Chapter Eight: Stranger
Sickness doesn't creep in like a thief, moving slowly and taking its precious time to ensure it doesn't get caught. It doesn't move silently across dark paths, methodically infecting each cell and organ before launching some final assault to bring your body down. Sickness attacks abruptly and without warning, throwing barbed disease everywhere and laughing all the while, and it came down hard on Tae's head. She lay next to the fire they had built shortly after landing, bundled in the small number of coats they had managed to dry, still shivering and unable to even sit up without falling over. Not even Ninaru's warmth had been enough to keep her warm, and the sturdy support of his side had been unable to stable her for long.
It was like watching a storm rolling in. All you could do was strap yourself in, and pray to the gods that they let you make it through; knowing the entire time there was nothing you could do to stop it. He wanted to help, he wished he had the ability to ease her suffering or at least make her warm, but they had no food and no shelter and they certainly didn't have any medicine. There was nothing he could do besides wait and let the storm roll through, carrying all its sickness and fever along with it.
"How are you feeling?" Darrow asked softly, sliding into a sitting position beside the Rider, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Tae looked like hell, her face was pale and her hair clung to her cheeks and neck in the sticky net of her sweat. A tremble ran down her frame making her seem smaller and more fragile than she was. Small and fragile, like a child. Like something that needed his protection.
"I'm fine." The young woman replied, pushing herself up to slump over her lap, her legs bent against her chest and her arms wrapped tight around her shins. "Has anyone heard anything from my Ebrithil yet?" It was impossible to miss the concern in her voice, and he was reminded that no one had seen or heard from the other Rider since they had left the Forgotten Isles days before.
The truth must have shown on his face – the guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders that so much had managed to go wrong while she had been entrusted to his care – because she didn't wait for his answer before turning her face away. "I'm sure he'll find us soon." The once great pirate tried at encouraging her, but there was a dullness to her eyes and he knew the words hadn't reached her. For a while longer the man sat with her, every so often his shoulder brushing against her much thinner one when they breathed in unison, but the silence was overwhelming and there came a time he simply couldn't take the nothingness that hung heavy around them. "I'm just...gonna go check on the boys." He announced, his voice sounding forced and awkward as it broke the silence. His body felt gangly and foreign when he stood as if he were trying to walk with someone else's legs; Tae's eyes were flames between his shoulders as she watched him leave, and the man was positive he had never felt more self-conscious in his life.
Jameson came to his rescue, though one glance at the first mate's face had Darrow questioning whether this was a rescue, or just a shovel to dig his hole deeper. "I have good news and bad news." The seaman began, immediately causing the captain's heart to plummet deeper into his stomach if such a depth were possible.
The smuggler sighed, running a hand though unkempt hair that never did quite do what he wanted. "Well, there's no reason beating around the bush, just tell me." His voice lacked its usual jovial tone, weighed down by his guilt and the voice in the back of his head that whispered: 'You should have known better…'
The first mate shrugged, taking a deep breath before explaining, "Well, the good news is all of the scouting parties have returned safely and without injury."
Darrow raised a brow. "And the bad news..?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
It took Jameson a moment to work up the courage to reply, the younger man chewing on the inside of his cheek as he had done when they were boys first getting their taste of manhood. He was unsure, insecure, troubled, and none of those made the pirate any more excited to hear what the runaway had to say. "I'm sorry, Sir... There was no sign of Treagan." The young man looked down as he spoke, unwilling to meet his captain's gaze.
Of course Darrow felt responsible for finding the Rider – for reuniting pupil with mentor – but he couldn't fairly blame his crew for not being able to track him down. It wasn't their fault. 'It's not their fault…' He wanted to be angry, to kick and yell and hit…something! But all he could do was smile, a cocky smirk that came all too naturally, and punch his mate lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, it's not your fault okay? It's no one's fault. We'll keep looking in the morning, but for right now we need to get our bearings." And just like that, he had changed the subject to something easier; something they could talk about without wanting to pull out their hair and scream obscenities at the gods. "We still have no idea how far away we landed from the meeting point. Hell, we could be halfway down the coast and not even know it."
