Though the sun was long gone, Jace had not hesitated to take his shirt off. It was always warm on the ship Alicante, but tonight was different; Tonight it felt as if nature was laughing down at them. Yesterday had been great. Or maybe 'great' came off as a bit of an exaggeration to some people, but not to Jace. The storm had not lasted long, yet it had been the most enjoyable time on Alicante in weeks.
Jace loved storms. He loved the ruthless waves and the soaring wind. Some people said he had a death wish. That was the only explanation they could come up with when the co-captain of the ship started smiling like a madman as soon as they noticed changes in the weather. It didn't matter that they had nearly lost a man when the waves had hit them. They were pirates, after all. They all knew what they had signed up for when they joined the crew.
However, as the young man leaned against the railing of the ship, he could not suppress the annoyed sigh that had been building up in him ever since the storm had stilled. Ever since their odd visit in Idris a few weeks ago, their captain had kept to himself in the captain's quarters. Jace had been delighted at first: Sebastian Morgenstern rarely left the helm, and his absence meant that Jace finally had the opportunity to steer the ship. It had been great fun at first, but now Jace was growing sick of steering the ship in circles. When had Sebastian stopped sharing his plans with him? Were they not friends? Were they not brothers?
Jace could still remember the day the two of them had fled their father's ship, Circle. They had been young back then, 15 at most, but their years on Valentine Morgenstern's ship had not been for nothing. Soon, the boys had earned the respect of many sailors in Idris, their talent in swordplay serving them well to attract the attention of interesting people. Four years later they were sailing a ship that was entirely their own.
Sebastian and he – they were a team. Even though Valentine had always enjoyed reminding Jace that he was in fact not his son, Sebastian had always been there for him. He had always assured Jace that they were brothers in all the ways that mattered. Now, after four weeks of hearing nothing, Jace was starting to think that those promises were just empty words.
Swallowing back the sour taste of betrayal, Jace watched the shimmering water beneath him. The night had finally fallen upon them, and with it, the silence. Besides the occasional snoring from the night watch - Simon Lewis, who had of course fallen asleep on his post - the ship was quiet. Jace was just about to head back to bed when he spotted something drifting in the water not far from the stern. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him. After all, this was the Caribbean Sea – Jace didn't care what hid beneath the surface of the turquoise water as long as it didn't decide to start walking the earth as well. However, the flicker of something red in the water triggered his curiosity.
With the elegance of a skilled swordsman, Jace made his way to the back of the ship without making a sound on the ever so creaking deck. He didn't want to wake Simon. Not yet, anyway. The younger boy was disturbingly annoying and perhaps Jace's least favourite person on the ship. Jace rested his elbows on the railing and peeked down on the figure in the water. What he saw made his lips part in surprise.