Dust of Time

TW // Violence, murder, blood

"Get up, you brat!"

Elias slammed face-first into the black wooden floor. Still drowsy from his slumber, he looked up at the pirate barking at him.

"Or do ya want to join the dead?!"

Just as the man turned around to leave, a thunderous blast crashed into the side of the ship. The impact sent Elias into the nearest wall. His whole body already ached from the exhaustion and the crash now introduced a fresh rush of pain.

He looked at the pirate, who somehow kept his balance and was firmly standing on his feet - Elias concluded that this wasn't the first time a blast such as this had struck the ship.

The pirate only cursed. "Those damn asses." He looked over his shoulder to Elias. "Are ya deaf?! Get up and help!"

Elias didn't dare hesitate any further. He got to his feet, ignoring the roaring pain going up his knees, and ran after the man, up on the deck.

As soon as he stepped outside into the daylight, a body fell in front of him. Elias almost tripped over it. He forcefully stopped and looked down.

His stomach dropped.

The fallen man's eyes were still open, looking straight into his soul. There was a cavity in the middle of his head, the familiar red pouring out of it. Elias had to cover his mouth to prevent the scream, trapped in his throat, from escaping.

His body began to tremble as he took a step back, crashing into a wall. He bit down on his tongue until he drew blood, just to suppress the urge to scream. His eyes were still firmly fixed on the dead man and when he finally looked up in front of him, his knees shook precariously, and he dropped to the floor.

A massacre was taking place in front of him - knives and swords slashing through the air and impaling bodies as if they weren't humans, blood spilling over the black wood, guns and cannons firing, the burnt smell of gunpowder in the air mixing with the heavy coppery scent.

It all came back to Elias in that very second - the fire, the bodies of the people he knew, his ma and pa lying in the pools of their blood.

Elias struggled to resist the sudden urge to throw up.

You need to get away from here.

Elias, you need to hide.

With great effort Elias got on his feet and ran back down the ship, nearly flying down the stairs as if he was running away from a pack of wild animals. He ran further into the body of the ship and down another set of stairs, finding himself in a room full of barrels and bags. He hastily hid behind the barrels when he heard another gunshot followed by a visceral howl.

Elias dug himself deeper into the presumed safety of darkness between the stacks of barrels. He pressed his hands tightly to his ears and closed his eyes, wishing, hoping, he would wake up from this awful nightmare.

In the midst of the chaos that was raging on the ship, Elias made a plan of escape.

He waited until the noises of battle subsided. He waited till he could hear the crew snoring, drifting off into deep sleep. Then Elias left his hiding spot behind the barrels and gingerly went to the berths. The crew was sound asleep, rocking in their nets, in sync with the movement shaking of the ship.

Elias tiptoed his way to the stairs, stopping only when the wood underneath him squeaked. When he made sure that no one of them woke up, he continued his way. When he reached the staircase, he cast a final glance towards the pirates and then rushed up the stairs.

The night was pitch black, as thick clouds were covering the moon and stars. The ship was illuminated only by a couple of lanterns.

Elias stopped to make sure there was no one on deck. The door to the Captain's cabin was closed and there came no sound from it. He looked up at the sails and masts, but he couldn't see anyone. He noted that he merely needed to avoid being seen by the man stationed by the ship's helm - someone must be making sure the ship sails in the right direction.

Elias waited and listened for any sound or movement, and then he discreetly ran to the nearest boat attached to the side of the ship's railing. He didn't know how far away from any land they were or if he would be able to row all the way to it. Elias wasn't even sure if he would be able to untie the ropes and lower the boat into the sea.

But this was his only solution.

It was either death on the sea or at the hands of those pirates. He concluded he would rather die at the hands of the sea.

The first rope managed to untangle underneath his fingers, sparking hope in Elias. He moved to the next one, catching himself smiling.

As he was working at the next rope, someone grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him away from the boat. Elias hit the ground with the side that was already gravely sore from yesterday's crash. Panic seized him at once and before he could look up, the man grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him off the ground.

"Tryn' to escape, huh?" said Kian. "Captain won't be happy to hear that."

Elias' heart was slamming against his chest. His mind shut off as he stared into the man's eyes.

"Don't even know what he sees in ya. We should just give ya to The Green Woman."

