Chapter 9

9

Water came out of nowhere, pounding against the ship in a violent tempest that threatened to rip The Viper to shreds. Then came the wind. It howled and spun around them, flinging water in waves as it slammed the crew against poles and ripped ropes free of their mooring. Jai tried to yell out a warning, but the wind snatched it away.

It was the worst storm Jai had seen in the years he had traveled the Lotus River . By the time it ended, his magic was depleted, and his muscles trembled with fatigue.

As did every member of the crew.

He wiped water from his face and shoved back his wet hair. “ What’s the damage?” he asked Priya when she approached, looking just as weary as he felt.

“ Two holes on the portside. One on starboard. They’re being patched now.”

He held her gaze. “ The cargo?”

She licked her lips and looked away.

“ Priya ,” he pressed.

“ We weren’t able to assess the damage until it was over.”

Jai’s stomach clenched as he thought about Arya . Had she drowned? Was she injured? “ Priya .”

She inhaled deeply and blew out a breath before looking at him. “ Seven dead. Two impaled by debris. The others drowned.”

It wasn’t the first time he would arrive short of his quota, but it still wasn’t ideal. Seven was significant. He waited to hear more, and it bothered him that Priya didn’t give an update. Finally , he asked, “ What of Arya and the human?”

“ Not any worse for wear.”

Jai didn’t want to think what would happen if Arya died before they reached their destination. His Masters wanted their pound of flesh and to make an example out of her. He refused to consider how they might do that. Mostly because he had experienced some of it himself.

“ They need to know about the cargo. The sooner, the better,” Priya said.

He and Priya had decided long ago that she would be the envoy to the Masters . Jai could’ve sent one of the other crew members, but he trusted Priya to deliver the truth. It was better for everyone that way. Yet he hated that she had to interact with them. She never complained, but he knew she suffered all the same.

Jai felt the ship struggling while being repaired. “ I’ll go this time.”

“ It’s my duty.”

“ I’m the captain. It falls to me.”

She stepped closer, her hands on her hips and her face stern. “ Captains don’t leave their ships. We came to that decision when we started this.”

“ It’s seven, Priya . Seven ,” he stressed. “ That’s the most we’ve ever lost. I don’t know how they’ll react or what they might do.”

She glanced away, swallowing hard. “ It’ll be fine. Maybe they won’t care too much since we have Arya . I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Priya was gone before Jai could stop her. He should’ve forced her to rest before traveling. Not that she would’ve listened. He rubbed his tired eyes and returned his attention to the river. He knew the moment the crew finished patching the holes since he felt the ship glide easier in the river once more.

Hours passed slowly. Elves Above used the position of the sun to gauge time. In the Below , Dark Elves used a water clock. Their days were slightly longer than those Above , not that the other elven races cared. Jai’s gaze went to the water clock again and again as the time passed excruciatingly slow. With every hour that passed without Priya’s return, his worry mounted.

He rotated the crew to allow them to rest while he remained. He handed over the helm only after each of them had slept. He stripped out of his wet clothes and was asleep before his head hit his pillow.

Jai woke to find he had only slept for three hours. He rose and donned clean clothes before heading to the galley. Once his belly was full, he returned to the helm. He didn’t look for Priya . She would’ve sought him out had she returned. His worry doubled. He’d known they would be angry about the cargo loss. It’s why he’d wanted to deliver the news.

“ Cap’n ?” the second mate called as he approached. The barrel-chested Dark kept his white hair shaved but wore his beard long.

Jai nodded in Anil’s direction. “ Are the patches holding up?”

“ They are. We’ve bailed the water out of the cargo areas.”

“ Please , tell me there are no more fatalities.”

Anil shook his head.

Jai frowned. “ What is it?”

“ Your elven prisoner is ill.”

“ I saw the bruise. She probably mouthed off to Priya .”

He shook his head. “ She’s not able to keep even water down.”

“ Seasick ?”

“ Aye , Cap’n .”

Jai motioned for Anil to take the helm as fear clenched his stomach. However , he wasn’t sure if it was because Arya was ill or because he didn’t want to arrive with her dead. “ I’ll see to her.”

He grabbed his bag of herbs from his quarters and a cup of water. He gathered his shadows and jumped right outside her door. The shadows fell away to the sound of retching. Jai looked through the window of the door to find Arya wiping her mouth before slumping sideways onto the floor with her eyes closed.

He used the shadows to enter the room. Jai made sure they didn’t touch her as they moved away, allowing him to take in her sallow complexion, which made the bruises stand out even more. Then there was her gaunt frame, telling him she had been sick for some time.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open, and her gaze met his. She attempted to rise twice before giving up. Her lids lowered as her face creased with pain. Jai added the herbs to the water and gently stirred it with his finger. They were made specifically for him, which made it difficult to determine how much she might need.

Then he knelt by Arya’s head and gently lifted her, bringing the mug to her mouth. “ Drink .”

She turned her head away and moaned.

“ The herbs will help,” he urged.

When the cup touched her lips this time, she parted them. Jai carefully allowed a little water to dribble in. She swallowed, her eyes remaining shut. He had barely gotten any more in before she gagged, and it all came up.

Jai clenched his jaw. Why hadn’t Priya told him that Arya was sick? But he knew the answer. Priya’s hatred for Arya went just as deep as his did. She had probably wanted Arya to suffer before helping. Priya should’ve done something the moment she returned and found Arya in such a state.

