ECLIPSE, grishaverse

ii. true colors

THE FIRST THING SHE NOTICED was the slap of water on the hull, an unpleasant smell filled her nostrils as her eyes started to open and focused on the surroundings. Her heart started racing at the unknown view of the dark cabin. She forced herself to sit up straight and she noticed her wrists being shackled, what took her a whole lot more of energy. She saw a red silhouette in the corner, they took a step closer to the bed with a cup in their hands. She saw his face: Ivan.

"Drink." he demanded, the cup close to her lips now as he was pushing the water closer. She didn't move. But of course, he wasn't going to give up that easily. He used his Heartrender gifts to open her mouth and pour the water in. She tried to spit it out, but he wouldn't let her.

Another person came in, this time a girl dressed in purple silks, Fabrikator she thought. The female nodded and like an unspoken conversation, Ivan took Yelena's arm and dragged her to a hatch that led to the deck above.

Yelena blinked at the bright like from the day. The whaler was lumbering along at a full sail driven forward three Grisha Squallers, they stood by the masts with their arms raised and blue keftas flapping around their legs. She noticed other Grisha just walking and talking around, while the ship's crew were actually working, most of them were barefoot.

As they walked, Grisha and crewmen alike turned to stare at her. Some looked surprised or curious, but others were scared. Some avoided her eyes. Probably because of her angry face and furrowed brows. Ivan led her to the prow of the ship, her still dark eyes scanning the faces of people and the potential weapons she could use, she was assessing the situation and putting a plan together. Scheming, Inej and Jesper would say.

She looked up to find two pairs of golden eyes and dark hair staring back at her with something weird behind their eyes, not so far from them there was a tall boy with hair of a strange shade of red, muddy green eyes and what it seemed to be a broken nose. His chin was overly pointy and he looked to be her same age. Yelena felt her stomach contract, there was something off with that one. Well, with all of them. But she wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

Yelena stared at the blue horizon, searching for land but nothing else but water could be seen. She felt a pang of nausea, they had been slowing her heart to maintain her unconscious for long days. Maybe weeks.

"I wouldn't know where to start.." Malyen's words reached her ears, her eyes instantly looking around and searching for him.

"For their sake, I hope that's not true." Kirigan said.

"Their..?"

"Yelena!" her little sister was in the deck, her eyes were teary and she was wearing a worried face. A few meters from her was Mal being held by another Heartrender when he tried to get closer to senior Starkov who was quiet, trying to understand the situation.

"Alina.." she whispered, unsure of what to say or do next. She was at a loss for the first time in months.

The Darkling was watching them, satisfied. He walked close to Alina, playing with a slender knife in his hands.

"Every day we don't find the sea whip, I'll peal away a piece of their skin. Slowly. Then Ivan will heal them, and the next day I'll do it all over again."

The sea whip. Rusalye. The ice dragon. In some stories, it was a cursed prince forced to take the form of a sea serpent and guard the frigid waters of the Bone Road. Why would he want a mythical creature? she wondered.

"You won't hurt them." Mal stated, but he had an edge of fear in his voice.

"I don't want to hurt them." Kirigan said, he looked at Yelena for a second and then back to Mal. "At least one of them. Do as I ask and no one will get hurt."