At night, after dinner, Lofty sat up on the boom of the main mast and played the flute loudly while Bunejab, who had constructed a few makeshift drums out of shagreen and some small, empty brandy barrels, played the beat. They danced, laughed, and played games until everyone became too tired to move. Then, they slowly made their way back to their cabins for the night and fell asleep.
And so the days and nights passed in this fashion for the remainder of the week. Chalice was sad that Jeremiah had to remain bedridden the whole time, but she knew it was necessary. His meals were taken to him by the serving boys and Bunejab brought him new salve everyday for his bruises. Bunejab also took care of Chalice’s shoulder every night before dinner, taking off the bandages and checking the wound, only to reapply medicine and re-wrap it. It was not healing properly, which seemed to vex the little Chinuk, but the bleeding had mostly stopped and the soreness was gone.
During the day, Chalice wished Jeremiah could have joined them while they promenaded around the ship and learned about the life of the Quaie’Miren. He was missing out on so much, she thought. Then, it occurred to her that that must have been the way he had felt when she was sick at the Farah’s castle.
No wonder he came to visit me every evening, she thought. Unlike him, however, she didn’t go back to his cabin to see him. Not that she was trying to be cold or mean. A conflict was brewing inside her and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Until now, their relationship had largely been kept secret. She was surprised that Ardenne had been so keen to notice it. To Chalice, it was such a personal thing. She wanted to see him, but she knew the social ramifications of their relationship. Did she care? She wasn’t sure. What she could be sure of, however, was that the King wanted her dead and what would her death do to Jeremiah? Would it devastate him?
Should I let him get close to me, knowing the dangers? Or should I stay away … stay distant? She didn’t want to think about it. In the end, she convinced herself that he would need peace and quiet to rest and recover. After all, she decided, he had been in very bad condition when they arrived and her presence would only be a bother to him.
The morning of the seventh day at sea, Chalice walked into the dining cabin and found Ardenne seated with her family, Ben, and Bunejab. A new bow and a quiver full of arrows was on the table next to her. Also, a dark leather belt lay next to them. Chalice sat down, staring at the weapons.
“This is for you,” Ardenne said, handing the belt to Chalice. It resembled Ardenne’s, with a sheath for a knife and a leather pouch fashioned on the sides.
“And these are for Jeremiah,” she continued, motioning to the bow and quiver.
Chalice’s jaw dropped. “Really? Thank you! How much do I owe you?”
“You owe me nothing,” Ardenne responded. “It’s a gift in return for the beautiful blue dress that you gave me.”
“Wow! Thank you!” Chalice remembered that she had given Ardenne the dress she had admired the first day of their voyage. Ardenne had tried it on and it had fit her so well that Chalice gave it to her. Chalice also knew that the dress wasn’t worth even half of what the bow and arrows were worth. Not even close. It was an incredible gift and she knew it. She couldn’t wait to tell Jeremiah.
He must be fully healed by now, she thought. I should go tell him.
“I’ll be right back,” she said and shot up from the chair in hurried excitement. She ran out of the bridge and up the ladder to the stern deck. When she reached Jeremiah’s cabin door, she knocked and heard his deep voice echo from the inside.
“Come in. The door’s open.”
She had missed that voice. She hadn’t seen him since the night she spent in the chair next to his bed. She entered and found him shirtless in front of the mirror, applying Bunejab’s salve to his side. She could see that his bruises and wounds were almost completely gone. He had just gotten out of the bath and his hair and chest were still wet.
She froze and gaped stupidly as he stood there, the form of his chiseled muscles gleaming in the lamplight. Her cheeks heated and her heart beat so fast she thought it would beat right out of her chest. She couldn’t control it. She had never seen him this way before.
“Oh, I … I’m sorry,” she said, stammering. “B … Bad time. I’ll come back later.” Quickly, she turned to leave and almost ran into the edge of the open door.
“Chalice, no, stay,” he said softly as he walked away from the mirror. “Please, stay. I haven’t seen you all week.”
