Love In A Sinking Realm ⊰BTS⊱ Steampunk

CHAPTER 5 ✑ The Kidnapping

Seagulls cried from afar. The sound of the mild tides splashing on the cliffs, carrying parts of the shipwreck ashore rebounded soothingly. The sun was climbing the horizon, tinging the sky of a gradient pallet of warm colors, illuminating a thick forest that bordered the beach.

Selenya, with her face in the sand, whimpered to push herself up. Her entire body ached as if the waves had thrashed her, her moist clothes, adherent to her skin, were freezing. She crawled for a few meters, to awaken her lethargic muscles and then rose on her trembling legs.

The storm had torn the ship to pieces.

It was a tidal graveyard.

She should have been dead, just like everyone else, swallowed by the waves and spat back out. But, if she were alive, she thought, then perhaps there was still hope that someone else was as well. So, with her heart in her throat, she started looking for any signs of life, anything, even a dank body.

She lifted pieces of wood, kicked parts of metal, looked under boats, sails. Only corpses of crew members were scattered around the shore.

"JINGHIM!", she called direly, "JUN!...TAEH!...," she sobbed, "YOON!...SOMEONE, PLEASE!"

Where are you? Tears streamed down her cheeks, but as an Alchemist and scientist, she was well aware that the possibilities of their survival were dreadfully low.

Voices sounded from the forest. She hid behind a broken boat and observed a group of armed men emerge from the trees. Luckily, a sword was buried under the sand next to her, but before she could reach it, a hand popped from behind her and pressed on her mouth, cutting off her frightened scream.

Happiness erupted when she saw Yoon, beaten up and dirty, urging her to hush.

"Bounty hunters," he whispered and gestured to follow him.

They moved through the remains of the ship and arrived behind a large rock. There, all three of Yoon's brothers, safe and sound, kneeling on the sand. Selenya panted happily and leaped to hug them all.

Taehberius suffered an acute impulse to kiss her, but then remembered that they were in full display of his brothers.

"I thought you were dead...," she said with a ragged voice.

"So did we," said Jinghim.

"How's this possible...the storm...everyone else is dead...," she muttered confusingly.

"Someone above is looking after us," the prince looked up into the sky.

"We've been awfully lucky, that's what!" Yoon interrupted them and addressed his brothers, "We saw bounty hunters coming from the forest, looking for survivors. They knew we were coming."

"Great," mocked Taehberius, "As if we haven't had enough..."

"We were supposed to meet with Jihmm and Hosea in Jajusek," said Jun alarmed, "We're stranded in the middle of nowhere."

"This is the forest on the eastern side of the city," Yoon pointed at the trees, "Jihmm said that he'd find us once we're in. News of the shipwreck must have reached him by now. The entrance to the tunnels of the city's sewers must be on the other side of the beach."

"Sewers...?" Jinghim cried quietly with a disgusted frown.

"Yes, your Highness, the sewers," Yoon replied sarcastically.

They collected some rope and every available, or functional weapon from around the shipwreck. Checked for the position of the bounty hunters and slipped through the trees unnoticed.