Broken Aro (The Broken Ones)

by Wylie, Jen

  Kendric checked on her a few times before always returning to stand with Cain and Bo. The three of them together didn't really surprise her. They had to be at least a good ten years older than the rest of them. Prince remained off in the corner by himself. She noticed she had been right; he was very tall. He stood a few good inches at least over all the others.

  She spent the day staring at the walls, the cell bars, the men, and the slowly rising water. It helped her to not think of where they were, where they were going, and what would happen in the days ahead. The wind and rain continued, occasionally picking up before dying down again.

  The only excitement occurred when the slavers would come down. Each time Kei moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from view. Twice the slavers left, dragging bodies to toss overboard. The conditions in the hold had started taking lives already. Once they took one of the women up. She never came back down.

  She went once to check on Prince. He glared at her.

  She glared back at him. "What?"

  His eyes narrowed and he stared at her for a long moment before answering. "Why are you with that Fey?"

  The way he said the word Fey spoke volumes. He didn't seem to like them much. Anger rose up within her at the unfairness of his attitude toward Kei. As far as she knew, Kei hadn't ever done anything to him, and he had been so nice to her. "In case you hadn't noticed, I've limited company."

  His jaw tightened at her flippant remark. "I meant you now seem attached to his side."

  "I like him," she answered defiantly, raising her chin.

  His lips tightened into a thin angry line and he looked away, shaking his head. "You're asking for trouble," he said. "The Fey can't be trusted."

  "And I can trust you?"

  He looked back at her, his gaze still hard. "Of course."

  She snorted. "Of course," she mimicked him. "Because nobles are known for their honesty, truthfulness, and for helping others."

  Judging from the look on his face, her mocking tone didn't seem to impress him.

  "How's your arm?" She changed the subject quickly before she got seriously angry.

  "Fine."

  "Good." She turned stiffly and went back Kei and Avery.

  Kei immediately took another step closer to her as she stopped beside them. "Why do you have to talk to him?" Kei kept his voice to a low snarled whisper. "He's obviously doing fine."

  She shrugged, still furious about the whole thing. "He's alone. Alone isn't a nice thing to be. You're right though, his arm doesn't seem to be bothering him."

  Kei growled slightly and she tried to smother a sudden grin at the sound as she glanced over at him. He saw it however, and a small smile crossed his own lips in response as he reached over and ruffled her hair.

  The ship rolled suddenly and they braced themselves against the hull.

  The following days played out much the same. She attempted to speak to Prince a few more times, but he became just as surly on each occasion. She did feel bad for him though, even if he was a prince. Every time he glared and snapped at her she tried to remember he was hurt and alone and pretty much ignored by everyone but her.

  The slavers attempted to pump the water from the hold. They lowered a long leather hose and Aro heard the sound of billows above. It worked at first and the water level dropped. The slavers should have cleaned the hold first. Straw and filth quickly clogged the hose and once again the water began seeping in quicker than they could pump.

  Sleep became almost impossible. Even though they now fed them hard rounds of bread every day, it didn't seem to help. Her stomach seemed continually cramped from hunger. The water continued to rise from a mix of rain and sea water. By their ninth day at sea it had reached almost to her knees. Her wet feet drove her crazy and her toes felt swollen in her boots. The other men grumbled about it, too. There was nothing they could do. At least they could stand and keep the rest of their bodies dry. The rain never stopped. It increased every hour, so did the wind and the rolling and pitching of ship as it rode bigger and bigger waves.

  As the sun set and the hold once again sank into darkness, she braced herself against the wet hull. The filthy water swelled and splashed around her with each roll of the ship. Lack of sleep wore upon her. She was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open. If she went down she could easily drown. Judging from the growing number of bodies the slavers kept hauling out and dumping overboard it had happened to some already. Sickness had also begun to manifest within the horrible conditions of the hold.

