Page 24 of A Wraith Beneath the Tides (Beyond the Tides #1)
“You have thirty seconds to tell me what you know before I gouge your eyes out, Jaky boy.” She reveled in watching a shiver roll through his body at the sound of her voice, knowing just how serious the threat was.
“Lower the blades,” he pleaded, but she just raised a brow. “Esmyra! I’m your friend.”
“I have no friends,” she stated simply, and his body jolted at the words.
He blew out a breath as his spine straightened. “You know that’s not true. Don’t become the monster he nearly formed you into.”
“Fifteen seconds, Jak.” Esmyra’s voice was a lethal calm.
“Okay, okay!” He was panting once more, holding his hands up in surrender. “When you left, he sent out half the crew to search for you.”
“Why?” she demanded.
“Why do you think?! You ran, Esmyra! Even I had no idea where you were going. ”
She blew out a huff through her nostrils and lowered the water-wielded blades. “Start from the beginning. What happened when I left?”
His posture relaxed slightly, but she could tell he was still on alert, waiting for her to strike.
“We waited two days, and when you didn’t return, he sent half of everyone out.
We anchored here to know where to come back to.
He didn’t want to wait until making port somewhere or anchoring in a cove.
The captain wanted us on the hunt immediately. ”
“And were you here when this occurred?” She gestured to the lifeless bodies.
Jak rapidly shook his head. “No. I arrived here hours ago and immediately flew off to try to find the source.”
Her throat tightened, and she stared at him, unblinking. “And did you? Find the source.”
“Aye,” he breathed, hesitantly pointing up to the main mast of the ship.
Her stare followed the movement, and her lips parted at the sight of the words slightly charred into the sail’s canvas.
Pirates of Rymelle, Be Warned.
“Lephyrin’s ships now sail back to their kingdom,” he finished
The water-blades fell to the deck with a subtle splash. Her lips parted as her eyes went distant. “And who was aboard these Lephyrin ships, Jak?”
Jak’s stare darkened. “I think you already know.”
Now the burns that marked her crew’s flesh made sense to her, when everything else appeared untouched by flames. The Phoenix purposefully left The Night Wraith intact as a warning to the realm’s pirates.
This was her fault. This was all her fault. Not only did she leave her father and crew defenseless, but she was also the only reason the Phoenix survived the sinking of his ship.
She saved him for his kindness, only for him to turn back and use it against her .
Her gaze met Jak’s. “Do they have him? Does the Phoenix hold my father captive?”
“Aye,” he answered without hesitation. “He be strapped to the center of the ship at the mainmast—not even held in a cell below deck. They were already nearing Lephyrin when I soared back to look for you.”
Her stomach dropped. They were going to bring her father to the king, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. They were bringing her father on land . His boots would no longer be on the deck of a ship in the sea but rather on the soil of the realm he was cursed against.
Panic clawed at her throat. He wouldn’t be able to breathe. Wouldn’t be able to see or eat.
Without another word, Esmyra stalked to the bow of the ship, and Jak wordlessly followed, keeping a few steps back. When she halted at the tip, she climbed atop the rail, balancing on it as she stared out at the water. Her father’s coat fluttered in the night breeze, billowing behind her.
She lifted her arms straight out over the sea as her hair fluttered around her face.
The winds picked up as her power surged in all directions—the waves becoming more violent as every second passed.
And as the sea became a wild storm, she forced her arms out straight at her sides, sending a shockwave through the entire ocean, calling what remained of her crew back to her.
Breath heaving, she leapt down, and when she made eye contact with Jak, an almost prideful smile tilted his lips. “And what be our next move… Captain ?”
Esmyra’s eyes narrowed at the title. With her father gone, she was now acting captain. Her word would now be law aboard The Night Wraith .
Meeting his gaze again, she pursed her lips before saying, “I think it’s time to teach the Phoenix what happens when his flames get a little wet. Aye?”
As pinnaces surged in from the distance, as if carried in by the force of the waves, Jak’s menacing smile grew to match hers. “Aye.”
A day later, the bustling sounds of Lephyrin’s capital buzzed around Esmyra as her crew blended seamlessly with the rowdy night crowd.
With a nod, she signaled them to move. They navigated through the labyrinthine streets of the kingdom, Esmyra’s sharp eyes scanning for any sign of the city guards.
The plan was simple: infiltrate the castle, locate her father, and slay the fire-wielding prince. Her talons ached with the need for revenge.
“The streets will be nearly empty tomorrow evening, yes?” a guard called to another as they waltzed past them without a second glance.
Curiosity got the better of Esmyra, and she moved to follow, despite Jak’s hesitance as he stood guarding her back. She pressed herself against an alley wall and watched, listening.
“Tomorrow is the ball where the prince is to choose a wife, and everyone whose family name holds value will be there.” The man grimaced, turning his nose up at a beggar sitting on the side of the road.
“The castle will be open to all sorts of beings from each kingdom of Rymelle. Unfortunately, we’ll still have to deal with the lot that frequents these parts of the city. ”
Esmyra grinned, seeing a possible way into the castle.
She turned to Jak, who crossed his arms as he leaned up against the brick building they hid in the shadows of. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“Care to play a little dress-up?” She winked.