Elias didn't know who that was and he wasn't keen on finding out. He had to get away. The dagger was still on him. He was about to quickly reach for it when Kian grabbed both of his arms with one hand and pulled them behind Elias' back.

"No, ya won't." He leaned towards Elias and smiled, the kid now noticing he in fact had two gold teeth. "Not this time."

Kian started moving towards the Captain's cabin. Elias started thrashing and kicking in his arms, but it was to no avail - the man was holding him too tightly. When he opened the door, he threw Elias to the ground.

"Found the boy. He was tryn' to escape."

Again, the Captain was sitting in his chair, turned away from him. Elias' heart jumped when he spoke. "Escape?"

He slowly turned around, leaned his scarred arms on the table and fixed his eyes on Elias. Elias was certain his heart was about to leap out of his chest, and he could barely hear his rash thumping through the pulse beating in his ears.

"Now, didn't we have an agreement, Elias?"

He spoke slowly and profoundly accentuating his name. Elias stayed silent, afraid to utter a single word or to even breathe.

"Speak!" Shouted Sabur.

"Y-yes." Managed Elias.

Sabur reached down at the side of his table and pulled something out of the drawer. He stood up and started walking towards Elias, adjusting the metal thing he took from the drawer on his hand.

"Then why did you hide?" With every thud his metal leg made Elias' heart sink lower. "Why did you try to escape?"

Elias opened his mouth to speak. "I-I…"

He only saw Sabur swing, before blackness entered the vision in his right eye. It happened so quickly that he couldn't even register the pain.

"I offer you life and you disrespect me, just like that?"

Elias brought his hand to where Sabur hit him. He could feel the wetness on his fingers. When he looked at it, it came off bloodied. At the side of it, the pulsing in his head became louder, the pain spreading in waves.

"I don't give chances to many people."

He crouched down and crudely grabbed Elias' chin. The child winced in pain but refused to let out the tears forcing their way out. Elias wouldn't let them see it. He tried desperately to keep his eyes on the Captain.

"Do you understand?" Elias again said nothing. Sabur dug his fingers into his jaw and said slowly drawing every vowel, his voice like a dagger cutting Elias from inside out. "Do. You. Understand?!"

"Y-yes."

Captain aggressively let go of his chin. He took off the red-stained brass knuckles from his fingers and placed them on the table. Without turning around, he said to Kian. "Take him to solitary, no food or water for two days."

"Yes, Captain."

Kian grabbed Elias pulled him out and dragged him back to the dark cabin. He forcefully shoved Elias in, so he hit the ground again.

"That'll teach ya."

He slammed the door behind him and locked it. Only when Elias heard him leave did he let out a shaky breath. He brought his fingers to where Sabur hit him, but as soon as the fingers met his wounded skin, he felt sudden burning pain like a bunch of tiny needles piercing every inch of his cheek and instantly moved his hand away.

There was no way of escaping.

There was no other way but to stay and do as they say.

If he obeyed their orders and did not show fear, he would survive. Elias took another quivery breath. If he did as he was told, he would gain their trust and once they trusted him, he could maybe possibly escape.

He released the air he was holding in and enveloped his knees, curling into the position now so familiar to him it was more so automatic. He leaned on the wall and closed his eyes. Gaining their trust seemed to be now his only option.

But at that time, he couldn't imagine to what lengths he would have to go before he could be fully trusted.

At that time, he couldn't fathom what awful atrocities he would have to commit and what terrible things he would have to endure.

It wasn't just two days; Elias was certain of that. The door to the cabin opened after three days. It was Kian who unlocked it and when he saw Elias sitting their eyes fixed on him, he hesitated for a moment.

"Captain ordered to take ya to Gerold." he said after a minute. "He will teach ya how to fight."

Elias got on his feet and let the man take him to Gerold.

It was midday and the sun was scorching hot, the heat radiating off the black wood. The man, Elias presumed to be Gerold, was standing by the railing of the ship, holding two swords in his hands.

"Here's the kid." Said Kian and turned away to return to his duties.

Gerold spun around and smiled at Elias. "Captain told me to teach ya how to fight." His light blue eye glittered in the sun, the other was covered with a black patch. "What's yer name?"

Elias scanned him from his feet up to his head. He wore long black boots and loose beige pants, fastened to his waist with a big belt. On the belt were fastened four little knives and a pistol. His long white sleeve shirt was tucked into his pants, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His long brown hair was put up in a messy bun.

