The DeathShadow's Heir

Chapter 9: Captive on the Sea

(Cordelia’s POV)

I woke with a start, the damp, salty air thick in my lungs. The room was dim, the only light coming from a small, dirty porthole near the ceiling. I could barely see more than the outline of the wooden planks around me. The smell hit me first—sweat, sea brine, and something sour, almost metallic. I wrinkled my nose, the stench turning my stomach.

I was locked in what could only be the brig of a pirate ship, judging by the rough-hewn walls and the rusted chains that bound my ankles. The rocking of the ship beneath me was constant, pulling and tugging with the motion of the waves. The floor creaked, and the walls groaned with every sway.

I swallowed, trying to calm the panic rising in my chest. I knew what had happened, but it still felt surreal, like a nightmare I couldn’t wake from. Alden. The Skull Splitter. His name alone sent shivers down my spine, and now I was a prisoner on his ship.

Why me? What does he want with me? I thought, my heart racing.

The fight on the shore replayed in my mind. The chaos. The fire. Dante’s scream as he fell. The way Alden had looked at me, as if he knew something about me that I didn’t. His words echoed in my ears.

So, you’re his daughter.

Whose daughter? I clenched my fists. He had spoken about my father like he was someone important, but it didn’t make sense. My father was a simple man. A fisherman. At least, that’s who I had grown up knowing.

I shifted, trying to ease the pressure from the ropes biting into my wrists. I had to stay calm, stay sharp. Whoever Alden thought I was, I couldn’t let fear cloud my thoughts. If I was going to get out of this, I needed to play along—at least until I knew what he wanted from me.

A loud creak interrupted my thoughts, and heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor outside. My pulse quickened, and I instinctively straightened up, trying to steady my breathing. The door to my cell swung open with a groan, and a massive figure filled the doorway.

The man stepped inside, his cold, indifferent expression making my skin crawl. His grip was like iron as he yanked the chains, dragging me roughly to my feet. I winced but didn’t resist. Struggling would get me nowhere.

He pulled me out of the dark, narrow cell, up the creaking stairs toward the deck. The stench of the sea and sweat hit me again, even stronger this time. I could hear the rough voices of the crew above, their crude laughter and the sound of boots stomping on wood.

When we reached the deck, the sunlight hit me like a slap, blinding me for a moment. I blinked, trying to adjust as my eyes scanned the dirty planks beneath my feet, the rough sea, and the leering crew that circled like vultures. The ship was exactly what I expected a pirate vessel to be—filthy, chaotic, and stinking of salt and violence.

And then I saw him—Alden, the Skull Splitter.

He stood near the helm, his dark figure striking against the vast backdrop of the ocean. Dressed in all black, his long coat billowed in the breeze, and his sharp, brown eyes bored into me with a cold, calculating intensity. His presence was overpowering, making my skin prickle with unease. He was tall—really tall, at least 6'5", towering over my 5'6" frame. I had to crane my neck just to look him in the eyes.

He stepped toward me, slowly, deliberately. The crew around us fell silent, watching with anticipation.

“What’s your name?” Alden’s voice was calm but carried an edge that told me it wasn’t a question I could ignore. His eyes were locked on mine, unblinking.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “Cordelia,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Cordelia Voss.”

Alden's lips twitched into a dark smile. "Voss," he repeated, the name rolling off his tongue like a threat. “Well, Cordelia Voss, you’ve been causing quite the trouble, haven’t you?”

I bit my lip, unsure of how to respond. I wasn’t sure what game he was playing, but the way he spoke made it sound like I was someone important. Someone more than just a girl from a fishing village. What does he think I’ve done?

Before I could speak, Alden's gaze narrowed slightly, as if he was studying me, searching for something. “You have his eyes,” he said, more to himself than to me.

“Whose eyes?” I asked, confused, though dread was creeping into my stomach.

“Your father’s,” Alden said, his voice growing colder. “Death Shadow.”

My heart stopped. It couldn’t be. Death Shadow? I had heard the stories, the legends. Death Shadow was a ruthless pirate, feared across the seas. But what did he have to do with me? My father—my father was a simple fisherman, not a pirate. None of this made sense.

“You’ve got the wrong person,” I said, shaking my head. “My father isn’t—”

“You think I don’t know who you are?” Alden cut me off, stepping closer, his face inches from mine. His breath was hot against my skin, and I fought the urge to shrink away. “I know more about you than you know about yourself.”

His words sent a chill through me, but I held my ground, refusing to let him see my fear. “I’m not who you think I am,” I whispered, trying to convince both him and myself.

Alden’s eyes flickered with something dark, a mixture of anger and amusement. He glanced over his shoulder, and I saw the man who had dragged me here step forward. My pulse quickened as the two men exchanged a look that made my stomach churn.

The brute grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and spun me around. Before I could react, he tore at my shirt, exposing my back. I gasped, trying to pull away, but he held me in place with one hand.

“What are you doing?!” I shouted, my voice cracking with panic.

I felt the cool sea breeze against my bare skin, and then, the silence. It was as if the entire ship held its breath. I could feel the eyes of the crew on me, their stares burning into my back. I trembled, the vulnerability and humiliation crushing.

“There it is,” Alden murmured, his voice deadly quiet. “The trident scar.”

The words hit me like a blow. The scar. The one I had carried for as long as I could remember. My adoptive mother had always said it was nothing, just a mark from when I was a child. But Alden’s tone, the way the crew reacted—it wasn’t just any scar.

I yanked away from the brute, clutching my shirt to my chest, but the damage was done. The crew had seen it. They knew. And so did I.

“That scar proves it,” Alden said, his voice filled with cruel satisfaction. “You’re his daughter. Death Shadow’s.”

I shook my head, trying to make sense of what he was saying. “No,” I whispered. “That’s not possible.” I had grown up with a simple fisherman as my father. The man who raised me had been kind, gentle—nothing like the monster Alden was talking about.

But Alden’s gaze was unrelenting, filled with a certainty that made my blood run cold.

“You’re going to lead me to him,” Alden said, stepping closer, his voice cold and final. “Whether you like it or not.”

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. Lead him to Death Shadow? But I didn’t know who that was—or where he was. None of this made sense. My life, the man I knew as my father, it was all a lie.

“You’ll lead me to him, one way or another,” Alden said, his eyes burning with determination. “And if you don’t, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

My heart pounded in my chest. I had no idea where this so-called Death Shadow was, and I couldn’t let Alden see my fear. I had to stay strong, keep my wits about me. I needed time to figure this out.

“I don’t know where he is,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I don’t even know who he is.”

Alden’s eyes flickered with frustration, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned his back on me, signaling for his men to drag me away. The brute grabbed me again, pulling me back below deck.

As the door slammed shut, plunging me into darkness once again, my mind raced with questions. Death Shadow. My real father. Could it really be true?

I sat in the dark, trembling but resolute. Whoever my real father was, I had to find out the truth.

And I had to find a way out of this nightmare before it was too late.