  Wrinkling her nose, she smacked the water around her in frustration. They were trapped. There was nothing they could do. She wished she had her knives. The cell was empty of anything to use to try to escape.

  "Rot it!" She fought sudden tears at the hopelessness of it all. Her body didn't want to obey and she turned away from the others. She wanted to be home. She wanted her brothers. At the very least, she wanted to know what had happened to them. Their absence was nothing new, spring to fall they'd always been away. But she'd had letters and she'd known where they were. The loneliness after the youngest had gone off had been hard. She'd hated it and had fought it constantly. Deep inside she always knew they'd be coming home though. Two years ago, her father hadn't. The hopeless feeling she felt now reminded her of that. So did the pain in her chest. Losing her father had been devastating. Now, losing all seven of her brothers at once was something she didn't even want to think about.

  She glanced over at Kei. He had become something to hold on to. Taking a deep breath she pushed the pain and hysteria away. It would do no good here, now. Her family had taught her that. She needed to stay in control in case an opportunity to escape presented itself.

  The storm intensified. She hadn't thought it possible until the ship rolled nearly onto its side as the waves grew even larger. The winds could be heard through the hull and had grown into an unnatural howl.

  "Quite the storm they've rode into," Bo remarked with a grimace.

  When darkness fully blanketed the hold Kei took her hand. She squeezed it tightly, wishing the chains didn't prevent her from wrapping her arms around him. She just wanted to hold on to something and not let go.

  The rolling got worse. Eventually they all moved to the cell bars so they had something to grasp and keep them steady.

  By the faint light she could see people in the other cells doing the same. She listened to the cursing and watched the gripping arms and hands for a while before it registered there seemed to be a lot more people in each of the other cells. She asked why aloud.

  "We're worth more," Prince answered quietly. Even he had come to the bars so he wouldn't be thrown about the cell.

  She turned to look past Kendric at him and he smiled faintly, with little amusement. Was he still mad at her or not?

  Before she could ask any more questions he continued, "The cells at the front with the women are likely not as crowded either. But the others are packed in twenty to thirty to a cell."

  Her mind went over this information. The fact that the only thing those in her cell had in common was that they were soldiers, left her confused. "So they want us to fight for them or something?"

  Prince shook his head, his face grim. "No. Their…entertainment is the arenas. The crowds watch as slaves fight to the death."

  His words turned her stomach and she clenched her hands tighter on the bars in an attempt to fight down the rising panic and fear within her. Dying in an area was what she had to look forward to? No. She didn't really, because when they arrived at port they would certainly find out she wasn't a boy and then...

  A deafening crack suddenly echoed above them, followed by a groaning long creak and a boom that made the whole ship shudder.

  "Tell me that wasn't the mast," Kendric grated.

  "It was," Prince answered. Kendric glared over at him, as if it were his fault.

  Aro shifted to hold a bar with two hands, Kei and Kendric both close to either side of her. The mast. That certainly wasn't good. Did ships c
ome with extra? Could they fix it at sea? She had no idea.

  Gah! Somehow things had gotten even worse. How was that even possible? She found it hard to think. Exhaustion pulled at her, but so did hunger. The cold and wet of the water only made things worse. It didn't help she had started to not feel well, she wasn't sure if it was from the rolling ship or being hungry.

  She had no idea how long they held on as the ship rolled madly. She blacked out a few times, or maybe just fell asleep. Either way, it frightened her. After the first time she started awake to find Kei and Kendric holding her up, each with a grip on her upper arm.

  Eventually the storm and sea began to calm. Her mind spun so much she almost didn't notice. No, not her mind. Her vision. "I don't feel so well," she whispered, before turning and collapsing into Kei's arms.

  Chapter 7

  Into the Sea

  Consciousness returned slowly. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what. Her thoughts moved sluggishly, yet were strangely calm considering the situation. She rested her cheek against the warmth that held her, content for the moment in the quiet world of being not quite awake.

