Captain Black Shadow

by Janina Franck

  “Yes. This island is swell.” Her dry sarcasm caught him off guard. It was almost as if she had… made a joke.

  “So, were you going to be a shipwright like your father?” she asked after a moment of silence.

  Griffin shook his head.

  “That’s what they had in mind for me, but it’s not what I want. It’s actually one of the reasons why I left.”

  “Are they good people, your parents?”

  Griffin nodded and stared into the fire. He could almost see their faces in the dancing flames. His mother’s gentle, loving smile, and the glint in his father’s eye when he was proud.

  “Yes. I think they are. They mean well, and they never mistreat anyone, no matter the species.”

  “Then why did you leave them? You could have just refused to follow your father’s footsteps,” Selene said.

  Griffin sighed.

  “Not really. They think they know what’s best for me because they’re my parents, so they don’t really listen to what I want. Like I said, they mean well, but they don’t really get me, you see? They think that I don’t know anything about the world and that I can’t make the right decisions for myself.” He picked up a stick and threw it into the fire, frustrated. “And they’re right in a way. I don’t know anything. Which is why I needed to go and find out for myself. They can’t keep making my decisions for me for the rest of my life. I’ve got to start some time. But as long as I am with them, I won’t get the chance.”

  “I see.”

  They sat in silence for a while. Griffin had enough of the fire, so he leaned back and looked up into the sky, which was sprinkled with stars. He wondered how his parents were doing and if the crew of the Bat was alright. He wished and prayed for it. Were they looking up at the same night sky? Were they hurt?

  After a few moments he heard Selene sigh.

  “I suppose you have some questions of your own,” she noted. Griffin was too surprised to answer. He could only stare at her. She was right; he had innumerable unanswered questions, but he couldn’t force them past his lips. So far, Selene had been staring into the fire, but now she turned her head and looked at Griffin.

  Her expression was as impervious as ever, but to Griffin, it seemed that there was something other than the flame’s reflection moving in her eyes. Her hair glimmered golden in the firelight and Griffin found himself thinking that she looked like an angel.

  He felt blood rushing to his face. Quickly, he turned away, so Selene wouldn’t notice. The boy got to his feet, walked a few steps and stammered, “I… I’ll walk for a bit. Later!”

  Without waiting for an answer, he rushed away. The cool, fresh night air was just what he needed. He sighed.

  Why did it have to be so difficult to be around Selene? When he looked for answers he didn’t get any, but when he got the chance, he wasn’t capable of asking. Time after time, she managed to knock him off balance. Why did it have to be so complicated? Any of the few girls he had met before Selene had acted very differently from her. It didn’t exactly give him much experience to work with.

  When he eventually returned, the fire had burned down, and Selene was nowhere to be seen. The boy went into the cave and lay down on the ledge, thankful for the soft layer of moss and grass on it. It couldn’t do any harm to sleep a little. The next day would probably be just as exhausting as this one.

  That night Griffin was plagued by weird dreams, so he awoke before dawn to find Selene in his arms. At first, he jerked away. When had she arrived? And why was she in his arms? After a moment of confusion, he calmed down and watched her sleeping face. Her eyelids fluttered gently. She seemed so innocent, almost fragile. Once again, he had the strongest urge to protect her from the world. Of course, he knew that thought was completely irrational. Selene knew how to handle herself far better than he did. She was a fighter. He, on the other hand, was certainly no hero, or even strong or brave. But he still couldn’t shake off the feeling. Pressing Selene against himself, he fell back asleep. He just didn’t understand her.

  Griffin stretched his aching limbs. The last few hours of sleep had been miraculous, even though his body ached from lying on the stone, perhaps even more so than from the back injury. He turned to face Selene but suddenly realized that she had disappeared. He frowned, sitting up and looking around. No trace of her. Whatever she was up to, he was sure she’d be back. At the very least, it gave him time to sort his thoughts. She’d been forced to lie close to him since the ledge wasn’t very wide, but should he mention what had happened during the night? If she wasn’t aware, however, maybe he ought to keep it to himself.

