Seas of Vengeance

Chapter 3

"Move, and I will not hesitate to slit your throat."

Tala had never felt ice before but she imagined it was being injected into her heart. She recognized the harsh, foreign accent that belonged to the enormous hand currently pressed against her mouth. In the dark, she could make out a bear-sized man kneeling above her. There were other shadows too in the corners of her vision, marking three people in her room—

Three Einish invaders.

Tala's eyes grew wide as one of the other figures brought forth a ragged cloth, muttering something in their tongue and putting it into the man's hand.

"If you so much as make a sound, you will die," he said.

Even in the man's rudimentary Duunian, the meaning was clear: she needed to do exactly what they asked or face death. And judging by the scars on the man's hands, bloodshed was an old friend.

Tala nodded and the man removed his hand, quickly replacing it with the rag that he tied firmly around her mouth, wedging it between her teeth so she could not speak. He pulled a rope from his pocket and fastened it around her wrists and ankles. Then, he lifted her to her feet.

"Moric," a female voice said, "femidh si du."

The man grunted a response. "Aigahn tad."

The girl stepped forward, a figure in all black, and approached the window which had been left open to let in the night air. Tala swore at her carelessness. The girl retrieved a thick rope, tossed it out the window, and then secured it to the frame with an iron hook. Hoisting Tala up as if she were nothing more than a doll, the man tossed her over his shoulder.

Her heart thundered in her chest. There were Einish invaders in her quarters. Einish who were only a few paces away from making off with the Princess of Duunia in the dead of night during the most sacred festival.

Tala needed to escape before they spirited out of the palace. She could only imagine what they would do to her. Without her, Duunia had no heir. Without her, Einishe would take the Titan.

An idea formed. Slowly, while the Einish argued quietly in their language, she slipped her rings off of her fingers, clutching them in her palm.

"Uasa duir rughah," the man hissed.

"Ach bhedh tha!" the girl said.

Tala could feel the man's anger rising. She had to strike soon. Sucking in a deep breath, she flung the rings as hard as she could. The heavy metals clattered to the floor, echoing around the chamber. A voice called out from the hallway and the door swung open.

Time slowed down. The man dropped Tala to her mat as each Einish invader drew a short blade from their sides. Suret stood in the doorway, his face melting from concern into horror. He had half a moment to reach his hand to his scabbard when the man stepped forward and thrust his blade into Suret's stomach.

Tala loosed a muffled scream, locking eyes with Suret as he stumbled forward, clutching at his torn skin. Blood poured onto the floor. He fell forward, rasping for air. After a few labored breaths, the General of Duunia did not move again.

Behind him, two wide-eyed warriors stood, blade at the ready. They were young, barely older than Tala. Shouting, one lunged forward and made for the girl. She sidestepped his attempt as if toying with a child and kicked him with a boot to the back. He stumbled and sprawled across the floor, quickly met with a blade to the back of his neck by another invader.

The last remaining warrior stood his ground, albeit pale with terror. The girl laughed softly, spinning the blade in her hand. "Strike, boy," she said in a thick Einish accent.