The Sprinter

Chapter 30

Eloise stumbled forward, swaying slightly, but the Commander shook his head slowly, tutting at her. Five feet - the boat must be five feet away. A matter of steps.

“Now, now, what are you doing here?”

His silken voice twisted through the cold night air, prickling against every nerve on her body, sending her trembling. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. Calculated amusement flickered across his beautiful features, as if to be entertained by her was something he had to consider first. The starlight flashed off the metal buckles and blades that adorned him.

She could run. She could feint left, then use that energy to sprint off right, making it back into the forest. She could hide in the trees - he’d never be able to find her in there. She could run and keep running - but…

But the Kini ship was her only chance of getting away. Forever. And maybe - maybe this time, she didn’t want to run.

“I am here to board that ship,” she stated defiantly, pointing steadily to the Kini boat, bobbing along peacefully and unaware behind him, “and I am here to leave.”

The Commander raised one perfect eyebrow in a delicate arch.

“Is that so?” he replied, his voice liquid evil as it meandered down her spine.
“It is.”
“And do you intend to return?”
“Never.”

Eloise almost pulled a face at the thought. She would never come back here, not to save her life. He must’ve read the emotion on her face.

“The Kini Ship - that’s the one you’re taking?”

Eloise nodded. The Commander lifted his hand up, and began to pick his nails, the portrait of casual cruelty and utter boredom. It didn’t vex her. She knew what she wanted; what she’d wanted for a long time now, and for once - for once she was willing to fight for it.

“Well, darling, it seems you may have the wrong ship,”

She stared at him, her face set in stone - blank and unchanging. His hand fell down to his side, and he shifted out of his casual stance to face her again.

“The Kini Ship is bound for it’s last journey - a journey to the Western Isles.”
“I am aware,” Eloise replied coldly, earning a half smile.
“Oh you are?”

She nodded, jutting her chin up in affirmation.

“Why, pray tell, would you wish to go there?”

Eloise paused, considering her next words carefully.

“So as to exist in a place separate from here, and from you.”

The Commander laughed.

“Oh dear, I have left quite a mark on you. No-one returns from the Western Isles. So you wish to leave, and to never return?”

Eloise refused to nod or shake her head. She stared at him, her face as cold and unrevealing as his. The Commander stepped to the side, the angles of his face darkened and revealed by the lantern which he now stood by. He gestured to the boat, nodding on the gentle waves.

“Go ahead.”

Eloise continued to stare at him, but now in disbelief rather than icy resolve. He chuckled down at her, but she was too shocked to feel indignant. The Commander sighed in mock exasperation. He was clearly enjoying this.

“You plan to leave - to go to the one place where no one will ever follow you, will ever seek you out again. Go ahead. You became worthless to us the second you Ceded in that abandoned temple.”

Eloise still stared, confusion spreading across her face.

“King Jotkur wanted you under his control - wanted to use your power to conquer. When you Ceded - when you used your power - he realised that your emotions would get in the way of his plans. Your limited usage of said power was also rather off putting. You became more of a threat to him than a means of gain.”

She began to understand. Her entire life she’d been baited to show signs of that power, that earth-shaking energy - because he needed it to feel secure in his plans of conquest. But now…

“You said that you plan to sail away, to disappear into the horizon and never return. I can accept that.” The Commander gestured towards the boat once more, “You may leave.”

For the first time since their conversation had begun, Eloise looked past the Commander, and towards the Kini Ship. A light shone in its little window, giving the wood a feel of sleepy cosiness. In the silence that had now fallen, she could hear its captain, Burgo Opirum, bumbling about inside the cabin, muttering to himself, impatient to leave. This boat, she had longed for this boat, to be standing here in front of it, for years now. Years. And finally, here she was. It was time to leave.

Eloise stepped towards the boat. Her head throbbed, and her vision went fuzzy around the edges as she swayed slightly. The Commander took her right hand, guiding her towards it. Cold, he was so cold. It seemed that his hands were made only of bone. She stepped forward, placing her toes on the edge of the pontoon.

The Commander stepped forward to help her down into the boat. Eloise tensed her arm, lifting it into the air as she lifted her foot to step into the boat. Then, she swung around, gathering all her strength as she pivoted to the left. The Commander’s eyes went wide as Eloise’s grip on his hand hardened. She swung him forward and into the boat. Still turning, Eloise ran away from the ship - towards the mooring post. As she sprinted, she heard a crash resonate from behind her as the Commander fell into the boat. Wood and metal clanged as he struggled to get up, to get out, but she refused to give him that chance.

She ran up to the mooring post, and swung her foot into it with all her strength. The rope twisted and fell off it. It began to drag along the pontoon, towards the sea, following the boat as it drifted away.

Eloise heard the Commander’s exclamation of shock as he realised his predicament - and his destination. She heard the chug chug of the boat starting up, and she heard the rhythmic splash of the water as the Kini Ship began to sail away, towards the Western Isles without her, but she refused to turn around. She refused to look. She merely strolled away, swinging her hips from side to side as a villainous smile spread across her face. She would not run. She would not hide. She would not cower beneath her role in this struggle.

No, Eloise thought as she sauntered back, towards the forest. She had tried running. She had run her entire life, and it had done her no good. She would not run any longer. Now - now, she would fight.

Fire blazed in her eyes as she prowled back, towards the forest. The Skricarah stood firmly at the treeline. It locked eyes with her - the stare of enemies fighting on common ground. The Commander had hurt it, and she, in turn, had disposed of him. It felt it owed her a debt, and from the steely look in its eye, it seemed the bird was more than eager to return the favour.

Eloise smiled.

{~~}