Chapter 6
Draevyn
The iron door groaned open, and Draevyn was shoved forward. His boots skidded against the dusty stone floor as he stumbled, catching himself against the wall before turning with a snarl.
The guards merely smirked. “Sleep well, Captain.”
Barred doors slammed shut with a deafening clang; the lock clicked into place before they turned on their heels and headed back for the stairs.
The cell was dark, reeking of mildew and rust. Draevyn exhaled sharply, shaking off the lingering heat in his veins before rubbing his hands over his face.
“Well, well, well…” A voice cut through the silence from across the hall. “Look who finally ended up in a cage like the rest of us.”
His eyes snapped to the other cell, his vision adjusting to the dim torchlight before his magic had them surging brighter.
Esmyra’s crew was lined up against the bars, eyes burning with hatred and suspicion.
“You know, Phoenix,” Jak started, his golden, owl-like eyes gleaming in the firelight. “When you said you’d meet us down here, I’ve got to admit, this wasn’t what I had in mind.”
“So much for breaking us free,” Ren snapped from beside him.
Draevyn rolled his shoulders, forcing himself to breathe evenly. “This obviously wasn’t part of the plan.”
Nothing about this was part of the plan.
“And here I was hoping you had time to sit and think of a way out of here yourselves once I came for you,” he finished.
“Oh, we’ve had plenty of time to sit and think,” Jak said, stepping forward. “And to wonder why our captain isn’t in here with us. Where the fuck is Cyrus? He was in the same bloody cell we stand in now the last I saw him.”
Draevyn’s stomach twisted, bile climbing up his throat. He never considered having to tell The Night Wraith’s crew of their captain’s fate. His sole focus was on Esmyra, but now he would have to deal with them before he could find a way to save her.
“Blackwood is dead,” he admitted, lifting his eyes back to meet Jak’s from across the hall. “The king murdered him the moment I stepped away. Atlas informed me as you were all being brought here.”
Their jaws fell in unison, unrelenting fury evident in their eyes before they all began yelling, cussing at Draevyn in their disbelief.
Jak’s knuckles turned a ghostly white as his grip tightened on the velsinyte bars of their cell. “Again, here we are with the lies, you fire-breathing fuck! Cyrus is immortal. He can’t die!”
Draevyn sighed, his lips pressed together in a thin line. “Esmyra found a way to break his curse.”
Jak’s eyes flared as the rest of the crew exchanged wary, confused glances. “What? How?”
“I told you back on the ship before we docked! Esmyra isn’t what you think she is. She’s so much more. A goddess bound to mortal bones.”
Riven scoffed, his silver eyes nearly glowing in the darkness of their cell. “What would her being a goddess have to do with Cyrus’s curse?”
Draevyn met their gazes, jaw tight. “I’m not sure of the full connection.
Need I remind you that I was compelled and thrown the fuck out of there before I chased my own damn ship down.
” He gestured to his eye, where he knew three deep wounds now marked his brow from Syrena’s talons.
“I was also left with this lovely parting gift from her psychotic sister.”
“So how do you know Cyrus’s curse was broken, huh?” Jak snapped. “How do we know this isn’t just another trick?!”
“Because I saw it!” Draevyn bellowed back, his voice reverberating through the cells as the torches flared.
A heavy silence stretched between them.
Draevyn bowed his head as his fingers curled around the bars.
“When we arrived down here, he seemed normal as any man. Even Atlas noticed he wasn’t struggling to breathe.
” He shook his head in denial. “I didn’t put all the pieces together at first, but fucking Irah, I wish I had.
I left, not wanting any part in the man’s torture. ”
“And then what?” Jak interrupted.
Draevyn sighed. “When Atlas came to find me, the sea began to surge. Lightning flashed across the clear skies in the south. I know in my soul it was Esmyra. Whether she knows of his death or not yet, I have no idea.”
“Gods fucking help you when she finds out, if she hasn’t already.” Jak’s words ended in a low, dark chuckle.
“Believe me, I know,” Draevyn admitted, his throat tightening.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Listen, I’m supposedly only down here for one night. My father thinks he’s making an example of me, but once I’m free, I’ll come back for you.”
Laughter rippled through the crew, dark and humorless.
“Oh, is that so? And we’re supposed to just trust you?” Ren said.
Draevyn’s patience was wearing thin, but he held himself back. He needed them to listen. “I didn’t turn you in. My brother captured you before I could do anything about it. But I’m not about to leave you down here, especially when I’ll need your help.”
