Hi all!! I hope this chapter finds you all well and enjoying the New Year wherever you are in the world! As I said on Facebook, I'm sorry for not being able to post sooner, I found a summer job but didn't quite expect the amount of hours I would be working! Certainly hasn't left much time for anything other than sleep and eat haha :) 

Anyway! I got there eventually and hope to continue posting chapters as soon as I can, 
Lots of Love,
Daisy xx

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COBALT

"Land-ho!"

A huge cheer rose up from the two boats as we heard the call. We had been at the sea for a long time now and although our supplies were depleted, they weren't low enough to make me seriously worry. We would be able to top up once we arrived. Nathaniel's home town had been further away than I had remembered and even with Hobbson and Nathaniel's guidance, it had still taken longer than expected to finally have the small town in sight.

I took a moment to take in the sight of it, Circe's manor, standing up on the hill behind tall walls of stone, was a familiar sight, although I had only seen it at night-time I remembered the day I had come to collect her like it was only yesterday. I knew that it would only be Nathaniel and his crew going ashore so there would be no chance of me or Hobbson being spotted. I looked up at the flag, the Pirate colours had been replaced with the Water Kingdom ones, a good disguise as the flag was foreign to both raiders and friendly parties.

"Prepare to dock boys!" I called out cheerfully. "And may we feast tonight!"

Spirits aboard the ship were high and I left Samson in charge of the crew as I went to find Amaryllis. She wasn't in any of the usual places so on a whim I check Obsidian's room. The door creaked open slowly and I slipped inside, coughing a little. The air was musty and a thin layer of dust covered everything. I sighed, noticing that the mermaid door was open, the pretty glass in need of polishing.

I opened it fully and stepped into the hallway. A breath of sea air breezed through the open door at the end and I followed it. Sure enough, there she was, standing outside on the little balcony that Obsidian had built for Circe.

My voice was a little rough as I spoke. "What are you doing out here, you know that I don't like anyone coming in here."

She turned around, her black hair flying out and looked startled. Upon seeing me, her face softened into an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry," She said softly, turning back to the ocean. "I was just thinking about Circe and I wound up here. I didn't touch anything in your brother's room, I promise."

"Mmph," I grumbled, moving to wrap my arms around her. She was easy to forgive. "And what was on your mind?"

She waved a hand. "Oh nothing really,"

I laughed at the lack of conviction in her voice. "You're a terrible liar."

She turned suddenly and I was startled to see that her eyes were wide and a little watery. I gripped her arms, instantly concerned.

"Liss, whatever is the matter?"

She wiped her eyes a let out a laugh that was mixed with a sob. "You'll think I'm being silly."

"Never." I kissed her forehead gently. "Just tell me."

"Well it's just ... the further we get away from my home, the more I miss it. And I was just thinking about how Circe left hers and hasn't really found one since. Now she is all alone and it's just ... she must feel so lonely." She shuddered and I pulled her close to me, burying my face in her hair.

"Are you saying that you feel alone?"

"A little,"

I tipped her chin up. "But you have me, you aren't alone."

"Cobalt, you are Captain of a ship, it makes you busy and I don't mind it, it's just that there isn't really anything for me to do. I wasn't brought up on a shp, I was brought up in the ocean. Back there I had friends, but out here ... well now that Circe is gone-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way." I murmured.

"It's not your fault. Your home has always been at sea hasn't it?"

I smiled at her. "Yes, and yours can be too you know."

She looked a little sad. "Cobalt, I really thought that it could, I was ready for an adventure but now ..."

"Now?"

"Now, I don't know anymore. I feel like something is pulling me back, I can't describe it, but it gets more urgent with each passing day."

I took her hands in mine. "Liss, what are you trying to say?"

She couldn't look at me and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I think I need to go back home, just for a little while and then I will come back."

Her fingers slid out of my grasp and my mouth opened slightly as I tried to process what she was saying, where this had come from. We had been so happy, just this morning she had been happy, had she been thinking about this for a while?

