Chapter 229: The Hunt
A blanket of scarlet quickly dyed the night. Right at the center of it was the silhouette of a man, carefreely standing right at the edge of the ship. He held onto the thick rope for balance but otherwise dangled dangerously as though he had no care whether or not the wind would thrust him into the waters below.
Behind him, standing safely on the deck, was another man. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the railing lazily. His carnelian was not glowing, unlike the first man, but Soleia still felt his beady gaze rested upon her like a snake eyeing its prey in the dark.
Soleia’s throat ran dry. Noticing her silence, Orion’s eyes followed where she was looking. He hadn’t missed the shadow but also hadn’t thought to look up into the night sky until he noticed her ashen expression.
"What are you―" He cut himself short when he noticed the sloop-of-war that easily outsized their smaller boat. Similarly to Soleia, his eyes quickly found the two men who had their sights on them, and Orion’s eyes narrowed.
"Looks like we didn’t sail fast enough," Soleia muttered under her breath, with no intention to push the blame onto Orion. It was simply a misfortune, but it was also something well within her expectations. She had just hoped it wouldn’t come to this.
A crackle fizzled in the air, and Soleia’s hair stood on its ends when she felt the magic thrum around her. Soon enough, she heard the clear, distinct voice of Prince Ricard echoing into the night.
"Princess Soleia," he said. "Surrender yourself to the Raxuvian royal navy at once, and you and Orion Elsher’s lives will be spared."
"He thinks we’re idiots," Orion muttered under his breath, and Soleia couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
"He really does," Soleia said. "Just ignore him and keep on rowing. We need to get into international waters as quickly as possible."