Something made her stop and turn. It was almost as if she had no control over her own motions. Walking in slowly, she shut the door behind her. She hoped he couldn’t see the flush in her cheeks. Suddenly, she couldn’t remember why she had come in the first place.
“You look much better,” she said. “You can barely tell you were hurt at all.”
“Well, Bunejab’s herbs work miracles, don’t they?”
“Did he heal your ribs? Or did Ben do that?”
“Ben. It was the strangest feeling, too. Like hot water rushing through my rib cage right where the fractures were.”
“Where were they?”
“Right here,” he said as he motioned to a place on his lower chest. He was very close to her now. It made her heart beat even faster.
She scanned the area with her eyes and reached up to brush her fingers over the bare skin. She felt his muscle ripple as she stroked her hand across. He looked down, watching her intensely as if her touch could heal him all over again. Then, she moved her palm over the ribs to the middle of his chest and felt his strong heart pulsing underneath. He laid his hand over hers. His expression was very serious, but he spoke softly.
“Chalice, Ben was right. You should not have told them about your mark. Now they know who you are. The most powerful man in the world wants you dead and anonymity can no longer protect you.”
She shook her head. “They would have killed you.”
“You don’t get it, do you? I would rather die than see you in this kind of danger. I would rather die than see you die right in front of my eyes. I couldn’t bear that and it almost happened.”
His words drained away all the stubborn anger inside her. Peering deeply into his dark eyes, she realized that she had been wrong. She hadn’t been thinking about how he felt during that day in the forest clearing. She had only been thinking of herself. She reached up to stroke his cheek.
She felt his fingers caress the back of her neck, brushing through her blond locks and moving her closer. She breathed him in. He smelled clean. It was a mixture of soap, hot water, and a scent that was uniquely his own. She was aware of everything about him, from his wet eyelashes to the drops of water that streamed down his cheek and over the roundness of his lips. His eyes were brown pools that drew her in and she knew that if she let herself, she could get lost in them forever. His arms lifted her from the floor and he pulled her to him as passionately as she pulled him to her. Her hands brushed the back of his neck gently as her mouth melted into his. The moment seemed endless and she could feel eternity in his arms. Then, suddenly, the door flung open.
“Hey, Jer! You got that cup of jags I asked about?” It was Tycho.
Jeremiah was the first to recover, glancing up as Chalice hid her face in his chest, breathless and thoroughly embarrassed.
“Tyke, in the future, do you think you could maybe knock before entering?” he asked politely.
Tycho halted and gaped, not believing what he was seeing. “Oh, uh, oops. S … sorry! I’m really sorry,” he stuttered and backed away carefully, shutting the door.
Chalice broke out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter, shaking with mirth in his arms. He was trying not to laugh, his lips pressed to her forehead. They held each other until the laughter was gone.
“By the way, what did you come for?” he asked.
“Oh, you know, I forgot,” she said sheepishly and the corner of his mouth quirked into a crooked smile. Then, her face lit up. “Oh, yeah, I remember now. I was going to te
ll you about the bow that Ardenne has for you.”
His eyebrows shot up. “She has a bow for me?”
“Yeah, it’s a really nice one, too. It’s made out of narvhal tusk,” she said and he looked a question at her. Then, she told him everything that Ardenne had taught her about the Quaie’Miren weapons. “The arrows they make out of bone, sea grael feathers, and obsidian. That’s how their arrows were able to penetrate the Draaquan armor so easily. The arrowheads are obsidian.”
“Where do they get it?”
“From the Chinuka! Apparently, the Chinuka trade with them.”
“They do?” he said as he made his way to his bags and pulled out a shirt. “Okay, hold on. Let me finish getting ready and I’ll be right there.”
“Alright, we’re in the bridge. It’s just below us,” she said and left the room. Out on deck, she brushed her hand down her dress and it came away wet. She realized it was from holding him.
That’s not obvious or anything, she thought. I better stop by my room and change. She did this quickly, and in a few minutes was back in the dining cabin downstairs with the others.
