The Pirates Lair

The moon was still full and bright overhead as Ilona crossed the deck of her ship. Her men were moving about quickly tying everything down, eager to get to land to see their loved ones if they had them.

Even with the late hour, their arrival had been noticed and word was spreading. Ilona looked out towards the shore and saw a small crowd already heading for the docks.

The Pirate King had purchased this estate from the Prince of the land some years ago while Ilona was away at sea with her mother and brothers. It had a large manor house but the pirates had since built a whole village of houses to one side.

The crews of all the various ships lived in the houses with their families. It was a nice little community for everyone. They traded with each other and took care of each other. They even had their own doctor and schoolhouse.

Ilona didn't hurry to the docks to say hello to everyone as she normally would have. Many of her younger siblings would be down there. She didn't want to tell them about the terrible mistake she'd made. They would be looking to see her, Nick, and Jamie as well as Isaac and Willow, their other brother and sister. She would have to tell them that Isaac and Willow weren't on board. That they had been taken.

Someone went flying through the air and she looked up to see Jamie holding tight to a rope as it swung out over the dock. The people below him jumped back out of the way before he let go of the rope and dropped down on the dock. Immediately, he was surrounded and being smothered by more of their younger siblings.

The Pirate King was a man that was larger than life and had many crazy things no ordinary man would have, including not just a wife, but two mistresses as well. Jordana was his wife he had married when he was very young. Then he had met Ilona's mother Anja who had been a pirate already and her father soon became one too. He had never given up his wife or his mistress and between the two of them, they had had eighteen children.

Then a few years ago while he was out on a voyage visiting some faraway land he met Tess and she became his second mistress. They had had three children together bringing the total to twenty-one. Then just before Ilona set sail the last time her father had announced Tess was pregnant again so by now there might be a twenty-second child.

Twenty-two children and Ilona was the oldest of all of them. She had watched them for their mothers a lot when they were small. Then as they grew up she still felt responsible for making sure they were all alright. That was another reason the loss of Isaac and Willow was weighing so heavily on her. She had failed to take care of them.

She smiled fondly as she watched six of her younger siblings hug and welcome Jamie, including his twin sister Josephine. Seeing her now, Ilona was surprised by how much she'd grown in such a short time. She was turning into a young woman. Willow was a year younger than the twins. Ilona wondered how different she would look.

"Excuse me, Captain?"

Ilona turned now to see Sam Thatch standing with his hands clasped behind his back, already blushing before he even began speaking. Ilona glanced back towards the shore and saw the reason why. Her beautiful half-sister Lucia, a few years younger than Ilona and the only girl until Josephine, was walking towards the docks now. Sam had been in love with Lucia for as long as Ilona could remember.

"Go Sam," she answered his unasked question, rolling her eyes but with a smile tugging at her lips.

"Thank you, Captain," he said quickly with a big grin before grabbing a rope and swinging over the side as Jamie had.

Out of all of her father's children, Lucia was the only one who had never been a wild creature running around getting dirty or sailing off on a ship. She didn't know the first thing about sailing and had never been a member of a crew. Instead, while the rest of them were off being pirates or just hellion children, Lucia had stayed home with her mother Jordana, and learned how to be a proper lady.

Her hair was lighter than Ilona's, more of a dark honey color. Her eyes were also hazel instead of brown. Where Ilona was strong and deliciously curvy, Lucia was thin and fine like a doll. They couldn't have been more opposite but Ilona still liked to spend time with her only sister that was even close to her age. Maybe she could later tonight if Sam let her out of his sight.

As things were being taken care of, more and more of the crew was now dropping down to the docks below. This was one of Ilona's favorite parts of sailing. Coming home and watching everyone be reunited with their friends and loved ones. The whole scene below her was just overflowing with love and excitement.

She rested her chin in her hand, leaning on the rail, and listening to the laughter and happy chatter in the language of the pirates. She wondered what it would be like to have someone waiting for her to come home, beyond just her siblings. She imagined it would be nice. But then she couldn't imagine how hard it would be to sail away and leave them behind again the next time it was time to leave.

"What do you intend to tell Jordana?"

Ilona jerked upright, startled from her thoughts by her mother's voice close beside her. Anja looked sadly down at the children on the dock below and Ilona knew she was thinking of Isaac.

Isaac, her brother who had been taken, was Anja's third child after Ilona and Ian. He looked the same as all her brothers except he was much thinner and leaner. He was also the sweetest, most soft-spoken, and shyest. Everyone loved Isaac and it made her heart ache that he wasn't here.

Willow, her younger sister who was gone, was the daughter of her father's wife, Jordana. Her ninth child and barely fourteen, Willow had snuck aboard the ship the night before they sailed and stayed hidden away until they had traveled too far to turn back.

Ilona hadn't been upset with her when she found her. The girl craved the sea exactly as her oldest sister did. Their father had let Ilona grow up on ships as all of Anja's children had. Jordana didn't want her daughters to become pirates though so Willow had had to sneak on board in order to get her chance.

Now, Ilona felt guilt wash over her because of it. If she had turned back and insisted her little sister stay home with her mother then she would be here and safe right now.

"I don't know what I'll tell her," Ilona answered her mother, "The truth I suppose."

"She's going to be very upset."

"I know."

"I'll go with you," her mother surprised her by offering, "We can tell her together."

"Really?" Ilona asked, "But she hates you mother. Are you sure you want to be part of something that will make that worse?"

Anja smirked, "Her hatred for me has all but vanished since your father brought Tess home. Now all her venom is directed at that poor girl. It might be nice for her to get a break from it."

Ilona smiled and shook her head. Her mother was nothing like Jordana or Tess. Anja's love for Ilona's father was very deep and unlike anything else. He loved her just the same. She was never jealous of his time with the others because it worked in her favor. She got the man she loved without ever having to be a wife and being tied down. Jordana had always played that part for her father. Meanwhile, Anja could sail away and be free whenever she wanted.

Now there was Tess who was so young and beautiful she seemed like something her father had done as soon as he realized he was growing older. It was as if having this young woman made him young too. None of them could quite tell if he actually loved her.

Ilona looked towards her father's house and felt her stomach knot when she saw a figure outlined in the light of the doorway, watching them.

"There she is," she said quietly.

"Come along then," Anja sighed, "We should go up there and tell her before she comes down here and realizes something is wrong. Then she'll make a scene in front of the little children and scare them."

"Alright," Ilona agreed even though she had been dreading this.

How would she tell a mother she had lost her daughter?