Swashbuckling in the Dark

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sunlight warmed me, counteracting the coolness of the water lapping over my bare toes. The time-worn, heated wood under my palms sent tingles through my fingertips. It had been ages since I'd simply relaxed like this.

"How do you feel?" he asked me, amusement hanging on his words.

"Wonderful," I said, keeping my eyes closed and my lips stretched in a smile.

A splash of cold water hit my bare calves, cooling the overheated skin. I sighed, tilting back until I lay on the deck, my feet breaking the surface below me.

He followed my movements, his back hitting the deck next to me with a soft thump.

"I could stay here all day," I murmured.

He mumbled in agreement. I shifted onto my side, turning to rest my ear against the wood. The ocean rushed a few feet underneath, whispering in my ear.

Dark turned his head slightly, opening one eye to look at me. "What?"

I suppressed a laugh at his one-eyed expression. "I never thought it would be like this, is all."

Interest piqued, he rolled over to match my posture. "You never thought what would be like this?"

I stretched out a hand, tracing the lines on his outstretched palm. He twitched as the touch tickled him, but he didn't draw back.

"Being with you," I explained "For some reason I never thought it would be so...peaceful."

He chuckled, catching my fingers with his and pulling my hand close to his chest. "It is oddly serene, isn't it? No cannons booming, no shots being fired, no one chasing us, no sea monsters..."

I snorted. "There's no such thing as sea monsters, Dark."

"That's what you think."

Laughing, I gave him a sharp smack in the chest. "I've heard your story about battling the kraken, and I know it's a lie."

His expression suddenly morphed into seriousness, his voice insistent. "Zaina," he said, reaching out to give my shoulder a hard shake.

"Ah! What, Dark? What's wrong?"

"Zaina," he repeated, chanting it with increasing insistence.

"What!?" I asked, getting annoyed.

"Zaina!" Tallera's exasperated voice pulled me from the remnants of the dream and back into reality.

"Huh? What's...?" I mumbled incoherently.

Tallera shook me again to rouse me. Shaking the foggy images from my brain, I sat up in the bunk and focused on my redheaded cabin mate.

"Sorry to interrupt your sleep," she said, returning to the basin where she'd been washing her face. "But it's your turn on deck."

I grumbled in general annoyance, but climbed down anyways. I reached into the trunk next to her feet and yanked on my trousers, fighting a yawn. My hair was quickly combed and pulled back into a practical braid. I was just securing the leather belt around my hips when there was a light knock outside the cabin door.

Tallera and I looked at each other. No one ever paid personal visits to our cabin. She lowered the water jug.

"Who is it?" she called.

"It's Dark. May I come in?"

Tallera flicked the latch and swung open the tiny door. Dark ducked his head as he entered the already cramped cabin. I couldn't raise my arms without hitting either of them.