally cracked and gave way so that he could open the small safe. Lo-and-behold, inside was a single item: a worn leather-bound journal with those crinkled pages that Kaia had imagined.

Snatching the journal, he flipped it open to a random page, and what he saw inside was clearly what he was hoping for. He grinned that crookedly pleased smile at her, “We’ve got it, Kaia. Finally…” All they had to do next was find a ship and crew that would take them wherever they needed to.

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Kaia’s excited smile suddenly faded as Raif began barking at her to stop, then he came towards her and ripped down the Tapestry. In Kaia’s mind, she thought Raif was angrily pulling down the Tapestry to shut her up so they could move on. But when she saw the door, it finally hit her. Her hands moved to her mouth to muffle her shriek of excitement, and she watched Raif as he broke the lock of the door.

When the journal book, exactly what she imagined it would look like, was pulled from the safe and Raif confirmed it was what they needed, she threw her arms around him. “You found it, Raif! Thank you!” She planted a kiss on his cheek and grasped the book from his hands, walking away from him. She flipped through the pages quickly, admiring all of the markings. “This is incredible! What do we do next?” She turned to him, now holding the journal tightly against her chest, arms wrapped around herself. “We need to lose Rathmore, that’s for sure… He cannot find out that we have this… Or where we are going.”

She handed the journal back to Raif and then turned back to where the tapestry laid on the floor in a crumpled mess, and she moved, crouching down to gather it and fold it up neatly before shoving it into her bag. She was keeping the tapestry regardless of what he would say— it was this very tapestry that helped them find the journal, and she wanted that as a souvenir.

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Any annoyance was soon forgotten when he held that journal in hand. Her smile and the kiss to his cheek instantly made it easy to forget that they were even being hunted by a bloodthirsty pirate. The small smile that curled his mouth reached his eyes, filled with relief; his hand lingering at her back before she was turning out of the embrace to express her excitement.

Nani hadn't lied. The "crazy" old woman knew exactly what she was talking about, so Raif could only hope that the rest of the tale was true.
He needed to save Kaia. He had to. Even if he died trying. It was the only oath the man ever made, and the only thing he really cared for. Were she not in his life, he would have been a beast getting drunk at every tavern he came across, breaking any nose of faces that looked at him wrong.

Granted, he tended to do that still anyway, just...not as frequently.

“We need to find a ship,” his gruff voice answered. Raif looked the complete opposite of her right now. She was jumping for joy, while he casually stood there as if this find wasn’t incredible at all, despite the relief he felt inside. But it was only the beginning, and they didn’t know what was in store for them from here on out.

When she handed back the journal, he moved to rest it upon the nearest table where he could leaf through its pages, skimming over the scribbled words and strange drawings. He was slightly distracted by Kaia bundling up that tapestry, though. Staking claim to it as if she had the right to. Not that he would tell her no, of course, but it made his bright eyes glint in amusement before the library’s door opened violently, slamming against the wall. In the doorway, Rathmore’s men began to file inside, spotting them across the room almost immediately. During his wanderings in search of the journal, he hadn’t noticed a backdoor or window big enough for them to fit through. 

And he was already counting five men- their captain nowhere to be seen yet.

Could he take on five well-armed men? Not easily, unless he was extremely crafty. So, instead of trying to do something stupid for once, he shut that book and shoved it into Kaia’s bag. “Time to go,” he murmured sarcastically despite the dark mood. Raif grabbed her hand and began dragging her towards the stairs up to the second level.

With the sun beaming outside, this part of the library was beautiful to behold. Less books were scattered around, and the stained glass windows that stretched nearly the height of the walls bathed everything in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Too bad that one of those windows was their only way out.

Without hesitating, Raif slammed his elbow into the nearest one, scattering colored glass everywhere before he was removing the pieces that remained so that they wouldn’t cut themselves. He heard the horrified cries of the librarian downstairs while he stuck his head out. There was no roof or ledge, but the roof was close enough to reach. The pirates were coming up the steps, urging him to slip out that window, lifting himself up to the flat roof easily. He fell to his stomach so that he could reach down over the edge and offer his companion a hand, “Kaia, come on!”

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An involuntary shriek escaped her lips from the sound of the door slamming against the wall. Her eyes widened and she was already heading towards Raif, opening her bag for him to shove the journal into it. She squeezed onto his hand and threw the strap of her satchel around her body, clutching it against her chest with her free arm. She would protect it with all of her life--they couldn’t risk losing the journal now that they finally found it.

As they reached the second floor, Kaia was quick to become distracted by all the pretty colors that filtered into the room. She let go of Raif and just stood awestruck until the sound of glass shattering pulled her back to reality. He was already out and if he hadn’t reached his hand down to her, she probably would have thought she lost him. She reached up and took his hand, climbing out the window and onto the roof. The sun caused her to squint as she looked around, trying to find their next escape. Kaia was usually good at slithering out of situations, unseen. But her distracted mind was making it difficult--and Raif’s ‘bull in a china shop’ methods, such as smashing through glass. They wouldn’t have much time before the shattered glass was spotted, making it obvious that they went out the window. She placed her hand on Raif’s shoulder and whispered. “Follow me… And be quiet!” Before he could protest, she was leaping off the edge of the building and onto the next.

