Page 46 of Found at Sea
“No,” I disagreed. “It is the thinking of a man who has only ever relied on himself in order to survive. By giving you my freedom—even with something as small as this—I’m giving away who I am.”
Something changed in his eyes then and a different type of chill spread down my spine.
“You gave away your freedom the day you boarded my ship, boy,” the captain said with a growl, pressing his chest to mine and staring down at me. “It is no longer a request, but an order. You will retrieve your belongings from your quarters and bring them here, for you will now sleep in my cabin every night. If you refuse, there will be consequences.”
I stared after him in stunned silence as he stormed away, slamming the door to the room on his way out.
***
How drastic everything had altered in a matter of hours. The elation I’d felt when I woke up had vanished as soon as Kellan turned so cold. I knew I’d eventually push him too far with my blatant disregard for his command. Perhaps Iwasfoolish for rejecting the idea when he’d first proposed it, but being stubborn was in my blood.
I didn’t fancy the thought of being someone’s servant.
At least being a swab, the lowest of the low on a ship, I was still accomplishing something. I had a purpose and could think back on my work at the end of the day and feel proud about it. I could see the blisters on my hands and know I’d worked hard.
Being the captain’s personal serving boy seemed demeaning.
I felt as if the other men in the crew would mock me for it—make snide comments about me serving the captain in more ways than one or something else vulgar. Not that I was a stranger to the mean words of others, but these were men I’d come to know and respect over the months I’d been aboard.
“We should be reaching land by morrow,” Alek said, sitting beside me on the deck as we ate our evening meal of dried meat, pickled cabbage, and carrots.
I nodded and kept eating.
It was a nice evening. Not too hot like the day had been. The more we traveled south, the warmer the air became and the more exhausting the days seemed to be.
After Kellan left me alone in his room earlier that day, I had dressed and gone out on deck as usual. Eventually, I had obeyed his order and grabbed my lute, journal, and clothes from my quarters before taking them to his cabin.
But I’d still spent the day with Alek, working under the heat of the sun. I’d also told him about my new position as cabin boy. He hadn’t seemed surprised at the news.
“Al?” I set my bowl down and wiped my hands on my trousers. “Why do you think he’s so interested in me?”
I didn’t need to clarify whohewas.
“Because you are unlike anyone else, Fletch,” he answered, focusing on me. “I admit I find it strange, but only because in my years of knowing him he has never behaved in this way. Since you’ve come along, he seems...” Alek paused and looked toward the stern of the ship where Kellan stood at the helm. “Well, he isn’t as hostile as he used to be.”
I scoffed at that, finding it unbelievable when remembering his callousness from earlier.
“I speak the truth,” he said, bumping my arm. “He once killed a man right in front of me, and all the man did was ask a question.”
“I see now why you warned me about that.”
“Yes,” Alek responded with a chuckle. “It was quite cruel. It was one of the first moments when I truly learned not to ever challenge him.”
“Because he knows your secret,” I said, peering at him.
Alek’s dark hair was longer now and the breeze swept the strands across his face. His blue eyes remained fixed on the bowl in his hands.
“Yes,” was all he said.
“And you still can’t tell me,” I guessed.
I expected him to say yes. Or to say nothing at all. What I didn’t expect was for him to tell me the truth.
“Do you remember the story I told you about the war between humans and mages?” he asked, moving his eyes to me. For a second, I thought I saw a flash of silver in them, but it was probably only the sun reflecting off the blue depths.
“Yes.”
“After the war,allmages were hunted,” Alek continued. “The crown ruled that all magic was evil, and anyone who practiced it was captured and killed. Families of innocents were ripped apart, children were murdered. The surviving mages went into hiding.” He took a breath and stared at his hands. “People feared them…us. They still do.”
