Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Day

 The unnerving silence draped over the small sea-side town was only broken by the lonely cry of a single gull and the crash of waves over the wet pavement. One by one, the villagers of Corulskul poked their heads out from the safety of their homes to view the damage.

  For the past week, endless storms raged at the village and ruthless winds destroyed everything in their path. Now, while the wind and sea withdrew to rest, the villagers were out and about. The happy screams of children broke the uncomfortable silence but their moment of bliss was shattered. Tendrils of smoky white fog advanced towards Corulskul. Parents ushered their children indoors and shut the doors firmly, preparing for another blast of icy rain.

  Many years back, a powerful wizard named Oryn had entered Corulskul seeking shelter. The villagers had shut their doors and angry at their response to his pleas, Oryn cast a spell over Corulskul. Perhaps when he cast his spell, he only meant for the storms to rage for a period of time..not for as long as Corulskul stands, but no one knows and no one will ever know.

  Some time during the middle of the night, the storms stopped and the moonpushed aside the heavy clouds. In the dim light, a sentry noticed a ship sailing towards Corulskul. The warning bellsclanged against each other, waking the villagers.Lanterns were turned on, torches lit. It had been many years since the sighting of a ship and every villager wanted to see it.

Like a ragged ghost she appeared from the mist, her sails in tatters and her foremast was reduced to a stump. The villagers of Corulskul cowered in fear as the giant ship sailed closer and closer. A figure at in the crow’s nest waved his arms wildly, yelling, “Land ho!” The once magnificent ship slowed to a complete stop in front of the stunned villagers. A plank was lowered and the crew trudged down. In their midst was a middle-aged man with jet black hair and icy blue eyes that radiated hatred for the world. Dallas, the self-appointed leader of Corulskul stepped forward. “Who are you to trespa.ss on our land?” he barked, trying to not show his fear. “Forgive me, good sir. I am Raven Thorne, Captain of the Icehawk,” the stranger said coolly. “We were blown off course in this freak storm and are seeking shelter.” 

  Dallas turned red in anger but before he could utter a word, his daughter tugged on his sleeve.“Father, you mustn’t deny this man! The last time that happened, there was a spell cast on our village. I think one spell is enough,” Cecilia whispered. Captain Thorne’s ears perked up and he bowed low. “Good sir, am I right to a.ssume that this is the famed village, Corulskul?” Dallas could only nod. Thorne smiled slightly and continued. “I have heard many stories of this village and I am ashamed to say that I had thought they were simply made up. Now I know better. It is amazing that one village in the middle of the sea could withstand a wizard’s spell. I would be honored to help you break the spell.”      

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“That’s stupid! No one can break a wizard’s spell other than the wizard himself. This spell was placed centuries ago! Oryn is most likely rotting in the underworld,” the village cook snorted. Captain Thorne looked at the man with slight disgust.      

“What are you called, kind sir?” Thorne asked with barely disguised annoyance. The cook stared at him, never letting his gaze fall from Thorne’s eyes. “I am known as Gustavo Accardo, Corulskul’s head cook.”      

Thorne nodded. “Mister Accardo, I presume that you were never taught that wizards live forever? Even the youngest child knows that. Obviously, this village has been isolated for too long. Wizards are granted immortality during the time it takes to become fully trained. No one knows how it happens; it is a secret that witches and wizards keep to themselves. It’s a good thing that wizards are immortal because it takes a ridiculous amount of time to train and become somewhat knowledgeable with spells. It would be a waste to have a wizard die right after his training is finished. At that rate, there would be no wizards on the planet.”       

Dallas had been silently fuming as Thorne gave his snooty speech. Now, he could contain his anger in no more. “You don’t speak to us like that! We deserve more respect. I have never heard of another village that has been able to withstand a wizard’s curse longer than Corulskul! Either you help us or we chase you out.” The villagers shouted angrily, backing Dallas up.       

Raven Thorne was a smart man. He knew that he couldn’t win this fight against a mob of angry villagers hardened by the rain and sea. His pirates were tired and sick from ten weeks battling the storms. They were in no condition to fight. Thorne smiled, putting on a mask of embarrassment.       