  Reality, in the form of screaming, finally began to penetrate the calm, quiet place she'd been in. It seemed odd the screams resounded so frantically through the hold. She had become used to the crying and cursing, even the screaming of the women when the slavers came down, but this was different.

  She blinked her eyes, trying to focus her spinning head. Everything remained foggy. Had she been sick?

  It took her some time before she realized someone held her, that her cheek rested against a warm chest, her hands tucked into her lap. She could feel an arm under her knees and another around her waist.

  For a moment everything remained perfect. Safety and calm continued to surround her, holding her close and protecting her. She almost smiled before the sudden sense of something not right shot through her. It wasn't Kei who held her.

  She stiffened as her eyes popped open and her head shot up to see the face, of all people, Prince.

  "What?" The simple word was all she could manage in her state of utter confusion. Why him?

  "We've struck something."

  She blinked rapidly, her vision clearing a little. She still didn't feel well though. She was light headed and nauseous. Her eyes burned and her head hurt. Still, she didn't want to be held by the man who'd been glaring and yelling at her the past few days. Panic and worry overwhelmed her. Where was Kei? Had something happened to him? She had to find out...

  "Put me down," she demanded more sharply than she intended.

  He glared down at her. "Fine."

  He nearly dropped her and she flailed in the water as she splashed into it. It had risen to become now higher than her waist. The cold of it shocked her into full consciousness. Prince grabbed her shirt and righted her as she struggled. She turned on him in the faint light, uncertain if it was morning or night. "Where's Kei?"

  She could see his jaw clench as he looked away. "Busy."

  She blinked at him stupidly.

  "Aro, are you hurt?"

  She turned to see the others standing around staring at her, their faces worried.

  Kei suddenly popped up out of the water in front of Kendric, nearly scaring her half to death. "What happened?" She fought to think around the pain in her head.

  "We've hit something, the ship's breaking up," Kendric replied. He lifted his hands showing the foot long chain that had attached them now broken. "Kei is breaking all our chains, so we'll be able to swim free."

  She looked at Kei, soaking wet and gasping for breath. "Kei?"

  He flashed her a tired grin. "Just you two left."

  "Then what?" She tried to keep her voice calm as he splashed his way toward her.

  "Kei will rip out the cell door and we'll jump ship. Hopefully we're close to shore," Cain answered.

  "I'd assume so," Kendric said. "I don't know what else we could've hit. Reefs or rocks I'm guessing."

  The ship lurched suddenly and the screams of the others in the hold intensified.

  "We're caught up on something?" The others nodded as Kei reached her and she looked at him.

  "Don't worry," he said quietly, noting her increasing panic.

  "But…but I can't swim," she whispered. "Not at all…I can't…"

  "We'll help you," Kendric said quickly, apparently hearing her. "The rain has stopped, and the moon is giving us some light, it shouldn't be a problem."

  "There will be lots of floating debris we can hang on to," Cain added. "Just grab something and point yourself in the direction of the shore and kick."

  She took a deep breath. That didn't seem hard. They made it sound so easy.

  The ship lurched and seemed to swing suddenly before hitting something with a deafening crack. Before the movement could knock her off her feet, Kei sprang forward and pushed her backward so hard she crashed into Prince and sent him down as well.

  She came up out of the water sputtering. Blinking water out of her eyes, she choked. A beam had broken loose collapsed where she had been standing.

  It pinned Kei to the side of the cell.

  "Kei!" She floundered in the water trying to get to him. Blood ran from his mouth. His eyes were squeezed closed and teeth clenched tightly in pain. His hands clawed frantically at the beam across his chest. The sight tore her breath away. No! This couldn't be happening.

  The men reached him first, their curses loud enough to be heard over the continued screams of the other captives.

  "Hold on, we should be able to move it," Kendric said quickly.

  Kei shook his head. "No. Get out."

  She didn't understand, but the others looked up suddenly and she followed suit. The beam angled up toward a new hole in the cell's ceiling.

