I had made it. I escaped slavery again. This time, I'd done it on my own. No. That's not true. Vax had let me go. Why? Why had he done it? Why had he cried? Why send me away? And how the fuck had he known where the Lu-Ken was?
After setting me on the dock, dried by his Water Magic, the sea dragon left without a word. I had already thanked him for the ride, so I didn't look back as I strolled down to the dock where the Lu-Ken was moored. Up the gangplank I went, the sound of my footsteps instantly drawing the attention of the day crew. At first, they started to reach for their weapons, but then they just gaped at me.
“Zix?” Grei called out. Then he shouted, “Zixin! Holy fishballs, it's Zix!”
That jerked them all out of their trances and sent them running for me. I grinned as we hugged, then swiped at my tears as secretly as they did.
“What's going on out here?” the Captain's voice interrupted us.
The men parted, and I stared up at the man who was like a second father to me.
“Zixin?” Teng whispered. Then he leapt over the railing, down to the main deck. He was before me in three seconds. “Fuck! Zixin!” He embraced me, clutching me tightly. “He found you. He fucking found you and saved you. Holy shit!”
Wait. What?
I hugged Tengven, but when he stepped back, I asked, “Who found me?”
Teng frowned. “King Vaxarion. He's the one who found you, isn't he? He saved you from the Hulfrin?”
“Yes, but how did you know that?”
“The morning after that failed take, King Vaxarion came swimming up. He had his knights with him, though they were a bit behind.”
“He was after you,” Ry, the First Mate, said. “And a in bad state too.”
“Yeah, you must have given him the fucking of his life,” one of the others joked, but then went quiet under Teng's glare.
“He demanded to see you,” Teng went on. “And I wasn't eager to tell him you'd been taken. But then I realized that he might be your only hope. So, I confessed the truth. I told him we're pirates, and you got left behind—” his voice cracked. “Zix, I'm so sorry we left you.”
“No. I know what the horn means. I just couldn't get back. They had me surrounded. And you had to go or everyone would have died. I—I saw what they did to Herru. That bastard tore him apart.”
The men went grim and muttered as Teng nodded and said, “I thought they might have done the same to you. But I had to try. A fucking Sea Dragon wanted you. If anyone could save you, it was him. So, I told him the name of the ship.”
“I don't think he needed the name,” Ry said. “He had tracked you across the fucking sea. He could have tracked you to the Tiger's Claw.”
“I think he did,” Teng said. “He certainly didn't waste any time on us. As soon as I told him you'd been taken, King Vaxarion snarled and jumped overboard, shifting back into his sea dragon form midair. It was the most amazing sight I've ever beheld. But honestly, I thought you were already dead. I shouted after him that we were headed here, just in case you survived.” He yanked me back into a hug. “Thank the Gods you did. You are one lucky kid.”
“Not so lucky. They tortured me,” I whispered.
“What?” Teng growled and stood back, his hand still on my shoulder.
“They wanted me to give you up. Their captain is a tenacious fucker. He wants whatever you took back. Said it's really valuable.”
Ry snorted. “It's just a few crates of Zaruian brandy.”
“What?” I scowled. “No, that can't be right. He was anxious to get it back. The motherfucker sliced me to ribbons twice and left me to wither.”
“What?!” Teng roared.
“Fuck, Zix,” Grei whispered. “And you held out?”
“I would never betray any of you,” I said proudly. “You're my family.”
Teng swallowed visibly and pulled me into another hug. “I love you, kid. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, Teng. I love you too.”
“You're a fucking badass!” Ry smacked my back. “Well done, Zixin!”
