Chapter 18
J A N E
W e just need to leave.
We just need to leave.
We just need ? —
Soren looks over his shoulder as I’m slightly above him on a set of stairs, the massive man terrifying with that mask on, the skin around his eyes smudged with black ink to emphasize the pale blue.
It’s like the further we get to the possibility of fleeing, the more that part of my mind can register how unfairly seductive Soren is, all violently wrapped up in his armor and weapons, let alone the loose strands of dark hair that get in his vision. It’s only more pronounced that he basically saved me by showing up at the right time?—
When our gazes connect, and he’s lost in the sea of his Zenith ways, his eyes are entirely cold, and… alarmed?
I follow his line of vision that he just looked at, dread consuming every inch of my skeleton when, probably ten stories higher on a stoney ledge behind many wooden columns, is a cavernous entrance?—
Blackwell.
My heart races when next to him is something that sticks out from the shadows, the wind catching the edges of a cloak, two orange, glowing lights disturbingly haunting and I have no idea why.
Everyone in our party catches on, even Basilisk, who looks up at the very end of this chain of humans and then swiftly at Soren.
What the fuck are those glowing dots?
“Get in!” shouts a voice I don’t recognize.
We all glance down to see what appears to be longboats emerging from underneath these docks, like pulling out something from below a bed. There’s got to be at least six, all of them already half-filled with what appears to be pirates.
Tempest .
She’s in the first boat, commanding her men, who are tossing ropes to those on the piers, working with finesse; thick ropes hoop over the cleats with precision.
When I crane my head back up, Blackwell and whatever those lights were are gone.
Soren’s deep, angry voice yells, “Get Jane on Tempest’s boat! I don’t care how it’s done!”
It’s like I’ve been smacked by a wave as everyone moves so I can jump down a few steps at a time, barely touching the wood until I’m on the pier, a few of Tempest’s pirates grabbing me like I’m a bag of loot, nearly tossing me on, only for others to catch and balance me, strong hands grabbing all over.
The rest that join us cascade down the port, and there’s the sound of a screech, but it’s not loud, just… everywhere.
An arm wraps around my neck, one that’s covered in a leather sleeve, although it’s not a forceful action; this person smells like a floral, balmy oil. A few thin, black dreads are in my peripheral.
“I know you’re out there, you miserable cunt!” Tempest yells out, and it’s clear that she’s the one who grips me. The men all jump onto the boats, Soren landing on Tempest’s, along with my dad, Donna and Anya. Basilisk takes up the seat of another, and so does Rorge.
Once full, they are immediately cast off, the ocean waves making us rock as we float among the craggy sea water.
Tempest’s arm is still wrapped around me, and Soren is looking over his shoulder at the cliffside. “He was in that cavern,” he states, nodding to where I saw.
“Blackwell?” I ask.
“ Misery ,” Tempest answers. “He’s letting us all see him for some reason.”
If the cold ocean winds weren't enough to raise the hairs on my body, that certainly does the trick. That… that was Misery ?
“Why did he back off?” Donna asks, her voice full of alert.
It dawns on me that there’s not a single person rowing, and yet the boat is moving with ease toward the Sea Wolf, even avoiding the jagged stone that sea foam sprays around.
“He senses another god, and he lost his opportunity. He was simply too late.”
The screeching bellows from the cavern, an orange glow emanating as the sound of men yelling follows it, almost like they’re being tortured. It’s absolutely fucking terrifying to think that the very god radiating that wrath is the one that wants me .
“What other god did he feel?” Donna asks.
The men on the boat all snicker, the pirates carrying a cocky demeanor.
“Ta’Kan.” Tempest releases me, telling me to sit before explaining, “The ocean god.”
My eyes widen, recalling Cypress mentioning the god of the ocean. My gaze is latched to that cavern as my back is to the Sea Wolf, feeling like I’m actually safe in these salty waters.
“Charles,” Tempest says. I look at Dad, whose appearance is of himself. “You don’t look good.”
He grunts, reaching his hand out into the water to wipe his face, the ocean dripping off his chin. “Not surprising. Matthias stabbed me.”
“ Oh ,” she breathes out, sounding genuinely surprised. “Did he?”
Dad inhales deeply, running his tongue over his front teeth before nodding to me. “Then Jane killed him.”
I immediately look over my shoulder at Tempest, catching that her crew’s interest has drastically increased. Her dark gaze is enigmatic as always, if not possibly a little more intrigued than usual. I face back ahead at the harbor, my gaze landing back on Soren, the man so out of place with how, in his own way, with that mask, he looks like a god of war.
“Well, I’ll keep my back guarded, then,” Tempest teases.
I never thought twice about the implications of killing a Zenith . His title was absent from my mind when I attacked, only seeing that my father was about to be murdered.
Just another damn thing to worry about.
We pass by other massive ships, the water lapping against their wooden bodies, and I still have no idea how we’re moving without oars. Or that Misery wouldn’t even attempt to claim me even though I’m still in this harbor.
There’s genuinely no way I trust any of this.
And yet… we continue to slowly sail away.
It isn’t until we’re officially out in the water that we truly take in what we just did. I have to admit, this place is damn near impressive, even if the crowd we walked through were as inviting as vultures near a dead body; I can see why Dad never let me down here, let alone the Undercroft. I wouldn’t put it past some of these people to try and take a Zenith’s daughter for ransom.
I’m grateful I get to see this place before departing, at least from this angle. The amount of seagulls flying around, along with the waves, creates so much movement and life, especially with all the activity of people tending to the docks. Deep groans of the ships fascinate me, trying to imagine those vessels as the only source of “land” when in the open ocean.
