Hannah and the Pirate Boy: Curse of the Medallion - Part Five

     It was time.

     "Oh no!" Hannah shouted. "Behind us, there are pirates!"

     Garin spun around but didn't even get a chance to react. Hannah had released her fist on his face. He recoiled. Hannah ran forward and grabbed the dagger from his side. She spun him around, slammed him against a post, and held the blade against the back of his neck. She felt his muscles tense at the touch, but then he relaxed.

     He sighed. "Alright, you win," he said. "I was only trying to help you."

     "Be quiet," Hannah hissed. "I don't accept help from pirates. You aren't trustworthy."

     "Yet you'd accept help from a thief," Garin muttered, feeling completely dumbstruck that he allowed this to happen.

     Hannah immediately knew that he was talking about Kanrik. "Be quiet and put your hands behind your back," she snapped.

     Garin rolled his eyes and did as he was told. Hannah put the dagger in her mouth and took the rope from her side to tie him with. Garin grimaced when she pulled it too tight. "You're going to regret this," he said, grunting when she pulled it tighter.

     Hannah tied a knot and cut the access off with the dagger. "I doubt it." She grabbed a handful of the back of Garin's vest with her paw and held the dagger against his neck with her other paw. She forced him to walk.

     Garin smiled and shook his head. "You don't get it, do you? There are pirates after you. They won't stop trying to find you. Bringing me with you won't help you at all."

     "I don't need to hear this from you right now." Hannah was leading him to a pirate cave. They walked along the beach. The waves came up and drenched them. Thunder and lightning crashed in the sky.

     "Listen, Hannah, the pirates forced me to drink a tracking potion. You're in more danger by staying near me."

     "You're lying," Hannah said firmly.

     "You know, I didn't want to have to do this," Garin said softly. He suddenly spun around, yanking his vest free, and lashed out with his foot. Hannah agilely caught it. She smiled at the baffled look on his face. She pushed back and made him fall over. He grunted when he hit the beach with his side.

     "Nice try, boy." She approached him.

     Garin frowned. He curled his feet around her ankles. "By the way," he said with a devious smirk and twisted his feet, bringing her crashing to the ground. "My name is Garin."

     Hannah struggled, but his feet were clamped onto her ankles like shackles. "Let me go!" she commanded. She tried to pry herself free, but he was too strong.

     "Not until you agree to let me go," Garin said with a straight face. "I am seriously trying to help you here. You just have to trust me."

     "I don't-"

     "I know, you don't trust pirates, but I'm begging you. I don't want to see those pirates capture you," he said desperately. Hannah stared at him. There was something in his blue eyes that made her rethink everything. The frantic look was too sincere.

     "Please let me go," she said slowly and firmly. Garin opened his mouth, but Hannah cut him off. "If you do, then I'll cut you free. But you have to tell me everything."

     Garin gazed at her. "Alright," he let his feet relax. Hannah slipped away and crawled behind him, taking his dagger and cutting him free. Garin sat up and rubbed his chafed wrists. "Thank you," he said genuinely.

     Hannah stared at him, puzzled. This boy is so different than any other pirate I've faced, she thought.

          ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

    Hannah had a look of terror in her eyes and she was almost in tears. Garin knew how to tell a story with skill. He had started when he was just a boy and had first seen the sea Aisha, Isca. He told everything so vividly and with such emotion.

     "But... why did you join Scarblade?" Hannah asked.

     Garin was hugging his knees to his chest and poked a twig into the small fire that played shadows on the cave walls. "I had no choice," he said with a sad glint in his eyes.

     "But... but surely your crew must still be alive. You can maybe find them and...." Hannah stopped, wiping at her wet eyes.

     "I can't be sure." Garin's voice cracked. He looked up and blinked, trying not to let the tears leave his eyes. "All evidence I've found and heard as told me that they are gone and so is my ship. But the thing is... Pirating is in my blood." He glanced her direction. "I'm nothing without a ship, a crew, and the sea."

