Page 22 of Of Song and Darkness

“Whatever you say,” Dante gritted out between clenched teeth.

I slowly stood, snatching the knife from his hand as I rose from the seat. Dante yelled and clutched his maimed hand to his chest. With a quick swipe of my eyes, I motioned for my men to move out. They began to slowly back their way out of the tavern. I placed my hand on the small of Rhea’s back and ushered her toward the door, knowing that any second now, this whole thing had the potential of turning into a bloodbath.

“Nice doing business with you.” I mockingly saluted Dante, putting the final nail in the coffin as I pushed Rhea out the door.

Kai pushed me toward Cael, who caught me and shoved me protectively behind him. I braced myself for all hell to break loose. Seconds turned into minutes as they stood there with their swords raised, ready for battle, but nothing happened. Cael glanced around with uneasy eyes, obviously as perplexed as I was that the man inside had not instantly retaliated.

I pulled away from Cael’s grip and walked back over to the captain. “I think it’s best if we stop standing around and take the supplies to the ship as quickly as possible.”

Kai motioned for his men to move out and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me along with him. I didn’t protest as he dragged me around like a wayward piece of seaweed. Honestly, I was still too shocked to do much more than put one foot in front of the other. The amount of violence I had just witnessed from the captain was frightening. Had his cool demeanor snapped in a matter of seconds just because he was arguing over supplies, or did it have something to do with the man touching me? I shook my head. That couldn’t be it. I was sure that Kai would have allowed that man to do whatever he wanted with me to get his supplies, so the thought was absurd.

Kai finally released me when we came to a rundown large wooden shack. I peeked inside and saw a massive amount of lumber and other supplies I did not recognize.

“Shuffle your feet and keep your eyes peeled. Dante could retaliate any second,” Kai reminded his crew while assigning four men to keep watch.

With the men carrying as many supplies as they could handle, we trudged back to the beach.

I slowed again when my feet hit the fluffy light-colored sand, still marveling at its warmth and the sensation it sent through me each time I touched it. Kai barked orders like an angry seal and sent the men back for another load. I glanced at his back and then at the water as it leisurely kissed the shoreline with its gentle waves. My heart called to the ocean like a lover lost at sea. I desperately needed to feel the coolness of the sea against my skin.

Once I walked to the edge, I dipped my toes in the water. I immersed my feet in the shorefront, and happiness flooded my body. I sat in the sand, not caring at all that my clothes were getting wet, and allowed the water to wash over my feet and legs. Then I closed my eyes. For the first time in several days, I was at peace.

The nagging feeling of someone looking at me had me opening my eyes and turning toward the ship. Kai watched me carefully but never moved to stop me. When my gaze met his, a strange pang gripped my chest. He seemed to be in a peaceful state, just as I was.

“Kai! Is that you?” The enchantment between us broke when a strange female voice rose above the sound of the crashing waves.

My muscles instantly tensed, not knowing if this stranger was a friend or foe. The female, whose hair color matched the sand I was sitting on, threw her arms around Kai’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss. My teeth gnashed on their own accord. Obviously, a friend. She finally released him and beamed up at him like he was a lighthouse in the midst of a storm. I watched them from my spot on the shoreline, unable to make out what they were saying. I didn’t miss the fact that his hands were still resting on her waist.

Suddenly, they both turned toward me. My cheeks grew hot with embarrassment when I realized I had been caught staring at them. Slight panic curled down my spine as they began to walk up the beach toward me.

Kai motioned to me with a slight shift of his head. “Penelope, this is Rhea.”

“Hello.” Penelope bent toward me, extending her hand in a kind manner that I did not expect.

I returned her smile and gripped her hand.

“Penelope has taken pity on you and your filthy state and has offered to take you to her cabin to get cleaned up.” Kai’s eyes bored into mine, something hidden beneath his expression that I could not decipher. “Might as well go. You smell worse than that fish you crammed down your throat earlier. It will probably take us another hour to load all these supplies.” Kai cleared his throat, lifting a questioning eyebrow at me.

I slowly stood, my baggy clothes dripping with salty water and sand.

Penelope smiled at me and latched onto my arm. “Come!”

We turned to leave, only to be stopped by Kai’s voice. “I’ll be there to collect you shortly.” There was a warning in his voice that I was sure Penelope missed, but I heard it loud and clear.

I threw a devious smile in his direction and followed Penelope as she led me off the beach and up a winding path.

“Do you know the captain well?” I asked between puffs of breath as the incline steepened.

“Sure, he stays with me every time he’s in Port Turronto.” Penelope threw the words over her shoulder, clearly not as out of breath as I was.

My heart tensed like someone had reached into my rib cage and given it a little squeeze. I tried to blame it on my spindly legs and the trek up the mountainside, not on her revealing that Kai stayed with her. Why was I even surprised? I’m sure he had women in every port. I snorted to myself at the irony.

“Here we are,” Penelope announced as the ground leveled out, revealing a small but well-fashioned hut tucked neatly into the mountainside.

My pulse thundered in my ears, and my lungs screamed for air as I leaned against a boulder, taking a much-needed rest. I finally sucked in enough air to ease the ache of my lungs. I sat up straighter, my eyes absorbing my surroundings.

To my left was a severe drop-off that would mean instantaneous death for anyone who walked off the edge, but that was not what caught my attention. I stood and walked carefully to the ledge to get a better look at the view. The ocean stretched for miles, the sight similar to what I saw up in Rat’s lookout tower on the ship.

My eyes and heart tugged toward Aquarius, flooding me with sorrow. Dark Water grew closer to them with each passing day. The thought of my mother, father, younger sister, my people, and maybe even Orm suffering the wrath of the Dark Hydra was suffocating. I still had time, fleeting though it may be. Dark Water churned through the ocean slowly, and the cold waters around Aquarius would work in our favor, slowing the evil even more, but eventually, it would reach my home.

---