Page 11 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
Upon my shore, your joy shall reign.
Here in my arms, you will feel no pain.”
With a furious scream, I pushed myself up and shoved Henry to the side, willing my mental shields to burn away the song. But the moment I had Henry down, Noe appeared beside me in a burst of shadows. She gripped the helm tightly, continuing to steer us towards the creature who wished to rip us apart with their fucking teeth.
Henry grabbed me from behind, wrapping his arms around me and willing me to submit. My shouts were loud, the sound of them a violent echo against the harsh sea. I felt the moment Lian began using her Air power to propel us forward, the whip of Noe’s hair a sharp sound. I fought harder against Henry, breaking free momentarily and then being forced back down when Damon came at me. The back of my head hit something hard, my nose still pouring blood. Dizziness seemed to overcome me, and my shields blew out like a candle in a windstorm.
All of the fight in me stopped as the siren continued to sing to us, begging us to come to them. They promised us such safety, such beautiful comfort. Perhaps that was where we needed to be. Maybe they could find Asher and keep my family safe. They seemed so lovely, the siren with the voice of an enchantress. Yes, I could feel the truth there in their song. Whoever they were, Inow thought it impossible for them to do anything other than help me.
I was so lucky they found me. They were going to fixeverything.
With a smile, I shuffled away from Damon and Henry, leaning my head against the wood in wait.
The wait turned out to be quite short. Soon we approached an island, a ship bobbing in the water nearby. The sea was calmer here at the edge of oblivion, so much nothingness in the distance that it felt like perhaps the world never existed at all. Each of us bore bright smiles and straight backs. We eagerly readied for our fate.
In the back of my head, a fierce throbbing began, as if I were being punished somehow. No one else seemed to flinch as I did. What was happening? I gripped my temples as the pain intensified, my head swimming in the agony. A new voice sounded, drowning out that of the siren beyond.
I am choosing you, Bell. For once, I am. Do not let them win this. Live.
I bent over, gasping at the sound of Asher’s voice as her magic fought off the siren.
You will win this war.
My submission to death was breaking her rules. I was disobeying orders just as Lian had.
Asher’s magic was about to save us all.
Ducking down, I quickly shuffled across the deck, swiping up Lian’s wooden bow and her leather quiver of arrows before ducking behind a barrel. Asher’s voice grew louder, the pain piercing now. Her words became new, not from memory, but as if The Manipulator herself existed within my mind somehow.
Kill them. Kill them all.
A burst of shadows popped into existence before my family, and from them walked a female. She was around Noe’s height,her deep bronze skin and equally brown curls making her teeth look so white they almost hurt my eyes. She wore a billowing cream top, the laces undone so that the low cut of the collar exposed the top of her breasts. Her pants looked leather, matching the quiver at my side. Her boots were a soft brown, sticking to her like a second skin all the way up to her knee.
She did not speak, instead moving her hands and fingers, her whole body really.
Sign, she was using sign. So then she likely was not the siren. Maybe their captain? But wait. Fuck. I did not know sign.
The female sighed as if her life was far harder than it should be, and I watched with bewilderment as shadows surrounded her. Then, from within them, walked five more beings. She looked at them with unabashed glee, like what they were about to do to us made her happy. It must have, because why else would she be using a siren to call ships to her?
I watched as she quickly signed something to who I assumed were her crew before walking over to the edge and letting shadows seep from her fingers. She reached them down into the sea below before tugging them like a rope. As she did, another female emerged. She was soaked completely, her dress the color of clear waters as it dripped and clung to her. Her hair was long and black, cascading down her body. A smile curved her lips, cutting open her face to reveal the beast beneath.
Her song seemed to soften, but within my head Asher’s magic still valiantly beat the shit out of me. The others still seemed dazed as they watched the siren approach, still transfixed by her voice.
“Can we make this quick? I am starving and I want to be gone before Dima starts gnawing on their bones so I do not lose my appetite,” the one with blonde hair said just as she sent a beam of light from her fingertips, allowing it to wrap around my Trusted like a rope. It was an impressive bit of magic.
With a final breath, I lit an arrow and prepared to end them.
But then a raven swooped down, circling me once before dropping a piece of rolled paper. The note hit my forehead, bounding down to the ground and slightly rolling after. I snatched it up, hastily unrolling it.
Dear Idiot Prince,
Gods, she was kind of rude.
I told you, take your bags of gold and pay for their trust. This pirate captain is not one to be messed with, but she is also your only hope of rescuing Asher. Heed my warning when I say that the future is not set in stone. As of now, it is not only your death that I see. Asher will not survive what is to come if you do not succeed.
Nicola Salvatore
P.S. Captain Perdita Harligold just might find your beheading of a cockless male atop a snowy mountainside interesting.
