Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 86

Perfect Timing
Singapore International School (Hong Kong), Choi, Yun Xi Chalsie - 11
It was his fifth month, twenty-fourth day and fifth hour onboard the ship, the Sail-breaker when
Admiral Zheng He spotted the skull and bones motif. He was lounging on deck when he saw the skull and
bones emblem, embroidered on a blood-red background, the symbol of the very thing he had dreaded
glaring bright against the bright, hot noon sun.
“Sir, pirates are nearing,” a sailor boy skidded to a stop in front of him from his perch in the viewing
mast.
The admiral rubbed his chin, contemplating. “If it is a battle they wish, ready all that can wield a sword,
and tell those who can’t to defend the treasure.” With that, the boy ran into the decks below.
The pirate’s alliance stretched far and wide, to China, all who joined them boasting a tattoo of a bleeding
skull and bones . He had fought them tons of times—the pirate alliance, or called the Valew. With that, he
held his prized, ancient horn and blew deeply into it.
The sound signalled, a battle. Be ready. And so they readied.
The Battle Begins:
The pirates were upon them less than twenty minutes later. The Valew’s arrows aimed at the ship.
“They’re shooting arrows! Shields up!” General Killian commanded the soldiers. He shouted in
English, though, and thankfully the majority of the soldiers knew basic commands in multiple languages.
One of the generals from far away, and keen to help guard the treasure and had good battlefield healing skills
and knowledge, he was general for a reason, lethal cunning helping him to claw to the top. It didn’t help
that he was also a kind and charming person. Zheng He definitely didn’t want to mess with him.
Zheng He himself followed the orders given, though his bow was in a hand and an arrow was nocked.
Arrows rained down upon them, the majority of the arrows blocked and gathered into quivers.
“Our turn,” General Killian grinned. “Bows up,” bowstrings groaned as the soldiers obeyed. “Arrows
nocked,” he continued. “And… VOLLEY!” He bellowed as dozens of arrows flew and found their mark.
Impossibly, the Valew ships sailed closer, until Zheng He could see the whites of their enemies’ eyes.
“They’re coming onboard!” The scouts yelled. Even though their gangplank was raised, the Valew
either swung across on ropes or hoisted a plank to get onto the Sail-breaker.
Within seconds that seemed like an eternity, the Valew had swarmed the deck of the boat. Lethal,
ruthless, and heartless, they overpowered some soldiers, slaughtering them mercilessly. Most of the soldiers
were engaged in combat, and as time went by, blood stained the floor, slick and red. Zheng He observed for
a second, then plunged into the fray.
When he had gotten at least ten cuts and his clothes were bloodstained, he received a huge slice to the
thigh that sent him collapsing.
His vision spotted, black and white dancing over his vision as he faded into eternal darkness…
The Healer:
“Sir, I could help.” A petite, dark haired young girl hesitantly approached him when he woke and bobbed
a curtsy. He was groaning in pain, a huge cut slashed down his entire thigh, slicing through skin and muscle,
with a slimy green substance dripping from it. Poison. The girl knew immediately what it was, apparently.
“Poison?” Zheng He rasped before gritting his teeth tightly. She gave a grim nod.
The girl knelt before him, and wrapped her small hands around his leg. Slowly, the poison leached
from his leg, dribbling out in a way that made the general retch. Gradually, muscle knitted together, and
blood scabbed, as the wound healed.
“It would scar, but otherwise it would be completely functioning in a few days of rest,” the girl
whispered in a small, sweet voice, and left.
The Warrior:
A door banged open with a loud bang, as a girl with cobalt blue eyes and black hair braided into a
coronet stepped out onto the gore-filled, bloody deck.
“Aww, I missed all the fun!” The girl pouted. Mei An, city guard for the royal family and self-appointed
hunter to feed her family. She was a skilled swordswoman, and was fine with a bow. Perfect timing.