Arya heard wood splintering again, along with the sailors' terrified cries. She cautiously peered through a crack and saw torches swaying on deck. Several vicious-looking men in ragged leather armor, armed with curved swords, had already boarded the ship.
The captain tried to negotiate with them, only to be kicked to the ground. One pirate grabbed him by the hair and demanded harshly, "Is there anyone else? What are you carrying? Where do you keep the valuables?"
With a blade pressed to his neck, the captain trembled so badly that he could not speak.
Another pirate had already thrown open the hatch and held a torch over it to light the space below.
Then Arya heard footsteps on the stairs. Someone was coming down.
Cabin doors were brutally kicked open one after another. She held her breath and hid among a cluster of barrels. Soon, her cabin door was kicked open too, and torchlight spilled inside.
"It fucking stinks in here." A man with a filthy cloth wrapped around his head spat and idly prodded the clutter on the floor with his sword.
Arya was terribly nervous, her heart pounding, but she bit her lip hard and made no sound. The other pirate immediately began searching for valuables, kicking over several barrels of salted fish.
The man in the headcloth seemed to lose interest in the cargo and turned to leave, cursing under his breath. Just then, his companion approached the barrels where Arya was hiding.
"Hm?" The man looked curiously at the corner of a bundle poking out.
Arya knew she could no longer stay hidden. The instant he bent down to investigate, she darted out from behind the barrels and ran for the cabin door.
"Hey, there's a little rat in here!" The man in the headcloth spotted