Chapter 5
“Y
our move, beau,” Théodore said after moving the knight across the board. His legs were crossed while he leaned back, confidence lining his face like he had already won the game.
Azahara scratched her cheek and looked at the board longingly.
While the past five days had gone by relatively quickly, there was something that Azahara couldn’t seem to ignore. Her mood had somehow shifted, and although her night terrors continued to plague her, she came out of her room daily.
Some clarity had come over her as well. She took in the ship’s beauty for the first time since arriving on the Neptune.
She could admire the darkened wood that sprawled from front to back, and the gold trimming that she had observed from a distance before boarding.
Alyse mentioned they put some extra work into it a few years back when her father passed, and it showed.
Nearly twelve massive masts pulled the Neptune along, four posts holding three pure white sheets each. All of which were maintained perfectly by the crew. Everything was like a well-fed and bred farm animal; nothing was left to question.
When it came to Jayce, she did her best to avoid him.
Even if he actively did everything possible to do just the opposite.
It was the most painful part of the day for her, seeing him watch her.
He interacted with the crew as if they were his family, as though he and they had known each other his whole life.
Feeling a sting in her palm, she reached for her bishop and swatted away the knight that Théodore had just moved. The knight went flying off the board, clattering to the floor.
“Check.” Azahara looked up then, a defeated expression riddling his handsome face.
She had developed a fondness for Théodore. He reminded her of her father in many ways. The subtle wrinkles on his face suggested that he has lived a long and experienced life, possessing the wisdom many of the younger crew members lack.
“—Mate! How?” He cried out with a joyful laugh.
Azahara smiled at him, and she could see him swoon.
“It’s about putting the pieces in places the opponent doesn’t expect, and then backing them into a corner to be surrounded.
” The board looked crazy, but each piece, from her queen, rooks, and knights, had all been placed accordingly to put his King in the worst possible position.
“Beautiful and smart,” to her dismay, it wasn’t Théodore who spoke. “Can I get a turn?” Jayce’s voice was raspy, deep, and low. Mainly when he spoke with her. The feeling of it made her entire body tremble under its caress.
Théodore slapped his knees as he stood, “I don’t think anyone has been able to beat her, so as long as you aren’t a sore loser, have at it.” He stepped around the barrel where they played their game and nodded toward Azahara before disappearing behind her.
She glared up at Jayce, “I think I’m done playing,” and began to stand.
“Wait,” he interrupted, and she paused. “If you beat me, I’ll leave you alone for good.” After some consideration, she nodded and began reassembling the pieces on her side of the board.
Before taking his seat, Jayce leaned over to retrieve the knight she had knocked to the floor. He chuckled, and she rolled her eyes.
“Not everything revolves around you,” she said, her tone tinged with sarcasm. “I just sometimes forget my own strength.”
“Uh-huh, I’m sure,” he replied with an unwavering smile.
As he sat down, he seemed to relax even more, his shoulders dropping and his chest heaving as he sighed.
Jayce was undeniably perfect in the looks department, and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was how people felt when they looked at her. That thought was genuinely irritating.
He arranged the pieces on his side of the board precisely, showing that he, at the very least, knew how to play.
Azahara shifted her gaze towards the sea. The waters had grown choppier, and the previously cloudless sky had become overcast for the first time in nearly a week. It meant they were getting closer to the Cyclops Route.
“Winners go first?” he asked, calling her attention to the game.
“It’s the winner’s choice. You go first.”
“Normally it’s ladies first, but if you insist.”
With a heavy sigh, she crossed her legs and turned her attention back to the game. The last thing she wanted was to miss him cheating.
“Can I ask you—”
“No, just play the game.” She groaned.
He laughed, and her chest tightened, “E2 to E4. I told you what happens when you win, not what I get if I do.”
She narrowed her eyes, watching as he moved one of his pawns. “What do you get if you win, Jayce.” It was more of a frustrating statement than a question. “E7 to E5.”
“To allow me to talk to you beyond hello.” Jayce moved his knight, “F3.”
Azahara took in a deep breath, “Fine. F6.” She moved her knight as well, again mirroring Jayce’s move.
