Eva’s eyes snapped open, and she immediately winced in pain as the light from the chandelier overhead burned into them. She made to raise a hand and shield her eyes, but found she couldn’t move either limb. Attempting to sit up presented her with the knowledge that there was also an iron band around her neck, holding her to the table she could feel at her back. She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and was about to call out for her first mate, when there was a drop of water on her forehead. She looked up, and groaned as she saw the tank, and more importantly the spout, suspended above her.
“Yup, we’re currently guests of Shan’brasik’s unique hospitality.”
“Jem?”
“Right here Evie.”
She sighed. “I assume I was knocked out then? Last thing I rem-“ she spluttered as another drop of water hit her face and rolled down into her mouth. “Last thing I remember was them surrounding the ship.”
“Unsurprisingly, as the captain, you seem to have been their primary target. They took all of us eventually, but not until we’d sunk one of them.”
Another drop of cold water splashed into Eva’s eye as she turned her head slightly, attempting to see where her mate was. “And what about this? I thought water torture had been outlawed by the last High Captain?”
“Clearly Shan’brasik thinks you’re special enough to make an exception.”
“This is stupid, I only nicked his ship.”
“I think it’s the daughter you stole he’s more upset about.”
She sighed, and swallowed the next drop of water as she did so. “Wonder how many days he’s going to waste before he realises this won’t work on us?”
Jem chuckled, and Eva was able to place him as being somewhere above the top of her head, presumably on the other side of the water tank. “It’s Shan’brasik, he’s been after you for years, I’m sure he’ll manage to survive a few more days.”
“I’m more worried about what is going to happen when this water heats up, if my memory serves there’s a window in the top of this cell, so when the sun gets up in the sky…”
“I would blame you for this, but I was stupid enough to go along with it.”
The woman laughed, choking slightly on a drop of water, then closed her eyes. “I’m going to get some sleep while I can, no doubt Shan’brasik will be down in a while to have a gloat.”
“Sounds like a plan. Sweet dreams.”
The door bouncing sharply off the wall, followed by heavy bootsteps on the stone floor brought Eva round. She opened her eyes just as a drop of water fell from the spout, onto the bridge of her nose and into her eyes. She winced in pain, and was treated to a gruff chuckle.
“Irritating, isn’t it?”
“Only when you’re not expecting it, Morgan dear.” She squinted up at the ceiling, trying to judge the time of day from what sunlight was entering the room through the circular window. “It’s after lunch…your food came before me? I’m hurt.” Another drop splashed onto her forehead, and she shook her head slightly to dislodge it before it ran down her face.
“That’ll work just now, Shil’harrel, but a few days of constant dripping…”
“And it’ll be like being back in that relationship with Tarla. How is she, by the way?”
A dark shadow fell over her, and she could feel the point of a blade through her tunic, resting just above her heart. She screwed up her nose as Shan’brasik’s alcohol-laden breath reached her, and looked up into his eyes. She smiled. “That well, huh?”
There was a chuckle from behind her, followed by spluttering as Jem too swallowed water. “Pay no attention to her Morgan, mate, you know what she’s like.”
The knife moved, and the High Captain straightened. “Glad you two find this so funny. Just remember; it may be simple water, but it has broken better people than the two of you.”
He paused long enough to spit on the table Eva was lying on, then stormed out of the room, the echo of the door slamming ringing around the cell long after his departure. The young captain sighed. “He’s always such a ray of sunshine.”
“Jem?”
He sighed. “Yeah Evie?”
“What time is it?”
He groaned, and she could hear him shifting about on his table on the other side of the tank, clearly as uncomfortable as she felt. “About an hour after you last asked. Time isn’t going to go faster just because you keep asking y’know.”
There was a long pause, the silence broken only by the rhythmic dripping of the water from the tank. When Eva did next speak, there was a sob in her voice, and it seemed to catch in her throat. “I don’t…I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, it’s been days.”
Jem coughed away some water, and took a deep breath. “We’ve been through this Evie; outlast this, and he’ll be forced to put us on trial. We can bargain for the crew that way, save all of them! Save Lineel!”
She broke down. “He’s never gonna let them go, you know he won’t! He won’t even make an exception for the fact Lin…he won’t do it Jem, it’s Shan’brasik we’re talking about! The bastard hates us!”
As though summoned by her words, the door to the cell burst open once more, and the heavy footseps echoed about the chamber, marking the High Captain’s entrance. The smirk on his face was evident in his voice as he addressed them.