Elias didn't answer him.

"Mute, are we?" Again, Elias just stared at him. "No worries." He turned the handle of one of his swords to Elias.

Elias looked at the sword. His stomach twisted at the recognition. It was a sword that his father made. They must've raided the forge back at Parahill.

Gerold nudged the sword towards him. "Come on."

Elias hesitated but still took the weapon. Gerold gripped his sword and smiled. "Show me what ya got."

Elias didn't lie when he told Sabur he didn't know how to wield a sword. Mother and father only taught him how to use little knives and daggers. A sword was much different, much heavier than knives. Father never even allowed him to hold swords.

And it showed.

Gerold wasn't per say ruthless with Elias, but he wasn't holding back either. The fact that Gerold wielded a real sword towards him, also didn't help. He sliced Elias across his arms multiple times. Blood trailed down his hand, droplets of the red liquid sizzling on the hot black wood.

Elias' head was spinning. He hadn't had a sip of water in days and the blasting heat made matters worse. He could barely keep his eyes ajar and focused. His body trembled with pain and exhaustion, yet every time Gerold's sword met his skin, he only let out a weak yelp, not allowing himself to show Gerold his agony.

"Eyes on me, kid!" Elias struggled to look up at his blue eye. "Never let yer eyes off the opponent."

He swung his sword at him and cut Elias deep across the arm. Elias dropped his sword and held the wound, fresh blood already seeping through his fingers. He bit down his lower lip, not letting a cry escape his mouth.

Gerold picked up Elias' sword. "Enough for today." He turned around. "There's water down the Orlop. Clean yer wounds and then go to Theo. He will get ya something to eat."

At first, Elias stood still and just watched him. Then he silently turned around and walked to the stairs leading down the ship. As soon as he disappeared under, he ran towards the Orlop. There he picked a bucket and filled it with water. He sat down in the corner behind barrels and first took a few big gulps of water. His quaking hands could barely hold up the bucket.

When he quenched his thirst, he placed it down and ripped a piece of cloth from his shirt. He soaked it in the water and placed it on the wounds. Elias struggled to suppress a cry. It stung so much. Tears started gathering in the corners of his eyes and he let them fall. He was alone here, he would allow himself to be vulnerable when he was alone.

Most of the wounds were just scratches that would heal by themselves in a few days. The last one Garold inflicted was deeper and it hurt too much to even clean it.

"Do you need help with that?"

Elias almost jumped when a man wearing a kerchief on his head walked behind the barrel. Elias hastily wiped away his tears. As he wanted to nod dismissively, he accidentally placed the wet cloth on the wound. His body violently convulsed with pain.

"Careful." Said the man and crouched down. "It'll need to be stitched." He reached into a pocket on his shirt and pulled out a needle and threat. He nodded towards Elias' wound. "May I?"

Elias only watched him, contemplating whether he should let the men help him. Again, the pangs spread through his body, and he quickly nodded to him.

The man sat beside him and pulled out a match. Elias' eyes widened and he was about to get on his feet and flee.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. This is just for the needle." He lit up the match and held it under the needle. Then he blew it out. "See."

Elias relaxed only slightly.

"Now this is going to hurt a bit."

He carefully touched Elias' arm and pressed the needle through his skin. Elias kept himself from flinching this time. He jerked away, but the man held him firmly in his grip.

"It'll hurt for just a minute and then it'll be okay."

Elias closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. After some time, Elias could better tolerate the pain and ceased straining at least some muscles. While the man was sewing up the wound he spoke.

"I'm Nick. I'm the one who sails the ship." Elias remained silent, but he did listen, focusing his gaze on a tattoo on Nick's forearm. "Don't worry. Gerold wouldn't kill you. He's the greatest swordsman on this ship, if you let him teach you, you can become just as great if not even better than most of the men here."

Nick finished his last stitch and then reached into another pocket, pulling out a cloth. He wrapped it around Elias' arm.

"Here. This should do for now. Do you know where Theo is?" Elias shook his head. "He's in the galley. Would you like me to show it to you?" Elias moved his head in disagreement once again, eyes fixed on Nick. "Okay. If you need anything, tell me."

Nick put the needle in his pocket, stood up and left Elias. Elias watched him leave, reaching his hand to the now bandaged arm.