Jameson nodded curtly, all business now. "I'll ask around and see if anyone knows where we are, if nothing else we can search for the closest town in the morning after everyone's slept off this whole ordeal." He spoke the word like a curse, and maybe it was. Maybe the crew of the fair Red Lady had finally reaped the profit of their past questionable deeds.
Darrow didn't reply to the younger man, simply nodded his consent before turning and slowly walking back to the fire. Tae was as he had left him, still holding herself tight against the encroaching chill. Again the guilt struck – 'It's not their fault…' He pushed aside the wicked voice in his head, checking the falter of his step at the intrusion. The Rider's eyes flickered up to him with questioning glowing behind the quick silver orbs. He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but the expression on his face felt more like a grimace so he let it fall again. Giving a soft breath, the young woman looked aside, resting her chin on her knees and staring into the fire. The captain couldn't help but relate to such resignation, he had felt it before many years past. A sinking feeling in his chest when he knew no ship or riches or glory would bring back the thing he wanted most. Oh yes, he knew this helplessness well. "You know I heard somewhere staring at fires would make you go blind." Darrow teased, his voice low as he once more eased himself down to sit beside her, his legs pulled up slightly so that his knees fell out to either side. His comment won her attention, and the girl looked sidelong at him with furrowed brows, her nose wrinkled in the cutest sort of way. That thought made him stop. Cute? When had he started thinking of her as 'cute'? The man watched her patiently as she formulated a reply, turning each word over in her head – no doubt a habit forged through the teachings of old Treagan – before she would gift him with a reply. It was the first time since he had seen her on the docks back on the islands that he had truly looked at her. Each strand of hair that spun in lazy waves caught the fire and cradled it, turning to a burning hue of copper right before his eyes. And her face, while sharp and angled like a cat's, was softened by her feminity and the plush cushion of youth. The fire touched here as well, making her skin glow like porcelain and smoothing the angles of her cheeks and jaw. Innocence hid behind the analytical reserve that masked the emotion never shown in the outward appearance, belying the girl that twisted and crawled just beneath the surface of this woman. She was…nice. Nice to look at, nice to think of, and his hands itched to reach out and discover whether she would be nice to touch as well.
"That's dumb."
Down again plummeted his heart, deep into his gut where it splattered most certainly nevermore to rise at this comment. Had she read his thoughts? Had she known what he was thinking? He shouldn't have let his imagination run away like that! 'Dammit…' The seadog opened his mouth to apologize, to explain himself, anything to win back her approval or at least the comforting stillness of her distant company.
"You won't go blind from looking at a little cook fire." Her voice was stern and matter-of-fact, her face fully turned toward him now with an expression of blunt disbelief. So much like a child lecturing another.
Relief was the first thing he felt, flooding through him like a tidal wave, cooling the wild fire of embarrassment that had quickly been heading for his cheeks. She hadn't been listening in on his thoughts; she had simply missed the joke. The captain laughed, softly at first trying to conceal it as a cough which then turned into a chortle and then into a full on laugh that brewed and stirred in his stomach before being released as loud, booming mirth. Tae looked on in wary curiosity as if she were watching someone go mad, obviously unaccustomed to such behavior – or maybe it was simply the straight display of emotion. "Tae," Darrow began, slowly choking down his laughter. "It was a joke."
Something seemed to click behind her gaze, a registration of something new, and the Rider stared at him blankly for a moment. The amusement quickly faded at this new expression, awkwardness rising between them like an unwelcome dinner guest. He couldn't shake the feeling that somehow he had offended her by laughing, an uneasy lightness fluttering about his diaphragm and chest making him uncomfortable and self-conscious. Darrow had wooed many women simply by giving them his trademark grin, and usually voicing his delight at their company or something they had said or done – such as a laugh – was enough to seal the deal and win him at least one night in a warm bed. However, he had never run against so many walls as he had with Tae. A laugh seemed to offend her; a smile made her anxious, simple conversation seemed to make her restless as if he were wasting her time. The once notorious pirate was at a loss for what he was doing wrong. His brow furrowed and he glared into the fire, his away hand digging into the sand with his frustration. "I'm sorry if I've offended you." Darrow toned after what seemed like ages of silence, only to wait ages still for her reply. Knowing full well that at any second she would light into him with every manner and assortment of chastisements and reprimands, reminding him that this was no time to joke around, not when their boat had just been shattered against a sea monster and especially not when her teacher was missing somewhere on land or sea.
