Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
The next thing Erinna knew, she was retching seawater from her lungs, barely on shore. Sand and stone pressed into her hands as the water lapped at her feet and knees.
Erinna pulled herself further on land, shivering half from exertion as everything but air cleared her lungs and half from an unnatural chill that settled deep beneath her skin.
Near her side, she heard Inez do the same. Both emptying their bodies of the ocean that had clawed feverishly down their throats.
Erinna let out a shaky sigh of relief. She was so certain they would drown, she barely remembered strong hands dragging her up and depositing them on shore. Kane had saved her once again.
She eyed the sloped, rocky pathway that led to the only visible structure on the island. Smoke from a large fire drifted into the night sky. The signs of a well-crafted campsite showed in the distance. Erinna wondered just how long the rest of his crew had been stationed here.
There was a shuffle of bodies on shore, and Erinna turned her attention back to her surroundings.
Everything was steeped in the black and grays of night.
A few torches had been lit farther up on shore, casting an amber glow across the rocks.
Thankfully, Erinna had decent sight in the dark—an almost preternatural ability that she refused to think too hard on.
Two strangers, likely members of Kane’s crew, crossed the shore to Kane and Asher.
A man barely older than Kane himself prowled to Kane’s side, eyes trained on the two women.
His light-brown hair had been cut short and emphasized the sharp angles of his nose and face.
His hand hovered above a well-minted saber, and the silver scars on his forearms hinted at a deep fighting history.
The other stranger, a tall woman with a braided halo of bright red hair, trudged across the sand and rocks, stopping just short of Erinna’s hunched form. Clinking accentuated her movement from the various weapons strapped to her person.
“Prisoners?” the man asked.
Kane shook the water from his dark hair, which was plastered to his face and neck.
Sea-soaked clothes clung to his frame, molding to every hard line of him.
Shoulders built for hauling rigging, arms that knew their way around both rope and blade, the kind of body that came from years at sea rather than empty boasting.
Kane clasped the man’s forearm with a grin. If Erinna had the energy and if he hadn’t saved their lives, she would be frustrated at his nonchalance.
“Rescuees.” Kane reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a slim, airtight cylinder. It was the type of container used by the Navy to secure important missives and ensure they weren’t destroyed by water. The royal seal was unmistakable.
As if he could feel her stare, Kane turned to conceal the exchange any further. The rest of the pirates stood a few paces away, watching and waiting for a command.
“Brig ’em?” The man sent another wary glance over to Erinna.
“No. The younger one’s a diviner and is with us for now. Find her a place to stay and something to eat.”
The woman took a step closer to Inez, and Erinna scrambled to her feet as she neared. She could see an array of daggers and blades on her belt and healing scabs on her knuckles.
Kane had kept his word and saw them to the island safely, but Erinna couldn’t help but feel guarded around the rest.
“We’re here to help.” The red-headed woman extended a hand to Inez. Calluses graced her palms from what Erinna expected was a lifetime of manual labor, and her physique corroborated that assumption. The woman was nothing but muscle and height.
Inez hesitantly took the offer and struggled to stand.
“What about this one?” The red-headed pirate jerked her head Erinna’s way, making no move to hide her once-over.
“Potential client.” Kane sighed.
Her gaze fell on the rip in Erinna’s shirt that exposed the mark. “She’s cursed.”
Everyone within earshot took a slight step back and adjusted their stance for a fight. Erinna herself stumbled back in fear and searched for anything near her that could be used as a weapon.
“Don’t kill her, Lila,” Kane commanded, cold and final. Lila did not look pleased with the decision.
“I wasn’t going to,” she huffed, but the look in her eyes said otherwise.
Erinna mentally cursed herself. She had hoped to keep the mark hidden, to lie low until she could figure out the best way forward. But the mark was out. Not that it would affect any of them, regardless.
Kane was halfway up the hill by the time Erinna found the strength in her body to move farther than a few steps.
Unable to carry herself, Inez graciously accepted Lila’s help.
Erinna followed paces behind as they made their way toward the crumbling walls of Fort Solitude.
Asher was the only one who stayed close to her side.
“We won’t let anyone kill you,” she offered, voice soft enough for only Erinna to hear.
“We?”
“Me and Kane. The crew just doesn’t trust easily.”
“They shouldn’t.” Nor should I, Erinna added mentally. They fell into silence the rest of the way. Erinna was too tired to care about the awkwardness of the exchange.
The distance from the shore to the crumbling fort was not far, but the cracked and broken remnants of rough stone paths and overgrown vegetation significantly slowed progress.
Erinna feared she would succumb to her exhaustion before they made it to camp.
Dawn was a few hours away, and Erinna’s mind was begging for the peaceful void of sleep.
She stopped short as they reached the camp.
Crumbling stone archways marked the entrance to what had once been a courtyard.
She could still see the traces of its former grandeur in the weathered flagstones and skeletal remains of broken statues.
Fort Solitude loomed just beyond, dark walls soaking up the light from dancing flames from the number of torches and campfires littering the space.
The Academy had tried to populate the island once. Only once. Supplies were too costly to ferry across from Tarth, and those who’d been stationed there had long since returned or passed away.
Erinna didn’t know how long the rest of his crew had been on the island, but she could guess it had been at least a week.
Makeshift shelters dotted the space within the fort’s shadow.
They had taken old wood from the small huts that barely constituted a village, even at peak population, and repurposed it for shelter and work stations.
It was impressive, she had to admit. The smell of burning wood and roasted food wafted through the air.
In the circled remnants of a fountain stood a large tent that housed pots boiling with stew and pans sizzling with fish. Erinna’s stomach tightened in hunger. She turned to Asher with pleading eyes.
“No one starves tonight.” It was Kane who answered her unspoken question.
A stout, middle-aged man with rosy cheeks came barreling toward them. “Atwater.” He eyed the two unfamiliar faces, coughed, and squared his shoulders. “Captain, I have a report when you’re ready.” The two exchanged a look, a wordless conversation, that ended with a nod from Kane.
“Brax! Glad to see you haven’t scorched the whole place while I was gone.” Asher pushed past them and gave her friend a one-armed embrace, steering him away from Kane and the return party.
“Any of the newcomers useful?” he asked in a grumble.
“Kane got a diviner! The other’s a pretty good sailor, but…”
Erinna didn’t catch the rest of the conversation as they moved out of earshot. It didn’t matter what they thought of her. She was here and would do what she needed to do.
Lila moved into the crowd, Inez slumped over her back. Erinna turned to follow, but a strong hand clasped itself on her shoulder before she could move.
“Inez will be fed, clothed, and rested. We will take care of her,” said Kane. “You and I need to have a chat.”
She nodded. “Food and dry clothes, first.” Gods, was she desperate to take off her soaking wet clothes and warm herself by the fire. And eat.
“Of course.” He gave her a look, as if hurt that Erinna wouldn’t expect him to offer such basic decency.
She let him guide her forward, too exhausted to care about whatever price she would have to pay for the rest of the pirates’ kindness.