Author's Note
Okay, so only a day late but its still good. Hope you all like the chapter ... its gonna be a good one, trust me.
-A-
Author Thanks
Anaknusan - Hey, mate! I joined that site. Me name's InsomniaticPirateGirl, hehe. Hope you like the chapter! Thanks, again!
Lil Bit - Thanks, poppet. Big cheers again bout the test. Hope you like the chappie. Enjoy!
DugaDugabowbow - Thanks! Definitely a keeper, I agree! Enjoy!
TriGemini - Thanks! Jack is definitely a bad influence ... but that's why we love him, lol. Enjoy!
RMB - Thanks! Trust me, there are things for helping along the plot in every chapter ... I have my plans ... mwhahaha. Enjoy!
Moulin-Rouge-Pirate - Thanks, mate! Of course I like your name for Rion ... Tall-Dark-and-Handsome ... couldn't be better. Enjoy!
lady lorethei - Thanks! Enjoy!
S.S.I. - Thanks! See, we had a full day on Friday ... and thrusday was completely wasted on me being lazy, lol. Enjoy!
jisAtsU siLENcE - Thanks! not going to what? Ahh! Je suis perdu! You didn't finish your sentance ... I may be smart in somethings but I can't read minds. Enjoy!
Last Time :
So, I didn't know that Jack caught me, carried me to bed and brushed a light kiss on my lips before murmuring, "I love you, too, love." Had I been awake, I would have known that he crawled in beside me and wrapped me tightly in his arms before drifting into his own alcohol-induced slumber.
-A-
Beyond the Horizon
Chapter 10 - Arising Ailments
As time goes, my days became a week before I had even realised it and within the week of the cinchona bark discovery, all who were sick were well and back on duty.
To the crew's immense pleasure, Colin had resumed his place in the kitchen and all was well in the world.
Or mostly...
On the eighth day following my discovery, I woke feeling absolutely miserable. Jack had already left and the cabin was freezing. I wrapped up in as many blankets as I could find and I sat on the bed for a long time, shivering, completely unable to warm myself up.
Deciding that I needed to do something to help myself, I stumbled from the bed and donned as many layers as I could find. I knew that it must be warm to the civilised world because Jack had left his overcoat in the cabin. So, taking advantage of what was near me, I pulled that on over my clothes.
I felt cold, as if freezing water had been poured into the very marrow of my bones and I wanted to just sleep. But I knew better.
Abandoning the safety of the cabin, I had felt hesitant about leaving ever since the run-ins with Rion started occurring, I slowly made my way to the galley, in search of some hot tea.
"Not feeling well, seniorita?"
I cursed under my breath and turned, unsurprised to see Rion standing there. "What?"
"Are you feeling well, seniorita?" he repeated as he came closer.
I shook my head. "I've been better."
"Perhaps you should go back to your cabin. Or the galley although Colin is with the cap'n at the moment so you would need to wait."
My eyebrow quirked automatically. "How do you know this?" I asked suspiciously.
"I have eyes, seniorita."
"I can see that."
"I have eyes that I can use for watching my enemies and spotting beauty, as well."
I did not like where this was headed at all. I started to back away, forgetting the corner was there until I ran into it. "You have no enemies on this ship, I should think." It was the only thing I could think to say ... my heart was starting to race as he continued to get closer.
"There are enemies everywhere, seniorita."
He was directly in front of me, now.
"Stop it," I said. "Please, just leave me alone, I'm not feeling well. I need to get some tea before I die of the cold."
"Its quite warm out, seniorita. You must be ill," he had stepped back now, giving me room to move into the hallway.
"Yes ... I think I am," I turned towards the galley but heard footsteps following me. "Shouldn't you be seeing to your duties, Rion? Surely Jack wouldn't be happy with you if you dallied in the galley all day." I tried to instill warning into my tone but it didn't work.
"The captain dallies enough for the crew on his own ... but you would know that, wouldn't you, seniorita?"
My heart stopped, as did my legs all together. That tone carried some threat, veiled as it may have been, it was there. "I don't know what you are on about, sir. But I must bid you good day," I said coldly as I stepped into the galley and shut the door in his face.
But there was no latch on the door and it opened as soon as I had turned my back.
"Don't lie, seniorita. I know what you and the captain are up to. I have watched him as much as I have watched you. The funny thing is that he loves you as much as you do him. Foolish man that he is."
I was starting to bristle. "The captain is exceptionally intelligent for your information. And I should hope that he loves me ... he fathered our child."
"Yes, and he risked his ship and his crew to save you. He takes foolish risks for you."
I snorted. "No more foolish than what you are risking as we speak. You are close to mutinous talk, you should know. Jack will maroon you for it."
"That and many other things, I imagine," he said before he turned to leave.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I called after him.
He heard me and turned around, walking back to me. "It means, seniorita, that things are not always as they seem." He took another step towards me. "It means that things might be changing around here soon enough." Another step towards me. "And it means that if you tell Jack what I just told you, I will kill you. Do we have an understanding, seniorita?"
I nodded.
He reached out and ran a hand down my cheek. "It would be a shame for something to happen to you, seniorita. But that pretty face won't save you if you talk."
I nodded once again, all words completely failing to come to my tongue.
"They say that women of the sea are loose things, tossed from man to man like a ship on the waves in a storm. I do not think that you are such a woman, senorita. You have some semblance of honour ... and you care for not only yourself. It is a trait to be admired, indeed but I wonder where it stems from. And how strong that honour is. How much it would take to break. Hmm?" His hand was still on my face and I summoned some thread of courage from inside of me and slapped it away.
"What you are asking me to do is neither something that I would or desire to do. Do not waste your breath on me, sir, I beg you," I whispered coldly, though my voice came in breathy tones ... my heart hitched painfully in my throat and my lungs refusing to get a good breath.
