Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 144411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
“Oh, Sedge,” I say to him, lifting up my bound hands to touch his shoulder, too afraid I might do further damage to his face. “Did they get to you already?” Of course, he can’t quite understand what I’m saying with this chain in my mouth, but he seems adept at reading people.
He gives me a sympathetic smile and raises his hands. I see that they are bound too, skin being flayed from the ropes at the wrist. He may only be human, but he’s a big man and I have no doubt he tried to do some real damage to the crew.
Where are we? I think, looking around carefully so that my head doesn’t explode from the pain. There’s a small porthole window and that’s it. The room is narrow and empty except for the two of us.
I manage to get to my feet and hop over to the closed door, the ropes tight around my ankles. I try the handle but naturally it’s locked. No doubt Sedge would have tried to break it down before he decided it was no use.
When I look back he’s shaking his head to tell me not to bother. There’s a look about him that I hate, one that seems resigned to his fate now.
I can’t think that way.
“Listen,” I say to him, trying to speak as clearly as possible even with the metal in my mouth and my throat parched. “We are going to find a way out of here. I know you want to give up, but you mustn’t. I have put up with too much for far too long to just wave the white the flag and surrender. We aren’t going to stop until the both of us are free, alright?”
I worry he didn’t understand a word of my mushed speech but a look comes across his tired face. I’ve seen that look before. Ramsay looks at me like that sometimes, like he’s both amused and in awe.
“I know I’m stubborn,” I add. “But the fight in me isn’t over.”
He nods, even though I can tell he doesn’t share my optimism.
And it’s not that I’m obtusely optimistic. I’m aware of what’s at stake here. I understand the fate that is laid out for me by the gods. I know that the chances of us getting out of here alive are low, not to mention further unscathed, but I don’t have a choice. If I sit back and submit, I’ll die hating myself. I’ve spent too much of my life hating myself for the mistakes and choices I made in my past, repeatedly beating myself up over the same moments. It’s time for me to forgive the girl that I was and accept the path that my life has taken, no matter how hard it’s been. We can’t go back and fix what was, but we can use it to make sure those mistakes don’t happen again.
And I will never hide who I am or betray my true spirit.
I will have agency until I die.
I let out a growl of determination and hop over to the porthole to see where abouts we are. To my surprise I’m looking out at a familiar looking jungle and a beach that still has ruts in the sand from where the ship’s boat was launched. We haven’t left the bay at all. Is Nerissa’s pull keeping the ship in place now, no matter what?
I cup my hands on the salt-flecked glass to get a better look when suddenly a pair of stormy eyes shoots up into my vision.
I yelp and stumble backward in shock, falling on my rear.
There at the window is Ramsay.
“How on earth?” I attempt to say, and he frowns at me, perhaps noticing I’ve been gagged with a rusted chain. Then his attention goes over to Sedge and Ramsay grins at him, giving him a little wave.
Sedge waves back, happy to see his captain.
When I look back to the window however, the captain is gone.
“Huh?” I go to the porthole again to look out and see nothing.
Then I hear the muffled sound of glass breaking elsewhere in the ship, the sound of footsteps, and then a soft rap at our door.
My heart leaps into my throat and I exchange a worried look with Sedge. I don’t really want it to be Ramsay, but I definitely don’t want it to be the skeleton crew.
I’m about to tell whoever it is to come in or something ridiculous to that end, when suddenly I hear the door unlocking.
I suck in my breath and wait.
The door opens and Ramsay steps inside, his larger-than-life presence filling the small space. Even though I still hate the monster, part of me is absolutely relieved he’s here. There’s comfort in my disdain for him.
“Here you are,” he says softly.
“How did you get here?” I cry out in a muffle.