Chapter 17 #2
Her words land, settling in my chest. I glance upstream to the men and women who work aboard my ship. Most are too busy bathing to pay attention to us, but there are a few sideways glances that come our way.
She’s right. Some of the crew might take a blade to her throat if they thought she was too injured to slit theirs first, but that’s the minority.
The majority would help her, even if they didn’t particularly like it.
I hadn’t let Otto treat her when she first came aboard but that was fear, and pride.
“Then let me help change that,” I say, offering her a soft smile.
I pivot towards the tree line, gathering our clothes from where we’d thrown them. After shoving my legs into my trousers, I stride back to Odi. Her blouse is still damp when I press it into her hands. Then I turn my back, giving her the space to put it on.
“You can look now.” Her voice is soft, like the ripples shimmering around us.
With my shirt still in my hand, I drop to my knees in front of her and begin to rip it into strips. She inhales a sharp breath at the first brush of my knuckles against her skin, which is warm despite the bumps from the breeze that dances around us.
Her sun-kissed thigh is soft, softer than I should notice, and my hands are too large—too clumsy, dwarfing the curve of her leg.
Otto would be rougher, more clinical but I can’t bring myself to treat her like a task.
Not when she’s hidden her wounds, cared for her aches in silence. So I move gently.
Once I’ve wrapped her thigh and pulled the cloth strip tight, I tie it into a knot.
Her breath is steady, but I can feel her eyes on my hands.
She’s watching every movement, every brush of my fingers on her skin.
It floods my body with warmth, sending it down to areas that I can’t hide from her even if I try. I need to hurry before it shows.
I summon a singular talon, just long enough, to slice the leftover cloth free, then will it back into me. I look up at her. She swallows, and I swear I see moisture pooling at the corners of her eyes before she looks away.
“It would have been fine, but thank you,” she murmurs.
A tiny part of my stubborn heart agrees. She’s a pirate and I’m a bounty hunter—a prince—but the truth is, here on my knees, I know without a doubt that I would crumble for her.
“Rune!” Tavi’s voice floats across the distance, breaking the tension between Odi and I. Clearing my throat, I stand and look in the direction of my crew. Tavi beckons me, so I toss a hand up to let her know I’ve seen her.
“Finish dressing, and I’ll meet you back at the crew,” I hum quietly, half expecting some sort of quip about not telling her what to do, but she nods, then turns her back as I walk towards those already gathered on the shoreline.
Tavi tosses me a fresh shirt as I approach, not even trying to hide her smirk.
“Is this Elio’s?” I ask as I squeeze my arms through the straining fabric.
“No, it’s an extra. It’s at least two sizes too big for Elio.”
The neck line feels like it’s one wrong move from tearing, but I nod, knowing well enough to be grateful for any protection from the island’s insects. “How’s he doing?”
She jerks her head in the direction of my first mate, who’s perched on a rock further up the hill. “He’ll be fine, but the sooner we get back to the ship, the better.”
Her eyes settle on something behind me. I hear Odelia before I feel her presence beside me.
“Is everyone alright?” she asks, her voice genuine.
Tavi, dips her head, the gold rings in her braids catching the light. “Yes, but we should keep moving.”
“Everyone to me!” I let my voice ring out across the expanse. “If you’ve washed off the muck, gather your weapons. We have a temple to find.”
Most of the crew spring into action, leaving a few still stumbling at the water’s edge while rushing to dress. Odelia falls into step as I make my way over to Elio. “Are you going to be alright walking or do you want to head back to the ship?”
Elio scoffs as he stands with a little help from Tavi. “As if I’d let you have all the fun.”
A smile spreads across my mouth. “You let me know the minute you need to rest.”
He agrees, and we make our way back up the hill with the crew in tow.
The landscape changes over time. Sand gives way to denser areas as we slash our way through tall grasses, thick vines and swampy reeds.
Light filters differently, sharper, brighter as the sun reaches the highest peak, but my eyes never leave our surroundings. I won’t lose anyone else.
A shrill cry echoes through the dense rainforest to the left.
Odelia freezes, her hand finding my forearm in a light grip. “What was that?”
I hold up my fist, silently commanding the others to stop as I listen for the sound again, acutely aware of the warmth on my arm. “Didn’t sound too dangerous.”
