Ransomed to the World

by Stacey Brutger

  The room was destroyed, wood rot making the ceiling sag dangerously. The floor was thick with lime green slime, an inch of sludge swirling around their ankles. The walls looked like they’d reverted back to trees, gnarled and twisted roots hanging down to the floor while large branches reached for the ceiling.

  Not a normal tree.

  Worse…it oozed black sludge that smelled toxic to him.

  When Xander reached to touch it, Annora lunged and grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him away. “Don’t.”

  “Fuck me,” the captain swore in a hoarse voice. His hands were fisted in his hair as if ready to rip it out, surveying the room with wide eyes.

  Annora blushed when confronted with the captain’s half-naked body. She whirled, giving them her back and stared up at the ceiling, as if she suddenly found it the most fascinating thing in the world.

  When any of the guys stripped down, Annora’s reaction was the opposite. She stared, practically drooling as her eyes caressed every inch of them, admiration bringing a charming blush to her cheeks. Pride puffed up his chest at knowing he was one of the few men she’d selected, and it was all he could do not to strut in front of her like a damned peacock

  With anyone else, she blushed and looked away.

  Like now.

  Mason scowled at the asshole captain, wondering if he was trying to entice away his mate. He wanted to rip the blanket off the bed and smother the fucker with it.

  He nudged Annora toward Xander.

  He had no problem sharing his mate with his pack…she needed them all to keep her out of trouble…but he’d be damned if he’d share her with this wanker.

  “This is why she can’t do what you want.” Mason nodded, indicating the room, careful not to move when the floor creaked ominously beneath him. “She’s not ready. She needs a hell of a lot more training before she attempts that again. If one of your asshole friends frightens her or pisses her off, chances are a lot of people will die unless at least one of us is there to keep her tethered and grounded.”

  “If the council discovers the extent of her powers and learns they can’t control her, they’ll see her as a threat and have her banished.” Edgar marched toward the captain. “Get us off this ship and into the city unseen, and you can consider that payment for her having healed you.”

  The captain turned his dazed eyes toward Annora, and Mason snarled at the little twerp. He fisted his hands…one wrong move, and he’d squash the captain’s head like a melon. He leaned forward, getting right in the guy’s face. “If you think to betray her, know I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth, skin you alive, and use your bones as cutlery.”

  The captain’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his gulp audible, and Mason nodded in satisfaction. “Now put a fucking shirt on and get us the fuck off this fucking boat.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Annora clutched a tiny oxygen tank in her hand, then leaned over the railing and stared down at the drop to the water some fifteen feet below. “You want to smuggle us in how?”

  The captain scanned the shore as the island came into view along the horizon. “It’s the only way to sneak you onto the island without going through inspection and questioning by the patrols. Anyone who tries to go over the walls gets trapped by the spells.”

  She peered down at the choppy waters and swallowed hard.

  “We can enter through the gate.” Camden came to stand behind her, gripping the railing on either side of her, holding her close.

  She leaned against him, cocooned in his warmth, and wanted to stay that way forever. “We don’t have a choice. The old aquifers and aqueducts under the city are the only way we can get in and out without Daxion noticing us. We can’t risk him snatching us off the streets before we have a chance to get in front of the council.”

  Annora looked over her shoulder at Mason, concern clutching at her stomach. His head lifted, as if sensing her watching him, and he flashed her a smile and came toward her. Her breath caught at the sexy way he moved, and she bit her lip against demanding that they forget the whole thing.

  “You worry too much.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

  Her nerves got the better of her. “You don’t know how to fucking swim!” she shouted at him.

  He reacted with a bark of laughter. “Of course I know how to swim. Trolls just aren’t built for it, and our size and weight work against us. I’ll manage fine for a short trip. You worry about finding the entrance to the aquifer and leave me to worry about the rest.”

  “You said we can’t portal without setting off the alarms.” She glanced pleadingly at Edgar, anxiety tightening her chest. “Can’t we just slip into the afterworld and cross over?”

  The rest of the guys crowded around her, Camden moving behind her until she was surrounded.

  Edgar crossed his arms, shaking his head. “I wish it were so easy, but there’s a spell to keep people out. It was created centuries ago using dark matter. While you may be talented, they were very skilled. If you try to fight the wards protecting the island, you could very well end up destroying it. Some phantoms might be able to protect themselves, but you’d put the whole race in danger.”

  “You have one minute to decide whether you’re going to do this,” the captain called across the deck from his stance behind the wheel.

  The guys glanced at her, leaving the decision to her.

  Fuck.

  The island loomed larger in the distance, the stone walls seeming to reach for the sky, tall and imposing. Birds shrieked as they soared overhead, and the dark walls shimmered even from this distance, something moving beneath the surface, and she knew Edgar was correct. If they tried to cross using the afterworld, she wasn’t sure where they’d end up, but she doubted it would be inside Central City.

  They had no choice.

  Prem raced along the railing, leaping toward her and crashing into her chest. She caught him close, and the critter rubbed his face along her jaw. He was being left behind on the ship, his job to sneak on the island, check it out, and find them at the first opportunity.

