The Azure Bottle: Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Thyra leaned her head back against the mast, her wrists were rubbed red from the ropes that bound her fast. She bit down on the gag in her mouth, trying in vain to get it over her bottom lip. The king was tied up behind her and she could hear his grunting as he pulled at his bounds. It pulled hers too and her back was pressed firmer against the rough hewn wood. She would have yelled at him if she could talk. Glancing up the quarterdeck, she watched as Arne stood at the wheel; a crewman standing behind him held a dagger against his throat.
Hilda stood at the head of the ship above the fo’c’sle. Her fiery hair was blowing behind her, and she leaned leisurely against the railing. Thyra could just hardly see her through the corner of her eyes. Thyra pursed her lips and felt anger boil in her chest. Traitor.
Hilda turned as a crew member came up behind her. Her lips were turned up in a smug grin, and her green eyes were flashing. She’d led her cousin below deck when he was trying to protect her, and the moment his back was turned she’d knocked him unconscious. She was the one who’d pressed her dagger against Thyra’s throat. She had told the sailors about the treasure and had gotten them to join her. Thyra felt her stomach ball up in a knot and she looked away, feeling sick.
Letting her eyes fall to the ship's deck, she spied a small knoll in the wood. It was similar to the one Hilda had put her finger in weeks ago. It only made the betrayal hurt more. Closing her eyes, Thyra fought back the tears. In the mere hours since the coup Hilda had made her new position known. The sailors obeyed her every word with almost cheerfulness. How much had she promised them for doing this? Thyra honestly didn’t want to know, and she squeezed her eyes tightly closed, wishing not for the first time that she could awake and find that it had all been a horrible dream.
But when her eyes opened again, she was still on the ship wrapped up in ropes and without hope of escape. The king gave up his struggle with the coils and leaned his head back against the mast. Thyra heard him moan, and her worry for him increased. When Hilda had knocked him out how badly she had hurt him? True he’d woken an hour or so later, but it was possible that he’d taken damage to the head. Thyra tried to wiggle herself, her hands still tied round the mast, nearer to him. She needed to know if he was alright, although she herself was unsure if she was alright. The feelings of grief and betrayal were deep and piercing, and they stun more than she could have ever imagined they would’ve. It was like glass was embedded over her heart, and any emotion pushed the glass deeper.
She managed to move herself a few inches closer before she decided that getting too much further would be too obvious. She planted herself and tried again to work her gag off. She was unsuccessful in getting it over her lip; she tried to gnaw it instead. Altogether it was gross to even try. She couldn’t swallow her own spit while chewing at the gag so spit dribbled from her mouth and made a small pool on her shirt. She continued even still, after wiping some of the spit off by rubbing her chin on her shoulder. At last she felt a strand snap, and then another. When all but a single strand was broken she stopped. It would be best to wait till dark to undo the last bit, lest the sailors saw that she’d released herself from the gag.
The shadows on the ships deck lengthened, and Thyra uneasily watched as the cove drew nearer. Many of the sailors retired, and Hilda soon left. Thyra bit down on the last strand of the gag and felt it fall from her mouth. Waiting until every sailor that still remained above deck was a good distance away, she leaned her head closer to the king.
“What do we do now?” she muttered. Thyra heard him grunt in what seemed like surprise, it was next to impossible to tell so long as his gag was in place. “Gnaw on it till it breaks.” she whispered then hurriedly straightened as a sailor drew near. He didn’t so much as glance at them and hurriedly left, a barrel in hand. She leaned back over to whisper to the king, and heard him grunt as he tried to saw away with his teeth on the gag. She flashed a glance up at Arne. He had been tied to the railing of the ship once the sailors had dropped anchor. His hands and feet were bound and his mouth gagged. His head was hanging limply, and his captain’s hat was nowhere to be seen. She felt her face flush with anger. No one ever had the right to treat him like this.
Thyra balled her fists, her sore skin rubbing unpleasantly against the ropes. She heard a soft twanging sort of sound as the king’s gag snapped in his mouth. She peered over and saw it fall to the ground as he spat it out. He slowly tried to edge closer to her, then stopped before he’d gotten too far from his original position.
“Can you reach my shoe?” He whispered, Thyra could see the spit that glistened on his chin. He hadn’t been able to rub it all off. She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he smiled. “My cousin thought she got all my weapons, but she missed the dagger in my boot.” Thyra felt her lips part and spread into a grin. They still had a chance. Thyra turned as best she could as the king raised his bound feet to her hands. It was enormously awkward and Thyra had to fight the urge to cry out when he accidentally kicked her back.
Thyra felt along the hem of his boat then, finding the opening in the top, got her hand inside, all the while silently promising herself that she’d never do this again. Pressed against the leather of the shoe and the king’s leg she felt the hilt of the dagger. She pulled it out too quickly, and she felt the king’s body go rigid. The warm liquid oozed onto her hands and she muttered a quiet apology. The king grunted, and she continued to work the dagger more carefully now out of the shoe. In a few agonizing moments it was out, and Thyra clasped the dagger in her bound hands. Working it into a good position on her bounds, Thyra began to work. She bobbed up and down in subtle ways till at last she heard the first rope snap, then the next and the next! So close! So close! She thought to herself. At last she felt the bounds loosen and fall away.
“Good now, help me.” the king demanded in hushed tones. Thyra slipped closer to his back and hurriedly sawed through the ropes that bound them to the mast, then set to work on his hands. Once his wrists were free the king set to pulling off the ropes that were latched around his ankles. Thyra cut hers off and then handed the dagger to the king, who willingly accepted. The ropes fell to the ground, and the king and Thyra exchanged a glance. How long before Hilda found out?
Remaining close to the ground, Thyra began to weave her way over to Arne. His head lolled to the side as she approached and she felt her worry increase. She could hear the king slinking along beside her, the moonlight gleamed on the blade of his dagger. Thyra gestured to it with a tilt of her head, and the king glanced over at it, then pressed in against his chest, wrapping his fingers around the blade. Thyra noticed with a wince that he moved more awkwardly than she would’ve expected from him. She wondered how badly she had cut him.
Winding their way as silently as they could, the two moved to the quarterdeck. Arne didn’t move as they drew up closer to his side. Thrya bit her lip and closed her eyes. Oh please, please don’t be… She couldn’t will herself to finish the thought. She didn’t know when they hurt him so badly, and winced as her eyes fixated on the gash on his forehead. Swallowing the ball that was growing in her throat, she knelt down beside him. Quietly setting a hand to his cheek, she lifted his head, trying to see how deep his wound was. Arne’s eyes fluttered open and he tried to smile at her, it looked more like a grimace.
“Thyra, how are you untied?” His voice was weak and fatigued, Thyra hoped desperately that he wouldn’t sink into unconsciousness.
“We are going to get out of here.” The king said, kneeling down beside them, “Once we get closer to the cove, we can dive over and swim to land.” Thyra puzzled over his words. How were they supposed to stay hidden? Arne shook his head and forced his bleeding lips to part.
“We can’t, the cove is guarded. Th-there is a creature.”
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