Blood in the Water

by Sevastian Winters

The fog rolled over the port city like a living beast, its fingers curling through every alley and across every slick cobblestone. The air was heavy with the smell of fish and salt, and the distant shouts of sailors loading cargo echoed over the harbor. But none of it mattered to Daria as she pressed on, her arm wrapped tightly around Silas to keep him moving.

Silas was barely conscious, his pale face slick with sweat, and Daria knew he didn’t have much time left. The wound in his side was deep, and they had no money for a doctor. Not here, not anywhere. Their only hope was to find a ship, get out of the city, and pray that somewhere out there, in the lawless expanse of the islands, they could find someone to help him.

But that was the least of their problems.