“Forgive me, good villagers. I forget that I am speaking to the legendary inhabitants of Corulskul. Weeks at sea have befuddled me and it will never happen again. I beg you for forgiveness. Please excuse my poor behavior. It is my utmost wish that I am able to assist you on your quest to break the wizard’s spell.”       

Dallas nodded towards Cecilia. “Go and show Master Thorne his room. He can have the one on the third floor.” Cecilia took Thorne’s hand. The captain seemed somewhat surprised at this but said nothing. A gloomy silence fell on them, neither wanted to speak first. Thorne quivered in fear for the first time in his life. The house that stood in front of him was a monster. It was too grand to be called a house. The ‘house’ was more or less a mansion. Ten stories high, the mansion seemed to want to swallow everything in sight. Thorne had never lived in a house let alone a mansion before and he didn’t ever want to. He was a sailor at heart and the thought of a brick roof over his head made him more frightened than ever before.

“Can’t I stay out in the yard?” he asked, slightly hopeful. “It would lessen the burden I have brought upon you by coming here.”

Cecilia laughed. “But sir, by leaving you in the yard would most certainly destroy my family’s honor. No, I will not allow it.”

For once in his life, Thorne felt a spark of love. Was this unusual girl destined to be his future wife? He hoped so, but everyone knows that fate can be awfully cruel.

"I can’t possibly deny the requests of a girl like you,” he purred. “Alright then. I shall do as you say.” Silently, Thorne cursed himself. What an idiot he was. Cecilia probably thought he was a mindless fool trying to woo her.

“Are you hungry?”

Thorne jerked his head up. “What?”

“I said, are you hungry?” Cecilia was looking at him with slightly less warmth in her eyes and a slightly stiffer posture. “If you’re hungry, we can go to the tavern to eat.”

“But your father…shouldn’t we wait for him?”

Cecilia sniffed. “He won't be back until late. The village elders are probably discussing your arrive. Naturally, they’ve left me out. They don’t understand that I’m old enough to participate in discussions. I’m not a kid anymore!”

Thorne cocked his head sympathetically. “I understand.”

“No you don’t! No one understands! They all think I’m too rattled my mother’s death, but I’m not! Far from it! I’m old enough to understand that you can’t change the past but you can change the future. I’m going to get revenge one day. I swear it. I’ll kill them all. All those worthless pirates who deserve to die. I’ll hunt them down, one by one.”

Thorne recoiled. The girl had spirit. Too much spirit. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he said darkly. Thorne knew only too well about those kinds of promises. He itched to try to change Cecilia’s mind. A girl her age shouldn’t be haunted with the deaths of countless men.

Instead, he said, “Your mother is dead?”

“It happened only ten months ago,” Cecilia whispered. “She was determined to set off and find a way to mainland. Father didn’t want her to leave. He knows much about all the dangers at sea. But mother refused to listen. She knew what she was risking, but she went anyway. She wanted to find a better place for me to grow up. Mother hated Corulskul. She said it was too windy. Too much rain and not enough sunshine.” Cecilia laughed bitterly. “Ten days later, she still hadn’t returned. It wasn’t unusual, considering the kind of weather we have here. We would have never dreamed that she had been captured and tortured by pirates. Her body was found on the beach. It had washed in with the tide. Her body was beaten and bloody, her clothing torn apart but she was alive. We tried everything to save her. But fate was cruel that night. Fate robbed me of my mother.”

“By the gods, I’m so sorry,” whispered Thorne. He was as white as a sheet. It had been his crew that had killed Cecilia’s mother.

A while ago (Thorne couldn’t remember when the exact day was), the ship lookout had spotted a lone boat out being attacked by wave after wave. The crew had pulled the sailor onto the ship, failing to realize that the sailor was a woman. In disgust, they had beaten her up then let the ocean reclaim her. Now, Thorne was standing in front of the woman’s daughter.

 Cecilia slapped him. “I’m not looking for sympathy! I’ve had enough of people looking down at me and pretending to care. None of them ever actually cared. My father didn’t care either. He was too busy fighting his own problems. He never has time for me anymore. Look, let’s go to the tavern. I’m starving.”