"How long have you been thinking about this?" I asked, voicing my thoughts.

She looked heartbroken. "Only over the last few days, listen Cobalt, this has nothing to do with you and everything to do with my loyalty to my Kingdom. Every-time I am near or in the water I can hear something calling to me, telling me to go back. I can't just ignore it."

"I understand." I said, but my voice was vacant and had no feeling. She was leaving me, leaving me with nothing. "Then you had better get going."

"Cobalt-"

"Go!" I waved a hand at her, my anger obvious on my face even though I tried to hide it. "If you need to go, then go! I'm not holding you here obviously; you are free to do as you wish." I heard the words as they escaped my mouth and knew that I would regret saying such hurtful things later but right now I just didn't care.

I turned away from her and my eyes clenched shut as I felt her fingertips touch my back. Her voice was incredibly sad.

"Cobalt I am so sorry, I will return but I need to do this. Please," She was begging now," please try and understand. I love you. Truly I do."

I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying anything that would hurt her more and I felt her hands leave me. There was a pause and then a quiet splash and suddenly I was turning around, leaning over the railing and calling out her name, determined to make her stay.

But she was already gone.

I slumped against the railing and slid down to my knees on the wooden planks. It hurt more than I thought it would, having your heart broken. I missed her already. I leaned back, looking up at the storm clouds that had been gathering all day. Didn't she know how much I needed her? How much I needed the love a reassurance she gave me? How I had come to rely on her being there when images of my brother burning and of Circe burning with him woke me up in the night?

My brother.

What would he think of me now? I thought bitterly to myself. I laughed. He would tell me I was asking for it, that I shouldn't rely on anyone but myself or him.

"But you aren't here anymore," I found myself whispering aloud. "And not being able to count on anyone but myself is so lonely."

I looked back out to the ocean. Liss was the only girl after Circe that I truly loved. At the time it seemed that I could never find someone else that caught my attention the way Circe did, but where Circe was ferocious and wild, Liss was quiet and peaceful. She had her spark, but it was not so quick to rise to the surface. She was gentle, level-headed, trustworthy and genuinely caring, traits which Circe shared too, but it was just different with Liss and it was these differences that had made me fall in love again.

I climbed to my feet, picked up the pieces of my broken heart and tried not to feel so wounded. If she said she would be back, she would be. And if she had said that it was urgent, then it was. When she returned I would make sure that she was properly integrated into the crew, that she had a purpose. It had been selfish of me to expect her to just sit around when I was busy.

I walked back out to the main deck, making sure to shut Obsidian's door firmly behind me. Almost immediately I ran straight into Samson.

"Sir, I think you had better come and see this."

I nodded and pushed Amaryllis's departure to the back of my mind for now. I needed to stay present; I was Captain of a ship after all.

"What is the problem?" I asked as I followed him up to the top deck.

"Look."

I stared out to where he was pointing, unsure at first at exactly what I was supposed to be looking at, but quickly spotting what he had to be talking about. My face turned grim.

We were close enough to the town now that I could see that the harbour was completely devoid of all life. No ships were moored at the pier, even little fishing dinghy's were glaringly absent and there were no bustling townsfolk hurrying up and down the sea side store fronts, no welcoming town noises echoing out towards us from across the water. Amaryllis said that she had had a bad feeling about something back at her home? Well I had a bad feeling about our situation right now. Something definitely wasn't right.

I waved for the shipmates to halt our advance and the call came out for Nathaniel and his crew to do the same. A plank was laid down between the two and I crossed over to him quickly, my words directed to Hobbson, looking for the older sailors more experienced opinion.

"What do you think is going on? Is this some kind of trap?"

The old man frowned. "And what would the trap before exactly? There is no possible way that they could have known we were coming. No, there is something else going on here."

"Nathaniel, does your town have any conflict with any other? Anything you can think of that could have caused something like this?"