Jak’s jaw ticked as he put his arms through the bars and leaned against them casually. “Even if we believed you, how exactly do you plan on getting us out? It’s not like we can just waltz through the front gates.”
Draevyn smirked, glancing up at the stone ceiling. “No. But there are other ways.”
Their skeptical silence urged him on. He lowered his voice when he said, “There’s an old tunnel beneath the dungeons. Most think it’s caved in, but I know a way to open it.”
Jak’s eyes narrowed. “And why exactly would you know something like that?”
“Because I’m not as loyal to my father as you think.” He crossed his arms. “I never said this was my first time down here.”
Memories of his childhood resurfaced from when the king used the velsinyte cuffs on him as punishment after he accidentally lost control of his magic that dreaded day.
His confession seemed to silence them for a moment.
Then, Jak cleared his throat. “Say we believe you. What’s the plan?”
Draevyn shifted on his feet, his eyes scanning the faces behind the velsinyte bars.
“If I remember correctly, this isn’t the entirety of your crew.
I heard the mortals were taken to the city’s prison to await execution.
You’re only here due to the velsinyte cell being able to hold you.
I’ll have to have my own crew go and break out the others while I come here for you.
” He blew out a breath. “But you need to be ready at any moment. I don’t know when this will happen, but I’ll make sure it’s as soon as possible. ”
“You mean the crew that captured us and put us in this shithole to begin with?” Riven asked.
“Aye. Those would be the ones.” Draevyn’s brows furrowed at his own use of the word aye. He suppressed a smirk, noticing how Esmyra had rubbed off on him.
They all exchanged a few wary glances.
Then, finally, a reluctant nod came from Jak. “Fine. We’ll be ready. But make it quick, Phoenix.”
Draevyn exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders. “Good.”
Now all he had to do was survive the night and pray his father didn’t suspect a thing.
The sound of approaching footsteps made him tense, but they were soft, too soft to belong to one of the guards. Then the air shifted, shadows curling unnaturally against the dungeon walls. Esmyra’s crew shuffled back, away from the bars of their cell.
Atlas.
His brother stepped into view, melting from the darkness like a phantom. Atlas’s sharp gaze flicked over him, then to the pirates in the cell across the corridor. “Well, you’ve managed to make quite a mess of this, huh, Drae?”
Draevyn’s fingertips burned. “The king deserved much worse.”
He didn’t miss the way Jak’s brows furrowed beneath the torchlight.
Atlas rolled his eyes and stepped forward, shoving a key into the rusted lock of Draevyn’s cell. Once turned, a soft click sounded, and the lock fell to the floor.
Esmyra’s crew remained silent, but their hatred for Atlas was palpable. None of them spoke. They just watched beneath deeply furrowed brows, their mouths set in tight lines as they listened.
Draevyn stepped out, rolling his shoulders. “What are you doing?”
Atlas sighed. “I didn’t believe the ‘one night’ bullshit. Father would’ve left you to rot if it meant proving his point. I, however, would rather not see you waste away down here.”
The pirates stirred at the words, their glares sharpening.
His brother’s lip curled in distaste. “I’m just happy they didn’t put you in the same cell as them. These brutes likely would’ve gutted you the moment they could.”
“Give it time.” Jak’s voice sounded, a vicious grin forming when Draevyn met his stare.
Atlas huffed a laugh. “I can’t wait to watch you hang.”
The veins in Jak’s neck strained as he bared his teeth at him.
Atlas turned back to Draevyn and shoved out of his cloak. “Here, put this on so you aren’t immediately recognized. Let’s move before more guards come down here.”
Draevyn didn’t argue as he threw the cloak over his shoulders and settled the hood above his head. He kept his expression neutral as he cast one last glance at The Night Wraith’s crew, pleading with his eyes for them to cooperate.
They remained motionless, watching.
Atlas barely waited for him before turning on his heel and slipping back into the shadows. Draevyn followed, careful to keep his steps light, his body tense as they wove through the dim corridors.
When they reached the staircase, his brother paused and gave him a pointed look. “I’m taking you to my chambers to try to talk sense into you.”
Draevyn bit back a retort. Now wasn’t the time to argue, knowing nobody would be able to talk sense into him.
He needed to get out and find the time to think. And once he had the chance, he would come back for her crew.
Draevyn gave his brother a stiff nod in answer, and Atlas’s shadows cloaked them once more as they slipped into the dark.