Chapter 130 The wait is over
Chapter 130 The wait is over
Mei Mei’s heart hammered against her ribs as she swallowed hard, her throat suddenly parched.
Her fingers tightened around the concealed dagger beneath her clothes, the hilt slick with sweat. One clean strike to Lady Hamisa’s throat, then she would run. Consequences be damned.
She lifted the latch and pushed the door open.
The room was empty.
No Vandal. No companions. Just neatly arranged crates and hammocks swaying gently with the ship’s subtle movement on the water. Mei Mei blinked, forcing her voice steady as she turned to the two women behind her.
“As you can see, Lady Hamisa, there is nothing here.”
Hamisa’s sharp eyes swept the space, her expression tightening with suspicion, but she said nothing. They moved on in heavy silence, checking the final pair of rooms along the corridor. Each door creaked open to reveal the same result: emptiness. No signs of life, no hidden compartments disturbed, no lingering traces of recent occupation.
Internally, Mei Mei was reeling.
Where in the nine hells had they gone? Had Vandal and his people abandoned the ship entirely? How? When?
The questions burned through her mind like wildfire, but her face remained a mask of polite concern.
Lady Hamisa and Lady Safura exchanged a look, their confusion evident. Safura pulled out the tracking compass again, its needle spinning erratically before settling on a direction that still pointed firmly toward the ship.
“This makes no sense,” Safura muttered, her voice low and frustrated.
They had searched every possible hiding spot. Yet the compass insisted the escaped prisoners were close, close by.
Finally, Safura’s patience snapped. “The compass must be faulty,” she hissed. “Those bastards escaped long ago.” Rage boiled over. She screamed into the air, a powerful burst of wind exploding outward from her.
The force hurled the surviving sailor and the bodies of the dead clear off the ground, scattering them into the harbor waters like discarded refuse. Some passersby nearby nearly lost their footing, while others quickly moved farther away from the commotion.
Mei Mei flinched but quickly composed herself, adopting an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry I could not be of more help in your search, my ladies.”
Hamisa placed a hand on Safura’s arm, attempting to calm her. “They cannot have gone far in this desert. They must be hiding somewhere nearby. We simply need another tracking treasure, or the blood hounds.”
Both women turned and stepped back onto the ground, leaving the dock. Safura’s voice dropped as they moved away from the ship. “We have only twenty-four hours left to save our husband.”
“Speak lower,” Hamisa reminded her sharply. “That is why I insisted we leave the ship, to talk freely.”
Safura summoned the remaining elite guards with a curt gesture. “Return to the fortress at once. Bring the blood hounds. Make sure they get a strong scent from the escaped dungeon cells, and from their blood as well.”
Mei Mei, still standing at the railing, overheard every word. Her stomach twisted.
Blood hounds.
Those beasts were infamous, capable of tracking the faintest lingering scent for days, pinpointing exactly where someone had been held or last touched. If the guards returned with them before her own crew arrived, the game would be over.
A low whisper suddenly brushed against her ear, so close it made her nearly jump overboard.
“We need to leave. As soon as possible.”
Mei Mei startled violently. Safura and Hamisa, already some distance away on the dock, turned at the movement. She forced a nervous smile and called out loudly, “Just an insect! I hate the damn things!”
The two women stared for a moment longer before turning away again.
Heart still racing, Mei Mei subtly glanced around, then slipped below deck as the voice instructed. The moment she reached the lower corridor, the air shimmered, and Vandal and his companions materialized as if stepping out of the shadows themselves. They stood there, fully visible now, cloaks and weapons intact.
Mei Mei’s eyes widened in pure shock. “You… you were invisible the entire time?”
Vandal gave a small, tired smile. “We have a cloaking treasure. I revealed it to you because I know you won’t betray us. I trust you.”
He stepped closer, voice urgent. “But we must leave now. Those blood hounds will pick up our scent regardless.”
The cloaking might hide sight, but scent was another matter entirely.
Mei Mei nodded grimly, though anxiety still churned inside her. “I agree, but I can’t abandon my men. We wait for them. Pray they arrive before those guards return with the hounds.” She met his eyes, the weight of their shared fate heavy between them. “Otherwise, it will be all of our heads on a spit.”
After the tense exchange below deck, Mei Mei returned to the dock. Hamisa had already left with several guards to check on their husband and retrieve the blood hounds, leaving only two elite guards standing silently beside Safura.
Mei Mei approached with a calm, helpful expression. “I suggest you accompany your guards and leave too,” she said smoothly. “If you want something done right, it is best to do it yourself.”
Safura waved the suggestion away. “I will wait here… for now. Lady Hamisa will ensure all happens as planned.”
Mei Mei offered politely, “Would you like something to drink while you wait?”
Safura sighed and nodded. “Yes. I will take a cold drink now.”
Mei Mei brought her a cup of chilled coconut juice. The woman drank in silence, her foot tapping restlessly against the wooden planks. Two hours had already passed since Mei Mei’s men, along with Karlison, had left with the earlier group of elite guards to deliver the cargo.
The desert sun had begun to rise again. It was going to be morning soon. Hours continued to slip by. The tension on the dock grew thicker with every passing minute, the deadline weighing heavily on all of them.
In the distance, figures finally began to appear, slowly making their way back toward the harbor.