  He dithered a bit before deciding to get up. Overthinking wouldn’t get him anywhere. For now, he should find Selene and figure out what to do with the day.

  Griffin left the cave and was blinded by the bright sunlight. It was rather warm, even though it was Tempest. After he stretched again, he went to the brook in hopes of finding Selene there. But no luck. Perhaps she had gone to the beach to look out for the Bat. Griffin decided to pick a direction and walk that way until he reached the beach. Pressing forward through the foliage, he looked over his shoulder occasionally, to make sure he would be able to find his way back. It took a little while, but he managed to get to the sea quicker than he’d expected.

  The sight of the white beach glittering in the sun and the deep blue ocean behind it soothed his spirits and he breathed in deeply. The slightest breeze moved his hair, but the air was otherwise still. The sea was also quiet, only small waves scampering back and forth. It was a peaceful scene, and Griffin could see no evidence of the terrible storm from the previous day.

  Selene was nowhere to be seen here, either. Griffin took off his shoes and walked slowly across the soft sand to the water. The sand was smooth like silk against his skin and it was a wonderfully comfortable feeling to walk on it. Eventually, the cool, shallow waves washed around his feet and drew the sand from beneath them.

  Griffin sighed and looked out to the ocean. There were no ships. In the distance he saw a couple of seagulls flying. The sea was like a mirror. The reflection was so clear, it was like Griffin was standing on an island floating in the sky. This view reminded him of his favorite cove back home. How often he’d stood there and looked out onto the ocean! How different his thoughts had been back then… At the time, all he had thought of was his dream of leaving Kyalta as captain of his own ship and going on adventures, but now… Well, now he only thought of the Bat and her crew. He hoped with all his heart that they were all well. If only there was a way to find out what had happened after he and Selene had gone overboard.

  Griffin sighed again. There was no point in thinking about this anymore. If they were well, they would soon come to get them. And if not, well, then he and Selene would probably spend the rest of their days on this island, ignorant of their friends’ fates.

  Yes, Griffin realized, the crew of the Bat had become his friends. A thought that would have left him incredulous only a month ago – especially considering how short a time he had been with them.

  He decided to return to the cave. It was always possible that Selene had returned by now as well. He walked back the way he’d come, but still almost got lost a few times.

  “Blasted turtle eggs!”

  Griffin hid behind a tree watching Selene. He had heard her cursing long before the cave even came into sight. He had crept closer, using the ample undergrowth as cover, to find out what she was doing without disturbing her. She was kneeling in front of the large flat stone he had cooked with the day before, her back turned to him. To one side, she had built a small fire, which was happily throwing sparks into the air, another flat stone sitting in the middle, and to the other was a heap of mixed fruits and berries, and even entire fish. With hectic movements, Selene took things arbitrarily from the heap, slashed them up with her knife and then dumped the lot unceremoniously onto the stone in the fire. It clearly wasn’t going the way she was hoping, judging by her colo
rful curses.

  Griffin stood there, trying to decide whether she was cooking or using some kind of strange cursing spell. Somehow, the curse seemed more believable.

  It was obvious that she had no idea what she was doing. The fruit was mashed, the fish was in slivers and all in all she was doing practically everything wrong. Every few minutes, she realized things weren’t working, threw away all the prepared food and began anew.

  He watched this a few more times but finally couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He walked over and knelt next to her, reaching out with his hand.

  “May I?” he asked, and she sullenly handed him the knife, letting him show her again how to gut the fish properly. The girl watched closely, scrutinizing his every movement. He showed her how to cut the fruit, too, before returning the knife to her. “Try it again. It can sometimes take a while to get it.”

