To distract myself from that anticipation, I forced myself to focus on other things—like what had changed. Something had definitely changed with the ship and I tried to pinpoint what exactly that was as I laid there, trying to find the energy to sit up. A change in the situation only meant trouble, and the thought of it left me feeling anxious about what might have happened while I slept. The more alert I became, the less I was able to ignore it.
One of the biggest changes was how dark my prison had become.
It wasn't very light or sunny before, but I could no longer see blue skies peeking through the deck above us. Instead, I saw a dark, stormy sky through the plank, and wind whistled through the small opening with a violent effort. I could smell a storm approaching, or maybe it was already here, but the energy this storm brought with it ran over my skin in a dangerous way.
Which was why I wasn’t entirely surprised when the ship started to rock roughly.
Shit.Had the storm forced their hand—leading them to make the decision to leave earlier than planned? No. There was no way. I didn’t give them anything, and I had bet on them being unwilling to leave because they hadn’t extracted enough information.
But what if they had given up and had decided to take me back to Malakai regardless? What if we were already miles out from shore at open sea and traveling across the Cursed Divide to go back to a land I swore I would never see again?
What if I hadn’t been able to escape in time?
A fat rain drop suddenly fell through the hole as thunder cracked from above. I finally pushed myself into a sitting position as another fell, the sky opening up above us as lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The storm was here, and I had to hopethatwas the reason for the rocking, not us sailing away from my new home.
Looking downward, my stomach revolted, realizing I had been laying in the sticky, congealed puddle of the blood that spilled from me during my torture.
I groaned as I crawled to a nearby post, gripping it as a large wave slammed into us, causing the boat to tip dangerously to one side. Struggling to stand and using my shoulder to rest against the post, I realized that the groan of the ship and the creaking of planks were a sign that this was the type of storm that could most likely demolish this ship—my gaze moved toward planks that were starting to crack, leaking water from the angry waves slamming into the ship.Crap.I needed to get out of here. If the storm got any worse and the ship went down, I would go down with it. Which simply was not an option.
Stumbling toward the door, I grabbed the handle, wondering why they hadn’t restrained me—only to belatedly realize that they’d most likely bet on me being knocked out for longer. I turned the handle and, finding it locked, cursed. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but the locked door meant I was most definitely screwed. Turning to look around the room, I realized there was a back section to the hull that I hadn’t initially noticed.
As I walked toward the opposite end of the ship, I gripped every available surface. The crashing waves assaulted the ship, making quickly getting to my destination difficult.
When I finally reached the back section, I noticed a heavy, dark fabric hanging against the wall. As I touched it, I cringed at the feeling of my fingers moving through thick webs. I shook my shudder away and pushed the fabric back, revealing a window.
Cloudy gray light pushed through it as ocean waves crashed against the brine-covered glass. The waves assaulting the briney glass didn’t hold my attention. No, I was too focused on the giddy feeling of relief rushing through me at the site of the Tridian Empire stretching on the horizon.We hadn’t left yet.Thank the fates.
My relief was short-lived. We were far enough out to sea for the storm to hit the ship with enough force that I could hear the planks around me threatening to sunder. I turned sharply, stilling as the sound of dripping water turned into a steady trickling.
This was not good.Shit.
Turning back to the window, I examined the edges for any possible way out. I had no intention of jumping into the water, but if I could get out the window and climb up the side of the ship, I could possibly make it onto the deck. Didn’t ships usually have smaller boats rigged on the side? Maybe I could steal one of those and make it back to shore.
It was risky, but it was that or go down with the ship.
I winced as a violent wave slammed against the glass, causing me to grip onto the nearest post, and I briefly wondered if the force of the raging water would knock me right into the ocean while scaling the outside of the ship.
The sound of a low, keening animal-like call echoed through the air around me, shaking me to my core. The bottom of the ship vibrated with its pure, raw power. I took a step away from the window, though I paused when I saw something circling the boat in the distance. Squinting, I spotted a large and dark shadowy creature, who even from far away, appeared to be larger than the ship itself. Holy shit. What was going on?
My breathing cut painfully through my chest as another wave crashed into us and the creature disappeared from view. Another bellow sounded, though, letting me know the creature was still there, circling us like prey. Were the waves from the storm? Or were they from something far more nefarious?
As the thought assaulted my senses, leaving me feeling panicked, a wave crested high and smashed the boat, rising high enough to cover the window. I nearly screamed when I spotted a dark mass moving through the waves before it disappeared with the swell of the sea. My heart pounded uncontrollably in my chest with the realization that I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. What were my options? Staying down here or trying to escape at the threat of being eaten by massive sea creatures?
A loud cracking sound thudded through the ship, like something slamming into the hull. In my heart, I knew it wasn’t a wave. No, this was far more direct. My body tensed with alarm as the sound of water rushing into the bottom of the ship replaced the small trickle from before.
I was out of options. If I stayed here, I would drown, possibly falling prey to those creatures. My only real option was getting out of here.
I turned back to the window and felt my eyes widen in surprise. Not because of any gigantic creature circling in the distance. Not because of the raging, crashing waves.
I froze because flying outside the window wasBarnabus.
Chapter Five
Kolvar
My chest heaved in deep, ragged breaths as we approached our destination, having run the entire way from the harbor to here. I wasn’t out of shape in the least, but my heart hadn’t stopped beating erratically since the moment Tristan burst into the room and announced Kyella’s capture.
At first, I’d been in complete and utter shock, unable to process his words. My brain wasn’t able to compute how her capture was even an option—we had just been with her.I couldn’t understand how it was possible for there to be enough time between the ship’s arrival and us leaving her side for her captors to make such a bold move.
