Page 2 of Craved By the Kraken Warlord

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**Earlier That Morning**

I’m elbow-deep in mackerel when the shouting starts.

“They’re here for *you*!” Elsah bursts into my shack, her cheeks flushed. She’s twelve, all knobby knees and wide eyes. “The elder’s men—they’re saying your name’s been chosen!”

The fish slips from my hands. It slaps the wooden table, dead eyes staring. “Bullshit. The draw isn’t till dusk.”

She shakes her head, braids flying. “They’re already at the square! They’ve got the black robes and the offering stone and—”

Footsteps pound outside. Too many.

I grab my gutting knife. “Back door. Now.”

Elsah freezes. “Mira—”

“*Go.*”

She scrambles out the rear window as the door splinters open. Three robed figures fill the frame. No faces—just shadows under hoods. The tallest one holds a coil of rope.

I raise the knife. “Try it.”

They don’t speak. Two grab my arms. I slash, catch fabric, hear a hiss. The third loops the rope around my neck.

*Not the neck—*

A yank. My breath chokes off. The knife clatters to the floor.

“Careful,” one mutters. “Elder wants her unmarked.”

Stars blot my vision. I go limp, let them think I’ve fainted. Their grips loosen—and I surge forward, teeth sinking into a wrist.

“Bitch!”

A fist cracks my temple. Pain blooms hot. I curl inward, but they’re already binding my wrists.

“Walk,” the tallest says.

I don’t. They drag me through the mud, past rows of silent shacks. My neighbors peek through shutters and vanish. Cowards.

Only Elsah stands in the road, small fists clenched. “Let her go!”

“Els, *no*—”

A robed figure shoves her aside. She hits the ground with a cry.

“You *bastards*!” I wrench against the ropes. “She’s a child!”

“Quiet.” The elder’s voice. He steps into the path, flanked by two more guards. His polished shoes gleam against the dirt. “The sea demands a willing heart, Mira. Scream all you like—it only proves your impurity.”

“Willing?” I laugh, raw and broken. “You’re murdering me to cover your own rot.”

His slap rings across the square. My ear throbs.

“Gag her,” he says.

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