by Ashley Nixon
“Leaf, do what you have to,” said Barren. The Elf stood on the steps leading down into the hatch, his bow still in his hands. He nodded and stepped aside so Edward and his crew could move up the stairs.
Barren waited until they left. He hurried to the pile of debris and began shifting it aside. Cove was soon beside him and after a moment, they pulled Sara from beneath the rubble. She seemed frazzled, and there was no blood, but Larkin knew that they wouldn’t know what damage had really been done until she was out of this mess.
“Are you okay?” Cove asked.
She nodded.
“You’re not hurt?”
She shook her head, but her silence made Larkin think otherwise. Larkin stood from where she’d fallen and moved to pick up her blade. As she did, Barren turned to face her.
“I asked you to stay with her!” She thought he might keep his voice down, but he didn’t.
“I thought she would be safe.”
“You thought wrong. Does it never occur to you that sometimes I tell you to stay because I know what you’re capable of? Because I knew you’d know what to do if this happened,” he indicated the mess around him. Larkin felt dizzy. She wasn’t sure why. She’d been fine throughout the whole attack even when she’d fallen. “You tell me I don’t consider my life. Well, you don’t consider yours!”
“I was afraid of what I couldn’t see,” she replied.
“You don’t get to ignore my commands any more than the rest of my crew, Larkin!”
“You’re supposed to remind me why I chose this life, not make me feel confined to your law!”
“If you can’t remember why you are here, maybe you are better off with your father!”
Larkin glared at him and then tried to move past him, but as she took a step, she staggered. Barren caught her as she did.
“Larkin, are you alright?”
That’s when she felt the large splinter of wood in her side. It must have happened when she fell. Her head spun, but she steadied herself. She wrapped her hand around the splinter, finding it was much bigger than she’d thought. She tried to pull on it.
“Don’t,” Barren moved her hand away, and she looked at him. His eyes were still on the splinter. His fingers moved around the wood and the pain seemed to increase, burning into her side and running to her head. Without warning, he lifted her into his arms and called to Leaf.
***
She woke in a cold sweat. There was a dull pain where the splinter had been removed. She sat up slowly. Barren was asleep in a chair near the bed. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his head fell back. She moved from the bed slowly and walked to the washbasin. Pouring water into the bowl, she blotted her face with a cool cloth, washing away the clamminess.
When she turned, Barren was watching her.
“You should lie down,” she said.
“You should rest.”
“I have.”
He kept watching her. She set the cloth aside and moved back toward the bed. She sat down. “Are you going to scold me?”
“No. All the blood and the screaming took my words.”
She cringed but teased, “You're not squeamish, are you?”
“When it is your blood that covers my hands, I am.”
She was quiet. They hadn’t been this close in proximity since he’d fled their room in Arcarum, and the space between them was strained.
It was their last encounter that made her ask her next question.
“Have you ever loved?”
“What?”
She regarded him for a moment before asking the question again. “Have you ever loved another woman?”
She couldn't quite describe the look on his face. He just stared at her, still as stone.
“No,” he said. “I have never loved another woman.”
It was strange to hear that word love spoken as if they'd said it to each other before. Larkin was well aware that they hadn't. She was also well aware that she wasn’t so sure she knew what it meant.
“Why?” The way he asked, he was both intrigued and a little defensive. Larkin looked at him. This explanation should be obvious.
“Because you are a pirate.”
Barren regarded her for a moment, raising a brow. “Now I don’t think you’re asking the same question.”
“No love, but a lover, then?”
Barren laughed and let his hand fall into his lap. After a moment, he lifted his head again, running his fingers through his hair. “You want to discuss this?”
“Is there a better time?” her voice was barely more than a whisper.
Barren shook his head, looking away. “Then, yes,” he said, shrugging.
“That’s it?” she said. “That’s all you’ll say?”
“There’s nothing else to say,” he said.
“How many?” she asked.
He scoffed. “Larkin…”
“How many?” she demanded.
“I don’t know. Four—five!”
“Well, which one is it?”
“Does it matter?”
She glared.
“I don’t know,” he said, sighing. “See? Isn’t it best not to know?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. Silence stretched between them, and they didn’t look at each other. “You loved none of them?”
“You don’t have to love them,” he said.
Larkin cringed.
“You haven’t?” he asked, now curious.
“What?”
“I mean...it happens.”
“No!”
“Well, that’s a little bit of a relief,” he said.
“What?” she demanded.
“I just…if you’d…with William…I—”
“Not in my world, Barren Reed,” she cut him off curtly. “That’s how reputations are ruined.”
The dynamic was ridiculous. Why should her reputation be ruined? Why not a man’s as well? Or better yet, neither. There was silence again.
Barren took a breath. “I never thought I would have you, Larkin,” then he laughed and it was a true laugh. “And I’m sure you never thought you’d want me. But here we are, me with my sins and you with yours. I can’t promise you’d be my first lover, but there are many others firsts yet to come.”
She hugged her legs tightly to her chest. Barren stood and reached forward, wrapping his hand around her neck, he pressed his lips to her forehead.
