After they were sure the dragon was nowhere to be seen, the pirates slowly came out from below deck and looked around the ship, assessing the damage. Ilona was thankful when Sam Thatch began giving the men work to do so they could start getting the ship back in shape. Maybe he was finally learning.
Ilona felt numb as she walked through the mess. Her ship, the thing she loved so much, her safe place, had been invaded and smashed by a dragon. Her parents had sailed the craft for her entire life, and it had never been badly damaged. Now, after barely a year with her in charge, it had needed more repairs than ever before.
After taking a look at the hole in her deck, Ilona walked back down the now uneven staircase to the door to her cabin. She took hold of the handle and went to pull it open, but it didn't move. Frowning and inwardly cursing her luck, she braced herself and yanked, but it still didn't budge.
