Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Author For all tropes, tags, and CWs, please check the author website.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
JULIETTE
Kidnapping myself was the easy part. I know the guards’ schedules like the back of my hand. I grew up in the castle, dodging nannies and tutors in favor of playing in the cove where the waves kiss the rocky shore. I left my pack tucked behind one of my mother’s rosebushes, filled with enough gold sewn into the lining to make my back ache, some snacks, and a particularly inspired piece of lingerie to impress Maura with.
I made it to the docks in record time and identified the agreed-upon ship, a wicked-looking one with a mermaid carved into the bow and nine-pointed star on the sails. The Drowning Maid. The captain even welcomed me warmly, walking into his quarters…
Where he chained me to the desk and left.
“It seems I’ve made a mistake.” This was only supposed to be a pretend kidnapping, a way to get me out of the castle and far enough from land to use the piece of eight I may or may not have lifted off that Cŵn Annwn ambassador. I was going to impress Maura with my cleverness so she’d see that I am finally a worthy partner.
Unfortunately, it looks like I’m going to need a rescue after all.
The ship sways a bit. My stomach flips; we must be leaving the docks. I’m not an innocent, no matter that I’ve lived my entire life in the castle I was born in. I know what men like these are capable of. I’ve read the books and listened to the reports delivered to my father. I’d like to think these pirates aren’t the same kind of men as the ones from those reports, but this kidnapping has become unfortunately nonconsensual.
If we reach the open sea…
Damn it, there’s no help for it. Guess I have to be Maura’s damsel in distress.
With a muttered curse, I twist around to reach the ring on my chained hand. It’s a lovely thing, though its bronze is slightly discolored with age. The sapphire isn’t particularly large, but it’s clear and pretty.
I hesitate, but there’s no time to waste. Maura’s ship, The Kelpie, was last seen half a world away. Even with magic speeding the journey, it might take her days to reach me.
If she even comes…
No, I can’t think like that. Maura will come for me. She gave me this ring the last time I saw her, sixteen and filled with so much hope for the future. I can still feel the sun on my face and her strong hand gripping mine as she slid it onto my finger.
A promise, love. I might not be back for a while, not until I’ve made a name for myself, but I will be back for you. If you need me, I will come for you.
Even though so much has changed between us in the time since then, surely that hasn’t. I didn’t doubt that she’d still want me when I put this plan into place, and I can’t doubt it now.
Before I can talk myself out of it—and I’m very good at talking myself into and out of things—I twist the gem until I feel a click. I inhale, and magic courses out in a pulse that makes my skin buzz.
No taking it back now.
I arrange my robe around me and slump back against the desk. This is so ridiculous.
The ship sways as we continue to cut through the water. I haven’t traveled much outside of one-day excursions, and my stomach makes a sickening dip in time with the waves.
Oh gods, am I going to get seasick?
Truly, this is a mess of epic proportions.
To distract myself, I look around the cabin. It’s nice enough, I suppose. I don’t know what a captain’s quarters normally look like. These might have started quite luxurious, but there’s wear and tear visible everywhere from the pitted wooden floor beneath me to the chipped and stained desk that smells faintly of stale alcohol, to the shabby hammock that hangs in the corner. There’s another smell that I want nothing to do with coming from that corner.
I…did not think this through.
The swaying of the ship picks up until it feels like we’re skimming over the waves. The lurch makes my stomach twist and spiral.
I examine the chains. I could pick the lock…probably…but that’s only a temporary solution.
Still, better than nothing.
The captain didn’t search me before he locked me in here, so it only takes a few minutes to work the lock with the picks in my pocket. It clicks open almost silently. “Well, that’s something.”
I stand and shake my hand a bit, working the tingles out. I suppose the next thing to do is find a weapon. The thought makes me sigh. My father’s weapons master says I’m hopeless at combat. Too distractible. Too often spouting quick quips instead of finding my opponent’s weakness and exploiting it.