Save the Sea (Saved by Pirates #3)(8)
“It has to be me, and you have to support me on this, or it will never work. It’s in the deal I made with the Sea God. He must die at my hand, and I’m the only one strong enough to stand a chance against him anyway,” I say, not waiting for a response from any of them. Walking out of the room, I hear multiple footsteps behind me. I turn as I open the main door, and see all of their expressions as they follow after me. Hunter doesn’t appear impressed. In fact, he looks seconds away from throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me off somewhere where I can't get myself hurt. Ryland has a look of both amusement and worry, which actually also matches Zack’s expression quite well.
“This goes against everything in us, but if we know anything about you, Cassandra, it's that we won't be able to stop you, only support you. Don't think you are doing this alone, though.” Ryland says, and I nod at him.
“I want to support you more than anything, but I’m just frightened of you being up against the king once again,” Zack says, and I understand his fear.
“I’m not the girl I was when I first got to that castle, and I will not stop until the king is dead. The world needs him dead, and I can’t live in a world where he continues to breathe. You’re right, the price of what I want is high. It’s risky, but it needs to be done, and I need you all at my side to do it,” I say, pausing to wait for their reply.
“You will always have me at your side little bird, but I won’t let you die,” Hunter tells me and walks out the door. Zack simply kisses my cheek as he passes me, and I know he doesn’t need to say it. He feels the same as Hunter does. I walk out the door, the light from the gap in the middle of the mountain momentarily blinding me. There are people everywhere, walking past us and continuing down the stairs as they go about their normal day. The people here are all so diverse; they appear to be from different islands and of all skin colours. Yet, they are all here, coexisting together. I walk past them, only catching glimpses of their faces as they stare at me. Most don’t look as they rush around the steps, carrying woven string bags and books in their arms.
“You’re her! The one that fought the king and survived! The princess changed one!” a random girl shouts with an excited squeal, running over with three of her friends at her side. They all seem to be around ten years old, with excited smiles as they wait for me to say anything. What do I say?
“Yes, I did, but I’m not a princess,” I answer, and the girl jumps up and down.
“And you came to win the war, so my brother can be free! So all the changed ones can be, and you can rule as the new queen! I want to be just like you when I’m older!” she exclaims, and a young man runs over to us. His long black hair is pulled back, so I can see his changed mark on his forehead. It’s heart shaped, with half of it filled in. It suits the shade of his dark brown eyes and hair.
“I’m so sorry for the children,” he bows at me. I go to say something when he says to the children, “Girls we have school to attend, and you know you can’t be late,” he says, clapping his hands, and they all run off giggling.
“It was nice to meet them. Hello, I’m Cassandra,” I say, holding out my hand, and he shakes it. His eyes glow a yellow colour, and he lets go suddenly.
“Take care, Cassandra, maybe we can speak again sometime soon. My name is Ace,” he says with a nod, and then runs off before I can even agree.
“What do you think his gift is?” I ask Ryland as he steps to my side, and Hunter goes to the other.
“No idea, but I would guess an element power. From what I've seen of changed ones' power, most seem to stem from the ground, from the very roots of Calais. Like your water,” Ryland answers.
“I can’t wait to see another changed one use their gifts. It will be so odd for me,” I say, and Ryland slides an arm around my waist. Zack stays behind us as we walk through the people on the stairs. We walk around and around the caves, going up five flights of stairs. Once we reach the top, we walk around to a bridge that passes over the waterfall. This is the very top of the mountain by the looks of it. The top of the waterfall is visible, with a cave just above it. The bridge is made out of stone and covered in little drawings. There are two large dragon statues that hold a rose flower in between them. The stone rose looks like it has blood dripping down it for a second, but when I look away and back again, it’s just stone.
“Blood for the crown, time is short,” the sea god whispers suddenly, the power of his voice making me sway a little, and Ryland holds me to him. Hunter and Zack step closer as I hold my hands to my head. Just as abruptly as he appeared, the sea god is gone, leaving me with another headache. Why do I feel like the sea god is getting more and more desperate?
“What was that? Your eyes and mark were glowing a blue colour,” Hunter asks me, rubbing a finger over my mark. Zack rubs a hand down my arm soothingly, as I try to get my words out.
“The sea god, still whispering but it’s different than it was in the dungeons. It’s almost frantic, demanding,” I tell them, and look back up at the rose. Blood for the crown, but whose blood?
“I have to meet the masters. This can’t stop me from doing that. He can’t stop me,” I say, but I know the sea god didn’t really want to stop me. Maybe he was trying to warn me of something, but I have no idea what. I step away from my pirates, who don’t look pleased but lets me go.