She noticed immediately that Kirna and Tycho had arrived and were watching her keenly as she entered the room. She pretended not to notice Tycho snickering in the corner and sat down next to Kirna.
“I went to tell Jeremiah about his gift. He’ll be down in a minute,” she said. “He’s just changing.”
At this point, she could no longer ignore the blatant stare that Kirna was giving her and so she turned and signed with her hands: Tycho told you, didn’t he? Kirna, nodded, giving her a wry smile. Don’t smile at me like that.
I’m just happy for you, that’s all, Kirna signed back. So, when did it happen?
Chalice looked a question at her. Just now, her hand signal said.
No, I mean when did you and he discover … you know?
Oh that. I’m not really sure. I think we’ve always felt this way, ever since childhood. We just didn’t realize it until now.
Tycho and I always wondered about you two, but you were so good at hiding it. We assumed you were always just good friends.
Chalice looked down at her hands and didn’t sign this time. Instead, she said softly: “No, we are much more than that.”
Kirna paused, a concerned expression on her face. “But, you remember what Ben said … you know, about—”
“I know, Kirna,” Chalice interrupted. She knew what Kirna was going to say. “I know. I don’t want to talk about it right now. Who knows what is going to happen in the future or how this will all end.”
Or if I will even survive, she thought silently, but didn’t voice it. She didn’t want to worry her best friend. She knew very well there was a good chance she wouldn’t.
“Right … okay,” Kirna responded, nodding to her friend to show she understood. Just then, Jeremiah entered the cabin and everyone greeted him.
“It’s good to see you up and about, Jer! How ya feelin’?” Tycho said as Jeremiah took a seat next to him.
“Excellent,” he said. “I feel great! And I’m hungry!” he added, as plates of food were handed to him.
He ate ravenously. As soon as they were finished with breakfast, Ardenne passed the bow and arrows down to Jeremiah and explained how the tools were crafted. Jeremiah examined each tool and shook his head in disbelief.
“This is fantastic, Ardenne! Thank you!”
“You want to go outside and try it out?” Ardenne asked.
“Absolutely!” he said and with that, they all rose from the table and went out to the quarterdeck on the port side of the ship.
“Here, Jeremiah, use this arrow,” Aden said and handed him an arrow that appeared to be made out of cheaper materials than the arrows in his quiver. “You don’t want to waste yours.”
Jeremiah took it and Aden showed him how to strap the quiver to his back and hold the longbow straight to shoot. Suddenly, Tycho jumped and pointed to the water.
“Hey, look! In the water, just there.”
They all did and saw a pod of dauphain swimming along with the ship, racing each other and jumping out of the water. Lofty and Bunejab scrambled up the ratlines where they could get a better view and Bunejab chittered excitedly.
“What are they?” Tycho asked.
“They are called dauphain,” Ardenne said and proceeded to tell him what she had taught Chalice the first day.
“I know a few in this pod,” she said peering down into the water. “That one, he’s my favorite. His name is Squirt. I can tell by his coloring and by the way he swims, always in the front.”
“You know them?” Tycho asked incredulously, turning away from the rail. Ardenne nodded and smiled knowingly. Then, she did something very odd. She backed away from him just slightly. Tycho didn’t notice.
“So, why do you call him Squirt?” he asked.
Just then, the dauphain sucked in a large gulp of water and blew it forcefully out of his air hole. The water shot straight up into the air and right down onto Tycho’s head, drenching him all over. Everyone laughed hysterically. Sopping wet, with water dripping into his eyes, he scowled.
“Uh … nevermind,” he said. He looked over the rail and saw the animal leap out of the water, flip, and give a loud squeak. “Yes, very funny!”
“He does that to everyone,” Aeron laughed. “If he squirts you, that means he likes you.”
Tycho smiled and shook the water from his hands. Then, he proceeded to walk toward the ladder of the stern deck, his boots squishing down the planks.
“I’ll be back. Gonna go change. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for that one in the future.”