His brow was furrowed, golden eyebrows drawn together in a look of complete confusion. "No ... I don't understand what could have happened in my absence. It looks as though the whole township has just been abandoned. If there are any survivors though, they will be at the Manor, the whole grand house is surrounded by walls, the place is a fortress. Nothing could have gotten through, or climbed over." He added the last part almost as an afterthought and the lines in his face deepened.

"We will take one ship in." I decided then. "Just in case something happens and then we have the other for an escape. Agreed?"

The two men nodded and Nathaniel spoke. "We'll take mine. Yours is too important to lose."

I felt slightly relived. "I'm grateful."

An unspoken understanding passed between us then and I was grateful suddenly that his situation with Circe helped him to slightly comprehend mine. My thoughts were with Amaryllis briefly and I hoped that she was safe.

Hobbson seemed to suddenly notice her absence and I wasn't surprised. This is definitely something she would have found a way to be involved in, whether it was demanding to come with the boarding ship or suggesting that she swim ahead and scout, both which I would have said no to. I internally smacked myself as I realised yet another difference between her and Circe – Circe would have come anyway, but Liss had always taken my wishes into account. Damnit I had been so stupid, she was right, I never let her do anything.

Hobbs was still waiting for me to answer his question and I snapped out of my daze and shuffled a little. "She's gone," I grunted, realising then that some more information was probably needed. "Gone home for a bit, said that she needed to or something."

His face flickered with understanding and the look caught my interest. Of course, whatever she had been talking about he would feel it too, he was a part of the Water Kingdom after all.

"Do you know something?"

"I was wondering if she had felt it. She should have talked to me before leaving and I would have told her that she wasn't needed, but I guess that she forgot that I was here."

My anger flared. "What do you mean she wasn't needed?"

Hobbson held up his hands. "There are things happening right now in the magical world Cobalt, things tied to the impending war in the Earth Kingdom. Humans are becoming involved and it's not a good time for magic folk to be out and about. You forget that humans out number us with impossible ratios. The Queen needs to make sure that everyone is safe, that is why she is holding a census."

I smacked my hand to my forehead. "Are you telling me that Amaryllis went all the way back for a census? She was worried that it was something important Hobbson!"

He laughed. "Well it was foolish of her not to check in with me first. Unless she has a hidden agenda that you and I don't know about I am fairly sure that is the reason behind the pull that she felt. I've been feeling it for days now, but my Queen knows where I am."

I groaned out loud, fucking brilliant. "Fine, well there is nothing that can be done about it now. She will be long gone and this situation requires us to focus on the task at hand." I pushed Amaryllis from my thoughts, as frustrated as the situation made me, and got down to business. "I think that a smaller number going ashore would be better as it will be less noticeable. In my opinion, Nathaniel and I should be the ones to go as Nathaniel has the most knowledge of the place and I can watch his back."

Hobbson frowned. "I don't like it, sending the two Captains out? What if you both get killed?"

I glared at him. "Where is your faith?"

He was serious. "It has nothing to do with faith boy, and everything to do with circumstance. We have no idea or context for why this town is empty or at least appears to be."

"Which is why we will need the majority of people here to guard the ships," I interrupted. "No ships in the harbour and no sign of wreckage points pretty strongly to everyone having up and left. If there are remaining people who were left behind, they could very well try and hijack the ships."

"I think that if it is just the two of us, we should take a rowboat," Nathaniel piped up.

"What about supplies, how are we going to get those back in a rowboat?"

"No offence Cobalt, but if everyone is gone, I doubt that there will be anything left. They probably would have taken it all."

Hobbson chuckled. "He makes a point there."

I grimaced. "I didn't count on what we have left lasting us to Savannah. It'll be tight."

"Better we be hungry than dead," Came the reply.

"Plus, if we find anything, we can take some, just not as much as we'd like."

I sighed. "Very well, we had better get to it then, no point in lounging around."

