Page 27 of Black Sea

“Because they are pirates!” I dropped to my knees by the edge of the raft and tossed Amlach a fiery look. “ Row!”

He made an annoyed face and knelt, diving his oar into the water. “I didn’t know they were pirates,” he growled.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” I shouted, rowing furiously.

“I thought you’d like the surprise.”

I scowled at him. “Instead, you have revealed our presence to men who will enslave us if they catch us.”

“I know,” he hissed through gritted teeth.

I quickly glanced over my shoulder. The galleon had gotten much closer. We were rowing against the tide, and despite my strength, each stroke felt like sinking into a sea of heavy sand.

“They’re gaining on us,” Amlach said, and I could hear a hint of fear in his angry voice.

“They have a favorable wind,” I ground out.

There was no point in running away. We had no chance of getting through it. There was only one thing we could do.

Fight.

So, I pulled the oar out of the water and set it on the raft, sitting on my heels. “Amlach, stop,” I said peremptorily, staring straight ahead with a determined look.

“What?” he yelled, astonished. “Are you crazy? They’re basically on us! Start rowing again!”

“I said stop,” I commanded with a stern stare. I paused to let the unspoken meaning of my words sink in. “Save your energy.”

Amlach froze up. He held my gaze, and once he understood what I meant, he frowned and angrily threw the oar onto the beams. He sat back on his heels with a snort.

We stared at each other keenly, as if I were trying to infuse him with all my superhuman strength, and he was absorbing it.

My eyes stayed on his for what felt like ages, until a large shadow cast over us, breaking that intimate and intense connection that had made my heart race.

Amlach and I clung to the raft, our nails digging into the wood, as the waves caused by the approaching ship violently swung us.

The sailing ship, as dark as ebony, towered beside us in all its grandeur, making me feel small like an ant. It was so different from the elven boats, which seemed light enough to glide over the water. This ship, by contrast, had a heavy, sturdy appearance, giving it an almost unsinkable look. It featured a sharp stern with tall decorations and a bow with a spur supporting the bowsprit, which extended diagonally across the hull deck. Additionally, it had four other masts. The quarterdeck was decorated with wooden statues of sirens and other sea creatures, along with red hatches for cannons. The figurehead portrayed a fish-woman who, crying, leaned toward the sea as if longing to return to its depths.

Many heads looked down from the parapet.

“Drop the anchor!” someone cried.

Gradually, the water settled around the now-stationary galleon, and our raft became stable again, enabling Amlach and me to stand up.

I glanced at the pirates’ snarling faces as they yelled and whistled—they knew they had found a valuable prize—and I searched in vain for their possible captain.

Within seconds, two lifeboats were attached to the ropes to be lowered into the sea.

The creaking of the pulleys was drowned out by the loud screams and the violent blows from countless hands and boots pounding on the ship’s wood.

Amlach breathed furiously, his eyes fixed on the two boats slowly descending. “You know what, Elf?” he said in a biting tone. “I’m starting to think that maybe it would have been better to die from drowning on that plain.”

I glanced sideways at him, then quickly checked the sun’s position. Lastly, my eyes swept over the sea behind us. If we tied ourselves with Amlach’s rope, I could use all my strength to swim us away. By going underwater for a few stretches, perhaps we might outrun the galleon.

“Go,” Amlach said suddenly, his voice firm.

Confused, I cut him another glance.

He looked down at me with a bitter half-smile. “There’s nothing more you can do to save me.”