“Sometimes I don’t know what is going on between us,” he said. “Sometimes I can’t figure out how we will work, but I need you to know that I want you to be my forever.”
His eyes were like fire. She wanted to say something in response, but she had no words. He moved away from her then, heading for the door.
“Rest,” he said.
“Where are you going?”
“To breathe.”
Then she was left alone.
Cove sat at the back of the ship. He was bent over, his elbows on his knees. Leaf had bandaged his hands earlier and given him a warm drink to relieve his pain. It had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and while his fingers did not hurt, they seemed to pulse. The wound was his fault. He shouldn’t have made Sara mad. She shouldn’t even have had a weapon. This is not the life he wanted for her.
From the corner of his eye, he saw her approach.
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” she said.
Cove sort of laughed. How strange those words were.
“I shouldn’t have been so demanding,” he said.
“And why not?” she asked. “You should treat me no differently than you would a member of your crew.”
Cove looked at her then. She had no idea what she was asking for. “But you are not a member of my crew,” he said. “Nor are you a pirate.”
“I am not,” she said. “But how am I to learn if everyone is afraid to break me?”
Cove opened his mouth to speak, but he could not find any words. She did not want to be weak or appear vulnerable, especially among pirates. But there was nothin
g for her to learn here because she would not be staying.
“You will not be among us long enough to need the skills Barren so desires you to learn,” said Cove.
“Why do you dismiss me so easily?” she asked. “Where others see potential, you only see weakness. Is that why you never told me the truth? Did you feel I could not withstand it?”
Cove laughed bitterly. “I never told you the truth because I am selfish and I am a coward. I couldn’t stand the thought of you running from me, of you hating me. But this is where you face the fact that I am not a good man and that you were wrong.”
“I am not wrong,” she said, shaking her head.
“Do not forgive me so easily, Sara,” he said. “I do not deserve it. Even now I should confess my sins to you, yet I am still too cowardly. If I really wanted you to run, I’d tell you everything. Remember that when you’re angry that I have kept secrets.”
***
Larkin was between wakefulness and sleep. Her body was alive. She could feel someone in the room with her. A dark presence. Part of her felt like she was dreaming, but her heart was racing and her fingers itched to reach for her blade.
The air changed and she opened her eyes. A shadow rose above her, arms raised, blade glimmering in hand. Larkin threw up her arms, and she felt the foreign rush of magic come to her fingertips. But the person who stood over her quashed the magic that had pooled into a ball. Their hands closed over hers harshly and pushed them down to her stomach. Now the weight of the shadow was upon her, and fear gripped her deeply.
A voice rose in the darkness. She was quiet, but her words were venom—she was like a spider, wrapping Larkin in silk, only for the kill.
It was Aethea.
“So,” she whispered, and her eyes widened at her discovery. “You’re Lyric.”
Aethea rested there for a moment, her hands keeping Larkin’s pinned against her chest. Finally, Aethea released her and stepped away. Larkin reached for her blade.
“And what are you going to do with that? Wound me?” she asked, and Larkin glared. “You’d have to explain why, and you don’t want to do that, do you?”
“Why are you here? Who freed you?”
Aethea laughed. “No one freed me. I am already free,” she said. “But you need not worry. After this, I’ll wander back to my part of the ship and replace my bonds as if none of this happened.”
The wicked smirk on Aethea’s lips did not waver.
“I’ve been around pirates long enough to know there has to be a catch,” said Larkin.
“I am not a pirate,” Aethea said, as if she were offended.
“You aren’t so different,” said Larkin. “But you’re welcome to prove me wrong.”
She smile. “You’re pretty,” she said. “And smart, too. It is a pity you won’t capitalize on your power.”
“All I’ve ever seen Lyric do is spread evil. No good can come of it.”
“So you would reject your magic completely? When it is a part of you just like your blood?”
Larkin glared.
“I suppose it is no surprise. You abandoned your father for a pirate.”
“You know nothing of me,” Larkin snapped and then narrowed her eyes. “How is it you know about Lyrics?”
“Everyone knows a little about magic,” she said.
“Ben knew about magic, too.”
“Are you trying to make a connection?”
Larkin shrugged. “You both happened to be interested in Barren’s compass, you both have knowledge of Lyric, and you both work for the Commonwealth. That’s a lot of commonalities.”
Aethea raised a perfect brow. “That is not uncommon.”
“Perhaps not so uncommon,” Larkin agreed. “But when they happen within the span of a few days, one begins to wonder if they are connected. Do you want to know what I think?” A slow smile spread across Larkin’s face. “I think you were asked to find the compass. My question is, why do you want it, and who has hired you?”
Aethea was not humored, but she smiled and took a step toward Larkin.
“You’re perceptive, and those are good questions,” she said as her gray eyes seemed to turn black. “I suppose they deserve an answer. But, then, if I gave an answer, I could not keep your secret.”
It was Larkin’s turn to laugh. “See, you’re not so different from a pirate.”
