44. Adrian
Adrian
Sage and Coltar dove off the edge, his knife that was seconds from plunging through my chest clattering to the ground.
No, no, no.
I tried to get upright, but the pain in my tail was too much, sending me careening back down. I did it again, using the side of the ship to steady myself more.
The light was there, a beacon towards her like before, I just had to reach it.
It took some adjusting, but every moment felt like a precious one to lose. Once I was up I turned so my back was to the dagger and grabbed it, maneuvering to try to cut myself out of these bonds.
The knots were tight, but I was able to wedge the blade between the ground and my hands, sawing it until the strands were loose enough to fall free.
It was too late, I was taking too long. I tried to search for that beam of light, but it never reappeared. Without another thought, I jumped into the ocean. My eyes were left open, the salt burning, but I didn’t care. At night it was hard to see them. Had they really gone down that far?
I began swimming down, it was a bit aimless, but I couldn’t just do nothing. I was running out of air quickly, but I tried to ignore the feeling.
Then, I saw it. The flicker of light, that had been dimming this whole time. The necklace. I pushed myself, swimming lower, when I realized she was coming up towards me.
That’s when I realized it wasn’t her necklace, it was something else, the glowing eyes of a siren. Holding a lifeless Sage.
She handed her over to me.
Her voice came across to me so clear it was like she spoke in my head.
“Take good care of her.”
And then she was swimming away.
I knew neither of us could be down here for much longer. I surged towards the surface, keeping her held tight to my chest. My tail flicked back and forth, until we breached the waves. I used a mix of it and my free arm to paddle us back towards the ship.
I got her over the side first before pulling myself up, and crashing down beside her. Sitting up quickly, I pressed my ear to her chest.
It rose steadily, her heartbeat right there.
“Thank the moons,” I said, lying down next to her. She was just unconscious.
I let myself lay there, ship floating in the water for a few more minutes. The pain in my tail and head was excruciating, burning with the addition of salt water, but I had to get us back to safety.
I gathered myself and went back to the helm, correcting our course.
Once we were going the right way, I started digging through the first aid kit.
As I did, something in the distance caught my attention. It was a large ship, one I was sure had to be ours. I’d recognize the Violet Ghost anywhere.
We were going to be okay.
“Adrian?” Sage’s shrill voice cut through the air.
I grabbed the bag and whipped around the front. She was running in my direction, ready to run into me if I hadn’t put my arms out to stop her.
“You’re okay,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears.
“We’re both okay,” I said, pulling her into my chest. Her arms wrapped around me, and I never wanted to be apart from her again. “Just like I promised.”
“The ship’s on the way,” I told her.
She sagged against me more. “I think… Coltar was taken by the sirens.”
I swallowed. “That’s the impression I got.”
“I know…” she gestured. “Everything happened. But I’m still sorry for your loss.”
I shook my head. “I lost the Coltar I knew, the real one, a long time ago.”
I ran my hand up and down her arms.
We really were gonna be okay.