  "Kei," Avery groaned.

  The Fey shook his head violently. "The waters coming in too fast," he said, speaking so quickly his words tumbled into each other. "You'll not get me out in time, and I…I won't be able to open the door now." He grimaced again. "Go!"

  Kendric stared at him a moment before he rested his hand gently on the Fey's head. He blinked and scowled suddenly. "Let's go then."

  She stood in shock as Cain and Bo both hopped up on the beam and began scurrying up. "Wait…no…" She couldn't breathe, couldn't move. They were going to leave him?

  Avery took Kei's hand. "Kei, look at me. You get out of here, you hear me?" His voice cracked. "I'll see you on the beach. Agreed?"

  "On the beach," Kei repeated quietly.

  Avery squeezed his hand. "I'll be waiting. Understand?"

  A faint, bloody smile crossed the Fey's lips and he winced. "Go already."

  Avery paused a moment but Kendric reached out a hand to help him up onto the beam. Once the young solider had scrambled up, her brother's friend looked at her and held out his hand. "Let's go, Aro."

  She stared up at him a moment while she tried to get her mind to work. Ignoring him, she flung herself at Kei, wrapping her arms around his head and burying her face in his wet hair.

  "Go. I'll make sure she comes." She recognized Prince's voice. Why was he still down here? He would hate her for certain now, because she wasn't going...and she really didn't care.

  "Aro…"

  She blinked back tears and leaned back to look at Kei. "I'll stay with you. I won't leave you. I'll get you out."

  He smiled so very softly it nearly broke her heart. He took her face in his trembling hands, forcing her to look at him. She looked into his eyes and saw they had lit with that strange inner light again, though this time they glowed more of an orange than a yellow. Did the change in color mean anything? Was he dying?

  "You have to go. I'll try to get out. I promise. I'll come and find you."

  "Kei…" She choked through her tears as she frantically shook her head.

  He looked over her shoulder and suddenly reached out. She turned to see he'd grasped Prince's arm and they were staring at each other intently. Men. Still f
ighting.

  "I'll take care of her," Prince said after a moment, shaking the Fey's hand off.

  She glared at him before turning back to Kei.

  "Go, Aro," he said quietly, his voice cracking in pain.

  "No."

  He closed his eyes in frustration. "You promised you'd listen to me."

  She clenched her teeth as tears streaked down her face. "I…I can't leave you like this," she whispered, leaning forward to press her cheek against his.

  A faint sad smile crossed his lips as he gently pushed her back. His fingers brushed her cheek. His eyes were wet, too. He held her gaze a moment and then looked over her shoulder and nodded.

  Prince grabbed her waist from behind, tearing her away from Kei. Before she could even fight him, he tossed her up into the air. Kendric caught her flailing arms and she screamed in frustration. "No! Kei! Kei!"

  She couldn't hear if Kei said anything more to her. She stood shaking on the deck. Kendric's arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly as she sobbed and tried to escape him and return to Kei. "Please," she sobbed. "We can't leave him here! You don't leave men behind!"

  A moment later Prince climbed out of the hole and she glared at him for his treachery. She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak for the wreck of emotions tearing through her. They couldn't do this do her. They couldn't make her leave her brother behind. Her heart shattered and broke. She couldn't do this again. She couldn't take losing someone else. Shadows blurred her vision as pain crushed her chest.

  Kendric spun her around and pointed in the faint light of the moon and stars. "There, see the dark line. That's the shore."

  She shook her head, her mind locked in despair. "No. Please..."

  "Look, Aro!"

  The anger in his voice forced her to look up. The shore seemed so far away, and scattered in between…

  "Try to avoid the rocks," he added more calmly. He took her hand, moving it up to her face. "Grab your nose, take a deep breath."

  "What?" Everything was happening so quickly. Even as she numbly did as she was told he lifted her up and tossed her overboard.