Snippet #2489081

Ephraim was struggling to keep the contents of his stomach, or whatever he got left, inside. He felt nauseous and disoriented, clearly suffering from seasickness. He never felt like this before, since he had never bothered to get out on the open sea. The largest boat he had ever been on was the dinghy of his uncle. That had been fun. This was not.

He groaned, tucking on his chains to gently shift his positioning and keep his blood circulating. He looked at the cuffs that bound his feet for the hundredth time. He had recognized them instantly, having made similar objects himself. As an Athru, he had not liked doing it, but it had been necessary. Even Athru could be criminals and needed to be restrained. Ephraim was not a criminal though. One moment he was working in his smithy, just putting the final touches on the scabbard for a sword, the next a group of men had rushed in and put him in chains. He did not understand why he was taken prisoner. As far as he could remember, he had done nothing that would warrant this. Hell, he had even... no, he did not want to think about that now. Instead, he tried pulling himself loose. He gave everything he had, but the chains were not budging. Ephraim was strong, but not that strong. If only he could summon the strength of the Rhino. Then again, that was the point of these types of shackles to begin with.

Another wave of nausea came over him and he quickly rolled to his side in case something decided to come up. At that moment, another prisoner opposite him had attracted the attention of one of the guard. The prisoner had long white hair and an eye patch. He had the look of a person who could kill you in a matter of seconds if he wanted to. If he had not been chained to the hull, that is. The prisoner and the guardsmen briefly exchanged words, neither of them showing any signs of fear. Ephraim listened intently, hungry for any information that could explain what was going on. Then the guard said, "You may not have any intention. But, the Executioner's axe does." Execution? Ephraim’s head was spinning. Why was this man send for execution? Were they all send for execution? Why? It did not make any sense. “Stay calm Eph,” he muttered to himself, “Stay calm. Keep your head together and you can work this out.”

After the guard had walked away, Ephraim slowly got up, putting himself back into a sitting position. He composed himself, closing his eyes for a while to regulate his breath. Once that was under control, he tried to get the attention of Eye Patch. “Do you know what is going on?” He whispered. Then, looking around at the other prisoners, he said louder, “Does any of you know what is going on?” Ephraim quickly glanced at the guard. The man had apparently not heard Ephraim. Finally speaking out loud gave Ephraim a rush of adrenaline, temporarily subduing his seasickness. He flashed a broad honest grin, "And what are we going to do about it?"