"No one's laughed at me before…" The sound of her voice, so soft and strangely open as if a part of her had just been revealed with that statement, caught his attention as if someone had lifted a sword to his throat. Intrigue spread through him along with a fair amount of relief, and he felt a need to hear more of this brief repose to her stoic indifference; his head jerking to the side so that his focus rested solely on her. "Not like that anyway." Something about her voice sounded so sad, so apologetic, and it struck him that maybe not all Riders were as buddy-buddy as he thought.
"Tae-"
She wasn't listening to him though, her attention abruptly stolen away as something in the distance made itself known. "Captain!" The urgency in Jameson's voice cut him off before he could reply to the Rider, and Darrow shoved away from the sand running before he had found his legs. A bellowing roar ripped through the sky and all at once it was like he was back on the Argetbrun, the ship tossing and crunching beneath his feet as Ninaru tore apart the peace they had fallen under.
The ruby creature was massive in the sky, so large that the seaman was amazed it even possessed the capability to stay aloft at all let alone dip and dive and spin as it did to try and avoid the pesky wasp that bit and stung and clawed from every side. Ninaru was a diamond clad dagger, swift and deadly in his aerial assault. Beginning with a sucker-punch from above, the leviathan had his jaws around the other's neck and was giving it his best go at snapping the precious vertebrae housed within. A barrel roll knocked him free, though, and something seemed to plummet through the air. 'No, not something, someone!' Darrow realized with a small bit of dread. Luckily for the second Rider, the garnet dragon was able to catch them by the leg and landed quickly – if not messily – with a spray of ocean wetted sand. They had no sooner touched down than Ninaru was upon them again, an unrelenting mass of aggression and feral viciousness. This was a side the ex-pirate had never seen of the pearly dragon, having assumed his nature to be as pure as the snowy scales that hued his sides that now rose and fell with rapid bursts of his breath. This was a side that would not hesitate to kill, that was prepared to kill in that moment. This was a side that inspired a strange mixture of awe and fear of the powerful beast, such ferocity not displayed even during the sinking of the Argetbrun when the dragon had protected them all against his watery cousin.
A sort of question lingered in those crystalline orbs though, his gaze belying the half-hearted focus of his attack against the other dragon. Passing through the captain, Ninaru patiently watched his bonded for a command. Yea or nay, the verdict would pass from Tae and Tae alone. Darrow's word held no true authority in this matter, but the spit-fire man – as the captain could now see the second Rider was indeed a man – made accepting that fact very difficult. He drew his sword in warning, holding it toward the other's face with deadly promise. Such communication only seemed to spark further rebellion and the weapon was quickly shoved away though not without tasting the sweet life blood that drizzled from a newly made cut on the back of the stranger's hand.
His first words were a demand for an explanation as the dark headed male stumbled first one way and then the other, twisting about in the sand like a deckhand on his first voyage. Pricks of annoyance spread down the back of Darrow's neck at being addressed in such a manner. He might not have been any sort of lord by society's standards, but among these men and upon the seas that served as his playground he was a god and had become accustomed to being addressed as such. There were shocked expressions spreading from face to face within his crew, and the stormy eyed man saw fit to reassert his dominance. "I could ask you the same question, mate." He spoke the word like an insult, no loss of mockery to his hard voice. "Exactly who are you and what are you doing here?" Vaguely, the captain was aware of Jameson's presence looming behind his right shoulder; the younger more refined man no doubt cringing at such a display of mindless brutality. The first mate had never really been one to entertain needless fighting.