"Like I said, senorita, things are not entirely what they seem to be," he said before stalking away.
I sank to the floor and sat for a good five minutes, straining my ears for all semblance of noise, any floorboards creaking, any voices approaching before I decided it was safe to move.
There was absolutely no hesitance in my pace. I knew where I was going and what I needed to do. I needed to talk to Jack. I needed to warn him what was going on. I needed to get him to stop Rion before all was too late.
Once I was sure that there was no one waiting for me outside the door, I hurriedly picked myself up and walked (as calmly as possible) to Jack's cabin.
-A-
As Rion had said, Jack and Colin were talking. I knew that something was going on, they were close together and were whispering, no doubt so that none could listen to what they said.
Jack turned when the door shut quietly behind me. "Can you give us a moment, love? This is important."
I glanced back at the door, wishing deeply that I could see if anyone was behind the door, listening to us. I looked back at Jack and shook my head slowly.
Colin's brow furrowed and Jack's face held a mixture of confusion, concern and anger at my behaviour. "What's going on, Christy?"
I pursed my lips and shook my head as I walked closer to them. I pulled a piece of parchment out of the desk along with a quill and quickly started scribbling the message that had been relayed to me. 'Rion ... danger ... possible attack/mutiny ... he threatened me, said if I told you, a pretty face wouldn't save me from your fate.' I passed the note to Jack and put my finger to my lips, to signal quiet. I knew as well as Jack that there were places to hide and listen.
Jack read quickly over the note and swore quietly. He handed it to Colin, who looked similarly enraged.
Jack wrapped an arm around me and led me over by the bed. "Are you sure, love?"
I nodded as I shivered from the intense cold of the room.
Jack looked confused, now. No doubt he assumed that I was shivering because he had an arm around me ... a completely inaccurate assumption, of course. "He didn't touch you, did he?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm just cold. Aren't you?"
He frowned and glanced over at Colin. He put a hand on my forehead. "Christy, yer burnin' up. Do you have enough bloody clothes on, woman?" Despite the playful tones, I could tell he was concerned.
"Jack, I'm honestly freezing. I'm not feeling completely myself but I'll be fine ... its nothing. I'm just cold."
Colin walked slowly over towards us. He too put his hand on my face and frowned deeply. "Ye've got a fever, lass. Ye need to rest."
"I'M FINE. F-I-N-E, fine," I protested.
Jack pushed me gently down to the bed. He peeled back the jacket from my shoulders and looked at the number of layers I had on. "Either ye've put on a great deal of weight, Christy, or ye've got every shirt of mine and yers on at the moment."
I grinned in spite of myself. "Guilty."
"Christy, ye need to take most of those off ... all yer doin', is makin' it worse, lass."
I shook my head. "There's no way in hell that I'm taking any of these off ... its bloody freezing in here!"
"Jack -" Colin led.
"Gladly," Jack said before starting work the layers off of me.
I glowered at him angrily as he smirked.
Two layers off ...
Four layers off ...
Six and I was down to only one shirt left.
Eagerly, Jack started to lift that one off.
But ...
Colin stepped in. "Jack, she can 'ave one shirt on, ye know."
Jack pulled a face at me and kissed me gently on the forehead. "But that's no fun, Colin," he whined.
Colin winked at me. "Well, I don' think that she wants to expose herself to me, ye know."
"Well," Jack said a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Ye know our Miss Christina Delcot, she's a tricky little wench."
I grinned as shivers wracked my body furiously. "I think that if you take anything more off of me, I'll die of the cold."
"She needs sleep, Jack," Colin instructed. "Sleep with only a sheet."
"What?! Colin, its cold! You don't want me to die, do you?"
Colin shook his head. "Course not, lass. But, if ye keep everything around ye as warm as that body of yers is, ye'll die."
I pouted.
"Well, cap'n, I think I'll be takin' me leave, now. I'll speak to you later about the rest," Colin said before he left.
"Now, you're not going to be mean, are you? You'll let me have my warmth?"
Jack shook his head. "Nope, love. You heard the doctor's orders."
"Doctor?! Colin's no doctor!"
"He's as close as we have. And then there's you. And I dunno about you, love, but I'd like to keep ye around for a while, if ye don't mind."
"Fine ... if you insist."
"Oh, I do, darling. I do," Jack said as he wrapped an around my waist and lay down with me. He leaned up to grab the sheet and wrap it around me tightly.
I shivered and snuggled back into him.
Jack wrapped his arms more tightly around me. "Its all in your mind, Christy. All you have to do is tell yerself that it's not cold. Just think of something warm."
"That's kinda hard, Jack ... all I can think of is how cold I am."
"Use your imagination, darling."
I shook my head. "Too bloody cold."
"Honestly woman, you don't make this any easier. Okay. Just listen then," Jack instructed. "Think of the beaches that we see. The white sand. The trees. The ocean. The sun beating down on you. Picture yourself there. Just think about what it feels like to walk down the beach barefooted. Can you think of that, Christy?"
I nodded, imagining how the sand would feel between my toes. I relaxed further into Jack's body and let the warmth of his voice and the warmth of his body carry me away until I drifted to sleep.
-A-
Author's Note -
Dum dum dum!!!!!!!
The plot speeds up!
Hearts quicken and breaths of the readers hitch!
"What happens next?" They cry.
C-C-GIT smiles knowingly and says, "You'll just have to wait and see. Another chapter will be up next weekend."
So, I hope this chapter stuck your fancy and please come back this time next weekend for another installment of 'Beyond the Horizon.' Thanks a bunch and don't forget to tip your waitress ... or bettter yet, your writer.
Mange Klemmar
CrazyCanoeingGIT