He was beaming; surprisingly, she couldn’t muster anger toward him. “Perfect. D4,” he declared, moving his pawn. She bit the corner of her lip, frustrated at her stomach for fluttering with butterflies at the sight of his happiness about his possible winnings.
She moved her central pawn, claiming the pawn he had just placed. “E5 to D4.”
“The Captain said your last name was Starfall?” He moved his bishop while asking his question, “C4.”
Azahara paused, seeing that he was pressuring her knight, and quickly moved her pawn to defend. “C7 to C6. Yes, Starfall is my name.”
He moved his King, “G1. That is a beautiful, unique last name.”
Her eyes moved from the table to him. His hazel eyes were drinking her up. She leaned back and crossed her arms under her chest.
“Right, the game. I have to win, got it.” He let out a chuckle, conceding.
Frustrated by how attracted she was to him, she shook her head and moved her next piece. After that, silence hung between them, save for their callouts. They continued for a full sixteen moves, capturing pieces, and safeguarding their kings from each other.
Their strategic moves had caught the attention of the crew. Most of them had fallen to Azahara in the past few days, with losses occurring in as few as five moves and in no more than ten. This had been the longest anyone had lasted.
Then came the moment when their final pieces were on the board, and they both knew who the victor would be.
The crew hadn’t realized it yet, but Azahara and Jayce seemed to grasp it simultaneously as their gazes met.
It became evident that neither was willing to give up, much like the ongoing game of cat and mouse.
They would continue, even when the end was nowhere in sight.
She leaned back, took a deep breath in and sighed.
“You’re pretty good,” she remarked flatly, “for a Knight. Who taught you to play?”
“I learned a long time ago, but Karver keeps me on my toes,” he replied, pushing away from the barrel that had become the makeshift board table. “Stalemate.”
A resounding groan emanated from the crowd as if they were disappointed by the lack of a clear winner.
She stood, stretching her arms above her head and releasing a sigh of equal parts frustration and relief.
Technically, neither of them had won, and though she could have argued that neither would get what they wanted, something in the way he looked at her at that moment urged her to hold her tongue.
His eyebrow, as though waiting expectantly, coupled with that tender smile that called to her, was just too much. Gods, I hate you!
She brushed past him, and he interpreted her silence as an invitation to join her at the railing. The sea below had been sending water sprays cascading across the ship all day. The railing and flooring were damp, so she was mindful not to trust in it with how unforgiving the sea was.
His arm brushed against hers, and she looked up at him.
“What do you want to talk about, Jayce?”
He gazed down at her, keeping his head level. “Your last name.”
“What about it?” She took a step away, putting some distance between them. “It’s just a last name.”
“Can I ask where it came from?”
“I saw a falling star one day and decided I liked it better than my family name,” she replied, suggesting that he wouldn’t receive more information than that.
Trying to explain to him that she had seen the clouds part and a star falling toward her as she was dying was too complex to convey and contained too many details to bring back to the King.
“I see,” she watched him as his expression became brighter, “I like it. Not that I’m sure that matters.”
“It doesn’t,” she was such a liar.
Jayce laughed, “You can ask me something if that will help you trust me again.”
“Who said I ever trusted you in the first place?”
“Fair point. How can I make you trust me?”
Azahara, deep down, wanted just that. To be able to trust him. Whether she was willing to admit it to herself or not, Jayce was the closest thing to her time with Kaed and her family that she had.
“By being honest, even if it hurts me,” she leaned forward, her head resting in her hands. “I’m no stranger to pain.” She couldn’t see his reaction, and while she wished to, she knew it was for the best.
“Okay, then ask me, and I promise to be truthful.” His voice carried a subdued tone, steeped with empathy and longing as if pain were concealed behind the words.
“Why are you here?” She kept her gaze on him, “Really.”
“To protect you.” Jayce was a matter of fact. “It’s that simple.”
“Why?” While her heart was ready to jump to the sea below for relief, her head stayed resolute. “Who am I to you?”
There was a pause this time, and she felt disappointed. Her head turned outward, looking at the vast sea and the clouds that threatened to pour into it.
“Ask me something else, please.”