Kiss the Sky

14

Reven reached for his sword again, but I grabbed his arm to still him. Violence might be his natural instinct for dealing with problems, but these men were only doing their job in service of Auric's family. Perhaps if we used our magic we might be able to escape, but not without drawing a lot of attention from the other people on the docks. Auric would never be able to remain anonymous that way, and word of us might even reach the Dragons. Right now our only advantage was that the Dragons might not know where we were.

“We don’t want any trouble.” I stepped forward and offered my arms in surrender. My mates grumbled, but they stood down. The Royal Guard dragged us each away from the ship and bound our hands, while their Captain watched. Soon they would begin searching the ship and would find Auric below deck. As rope was tied around my wrists, I tried to think of a way we could cause a distraction to allow Auric to get away unnoticed.

But then Auric emerged and stood above us on the ship’s deck. “Let them go,” he said. “They're with me."

"Prince Auric?" the Captain asked, before dropping into a hasty bow.

"Yes, it's me. Release my friends." My heart sank as Auric stepped forward, though he didn’t look anything like a prince with his longer hair and his worn commoner’s clothes. There would be no hiding him now. His family would soon learn he was here, and we would never be able to escape Stormhaven unnoticed.

"I'm sorry, your highness, but I can't do that. In fact, I need you to come with me." The Captain lowered his voice. "Your father has been searching for you and he's ordered us to detain anyone you are found with."

“That’s not necessary,” Auric said.

The Captain crossed the deck to Auric and spoke quietly. "I know it must have been difficult being kidn*pped and held captive all this time, but you don't need to keep up the ruse. You're safe now."

Auric’s eyes widened "I'm not being held captive!”

The Captain ignored him and turned toward the rest of his guard, who were also bowing at the prince. "Get those people to the prison! I'll inform the King immediately that his son has been rescued. Now, Prince Auric, if you'll just come with me."

He led Auric to a carriage, and though Auric protested and tried to explain that this was all a misunderstanding, no one seemed to listen. We were hauled into a different carriage forcefully and the door was locked shut, trapping us inside a small, windowless space. I sank back against the threadbare cushions with my hands bound behind my back as our carriage rolled away, leaving Auric behind.

So much for our inconspicuous arrival.

11

Reven

T

wo guards shoved me and Kira into a small prison room, before the heavy door closed and locked behind us with a loud slam. I did a quick survey of the room: dark stone walls, a small window with bars, a meager cot with no blankets, one chamber pot in the corner, and rat droppings on the ground. Not the worst prison I’d been thrown into, but not the best either.

After I cut our wrist bindings with a sharp shard of ice, Kira sat on the edge of the cot and buried her face in her hands. “That did not go as planned.”

“These things never do, although I wasn’t expecting a search of the ship. The Royal Guard has definitely stepped it up since I was last in Stormhaven.”

“I hope the others are okay.” She ran her fingers through her hair to calm the tangles, her face lined with worry. “Where are Jasin and Slade?”

I inspected the bars on the window, but they were secure. “Being kept in another prison, I assume. Or being questioned.”

She sighed heavily. “At least Auric should be safe. They wouldn’t hurt him.”

“No, but I can’t say the same for us.”

She glanced at the door, her brow furrowed. “What do we do?”

“We wait and plan our escape.”

“Escape? Is that possible?”

I leaned against the heavy door and shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve broken out of a prison like this.”

“How?”

“When they come to feed us, we’ll fight our way out. They took our weapons, but we still have our magic. Then we’ll find Jasin and Slade and get out of here.” Along with my swords. I wasn’t leaving without them.

She shook her head. “Auric will get us out. We shouldn’t use our powers unless we have no other choice.”

“We’ll see.”

We lapsed into silence as I studied the room for any potential weaknesses. I stared out the tiny window, trying to get a sense of where we were, but all I saw were overgrown weeds.

"You did a good job handling the ship today,” she said. “Where did you learn to sail?"

There she went again, trying to pry into my past. Why did she care so much? "Most people in the Water Realm know how to sail a boat. I'm surprised you don't."

"I learned how to paddle small boats, but not a ship of that size, though I did leave the Water Realm at thirteen.” She tilted her head with that inquisitive look in her eyes I was starting to know all too well. "Did your parents teach you? Did they have a ship?"

I turned away from her to study the door, looking for any cracks, nails, or broken hinges. "Something like that."

She paused so long I thought perhaps she’d given up, but then she asked, “Was that true, what you said the other night about your parents? And your first time?”