Chapter 35 #2
Erich slid down from the rooftop and held out his arms to catch Liane. She jumped down into his arms. Their bodies pressed together as their gazes met. She wasn’t sure where he intended to take her, but she knew she’d go anywhere with him.
A few yards remained between them and the ship, and they raced across the distance, past disgruntled yardmen carrying boxes and sailors playing cards across crates.
The sailors on it were preparing to depart, rushing across the deck, tugging on ropes, and unfurling sails.
As soon as they crossed the gangplank, they pulled it up and cast it off from the dock.
It was a small vessel and moved quickly through the bay.
They were lucky to have gotten this far without pursuit, but their luck was running out.
A ship flying the church’s flag was bobbing in the harbor, near the twin oracle statues, and they were turning toward the signal tower to raise the chains and prevent them from escaping.
“Hold on, everyone. We’re going to be making some quick maneuvers,” the captain announced.
He shouted orders, and the sailors leapt to follow them, while Liane and the others did their best to stay out from underfoot. They found a place along the railing that was out of the way, where they could see the church’s ship plowing toward them on a collision course.
The gap between the ships was shrinking, and the chain was slowly being raised from the water, thick strings of seaweed dangling from it.
She held her breath as they squeezed past the church’s ship and didn’t let the breath go until they were zipping out between the statues, moments before the chain pulled taut.
Once they were past it and out on the open water, they unfurled the sails fully and zoomed across the water. In what felt like mere moments later, they watched as Basilia shrank on the horizon.
“On the open sea, their ships will be too slow to catch us,” the captain said, leaning on the ship’s wheel.
“That was certainly a close one,” said the man with silver hair and a fair resemblance to Erich, coming up from the cabins.
“Liane, this is my uncle Lord Endland. He agreed to let us use his ship as our escape vessel.”
“’Tis my ship,” the man behind the helm said.
“That it is, but it’s my geld that keeps it sailing,” Lord Endland replied.
“You’re welcome. Captain Endre Marcussen, at your service,” he said with a flourish and a bow toward Liane.
“Thank you, Lord Endland. And you, too, Captain,” Liane replied.
“Don’t mention it. Anything for someone who can tame my nephew.” Lord Endland tousled Erich’s hair with obvious affection.
Erich endured the light teasing with a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Liane liked seeing this side of him. There’d been so many secrets between them, and then a few stolen moments, but no time to share anything about themselves.
There was still so much about him she had to learn.
And thank the stars for this second chance.
That he was alive and with her. Tears pricked at her eyes, as she was overwhelmed by relief and exhaustion.
“Even if the ship is fast, the church will chase us anyway. They’re patient,” Ludwig said.
“They can sure try.” The captain laughed.
Ludwig rubbed his thigh where he’d been gored by a boar earlier that summer. She wondered if it had healed properly or if it had something to do with the magical speed he’d used back in the temple. That was something they’d have to discuss later.
“We’re flying the Sundland royal naval flag. The church won’t risk attacking us with that. We should be able to sail all the way to Sundland without incident,” Lord Endland assured them.
“The Church of Sol has no domain in Sundland. I thought you’d be safest there,” Erich told Liane.
“If you declare yourself at court, you could have the entire Sundland army at her defense,” Lord Endland said with a pointed look at Erich.
Erich gave his uncle a pointed stare, and Liane glanced between the two of them, feeling a bit lost.
“Care to explain that long story?” Liane prompted.
Erich rubbed a hand across his face. “I told you the truth when I said I was Prince of Sundland. My father, the king, is dying or may already be dead. The deal I made with my uncle to save you was to return and reclaim my birthright to the throne.”
The oracle’s prophecy to go north echoed in her ears.
As did the cryptic title of shield. She looked up at the dragon on the flag flying from the ship’s mast and the shield behind it.
These couldn’t be coincidences. Her heart wanted her to go straight home, to warn Aristea and try to prevent the prophecy Liane had set in motion.
But her gut told her this was where she was meant to be.
“My mother will be thrilled when she finds out.” Liane laughed.
Erich rubbed the back of his neck, and Endland slapped his knee with delight.
“I like her a lot, Erich.”
“It won’t be easy,” Erich said. “And I’m not sure how much I can do.