Let alone during a storm.
Hells, even one of the ships has a giant hole in the side. Like what could possibly have caused that? Also, how did it make it home?
Home .
I lift my gaze to where the silhouette of the Silver District is located, then back to the empty cavern. Sure, I’m naturally freaked out by that fucker. But I’m angry more than anything.
His selfishness ruined my life, stole my mother, and now could harm or kill those around me.
One of the men on this longship, who wears a necklace made of wolf teeth around his neck—now I’m noticing they all do—looks at Tempest over my head. “Are we sure he let us go that easily?”
“No,” she replies from behind. “They’re scheming something, but so are we. There’s a reason I’m mandating keeping your blades sharpened.”
Silence befalls the longboat, which rides with the waves, the power of the ocean welling around us as the cliffs of Skull’s Row become more clear. The Spiraling Stone looms high overhead the entire time. That dark castle is so vast, so many little dots lining the walls where windows are, reflecting the sun against the roughness of the walls where some have glass. They even descend all the way down to the rocky base.
Bringing the cloak around me to cut out the freezing air, my breathing halts when I recognize what I see at the base of the castle—cut out of the stone are wide open strips that are almost like balconies.
Cells.
Prison cells.
Some have iron bars for those who are wanted alive, whereas others are wide open in case the prisoner decides to end it themselves.
My gaze falls back to my dad, to the man who connects me to every aspect of that world, whose face is the one I recognize. Even if his hair is different from when I was a child, it somehow already fits him. He looks paler than I’d prefer, and I don’t know how I’ll be able to make any more blood tonics when we’re out here, or going to wherever we’re being taken. It’s sort of a luxury limited to being within the city.
Soren’s gaze is lowered, and I know that look—he’s feeling out everything around him. Deciphering every pulse of whatever it is that he senses.
Glancing over my shoulder once again, Tempest is sitting down, her dark eyes scanning the scene. I quickly notice she has her nails a different color, the reddish tone complementing the dark brown of her skin, the golden rings adorning her thinner fingers even more extravagant in contrast.
How in the hells did she get her nails a different color?
She clears her throat and looks at my father. “You got hit easily,” she comments.
The men on the ship that belong to her all face my dad.
Dad still has the strength to glare at Tempest as if he’s willing to brawl right here in this small ass boat. “I’ve been living my life as a barkeep. You try not killing on the regular for a decade and see how well you fare.”
She smiles approvingly at him. “Glad it wasn’t fatal, Charles. And no need to worry for now, Soren—” pale eyes flash up at her. “We got wind that Blackwell is preparing ships. He can try to follow, but he will fail.” She leans back confidently. “Let Misery come, too. I can’t damage that decrepit bastard on land, but the seas will aid me.”
As we get further into the water, the frigid sprays start to seep through the wool. This longboat traverses the larger swells with ease as we sail out to a monstrous ship that looms over us like a giant among ants. A carving of a wolf’s head casts long shadows, pearls for eyes the size of my body, glinting in the sun. Its mouth hangs open, and the sharp teeth all look like they’ve been coated with metal.
Just the head alone is massive–the size of a house . I squint and swear I even see a few windows in the lower level of the fur. Well can’t imagine what Tempest’s quarters look like on the back end—sure enough, it’s incredibly elaborate. The carving of sirens surrounds the entire bottom of the multi-tiered back, windows inset within thick carvings. I can’t see the full backside, but even from here, I spot at least two bay windows.
It amazes me to think that there are people who were born and died in Coalfell, never leaving to see how much of the world exists. They wouldn’t be privy to this part, anyway.
The sense of importance makes me straighten my back, wanting to appear as if I belong here. I killed a Zenith, didn’t I? Sure, he was already distracted and didn’t see me coming, but I can say I did it.
All to protect my Zenith father.
I can do this.
When we’re near the ship, ropes are dropped down with a flapping roll. Without any steering, the boats turn to the side and line up to the Sea Wolf.
A few men from each longboat grab the ropes and immediately fix them to iron hooks, shouting up that we’re ready. Our boat gives a jerk as we’re slowly taken out of the water, rising alongside a painted hull.
Once pulled up from the side, quite a few small ladders wait for us that are only a handful of rungs. “Go on, Jane,” Tempest urges, motioning to one as she climbs another. It freaks me out a little to think my grip can slip, and I’d plummet below.
I haven’t really gone swimming a whole lot in my life... Soren’s presence behind me quickly eases my worries.
Climbing is swift, and when I crest over the side, all I can think is that the entire sun-kissed deck is massive . I have to look firmly left or right just to see the entirety of it. The sails are gigantic, black strips of fabric. There’s so much rope, and they’re all so thick .
My feet thud on hollow-sounding floors as I gain my footing. Everyone is dressed differently than on land—breeches, looser, billowing tunics, nearly all wearing bandanas, and most are in shoes rather than boots, belts strewn about their bodies to affix many things to. Plain wool jackets are adorned by over half. Tempest is already speaking to a man, her own coat sharply contrasting the rest in how detailed and clean it is. “Misery was spotted in those caves. So was Blackwell. This ship is on war duty. Spread the word.”
“Aye, ma’am.”
Soren climbs over right behind me, and so do more of his men, and there’s an awkward separation of people before Tempest yells, “You greet these people as if they’re an extra body to help us fight Blackwell and that miasma that follows him, because that’s exactly what they are. You’ll be thankful for them when the time comes. Keep your swords sheathed and mind your manners.” She then faces me with the sun behind her head. She flashes a grin, a few of her golden teeth shining. “Welcome aboard the Sea Wolf, Jane. Hope you have sea legs.”