For a moment they fell into a stalemate, each one sizing up the other and debating whether it was truly a good idea to go head-to-head. This 'Baerd", as the man had stated his name to be, seemed a sizeable fellow. Once righted and oriented to the stability of the earth coupled strangely with the shifting nature of the sand he seemed to hold himself with dignity chiseled into a squared posture that spoke defiance as clearly as any spoken language. It was obvious he wasn't prepared to make this easy. This close he was taller than he had seemed before, easily six foot and over as the crown of his head ended a few inches above Darrow's own. Baerd possessed a stocky build, one of the sort that is formed over time through hard labor and toil though the seadog accompanied most of that to the rigorous training of a Rider, and ever present was a markedly irritated scowl that wrinkled what might have been good features had they been in a more amiable expression.
"We were just flying by when your watch dog here dropped us out of the sky." Again, the lethal point of Darrow's rapier was placed toward the Rider's throat, silently warding away such an annoyingly insubordinate air. The damn fool was trying his patience with the petty sarcasm; perhaps the only thing staying the blade from dipping a bit further to penetrate the soft flesh of the other's neck being the looming judgment of Jameson's opinion. While the other men would have applauded a kill, simply chalking it up to another triumph for their fearless captain, the first mate would have seen it as little more than a murder and he was right to do so. It was that resolve and level headedness that had earned him his position on The Red Lady years past. Still, Darrow wasn't going to just let this dog get away with snapping at an alpha without punishment. Humiliation seemed within bounds and he did possess quite the sharp little tongue when he felt like wielding it. "A bit foolish to insult those holding your life in their hands isn't it?" There was a muffled laugh from a few of the crewmen, and the seaman was positive that had he merely glanced to the right he would see the reflective glint as Jameson rolled his eyes at such a display. However, it seemed the retort had been enough of a peace treaty. Baerd seemed ready to cooperate. Asking for the release of his dragon first, the stranger scanned the faces of Darrow's crew restlessly searching for the leviathan's Rider once he learned it wasn't the captain himself. From face to face his dark eyes scanned, black shadows drifting with meaningless direction, until an all too familiar voice could command their attention.
Tae's approach had been silent, Darrow having assumed she would remain near the fire. A foolish notion, he realized, of course she would want to be near her dragon while he fought for all of their protection against this possible threat. "He's mine." Such a simple statement, yet none of them had been ready for it and more than that none of them had been ready for the steady strength that resounded within the clear tones of her voice. Everyone turned to the young woman, watching and waiting as if expecting some long speech to go along with this revelation. While their attention was otherwise occupied, Darrow spared a glance back to his captive and immediately wished he hadn't. The obvious gleam in the intruder's eyes sent a spark of something like jealousy through the man's blood; a sort of territorial need to usher the feminine creature away and out of his view where those reaching eyes wouldn't be able to land upon her slender frame again. And her dressed so lightly in her bed clothes, too!
"The Lady Tae, our resident Dragon Rider." The captain agreed, at once regretting having given away her name though the owner of it seemed incapable of caring less about the act. His intent had been successful, though, and Tae's displeasure or carelessness of his giving out her name without permission was only a background concern in the face of his true exploits. He didn't like the way this man was looking at her; didn't like the way Tae was looking back. Of course the woman looked at everyone the same with that deadened stare as if one were merely looking at the husk of what once had held humanity, but she wasn't looking away either and in a strange way that bothered the seadog in a way it normally wouldn't have. This annoyed him further and his patience waned as unwanted emotions thickened in his chest like a disease that bubbled and spread through his veins trying to consume him. "You know it's rude to stare…" He growled lowly, light brows pulling together in a scowl. Inside his head a single word echoed over and over again, crashing against his skull and shattering into a thousand more: 'mine.'
Tae's shoulder brushed against his as she came to stand at his side, and had it been any other woman he might have put a protective arm around her waist further staking his claim on this creature. But this was Tae, this was a Rider, and the thoughtful consideration with which she regarded this other man was enough to ward off any concerns he might have had that she would be interested in him romantically. 'Not because I'm interested romantically, though.' Darrow reminded himself, trying to wrestle his heartbeat into submission.
