Jane is fading, and the comfort of not being alone almost has the opposite effect of keeping her alive. It’s soothing her into that eternal darkness.
I enter the stormy night as the cold rain wets swiftly chills the steel of my armor, looking for the closest path to the ocean. Ritter spots the two of us, fear overtaking any and all fight within him.
One of the spars cracks at the base as, slowly collapsing in a warning to that it crush all those underneath. The rope around Ritter’s leg spindles up quickly, but he doesn’t notice; he’s only focused on the dying woman in my arms. I can’t drop Jane to save him, already knowing I’d choose her over anyone here if it came to it.
Ritter realizes what’s happening, but it’s too late.
I hold Jane closer, ducking her vision away from what’s about to happen in case she can still see. Just as the rope nearly tightens around Ritter to slingshot him into the air, it suddenly doesn’t, despite the spar continuing to crash down, taking out ropes and masts with it.
Basilisk dove to cut at the ropesrightas it almost took the Scorpion, rolling into a standing position to brace himself to block an attack from another.
“RASMUS!” I shout.
Gutting his attacker, he moves quickly to me, his face darkened from soot and blood. “I need you to take Jane! Someone needs to be with her who can feel Misery. Keep her in the waters with the sirens until I’m with you!”
He doesn’t question any moment of that order, receiving Jane as I pass her over, ensuring her head is supported until he has a secure grip. The ship sways again with a wave, and he lets himself slide right off the side off the ship, carrying away the precious woman that everyone severely underestimated, and I’ll ensure that they reap the carnage of their mistake.
I won’t leave this ship until I knowno oneis coming to haunt Jane again.
R I T T E R
Asense of finality struck me harder than anticipated as I watched someoneelserescue my daughter, with the same fervor I once had when rescuing Nora, all those years ago.
I don’t have time to thank Basilisk for saving my life just now, trusting that Soren knows what he’s doing with Jane.She’s alive. The sirens will take care of her. Cypress promised.
Cutting my way through those that remain, I re-center my aggression as I shout out to Jesper while he hides behind a wall of Blackwell’s men. This damn body of mine is worthless without the training, knowing I can’t get to him on my own?—
The large figure of Soren enters my vision, pulverizing the pirates with either his weapons or his body, Bones right behind him, and then Basilisk joins.
It’s a fast clash of wet steel, until I spot an opening to reach Jesper, who is bickering about getting into the reserve boat, only to yell out a counter point that the sirens will take them under if they touch the ocean.
“Where is Morvock!” one shouts as I near them while trying not to slide off the deck. I’ve earned the right to hone in on my target while the younger men handle the rest.
Jesper shouts, “He fucking left us!” They near the side of the ship, and one screams out, “There’s sirens in the water!”
I laugh at their futility, the smile not reaching my eyes. My heart races faster, so damn close to the revenge my family needs.
Jesper glances around in a clear attempt to search for an answer until he spots me, fear washing over him as if he’s never been truly terrified before. He fumbles for a dagger from his waist, rotating it inward on himself, and I know what he’s about to do.
The siren’s suicide; killing oneself is preferred to the siren’s curse.
No he fucking doesn’t.
I dive forward with my entire weight, my arm intersecting his blade right as it reaches his body, penetrating my entire wrist as I cry out when I see the metal sink into my flesh, severing the ability to use my fingers.
Jesper collapses to the ground with my attack as we both lie on the soaking deck. Jesper’s laugh rents the air, his one visible eye manic, only for me to use my other hand to remove a blade atmy thigh, cutting at one of his knees as his cackle morphs into a hollering pain.Try escaping now, you cunt.
I cannot die without knowing Jesper faces pure torment, and he willnotbe graced with the mercy of dying today. My wrist still bleeds profusely, the blade sticking out of my arm, but I’ll plunge over the edge with him if I have to.
“What are you doing?” Jesper asks with panic, reaching for his knee.
“Giving you to the sirens,” I declare, the raging inferno reflecting against his eye, his skin and clothes glistening as I slowly rise up to stand over him, his weapon still in my flesh.
“Please,” he pleads, trying to move but Bones appears and stompshardwith his boot on Jesper’s chest, whose mouth expands wide in a forced exhale. He tries to catch his breath, glaring at me. “Think of the life you’re about to commit me to. Themisery.”
“And what aboutmymisery?” I lean down, holding up my fucked up wrist as if to showphysicalpain means nothing to me. “My wife wasmurderedon your orders. And what of my daughter’s life? OfJane’ssuffering? Of the mother you robbed her of?” I spit in his face. “My only regret is I will die before you and be unable to witness your torture centuries from now.”
Abject horror spreads on Jesper’s face as I realize he sees Soren nearing us, as if the Zenith is death incarnate. Bones lifts his boot as Soren grabs Jesper by the neck, picking him up with one hand as the pompous cunt struggles to breathe. “You killed Anya,” Soren rasps, and Jesper sputters something useless out. “And you planned to use Jane, toassaulther. To destroy her dignity.” Soren brings Jesper closer to his face, his mask utterly stolid but the striking eyes underneath are incensed with fury. “You werenevergoing to survive that.Iam your fucking reckoning, not the god you hid behind.” Soren drops his gaze. “Go ahead, Bones.”
