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It had been two days since Orion had taken Zuzana and Cassaras.
Alea and Lennox had been able to free the Anschu girl before Orion was able to tie her to his command using the master’s oath. They even had been able to sneak away one little bottle of the cure which they had given to Zuzana, healing her of the virus.
And now, Alea and Lennox had developed a plan to rescue Cassaras before Orion could act upon the torture he’d threatened the nixie prince with.
With their once again invisible sailboat, they neared themselves the research platform.
Alea, Lennox and Thea would go looking for Cassaras while Siska, Nexon and Zeirus, together with the rest of the Alpha Cru, would be guarding the Crucis.
Zuzana had told Alea and Lennox everything she remembered of the platform, including a room where Cassaras had been locked up in, at least as far as the Anschu knew. Zuzana had decided to stay behind, still feeling the aftereffects of the virus.
And so, the three merchildren snuck onto the platform, armed with the machete and knives Cassaras had left behind as well as the gun they’d taken off one of Orion’s men a few weeks ago when they’d fought against him near the Loreley rock.
Lennox had tried to draw Cassaras’ bow, but even with his enhanced strength, the Oblivion had not been able to draw the string all the way back. Besides, he had no practice in archery anyways, and so, the prince’s favorite weapon was useless to them.
After they had made it onto the platform, the two Whale-Wanderers followed Lennox, who scouted ahead. Thanks to his Oblivion powers, he was invisible to surface dwellers, and so, he could warn the girls if they were to run into some of the guards.
Meanwhile, Alea’s mind was clear, her whole body in the Elvarion mode.
Thankfully, most of the Darkoni were gone again, on some mission the Alpha Cru didn’t know about. Zuzana had guessed that they were looking for her and the rest of their group, but she didn’t know for sure.
But Orion and at least two of his Darkoni were still on the platform, and so, the three merchildren had to be as quiet as they could be.
Which was the reason why they were only talking in German Sign Language at the moment.
“The building over there must be it,” Lennox signed. The door he was pointing at was positioned at the side of a container. The door seemed to be locked by a chain and a big lock.
“Let’s go, I can’t see anyone,” Thea signed and the Oblivion nodded. He couldn’t hear anyone either.
And so, the three friends made their way over to the door where Lennox picked the lock -- one of the handy skills he’d learned during his time on the streets -- and let the other two inside before he pulled the door close behind them again.
There was no light in the room, but when Alea searched the wall next to the door with her hand, she found a light switch, turning on a naked light bulb on the ceiling.
The room lit up and now they were able to see more than just a few shapes inside of the container.
There was a table without a chair, a shelf filled with some boxes and a door that led to another room.
Other than that, the room they were in right now was empty.
Thea pointed at the door and Lennox nodded.
The three of them sneaked towards it. Thankfully, this one wasn’t locked, and so, they were able to open it without any struggle.
The light of the first room fell through the door and Thea’s eyes landed on the figure that was tied to a chair in the middle of the room.
Other than that, the room was empty.
“Cassaras,” Thea signed, recognizing the person immediately.
Before she could run to him, Lennox gripped her arm, holding her back. “Not so fast. We need to be quiet.”
Thea nodded. Cassaras’ hair was hanging into his face, his head bowed down. It almost seemed as if he was asleep, the ties that bound him to the chair being the only thing holding him up. He was only wearing underwear; the rest of his clothes had been removed. They were nowhere to be seen.
Bruises and cuts littered the prince’s body.
The three of them slowly approached. Cassaras flinched, but he did not look up.
“Back already?” he croaked, apparently thinking that they were Orion.
“It’s us,” Lennox breathed.
The prince stayed silent for a moment. Then, his body crumbled, his shoulders dropping down. “Lennox,” he whispered. His voice sounded vulnerable, broken.
Alea hated it. Cassaras had never sounded like that before. His voice had always been defensive, grumpy and snappy, but not broken.
What had Orion done to him?
“We need to be quiet,” Lennox now whispered. “Sign language.”
Cassaras stayed worryingly silent, not even looking up.
And then, he finally said something that made Alea feel as if she’d jumped into ice cold water.
“I can’t.”
“We will untie you,” Lennox hissed, “but we really should switch to sign language now.”
“I- I can’t. I can’t see,” Cassaras croaked again.
Alea glanced at Lennox while Thea asked what was going on. Without the language stone and Cassaras’ hair that was hanging into his face, she wasn’t able to read his lips. They had left the language stones behind in case someone was watching them sign. That way, they could keep their conversation private.
Lennox quickly signed that Cassaras couldn’t see while Alea took a few quick steps towards the prince.
Then, she knelt down in front of him. “I- I will touch you,” she informed him. When Alea brushed the greasy dark hair out of his face, she saw that there was a lot of dried blood on his face. His eyes were swollen shut. Orion must’ve beaten him up badly.
“Oh,” she breathed.
Cassaras did not answer.
“What has he done to you?” Alea couldn't help but ask. Cassaras stayed silent.
Lennox now stepped behind her, gripping Alea’s arm. “We need to escape. Ask questions later.”
Alea nodded before turning back to Cassaras. Thea was now standing next to her, moving to look into Cassaras’ face as well, but Alea caught her hand before she could.
