The Lion of the Sea (The Maiden Ship Book 2) by Micheline Ryckman

Author:Micheline Ryckman [Ryckman, Micheline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Whimsical Publishing
Published: 2021-02-06T18:30:00+00:00

The water felt nearly as warm as the air—it seemed everything down here must be heated by some kind of underground spring. Sable waded all the way in, relishing the sensation. Elden had taken Idris to a different pool, well out of sight, and it was the first time she’d been alone in weeks. The privacy was delicious, and the bath was luxurious. She’d never been given more than a small bowl of cold water in her cell at the fortress, and before that, living on board The Maiden, she’d only had sponge baths. Now, as the dirt sloughed off her skin, Sable tried to let go of everything she’d endured. She’d had plenty of years of practice dealing with trauma—an entire childhood, in fact—and she was practical enough to know that things were not likely to get easier, especially once they surfaced again. So, she forced herself to focus on the good, on the things that would give her strength right now. It was a miracle that she’d been rescued, a miracle that she’d been given a chance to return to the ones she loved. She tipped her chin toward the glittering, cathedral-like ceiling. I am safe in this moment. I am free—

Her meditation was interrupted by a sudden cry downriver. Sable couldn’t see them, but she could hear Idris screaming while Elden laughed. “You’re going in, there’s no two ways about it. I won’t let you drown; I’ve got a tight grip on the rope.” A loud splash reverberated through the cavern, followed by sputtering protests. Sable couldn’t resist a grin. The boy had been forced to come with them, and she knew he resented her for it, but she’d also seen some lines of relief etched into his expression during their more peaceful moments in the recovery cave. The child was probably torn between the joy of being free of the emperor, and the guilt of leaving his sister behind. Sable’s smile faded—poor Idris. When Elden and the witch had come for her, she just couldn’t leave him to be tormented. She’d reasoned through her choices, and she hoped the emperor had no purpose for torturing Idris’s sister now—what good would it do with no one there to be affected by it? Hopefully the girl was better off without her brother nearby. Hopefully.

Sable dunked her head under the water, vigorously scrubbing at her hair. In the past, for the sake of constant travel, she’d always kept her hair cropped short, but while living on The Maiden, she’d let it grow. Dain seemed to love curling his fingers through it, and because of that, she couldn’t bring herself to cut it again. The chestnut curls hung just at her shoulders now, a thick curtain of waves—full of mud. When she finally broke the surface again, the water surrounding her had turned a gruesome brown. She groaned in disgust. It took several more dives before the water ran clear.

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