AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I got a boat, you see. ” Tom gave a weighty nod toward it. Nodded back to us. “How do you think I get the goats here? We go through the things pretty quick. ”
It was a flat-bottomed craft, maybe twice the size of Ronan’s rowboat, only this one had an ancient engine to propel it. Old boards walled off one end into a makeshift corral, piled with old hay.
Just right for a girl to escape.
I glanced back at Tom, and the smile in his eyes told me he’d thought the same thing.
This was my chance. It was my moment.
But in that moment, I knew. It was Mei-Ling who would escape, not me.
I went to Tom, putting all my heart and soul in my next question. “Will you take her?”
He scoffed at my intensity. “Why do you think I brought you here? I can fit both you girls. ”
“Not me,” I said. “Not yet. ” I turned to Mei-Ling. “But you need to go. Run. I’ll tell them you’re dead. Your family won’t be safe if the vampires think you’re still alive. ”
She reached out and took my hand. She looked scared and so young. “Come with me. ”
I stared longingly at that boat. I couldn’t go now. I’d faced escape once before only to realize I’d found a place and it was by Carden’s side. Now I knew I’d also found a fight.
I couldn’t leave Eyja næturinnar. I didn’t know who I’d be if I ran away now, but I knew who I’d be if I stayed.
I wouldn’t go down easy. I’d see this through. Help the girls who wanted it. Stick by my friends.
“I need to stay,” I said. “I’m in too deep. I need to figure out who these vampires are. What they are. But first, I need to save Carden. ”
I looked at Mei-Ling, feeling my heart crack. Friends were too rare to be saying good-bye to one so quickly. But I had to put her on that boat. She wouldn’t survive otherwise.
“Be safe. ” I felt emotion threatening, and to stifle it, I went into robot mode, reciting all I knew. “There are shipping lanes throughout the North Sea. Wherever Tom takes you, you can catch a larger boat to Norway, or Iceland, or Scotland. Get food first, though. Jerky, stuff like that. More important is water. You can live for weeks without food, but without water, you’re dead in a few days. Find a boat; then stow away if you have to. But I imagine ships all need kitchen or cleaning staff. Don’t trust anyone. ” I realized she was looking at me funny, and I gave a humorless laugh. “I’ve thought about this a lot. ”
“Apparently. ” She smiled at me until I couldn’t help but smile back.
“One more thing. ” I removed a throwing star from my boot. I couldn’t let her go without some sort of weapon. I handed it to her. “Don’t try to throw it. I mean, you can practice—you should practice—but you never know when you’ll need something sharp. ”
She pushed my hand away. “I can’t take your shuriken. I’ve got those stakes. ”
I pressed the star into her hand. “Stakes won’t cut meat. No, you need a sharp edge. Take it. ”
I’d consider later what the implications were of parting with one of my treasured throwing stars. For now, Mei-Ling needed it more than I did.
Her eyes went to the boat, then back to me. “You sure you won’t come with me?”
“I’m sure. You just find your way home. ”
A peculiar expression washed over her face, and as it did, I watched Mei transform from a child to a young woman. “I won’t be going home,” she said. “I’m going to get revenge. ”
My reaction was instant and vehement. “No way. It’s not safe out there. ”
She shook her head. “I can’t go home. You said it yourself. The vampires will kill my family. ”
Tom had been readying the boat, but apparently he’d been listening because he interjected. “You think I’m a fool? I’m taking her to friends. ”
Friends? I filed that away for later. If I ever saw Tom again, I’d ask who these friends were.
I looked at Mei-Ling, studying her, wondering if this would be the last time I ever saw her. I hoped it wouldn’t. “Maybe this isn’t good-bye. ”
She smiled broadly. “Maybe it’s more like see you later. ”