“No time,” she signed. It was only half of the truth. Alea did not want her sister to see the state Cassaras’ face was in.
“Can you walk?” she whispered and Cassaras’ body tensed up again.
“I- I hope,” he breathed. Alea gave Lennox a nod who pulled out one of the knives Cassaras had left behind on the Crucis.
He walked behind the chair and started cutting through the ropes, first the ones on Cassaras’ legs, then the ones tying his arms back.
Cassaras toppled forwards, only raising his hands in the last moment to not faceplant on the floor.
The man groaned before pushing himself up on his knees.
Alea extended a hand, touching his arm. “Here,” she said, “take my hand.”
Cassaras reached out his hand, searching for Alea’s. When he found it, his fingers interlocked with hers.
Then, Lennox stepped behind him and together with Alea, he helped Cassaras stand up.
The prince’s legs were shaking, and he seemed to have trouble staying upright, but he was standing.
“Let’s go,” Alea hissed. Then, Lennox and she led Cassaras through the door into the back room before they exited the container.
Cassaras shuffled after them, always hesitating to set a foot in front of the other, and so it took them longer than Alea had wished it to get out of the building.
“Fuck,” Lennox hissed after they’d made it halfway across the platform. “I can see a guard back there -- he just said something into a walkie talkie.”
Alea looked around. They were still way too far away from the ladder, and even if they would reach it soon, Cassaras wouldn’t be able to quickly climb it down.
The solution was clear to her mind.
“We need to jump,” she decided.
“That’s crazy!” Thea signed. “What about the Troja virus?”
“We have no other choice,” Lennox countered, having understood why Alea wanted to jump.
Thea glanced at Cassaras, now realizing as well. Then, she nodded. It was their only chance to escape.
Together, they led the prince to the edge.
“Jump,” Alea said, watching as Cassaras took a step forward. Then another one, and then he was falling. Thankfully, he did not scream.
The water splashed quietly below them. Quiet, but still way too loud if a Darkoni was listening.
Thea jumped right after him, landing next to him in the water.
Alea looked back, seeing more guards appear outside, followed by Orion and his Darkoni. They would have to reach the ship quickly, maybe even drag Cassaras towards it.
Lennox’ hand gripped hers and together, they followed Thea and Cassaras down.
Both of their friends were under water, floating.
Cassaras was floating in front of them, not moving. Had he passed out or just lost his orientation? Alea wasn’t sure.
His hair was now floating around his head, the water already having cleaned some off the dirt and blood that stuck to his body. His eyelids were still firmly closed.
Lennox swam towards him and grabbed his hand. The prince raised his head, and Lennox carefully put his hand on Cassaras shoulder, helping him regain his orientation.
“We need to swim to the Crucis; the ship is invisible,” he informed Cassaras. The man nodded.
Then, he started pulling the prince with him. Thea joined him moments later. Together, they dragged Cassaras through the water.
When they made it to the ship, Lennox climbed on deck and pulled Cassaras out of the water, hiving him onto the deck. Immediately, the others appeared next to him, looking down at the prince who was lying on the floor, breathing heavily.
His hair was wet, sticking to his back, and so, his wounded face was visible again.
Thea climbed up the ladder, crouching down next to Cassaras.
Her hands came to a hold over his body, not daring to touch his battered skin. His beaten up face was visible to her for the first time since they’d found the nixie prince.
“We need to call Ramin,” Alea told the others. Her mind was still calm, thinking clearly about the next steps.
Ben immediately turned around and returned moments later with Alea’s phone which she’d left on the kitchen table to charge.
He gave it to her, careful to not jostle the scorpion fish on its back, and Alea unlocked it, hoping that her still wet fingers wouldn’t mess too much with the phone screen. She opened her contact list and selected Ramin’s number.
Meanwhile, Lennox told the others that they had to leave immediately.
Even though the movement of the ship would be visible in the water, they pulled up the anchor and turned the sails.
The motor would be too loud. Even Orion would be able to hear it.
And so, they could only pray that their escape would be successful.
While the Crucis slowly started moving, a bunch of Orion’s men climbed down the ladder to one of the speedboats they’d tied to a little platform, quickly entering the boats. It didn’t take long for Orion to follow.
“They need to be distracted,” Zeirus realized. He was right.
Orion was only moments away from discovering the Cruics.
The Darkoni looked at his kids. “Take care, I will return.”
With that, he jumped off the Crucis and dived directly towards Orion. When he was close enough, the Darkoni surfaced and yelled an insult at the doctor.
Orion now pointed at the Darkoni, calling for his men to chase and capture him.
It worked. The Crucis distanced herself more and more from the research platform.
Meanwhile, Alea was staring at her phone, waiting for Ramin to answer. Zuzana had brought a blanket which they had wrapped around Cassaras’ shoulders.
Cassaras had his head bowed down, but it seemed that the saltwater had at least washed off some of the blood that had stuck to his skin, now revealing more scrapes and cuts across his body. Even his face was injured, multiple cuts crossing over his features.
Thea was staring at him, the shock clear on her face.
And then, Ramin finally picked up.
