Page 17 of Princess of Death

Finally, the visitor came into view, a man I didn’t recognize, beaten and bloody, his stomach ripped open with his entrails hanging down in front of him. His fingers were soaked in blood, and they shook as he tried to insert the key into the lock.

“Oh fuck.” I pushed harder against the wall as I tried to escape, but there was nowhere to go. I wished I could just disappear like Wrath.

He finally got the door unlocked then stumbled back to get out of the way. He leaned against the other wall and stared at me, his eyes glazed over like he wasn’t truly there. So injured he was harmless, he was no threat to me, but his appearance alone chilled me to the bone.

Wrath suddenly appeared before me. “Go.”

My eyes flicked from the god to the massacred man who had just unlocked my cell. “What is happening?—”

“Go. You don’t have much time.”

I stumbled out of the cage, feeling weaker at the sight of the man who appeared more dead than alive than I had when Bear had slammed his entire weight into the back of my head. I went past Wrath and headed for the stairs. Once I grabbed the railing, I felt invigorated by the chance for freedom and ran all the way to the deck.

I saw the carnage—the entire crew dead.

Even Bear.

I caught sight of strange holes in the railing, like something had broken through, when I hadn’t heard the sound of cannons.

“The stern.” Wrath appeared before me again. “That’s where the sailboat is. Lower it down into the water and disembark.”

I glanced around at the ship again before I looked at him once more, bewildered by everything that had happened.

“Hurry,” he said. “Before the other ships return.”

“Why are you doing this?” I blurted. “Why are you helping me?—”

“We don’t have time for this.” A flash of fury moved across his gaze before he came closer to me. Then he exploded, his skin suddenly tinting black and his eyes turning into flames. “Run!”

Seeing him suddenly turn to ash in pure rage made me take off down the starboard side to the rear of the ship. The torches continued to burn, but the world around me was dark. Only the water directly next to the boat was visible. The rest was a sea of black.

I tugged on the pulley and released the rope tied in place. The small boat dropped into the water, the mast folded down across the top. I didn’t have time to search for water or fishing equipment for the journey, not when Wrath followed me with a maniacal burn in his eyes.

I wrapped my ankles around the rope the way my father had taught me and slid down, feeling the slight burn of the fibers between my palms from the speed of my drop. My feet hit the sailboat, and I nearly toppled over in the waves.

The galleon continued to sail away, Wrath standing on the deck of the stern, looking down at me as his cape billowed majestically in the ocean breeze.

I suddenly felt alone, watching the shadow of the ship leave, slowly descending into darkness. Before all the light was gone,I retrieved the compass from my pocket and checked for the south.

I pulled up the mast and secured it in place, turned it to catch the wind, and then began my progression across the water, the waves too big for a boat this small out to sea. But I quieted the fears that screamed in my heart and kept moving forward, ignoring the waves that splashed my armor and cheeks, the undeniable cold from the elements.

I held on to the tiller and navigated the waves like my father had taught me, feeling like that little girl stuck in the storm. I had been scared then, but I was far more scared now—because he wasn’t here to help me through this.

I blinked, and then he was there, seated directly across from me, his eyes on the galleon that was just a shadow now. “They’ve taken the bait.”

The armor suddenly felt heavy on my chest. My lungs ached for air, but the metal wouldn’t allow it. In case I toppled overboard into the sea and became weighed down to the bottom, I removed every piece and placed it in the alcove behind me so I wouldn’t trip on it.

Wrath continued to stare into the dark, arms on his knees, a man too big for a boat this small. His cape filled with air like the sail above him. The darkness continued to descend, but the moonlight struck his handsome face. He turned his attention back to me.

I didn’t thank him, not when I might still die out here.

“It’s a four-day journey from here—assuming all goes well.”

That meant I wouldn’t be able to sleep, not when the boat could blow off course in my slumber and I’d end up farther away. I had no water or food, so I’d have to survive long enough to feel Khazmuda’s or Zehemoth’s mind to call for aid.

“You can do this.”

“I know I can.” Everything seemed to hit me at once. The death of my captain. The loss of my crew. The ache of my muscles from fighting for my life. My encounter with a vengeful god. And now I had to sail in the dark alone and hope I made it back to my family.

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