A Game Of Changing Tides

Chapter Fifteen

1868, the Dawrey Ocean

Adelyn sat on the bed, shock keeping her still and mute. She couldn't focus, her mind was blank. Nina sat on the floor in front of her, but Adelyn felt as though she were miles away. Behind her eyes, she saw blood and death, and Harlem.

She more than just blamed herself for Harlem's situation. Adelyn had made the decision not to tell him anything, and that was why he'd gone looking. It was because of her that he was off in the middle of the ocean, likely trapped behind bars in a cell. Or maybe even already dead.

She'd stayed up on the main deck just long enough to watch them begin the clean up. It had made her feel vile, watching bodies be tossed over the railing and crimson mopped from the floor. After only a short minute or two, Nina had latched onto her arm and dragged her below deck.

Adelyn felt cold, as though her veins had frozen over and her blood had turned to slush. Nina stepped forward and swung a blanket around her shoulders, and Adelyn figured she must have been shivering. She hadn't noticed. The fabric did nothing to help.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Nina stood to flip the lock. Adelyn had insisted on locking it when they'd stepped inside.

Nikolai stood in the doorway, his clothes unchanged from those he'd been wearing earlier. There was blood scattered across his white top, and shallow cuts across his collar. It was a memory Adelyn already wished could be forgotten.

"Leave," he said. At first, Adelyn thought he'd been talking to her. She wouldn't have been surprised, of course, considering she'd gone against him and handed the watch right over to Greywell. She'd expected him to tie her to a barrel of rum and toss it into the waves.

Nina scrambled from the room, leaving Adelyn and Nik alone. Adelyn didn't move. She didn't know what to say. She was ashamed and afraid all at the same time.

"Are you okay?" Nikolai asked. His voice was quiet. Gentle. Adelyn nodded, ignoring the slight throbbing at the back of her head. Nik sighed. "I'm sorry."

The words took her by surprise. Nikolai had done nothing wrong— if anything, he'd done everything right. He'd most likely saved her life, and he'd given up the watch for Harlem. Even if her friend was still trapped aboard Greywell's ship, Nikolai had still tried. Adelyn stood, shaking her head, "No, I'm sorry. They found me downstairs, and then I went and got the watch, and—"

"It's okay." Nik said, but Adelyn knew it wasn't. In a way, she'd betrayed him, and she knew he wasn't the type trust easily. Adelyn still didn't understand why the watch was so important when they already had the map, but she didn't want to bring it up, either. Instead, she sat silent. "I'll get Nina to put some water on the stove or something."

"For what?" Adelyn frowned, but it made sense when she saw his eyes point down. Still scattered across her skin, drops of blood had dried and stuck to her. Adelyn had forgotten about it until then. All of the sudden, she could smell it. The sickening metallic scent, it made her woozy. "Oh."

Nikolai sighed. It was quiet again. Up on the main deck, Adelyn could hear the slosh of a mop on the boards. In the far corner of her and Nina's room, water dripped down from the ceiling onto the ground. Adelyn watched it, listening to the crew member work above them. She wondered if the water would be red. She couldn't tell in the dark.

Nikolai shuffled forward, leaning against the bookcase. Adelyn's hammock was tied up beside him, and he laced his fingers in the leftover string that hung from the knot. After a minute, he cleared his throat, "Harlem is going to be okay, you know. Greywell's a right bastard, but he won't kill him without a reason."

"There are things worse than death," Adelyn mumbled, her voice a quiver. She hated the idea, but it was a possibility. When she closed her eyes, she saw her friend, the boy who was more like a brother, tied to a wall and bloody. She saw her family in pain, too far out of her reach for her to offer aid.