I placed my hands against his chest, rising on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
Brion caught my elbows before I could retreat. His gaze was smoldering as he said, “Haven’t I already told you I’d do anything for you, Amelissa Allaway?”
I knew he was about to kiss me again, and I was eager for the contact.
Just before Brion’s lips descended upon mine, a loud, screeching noise filled the cabin. I put my hands over my ears and shouted, “What is that?”
Brion’s face darkened. His head snapped towards the door, as if listening to the sounds outside the cabin.
“We have company.”
33
“Stay here,” Brion commanded before barreling out of the captain’s quarters. The screeching siren had ceased. Only the sound of shouting sailors and soldiers reached my ears.
I debated obeying Brion’s directive. On the one hand, I didn’t know what danger I’d encounter on the upper deck. But on the other hand, waiting for news of what was happening seemed like torture.
I grabbed a dinner knife from the captain’s cupboard and hurried from the room. I didn’t want to be a sitting duck and wait for trouble to find me. Not again.
I treaded carefully and placed my hands against the narrow halls for balance. The shouting grew louder as I approached the ladder, leading towards the helm.
Careful to not cut myself on the knife, I climbed the ladder. I peeked over the edge of the upper deck before pulling myself up. A familiar head of brown hair appeared out of the corner of my eye.
“Lissa? What are you doing up here?” Jasper grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way as two burly sailors ran past, carrying swords.
I pulled from his hold, walking toward the steering railing and facing the sea. My stomach dropped when my eyes identified the source of the ruckus. I ducked out of the bridge and rushed towards the front of the ship, twisting and turning to avoid the males preparing for the impending battle.
“Lissa!” Jasper cried behind me. “Wait.”
I ignored his plea.
My gut collided with the wood railing and I stared, with horrified awe, at the three sleek ships heading our way. We weren’t under attack yet. But if the approaching ships intended to fight, we were severely outnumbered.
“Who are they?” I breathed into the salty, sea air.
“Elves.”
I turned, surprised to hear someone answer me, much less Brion. I stared up into his hard, battle-ready face. He looked irritated, but he didn’t chastise me for disobeying his order to stay in the captain’s quarters
Behind Brion, I saw Jasper stop. He turned on his heel and moved to help the others prepare.
“Elves?” I turned back toward the sea to reexamine the ships. “But we aren’t at war.” The king of Avelin and King Roderick were currently in peace negotiations. We didn’t have reason to fear the approaching vessels.
“They are not flying royal banners,” stated Brion.
My gaze traveled over the blue and black flags flapping on the ships’ main masts. I could not make out the emblem. Even if I could, I wouldn’t know the difference between it and Avelin’s official banner.
“How do you know they’re elves?” I asked, hoping the prince was wrong, and everything was only a misunderstanding.
“I can see them,” he replied. “And I recognize their flag.” I supposed my draekon eyes had deferred to their human counterpart.
Dread filled me. “Rebels?”
“Technically, pirates. But it’s very likely they work with the rebellion.” I felt Brion’s chest press against my back. He brought his lips to my ear and whispered, “You need to hide.”
“Hide?” I spun to face him, unbothered to be seen so close to him out in the open. We had bigger things to worry about. “Hide, where?” We were on a ship. It wasn’t like there were many places I could go.
Brion looked down at me, and I saw the promise of violence in his gaze. “I cannot let anything happen to you.”
I reached out and laced my fingers through his. “You won’t.” An idea struck me. “Why don’t we all fly out of here?” Most of the soldiers were draekon or half-draekon, as well as the sailors. There were plenty of bodies to carry those of us unable to fly, so we might all escape.
“The elves have soars. We would not make it far before being shot down.”
I put two and two together and understood he referenced the unique flying contraptions I’d seen the elves use during their attacks. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, doubting our odds in the situation.
Brion, either reading the thoughts from my face or my mind, growled. He grabbed the wrist of the hand carrying the knife and yanked me towards the stairwell on the starboard side.
“Where are we going?” I asked, trying not to tumble down the stairs as Brion moved quickly.
“The dungeon.”
“Dungeon?” I tried to yank my hand back, but he was stronger than me. I stumbled into his back.
Brion didn’t waste a second. He snaked a thick arm around my waist and hauled me against his side like a piece of cargo. I wanted to flail and free myself, but I didn’t want to risk cutting him with my meager weapon.
He carried me down another flight of stairs. The air dampened, and I smelled horse excrement. The dungeon was located in back of the cargo hold, past the horse stalls. There were four separate cells, two on each side of the ship.
We approached the iron bars, and Brion lowered me to my feet. I wobbled, feeling the movement of the sea more strongly here. It wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as it was topside.
Brion grabbed a large, skeleton key from the hook on the wall. “Get inside. I’ll lock the door, then give you the key.”
I didn’t like the idea at all. “Can’t you just close the door?” I asked, fearful of being trapped in a cage at the bottom of a ship. “Do you really need to lock it?”
Brion understood my fears. “You will have the key. If anything goes wrong, you will be able to get yourself out. My men and I will try to block access to the bottom levels, but if someone should break through, I’d rather you had an extra barrier protecting you from them.”