     "But you're young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Maybe you can still call it quits and find a nice home."

     "The sea is my home," Garin whispered and threw the remnants of the twig into the fire. "But I've been thinking about it, and I've made a decision. I'm leaving Scarblade. He'll never be able to kill me."

     "How can you be so sure?" Hannah inquired.

     "I'm not." Garin forced a weak smile. "But hey, don't worry about it."

    Hannah frowned. Then she drew little pattern with the dirt on the cave floor. "H... how did you know my name?"

     Garin smiled. "I don't there's a pirate out there that hasn't heard of you. You were right, though. Every pirate I've crossed fears you. I heard of you, actually, in my first year of plundering. It gave me nightmares for a couple of nights."

     "Seriously?" Hannah asked, half-smiling.

     "Yeah, but then I figured I could handle a girl. I guess I was wrong. You're quite a handful." Hannah blushed. "Hannah," Garin said gravely, "do... do you really think that Jacques could be alive? That my crew could be alive and my ship still floating?"

     "I don't know if I can answer that," Hannah said sadly.

     "Have you heard anything?" he asked hopefully. Although, he knew it was probably no use.

     "No, I'm sorry." Hannah tipped her head down.

     "No, no need to be sorry. I knew it anyway. I guess I'm just still in denial." Hannah looked at him sympathetically.

     "So, how did you and Jacques meet, anyway?" Hannah asked.

     Garin snapped the twig in half and tossed it into the fire, creating sparks to fly. "Well, we've been friends for life. Our moms knew each other, and I guess we just kind of went from there. We always did foolish things." Garin looked into the flames, a small smile sliding onto his face.

     "We did really stupid things. And one of them," Garin glanced at Hannah, "almost took my life. We were climbing a large rock formation and I slipped on some moss. Luckily, Jacques was there and went to get help. I hung on tighter than I ever had. That's when I first saw Isca.... I still remember her pretty face. But anyway, that incident would play in one of the biggest adventures of my life. I had to help the Maraquans against Scarblade. That's when I first saw him. He was pursuing me because I robbed a wedding."

     Hannah narrowed her eyes. "You robbed a wedding...?" Suddenly, she was filled with rage. "I thought I..."

     Suddenly, a wave of chills ran across Garin's entire body. Hannah saw him shudder. "What's wrong?" she asked quickly, forgetting what she was about to say.

     "Oh no," Garin breathed. "They're using the potion. You have to go... now!" He stood up and grabbed Hannah's arm, forcing her up.

     "I'm not going anywhere. I can't leave you alone to face them. If they find you alone... without me, what will they do?"

     "I don't know," Garin shrugged, annoyed.

     "What do they want me for, anyway?" Hannah shouted. "You failed to tell me that!"

     Garin grabbed her shoulders to hold her still. Then he grabbed her right arm and ripped the sleeve apart. A scar of a sun with an eye in the middle came into view. Garin caressed it with his paw. "They need this."

     "What?!" Hannah exclaimed. "What for? It's just a scar. Taelia took the curse from it."

     "Yes, but another curse requires the symbol to make it complete. And Hannah, I never told you. Galem is working with Scarblade." Hannah froze.

     "But I thought he was on Krawk Island!"

     "Well, you heard wrong," Garin said firmly. "He's here and he's working with my enemy."

     "But..." Hannah pulled away from him, covering her scar with her paw, "...but how can Scarblade and Galem use this? I told you that it's just a scar."

     "I don't know... okay? Don't ask me questions that I can't..."

     Suddenly, shouts and hoots from everywhere filled the air. Pirates and thieves surrounded them instantly. Garin drew his dagger and Hannah balled her fists.

     "Don't resist! Your attempts will be futile!" a Shoyru crowed.

     A burly Cybunny grabbed Hannah and bound her. She tried to fight back, but was too strong for her. And before Garin could react, his little Bruce friend smacked him in the back of his head with the hilt of his sword.

     "Got you again, kid!" he snickered as Garin fell to the ground, unconscious.

To be continued...