Sons of the Tide (mlm)

Chapter 30: The Tide

Joseph

The first thing Joseph saw when the cove came into view was the sheer volume of ships crowding around the entrance. There was no empty space for a ship the size of Hawke's to fit through. Even from this far away, he could make out the silhouette of dozens of ships along the cove.

It took another hour before they were finally boarding the Tide, where Justeene was waiting for them. She hugged her daughter tightly the moment she was on the deck. "Cecelia, you made it."

"Of course I did."

She pulled away and dipped her chin to Caleb. "Good to see you alive and well."

"Thank you, Captain."

Joseph would admit Caleb calling someone else captain was irritating, but he didn't know why. Maybe it was because he remembered the way Caleb had said the word to him in his cabin... No, no dirty thoughts right before a battle. Joseph really needed to get his head out of the gutter.

Joseph accepted his hat from one of his crew and placed it on his head. "Alright, we need to discuss our game plan."

Justeene nodded. "My ships and the Tide will take the brunt of the attacks. The Raptor is smaller and more agile, it will be easier to sneak up on Hawke's main ship in the heat of the battle. With that and Caleb's power over the water, you have the best chance of getting to him."

Joseph nodded. "Cecelia will stay aboard the Tide as acting captain while Caleb and I take some ships out on the Raptor."

"Like hell I will." Cecelia crossed her arms. "I'm going with you on the Raptor. Second mate can take over, he's been learning under us for as long as we've been here." She smiled. "Besides, when you retire as Captain and I get the hat, I need to know my first mate can handle himself in battle."

Justeene chuckled, then said, "I agree with Cecelia. She should be on the Raptor with you. Three sets of hands is better than two, especially if something happens to one of you."

Caleb shrugged. "Fine by me. But it'll be a tight space for all three of us once the battle starts."

Cecelia patted the knife on her belt. "I can catch some boats on fire from the bottom up. That should sink a few pretty fast."

"Fair enough." Joseph looked out onto the horizon. "Have you received the signal that he's coming yet?"

"No. I have four ships, one for each direction. Once they see his fleet, they set fire to the wooden rafts loaded with palm leaves to give a smoke signal. All of them will sail back here before Hawke even reaches the smoke signals." Justeene opened her pocket watch and checked the time. "He should be arriving in the morning. Our sources in the cargo boat networks spotted him two days ago at port. Even his fastest ship won't be here before sunrise."

"Okay. So for now, we rest and prepare." Joseph turned to Cecelia. "Make sure everyone eats well tonight and sleeps with their weapons ready for the morning. Even if we expect them at sunrise, we need to be ready to jump up at a moments notice."

"Yes, captain." Cecelia glanced at her mother. "We don't you have lunch with me? We can talk. Catch up."

Joseph was surprised she asked, and it looked like her mother was, too, judging by the raise of her eyebrows. "Of course, Cecelia. Lead the way."

They walked away, Celia shooting Joseph a look that said "keep your mouth shut" as she went. Caleb brushed hair knuckles against Joseph's and he felt his skin prick with goosebumps.

Joseph turned to Caleb. "We'll have lunch in my room."

"I ate some of the food my mother packed on the way here. I'm not really hungry, really."

Joseph smiled slightly. "I'm not either."

Caleb looked confused as Joseph took his wrist and lead him to his quarters. Once the door was shut and locked, Joseph went to his desk and pulled out one of his cigars. He'd been itching for a smoke the entire boat ride here.

Caleb fell into his bed and stretched out his arms. His shawl fell to the sides of his chest, exposing the pink scars from his brush with death.

Joseph lit the end of his cigar and took a long drag, and Caleb glanced at him. "You're staring, captain."

"Sorry." Joseph blew the smoke out of his mouth as he talked. "You're going to have some nasty scars."

He shrugged. "Nothing that I haven't had before."

"You've almost died before?"

"Few times, actually." He smiled crookedly. "I'm just to pretty to die."

Joseph huffed and brought the cigar to his lips again. Caleb's smile relaxed and he held out his hand. "Coke here. And put that out, it's bad for you."

"What, are you my mother?" Despite his words, he reached behind him and sniffed the cigar out in his ashtray before walking over to the bed.

Caleb rested his hand on the side of his thigh when he stopped at the edge of the bed. "What's going on?"

Joseph looked at him in question. He raised an eyebrow. "I know you well enough to notice when something is off. What's wrong?"

Joseph shrugged and ran his hand through his locks. "Just nervous energy, I guess. No matter how many times I come face to face with the barrel of a gun or cannons rip through the sides of my ship, I will never get used to the feeling that comes with waiting for everything to start."

Caleb hummed. "It's okay to be scared, you know."

"It's not even that I'm scared," Joseph said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Caleb's arm wrapped around his waist from where he lay. "I just hate the waiting. The anticipation. It makes me giddy and restless."

Caleb rubbed circles in his hip with his thumbs. "Anything I can do to help?"

Joseph glanced back at him. "Probably not. Usually I just pace around my cabin until I exhaust and fall asleep but it's only noon and I won't be able to sleep until after dark."

Caleb's eyes narrowed and he smiled slightly, his fingers brushing against the waist of his pants. "I bet I have a way to make you sleep well tonight."

Joseph knew what he meant, but a still he asked, "oh, really?"

Caleb's smile turned into a grin as he sat up and put his fingers under Joseph's chin, lifting it up so their lips were mere inches apart. "If your up for it, I'd like to be in charge this time."

Joseph could already feel the static pooling in his gut, and the idea of letting Caleb take control for a bit was appealing. Joseph relaxed his shoulders and leaned into Caleb's touch. "Please."

Caleb smiled again and pecked him on the lips quickly. "Just relax, captain. I'll take care of you."