  He gave her an encouraging smile, and she grabbed a fish and began shredding it. Blood and bones flew in all directions. Griffin was glad not to be that poor fish. When Selene was done with the animal, he couldn’t recognize it for what it had once been. Having the same realization, she jumped up in a sudden fit of fury, threw the knife to the ground and stomped away. Griffin was left alone, watching her go.

  Sighing, he began to cook. Selene had gathered all the ingredients; it would be a waste not to appreciate the input. He made two portions, serving them into wooden bowls that Selene must have carved. Then he brought them to the brook, where he suspected she might have gone. He found her sitting at the edge of the brook, playing absentmindedly with pebbles in the water.

  Taking care not to spill, he sat down next to her and handed her one of the bowls. Without a word, he ate his own portion. After a few moments, Selene began to empty hers as well. For a while, nothing could be heard but the splashing of the brook, the soft whispering of the trees and the singing of the birds. It was a peaceful moment. In a strange way Griffin enjoyed it.

  “I didn’t want to have you in our crew,” Selene stated out of nowhere.

  Griffin didn’t even turn his head.

  “I know.” Selene didn’t answer. “And yet you jumped into the sea during a storm to save my life,” he added, smiling. For the first time, he felt like he had a grip on the situation. He felt Selene’s glare, but he continued to smile. He stretched.

  “You–” Selene began, but she didn’t get any further. A red flash of lightning landed on Griffin’s back, right on his wound, and pushed him into the brook.

  Spluttering and wiping the water from his face, he sat back up to see what had knocked him over. A wet kitten was sitting in his lap. Aestiva. She meowed happily and licked his cheek. He picked her up.

  “Stiva! How did you get here?” he asked, shocked. His heart jumped with joy and he pressed her against his chest. He was so glad to see that she was well. Aestiva seemed to feel the same because she nestled against Griffin as if she never wanted to be an inch away from him again.

  Selene got to her feet and took a few steps toward the jungle, eyeing the flora expectantly.

  “Everything okay?” Griffin asked anxiously.

  “Voices. They’re here.”

  Griffin listened intently. After a moment, he could hear them, too.

  “Where’d she go?”

  “I von’t know.”

  “But she has to be here somewhere!”

  “Yef.”

  Only a second later, a shadow floated over Griffin and Selene. Emerald scales.

  “Ayalon!” Selene called out.

  Griffin looked in the direction of the voices. “Then those have to be…”

  He and Selene exchanged a glance, then they both ran toward their friends.

  CHAPTER 7

  "Good to have you two back again,” Ryo roared, clapping Griffin on the shoulder as they walked to the galley together. The impact almost took the boy’s breath away.

  He grinned at his friend.

  “Yeah, me too. Nearly had me worried.”

  “Worried? About us? You got to be joking! You’re the one who fell overboard!” Ryo began to laugh, and Griffin joined in. It was good to be with the rest of the crew. It had been less than two days, but the fear for the wellbeing of his friends had made it seem a lot longer.

  “So, what actually happened with you guys?” Griffin asked.

  Ryo scratched his head. “Well, Selene jumped in right after you. Balthasar and Skip would’ve followed her, but we almost capsized, so they had their hands full. It was a tricky situation – the sails ripped, and the rudder was damaged but we just about managed to get out of the storm. We repaired the Bat as much as we were able and Balthasar figured out which islands you could have reached. We checked two others before that one. The guy was seriously worried about Selene; he didn’t eat a bite the whole time! Skip wasn’t much better. But we all know why.” He chuckled with a wink. Griffin felt a sting. Skip had feelings for Selene? Did she feel the same? If it was like that, then… he should be happy for Skip. They were friends after all, and Selene couldn’t stand Griffin anyway. Memories of last night surfaced in his mind. Quickly, he tried to shake away the thoughts.

  “How did you get all these scratches?” he asked, changing the subject. He had noticed as soon as they’d gotten back on board that Ryo’s wounds had reopened partly, tinting his bandages red in patches. Joe had assured Griffin that they should heal up quickly and properly this time if they didn’t get into another storm. But now that he could see him up close, his face, neck and arms were overflowing with red lines.

