I knew that voice.
“Get up, Zixin,” Captain Aras said.
Shaking off my memories, I lowered an arm to warily peer at him. I wasn't fourteen anymore, nor was I held captive by Gashi. I focused on his face and used it to pull me back to reality.
“Aras,” I whispered.
He grinned. “Ready to talk?”
A tear slid down my cheek. “You don't understand. I can't betray him.”
Aras nodded. “I do understand that. But you need to understand me, pirate. You are a criminal and you tried to steal from me. Your friendsdidsteal from me. One of the crates they took was very valuable. The item in it belongs to King Lyrandir, and he now expects me to retrieve it. I'm rightfully being heldaccountable. So, I will not stop until I get it back.” He stroked my cheek, brushing away my tears. “Unfortunately, this means I'm back to torturing you more proactively.” His claw dug into my skin, slicing me open.
I cried out but didn't move. I simply didn't have the strength for it. I'd wasted all my energy on trying to break the bedpost and fighting my memories. My chest quaked as Aras pushed me onto my back, then straddled me.
“Know that I don't enjoy this,” Aras said. “But your crew has put me in a terrible position with King Lyrandir.” Another slice came, opening a wound on my chest. “If I don't get that item back, I will be the one in chains. Or worse. This is now beyond pride for me. It's life and death.”
Fuck. We were deadlocked. Literally. Neither of us would yield. I shuddered and went limp, accepting what was to come. Welcoming it. I prayed for a fast death, that maybe my weakened state would strain my hearts.
“Tell me the name of your captain,” Aras said.
I closed my eyes.
“What is the name of your ship?” Another slice.
Pain. Terrible pain. But I stayed silent. At least it distracted me from the chains.
Aras kept going, cutting me up as badly as he had the day before. Draining me again. He probably thought he could keep repeating the process by letting me heal in between torture sessions. Just give the Neraky a glass of water and he'll be fine. But what Aras didn't understand was that without a full healing, the damage would be cumulative, building up until I brokedown. My hearts would shut down, one at a time, and I would give up immortality for my captain.
“Captain,” I whispered. It wasn't a cry for help but rather a battle call to give me strength. To remind me of who I endured this for.
Aras leaned in closer. “Tell me.”
I just grinned at him and passed out.
Chapter Eleven
I was so thirsty. So fucking dry. Aras had left me in a puddle of blood and hadn't indulged this time. Meaning, I had bled more than the last. No Hulfrin saliva to stop the flow. My flesh was withering. My vision clouding again. Soon, I wouldn't be able to see at all. I'd be a dried husk.
Then I heard the roar.
It came from far away. At least, I think it was distant. Maybe my hearing was going too. But then Baellius growled, and I heard that just fine. So, the roar had to be far off. There was something about the sound that comforted me. It shimmered through me like water, easing my pain and giving me hope. I took a shaky breath and focused on hearing. There it was again.
My eyes popped open.
Could it be? No, that was my foolish fantasy, not reality. That couldn't possibly be King Vaxarion. But then the roar came again. Closer. The castle shook. Stone dust fell from the ceiling. My head turned instinctively toward the window.
“What the fuck?” Baellius went to the window. Then he cried out and jerked back. Without even a glance at me, he ran.
As Baellius bolted past me, the window burst inward, along with a good portion of the wall. I cringed, but then turnedtoward it again. A claw appeared—one covered in iridescent scales that shifted from black to blue to green. I sighed to see such beauty, so stark against the bleak stone.
Then that beautiful, enormous talon reached through the hole in the wall and closed around me. Pulled. My ankle jerked. The talon pulled harder. I shouted, the metal biting into me. A head appeared in the hole. Well, part of one. One massive dragon eye peered at me. I stared back in amazement.
“Your Majesty?” I asked.
I don't know how I knew it was Vaxarion. Maybe it wasn't. But what other Sea Dragon would be coming to my rescue? And what other Sea Dragon had eyes like sunshine through amethyst?
The sea dragon, who may or may not be the King of the Morilren Sea, growled and let go of me. One claw struck out, and the bed crumbled, shards of wood raining down. I started to laugh as it came down on me. I continued to laugh as I crawled toward the dragon. My strength gave out, and I collapsed, but I kept smiling.