  She hated being separated from him. It was the first time she was going where he couldn’t follow since he’d joined her in her prison cell over a decade ago. After she gave one last scratch under Prem’s chin, Edgar took him from her, and she had to turn away to hide her tears.

  She lifted the small, hand-held oxygen tank up and gave the guys a brittle smile. “Let’s do this.”

  The guys didn’t waste a second and began stripping down, shoving their shirts and shoes into their bags. Xander grabbed her shoes, then firmly strapped the pack to his back, and it was all she could do not to gawk at their very naked chests.

  Then Logan flashed her a smile, scooped her up in his arms and launched them both over the railing, his yodel ringing in her ears. She stifled her yelp, crossed her arms the way they showed her, and pointed her feet at the water.

  She hit hard, spearing deep under the waves. Moments later, five more bodies plunged into the water after her. Above the waves the vast expanse of ocean was frightening. There was no end and no beginning. It was too wide, too open, leaving her too exposed and vulnerable.

  Beneath the surface was different. Her vision was limited to only a few yards in every direction, the weight of the water confining—it would make running nearly impossible—and set her heart racing.

  Her hands shook, and she fumbled with the tank, clamping the mouthpiece between her teeth. Her uncle was dead—she no longer needed to run.

  And she had no intention of allowing her father to put her in the same situation.

  They dove deep to keep from being seen from the towers. The water was murkier than she expected the farther down they dropped, until they got closer to shore.

  A splash of bright colors spread across the bottom of the ocean, stealing away her fear. Schools of tiny fish darted in and out of the coral, and she found the gentle surge and pull of the current calming. The lack of sound was a little unnerving, but it still
quieted her mind. She treaded water as the rest of the guys joined her, and she frowned to see Mason struggling not to sink. He gave her a thumbs-up, but urgency twisted her guts.

  With one more concerned look at him, she turned and headed toward the island. Edgar took the lead, swimming hard, but she didn’t have a prayer of keeping up with him. Xander and Camden swam on either side of Mason, keeping pace as he floundered. Logan remained at her side, helping her stay afloat and showing her how to swim. It took her a moment to get the hang of it, and even then, she felt completely uncoordinated compared to the guys’ smooth strokes.

  Annora quickly became exhausted, hyperaware of the line on her tank dropping steadily. She slowed her breathing, rationing her oxygen, but memories of her uncle crushing her throat, his fingers wrapped around her neck, made her shudder. The darkness around her didn’t help.

  Then Logan tugged on her hand, squeezing her fingers reassuringly. She glanced at him, and the tightness in her lungs eased. The closer they got to the island, the shallower the water got. To avoid being spotted, they clung to the bottom.

  She glanced back at Mason and saw that he’d given up on trying to swim and was now walking along the bottom of the sea, struggling to get past the coral and large boulders strewn in his path. Fine sand clouded the water with his every step, his big body fighting the current, and his hair slicked straight back like a pissed-off cat.

  Forgotten boats that sank long ago were like skeletons along the bottom, the sea life reclaiming their home. The wood had rotted, the planks turning green as vegetation crawled over the deck, staking its claim.

  It was both beautiful and haunting.

  Then she noticed Mason and the other two guys were falling farther and farther behind. When she pulled up short, Logan wrapped his arm around her waist and continued hauling her along. She tried to fight him and pull away, but his arm was like a vise.

  Edgar swam toward them, then pointed to his eyes then the island, his expression urgent.

  They needed to find the underwater aquifer.

  It wouldn’t matter if she went back to help the guys if they couldn’t find the entrance. They had less than ten minutes before their air ran out, and they were discovered. When she went to swim forward, Edgar clamped down on her wrist.

  You should be able to use your abilities to locate the passage. Throw out your power. It should rebound off the rocks. Look for gaps, any dark space where the magic doesn’t return. He kicked, keeping them both afloat.

  Understood. She patted his hand, and he reluctantly released his hold, his fingers caressing the undersides of her wrists.

  With one more glance at the guys, she swam forward clumsily, barely managing to tread water with the strong current. She could sense the heavy mass of the city above her, the active magic hovering above them like a wraith ready to swoop down and drag them in front of Daxion.

  She needed to be very careful so they remained unnoticed. A wisp of darkness rose from her hands, but it didn’t react like it normally did.

  It was contained.

  Isolated.

  It mixed with the water like thick oil, wiggling and squirming like it was alive.

  Without the air to carry the dark particles, it’d take too long to do a normal search.

  She glanced down and saw her tank had only a few minutes left. She didn’t have time to hesitate. She needed to believe in herself the way the guys believed in her. She needed to trust that her abilities would lead her in the right direction.

  She had one shot to get this right.

  She released more of the darkness until a large cloud surrounded her, obscuring her vision. Then she thrust her hand into the mess and closed her eyes, picturing a school of fish…something that could only survive under water.

  The water stirred around her, something silky and soft brushed against her fingers, and her eyes popped open to see thousands of tiny fish darting around her. The fish were black and shiny, their scales shimmering bright. She allowed her fingers to run over them, marveling at the way they tickled against her palm. Then she flicked her fingers, and they shot away from her.

