43. Sage
Sage
Icould see the conflict in Adrian’s face. I wanted to tell him to leave too, to get out, but I worried if I said anything this dagger would be driven through my throat.
“Get. Him. Off,” Coltar asserted again. “Or I will slash her and throw her into the water.”
I tried to hold it in, but large tears started streaming down my face. The entire situation felt impossible.
“Just go,” I murmured. “Both of you, go.”
“Seems like you’re upsetting the princess,” Coltar said, as if he weren’t the issue. “You should listen to her.”
“I’m not leaving her,” Adrian said, before turning to Bramwell. “Go.”
He looks surprised. “We don’t need to listen to him, we can—”
“I said go,” Adrian said. “Go and tell everyone else to drop back. It’s a direct order.”
I could tell Bramwell wanted to argue, but if one thing had become clear to me, it’s that no one ignores a direct order from their captain.
He gave one more look behind him before he hopped off of the ship, shaking the whole thing with his large frame and walking back towards where they came from.
“That obedience should have been mine,” Coltar said, squeezing me tighter in frustration. I tried not to flinch, but he was pinching my skin between his fingers hard.
“Well, you have mine right now,” Adrian said. His sword clattered to the ground, with both of his hands up.
“That’s more like it,” Coltar said smugly. “Now let’s get this show on the road. Four years is plenty long enough to have waited.”
He stepped to the side, taking me with him. “Get the ship going. It’s not as big as you’re used to, but I’m sure you can figure it out.”
Adrian gritted his teeth, but slithered past us, his eyes staying on mine as he passed, trying to look reassuring. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I knew I trusted him. We’d both get out of this, I was sure.
Coltar kept a tight hold on me as we heard the anchor draw up and felt the ship begin to sway into the ocean.
I couldn’t even be nervous about sailing out towards the ocean, too focused on Coltar. Once we were a bit away from the shore, he released me, throwing me until I was sat against the far wall.
“At least he can do something right.” He looked down at where he threw me. “Be good, or your dear captain will pay.”
Coltar went towards the front where Adrian was.
While he was gone, I shifted, trying to get out of the ties again. They were still strong, but it seemed all the jostling had done just a bit to loosen them, I could move a slight bit more than earlier. If I could release myself, then I could save us.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but eventually Coltar came back with Adrian in his arms, tied up and unconscious.
“This is more like it,” he said. “I always preferred when you were quiet.” He shoved Adrian to the other side of the ship so we were parallel, his limp body sagged to the side. The moonlight showed the gash on the side of his face.
“What did you do to him?” I asked.
“Just gave him a little nap,” he said. “But I figured you could keep each other good company until we get closer.”
I sat there, motionless, waiting for Coltar to leave. Adrian wasn’t… dead was he? I felt like I could see his body move as he breathed, but maybe it was all in my head.
Though seeing him like that made me feel helpless, I knew I couldn’t stop. I kept working at the rope behind me, sure if it came just a little loose, I could make it really loose.
I wasn’t sure how long we were like that before Adrian made a grumbling noise, beginning to rouse.
“Adrian,” I said, trying to keep my voice down. I didn’t want to alert our captor. “Adrian.”
He blinked his eyes open, obviously trying to get his bearings. “Sage,” he said.
“We’re okay,” I tried to assure. “Well, mostly.”
He sat up, using the back wall to hold himself up. “You’re not hurt?”
“No I’m fine.”
He nodded, resting back fully. “That’s good.”
‘Are you okay, I think you’re bleeding.”
“Heads always bleed a lot,” he said. “I’m fine.”
I swallowed. The sound of the waves lapping the ship were the only ones cutting through the night. “What do we do?” I asked.
“We’ll figure it out,” he promised. “How long has it been?”
“I’m not sure, maybe an hour?” It was hard to tell, it felt like a lifetime.
“So we’re not that far,” he said. “This thing probably goes about ten knots an hour. The ship might be able to catch up.”
“Do you think they’ll make it?”
He was quiet for a moment. “I hope so.”
I was still wiggling my hands behind me. It’d been so long it was hard to tell if I’d actually loosened it at all, but it felt like it might have. I was about to tell Adrian when the below deck hatch opened and Coltar came spilling out.
“I need to check we’re going the right way,” he said, coming towards me. And I knew what that meant.
“Leave her alone!” Adrian yelled.
“Good, you’re awake,” Coltar drawled, annoyed in that fact obviously. “Just relax friend, we’ll be there soon.”
Though he was still tied, his tail was long. Adrian whipped it out, wrapping the very tip around Coltar’s ankle before he could reach me and yanked, pulling him to the ground.
I heard a crunch, which had to be his nose. He screamed moments later, and I curled into myself further.
“Bastard!” he yelled.
His dagger was out, stabbing into the end of Adrian’s tail, sinking deep before pulling out. Adrian yelled, his pain lodging itself deep into my soul.
“No!” I wailed.
Coltar came to a full stand, wiping the blood away from his face, before he fully turned away from me.
I worked the ties harder, need making me pull so hard I was pretty sure I was going to hurt myself, but I didn’t care. I could feel the progress now, how loose it was.
“All you had to do was stay out of my fucking way.” He slung a punch, landing across Adrian’s jaw. “That’s all you ever had to do, but you couldn’t just do that. Not even for me!”
His dagger was back up, ready to plunge down into Adrian’s chest. “I thought the idea of watching you rot in a dungeon while I lived would be gratifying, but ending you myself doesn’t sound so bad.”
I could feel the ties come just enough that I could slip my hand out. I heard my thumb pop as I did, which probably wasn’t a good thing, but I didn’t even register the pain.
“Stop,” I yelled, hurling myself towards them.
Coltar turned to look at me, but it was too late. I did the only thing I could think of.
I grabbed him and pushed, throwing us both overboard.
My body hit the water hard, a loud splash quickly turning silent as we plunged towards the depths. I didn’t know how to swim, but I just kept kicking, taking us lower and lower. The bolt of light came, but it didn’t matter, I was going to push us down.
I knew what it would mean for me, but Adrian would be safe.
The world would be safe from this monster, and that felt okay to me.
Coltar tried to push away from me, tried to stop us from sinking, but I was more determined than he was.
I was sure he was panicking, making our strength difference less obvious.
That similar pressure I’d felt before, the one pressing down on my lungs, threatening to end me, came again, but I didn’t feel anxious about it anymore. This was a choice I had made.
My senses began to dull at their edges, and I did have a moment of panic, but I knew it would be short.
That was until suddenly it felt like I’d been inflated, my lungs filling with fresh air.
I opened my eyes, expecting the sharp sting of salt, but instead coming face to face with someone I recognized well.
It was the siren.
“Thank you for protecting our city.” Her voice was ethereal. “You have fulfilled your duty thus far wonderfully.”
I knew my vision was too good for being in the ocean, but I saw them drag Coltar away.
I wanted to say anything, thank you, how did you find me, something. I wanted to demand real answers. But nothing came, as if my mouth was taped shut.
“Live well, Princess. Keep the necklace safe. You are our best protector.”
That was the last thing I heard before the world around me turned black.