Eddie noticed how intently the group of Tenebrians were watching the docked boat. They watched the captain walk down the ramp, moving closed boxes toward the path that lead to the heart of Luceat. Several Lucantian guards approached the captain and helped him to carry the boxes before he returned to his ship.
"Come on," Henry whisper-yelled, grabbing Eddie's arm, only for Richie to slap his hand away.
"What'd I say? I'm in charge of him," Richie growled, grabbing Eddie's bicep and nodding for his group to lead. "I'll follow up with him, we gotta move."
Bev ducked down, walking along the edge of the forest before running to the ship and crawling behind the boxes on board. The others followed quickly, thankful that the captain was turned the other way and didn't see them climb on.
They hid behind the boxes, watching as the ship pulled away from Divisus. None of them had ever left before, so both excitement and terror was running through their veins.
Eddie was terrified. He'd planned on leaving for sure, but never as a Tenebrian hostage who planned on using him for information. He was shivering, since the morning air was cool and he was stuck in his Lucantian clothes which were more for show than warmth.
Richie noticed his shaking and rolled his eyes before taking off his heavy black jacket and wrapping it around Eddie's shoulders.
The others noticed this but didn't say anything.
"Okay, so we take out the captain and then the Lucantian can navigate," Bev whispered, watching as the captain finished his routine and seemed to be preparing for his trip, wherever he may be heading.
Eddie looked at her with bewildered eyes. He didn't know how to navigate a ship! God, they'd kill him if they found out he didn't know.
"From the look on his face, that's not a good idea," Stan said, looking at Eddie's terror.
"You said he could navigate!" Bev snapped at Richie, who shrugged.
"I said maybe," Richie answered, emphasizing the maybe. "I also said he could be a council member kid."
"If he's useless, give him to us," Patrick said menacingly, glaring at Eddie who burrowed deeper into Richie's jacket, which offered some form of comfort.
"I'm in charge of him," Richie stated.
"He's our catch!"
"He's my responsibility!"
It was clear that if something wasn't done, Richie and Patrick would get into a fight and that would not only give them away, but it'd start a battle between Henry, Stan, and Bev as well.
Not to mention Eddie, who seemed to be their version of a prize.
However, as the two got more aggressive with their hateful comments, a loud clicking sound echoed behind them. They all turned slowly to see a boy around their age standing, clutching some kind of weapon.
He had dark skin and an angry look on his face, but it was clear some of his reaction was out of fear.
"Stand up and show me your wrists," the boy said, and the others obeyed, easily able to tell that the weapon the boy was holding was more dangerous than their knives. He'd be able to kill them before they got them out.
Richie pulled up his sleeve, and the boy stepped forward and took one look at the spade before moving into the rest of the marks.
The boy went around them, taking their bags and weapons from them. Then, he cleared his throat.
"Sit."
They all obeyed the command, despite the Tenebrian instinct to fight back. It wouldn't be worth it if he could kill them in seconds.
"What the fuck are four Tenebrians and a Lucantian doing on my ship?" he asked gruffly, standing above them all.
"None of your business," Henry said, eyes narrow. "Let us go."
"Sure, I'll let you go right back to Luceat. They'd have you all dead within a day."
Eddie tried to speak but he couldn't with the rope still in his mouth.
"Take the gag off of him," the boy demanded, so Richie quickly took the rope out of Eddie's mouth, allowing him to speak.
"Tell me what's happening, Lucantian," the boy ordered.
Richie knew they were fucked. They were so so fucked. They'd kidnapped Eddie and he was smarter and now had the power. He'd tell the boy to kill them all and then go back to Luceat and reveal the rebellion, getting every Tenebrian killed. Richie would never get to tell Maggie he was sorry for going against what she said and that he loved her.
"I was trying to escape," Eddie said shortly, glancing at Richie and shrugging off his jacket. He stood up and walked over to the boy, noticing they boy didn't look like he wanted to hurt a five foot Lucantian.
"What happened?"
"I was kidnapped by the Tenebrians. They're trying to start some rebellion or something," Eddie said, arms crossed.
He watched Bev and Stan glare while Henry and Patrick were gnashing their teeth together, probably think up a whole torture program for Eddie. He glanced over at Richie, who simply looked upset.
Eddie knew that Richie was probably the most likable out of the group, but he didn't understand the sadness.
"A rebellion?" the boy asked, his eyebrow raised. "What kind of rebellion?"
Eddie shrugged, pursing his lips. "I'm not sure, but they're probably going after the council. Wouldn't be the first time Tenebrians have tried to rise above what they are."
The boy surveyed the Tenebrians, all thin and dressed in black, which only highlighted the fact that they were probably starving and had been without food for a while.
"What do you think we should do with them?" he asked Eddie.
"Take them back to your king, I suppose," Eddie said with a shrug.
Richie was shocked by that. They were still close to Divisus. Why wouldn't Eddie just demand that they go back to Luceat and destroy the rebellion? It'd make things easier for the Lucantians in the future.
He didn't know that Eddie was facing an internal battle as well. He knew it was playing with fire to go to a different government, especially one who had been wronged by the Lucantians in the past.
Pona was a forested type area and they had a lot of natural resources under the surface, which had always been beneficial to Luceat. The only reason they were aligned with Luceat had to do with the fact that the Lucantians promised protection and an alliance in return for the resources. Yet, they'd wronged the Ponanians in the past, so Eddie choosing to go to them was a risk in itself.
However, Eddie was also still scared of Luceat. He needed to know what the Ponanians were offering to them and what their plans were for Tenebris. Getting the Tenebrians killed would also kill the rebellion, and Eddie didn't know if that was in his best interest. Not only that, but Richie had saved him from Henry and Patrick. He felt like he owed it to him not to get his group killed right away.
"Why not bring you all back to Divisus?" the boy asked, clearly curious.
"Technically, we're all your prisoners. Not only that, but I know there's a history of Ponanian hatred for Luceat. You wouldn't let me leave if I wanted to."
The boy narrowed his eyes. "I want to speak with you, privately."
Eddie nodded and watched as the boy ushered the Tenebrians to the lower deck, probably locking them up. As they were taken away, Eddie caught Richie's eyes. He saw the confusion, fear, and betrayal written on the Tenebrian's face.
Eddie had no clue why his betrayed look made him feel bad for what he'd done.