It was like her mind worked like a blueprint map. She moved effortlessly along the rooftop edges and beams of the building until she found a place where they could climb down and fall back into the crowds of the streets, right by the docks. She turned to watch Raif climb down, shielding her eyes from the sun, also making sure he wasn’t being followed. They may have lost them around a corner of a building. But as Raif climbed down the building, she saw a few heads on the roof coming towards them, looking around for them. “Hurry!” She shrieked a low whisper that was nearly lost in the crowd.

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The moment she was up on the roof, she was searching for a way to get down, knowing those bastards were hot on their heels and would most likely try to climb through the window as well. He must have missed removing a piece of glass, because he felt the trickle of blood down his arm. A minor annoyance. Fortunately, his mocha-skinned companion was taking control of the situation...being that he was a "bull in a china shop".

Raif got things done, that's all. Sometimes, he just lacked finesse.

Bright eyes narrowed half playfully at her comment for him to be quiet before following her to the next roof without hesitation. Truthfully, he loved when she wasn't babbling about nonsense and was herself. Like now, as she took initiative and led them back to the ground. Raif wondered how long that would last for.

At her shriek, however, he was suddenly on edge again. The pirates had indeed followed them the same way...but they had other comrades nearby. Just as they rounded the corner of the building, Raif spotted the black toothed grin from one of Rathmore's men. Three had stayed behind while the others inside the library had flushed them out. Steel glinted in the sun as a knife was tossed, and he shoved Kaia up against the building alongside him; the blade narrowly missing him by inches. "These guys never give up!" he whispered in exasperation before pulling Kaia behind him.
"Looks like ye got somethin' we be lookin' fer, eh?" Black Tooth said, and he and the other two advanced on them. "Give it 'ere and we'll kill ye swiftly...and be kind ta her."
That was when Raif saw red. Black Tooth had gotten too close, and he was able to slam his foot straight into the man's shin. There was a resounding crack before Raif felt a meaty fist slam into his face from the pirate to his left.

Meanwhile, the third made his way towards Kaia...

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She thought for sure that they had lost them and she had outsmarted them. But once again, they were a step ahead. Maybe she wasn't as sly as she thought she was. She braced herself as she was shoved into the building and Raif blocked her from the pirates. But suddenly, he earned a punch to the face, leaving her exposed and a grimy man approaching her.

Stone-faced, she glared at the man, showing no sign of fear. "We have something you are looking for? What might that be?" Her satchel was behind her back now, out of view, and Kaia pinned it hard against her and the building before she held her hands up showing she held nothing. "We have nothing... Just running from your captain, as my friend here seemed to get into a little brawl with him." The grimy man laughed and pointed to her. "What is it ye have behind yer back then, missy?" Kaia turned herself around, exposing her back to show she had nothing. She carefully tucked the satchel into her coat before turning back around to face the man. Hands were placed on her hips and she regarded him angrily. "I suggest you leave us be." The man burst into laughter. "Or what, little lass? I am twice your size, I can snap ye in half"

"Oh, can you now? Go ahead and try silly man..."

Raif was busy with his own mess right now with the two men, and the ones from the roof were starting to make their way down. Kaia could handle herself, or so she hoped the bluffing would work.
The grimy man laughed again and hesitated, searching her over as if he should even bother. He waved his hand and grunted, "Ahhhh... not worth the fight." He turned to start to walk away but then suddenly, was rushing at Kaia, slamming her against the building. "Gimme what you have in that coat of yours!!"

Kaia shrieked, trying to hold the man back, but he was, indeed stronger than she was. She struggled under his hands, trying to push him away, but it was no use. He held her down with one hand, and with the other, began rummaging through her clothes, feeling his way up and down her body.  She screamed,  yelling obscenities at the man, urging him to let her go.  But he wouldn't.  

Moments later, the grimy man was on the ground, coughing up blood, a knife stuck deep into his throat. Kaia lunged at him, throwing herself on top of the grimy man.  She ripped the knife from his neck and began screaming loudly as she continuously stabbed him, blood spurting everywhere. She looked like a vicious leopard, attacking its prey, and this one would not be so lucky  to get away from her.  Fresh meat.

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This wasn't her fault. It was only the two of them up against an entire crew of merciless pirates who clearly knew they had something very valuable. This wasn't just Rathmore wanting revenge for a stupid, little spat months ago. (Although Raif regretted not slamming his head against the stone when he had the chance now.)

Black Tooth was already down on the ground in pain, hugging his leg against himself. Bone had clearly protruded through skin, but Raif didn't have the time to verify that. The punch had sent him reeling a couple of steps back, yet it was barely enough to stun him. The second pirate, whose bald head reflected the harsh sun, was charging at him again, and this time Raif was ready.

As the two men collided, he used the bald one's momentum to flip him over his knee into the dirt where he would follow it with a swift kick to his gut. The man curled into himself, gasping for breath, and Raif didn't stop there. He shoved the pirate onto his back and pressed a boot harshly against his neck. Harder and harder he stepped until his windpipe completely collapsed and he was no longer gasping for air.