“You’re careless in your comparison,” she said. “For when you see what I am capable of, you will wish for the droll antics of a pirate.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No,” she said. “I’m already watching you fail. For when your pirate-lover learns of your magic, his love for you will evaporate as if it were never really there. A pirate cannot truly love anything other than the sea. He yearns for it like a lover. He will sacrifice human touch for it. He will kill for it."
"You sound jaded."
Aethea laughed. “You know I am right. Barren has changed. He no longer welcomes you with a smile. His disdain will grow, and if he must choose between you and the sea, he will most certainly choose the sea.” She laughed and took a step back. “I hope I am here to see it.”
She was gone then. She melded with the shadows like smoke. Larkin stood for a moment in the darkness. She wanted to run to the brig and check that Aethea was bound to her chair because what had just happened felt like a nightmare, but she didn’t want to see Aethea. She didn’t want to hear her voice.
How had Aethea known she was a Lyric? Had Ben told her? She had the forethought to test Larkin’s powers, too, and to stop her magic. She wasn’t denying knowledge of Lyric or claiming to be an expert, but didn’t quashing magic take some skill? A mortal couldn’t do such a thing, but that’s what Aethea was.
And now Aethea knew Larkin was a Lyric. She wanted to see Larkin fail. If Barren discovered Larkin’s powers through Aethea, Barren’s trust would evaporate. When it came down to it, if Larkin did not tell Barren her secret, he would choose the sea over her.
***
Larkin moved across deck. It was morning and the sun was not yet on the horizon, but she had been unable to sleep since Aethea’s visit. She’d struggled all night between the decision to tell Barren she was a Lyric or keep it a secret. Part of her just wanted to keep the secret a little longer, to hold onto the freedom she had as Larkin Lee.
She came to Barren’s cabin door and knocked. She'd never knocked before, but what Aethea had said was true. Things were different between them. She set her teeth, angered by the woman's words, and threw open the door to Barren's cabin. She found Barren at the door, a look of surprise on his face.
She took him in. He was half-dressed. His chest was exposed, bronzed from days in the sun. Under this light, his muscles seemed even more defined. He towered over her, his shoulders broad and toned. She knew his skin would be warm and rough. She wanted to reach out and touch him.
“Are you okay?” He asked her and she flinched. His question was sincere, but she also realized that she wasn't okay. Her chest felt tight. She moved to close the door and then turned to face him again.
“Don't look at me like that,” he said. His voice was hushed.
“Like what?” She approached him, but he didn't move away. Suddenly, any thoughts of telling Barren she was a Lyric were pushed aside because she wanted something more. She wanted him, and she wasn’t going to be refused again.
She stood on the tips of her toes and touched his face. She felt him shudder. Her heart picked up speed. She moved her hands to his blond-streaked hair. His hands latched onto her forearms, but he did not pull her away.
“What are you doing?” His voice was a gruff whisper.
She inhaled sharply. “I need you,” she said.
His eyes burned into hers. “I'm here,” he said.
He drew her against him and kissed her lips, slowly at first, but fiercely. His teeth grazed her lip, and their teeth clanked, but he kept kissing her, deeper and deeper until the air around them was too hot, and she knew he needed he
r too.
He lifted her against him, and she drew her legs around his waist. One of his hands clasped the skin of her thigh, and the other wrapped tightly around her waist. He kissed her jaw and her neck. His lips grazed the tender skin of her chest and then found her lips again.
He moved her so easily, as if she weighed nothing, and suddenly they were on the bed, bodies pressed together. She kept her legs wrapped around him, and he broke the kiss to stare at her, his eyes like embers.
“You won’t leave me again,” she said.
“No,” he rasped, and she knew he regretted his decision to leave her before.
He drew her up, and she sat in his lap, arms wrapped tightly around his neck, their lips crashed together. She couldn’t think, and her breaths came in gasps. Feelings clashed inside her. Guilt, need, fear. They mixed with the magic in her blood, and for a moment she feared her power would make itself known, but it regressed as soon as Barren’s cabin door flew open and Barren tore away from her.
Leaf stood in the doorway. A lopsided smirk was on his face.
“Dammit, Leaf!” Barren seethed.
“S-sorry,” he said quickly. Larkin hung her head in her hands and let out a sigh. There really was no privacy on a ship, even in private quarters. “But...we may have trouble. I thought you’d like to know.”
Barren grumbled. “If you’re making this up for fun, I will kill you,” Barren said, and got to his feet, swiping a shirt from the bedpost and pulling it on. “I’m sorry,” he turned to tell Larkin, and then he continued out to the deck.
Larkin stared at the closed door for a long moment. Had the sea just won?
***
“You embarrass me,” Barren said as they exited his cabin.
The Elf was amused. “Next time I will knock.”
“You should have done that in the first place!”
“I would not have disturbed you at all,” he said. “But we’re close to the Octent now and it appears we might be approaching a ship. Maybe a Runner or a Cutter. I thought we should be more careful.”
Leaf was right. They needed to be more careful. This part of the sea was never safe. If they sailed to the west, they would come face to face with the Ore Mines, and if they sailed east, they would come to the island of Estrellas. Their course was set for the south, however, where the sea was far more violent.