I glance down at Odi, who’s already looking up at me, rolling her eyes. “You’ll be eating those words when a monster leaps from the trees and devours us.”
My eyes drift to her mouth then back to her. “Better hold on tight then.”
She quickly pulls her hand back, like she’s been stung, but I catch the flush rising in her cheeks and I can’t help smiling.
The screech sounds again, but this time it’s followed by movement in the tree tops. My hand rests on the hilt of my blade as I take a step forwards to investigate. The branches above rustle, quick and sharp. Then they burst open with a flurry of leaves and snapping twigs.
I see scales, and pull back before the creature has a chance to snap at me.
Drakelings.
Half-lizard, half-dragon and all attitude.
They’re small—no bigger than a full-grown rat—but they have speed on their side.
Sleek-scaled bodies in a range of colours, blues, greens, purples and reds, with two pairs of fluttering wings on their backs that hum as they move, almost like the bees on the mainland—just bigger and less friendly.
Three of them hover in front of us, and I hear the catch in Odi’s breath.
I move backwards slowly until my arm brushes hers. “See, I told you it wasn’t dangerous.”
“What are they?” she asks, wide eyed.
“Drakelings. They aren’t aggressive—not unless you spook them or try to steal the eggs from their nests.”
She pauses long enough that I turn to find a strange expression playing over her face. “Why do I want to pet it?”
I swallow a laugh. “I’d avoid it if you value your fingers. They’ll bite hard enough to make you curse if they feel cornered. Some of the more wealthy landsmen post capture contracts, hoping to keep them as pets, but I never understood why.”
Odi takes a step back, but I catch her wrist. “Don’t move. They’ll lose interest soon enough.”
A dark, purple-scaled drakeling creeps closer, its wings twitching. I hear the gentle clink of weapons behind me as the crew freezes, watching the scene unfold. Odelia sucks in a breath, leaning her body towards mine.
The drakeling flicks its pupils over us as if it’s sizing us up for a fight. It chirrs and flits around, before deciding that we’re much too boring to look at and darts back into the tree tops, the other two hot on its heels.
I exhale, tension bleeding off my shoulders as I flick my gaze down to Odi. She blinks like she’s just returned to her body so I give her arm a little nudge with mine. “Nosy little shits aren’t they.”
She swipes a glittering drakeling scale from the ground and grins, and I feel like my heart is going to explode from my chest at the sight of her.
Then I huff softly, of course the pirate would snatch the shiny things.
She almost reminds me of the cliff roosting sea birds that collect treasures for their nests.
I look away when she looks back at me, pretending I wasn’t watching.
“Like someone else I know,” she says, her voice pointed.
It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “With me! Move out and mind the drakelings!”
As the sun begins its descent we finally reach the tallest part of the island, and what awaits us down below is breathtaking.
A forgotten temple, crumbling in places but still standing strong.
It rests atop a mound, like the island has lifted it from the deep embrace of the sea and offered it to the sun.
A gentle breeze swirls around me, stirring my hair. I feel a presence beside me and look over to see Elio. His hazel eyes crinkle at the corners, squinting as he assesses the view. “Looks like that’s been abandoned for quite some time.”
“Like your bed.”
He scoffs, folding his arms across his chest. “It gets more action than yours does.”
A smirk plays on my lips. “You had Tavi worried there for a minute.”
Elio sighs. It’s a haunting sound, like he’s fighting a silent battle and losing. “She’d never admit it out loud.”
I flick my gaze to the woman who’s like a sister to me.
She stands tall and proud, a stern look upon her sharp features as she speaks with Odi, their attention on the temple ahead.
I’d found her in a tavern five years ago, drinking alone.
Two burly men had tried to pick a fight with her, but she flattened them both in seconds.
I knew instantly she would be a part of my crew.
There hasn’t been one day since that I’ve regretted inviting her onto my ship.
Tavi has more stories in her to tell than I do scales. She’s fierce and she is brave, but she’s also a woman who longs to be loved, preferably by the male standing beside me, no matter that they’ve both taken more than their fair share of time coming around to it.
“Just don’t go dying on her, eh?”
Hazel eyes find mine. “Hadn’t planned on it.”
As I look in their direction again, Tavi catches my eye, and with a simple nod we start down the side of the slope, making our way towards the ancient temple as our boots carry us through rapidly hardening ground, until beneath us is all rock.