The young woman studied the man, this Baerd, in silence for a moment before her silvery orbs could glance off of the blade at his throat, surprise registering on her face as if she were just realizing its presence. Her face turned toward him, a crease forming between her brows in what could have been anything from frustration to mild interest. "Is that necessary..?" She asked softly, and at first Darrow took the question for chastisement before he realized the expression on her face was indeed aggravation though not in the way he would have assumed. He was forced to realize then, that this was the first time she had ever stepped foot from the shelter of her islands, and quite possibly that she had ever been placed in such a situation. She wasn't asking him to put the sword away, while it was plain she would rather avoid violence if possible, she was honestly asking if such a show of force was necessary. Her dragon too had turned his gaze to the captain, silently questioning what course he should take next.
Authority strengthened the man's resolve, granting him a clear head in the situation. Tae still kept herself under his protection, whether she knew it or not, and that subtle loyalty heartened him and persuaded his better judgment into making an appearance. "I can't say," The man began, letting the sword rest easily in his hand as his shoulders relaxed. He wanted to humiliate this stranger further; to put him in his place in front of his crew and of course the exotic creature that stood beside him. "Is it necessary?" The captain asked as if addressing a mischievous child who had been threatened with something as going to bed early. With a quirked brow the captain nudged his sword forward just a tiny bit to allow the deadly angle to graze across Baerd's throat.
Petulance smoldered in the dark shadows of the other's face, hard lines made harder, sharper, by the anger revealed in his expression. For a moment he seemed to contemplate a fight, as if he stood a chance against an entire crew with his dragon pinned into submission by another leviathan; however that revolutionary glint quickly dimmed from his eyes which glanced back to his bonded. Darrow knew the behavior well from his conversations with Tae – or at least what short conversations they had, had before being shipwrecked – and he recognized the brief lack of focus to the night darkened orbs that revealed his concentration had fallen elsewhere. "No." He spat seconds later, presumably after whatever communication between he and his dragon had subsided. "I'd rather not kill myself by trying to fight off an entire band of…whatever it is you people are. Even though I've done nothing to deserve such poor treatment…" Baerd added the final bit as a grumble, his gaze flickering between the captain and his charge.
"I'm going to ignore the implications of your words, and allow us to start over as friendly strangers in understanding that such insults won't be muttered again." He had the strange urge to snap his teeth together as a shark closing over its victim as he felt the familiar curl of his lips as the smirk reappeared on his face. "Savvy?" Darrow removed his weapon only after receiving a curt nod of grudging assent. "Very well then." The captain leaned a bit closer so that only the Rider would hear his words, the curls of her hair made rough and matted with sea water and the lack of a brush tickling his lips as he spoke lowly. "Lady, I would suggest not trusting this one until we've gotten a chance to test his character further. He has a grin like a barracuda, and seems twice as unpredictable." She was looking at him with confused wonderment when he pulled back to see her expression, unable to understand how he could be so mistrusting of another Rider. He gazed at her in earnest, hoping she would understand and follow his wishes, but she returned his council with a slight lilt of her head before deeming him no longer worth worrying about and continuing on to the dark headed man.
Deep down in his gut, that odd sensation razed his insides, and he turned away from the two almost running into his first mate in the process of escaping their presence. "Erg, Captain..?" Jameson tripped over his own words as he stumbled out of the way, unprepared for the older man's abrupt retreat.
"Keep an eye on them." Darrow ordered over his shoulder, long strides carrying him swiftly back to the fire where he proceeded to plop down in the sand, staring at the blaze and wishing it wasn't working its way through his core those very seconds. He felt like a child; like a schoolboy with little more than a schoolyard crush, but it all seemed to matter so much. Tae was his responsibility; he had seen her first…
"Captain?" Jameson's voice was soft and cautious as he approached from the other side of the fire, his face painted orange in a cheery glow though his expression was one far more sober than the flame's cheery atmosphere could provide. "Do you want to talk about it?" The first mate offered, standing just out of arm's reach looking as if he would rather be doing anything other than this. The runaway was a loyal and first class friend, but when it came to feelings he was more than lacking. He didn't know how to comfort or even address something like heartache. Hell, Darrow doubted whether he would ever have the misfortune of experiencing it.
