Chapter 22

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The early morning sun had risen in the east. Caspian and Elincia were standing inside the bridge of the slaver ship, which overlooked a good portion of the front deck. Only a few people were manning the bridge right now. There was the officer of the watch, a seaman on lookout, and a pilot manning the wheel. All of them were trying to do their tasks, but they would occasionally look at their captain with nervousness shaking their eyes.

"Turn about ship forty-five degrees," the seaman instructed.

"Turning ship forty-five degrees," the pilot said as she turned the wheel.

"We're nearing Dorum Bay," the officer of the watch announced.

Caspian listened to the crew members as they spoke, even as he watched the inlet where he and Elincia had been kidnapped from came closer, or rather, as they came closer to it. The ship they were on was being driven back into Dorum Bay. Of course, they didn't plan on heading back to Dorumhold at this moment, but they at least wanted to reach dry land.

"This is the most humiliating thing that's ever happened to me," Chloe grumbled as she squirmed in her seat, trying to get comfortable. Caspian wished her luck. Not only was she wearing nothing but her underwear, the rope that he and Elincia had bound her with was drawn tightly around her body, including her chest. Every time she moved, the ropes would rub against her breasts, eliciting a pained groan from the woman.

"Considering all the humiliating things you've done to others, I don't think you have any right to complain," Caspian said, even as he continued holding a sword to her throat.

Chloe sighed. "You're such a naughty boy. Tch. You even put one of those collars on me so I can't use Spiritual Evocation."

"Giving you a chance to use Spiritual Evocation is too dangerous," Elincia said. "We'd be stupid to let you have the opportunity."

"Fair point." The woman hummed. She didn't seem at all bothered by her predicament. "And what about my state of undress? Did you two just have a kink you needed fulfilled?"

"We need to make sure you aren't hiding any weapons on you," Caspian answered, though both his and Elincia's cheeks turned red. "A woman as dangerous as you would no doubt have some tricks up her sleeves. In fact, those sleeves of yours were hiding knives in them."

"Hmph. I guess you really have thought of everything," the woman groaned.

"Ma'am, we've entered Dorum Bay," the seaman said.

As the men awaited her orders, Chloe looked at Caspian and Elincia. The displeased frown she wore actually gave Caspian a slight thrill of pleasure. After what this blasted woman put him and Elincia through, he was feeling more than a little sympathetic.

"Have all your men get on the life rafts and disembark," Elincia ordered.

Chloe grimaced. "Do you know how long that is going to take?"

"We don't care," Caspian said. "Just do it."

"Fine," Chloe released a gusty sigh as she resigned herself to her fate.

The process of forcing every member of Chloe's crew to abandon ship took a lot longer than Caspian would have liked. Her ship, The Nauticulus, was quite large. There were many rooms and a crew of about 123 people. There also wasn't any method of informing everyone at the same time, so it had to be done piecemeal. However, Chloe still did exactly what they asked, ordering her men to abandon ship.

Caspian and Elincia stood with the still bound Chloe on the ship's deck, watching as the lifeboats filled with people drifted along the bay. Elincia's solemn expression seemed complicated. He knew this situation was harder on her than it was on him.

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