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LIAN'S ARMS BURNED from the effort of rowing. Her hands were filthy and bloody from her grip on the oar, and the shackle around her ankle left it bruised and the skin raw. She grunted as she pulled the oar back again, keeping her eyes focused on the wooden floor in front of her.
"Pull you bastards!" Hakka shouted, followed by the snap of his whip. Lian grit her teeth, refusing to turn and look at the man. "We need to fly! Pull!" Behind her, Lian could hear Halig wretching, coughing up nothing but spit.
"It's like looking out of a grave." Halig said, looking up into the sky. Lian turned her head towards the sky, water stinging her eyes as it sprayed over the side of the ship. She had to agree with him.
"That will not be our fate," Osbert said, grunting as he pulled back on his oar. "I swear to you." Osbert and Halig had been on the ship a month before Lian, and in the months since then, she has learned that Osbert would not even entertain the thought of giving up.
"You think these bastards will bother digging a hole for you?" Finan called from where he was sat behind Osbert. "We are destined to be tossed overboard with the rest of the shite."
"I tell you, Finan, it would be my own bad luck if I got tossed overboard alive." Halig called back, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I can't swim." Everyone let out a brief laugh, continuing to row.
"When we get off this boat, Halig, I will teach you," Lian promised, turning to look over her shoulder at the man. Halig gave her a small smile, but it was clear he didn't quit believe it – her promise of when, and not if.
"Nevergive up, Halig." Osbert said. "Never give in."
"Shut your mouth back there!" Hakka shouted, turning his attention to them. "You don't speak, slave!" He yelled, standing over Osbert. "You pull!"
"Yes, men!" Finan replied immediately. "We pull! And pull!" Soon all of them joined in on the chant, yelling pull over and over, locking their hateful gazes on Hakka until he moved away from them. Lian could just barely hear Finan speaking from the back. "One day, Osbert, I will kill that bastard and savor it." Lian believed the Irishman.
–•–•–
The storm was showing no signs of letting up any time soon. The boat thrashed about the waves, water flowing into the boat with every movement.
"Bail, you dogs!" Hakka snapped, eyes scanning over all the slaves. Lian held back a retort, throwing another bail of water back into the sea.
"Release our chains, we'll work faster!" Osbert shouted, barely heard over the storm.
"Bail out or you'll go down with her!" Hakka snarled back, another harsh wave rocking the ship. "You want to live? You bail!"
