Page 121 of Of Stars and Lightning
After twenty minutes of the same thing, just as she contemplated breaking her own wrist, her right hand slipped free. She laughed, gripping it to her chest for a moment before messing with the second one. When it finally came free, she lay on the raft, arms outstretched across almost the entire expanse of it.
The sun burned overhead, but even it couldn’t clear the mist the Jinn Gate emitted.
They had swayed away from it slightly, mercifully. It was smaller in the distance.
Sol ran to Jonah and Phil first, deciding they were the ones she trusted most behind Cas. She needed back up if she was to release the Prince, since releasing him meant releasing Cade.
“Princess.” Jonah motioned forward with a shake of his head. “The keys.”
Of course they had left the keys here just out of reach.
Bastards.
Sol searched around, finding a tiny post on the edge of the makeshift boat. She stumbled to them, nearly toppling over as a rogue wave slammed into it. Water sloshed over the wood, submerging the bottom of her boots.
They needed to get moving.
Fast.
As soon as the brothers were free, Jonah tried to call Earth, anything to expand the raft they floated in, but it was no use. Flora denied aid.
“I guess the penalties from the last trials finally caught up to me,” he said a bit sadly, holding Phil to him. “We will have to be careful with our movements here.”
The cold ocean water seeped into her clothes, only intensifying her shivers. “How is this thing floating?”
“It’s wood from the Driodell forest,” Jonah said. “You can tell by the scent.”
In between tremors, Sol detected the peculiar smell of sulfur and salt, the same essence as the dirt that lived on her mother’stombstone.
“If someone doesn’t get me the fuck out of these things, I will sacrifice myself and tumble this whole raft into the water out of pure spite.” Cattya glared at Sol. “And then we are all dead.”
“You’re insufferable, you know that?” Sol crawled her way, working to unlock her shackles. “Any smart moves and I’ll stab you with these keys.”
Cattya laughed but still eyed them. “I would incinerate you before you even knew what was happening.”
“Want to find out?” Sol twirled the keys in her fingers, contemplating just how deeply her preaches of mercy truly went.
“For fucks sake, Yarrow, unchain us!” Cade yelled, kicking at the raft. They all shifted with it, and Sol had to kneel to keep her balance. “I think our luck has run out.”
Phil and Jonah took her sides, both facing the direction of the Jinn gate. Phil’s hand trembled as he pointed at it. “I feel them.”
They were ways away from it now, the sea carrying them closer back into Rimemere lands. But Sol still clearly made out the second the multitude of Jinn collectively sank into the water from their shores, the pulse of blue light as they started their hunt toward the raft.
“Sol, get me out of here now.” Cas twisted in his place. “Now!”
She threw herself over beside the two men as Cattya and Jonah took defensive positions by the edge of the raft, the Fire Wielder smoking and the Earth Caller unsheathing his weapon. Phil remained behind them, manipulating the wind to get the raft in motion.
“Get me out first or I’ll make sure the copper gets into him.” Cade glared at her, a horrible smirk on his lip. “Then I’ll be sure to drown you nice and slow.”
Sol grasped Cas’s shackles, breathless and in a spiraling panic. With each attempt to jam the key into the lock, Cade moved, forcing Sol to start over.
Cas watched her silently, and Sol knew he tried to keep calm and not add to the sense of urgency that choked her. The sea around them darkened, the waves now thrashing more violently. “Princess,” Jonah warned. “We need the Prince’s Ward soon.”
Fuck fuck fuck.
“He can’t Ward if he’s dead.” Cade kicked at her thrashing against the pole like a fish out of water trying to distract her.
But this time, Sol was faster.
