Beauty's Beast Page 2

  WHATEVER THE DARKNESS was, it swirled around the ship as a living entity. Where it touched her skin, it left a trail of fire. Fear for her crew and the need to survive kept her on her feet. She opened her mouth to call out to Hugos but no sound escaped. Instead a long-forgotten pain burst across her back and she whimpered.

  “What name did I give you?” The last man who had called himself her master growled.

  He couldn’t be here, she had escaped. Beauty jerked at her hands, which were now stretched above her head. Her teeth ached from clenching them because she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

  “I will break you girl,” the glee in his voice was sickening. “You should thank me that I am giving you a Christian name. Better than most of my animals.” A giggle escaped his lips as the whip lashed out, peeling away skin when it was pulled away.

  She bit her lip until she tasted blood. This wasn't real. She would survive as she had survived the first time. Her legs buckled just as a disembodied voice came out of the darkness.

  “Take my hand.”

  The whip hadn’t made her cry out but the fur covered claw that appeared next to her face ripped a scream from her throat. She tried to back away.

  “Fear not. I am not here to harm but help you and your crew.”

  Whoever spoke had a deep voice that sent shivers down Beauty's spine and chased away the nightmare. She didn't care who or what it was, if the nightmares feared it, she would trust it. Moans and cries from her crew spurred her into action and she grabbed the surprisingly warm claw. The mist cleared and her hand gripped nothing but air, she blinked and watched as her crew slowly climbed to their feet. Many had tears running down their faces and two were huddled in on themselves, moaning. Her eyes sought and found Amina trying to comfort Jasmine who had a look of pure fear on her face. Next her eyes landed on Hugos, who still had a death grip on the helm.

  “What the hell was that?” Amina gently pushed Jasmine towards her mother before walking to stand behind Beauty. “I swear I was being dragged through my village again after being sold.”

  Beauty rubbed her wrist where she could still feel the ropes. “I was being whipped by our old master when I refused to take the name he had given me. It felt so real and I can still feel the blood dripping down my back."

  "Aye."

  Beauty opened her mouth to tell her about the voice and claw but thought better of it. Right now, they needed to check the crew and see if the ship needed repair. No need to spread alarm if it was all in her head.

  “Captain.” Hugos called. “There be an island ahead.”

  Beauty felt a smile pull at her lips as she saw the beautiful island they drifted towards. Trees waved on the beach and white sands gleamed in the sun. It looked better than any port they had ever dropped anchor in. “Drop anchor.”

  “Drop anchor.” Amina yelled.

  Beauty couldn't take her eyes off the island as she heard the crew rush to follow orders. Maybe the map was leading them to what their heart desired the most, a homeport. If she had to endure the humiliation and pain of being beat to find a home for her crew, she would do it again.

  “I wonder who inhabits this island or if we can claim it for our own.” Amina waved her hand. “I can see a village and hear kids voices."

  "Aye, it's has an appeal." Beauty took her eyes off the island long enough to smile at her friend. "But don't get your hopes up yet. Something didn’t want us here and it may be too dangerous to stay. I will take ten crew members and scout the island."

  "I will come with you."

  "No. If we are not back by nightfall, or have not sent word that we are well, you are to take the ship and sail away."

  Amina frowned. "You are asking me to leave you on an island we have no information about? I will not. You are the captain of this ship and if I even thought about leaving you, I would be made to walk the plank."

  Beauty laughed and slapped her on the shoulder. "You underestimate your value to the crew. If something happened to me they would follow you as they follow me."

  "I can handle the crew," Amina's eyes narrowed. "But I have not escaped a cruel master and risked everything to lose a best friend. Now go see about our treasure and make sure to come back relatively unharmed.” To the crew, she bellowed. “Get a jolly boat ready and ten of you slackers are going to shore with the captain. The rest of you see about repairs.”

  Beauty's heart was light as she sat in the jolly boat as it was lowered. She felt that this was the miracle she had been waiting for. As they drew closer to the island her eyes scanned the beach for any movement or sign of inhabitation. It was calm and peaceful; she didn’t trust it.

  “Keep your eyes open.” She warned in a lowered voice. "This is too peaceful."

  As she set foot on dry land for the first time in a year her legs threatened to give out. Something she had grown up on had become foreign, she no longer felt at home on land.

  Beauty spared a quick glance at her ship before squaring her shoulders. Her crew was depending on her to either find a treasure or a place they could call home. As the boat was pulled further up on shore and her crew stood trying to catch their land legs, the hair on the back of her neck rose and she looked around. She had always had a second sense and could tell when danger was near. Whatever saved them was laying in wait and she had no choice but to go and meet it head on.

  “Two of you stay with the boat.” She ordered as she checked to make sure her provisions were tucked away. She had brought along a small container of oil, flint and a water skin, being prepared was something else she believed in.

  “Which way are we headed?” A dark-skinned woman asked. Her name was Serena and Beauty wondered why she had volunteered. She was the mother of Jasmine and if anything happened to her, her daughter would be left without blood family. “This place looks like it will take years to explore.”

