Originally posted by Renee Scattergood:
This is from a series of short stories I’ve been posting for the 12 Short Stories Challenge. If you haven’t been following along, you’ll want to start with the first story, The Bridge to Edon.
Tiyana counted the minutes as she waited for Jace. It felt like it had been hours since she heard more than the creaks of the metal contracting now that the sun had set, and the air had cooled. He should have been here. She paced in the small cell, afraid he had been caught.
Soon, she was too tired for pacing and propped herself up in the corner. She didn’t want to fall asleep and risk being groggy when he showed up. She kept nodding off and considered getting back up to pace again, but she was too tired. Finally, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to get a little nap in.
She was half asleep when she was dragged out of the cell the following morning. The sailor had gripped her arm harder than necessary, and she was sure it would leave a bruise.
“Let’s go, girly. We reached port. Time to meet your new owners.”
Tiyana looked around wildly as he dragged her to the upper deck. She gasped when she saw Jace tied to the pole they had tied her to when they found her. His shirt was torn to shreds and wounds from a lash covered his torso.
Tears filled her eyes. He had been caught after all, and she would spend the rest of her life as a slave.
She was taken directly to the auction block, with her arms bound behind her back. She tried to back away when the auctioneer came towards her with a knife.
“Hold still, girl,” he scolded her.
She froze as he gripped the fabric of her dress and began cutting. Then she whimpered when he shoved her towards the front of the small stage so potential buyers could view her. She closed her eyes, crying softly and trying to ignore their leering gazes. She didn’t hear the auctioneer’s words as he and the other men decided her worth.
“Sold!” the auctioneer shouted.
Her eyes popped open just in time to see a fat old man making his way toward her with an expression that made her tremble. The auctioneer led her off the stage and handed her over to her new owner.
“Tiyana,” he said, stroking her face.
It stung where he touched her. Suddenly, it was dark. She sat up and screamed, but it came out muffled. Someone’s hand was over her mouth.
“Tiyana, it’s me. Jace.”
Tiyana relaxed a moment as she reoriented herself.
“That must have been some dream,” Jace whispered in her ear.
She nodded. Jace helped her to her feet, then held her hand as he led her through the ship. He was used to navigating the ship with little to no light. Once they were on the main deck, the moon gave them a small amount of light. They weren’t alone though and quickly hid in the shadows.
When the sailor’s back was turned, Jace gently tugged her arm then motioned for her to follow him. He carefully climbed over the side of the boat, using a metal ladder built into the side. She followed him down the ladder toward the water. When she could hear the rushing of the water as the ship sped through it, she looked down.
There was no boat waiting for them. Did he expect they would swim back to shore? She wanted to ask what his plan was, but she knew her voice would carry, and they’d be captured.
When Jace reached the water, he pushed away from the ship hard. She entered the water moments later and was nearly swept away in the current. She had to wedge her foot in one of the rungs to secure herself. Jace was already disappearing into the distance. She pushed off hard and swam towards him.
She didn’t push hard enough though and was caught up in the current created by the ship. It spun her and dragged her under. She couldn’t figure out which way was up. Her lungs burned for air, but suddenly the water settled, and the light of the moon shone like a guide to the surface.
Jace was gone. The ship was already getting smaller in the distance. She wanted to call out to them, but she feared the sailors were still too close and might hear her. She spun in the water, looking in all directions, but Jace was gone. Tiyana swam in the opposite direction of the ship, but she knew it was hopeless. She was going to die out here.
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