A Game Of Changing Tides

Chapter Twenty-Eight

1868, the Dawrey Ocean

"I don't much care for pirates," Ri said.

Adelyn stood near the helm, looking back at the water behind the ship. The witch moved like a shadow, silent and swiftly, always skulking nearby. Adelyn felt as though she was on a leash-- no matter how hard she pulled and tugged and no matter how many corners she rounded, Ri was there, a shadow gripping her by the collar. "They're always dirty, and even more crude."

"Not all of them are bad." Adelyn defended, refusing to look back at the woman. The hairs at the back of her neck stood straight. She hadn't known how close the witch had come to her until she saw her in the corner of her eye, leaning against the railing just next to her. There was more than a foot of air between them, and yet Adelyn felt as though they were far too close. Power oozed from Ri in a way Adelyn didn't like; it was like feeling someone's hand hover over your skin, but not quite touch it.

Ri made her reconsider things she wished she'd never reconsidered.

There were small things, inexplicable things, that Adelyn had begun to notice. Like, before Nina pushed open the door to their room, Adelyn would know she was on the other side of it. Or before a wave would jostle the ship, Adelyn knew to brace herself. Small things that, before she'd met Nik, she hadn't thought anything of them. Intuition, she'd called it, a good instinct.

She knew better now.

The same blood ran through her veins that ran through Ri's, and something about that scared Adelyn more than she cared to admit. If only because some of the same power that Ri held, she had as well.

And that was something worthy of a little fear.

"I suppose the Captain isn't all bad," Ri said with a coy smile. It was the kind of smile that was full of entrapment. Adelyn didn't satisfy her with a response. Instead, she stayed quiet. "I'm only teasing."

Again, Adelyn said nothing.

"I'm not daft, Adelyn." She said. The airiness of her voice was gone; instead, it was hard. Like a mother's scolding. "You don't like me much, and that's fine. You're even a little afraid of me-- I can see that much. But there's much you could learn from me, if only you could see past all that."

Adelyn frowned, turning away from the water and towards the witch. Ri was looking at her with a pointed gaze, and though her face was twisted with some kind of emotion, Adelyn couldn't decipher what it was.

She wet her lips and shook her head, "There's nothing you could teach me that I want to learn."

Ri laughed, shaking her head. "You're afraid of the power you have, but one day, you won't be. And when that day comes, you'll wish you'd said yes instead of no."

"I'll take my chances," Adelyn said. Her eyes turned back out towards the water. She'd quickly grown bored of the blackened waves over the time she'd spent above them, but even so, they were a far better sight then Ri.

When she peered back beside her, the witch was gone, as silent as when she'd came.

___

Harlem sat up in the hammock, his one foot dangling over the edge and pushing against the floor so he swung. All around him, men snored and slept the night away in hammocks of their own, strewn about the room.

When Adelyn stalked over, Harlem slowed it to a stop so she could climb on on the other end. No sooner than her feet were off the ground did he push again, and they were swinging. Side to side, against the sway of the boat itself.

"You look like a quisby," Adelyn said, noting how he hadn't moved all day. It wasn't as though she could blame him-- he looked tired, and she was sure he had much more healing to go before he was back to himself. Still, it felt weird to not be teasing him. She was sure he didn't like being coddled anymore than she liked doing the coddling.

"You look like a wagtail."

"Don't be crude."

"Well, what else am I to think?" He shrugged smally, "you've been running around ragged with a bunch of pirates. And you know what they say about pirates."

"Careful what you say, Harlem." Adelyn said. "Or you might wake up with a dagger in your chest-- and it won't even be me that puts it there."

Harlem snickered. "Probably wouldn't feel much different than I do right now."

Adelyn opened her mouth to ask if if he was alright-- really alright-- but was too quickly interrupted by the door being pushed open. Nina shuffled inside, stuffing her mouth full of one of the many muffins that sat on the plate in her hand. She stumbled towards the two of them, one sideways step at a time, obviously having had a pint too many.

"I brought food," she said, her voice muffled by bits of the bread. "It's not very good."

"Then why eat it?"

"Because I'm hungry." Nina said, settling in on the hammock between Harlem and Adelyn's feet. The plate spilled over, the muffins tumbling back onto her stomach. She paid no mind.

Somewhere behind her, Adelyn heard someone groan. Likely one of the men woken up by them talking. She frowned, holding a finger to her lips and shushing Nina and Harlem.

"We ran out of wine today," Nina said, frowning. Her voice was a whisper, though certainly on the louder side of one. "If we don't reach a port soon, I'll go into withdrawal."

"Maybe it'd be good for you," Harlem joked, one eyebrow raised. Nina threw a muffin at him, hitting him square in the nose, where a bruise had already turned it purple. He winced.

Even drunk, Nina's aim was good.

A yawn tickled Adelyn's throat. Her unhealthy habit of spending most nights awake was starting to take its toll on her. Still, despite how tired she felt, she didn't want to go to bed. Something about sitting there tucked in the corner of a hammock next to Harlem and Nina felt better than any amount of rest. It felt like home, and that was something Adelyn had never thought she'd be able to feel again.