“Alea?” he asked. “Is everything alright?”
“Ramin! We need your help!” Alea breathed.
The face of the Roix immediately dropped. “Oh no,” he mumbled. “What happened? Who-”
“Cassaras. He was tortured by Orion,” Alea quickly explained, now turning on the camera and pointing it at Cassaras.
The Roix went silent; his eyes being glued onto his phone screen.
“What can we do?” Alea asked.
Ramin sighed. “His cuts, they have to be cleaned. Two of his rips on his right side are broken, but not badly. He will have to stay still for the next weeks though until they start healing.”
“Alright,” Alea said.
Ramin nodded. “Tirrmia-tubermash should help with both,” Ramin explained. Alea nodded, remembering having used the same medicine to treat Lennox’ wounds a few days ago.
“His eyes however,” Ramin now spoke, sighing.
“What is with them?” Alea asked quietly. Suddenly, the fear of what Orion had done to Cassaras returned.
The Roix sighed. “It seems as if Orion cut them out.”
Suddenly, it was deadly silent on board.
Thea noticed that everyone had quieted down, looking up at Alea. She still hadn’t put on her language stone, Alea realized.
“What is it?” her sister asked. “Is he dying?”
Alea stared at her, then shook her head slowly.
Thea’s eyes dwelled up with tears. “Tell me,” she demanded.
Alea swallowed, reaching her phone over to Lennox. “Orion blinded him,” she then signed with shaky hands.
Thea drew in a sharp breath, looking at Cassaras again. A quiet cry escaped her lips and Cassaras slowly raised a hand, finding her shoulder.
“I will be alright,” he slowly signed. It seemed like he was trying to convince both Thea and himself of it.
Ramin now spoke up again. “Other than that, he is fine. I also can’t see any evidence of the Trojan Virus in his system. But… he needs rest. A lot of it.”
Alea nodded. “Thank you, Ramin,” she croaked. Then, she hung up and looked back at her friends. “Let’s bring him below deck,” she told them.
The others nodded. The shock was still painted on their faces. Sammy even had his face buried in Ben’s T-shirt, not daring to look at Cassaras.
They helped Cassaras up, careful to not jostle his broken ribs too much, and led him down the stairs into the Cruics’ salon. There, they helped him sit down on one of the couches.
Cassaras relaxed into the cushions, groaning as his back touched the soft fabric.
Moments later, Evelin appeared at his side, carrying the first aid box that was placed in the ship’s kitchen.
Alea opened it, pulling out disinfectant spray, band aids and bandages.
“I will go look for Tirrmia plants," Lennox informed the others before sprinting back on deck. Alea didn’t even have time to say goodbye.
While Alea and Evelin started looking after Cassaras’ wounds, Thea just sat next to him, holding one of his hands. She seemed to be as deep in shock as the prince, her eyes staring at Cassaras’ side without even blinking.
Half an hour later, Lennox returned and Evelin helped him prepare the roots of the plant before they applied it to Cassaras’ side and some of his other more severe injuries.
“Should we add it to his… eyes as well?” Alea asked. “Maybe it will help heal the wounds.”
Evelin nodded, lifting his hand to apply the mash to Cassaras’ face as well. But as soon as his fingers touched Cassaras’ face, the prince flinched back, yelping.
“I- Sorry,” Evelin mumbled. “This will help with the wounds.”
Cassaras gave a curt nod, his face growing into a rigid mask while Evelin applied the mash to his eyelids.
After the Adetari was done, he moved his hand away. “We’re done now,” he mumbled.
Cassaras hummed quietly, his head moving back until it lay on the backrest of the couch.
One after the other, the merkids left the salon until only Lennox, Alea and Thea remained with Cassaras.
Alea watched as a singular tear escaped Thea’s eye, slowly making its way down her cheek.
“It will be alright. He will be alright,” Alea tried to calm Thea down.
But her sister only stared at her, her face worried. Scared.
At that moment, Nexon appeared in the salon again. “My father just returned, he says that Orion lost him. We should be safe, at least for now.”
Alea exhaled, relieved. “That’s great. Thanks for telling us, Nexon.”
The Oblivion gave Alea a quick smile before his eyes drifted over to Cassaras, staring at the prince for a moment. Then, he turned around and left the salon again.
Thea raised her hands as if to sign when she remembered that Cassaras couldn’t see and let them sink down again.
“Cass?” Thea now asked, her voice uncertain. Alea did not know if it was because her sister rarely used her voice to talk or if it was because of her worry about Cassaras. Maybe it was both.
“Thea,” Cassaras groaned, slowly twisting his head towards her. “Come here.”
A sob escaped Thea’s lips, and she threw herself at Cassaras, wrapping her arms around the prince.
Cassaras groaned, but then, a little smile appeared on his otherwise twisted face.
Slowly, he raised a hand and rubbed it over Thea’s back.
He didn’t have to tell her anything.
They had each other again.
And that was the most important thing. Everything else would work itself out, even if it seemed hard and almost impossible right now.
And so, Cassaras held Thea until the girl had fallen asleep. Only then, he let himself drift off to sleep as well, still holding the girl.
He was safe now.
They both were.