  "We are not going to explore everything." Beauty reached into a small pocket in her pants and pulled out the map. "We have a goal and it's to find this treasure before anything else." She glanced down and narrowed her eyes, the map was no longer showing the sea but the land they now stood upon. A mountain range due east caught her eyes, "We head east. Which two are staying?"

  A grumble rose from the crew as they tried to figure out who would stay behind. Beauty promised who ever stayed would get a slightly bigger portion of the treasure. The rest followed Beauty into the depths of the forest and soon the light from above refused to penetrate the foliage. Beauty raised her hand and everyone came to a stop.

  “Find large branches to make torches. It is as dark as midnight.”

  “Aye. I don’t like the looks of it.” A crewmember said as he hacked a large branch from a tree.

  “It’s unnatural.” Beauty agreed. “Keep moving, we don’t want to be easy targets.”

  She made sure everyone had a lit branch before signaling for them to move out. Torches held high, they quickly made their way through the forest and toward the sound of rushing water. When it became a roar, sunlight finally started peeking through the leaves until the torches were no longer needed. As Beauty pushed aside the thick foliage blocking the view of the water a gasp left her lips. Two majestic waterfalls tumbled over smooth rocks and exploded in a rushing river below. The spray of fresh water cooled her skin.

  “Is that a skull?” Serena whispered.

  Beauty couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful but scary sight in front of her. The mountain resembled a human skull covered in green and the waterfalls poured from the empty eye sockets.

  “Are we going up there?” Jena, Serena's best friend and always close by, asked.

  Beauty grunted and continued to stare up at the sight. Fear and excitement raced through her veins and she smiled. "Look for a way up."

  "I think I see steps," Jena called. "Aye but it looks dangerous."

  "Aye." Beauty stared at the slick uneven stone steps leading to the top of the mountain. "I will take only two with me to the top. The r
est of you wait here and get word back if we do not return."

  "Are you sure it's safe?" Serena asked. "We could head back to the ship and bring more people back. Maybe some rope."

  "There's no time." Beauty put a foot on the lowest step. "Do you want to go back to the crew and tell them we didn’t even try?" She pulled herself up the first three steps. "I will do this alone, no one else has to put themselves in danger." Beauty didn't look back as she concentrated on not slipping on the water slicked rocks. The going was slow and a few times she was sure it was the end but somehow, she made it to the top and sat down to catch her breath and rest her tired muscles. A scraping sound from below signaled, without her having to look, that at least one crew member had not tucked tail and was on their way up.

  “Beautiful.” Serena breathed in a reverent voice as she reached the top and sat next to Beauty. "This view was worth the climb."

  "Yes it was." Beauty stood up. "Were you the only one who braved the steps?"

  "No," Serena waved toward the steps. "Jena should be here soon."

  Jena head poked over the top and she crawled the last inches up before collapsing. "Not wanting to do that again."

  "We only have to climb down." Beauty promised as they turned to look at the mountain. Up close a cave was visible under the waterfalls. "I'm guessing we go in there."

  "We follow you." Serena grimaced.

  They had taken two steps when a roar shook the ground. The air rang with the sound of steel as they drew their swords and glanced around wearily.

  “Only one may enter.” The same voice Beauty had heard earlier commanded.

  Beauty put her sword away and turned to the two women. "You will stay here and wait for me."

  "No," Serena shook her head and put her sword away, too. "There's no way we are allowing you to go in there. You are the captain and we cannot allow you to put yourself in more danger."

  "I don't think I will come to any harm." Beauty took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She had to convince the women she was confident or they would try to follow. "I won't be long and just how big can this cave be?"

  Beauty took another deep breath and took her first step into the darkened cave.

  THE BEAST PACED HIS prison. The female was closer and he could smell her sweet pine scent. He wanted to roll in it until he could only smell her on his skin. As she came into view his heart speed up and saliva filled his mouth. She was beautiful and the scowl on her face just made her more so.

  “Show yourself,” she demanded.

  He trembled with need as he heard her voice, so close so intimate. Almost like a caress on his fur. “Why did you come here?” He asked ignoring her demand. “Do you seek to steal that which is not yours?”

  “I am in possession of a map taken from another. This makes the treasure as much mine as his.” She raised her chin in defiance.

  A smile threatened as he admired her bravery but the treasure he guarded was too dangerous and had to be protected at all cost. With little resistance, he slipped into her mind and his fangs started to grow. He saw a happy young girl ripped from her home, chained, whipped and treated as an animal. A growl rolled from his throat as he itched to hunt down anyone who had ever hurt her. Humans had not gotten better over the centuries but if at all possible, worse.

  She took a step back and placed a hand on her weapon. "Do you eat anyone who sets foot on this island?" Her eyes roamed over the many scattered bones.

  “I do not, brave human.” He laughed, how long had it been since he had laughed? Since he had reason to laugh? “I only eat the animals that wander too close. You did not answer my question. Why did you come seeking my island?”

  The woman before him turned her glare back his way. “I will not speak to a yellow belly, show yourself if you wish to continue.”

  “You come to my island and demand answers?” The beast asked. “You should tread carefully. Now answer my question?”

