Caelina squinted in the sudden bright light.
“Oh, look at that. Isn’t that sweet?” Neris’s voice crooned as she clomped down the stairs accompanied by several of her deckhands.
Stellan didn’t seem to want to shove Caelina off, possibly for fear of hurting her. Instead, Caelina pushed to roll off of him, landing on the damp floor with a thump.
Neris called out her order before Caelina could get enough momentum to straighten up. “Get them up.”
A couple of burly pirates hauled Caelina and Stellan to their feet.
At the sight of Stellan’s trousers, Neris’s mouth dropped open in glee. “Oh my, I also haven’t seen this in a while.”
Caelina flushed even redder.
Observing their chains had been removed from the pulley, Neris clicked her tongue. “Goodness, you two have been busy down here.” She sidled up to Stellan’s chest again. “I do hope you’ve enjoyed your last moments together. It’s time to go—” She whistled, motioning downward with her finger. “Davy Jones’ locker awaits.”
Glancing back down at Stellan, Neris’s smile turned devious. “I mean, of course, I’m going to have a little bit of fun with him in my quarters one last time first. Then I’m going to throw him into the bottom of the ocean. Perhaps in pieces…” She rubbed her chin in thought before waving her hand dismissively. “I haven’t decided.”
Bile rising in her throat, Caelina’s nausea had nothing to do with the bobbing motion of the boat. She couldn’t believe things were going to end like this. All her life, she’d always strived to be perfect. She’d thought she had to sacrifice everything and be all alone. And now that she’d finally found someone who wanted to be there for her—who had always been there for her, she was about to lose him. She didn’t want to be alone again. Desperately racking her brain for how to fight back, she almost bled herself from clenching her teeth so hard.
One of Neris’s pirates unhooked Stellan’s clamps from the big chain and another deckhand tugged the chain’s other end to attach it to a metal brace affixed on the wall to tether Caelina back with a lot less slack than before.
Neris turned a triumphant gaze at Caelina. “I’ll be back to deal with you shortly.”
Caelina hissed at her in dissent, pulling on the chain with a loud rattle as she struggled.
Neris looked surprised. “I suppose she does have some spirit.” She nudged Stellan’s back to move him forward. “Time to go, my darling.”
Stellan’s eyes were wide as Neris’s men dragged him away. “Caelina!”
“No! Stellan!” Caelina cried out. Grunting, she strained against the metal clamps to try to make her fingertips touch again but it was no use. She couldn’t wake her magic. She was useless.
Neris was right about her. She was frail and weak. For the first time, Caelina reckoned that perhaps Soleia had been on the right track undergoing warrior training as well as mage training, as surely, some strength on her part should at least help her in this situation.
Caelina chewed on her lips again.
The hold was a dead end. Caelina would need to be on the ship’s deck to at least have any hope of escaping. She had to make the pirates bring her upstairs too. She had to find a way. Somehow.
Neris was already unstable and obsessed with Stellan. Perhaps Caelina could play to that.
Before Neris’s party reached the top of the stairs, Caelina nearly stammered as she called out. “Fine! You’ll never satisfy him anyway!”
Neris halted in mid-stride and spun around in rage. “What?”
Caelina stuck her haughty chin out. “You call me frail and weak but you don’t know what Stellan likes. Not surprising since he did leave you for me. I am clearly better at making him feel good. He probably doesn’t even work as hard for you.”
Stellan’s jaw dropped.
Neris’s eyes nearly popped out of her head, her face turning purple. “What the hell are you talking about? You haven’t even been with him yet.”
“What makes you say that?” Caelina asked, offhand. “Of course I’ve been with him already. What? Do you think our distance from each other in the village isn’t a mask to hide our physical relationship? Are you that gullible too?”
Stellan visibly swallowed.
“You are incredibly way off!” Neris’s high-pitched screech was of a wailing animal, grating on their ears. “Are you completely delusional to believe that a weak little waif like you is better at satisfying Stellan than me?”
Caelina snorted. “Am I?”
Neris’s eyes blazed. “Do you want me to prove it to you? I’ll prove it to you. I can show you just how much pleasure I give him. I’ll give him so much pleasure, he’ll feel me for days.” Her eyes lit up at her next claim. “I’ll give him so much pleasure, his enemies will feel it!”
Stellan looked alarmed. “What? No, look, Neris, you don’t need to prove anything.” He shot Caelina a look of disbelief, his question hoarse. “What the hell are you doing?”
Caelina shrugged, trying to mask her panic under some thick audacity. “What? She needs to know about these things so she can improve herself for the next unsuspecting victim or man, whichever they may be.”
“Shut up!” Neris snapped. “I’ve had just about enough of you.” She waved her arm as a signal to the others to move out before she glared back at Caelina one last time. “I’ll make sure you regret those words. Count on it.” She whirled around with a huff.
“No! Wait—!” Caelina surged forward but the chains held her back.
The trapdoor shut again and darkness engulfed the hold.
Caelina let out an aggravated yell. Dejected and nearly paralyzed with dread, she blew out a breath and slumped against the wooden brace. Also, fake bravado was exhausting.
Her spirits sank. Soon, Stellan would also sink—to the bottom of the ocean. And even if Neris had promised that she was going to take Caelina back to Ipera, Caelina might have antagonized her a little too much by now to change Neris’s mind.
Caelina was going to be killed.
Tortured and killed.
Her eyes welling up, her chest constricting, Caelina swallowed hard. She could barely tamp down the overwhelming wave of hopelessness and despair coming over her. However much she tried to fight it, she simply wanted to collapse and cower in the corner.
Just then the trapdoor slammed open once more and Caelina’s gaze shot up toward the light.
Foy poked his head through the hole, his grin still sly. “The captain’s changed her mind. She wants you to watch.”