Thorne didn’t feel the need to reply. Silently, he slipped his hand into hers and followed her. Neither of them saw the figure wrapped in a dark cloak flee to the harbour.

Chapter 2:       

“What is this?” Thorne poked the lump the waitress had set in front of him. It smelled good, but looked suspicious. Cecilia stared at him. “Haven’t you ever eaten beef?”      

Thorne laughed. “Is this some kind of joke? There’s no such thing as beef!”      

“I assure you, this isn’t poison. Beef is meat from cows. The one in front of you is lightly seasoned, made by Gustavo.”      

Thorne wrinkled his nose. “Gustavo Accardo, the fat little man who thought Oryn was dead?” Cecilia nodded. “Hmm. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some kind of poison in this after all. Gustavo and I…well let’s just say we’re not exactly on good terms with each other.         

“Gustavo is a man of short temper and pride. You wounded his pride today, Captain Thorne. You shouldn’t have done that. Now, it is up to you to change things and restore his pride. He may not be willing to accept your help, but it is always worth a try,” a new voice spoke up. Thorne leapt to his feet, his hand reaching for his cutlass. Cecilia pushed him aside. “No! Edward is a friend, not an enemy!”      

Breathing hard, Thorne sheathed his cutlass. Turning to him, Cecilia scolded him.      

“There are absolutely no weapons allowed here! There’s no reason to go around impaling every stranger you see. Next time, keep in mind that Corulskul is a peaceful village. Edward, that was mean of you to sneak up on us. You should know better! You should be setting an example.”      

Edward grinned. “As you say, little sis. Let me introduce myself. I am Edward Brower, son of Dallas Brower and older brother of Cecilia Brower. My great uncle was Hector Barbossa, perhaps you’ve heard of him? Last time I checked, he was sailing around mainland.”      

“Old Barbossa! Aye, I know him well. He used to be me old captain before I left to build the Icehawk and her crew. I’d give anything to see me old matey again.” Thorne exclaimed. Cecilia had turned whiter than a sheet and Edward had a sly grin on his face.       

“You’re a pirate,” Cecilia accused. “You never told me you were a pirate. You said that you were an Englishman! You lied to me! Edward, did you know all along?”      

“Yes, Cecilia. I knew Thorne was a pirate. But your eyes were blind to the obvious facts. You’re in love, aren’t you? You love a pirate! What is father going to say?” Cecilia tried to protest. “Don’t deny it, Cecilia! I’m your older brother. I can tell by how you look at him.” Edward turned to Thorne.      

“I have no problem with you loving her. But if you love her, promise that you’ll never hurt her. I think Cecilia is too good for you, but if she’s happy, then I’m happy. Hurt Cecilia and I swear I’ll hunt you down and rip you apart piece by piece.” Edward whirled on his heels, nodded to the staring onlookers and left the tavern.       

Thorne shivered. “Your family is very aggressive. First, your father tries to chase me out of Corulskul, then you rattle off about killing pirates and now, your brother vows to kill me!”      

Cecilia fixed him with a cold, hard stare. “How could you. You lied to me! I trusted you!”      

Thorne grabbed her arm as she stood to leave. “Wait! I want to explain. But not in here.” Cecilia nodded and allowed Thorne to lead her outside. It was raining again and freezing. Pulling her cloak tighter around herself, Cecilia glared at the ground.       

 “I never meant to hurt you. Do you think your father would have let me stay if I had told him that I was a pirate? He would have cut me into bazillion little pieces!”      

“You’re so dramatic. Father would have never done that,” Cecilia whispered. Tears ran down her cheeks, dripping onto her already wet cloak.      

Thorne pulled her into a tight embrace. “You’ll catch a cold.”      

“What are we going to do? My father didn’t tell you before, but Corulskul is in danger of collapsing if we don’t break the wizard’s spell soon. We can’t take it much longer. The rain has destroyed almost all of our crops. The ocean has taken countless of lives. Is this the end?” Cecilia buried her face in Thorne’s shoulder.      

“When I said I’d break the spell, I meant it. My crew and I will do anything in our power to save Corulskul,” Thorne said determinedly. Then, lifting her chin, he gently kissed Cecilia on the mouth. “I know we’ve just met, but it feels like I’ve known you forever. I love you.”