Page 75 of Death’s Kiss (The Order of the Tide Raiders #1)
“ Olsson, ” she gasps out his name like a plea and I stumble back a step.
“What in the depths are you talking about? He’s your—well—and you guys are—well— yeah ? Surely he wouldn’t—you know—would he?” I trip over the words, not believing I even gave them permission to leave my mouth in the first place. Why am I asking questions now?
The fuck is wrong with me?
Corvina’s gaze sharpens as she begins recovering herself from whatever sort of mental undoing is clearly ensuing. “Depths you're an idiot—even for a castaway.” She snorts angrily. “It’s honestly a marvel that you manage to breathe and walk at the same time.”
"I don't understand," I say, easily dodging her shoddy foot swipe.
“That’s the worst part of it.” Her voice is soft and bitter, while rage gleams freely in her gaze.
My brow creases before making contact again with the spine of my blade against her exposed side. She gasps at the impact before letting out a somewhat manic laugh in regards to my outward confusion .
“You truly don’t have any idea.” Something in her tone makes me pause at the unexpected layer of sadness it possesses.
“You can’t possibly know why I hate you and yet I hate you all the same.
If not infinitely more because of it.” Corvina’s body begins to tremble, the weapon in her hand shaking with vigor.
I halt my footwork long enough to give her a very queer look.
This conversation is so vastly different from any of my interactions I’ve had thus far with Captain Leporem that I feel as though it's happening to someone else. Maybe it is. Maybe I’m in a dream.
Maybe I’ll wake up in my bunk to find this day hasn’t even begun yet.
“Now I’m as good as dead. And it’s all because of you !” she snarls in a fit of rage before hurling the knife of mine she’s stolen directly for my heart
I very narrowly manage to dodge the incoming weapon. Returning to my feet, I look towards Corvina with bewildered eyes. I’ve finally fucking had it. “WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?” I shout in sheer frustration.
She doesn't answer and instead goes for another foot swipe. This one I’m not expecting.
I hit the ground hard and hiss at the impact reverberating along my bones.
Captain Leporem is on top of me with brutal efficiency.
Her mouth curls upwards before she lunges low.
I’m certain that she’s aiming another deathblow for my gut so I move to block her.
I’m not at all expecting her lips to press themselves down upon my own. What. The. Fuck.
My eyes fly wide and I emit a startled sound of shock that seems to yank the unraveling captain back into reality. Corvina stares down at me and my completely horrified expression of pure shock. I find her gaze searching my face is brimming with loathing and something a lot like longing .
The rest of her person quickly reflects a deep, dark shade of incriminating scarlet. Shoving her off and away from me doesn’t take much effort at all.
“Sweet fucking Soteria ,” I stammer to no one in particular while getting to my feet, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Well, that settles it then. This is a dream—a hallucination of some sort— right ? No shot in all the drowned depths is this my current reality.
Corvina wastes no time in jolting up onto her heels and lunging for me again.
Deflecting her doesn’t take nearly as much skill as it should.
Shaking my breathless head at her undone state, I feel no satisfaction in my next maneuver.
I drop low while slipping out a second blade and deftly slice through the skin above her unsuspecting ankle.
Her scream of pain rings out into the hollow room like a holy bell. The kneeling tune is swiftly followed by her growl of fresh rage. “I'm going to fucking murder you, squid ,” she promises through a menacing hiss.
I'm already running.
I sprint back towards the opposite opening with Corvina’s blood still fresh on my blade. Her struggling footfalls sound from behind and I don’t slow a single stride. My hand runs down the crimson weapon before smearing the stolen salt of hers right across the glowing script.
Corvina’s injured form manages to drag itself before my archway just as the stone is resealing it's last few exposed inches. Unfortunately, the slim crevice remaining provides just enough space for a dagger to escape it.
The rogue blade shines like a beacon in the night before sinking into the space right above my heart. The last thing I see is the slash of a grim smile and the sparkle of satisfied emerald eyes before the archway closes fully.
My knees hit the ground.
The world has become a spinning blur of light and dark. And it's not because of my injury. The world is really, truly spinning. The patch of fossilized kórall beneath me is the only solid thing as the walls rise up and up and up until finally everything moves sideways.
The unexpectedly harsh pull flings me to the ground.
I thankfully have the good sense to fall backwards and avoid pushing the blade in further.
The burning pain screaming from inside my chest tells me that this is most definitely not a dream nor even a hallucination. Which means Corvina really did kiss me.
Fucking depths .
I snort in bewilderment while picturing my crew's faces when recounting this shit.
Once the world mercifully stops moving, I sit up through my agony in order to survey my new surroundings. The only difference I find is that where once was a dead-end wall is now an opening. A brief glance reveals it to be some sort of entrance to a dim looking passageway.
The passageway runs past the room I occupy, like some sort of hall. Or perhaps what I occupy is really more of an alcove. However none of that really matters if I bleed out.
Coming back to my knees, I remove the supplies Davina packed me from my pockets and waist. I don’t need to make it pretty. I just need to stabilize the wound before meeting up with my crew again. If I can make it past this next checkpoint, then Vi can get her hands on it, and all will be well.
I just have to get the knife out first.
Easy.