Chapter 14: Finally
The silence that followed the departure of the other ship was almost more deafening than the chaos that had preceded it. Elena remained under the bed for what felt like an eternity, her cheek pressed against the cold, salt-dusted wood of the floorboards. Every creak of the hull sounded like Lux’s polished boots returning to finish the job. She squeezed her eyes shut, her mind racing back to the sun-bleached plains she called home. She missed the simple, honest smell of the soil and the low, comforting lowing of the animals. Even Jackson’s stern, weathered face—which had often seemed so terrifying in the shadows of their small hut—now felt like a beacon of safety compared to the predatory glint in Lux’s eyes.
When would this nightmare end? She felt like a piece of gold being tossed between the hands of greedy men, none of whom truly saw her as a person, but rather as a map to a dead man’s ghost.
"Elena... it’s safe. They’re gone."
The voice was low, vibrating through the floorboards before it reached her ears. She didn't move at first, her eyes fixed on the heavy leather boots that had just entered the room. They weren't polished like Lux’s; they were scuffed and worn, smelling of sea spray and old leather.
"Are you sure?" she whispered, her voice cracking.
"I'm sure," Kai replied, his voice softening as he knelt down beside the bed so she could see his face. "Their sails are already shrinking on the horizon. They won't be coming back tonight."
"That man... Lux... he sounded like he didn't believe a word you said," she said, her brow furrowed as she slowly began to untangle herself from the cramped space.
"Lux is a man who suspects his own shadow of lying to him," Kai said, reaching out a hand to help her. "But he is also arrogant. He saw a messy room and a 'weak' captain, and it satisfied his ego enough to move on. You are safe, Elena. I promise you."
I don't feel safe, she thought, her heart still hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. I'm still on a ship of thieves, caught in a war of legacies I never asked for. But as she looked at Kai, she realized with a jolt of reluctant honesty that she didn't want to be anywhere else—not if it meant being in Lux's hands.