  They scattered, looping around the coral and boulders, launching themselves toward the underwater mountain. The first of the tiny minnows hit the rocky wall, then the rest joined it and began to spread along the surface like veins.

  The rest of the guys swam toward her, Mason lumbering along the bottom, his tank flashing an ominous red.

  He was out of air.

  Edgar and Camden pointed toward the mountain, and she whirled to see all the fish swarm in one direction. They disappeared directly into the cliffside. The guys moved as one and surged forward, Camden and Xander doing their best to propel Mason along, but it looked like they were trying to swim with cement feet.

  Their tanks were flashing as well.

  They were expending too much air.

  Before she had a chance to do anything, Logan wrapped his arm around her waist and began to drag her backwards. She wanted to protest, wanted to squirm and fight. It physically hurt to remain still. Doing anything else would only deplete both their tanks faster. She reluctantly began kicking, feeling like her insides were being torn out by leaving the others behind.

  When they reached the hillside, Edgar was treading water near a small opening that was disguised behind a large coral reef. As soon as he saw her, he summoned his sword from the afterworld and hacked off the coral branches until an opening was revealed.

  The aquifer.

  Edgar ducked inside, a light appeared in the darkness, and he disappeared into the aquifer. Logan tried to force her forward, but she resisted.

  Not without the others.

  He glanced at her tank, then back at the rest of the guys, his expression hardening, and he hauled her toward the opening. Annora struggled with all her might, everything inside her rebelling at the thought of leaving her team behind, terrified that she’d never see them again.

  Water churned and darkened around them with her agitation, and he reluctantly released her. Annora glanced around frantically, searching for a way to help, but saw nothing but the seaweed swaying around them.

  Seaweed!

  Darkness enveloped the vines, and they immediately began to stretch and wind together like ropes. The vines snaked its way across the seabed, curled around Mason’s legs, then snaked up around his torso.

  Annora didn’t hesitate. She braced herself against a large boulder, then heaved back on the vines with all her might.

  And could barely budge him.

  Xander and Camden saw what she was doing and streaked toward them.

  Mason clutched at his tank, inhaled so deeply his whole chest expanded, then dropped it.

  He twisted the vines around his wrists, got a firm grip, then gave a nod.

  Her stomach cramped with dread.

  This had to work.

  Logan swam in behind her, braced his legs and pulled. She could’ve kissed him.

  Hope made her giddy when Mason slid through the water, then her confidence crashed hard—he was moving much too slowly!

  He’d never make it in time.

  Camden and Xander soon joined them and helped pull, but both their canisters were flashing red as well. They were overworking themselves.

  Fuck!

  Mason pulled himself along to speed up the process, determination to get to her darkening his expression. She looked down at her own tank, and her heart stuttered—she had two minutes left at most.

  It had to be enough.

  As Mason approached, Annora took one last gulp of air and pressed the tank toward him. He shook his head, pushing back at her, and she grabbed onto his wrist to stop him.

  Take it. Arguing is only wasting oxygen. I’m too slow a swimmer, and I can’t pull you along if you pass out. The other tanks are almost empty. You’re the strongest of us and can drag us along behind you if it comes to that.

  He looked ready to argue, but she didn’t give him a chance. She brought her feet up and shov
ed off his chest, arrowing her body through the water, aiming for the aquifer.

  She swam hard and fast, her movements clumsy as she pushed herself, expecting to be stopped at any moment. The guys were stronger and faster, so she was the logical choice to go without.

  And they could revive her if the worst happened.

  Instead of stopping her, Logan swam next to her, hauling her closer to the aquifer. He tried to shove her in first, but she shook her head. She’d slow him down. Water churned around him in his agitation. He was furious, ready to argue, when Camden pointed toward the tunnel.

  Rebellion flashed across his face, then he gave a snarl before he reluctantly obeyed.

  Camden urged her to go next. She wanted to protest, but his expression brooked no argument. Not wanting to waste any more time, she conceded defeat and dove into the dark opening. To her surprise, a current grabbed hold of her and dragged her through the tunnel an almost reckless speed.

  Complete darkness surrounded her for the first few feet, then a glow began to brighten the walls from the thin layer of algae clinging to the tunnels. Tiny bugs zipped through the water, a few pelting her in the face.

  A minute passed when her lungs began to burn, and she quickly shut down the connection between the guys. She was too far away from the surface.

  She was going to drown, recognizing the symptoms as her uncle had often used it as a form of punishment. She didn’t want the guys to experience it. They would only panic.

  The water began to chill her skin. Her throat tightened, and it was a struggle not to automatically inhale. Her eyes darted around, searching for an escape, but stones surrounded her on all sides. Dark particles shimmered in the water around her, and it was all she could do to stay in control.

  If she used any more magic, they’d be caught, and all their hard work and planning would be wasted.

  So she kept quiet, her vision dimming around the edges, the world gradually darkening. Her limbs became ungainly, her elbows and knees bumping and scraping along the stones, and she dug her fingernails into her palms to resist clawing at the walls.