Page 32 of Black Sea

Amlach stood swiftly and held me up, one hand on my side and the other on my upper arm. He studied me, confused by my sudden weakness. “To do what?”

“To break the chains.” And I gave the first sharp tug.

Nothing. Not even a metal squeak.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Elf, but I have nothing here to pick the handcuffs’ lock.” Amlach watched me from under furrowed brows as I kept pulling with gritted teeth from the effort. “And, as you always point out, I’m not strong like you are.”

I stopped yanking and let my head loll against my chest. My breathing was tight, and my arm muscles ached like never before. It was all pointless.

“I’m not strong anymore,” I murmured.

Amlach worried. “What do you mean?”

I lightly hit my head on the pole behind me, closing my eyes with a barely noticeable, defeated frown. “We have crossed the border of the Lands of the East.”

Amlach leaned against the pole with one arm above my head, hovering over me. “Meaning?” he asked softly, almost as if worried someone might be listening.

I lifted my gaze toward him, seeing my reflection in his eyes, and made my decision. I decided to confess my vulnerability to him.

“I’m like a human now,” I said.

18

I stayed tied to the pole for three days. Three days of humiliation where Amlach spoon-fed me fish slop, made me drink stale water, and put the bucket for excrement between my legs, turning away while I relieved myself, silently crying from shame.

Being still chained, however, was a good thing. It meant that neither the captain nor his crew knew elves would lose their supernatural abilities once they left the Lands of the East.

It meant they still feared me.

And perhaps I could use it to our advantage.

* * *

A sudden thud on the ceiling jolted me awake. I lifted my head so quickly that a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck, and I held my breath to stifle any sound of discomfort that might escape my mouth.

“You sure have slept like a log, Elf.”

My gaze shifted toward Amlach, leaning against the bulkhead with his usual smug grin.

“I feel like I never really slept before,” I confessed. And was it normal for me to feel even more tired than before?

“You even snored,” Amlach added.

I glared at him. Elves did not snore, and the fear that I might have done it made my ear tips catch on fire.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul,” Amlach said with a smirk, then winked at me.

Another dull thud drew my attention back to the ceiling. I seemed to hear a great bustle above us, accompanied by a jumble of baritone voices. I also seemed to notice that the ship’s swinging was minimal.

We had stopped.

“How long have we made landfall?” I asked.

“A few minutes,” Amlach answered.

My nostrils flared as I stared at the beams with a somber and worried expression.

“Hey.” Amlach nudged my leg with his foot, catching my attention. “It’ll be all right.”