That was when he heard the shriek.

Turning around, rage-filled eyes were desperately searching for Kaia as the third had her pinned against the wall. Suddenly, he was like an enraged lion, ready to rush forward and rip the man's spine straight out of his back...until he saw the spurt of blood. Panic set in for the briefest of seconds until he realized it was not Kaia's. She was already on top of the man, repeatedly jamming the dagger into him, coating herself in his warm blood.

Was it strange (and wrong) that he was confused about whether he should be aroused or frightened of her?

"Kaia!" Maybe it was an awkward mix of both until he stepped forward; hand gripping her wrist to halt her hand as it was about to slam the blade into the very dead pirate again. "We need to go," he calmly said, attempting to hold her gaze, to get her to come down from this mad high. Carefully, he tried to pry the knife from her fingers and replace it with his own hand in order to pull her away. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the crew came for them. No, he prayed, that they would find a ship that would take them.

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The rage had completely taken over Kaia as she continuously stabbed the dead body of the grimy man. . She could hear Raif calling after her, but he sounded so far away. She felt lost in a void of blackness.  Something had seemingly snapped within her, or taken over her and she could not stop the assault on the dead man who had nearly tried to take advantage of her against a wall, out in public. 

When she felt his hand stop hers, she turned her gaze violently at Raif, hissing loudly at him, as if he were trying to steal her prey from her.
Her eyes held a blank stare as if the life had been removed from them and out of no where, she started to yell at him in some strange unrecognizable language. Her eyes filled with rage, and she seemed like a completely different person. She fought him, trying to keep her grip tightly on the knife so he could not take it from her, but when he succeeded she stared at him and snarled.

Kaia was covered in the warm crimson blood that was not her own. Her hair was sticky and wet with red streaks, her face had drops of blood splattered all over it, and her hands and arms were nearly gloved with blood. She was breathing heavily, contemplating if she needed to protect herself, or lunge at Raif now. "Leave me." She tried to pull her hand from his. "Or I will kill you too!" Clearly, this was the illness that had taken over her now, as Kaia would never dream of harming Raif.

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He knew that this wasn't truly her, but even still, it took him by surprise. Although she had never been weak, the adrenaline suddenly pumping through her veins was making her a lot more capable than usual. However, he was still far larger and stronger than she. When she let go of the knife, his long fingers gripped her wrist again, refusing to let her go even while she struggled and threatened him.

Inside, he was panicking. She had never gotten this bad before, and he knew that Rathmore's men were closing in. Yet, blue eyes never wavered from her, standing strong even though his concern for her was threatening to take over and completely cloud his judgment. "No you won't," he said coolly at her threat. Deep down, she was still Kaia, and had to believe she would come around. She had to.

The bloody knife dropped somewhere by his feet so that he could reel her in closer; the arm he held captive was twisted gently and secured behind her back. She would be able to claw or beat him with the other because his own free hand was grabbing her chin to keep her attention on him. "You won't," he growled lowly, maybe almost daring this deranged part of her mind to try. "Because this isn't you, because we have to leave here so I can fuckin' save you from this. Now, come back to me." In his peripheral, he saw at least one pirate weaving his way through the crowd towards them, but he did not remove his eyes from Kaia's face. Not yet. He still had a few seconds to snap her out of this darkness.

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Her breathing was heavily escaping her nose as she angrily squirmed against Raif, trying to fight her way out of his grip. The animal in her was becoming more furious with him as he pinned her arm behind her back, refusing to let her go.
With her free hand, she lashed out at him, beating and clawing at his chest.  Her jaw clenched tightly as her chin was grabbed by him and he forced her to look at her.  

Kaia narrowed her eyes at him and she spoke through her clenched teeth. "You don't know me. Leave me alone, let go of me!" She spit directly into his face, hoping to distract him so he would release her.  She struggled against him again, trying to free herself from his grip.

"Right there!! GET THEM!" A voice shouted from behind Raif. They were gaining closer and closer, until they were there right behind him, just a few steps away.

It was then that Kaia blinked and seemed to snap out of whatever trance she had been in.  She shouted out. "Raif, duck!"

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This was killing him. Every second she fought against him, when she acted as though they hadn't known each other since children, or suffered abusive master after master, it made him afraid he had finally and completely lost her.

He barely flinched when she spit in his face, and a part of him nearly did let go of her. But his resolve was stronger than that. When it came to his own life on the line, he didn't seem to care and would have given up far sooner. This was Kaia, though. This was her life, and he wasn't willing to simply let her wither away in her madness.

The shout from behind him, however, swiftly snapped him out of his sorrow. And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Kaia was back with him. The moment she yelled for him to duck, he complied, bringing her with him as a sword swiped over their heads. By the gods, this was never-ending!

Finally letting her go, he reached for that knife so that when he swiftly rose to his feet, he was slicing the man from navel to nose. "Run!" he warned Kaia. There was likely more of them lurking nearby and he didn't want to wait to find them.