Heir of Death

Ch. 2: The Cold Within

Cassia had never been so drenched in her entire life. The water seemed to seep into her skin, bloating her fingers, soaking her hair until it felt like the strands would slip from her scalp. Her clothes were glued to her skin, chaffing her raw in several very uncomfortable places.

The cold would never leave her. Of this, she was certain. Her bare, numbed feet slipped on the rocky path, threatening to send her and the Sorveti woman crashing to the ground with each step. Her lungs burned, every breath agony against her cracked ribs.

Behind them, she could hear Askari swearing as he struggled with the unconscious weight of the pirate captain. Cassia imagined she could feel his angry gaze burning into her, but when she looked back, his eyes were always trained on the ground, making sure he didn't trip.

"How much farther?" she called above the deafening pound of rain.

Soo-jin didn't so much as glance sideways, her eyes fixed doggedly forward as she all but dragged Cassia toward the sea cliffs rearing up ahead of them. They had been walking for what felt like miles, moving steadily inland and to the west, searching for shelter. 

When Cassia dared to look down, she found her feet bloodied, cut and scraped by the rocks and bits of shell they walked over. Her knees were weak, her vision blurring and an ache was pounding at her temples and behind her eyes. She needed to rest. So did Askari.

"How much farther?" she repeated, throwing every ounce of command she had left into her voice.

Now Soo-jin looked at her. "If we stay in the rain, we will die. We travel as far as we must."

How practical. Cassia narrowed her eyes at the woman. "If we pass out from exhaustion, we'll freeze to death." She tilted her head toward their destination. "You're sure there will be shelter there?"

Soo-jin heaved Cassia's arm farther up onto her slender shoulders, sending sparks of pain shooting through Cassia's chest. "Yes," she said. "The cliffs have caves. Dry caves with driftwood piled in them."

The thought of a fire was so delicious, Cassia nearly whimpered with longing. She attempted to lengthen her stride. The pain didn't matter. It wouldn't matter to Calix. He would tell her to accept the pain. To do what needed doing in order for her to stay alive.

Soo-jin matched her stride for stride, Askari breathing hard behind them. When she glanced back, she found he had fallen too far behind, slowed by the captain's dead weight. Unsteady as she felt, she pulled away from Soo-jin. "Go help carry him," she said, one arm gripping her throbbing ribs. "I'll keep us headed for the cliffs."

With a bow of her head, Soo-jin turned and rushed back to her captain, sliding under his other arm. Askari's head jerked up and he stared a question at Cassia. She waved a hand and kept walking, knowing if she stopped it would be near impossible to start again.

Swallowing against the metallic taste in her mouth, she stared doggedly at the white cliffs, squinting against the sheeting rain. One step. One more step. Another step. She chanted these words in her head, straining her ears for the sound of someone else's voice.

It probably wasn't a good thing, to want to hear his voice when he so clearly wasn't beside her. But just as it had driven her toward the shore, she knew it would keep her walking. It would keep her alive.

Cassia's brow wrinkled in a frown. That wasn't quite right. That wasn't what he would want. He had taught her how to keep herself alive. He had wanted her to be strong enough to do that. She couldn't disappoint him. A sharp piece of shell stabbed into her foot, drawing blood. Cassia watched as it seeped between her pale, wrinkled toes with each step. It was bright red. That meant she was alive.