Prologue
Chapter 0
The night was dark. Storm clouds drowned out the stars as lightning illuminated waves taller than the ship itself. Arthur and Eira huddled together in a corner of the storeroom. If found, they knew they would be killed and the child returned to Ikram. It hurt them to hurt her, but if a rough wave hit the ship or thunder roared loud enough, her cries would give them away to the crew. Eira placed a soft rag in her mouth as she rocked her, unable to keep her asleep. They had brought a sleeping tincture from the lab, but its continued use would act as poison to the small child. Inch by inch, the storeroom started to flood as sailors began running buckets back and forth. Soon, the water rose up to their knees leaving them cold and exposed.
“We can’t just wait here until we drown, Arthur. We have to do something.”
“I know, but what else can we do? We can’t let them take her back, they’ll-”
“I don’t need you to tell me what they’ll do, love. You managed the prisoner cells, I oversaw the experiments.”
“Well either way, this bickering isn’t getting us any closer to a solution, Eira.”
“Bickering?!”
“No no, I didn-”
“It’s fine, Arthur. Just give me some time to think of something.”
The two sat together in a silence that grew more and more painful by the second; every glance betraying their lack of answers. Eventually, Arthur placed his hand gently on Eira’s shoulder.
“What are you doing, Arthur?”
He gave the child a soft kiss on the forehead, her soft hairs tickling his face.
“Say something, Arthur. What are you thinking?”
He embraced Eira, giving her one final kiss. The water had already reached their hips, rising faster and faster. It was clear that the storm alone wasn’t bringing in this much water and the ship must’ve sustained damage on the upper decks. Arthur could see her shivering growing more intense by the minute.
“It’ll be okay Eira. If-”
“Arthur, no.”
“It’s the only chance we have of getting her to Sanctuary. Tofi is the only one that might be able to help her.”
“I won't be able to get her there on my own, Arthur. I need you with me.”
“She won’t be able to crawl there if we’re both dead, Eira. I’ll let them capture me, but I won’t make it easy for them. You’ll have to find a chance to sneak to the next deck and hide again.”
“Arthur, no.”
“I love you. I love you both, but this is the only chance we have, Eira.”
The silence that followed betrayed her hope for any other way forward. As Arthur made his way out of their hiding spot, he noticed that the water around them was unnaturally dark and murkier than the incoming stormwater. His inquisitive mind urged him to investigate further, but he attributed it to a damaged crate or broken barrel. With the rising water, it became easier to swim than to keep wading. Arthur waited for the next batch of deckhands carrying water out and followed through behind them.
The ship’s crew was too small for Arthur to try and blend in with them. Knowing he had little time, he scanned the deck for the most important looking crew member. He saw a well dressed man who must’ve been the captain or quartermaster. Four sailors were playing cards on a table near him, a knife stabbed into one of its corners. Arthur moved towards their corner of the room, not rushing in hopes of not being spotted before he could cause a major scene. He got to the table and grabbed the knife, but before he could do anything, screams rang out from below.