Chapter 36 Goran #2
“Not if you’re invited by the host,” she joked, pressing a hand to her gut. She grabbed the water jug and sipped a bit, drinking under her mask, then handed me the water.
“Are you hungry? I can catch you a fish.” I was a decent fisherman, though nowhere near as good as Lachlan or Kellin. I turned my head to the west, still seeing no sign of either selkie.
“Ah, no. Whatever Skadi did to try and block out the pain from the… pull, hooks, whatever it is. It’s wearing off a bit.” She slumped. “And there’s almost no fish to be had here. I think the water is too warm, or acidic. It smells, anyway.”
It did. The air was rotten eggs mixed with a dry bitterness that seared my nostrils.
“Right. Are you ready to be my warrior, Goran?” Something in her voice made my heart race.
“Of course, ma bohinya. What is your plan? What are your orders?”
She pointed to the larger island. “If I’m right, we’re being drawn directly to the volcano. I need to go there; it’s what I promised. But I want you to go to the west side of the island.”
I didn’t understand, but Alexios did. “Where they’re keeping the Omegas.”
She ignored him. “I want you to spy on the encampment for now. The long house, or whatever structure they’re being kept in now, should be there, far enough from the beach to be safe from storms. I would expect lots of guards, and dozens of Omegas. I’m not sure what else.”
“Where will you be?”
“Swimming to shore,” she said, standing.
Before I could figure out what she meant, she was hissing, her eyes tracking something.
She exploded into motion, emptying a few small things out of her cloak, then stuffing it into the bag Alexios had brought.
“Probably a good thing that dragon took all my shit. They wouldn’t let me keep any of it.
” I stood, but saw nothing. “Idiot, stay down! There’s a boat coming, a canoe.
I’ll swim to meet them, and you two sail around to the west side.
Do reconnaissance. Try not to get killed. ”
“You must be joking,” Alexios said. “You’re not going to walk right into the trap?” She ignored him again. He began to mutter something under his breath.
“I think she plans to swim. But he has a point. You must be joking,” I told her, and her hard gaze jumped to me. “None of us can stay in the boat if you leave. They’ll already have seen it. They’ll come to investigate, probably in force. Unless we plan to fight, we all have to jump ship.”
She stopped bristling a little, then nodded. “Or you two could swim, and I’ll sail right up to their canoe?”
Alexios stopped praying, or cursing, whichever one he was doing in his language.
“Makes sense. Let us take the things with us that we can. We’ll swim as far out and around as possible.
” It was killing me to agree with her plan, to know that she was going alone, but I’d made a vow to let her lead me.
I hadn’t expected to be put to the test quite so soon, but it made sense.
“I don’t want to leave you, but I will.”
She handed me the bag, and Alexios came up beside me, stuffing everything else into it. He handed the dried fruit to Rada, who took it without a word. He drank a sip of water, then handed it to her as well. She drank, then offered it to me, but I shook my head.
“You drink it. We can forage for ourselves once we get to the shore. Who knows when they’ll give you food or water.”
“Where will they take you?” Alexios broke in, his voice raw. I was sure it wasn’t from the ash in the air. The poor Beta had gone from a placid, smiling man to a broken one in the space of a day. I remembered the feeling well.
She answered, but didn’t face him. “I’m sure they’ll take me to the volcano first. But I’m counting on them taking me to the other Omegas for a while.”
“Why? A while?” I was confused. I pulled my sword, knowing I’d need to swim with it tied to me, or leave it in the ocean. I couldn’t bring myself to leave it.
“They sacrifice on the new moon, or at least they used to. When the moon is at its ebb. That’s in about two weeks.”
Alexios made a sound close to an Alpha’s growl.
“He plans to breed you. You think we can just let you leave? I swore to the Goddess to protect you! I am not about to—” She rocked the boat suddenly, sending me and Alexios to our knees.
Before I knew what was happening, she’d grabbed my sword and swung it at the fool.
His look of shock only lasted until she’d whacked him in the temple with the side of the pommel, knocking him out.
She didn’t bother catching him, but did check to make sure he was still breathing before she nodded. “Tie him to the empty water jug, and he’ll float. Hurry.”
“Yes, my goddess,” I replied with a salute, doing just that.
“Goran, listen. Kellin and Lachlan should be on their way to the Omegas soon, coming from the south, by way of Starvale. When they arrive, start taking them off the island. I’m not the priority, do you understand? The Omegas come first.”
Everything in me screamed out to deny her command, but I knew what I had to say. “I understand. I love you, Rada.”
Her lips curled into a soft smile. “I love you, too, Goran. Now go.”
I blinked. “You’ve never said that before.” I sounded like an idiot.
She glared at me, like she wanted to call me one. “If you want to hear it again, start swimming.”
By the time I slid overboard, dragging the unconscious Beta behind me, the fires on the long skiff were visible. I swam with the current away from the island at first, hoping we looked like jetsam on the waves.
Whether the ruse worked or not, I wasn’t sure. But a large wave knocked into us, waking the Beta just as the ocean’s stronger current began to pull us farther from Pict, and we both started swimming for our lives.
And for hers.