My uncles are powerful and ambitious, and they’ve been scheming for years to usurp me.
Until recently, I was ready to let them.
If the road ahead of us is dangerous, then I know I can’t keep running from my destiny.
But I will not force any of you to take on this task against your will.
” He looked at Liane, then Ludwig, before setting his gaze on his uncle.
“You know you have my full support,” his uncle said, hands turned palm up.
Liane grabbed Erich’s hand and squeezed. “I am the sword, and you are the shield. I think this was all meant to be. I don’t know the full scope of this, but if there’s a battle ahead, we must be destined to fight together.”
They both looked at Ludwig. She didn’t want to make him walk into danger on her account, not after losing Luzie.
“You don’t have to do this,” Liane said to him.
“I will always fight by your side,” Ludwig said. And she threw her arms around his neck. They’d had their ups and downs, but they’d always be friends.
Their plans settled, she felt a sudden wave of fatigue overcome her. And the swaying of the ship didn’t make it any easier on her. She let go of Ludwig, and the rocking of the waves knocked her over into Erich, who grasped her by the shoulders to keep her from falling over.
“We’re all exhausted. Why not rest a while, and we’ll reconvene later,” Lord Endland said.
Liane didn’t need to be told twice, and she leaned on Erich for support as he guided her below deck to a free cabin.
There weren’t many rooms onboard, but as the only woman, she had a cabin to herself, while the men would share the bunks in the spare cabin.
The swaying below deck was worse, and Liane thought painfully of how much Luzie had suffered on the trip from Artria.
She’d never sail home again. Tears blurred her vision, and the swaying ship almost knocked her over. Erich caught her, again.
“You should lie down.” And rather than let her walk the two feet to her cot, he picked her up and laid her out on the bunk, smoothing the pillows and blanket over her.
“You don’t have to do all this,” she said.
“I want to.”
He lingered a moment at her bedside, and she felt the things left unspoken between them. She’d been so relieved to see him alive that she didn’t know where to begin. The last time they’d spoken, they were arguing, and their future still seemed uncertain.
“I have to apologize to you,” Erich said.
She looked at him wide-eyed, waiting for him to continue.
Erich ran his hands through his hair and wouldn’t look at her at first. “It’s hard for me to form attachments.
The thing I am, the curse I was born with, has harmed people.
And the more time I spent with you, the more I wanted to be near you.
To have all of you. But a part of me feared I’d hurt you as well. ”
She nodded for him to continue.
“Worse than that, I don’t know how much time I have left before I transform into a dragon for good. So I pushed you away, rather than hurt you. But the thought of living another moment of the time I have left without you, terrifies me even more.”
She grabbed his hand, and he turned toward her with a cautious expression on his face.
“I’ve never considered having one someone to share my life with. But when I thought you were dead, I felt as if the world had ended for me. I was willing to let the Avatheos do anything, to take away my entire self, if it meant the pain would stop.”
He swallowed.
“Erich, I love you,” she confessed.
“And I love you,” he said in return.
He leaned forward, and his hand snaked around the back of her neck, pulling her closer as he parted her lips with his tongue and kissed her deeply.
Liane wrapped her hands around his body, tugging him down to lie on top of her.
They held onto one another, his hands roving over her body lazily, kissing as if they had nothing but time.
She felt his erection against her belly, and she squeezed her thighs together, squirming as his hand drifted over her breast. As things got heated, and he tried to open her thighs with his knee, he slammed her knee into the wall. And she swore colorfully.
Erich pulled back to check she wasn’t seriously injured. They attempted to readjust, but the bed was too narrow, and voices were filtering in from the deck above.
“Probably not the place to be doing this,” Erich said against her lips.
“We’ve done it in worse places.” Liane smirked as she kissed the corner of his mouth.
He kissed her back before leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I don’t want you in a cramped cabin. This next time, I’m going to take my time and explore every inch of you.” He trailed kisses down her neck. A promise of more.
His words sent a shiver down her spine. And she felt the absence of his touch as soon as he pulled away.
“We’ll be in Sundland before you know it. I hope you can wait until then.” He smirked, rising off the tiny cot.
She wasn’t sure she could, but if that grin was anything to go off of, it would be well worth the wait.
“I suppose I’ll have to,” she replied.