Two heads nodded in agreement and I strode towards the door. "I'll notify the crew."

*

There were protests, but they were quickly silenced by my words. "This is our final decision, there will be no discussion."

"You should at least let me accompany you Captain," Samson called out, worry etched into the big man's face. "I am only one man and it would be the crew more at ease."

I looked out at the sea of faces, spotting Lacy with Leonardo ever present at her side. She looked worried too and as her eyes met mine I knew that she feared that she would lose me too. I ran a hand over my face.

"Very well, you may come. But we leave now. You will give us one hour, if we are not back in that time-"

"Then we will come to look for you." Hobbson interrupted firmly.

I glared at him. "No you will not, I won't risk it."

"And we won't risk losing you two," The old man growled. "We will bring in one ship, and leave the other out here for a back-up, you're having it your way now boy, but as soon as you both leave, you leave me in charge, and unfortunately leaving you two behind is not an option for me." He folded his arms across his chest and stared me down.

"Fine," I snapped, "Have it your way."

With no further delay, we climbed into the row boat, settling down as we were lowered over the side of the ship. We hit the water with a jolt and shifted a little to steady ourselves. Samson took a hold of the oars before I could reach them and began to row without a word.

"Remember, one hour!" I called back up to the crew, the faces looking down at us taunt with tension. I tried to look confident as I smiled up at them. "Don't worry boys! We'll be fine."

Samson steered us away from the big ships and struck out for the shore. The sea was calm and we made quick progress, the deserted wharf fast approaching. I stood up, shielding my eyes with a hand as I tried to make out anything on the shore that could give us a clue as to what had happened here.

Suddenly a small gust of wind picked up, blowing to us from the town and with it, a putrid smell. Weak and lingering at first, but growing stronger the closer we came. It curled around my nostrils and my stomach curled with fear.

"That smell," Nathaniel's voice was wavering. "It... it smells like-"

"Death," I said grimly. "You had better prepare yourself Nate, I don't think this is going to be good."

Samson was quiet but I knew that he was thinking the same thoughts as me. I was glad now that he had come, not because I didn't think I would be able to handle myself, but because in this case, one extra person to serve as a look out could be valuable.

We stopped at the wharf, the small boat rocking back and forth in the water as Samson tied us securely to a post. We all climbed up on the wooden planks, eyes alert, hand's resting on the hilt of our swords. I pulled out a pistol, holding it down by my side. We had thought the town was eerie from afar, but it was nothing compared to the chills I was getting now.

I spoke and my voice came out as a whisper. "We need to move quickly lads, I don't like the look of this one bit."

"The smell is stronger here," Samson rumbled. "Although I can't see its source."

"I have a feeling that it won't take us long to find out." I said grimly, turning back to the ship and giving a wave. I knew without a doubt that at least one person would have a telescope trained on us. "Right, enough dilly-dally, this town isn't going to search itself." My eyes jumped back and forth across the main street, I felt as though I was seeing movement from the corner of my eye, but every time my gaze jumped to the place where it was, there was nothing there.

Samson stepped forward. "Let me go first."

I nodded; his intimidating size would make any attacker pause to think twice before attacking. "Nate, you follow after him and give directions, I'll bring up the rear. We move quickly and quietly to the Castle. No stopping, not for anything, unless I give the okay, agreed?"

"Yes," Came the reply.

"Very well, on we go then,"

We set out, swiftly making our way down the wharf and onto the main shore line. It was only moments after we had left the shoreline behind that the smell hit us with full force and seconds after that that we located the source of it.

Between the store fronts and the cluster of houses leading up to the Castle, thin alleys made space for people to move through and it was from the shadows of one of these entrances that Nathaniel spotted it.

At first I couldn't quite make it out, but as we moved closer I recognised the familiar shape as a human hand, white and pale in the dim sunlight, stretching out of the shadows as though reaching for help. My stomach twisted and I tried not to breathe as the body attached to the