Till the End of Time

Chapter 3 - The Storm & Waves

Nightmares lurked behind me like ghosts who were determined to haunt me for the rest of my days. Days and hours had been spent miserably wasted tracking and just giving up the one of the most powerful amplifiers. Now the darkling would have the whole world trembling at his fingertips, not even Alina would be able to lift a finger. Yet when that was all said and done, I was thrilled to be thrown into a scanty little pitiful excuse for a cupboard to mull the day over. Long loops bound me to the slowly decaying and rotten boards beneath me. The barest sliver of light had peaked through the darkness where the Darkling would, if he did so desire to, ventured through. Only to torment me and mock me about my currently useless amplifier.

Even throughout it all, we had waited, and he had played his turn, right through till the end. He certainly did pull all the stops he could have ever thought of. Yet it won't stop us, we are the wind that pushed the sail forward and the very same that ended this journey.

The sturdy but frail sail flapped in the wind as it slowly drifted on further and further down the bone road. The slabs of ice hid their injured brothers which pointed to the Rusayle was leading us further down the frozen sea. However, the sea whip had not believed we had come with vile intentions as it rose from the navy water. Water slipped off its similarly polished scales, gold tipped plates gleamed in the sunlight as it glided towards us. Saimea cried out in my bones, while Rusayle sung another sorrow filled song, mixed with longing and relief to feel its mother. Unexpectedly, I thrashed about in my chains a bit, the cold steel unmoving as Saimea tried to free itself. Yet it would do nothing as the shackles had been meddled into the deck by one of the many fabrikators on board.

"Do not try that again, next time I'll throw you overboard and slit your dearest sister's throat," The darkling whispered, his hand full of my hair which he had snatched earlier, "Your choice." I gulped as Saimea reluctantly slunk back to whatever hole she had been calling home. Though I kept debating whether it would be worth it to kick him in the shins and drown him in the sea with me. Shrieks quickly stole my attention as Rusayle screeched for Saimea, several shafts of sharpened, Grisha steel tipped harpoons had snuck into the gap between his scales. A massive fat tear rolled down his face as he tried to demand for Saimea's presence. Yet Saimea was dead, hanging onto some desperate Grisha who couldn't lift a finger.

Tamar strolled on by to begin some "random" idle chatter, going on and on about the amplifier and saints know whatever else she had brought up. She should have been keeping an eye on Alina, but Tamar was always going to stray a bit from her orders. Slowly, she eased a small gun into my hand as I stared warily into her eyes. Before long, she had gently begun to pick the lock while her brother stayed close to Alina. The pick tussled with the many contraptions within the lock, yet the manacles had only just begun to loosen.

"Hurry up Tamar! You still have to free Alina, and I don't think any of us want to be caught," I urged. The Darkling's eyes had been observing this interaction with a close eye, before he looked away to talk with one of his men. I gulped quietly and continued slowly tearing off the metal. Tamar paused for a brief moment, gesturing something with tumbling hands. She then noticed my lack of understanding before pointing to the light mist and the smaller vessel in the distance. The mist, she wanted me to bring the mist in and maybe send the other ship towards ours.

I turned to her and nodded as she looked on with satisfaction. With another simple few flicks and turns of her wrist, the bounds that once held me down, smashed against the deck with the loudest thud as I sent the fog cascading all over the whaling ship. Shouts echoed over the wooden boards as Tamar sprinted off into the blinding curtain. I slowly stalked across the floor, the Grisha had not yet let the wind storm in and craft remained silent for another painful seconds. Till the first cry and shot resonated throughout the crew.