“Well well, how are we this morning? Sleep well?”
Eva turned her head away from the door as best she could, the tears mingling with the water running down her cheeks, and ignored him. Jem snorted. “Roof’s a bit leaky, seem to be getting wet. Other than that, can’t complain really.”
“I never did like you, Tamarn.” He moved closer to Eva, and she closed her eyes, willing him to leave. “And what about you, Captain”? Is the accommodation up to your usual high standards?”
She continued to ignore him, and he gave a gruff chuckle. “Didn’t think you’d last the whole way, Shil’harrel. Still, you haven’t cried for an ending yet, so let’s make this more interesting.” There was a rustling sound, and Eva opened her eyes to find a vial being waved in front of her face. “Something like this in the water might spice things up a bit.” He moved away.
She broke. “What is that?! Morgan, what are you putting in there? Don’t! The water itself is enough!”
He paused, malicious grin firmly in place. “And how are you going to stop me, Shil’harrel?”
There was the sound of frenzied movement from above her head, and Jem’s furious voice bit into her. “Don’t you dare, Shil’harrel! Don’t you dare give in and sacrifice them!”
“Jem…”
“You can’t do it! Think about all they went through for you, you can’t just throw that away because you can’t handle the pressure! It’s not fair, Eva, and you know that!”
Shan’brasik snorted. “Never knew you were so opinionated, Tamarn.” Eva could feel his eyes burning hungrily into her. “I’ll ask you again, Captain,” she winced at the word. “What are you going to do to stop me?”
“I’ll….I’ll talk.”
“NO! Eva, no, you can’t, you…”
“Guard, get Tamarn out of here, I want to speak to Shil’harrel without interruption.”
“Eva, how could you do this to them, to me?” Jem’s furious tirade continued whilst he was being unshackled and pulled from the table, and whilst his weakened body was dragged from the room. “Eva, you can’t, YOU CAN’T!”
The door closed, bringing a sudden silence down on the cell. Shan’brasik nodded to the remaining guard, who pulled a ring of keys from his belt and began to undo the shackles holding the broken woman to the table. Once freed, the guard pulled her up into a sitting position, and settled her back against the water tank, before moving over to the brazier in the corner of the room and stoking the fire. Shan’brasik sat down where Eva’s feet had been, and untied a flask from his belt, holding it out to her. “Rum, you’re bound to be thirsty.”
“I don’t drink it. I live on water….though maybe not after the last few days.”
“How cute.” He took a large mouthful himself before tying it back to his belt. “So, where shall we begin?”
She regarded him with a hateful glare for a long moment. “I want a deal.”
“Oh?”
“I confess…and the crew walks free. Or at the very least doesn’t hang.” She sniffed, and looked away. “I can’t break Jem’s heart again.”
Morgan regarded her thoughtfully, playing with an unlocked wristband. “And if I agree?”
“I’ll tell you where to find Tarla, and you get to have your public trial and execution of me.” She gave an exhausted sigh. “That’s what you really want, isn’t it?”
“I get Tamarn too.”
Eva visibly shuddered, as though he had hit her with a hammer in the chest. “You can’t, his wife…”
“Oh, oh, I see…too bad, I can’t really take you without him now, can I? I know you couldn’t possibly have masterminded the theft on your own, so he’s as guilty as you are.”
Silent tears ran down her cheeks as she forced herself to look him in the eye, then she dropped her head as she conceded. “Deal. You can have your trial now.”
He got to his feet, and clapped his hands. “Excellent, knew you’d see it my way in the end. Now, one last thing before I go…”
She looked up to see the guard dragging the brazier closer, then hand Shan’brasik a long, ominous looking iron object. “What…no, you can’t do that, I’m innocent until proven guilty by trial, Shan’brasik, you know that!”
He dropped the round end of the object into the flames as he answered her, taking on an almost fatherly tone that clashed violently with his evil grin. “Now, come Eva, we all know you did it, and you have to be grown up and take your punishment.” He let go of the object for a moment,and rolled up her right sleeve, immune to her weak protests. He stroked her sodden arm gently, causing a shudder to run through her entire body. “This seems like as good a spot as any….”
She tried her best to move off the bench and away from him, but the time restrained had caused her muscles to stiffen, and she could barely move…
As she would tell Jem the next day when she woke up next to him a cell the next morning, the last thing she remembered was a glowing tiger-paw shaped object moving towards her arm, and a searing pain, before she mercifully blacked out, the screaming voices of her crew accompanying her into the darkness.
