Jordana Black

Jordana Black was a middle-aged woman with long, light brown hair sprinkled with pale grey. As long as Ilona could remember, she had always kept it in a bun at the nape of her neck. She was a decent height, taller than Anja, and much thinner. Like her daughter Lucia, she was thin and fine without very much curve.

The Pirate King's wife seemed to always have a look of displeasure on her face. All their lives, Jordana had looked down her nose at Ilona, Ian, and Anja's other children. She resented them simply for existing and she hated their mother for stealing half of her husband's heart. Even after nearly twenty-five years together, Jordana hadn't budged in her feelings towards the pirate woman her husband loved.

Walking up the dock, Ilona noticed her father's ship was floating tied to it. It made her heart sink. She had been hoping she might get lucky and he be out at sea but it looked like, as always, things would not go in her favor.

Walking up towards the grand white house she was thankful at least her mother was with her. She looked at the lemon trees they had planted along the front of the house when their father had first taken them there. All of his children that were alive at the time got a lemon tree and he continued to plant them for every new child. Now there was an orchard of them and lemonade could be found at every meal.

Jordana was still standing in the doorway, spindly arms crossed over her chest and a look on her face as if she had just taken a bite of one of the lemons.

"You took my daughter," the older woman spoke in the pirate language as soon as they were close enough to hear her, "You are lucky I didn't send my husband after you to bring her back.

Ilona felt her stomach knot and glanced around, "Where is Father?"

She had half expected him to come storming out of the house to scold Willow for running away and Ilona and Anja for allowing it.

"He's not here," Jordana answered and Ilona felt herself relax some, "My husband has gone to collect some rare treasures to trade."

Jordana always referred to the pirate king as her husband when Anja and Tess were around. It was her attempt to make them jealous but neither of them really cared about the title. They both loved freedom more.

"Can we speak with you?" Anja asked, "In the sitting room or Luke's office?"

Luke Black was the Pirate King's name although no one ever called him by his name.

Jordana's eyes narrowed on them, "What do you need to talk to me about? Where are my daughter and sons?"

"Nick and Jamie are down on the docks," Ilona answered, "now can we go in and speak to you about Willow?"

"What about her?" Jordana asked, standing straight now, eyes flashing between the two women in front of her, "What do you need to tell me about Willow? Just tell me now. Where is she?"

Ilona opened her mouth to answer but couldn't. Seeing this only spurred on the mother's panic.

"Ilona where is Willow?" Jordana demanded before turning to Anja and asking the same thing.

"Come, Jordana let's go inside so we don't upset the children," Anja tried.

Ilona looked over her shoulder to see a pack of her siblings heading for them.

"I'm not going anywhere," Jordana said with a higher-pitched voice now, "Not until you tell me where my daughter is. Where is she? Go get her right now!"

"Mother, what is it?"

Ilona looked past Jordana and felt her heart sink when she saw the two siblings she had the worst relationship with. Lucas, Jordana's oldest child, and Roman, her fourth. Lucas was tall, lean, with golden-brown curly hair and light brown eyes. Roman was shorter with the same dark brown curls as the other boys but lighter brown eyes like his mother's. Lucas was the third of their father's children after Ilona and Ian. The first legitimate one as he liked to remind Ian.

"They won't tell me where your sister is," Jordana answered him, starting to get almost hysterical.

Lucas looked past his mother and frowned at Ilona, "What is she talking about? Where's Willow?"

"She... She's not here," Ilona answered quietly, not wanting to torture Jordana any longer, "She didn't sail home with us."

"What do you mean?" Lucas demanded, "Of course she sailed home with you Ilona she left with you."

"She couldn't," Ilona shook her head, feeling tears in her eyes, "She and Isaac. Neither one of them... Neither one of them made it home with us."

-

Even though they had hoped to handle it better, Jordana ended up hearing about what had happened to her daughter all while standing in the doorway. Anja told her the whole story until she got to the part about Willow and her own son Isaac being abducted. Then she had to stop and let Ilona take over because she was too upset.

"What were you thinking?" Lucas demanded as soon as they'd finished talking, "You never should've taken her Ilona and you never should have trusted anyone. Where's Ian? Does he know about Isaac?"

"He's doing something for our Father," she answered, "I haven't told him... but I will."

"I hope I'm there when you do," Lucas said coldly, holding his mother as she cried into his chest, "I hope I get to see you tell Father as well."

"Stop it, Lucas," Nick said from beside Ilona, having come to join them after shooing the younger children back off to bed. "We all thought the plan was a good one. She put her trust in the wrong person and so did er. It's not all her fault."

"She was the Captain of the ship!" Lucas shouted, jabbing a finger in Ilona's direction, "So it doesn't matter what everyone else thought. It was her decision!"

"I'm going to bed," Ilona said, having enough of this horrible day.

"Fine you do that," Lucas looked at her in disgust, "And I will go save our brother and sister."

"No!" Anja shouted at him, "No you can't do that Lucas. If you go there it will only make things worse. Ilona has a way to get them back. She knows what she has to do. You just have to give her time."

"They don't have time Anja! Willow is just a little girl."

"But she's there with Isaac," Anja countered, "You know he won't let anything happen to his sister."

Lucas stared at the older woman, unable to argue her point. Everyone knew the Black children were all deadly loyal to one another even if they weren't currently getting along. They would do whatever they had to in order to keep one another safe.

"Give your sister time," Anja continued when Lucas stayed quiet, "If you go in there angry and ready for a fight, Isaac and Willow would be in even greater danger. Stay here and give her a chance to fix this."

Lucas's eyes moved to his older sister and he slowly nodded, "Alright but I'm only waiting until our father returns. Then he can give me his permission himself."