After recovering from their laughter, the others watched as Jeremiah nocked the arrow with his new bow.
“Aim high and far … like this,” Aden said, positioning Jeremiah’s arms just so. “We don’t want to hit them,” he added motioning to the dauphain.
“Okay, how about now?”
“You’re good. Go!” he replied and they all heard the soft THUP as the arrow loosed and cut swiftly through the air, straight out into the sea. It shot so far, they could barely see it when it hit the water. Jeremiah was ecstatic. He wanted to shoot more, but didn’t want to waste the arrows. He thanked them again and took his new gift back to his cabin. Aden then gave him a tour of the ship and the day proceeded as usual with Jeremiah assisting Tycho in helping the crew and playing games during the down time. In the evening, after dinner, they played music as usual and danced until they were all too tired to continue and went to bed.
That night, in the middle of her recurring dream, Chalice awoke to a sudden jolt. She realized that the ship had run into some heavy winds and was adjusting. She closed her eyes and tried to fall back to sleep. When she found that she couldn’t, she rose from the bed, slipped her cloak over her shoulders, and stepped outside to the wooden railing overlooking the quarterdeck. Maana, the dull moon, looked like a fingernail in the night sky just over the watery horizon and the stars shone brightly around it. It made her think of the time she’d spent at the Farah’s.
“They are beautiful, aren’t they?”
Chalice turned to see Ardenne, in a dark night cloak, her blond hair blowing in the wind. Ardenne moved up to the railing next to her.
“Yeah, they are,” Chalice replied.
“They guide us during the night,” Ardenne added and then glanced sideways at her. “Can’t sleep either, huh?”
“No, the ship woke me.”
“The winds are getting stronger,” Ardenne said. “During these past few days, we’ve been heading deeper in the Aeolian, away from the coast.”
“Why?”
“To avoid being spotted. It will take us longer to get to Auvergny, but we’ll we get there more safely, I think.”
“Oh, I see,” Chalice said, looking out at the stars. “So, you must be familiar with star constellations?”
“Yes, we are. The stars not only guide us at sea, but they also tell us what time of yea
r it is and where the warm weather will be.”
“Like a calendar,” Chalice commented and Ardenne looked at her curiously.
“Exactly,” Ardenne replied, nodding curiously.
Chalice was thinking of the astronomy tower and its riddle. Could Ardenne decipher it? she wondered.
“During the day, we use our backstaff and the sun. If it is not visible, say if it is overcast, we use our navigational charts and a compass, although the charts are not complete and the compass doesn’t always point to true north. In any case, if these fail us, we always have the dauphain. They know the waters better than any creature.”
Chalice smiled. “Yes, they seem to be very smart. I’m glad we got to see them.”
“So am I,” Ardenne said. “Hey, I’m going down to the bridge to grab a cup of tea. You want to come? It is a special kind of tea and will help you sleep.”
“Sure!” Chalice replied and they strode down the planks.
The tea was good and it made her very drowsy. Afterwards, as she lay there in her bed, falling back into the deep slumber of the dream, she made a mental note that she would someday have to take Ardenne to Cedarwood.
Finally, two weeks later, at dusk, the Morning Dawn floated gently into Marego Bay and approached the docks of Auvergny slowly and quietly. The crew had been instructed to remain as silent as possible. The bay was large and as they drew closer, Chalice noticed that the docks were criss-crossed, set up to harbor a fleet of different types of ships. Ardenne told Lofty to set the ship at the farthest slip from the customs house. He did so and soon, they were securely moored. Packed and ready to go, the small band waited on the main deck for Ardenne, who had made sure they had enough provisions for their journey. After the planks were secured on the dock, Ardenne led them down to the hatch and out onto the plank, which they descended. When they reached the end, she turned to Chalice.
“Your horses are just there, waiting for you.” She pointed to the men on the dock who were holding their reins.
“Thank you again, for everything!” Chalice said as she gave her new friend an endearing hug. “I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
The Raie'Chaelia (Legend of the Raie'Chaelia, Book One 1) Page 30