I gulped, still afraid of potentially drowning should the ship go under. Brion’s eyes darted to the staircase. He shifted his head to the side, and I wondered what he was hearing on the upper decks.
I realized I was being selfish by keeping him there. “Okay.” I stepped into the unnerving cell closest to us. I turned and tried to give Brion a convincing smile.
He didn’t buy it. “Lissa…”
“I’m fine,” I told him. “I promise. Now, lock me up, so you can go help the others.”
Brion looked torn. I felt my smile beginning to fall, but I strived to keep it in place. “You’re wasting time,” I reminded him. “Go. I’ll be all right.”
Brion huffed through his nostrils. Stepping forward, he caught my lips against his. The kiss was hurried but full of promise and reassurance.
He broke away, both of us breathing hard. “I’ll come back as soon as I can,” he swore, staring deeply into my eyes.
I closed my eyes and leaned forward, pressing our lips together one more time. I inched back before the kiss could heat up.
Brion stepped out of the cell and locked the door. I took the key from between the bars, giving him another reassuring smile.
Then he was gone.
I eyed the brown mattress and rickety bedframe. I debated standing rather than sit on the questionable surface, but the constant rocking of the ship forced my hand.
Placing the skeleton key in my pants pocket, I sat on the very edge of the bed, careful to not touch it with my skin. I crossed my hands in my lap, resting the knife against my thigh. And I waited.
I strained my ears, trying to call on my developing draekon senses to hear what was going on above me, but I didn’t hear anything.
I sighed and shifted so my elbows pressed into my knees.
It’s going to be all right, I told my
self.
I tried to distract myself by counting each time I heard a wave crash against the wood panels behind me. My mind wandered, and I thought of Caldiri. I rarely spent time on the rocky coasts, but Jem and I had ventured out there a few times. We’d wanted to see if we would be fortunate enough to capture fish, but like all others who’d tried before us, we failed. Jem and I had sat on a wide, flat rock and wallowed in our defeat. I could still hear the sound of the waves crashing into the boulders and stones around us. I swore I could hear the sound now.
My eyes flew open. The crashing sound wasn’t in my imagination. Someone was fighting at the top of the stairs.
I clutched my knife and stood. I moved around the bed and put myself in the back corner of the cell, ignoring the putrid smell of waste emanating from the bucket beside me. The bucket had been emptied, but residue lingered, causing the horrible odor.
Metal against metal clanged together. Someone must have sneaked around the protection Brion claimed he’d arrange. I refused to consider the defenses might have fallen.
A loud bellow reverberated into the cargo hold. My knuckles were white I gripped the handle of the knife so hard. Thunderous steps drew near.
My heart pounded, and adrenaline coursed through my veins. A tiny voice prayed the newcomers were allies, but I prepared for the worst. I thought about Brion and what he would do in this situation.
I considered trying to call forth some of my draekon abilities. I’d never done it before, but maybe I could turn my hands into claws, and I could slice down any enemy who came near me. But the last thing I wanted was to reveal my half-draekon heritage to anyone, whether enemy or friend. I still didn’t know what my existence would mean to the majority of people from either kingdom.
The steps grew closer. I heard the horses neigh and whinny. A male voice ordered them to be quiet, using a language I’d only heard once before.
Elves.
Fear threatened to seize me, but I forced myself to remain calm. Brion said my eyes shifted when I felt strong emotions. I needed to relax or I’d reveal myself to the elven pirates.
I closed my eyes and inched back to lean against the ship. I breathed slowly, trying to hide the physical evidence of my fear.
Suddenly, the steps stopped. I imagined the pirates saw me, but I wasn’t brave enough to open my eyes and look.
“Luna ina esti,” one man spoke softly. He was the one who’d calmed the horses.
I recognized the elven language. I wished my studies had included learning the unfamiliar tongue, along with draekonian.
“Oy,” a second, more demanding, male voice began, “kyrie fyti jenus?”
I sensed the question at the end of the words. Slowly, I opened my eyes, but I made sure to stay in the back corner of the cell. If my eyes looked draekon, I hoped they weren’t able to see it from this distance.
Two, bright blond males stared at me. Their lean, tall bodies and attractive features confirmed they were elves. One had a long, puckered scar running the length of his face. The other had a scar bisecting the right side of his upper lip. Other than the evidence of battle, the two males did not seem frightening. But I knew not to be deceived by their pretty faces.
“Kyrie fyti jenus?” the soft-spoken male said, repeating his companion’s question. I was surprised he was the one with the long scar on his face. If I had to pick which one seemed scarier, it would’ve been him.
He stared at me, waiting for a response.
Choking back the knot in my throat, I managed to say, “I-I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”
The second pirate growled low. “You are not from Avelin.” His accent was thick, but he spoke the common tongue well enough.
“My parents are,” I stated, pressing my lips together. The less information I shared, the better.
The two males exchanged words. Again, I wished I’d bothered to try and learn the elven language. I’d heard Lin speaking it when he and his rebel conspirators had infiltrated the castle. It would have benefitted me to be able to understand my enemy’s words.