He began the process all over again. This time, he was slower in getting the water down her throat. After she swallowed, he let it settle. She had yet to open her eyes. Her ear tips were missing, her hair was a messy tangle, and her clothes were dirty—a vast difference from the elf he had kidnapped.

“ Drink a little more,” he urged.

Sip by sip, he got the healing water into her, and he had to hold her all the while. It took far longer than he would’ve liked. A short time later, her breathing became easier and soon evened into sleep. He gently laid her head down and removed his hand. But he didn’t rise.

Jai ran the backs of his fingers along her jaw. How could he hold such hatred for an individual, yet still feel such attraction for them? A hunger that wouldn’t loosen its hold on him. It tightened and grew, engulfing him in desire. Lust licked his skin. His balls tightened, and blood shot to his cock.

He wanted her. Desperately . He wished it wasn’t so, but there was no denying it. At one time, he would’ve given his life for her. But she had thrown that away. She had used him, and he had been too blinded by her beauty and his feelings to see through her machinations until it was too late.

It had been a hard lesson. One that had scarred him deeply. He kept the depth of his pain to himself, not sharing it with even Priya . It was too personal, too private to be revealed. For the most part, he shoved it away, but every year on the anniversary of Arya’s deception, he allowed the anguish to creep in.

Soon , she would know the agony he had endured. He was supposed to feel relief at that. And he did. Sort of. It was challenging to look at her and ignore the love that had once bloomed within him. A love she had snubbed.

She was the one who had decided he didn’t mean anything. And she would pay for that.

He stood and gathered his shadows.

“ About time you did something,” the human said through the wall.

Instead of returning to the helm, he moved into the human’s cell. He found her against the back wall, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at him.

He took a menacing step toward her. “ Do you not understand your precarious position?”

“ I understand that you’ve abducted me and plan to hand me over to others to be studied.”

“ Most would be cowering in the corner.”

She lifted her chin a notch. “ I’m not most.”

“ So I’m gathering. A word of warning, human. Show respect when you stand before your new Masters , or things will go very badly for you.”

She barked a laugh. “ Do you think it’s my first time being taken against my will?”

“ Enjoy what little freedom you have while you can.”

“ What kind of elf enslaves his own people?”

Jai called the shadows and returned to the top deck, the human’s words echoing in his ears, her judgment clear. He took the helm once more, but as he looked out over the river, he kept seeing Arya’s pale face, kept feeling her limp body in his arms.

“ Anil ,” he called to his second mate. “ Check on the prisoner in an hour.”

“ Aye , Cap’n .”

Jai needed to stay far away from Arya before he gave in to his desires. He shifted his worry to Priya , who still hadn’t returned. He couldn’t lose her. The storm was no one’s fault, but the Masters wouldn’t see it that way. They never did. All that mattered were the deliveries.

He’d stopped trying to figure out why they wanted so many slaves some time ago. About the same time he accepted what he was. And asking about anything was strictly forbidden. Those who dared were never seen again.

The hours dragged by. Jai remained at the helm, long into the evening. Anil reported that Arya continued to sleep. There was still no sign of Priya . They neared the Whispering Channel . It was one of the most treacherous places on the river and one Jai had never sailed through without Priya . His nerves were stretched taut, his gut churning with dread. And he wasn’t the only one. The crew didn’t take to their quarters, preferring to remain on deck with him.

It was the wee hours of the morning when a sound came from behind him. Jai whirled around to find Priya collapsing as her shadows faded. Jai shouted to the crew and rushed to her.

He hesitated to touch her when he saw all the blood. “ Priya ?” he called. “ Fuck . What did they do to you?”

Her eyes cracked open, and she smiled, splitting her busted lip open. “ I’ll be fine.”

“ Aye , you will.” He gathered her in his arms and hurried to her quarters.

Jai laid her on the bed and went to the shelf where she kept her pack of herbs. He added them to a cup of water and mixed it before holding it to her lips as he had done with Arya hours before.

“ I should’ve gone,” he said, more to himself than to her.

Priya’s yellow eyes met his, and she repeated, “ I’ll be fine.”

“ You shouldn’t have been punished.”

“ That isn’t how they see it, and you know it.”

Jai rose and ran a hand down his face when she finished drinking. He rinsed out the cup, and when he turned around, she was sleeping. He covered her with a blanket and quietly walked out, closing the door behind him.

The crew was waiting for him.

“ She’s resting,” he told them. He looked at the sails, a bad feeling forming. “ We’ve all been down this river dozens of times, but that last storm was the worst I’ve ever been through.”

There were murmurs of agreement and head nods.

“ We’re too close to the channel, and I don’t want to chance going through while down a crew member. Lower the sails until Priya is back on her feet. If we need to, we’ll drop anchor.”

The crew jumped to carry out his command. The ship slowed, but the river was moving fast. Too fast. Jai had no choice but to throw the anchor. Within moments, The Viper jerked to a halt.

Jai didn’t know if the gods were taking their anger out on him for some offense or testing him. It was clear that something had gone wrong. He couldn’t sail through the Whispering Channel now, but if another storm hit, they might not be able to lift the anchor in time.

It was a chance he had no choice but to take.