Page 30 of Black Sea

He nodded to his second-in-command, and in the next moment, the young man pulled back my tangled hair to reveal my pointy ear.

The crew gasped in unison, eyes gleaming with greed, then took a half step back when I swiftly grasped the black-haired man’s arm and twisted it with a snapping motion, dislocating his shoulder.

The captain burst out laughing, mocking the rancorous glare that his second-in-command shot him as he walked away from me amid grunts of pain, holding his dangling arm.

“A human, obviously,” the captain said after observing Amlach from head to toe with a look of mild disregard. “And an elf. Stranded on a raft in the middle of the sea. Yours is not just a secret love . . .” He turned to his crew with a grin and added out loud, “It’s a forbidden love.”

The pirates’ guffaws and obscene gestures fueled my anger, turning it into a wildfire inside me. So, I stepped forward before Amlach, who had taken a breath, could speak.

“We are not lovers,” I declared imperiously.

As the melodic sound of my voice filled the air, every man grew silent in awe.

“I’m Princess Nauriel of Aegel, the capital of the Kingdom of the Elves, heir to King Erech, and general of the elven army,” I declared, my steely gaze fixed on the captain. I slightly turned toward Amlach. “This is the commander of King Amlach III’s army, ruler of the Kingdom of Men. Our soldiers were fighting on the plain south of the Lands of the East when the Lake Caran dam broke, flooding the valley. The commander and I survived, but the tides of the Thalion Sea carried us too far from our homeland. We managed to reach the northern archipelago and stayed there for seven days, building a raft so we could return to our people.”

“Well, it’s impressive,” the captain commented, raising his brows. He spread his arms, seeking the approval of his men. “Is it not?” They nodded, chuckling. “But you see, Princess . . .” he added, rubbing his beard. “We don’t give a damn who you two are. The only thing that matters to us”—he looked at me with such intense lust that I felt naked—“is what you could be worth.”

Of course. For these people, money was the only thing that truly mattered. It was the only language they understood.

Behind me, I felt Amlach’s rage spreading across the deck like a corrosive fog, causing some pirates to my right—who were watching him—to blanch slightly and step back.

Furious as well, I tore my tiara from my forehead and offered it to the captain.

He twirled it between his fingers, examining it with an expert eye. He well knew it was an infinitely precious jewel, yet he let out a theatrical sigh. “Sweetheart, if you think I’ll let you go in exchange for this trinket, you’re wrong.”

“That is not a trinket, human,” I hissed through my teeth before I could hold my tongue and remind myself to speak to him with the respect his rank demanded. “It is elven gold, forged by the unmatched hands of our smiths.” I also addressed the crew, saying, “You will not find such mastery and quality in any port you visit or ship you plunder, for there is nothing of equal value in this world.”

The captain faked a yawn. “Get to the point, Highness.”

I looked at him firmly. “Bring us safely back to the Lands of the East, and my father will reward you: gold, gems, man’s coins. Whatever you want, it’s yours. In the amount you ask for your trouble.”

“You heard her?” the captain asked his men. “Whatever I want!”

They snickered.

“What I want, Princess,” the captain said in an indulgent tone, “is to stay alive.” He exchanged an amused glance with his crew. “Your daddy will hang us as soon as he gets his little girl back in his arms.”

“We’re not barbarians like you humans,” I replied in a low growl. Then I pulled myself together and declared solemnly, “No harm shall be done to you or your men. You have my word.”

His eyebrow shot straight up. “Honey, I stopped believing in people’s honor long ago.” Then, holding my stern gaze, he ordered, “Weigh anchor. Plot a course to Rubra.”

“Weigh anchor!” a large man, round like a barrel, echoed him with a boomy voice. “Set a course to Rubra!”

Every sailor hurried to their seat to get the ship ready for departure. The loud clatter of feet and the overlapping baritone voices created a chaos that, for some reason, worsened the strange discomfort flowing through my body.

“You fucking bastard!” Amlach snarled. He tried to jump at the captain, but two men held him back. “Bring us back to our land, and in addition to the elves’ reward, I will see that my king grants you a special permit to do business also in the ports of the Kingdom of Men.”

The captain laughed as he continued to study my tiara from every angle. “We already do, Commander. Right under your lord’s shortsighted eyes.”

“Then what are you going to do with us?” I asked, glowering.

The gold of my tiara reflected in his covetous gaze. “There’s only one correct answer, after the show you gave us.” He crossed his arms and looked at me with great satisfaction. “I’ll sell you as gladiators. At a price that will go down in history.”

He tapped two fingers on his left biceps with a cruel smile.

“Nauriel!” Amlach screamed.

My senses were so numb that I didn’t notice a man approaching until it was too late. A hood was suddenly thrown over my head. But when I grabbed the hem to remove it with one hand and, with the other, I grasped the throat of the fool who had dared to attack me from behind, someone else hit me violently on the back of my head.