  Ryo snorted. “Your little wildcat tried to kill me when you gone! I was gonna try to calm her down after the storm, but she jumped at my throat!”

  Bewildered, Griffin looked down at Aestiva. “Really? That was Stiva?”

  “I think my mousephobia switched to catphobia. At least mice don’t try to kill me when I wanna help them,” he grumbled dark-faced, but it brightened up to his usual grin almost immediately. “Or maybe not! While you were gone, the little one was so restless that she caught all the mice on board!” Ryo beamed at Griffin. “And I think now we’re friends! It’s a mystery to me how those scumbags of murderous Marines ever got their claws on such a smart, adorable thing!”

  Aestiva purred approvingly and prowled around Ryo’s legs. He leaned down to her and gave her a little piece of meat, which she accepted gratefully.

  Griffin couldn’t get out a word. Ryo had managed within forty hours what Selene hadn’t been able to do over several weeks. He was glad that Aestiva had warmed up to another member of the crew. Perhaps she just didn’t like Selene.

  By dinnertime Selene was right back to business, explaining the next steps of their plan. First, they would have to stop somewhere to obtain materials needed to finish repairing the ship. Right now, it would easily withstand normal use, and possibly even another storm at a stretch. Maco had done as much as he could, but he had only been able to repair the bare minimum since they had been under pressure to find Griffin and Selene. Upon Maco’s request, Griffin had taken a look at the repairs earlier in the day. There were several pieces that might break if exposed to too much pressure. He deemed it necessary to replace them and to bolster some of Maco’s other maintenance. The next step in Selene’s plan was to sail through the Rock-vortex field, notoriously difficult to navigate and far too dangerous with a ship that wasn’t in top form. A lively debate began about where was strategically the best place to get the materials. There were some former crewmembers that might be able to help them out. A few even owned their own islands. But it would be risky for both sides. Selene listened to her crew for a few minutes before silencing them with a wave of her hand.

  “We’ll have someone fly with Ayalon to one of the islands along our course. There are a few that have markets where we can get what we need.”

  The crew accepted this without complaint and thus the meeting ended. Selene and Balthasar went off for further discussion, but most of the crew stuck around to p
lay cards.

  Over a round of poker, Skip leaned over to Griffin and asked, “Do you need help with the ship mending? I don’t have to do much at the moment, so I thought you might appreciate a second pair of hands.” He grinned almost hopefully.

  Griffin nodded.

  “Of course! With a little help it’ll be even faster.” Secretly, though, he had only one thought: Skip liked Selene.

  Again, he attempted to shoo the thought away. Skip was his friend. Selene couldn’t stand Griffin. He shouldn’t be bothered by Skip being interested in Selene.

  That night Griffin threw himself into the games and rum, just to keep his mind occupied.

  Over the next few days, Griffin was too busy to think much. He had received some treatment from Joe for his back and went to work immediately. Maco and Skip took turns helping him. He avoided talking to Skip about anything more than the work they were doing and the weather so he wouldn’t need to broach the subject of their captain.

  Once, while they were mending one of the sails, Griffin began to wonder how his friend had the time to help him. Didn’t he have duties of his own? Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what Skip’s job actually was. Everyone else on board seemed to have a title: captain, navigator, cannoneer, muscle… But Skip was just always around. He was always doing something, if he wasn’t playing cards. Griffin ceased sewing for a moment to observe his friend. He was working away with swift, delicate and clearly practiced movements. Griffin had never seen him struggle with anything. Anything he touched seemed to work out fine. He was engrossed in his work, his face calm but focused. His bangs fell forward, almost exposing his second, scarred eye. Griffin realized for the first time that he could be perceived as a quite attractive young man, despite his scar – or perhaps because of it. On his dark skin, the bleak scar spread its way over his face like a spiderweb. Griffin found himself wondering what had caused it and whether it would be acceptable to ask.