  "I'm not scared of you," she put her hands on her hips. "And I believe I answered your question already."

  "I can hear your heart beating fast, you cannot hide that from me." He smiled. "You did tell me you stole a map."

  "The man who had been in possession of the map would have made me and my crew into slaves again.” Her scowl deepened. “I will not allow my crew to be taken.”

  With the mention of the depravity he had witnessed in her past, his claws dug into his palms as he clinched his fist. He wished he could leave the hell he called home and avenge her. "He deserved whatever you did to him and much more.” The smile she flashed in the direction his voice came from had the blood lust replaced with a different type of lust. “What is your name?”

  “My birth name is Gelila but I go by Beauty.”

  For the first time in as long as he could remember his body responded as a man to a woman, reminding him that at one time he was human. "Tempting Beauty," the beast nodded. "A fitting name for one such as yourself."

  “And what name should I call you?” She asked.

  "Long ago I was called Iskinder, defender of humanity, but I betrayed my kin and call myself Beast. You said a map had lead you here, can I see it?”

  “I cannot trust you," she took a step back and placed a hand on the useless sword at her side.

  “I cannot run. I am bound to these caves, your map is safe.”

  “You do not need to run but, if you are the beast you claim to be, you are large enough to kill me with one swipe.”

  He held up a claw and not for the first time wished for his human body. “I would rather rip off each nail then harm a hair on your head.”

  "I have lost the ability to trust," she squinted in his direction. "And how can I trust a being who refuses to show himself?"

  “You wish to see who you talk to?” The beast called upon the mist in the air and when a significant amount had gathered he projected his image upon it and glared down at the human female.

  He watched her eyes grow large and this time the sword was pulled out and brandished at him.

  "What magic is this? A beast should not speak as a man," she demanded.

  "A magic as old as time. The same magic that allowed you entrance onto my island."

  "There is no denying there is magic here but I have only heard of demons who walk as beast and talk as men."

  "I am no demon just a man who made a bad decision centuries ago."

  Chapter Four

  Beauty studied the thing before her. Startling blue eyes stared out of a beastly face covered in fur with two horns protruding from his skull. Fangs peeked from the corner of his mouth and a flat nose rested over it.

  "Can I see the map?” Again, a claw reached out of the mist.

  Beauty bit her lower lip but quickly stopped, she would not show weakness to the beast standing in front of her. She pulled the map out of the small hidden pocket in her pants and held it out to him. If she wanted the treasure she would have to use him. As soon as the beast's claws touched the paper the ground shook and the paper sprang to life. Colors burst from it and started to dance above the paper.

  “That didn’t happen before.” Beauty said breathlessly. She tried to move closer but the spray of the water stopped her. “Why does it do that now?”

  “This map is part of a key that can release me and give the searcher unlimited life.” The beast turned the map in different directions and different star groups showed.

  "A key to a treasure?" Beauty frowned. "I was hoping to find a treasure so my crew could have a home."

  "This is not a like any treasure you have gone after before. No man is able to use it without becoming corrupt." The beast handed the surprisingly dry map back. "I thought these had all been destroyed."

  Beauty stared at the map and for the first time noticed the edges seemed to be frayed. "This was ripped apart, by whom?"

  "The last act of my tribe was to curse me to my prison. They believed I could be redeemed. I guess this is their way of giving me a way out."

  "There is a
story there that I would love to hear one day," Beauty tucked the map back in her pocket. "But I am on a deadline and need to know, do you know where the other pieces are?"

  "I do not. Like I said I thought they had been destroyed along with my tribe." Sadness descended on the beast. "This is not an existence I would want for anyone. If I could go back to that moment in time, I would have completed my mission and lived out my life in peace and happiness. Would you sit and talk to me a while?"

  There was something about the beast that called to the long-buried compassion in Beauty's heart. She sat on a flat rock and crossed her legs. "I cannot stay long for my crew is waiting for me."

  "I understand and will not keep you long," the beast lowered himself to a sitting position. "It has been a long time since I've had the opportunity to talk to anyone."

  "You talk of your tribe?"

  "Yes, my tribe." He sighed. "I grew up knowing I was going to take my place as the shaman. Daily I trained until I was so powerful even my father had to concede to me. I was sent to train with a neighboring tribe who were charged by the gods to protect powerful objects." He stopped talking and seemed to lose himself in thought.

  "So what happened?"

  He looked up as if surprised she was there. "I saw what they had and wanted it. When darkness descended on the earth I was charged with bringing a precious treasure to a hidden hold out. Instead I decided I wanted the power for myself."

  "What kind of power?"

  "The kind that will not allow me to ever die," he took a deep breath. "I was cursed by the last of my tribe, with their dying breaths, to forever be locked below the earth, guarding that which I sought to gain power from."

  Beauty shook her head. She couldn’t imagine betraying her crew to gain power of any type. "How could you betray your family?"

  "I could blame it on the darkness but in reality, I had convinced myself that I was above them. I resented how they wanted to hold me back. It has taken me centuries of being here to understand I am nothing without them."