"Talk about what?" The captain asked, forcing cheer into his voice that he couldn't manage to portray quite right on his face. He could feel the balance off just a bit in his grin as he tried to assuage his mate's concerns. "Gods man, you look as if you've seen a ghost." Darrow laughed at his own joke, knowing Jameson wasn't good for it, and continued to hold his stupid grin as the other man sat down heavily beside him.
"I know it's hard on you… It's a hard loss." Jameson sighed; a faraway look to his eye as if he were watching a memory rather than what was in front of him. The young man reached under his shirt and into the waist of his pants pulling out a small flask of what could only be some sort of whiskey or rum. He took a short nip then handed it off to his companion, silently consoling the older man in the only way he knew how.
Darrow reached out slowly, not entirely sure he wanted to drink but ultimately throwing caution to the wind as he was oft to do when it involved any sort of alcoholic beverage. "Yes." He mumbled his agreement before throwing his head back and feeling the warm burn of drink slip down his throat. It was rum – of course it was rum the boy hardly drank anything else – and the sweet spice of it was soothing as it warmed his belly and chased away the chill in his toes. He knocked back another swig before handing it back, the container noticeably lighter, and leaned back on one arm.
"Just remember, soon we'll find Treagan and we'll be able to charter another ship back to the islands and you'll see Lady again, and it will be like none of this ever happened." Jameson said positively, taking another small sip before raising the flask to his ear and sloshing what was left about to hear the emptiness inside. He lowered it again and looked at it wistfully for a moment, no doubt missing the barrels that went down with the Argetbrun, before handing it over again. "Here, you finish it off. You need it more than I."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The captain snatched the drink away before the younger man could change his mind, but he watched Jameson with wry suspicion. "You saying I can't handle my own losses?" For a moment they stared each other down, neither one willing to bend on what they thought of each other. It was Darrow who broke first, chuckling lowly until Jameson was willing to crack a smile and even let loose a brief chuckle of his own. "Eh you're prob'ly right." The captain swallowed down what was left of the rum before handing the empty flask back to its owner. "But she sure is a beauty."
Jameson nodded along with the statement, setting the flask in the sand beside him before lifting a knee to wrap both arms around the shin and balance on his rear. "Yea… At least she was before Ninaru sunk her." He chuckled again, thinking himself clever, but this time it was Darrow's turn to hesitate.
"Sunk her? James what are you talking about? She-" His words cut off mid-sentence, the first mate looking at him in anxious confusion.
"Well… I was talking about the ship." He peered at his captain through narrowed eyes. "What were you talking about?"
Darrow stared for a moment longer, his brain churning faster than oars through white water for some sort of excuse that the man would accept without questioning too far. "Um- I was- you see…" He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, stammering and tripping over his own words before quickly shaking his head and waving a hand like he could just shoe the conversation away.
"The ship of course, I just," He grasped for an excuse, clinging to the first one that popped into the forefront of his mind. "I just didn't think it was Ninaru wrecking the ship so much as that thing that was in the water is all." The man quickly looked away; staring hard into the fire and giving it his best go not to meet the first mate's gaze.
"Right…" Jameson replied, drawing out the vowel to demonstrate his disbelief. "Well, whatever it was, I guess it's in the past now, right?" He stood when Darrow answered with a curt nod of his head, a friendly pat on his shoulder jerking him to the side a bit and taking him by surprise. The light headed man looked up to see the runaway walking over to where the men were now searching the shoreline for any sign of wreckage from the Argetbrun or scanning the skies for Treagan. In the sand where he had been sitting was little more than the imprint of his weight to mark that the space had ever been occupied. The captain was positive that he had never felt quite so alone as he did just then.
