A Game Of Changing Tides

Chapter Twelve

1868, the Dawrey Ocean

Adelyn was no longer amazed by there being nothing but ocean surrounding them. No matter which direction she turned in, she could see nothing but blue waters tinted black by a sunless sky. The night casted a reflection on the sea, and Adelyn could see stars both upwards, and downwards.

On the first night they'd left Carstrid, Adelyn had been amazed by it. She'd gaped, and she'd stared at the scene for hours. It reminded her of a painting, though it was so pretty that she doubted anyone would be able to capture it on a canvas. Now, two days later, it had gotten a little bit old. She liked sitting on the main deck much more than she liked being isolated in her room, but she felt no need to stare out at the water.

Hung from a rope attached to the mast, a lamp lit the pages of Adelyn's book. The candle inside was running low on wax, but Adelyn refused to put her book away until she had to squint to see the words.

Finally, Adelyn was forced to close the binding and sit back, letting out a breath. It was far from the best book she'd ever read-- that spot would forever be held by the novel that sat on the living room table back at Anne Martens-- but it had kept her busy for the past few hours. A few feet away, on the other side of the mast, Adelyn heard some of the crew bark out laughs.

The sound of boots clicking against the floorboards made her head turn. Nik slowly made his way over from the fold-up table the men had set up at the far end of the deck to play cards. Adelyn noticed the slight wobble in his steps-- just enough to prove he wasn't sober, but not enough to be called drunk.

He stopped a few feet to her left, looking down at her lap, where the closed book sat. He clicked his tongue, "Good book?"

"It's alright." Adelyn said, shrugging. The light of the lantern grew brighter as the sky became darker. It was little help for seeing smaller details, but Adelyn could just make out the glints of the rings on Niks fingers, and the outline of his shirt. He rarely walked around without his jacket, but Adelyn couldn't say she was disappointed to see it gone. The leather did something to his face-- it darkened it, and it made him seem that much more like a pirate. In just the white button up, Nik looked more like a sailor. Someone she could trust.

"I've a bit of a library in my chambers." He said, shrugging. "If you run out of pages, feel free to have a look through those."

Adelyn looked up at him and smiled, "Thank you."

He shrugged. A few paces behind him, Xavier was watching them with squinted eyes. The scar on the right side of his face was shadowed by the light of the lamp. Adelyn wasn't surprised to see him looking their way; she'd quickly learnt he had a habit of watching Nikolai. Xavier seemed to be as protective of him as she was of Harlem.

The toe of Nikolai's boot hit the floorboard, filling the silence that had fallen between them. The laughter of the ship's crew was more of a background noise then. Adelyn's ears were more focused on the rush of the waves, the whistling of the wind, and the sound of Nikolai's breathing.

"Which way is that compass of yours pointing?" Nik asked, looking down at Adelyn's wrist.

She frowned, bringing her hand to her face to peak beneath the bandage. The arrow pointed just to the left of the ship's heading. It was such a slight difference, Adelyn wondered if it would even matter any in the long-run. Still, she pointed, "A little that way."

"A little that way it is." Nik said, though he didn't move. Adelyn waited for him to make his way over to the helm, but he didn't. His feet stayed planted firmly on the wooden boards, his shoulder leaning against the wooden mass behind Adelyn's chair. She could feel the light heat of his body, only two inches or so away. It was a contrast to the chilled air-- a blanket of cold had settled over the water, as it usually did whenever the sun disappeared.