A Heart Divided

Chapter 22

Into the Tempest

The storm raged around them with relentless fury, a monstrous force that seemed to come from the depths of the ocean itself. Eliza clung to the boat as it was tossed mercilessly by the waves, her body drenched and cold, her heart pounding with terror. Alden was a shadow of focus and strength beside her, his hands gripped firmly on the rudder, eyes scanning the dark, tumultuous sea for any sign of escape.

But there was no escape—not yet. Not from the storm. Not from the ship that was gaining on them.

As the boat plunged downward into the trough of another massive wave, Eliza's stomach lurched, and for a moment, she feared they might capsize. Her fingers tightened against the side of the boat, but even that small action felt meaningless against the might of the storm. The rain came in sheets, stinging her skin like shards of glass, blurring her vision. She couldn't tell where the sky ended and the sea began. The world had turned into a violent blur of black and white.

Then, just as quickly, a loud crack split the air. Eliza's heart skipped a beat, her breath caught in her throat. The sound of thunder had been deafening, but this—this was different. This was the sound of a mast breaking.

"Look out!" Alden shouted, yanking her roughly toward him just as a massive wave crashed over them. The boat lurched violently, nearly capsizing as the water hit them with the force of a battering ram. Eliza gasped for air as water splashed over her, soaking her completely, but it wasn't just the cold that stole her breath away. The sound of the other ship was closing in, louder now—its sails dark against the stormy sky.

Alden didn't wait for a second. He reached for the oars, pushing them into the water with desperate urgency. "We need to get to the cove," he gritted out, his voice strained against the wind. "If we can make it there, we might have a chance to hide."

Eliza nodded, her heart pounding, her limbs frozen with cold and fear. The soldiers were too close. They had been spotted.

There was no way they could outrun the ship now—not with the storm as their enemy, and not with their boat barely holding together.

"Eliza, hold on!" Alden barked again, his voice raw. He was fighting the storm, fighting the forces around them, but more than anything, he was fighting to keep them both alive.

The cove. Eliza's mind grasped onto the idea like a lifeline. They had to make it there. It was their only hope now.

With the storm thrashing around them and the enemy ship still in hot pursuit, Alden guided the boat with grim precision toward the cove that lay hidden along the coastline. The darkness around them felt suffocating, as though the world itself was closing in on them, forcing them toward an uncertain future. Each wave was a new threat, each gust of wind a warning of the impending disaster that could strike at any moment.

But then, a flicker of light caught Eliza's attention. It was faint—so faint it could have been her imagination. But there, between the crashing waves, was a sliver of light.

A lighthouse.

"Eliza, look!" Alden shouted, his voice cutting through the roar of the wind. He turned the boat toward the light, pushing harder on the oars.

It was their only chance.