Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
“That’s the boat,” Lykos says, his voice taut. “This is our chance.”
I’m on my feet before he finishes.
You won’t die this time.
Under the cover of the moonless night, we slip through shadows and sneak aboard after a leather-armoured patrol completes a round on the starboard side. The subtle sway of the boat mirrors the anxious churn in my stomach. I flank Lykos, who knows the ship’s layout and leads the way.
A gull squawks in the distance, and we curl behind a rowboat, waiting out the patrol as it slouches by again. Megaera, to my right, curls a ball of magic in her hand, ready to strike. But if we’re caught here, getting into the ship’s guts to save Zenon will become exponentially harder. We don’t know how many more Skeldars are on board.
I grip her arm and quietly shake my head. Her magic dims, and we hold our breath as the patrol nears . . . and pauses.
“Frostir’s breath! What are you doing?”
For a heart-stopping moment, I think he’s spotted us. But just as my stomach drops, he clicks his heels and moves on.
We exhale as one, then push against the briny deck, stepping over coiled rope as we sneak toward the main hatch. A set of steep, narrow stairs leads into the ship’s belly. As we descend, my hand slips against the worn wooden wall, and a sudden lurch of the ship sends me toppling forward—
I’m caught by Lykos’s broad back; he holds both our weights, preventing a noisy tumble down the stairs. Below, a faint lantern flickers. I peel myself off Lykos, and we wait for the light to fade before slipping into the narrow halls.
Lykos motions us down a skinny corridor, and when he rams himself against the wall, Megaera and I do too. “Three guards,” he whispers.
“No harming,” I say.
“One each.”
We melt into the brig, lined with nearly empty cells. The three guards are huddled around a central table. Megaera is a burst of light as she knocks one of them out. Lykos whacks another with his spear. I target the third, jabbing his acupoints to paralyse him.
“Three for one prisoner?” I murmur.
“They’re not really guarding,” Megaera says, glancing at the pile of coins on the table.
“Found him,” Lykos calls. “Grab the key.”
The paralysed guard glares at me as I remove the key from his belt and toss it to Megaera, who strides to the cell.
Lykos drops his spear and hurries inside. “He’s unconscious! Megaera, grab his feet.” He starts pulling the boy out.
“Stop. Moving him might make it worse.” I sidle into the cell and kneel. Lykos holds Zenon upright under the arms.
Megaera removes her hands from the boy’s ankles—
Zenon snaps his head up, rears back, and kicks Megaera square in the chest. She slams into the wall, and I lunge to grab her cloak, but my fingers only graze the fabric. Her head smacks against the wood, knocking her out.
I gather her in my arms. No blood.
I whirl to Lykos, who slams the cell shut, the lock clicking. Behind him, the young man drops his head, avoiding my gaze. River’s face flashes through my mind—caught up with the wrong crowd, back then . . .
“We risked our lives.”
“In return for your help, I won’t destroy her meridians. Today.” He grabs his spear.
“W-why not let them escape, uncle?”
Lykos pauses by the guards. “A cheated Skeldar vows vengeance. But a Skeldar who receives a double gift in exchange . . .” He claps the guard’s shoulder. “Good luck in the south.”
Megaera stirs, consciousness returning. She takes in the situation, her eyes narrowing. “He’ll be back.”
“What—”
She whispers in my ear, and I nod, understanding. Always thinking a few steps ahead. This is her strength. Perhaps—
I whisper back.
“For what?” she asks.
“Please do it,” I mouth, exposing my forearm to her.
I’m pulling down my sleeve when Lykos returns to the brig, Zenon in tow, both scratching uncontrollably at their necks. “What’ve you done to us?”
I spy the bright, patchy rash creeping up their throats and fold my arms. “She poisoned you.”
Megaera smiles slickly. “Why would I step into a cell at your request without taking precautions?”
“You—” Lykos stares at Megaera, his brow twitching. He’s suppressing his frustration, struggling not to be impressed.
The cell opens, and Megaera teases a fingernail up his throat with a sly gaze, relieving him of the itching torture. She helps the boy next, and I rummage in my bag for coins, dropping them on the table. Lykos had a point about leaving a gift. “In return for the boy’s freedom.”
We slink through narrow passages, up the steep stairs, and peer out the cracked hatch. When Lykos is certain the coast is clear, he opens it fully. We climb onto the shadowy deck, and—
The patrol rounds the ship’s stern and spots us—a thundering yell stirs movement below deck.