The elves continued to speak, though, it sounded like an argument. I could see the tension in their jaws and the hardness of their eyes as they bickered back and forth.
Finally, the kinder-seeming one looked back at me. “You need to come with us.”
I gulped and shook my head. My fingers readjusted the knife. Both males’ eyes were drawn to the movement.
The angry one barked something in their language.
The other didn’t so much as blink. “We are not going to hurt you. We are here to save you.”
Who said I needed saving?
I realized my current location might be misleading.
“I’m fine,” I told him. “Leave me here.”
“I’m sorry.” His face softened. Indeed, he did look sorry. “But we have our orders.”
The air shifted around my feet, swirling the debris of my cell around. I gasped when I felt the air brush against my pant leg. It was like it tried to pull me towards the front of the cell. I grabbed onto the metal bars next to me, holding my ground.
The swirling air moved to my hand, and I shouted in protest as it dug in between my fingers and the handle of the knife.
“No!” I screamed, but it was too late. The knife was carried away. It landed in the nicer elf’s hand.
I tightened my hold on the bars, fearful he would use the same elemental ability to force me to leave the cell.
“Luna geri me,” the male with the scarred lip released like a curse. “We don’t have time for this.” I barely registered he spoke in the common tongue.
Too quick for me to do anything to prevent it, he flicked his fingers and a stark, white bolt of lightning shot out.
I gasped as the elven bolt struck my chest. I didn’t feel pain, but then my eyes closed, and I fell toward the filthy cell floor. Just before I was about to collide with the disgusting surface, a gust of air cushioned my fall.
Was it my imagination, or was I hovering above the ground?
34
Invisible air bound my wrists, and I was retrieved from the cell after another elven bolt disintegrated the lock. I’d known it would not hold them back.
What had Brion been thinking when he locked me in the cell? He knew the pirates were elves. Did he really think I’d be protected there?
I was dragged up the same stairwell I’d walked down with Brion. Aside from telling me to move, neither of the males spoke to me. The less-friendly elf was in front, and the other walked behind me. I’d realized he was the one employing the unusual air ability. He used it to steady me against the swaying ship. I didn’t thank him for the help. It was the least he could do, considering he was the reason I wasn’t able to use my own hands.
I blinked against the deceptively bright sun as we stepped onto the main deck. Broken railings, torn sails, and a variety of weapons sprawled on the floor greeted me. I was relieved to see no bodies of the sailors or soldiers I traveled with, but equally unnerved by the fact I didn’t see anyone. Not a single soul was on the deck except for me and my two captors.
“Where is everyone?” I couldn’t hide my curiosity. “Where is Prince Brion?” I knew he wouldn’t just leave me, but I saw no indication he lingered anywhere.
“On our ship. He is our captain’s guest.” I glanced back at the elf that spoke. He put no emphasis on the words, but a feeling of dread filled my gut. I suspected pirates used the word “guest” loosely.
Seeing my attention, he waved a hand to my left. I turned and saw a different ship floating closely to ours. Then I noticed the three-foot wide plank connecting the two vessels. “We go that way.”
With no other option, I walked to the elven ship. Their vessel was similar to ours. The hull appeared to be made of oak, but there was an additional quarterdeck hanging over the main deck. I gazed at the blue and black flags hanging on the main mast. I was able to see a silver serpent coiled around a glowing blue broadsword. The intimidating insignia didn’t allevia
te my worry.
I swayed and stumbled across the plank, the elf behind me using his magic to steady me. This time, I did mutter a quick, “Thanks.” The last thing I wanted was to fall into the churning sea.
My feet landed on the enemy deck, and I bumped into the male in front of me. He turned and scowled. On instinct, I shuffled back and ended up colliding with the other elf.
Instead of pushing me away, he wrapped strong fingers around my arms. “This way.” He steered me towards the back of the ship. I swung my head from side to side, looking for any sign of Brion or my travel companions. I didn’t see anyone. The elven deck was just as abandoned as ours.
We approached a set of double doors. They were carved with the same emblem as the ship’s flags. I braced myself as the elves opened the door and pushed me inside.
I entered the captain’s quarters. Unlike our ship, these rooms were not tucked beneath the main deck. Rather, it was an extension of the ship’s main level. My gaze was drawn to the male sitting behind the large, mahogany desk centered in the room. His bright blond locks identified him as a citizen of Avelin, but I was unable to tell if he was elven or not from the length of hair covering his ears. I had to wait to see if he wielded any magic or unusual power.
Two muscular guards stood on either side of him. All three sets of eyes were trained on me.
“Well done, Tuck and Wynn,” the man behind the desk said. His blue eyes moved down to take it the length of me. “You have succeeded.”
“Thank you, Captain,” the kinder elf replied. His companion murmured the same sentiment.
The captain inclined his head. “Tuck, tell the others to escort the prince here.”
My chest constricted. I’d hoped my captors had been mistaken about Brion’s location on the ship. I couldn’t imagine the pirates had been strong enough, or smart enough, to actually capture and contain the prince of the draekon. But hearing it confirmed jolted my fear. I didn’t know what the pirates wanted with me or Brion, but it couldn’t be anything good.
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