Sia:

As everyone watched the horizon with hearts palpitating, we unconsciously gathered around the ship.

The question on everyone’s mind was simple.

“What now?”

It was answered by Teacher bellowing out, “Quickly, I want the battlefield looted of every piece of armor and every weapon you can find.”

For a moment, silence met his words, before he himself strode forward to where the Gold Rank’s lay and began rifling through their equipment.

Slapping his head, Sir Galen also broke into a run and quickly went through the other’s corpses.

Soon everyone broke into a mad rush as they scrambled to arm themselves.

A while later, everyone gathered back and Sir Galen was going through the looted arms and weapons while Sir Leonidas stood to the side, back to the crowd and looking out to the horizon.

In no time at all, everybody was adequately outfitted with a weapon at the very least, or fully armed and armored at the most.

With a wry smile on his face, Captain Saylor said, “If any of you dips so much as a toe in the sea, I fear you’ll be food for the fishes. So, my advice? Don’t fall into the sea.”

A few fearful looks crossed amongst the sailors who muttered amongst themselves.

Then the same voice which had shouted out the sighting of the ships on the horizon came forth loudly.

“What are we to do now?”

Grimly, Captain Saylor looked at Sir Galen, who looked back at him before sighing and nodding his head.

Then Captain Saylor slowly spoke, “We flee. We flee to the next island.”

“What about supplies?” The same voice asked, disgruntled.

“We’ll be on half rations until we reach there,” Captain Saylor said frankly.

A murmur ran through the gathered sailors at that.

Then the voice, belligerently now, asked, “What if we refuse?”

Silence fell.

Gathering more courage, the voice continued, “What if we give in the lot of them and return home,” he said as he jerked his head toward the refugees who watched ashen faced.

“We’ve got families waiting for us back home. We have children to look after! What are they going to do when we’re dead?”

More silence.

Then the crowd parted to reveal the speaker.

The boatswain.

He looked around pleadingly as he said even louder, “Surely you don’t want them to grow up fatherless? Or motherless? Don’t you want to see your wife? Your Husband? Your parents?”

Hesitating, some people began walking toward the boatswain and stood by him, looking toward us.

More people began tittering on the spot as the words flowed out of the boatswain’s mouth with no end in sight.

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Then Captain Saylor sighed and said, “Anyone else feel the same way?”

A few more people walked over hesitantly.

Hitting his chest with his hand, Captain Saylor solemnly said, “I won’t hold those of you who go there now accountable.”

No one moved.

Clearing his throat, the Captain repeated what he had said for a second time.

One person moved to the smaller group.

Then the Captain took off his weather-beaten hat and with bowed head, walked with heavy footsteps toward the boatswain.

Coming to a halt in front of the boatswain, The Captain looked at him for a long moment and then in a fountain of blood, the boatswains head was flying through the air - eyes still wide - and the silver armor that was forming around him dissipated like water.

The moment was brief but frozen for a long time, but before the head could land on the ground, with a roar - the remaining sailors who had not gone to the boatswains side - were amidst the defectors who cried out pitifully as they were hammered unconscious.

In a short while, the entire debacle was concluded, and the sailors were expertly stripping the defectors of their equipment before leaving them under the shade of the trees, as naked as they were born.

Spitting on the sand next to the boatswain’s head, the Captain sniffed before yelling out, “Who are we?”

“Draykes,” came the thunderous response from the sailors.

“Who do we serve?” The Captain cried out.

“Viscount Drayke!”

“Why?” He shouted out.

“Because we are Draykes,”

“Bal right we are.” and then turning to the rest of us, he bowed grandly before saying, “Apologies fine Lords and Dames. We had a bit of a disagreement, which as you can see-” He gestured sweepingly toward the remains of the quick quelling of the mutiny and continued, “Has been dealt with.”

Swallowing my saliva, I inched closer to Teacher who himself was looking a little nervous under his bandages.

Then I noticed why he had been facing away from the rest of us when we were tallying the loot.

He had 7 finite rings in his hands that he must have been going through.

Suddenly, I had a good feeling overtake me.

Waiting impatiently, I heard Teacher clear his throat before he looked at the remaining sailors who stood as disciplined as our castle guards with their faces serene and composed.

Then the Teacher spoke, “Perhaps Captain Saylor should tell you that we do not have to worry.”

Nodding, Captain Saylor said, “We have full rations for everybody for two days.”

Jerking his head at the enemy corpses, he said, “Our enemy was kind enough to carry their ships' supplies in their finite rings. Makes sense considering how many extra men they could bring out.”

Then, pointing to the comatose mutineers, he said, “Those Balakashes aren’t true Sea Draykes. We owe our lives to Viscount Drayke and thus, you have nothing to worry about from us,” He said kindly to Celine, who was watching worriedly along with the rest of the refugees.

Then someone called out, “What about the ships?”

“We can’t outrun them,” Captain Saylor said frankly, as he stared at the horizon.

A nervous titter ran through the refugees.

“So we fight them,” Captain Saylor said with a ferocious smile.

My heart beating rapidly, I weighed our odds and shook my head, but kept silent.

Seeing many of the rest also look unsure, Captain Saylor crossed his arms over his chest and shouted out, “Lads, Tell them our ship’s name won’t you?”

“Sea Drayke! Sea Drayke! Sea Drayke!” came the resounding shout from the gathered sailors.

Bemused, we watched as the refugees' expressions eased up before gaining confidence with each shout of the sailors.

Turning to face us, Captain Saylor grinned as he said, “There was no Sea Drayke city. Only Sea Drayke, the ship. We were the first in the middle sea from the Kingdom of Leon and the first since. There have been many Sea Draykes over the years. But there has also only been one Sea Drayke. This very one.”

Smiles breaking out, we grinned back as we also roared out our frustrations, our anger, and our pride.

Then we boarded the ship, and the men pushed her into the water before clambering aboard, and we were off.

To fight on a Sea Drayke that had ruled the seas from when she was first built.

To tell our pursuers that cornered prey could bite back fiercely.

And we were no prey.

We were Draykes.