Flood and Fire

by Deirdra Eden

  Alamar raised one eyebrow. His lips twitched into a grimace. “Don’t tell me. You are going to take me to the druids so that I can learn more about my powers when in fact, they just want me as their slave.”

  “Slave?” My mouth dropped open. I thought of Eva, who had risked her life to help Azrael. Of Zacaris, who was hard, but had desired more than anything to protect me and his people. “The druids want to help. They are going to take you to the underwater city of Atlantis where you will be protected from the Dark Rebellion and can learn more about your powers.”

  He pointed a long slender finger at me. “You’re wrong, amore mia.” Though I didn’t know Italian, I recognized the phrase: my love, and it startled me. I puzzled over why he would address me as such. He had cast beautiful terms of endearment at me since the moment I’d arrived on the ship, but this one seemed sincere. He continued, “I have the fastest ship on the seas. I control the waves and water. I’m certain the people who sent you would love to enslave me and convince me to do their bidding.”

  I slammed my napkin onto my plate. The edges smoldered from the heat that had built in my hands at Alamar’s accusations. “I’m done eating.” I stood up, the chair clattering to the floor as I stalked toward the door.

  “Disappointed that your precious druids have used you?” Alamar shouted, laughing sharp and cold at my retreating figure.

  I threw the door shut behind me and climbed to the upper deck of the ship next to the unused wheel. None of his crew ever came up here because no one had to steer. Alamar controlled the currents and led the ship wherever he desired. The world had gotten dark while I was having dinner with Alamar, and I noted the first few stars appearing overhead. Alamar’s ship didn’t have a sail, unlike Azrael’s, though they both claimed to have the fastest ships on the ocean. One Watcher controlled the wind to fill his sails, the other commanded the waves.

  I slumped over the railing. I would give anything to be with Azrael right now. If I had Alamar’s powers, I would swim the ocean and retrieve Azrael from whatever battle he fought. Unfortunately, the only way off this horrible ship was to wait until Alamar docked. A watery grave surrounded me on all sides with a terrifying unquenchable thirst. The unrelenting blackness and the hopelessness I had felt during my three day imprisonment under the sea washed back over me, and I slid away from the railing. I would not risk swimming anywhere, even to get away from Alamar’s scorn of the Neviahan culture. My first mission was a complete failure. Alamar could see no farther than the horizon and his own theory of his origins. He had a head harder than granite. I had no idea how to convince such a stubborn man to trust me.

  Heavy foot falls thumped behind me. I spun, defensive and ready to fight whatever approached, be it a lusty pirate or Alamar, ready for another round of arguing.

  It was Alamar who casually leaned against the railing while I stayed near the center of the deck and looked out across the sea. I squared my shoulders and tightened my jaw, pretending that he wasn’t there. I gazed out over the dark water and listened to it lap upside the boat, though on guard against whatever he might say or do.

  “This ship was not made to accommodate a lady,” he said, breaking the silence.

  “Then take me to shore and I will leave you in peace,” I muttered, though secretly I planned to kidnap him once I was on dry land and take him to the sanctuary.

  Alamar turned from the sea to face me and slouched against the rail. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He tapped his fingers against the wood.

  “I refuse to be your prisoner.” I knew as an immortal I could kill everyone on the ship with my bare hands without breaking a nail.

  Alamar tsked me and brushed his hair back. “That’s rather unfair. Am I not worthy of your servitude? You’ve given it so freely to your druids.”

  “I am not a slave to the druids.” I balled my hands into fists.

  “Perhaps not, but you are confused,” Alamar said with ignorant confidence.

  I sighed in frustration and kneaded my temples with my fingers. I had no desire to argue in circles with him any longer. “What will you do with me, Alamar? Lock me below deck or make me walk the plank?” I said with annoyance.

  Alamar narrowed his eyes. “Your mind is so dramatic. I do not wish to actually make you my prisoner.”

  “No?” I scowled in frustration. “If you refuse to return me to land, that is exactly what I am.” An intense urge to burn his ship to the ocean floor rose up inside me, even if I ended up in the depths as well. Of course that meant I would spend the rest of eternity surrounded by dead pirates.

  Alamar roughly flipped his hand through his hair. “If you would like a room of your own, I can find some way to accommodate you.” Finally, he was being decent, but then added an ‘if’. “If you are sure you do not want the more luxurious accommodations of my cabin,” he added with suggestive smile.

  I narrowed my eyes. “With you, I assume.”

  “Of course.” His grin never wavered, and grew wider.

  “You are a cad,” I said each word deliberately and wanted to throw him over board. Heat burned through my fingers, sparks dancing off my hands.

  He held up his hand in surrender, his gaze flicking between my face and my clenched fists, where I tried to control the flames threatening to burst from me. “There is a hold below deck, where we keep a rare captive or mutineer,” he offered. I crossed my arms defiantly. “I will not lock you up.” He took a step back. “It is merely the only available space. If you would like, I can even have some of my crew take the hinges off the cage and turn the door around.” He reached for the pocket in the front of his coat and produced a brass key. “That way you can lock us out.”

  His offer for added protection took the edge off my anger. I held out my hand for the key. Alamar dropped it into my palm. I quickly closed my fingers around it before he changed his mind.

  “We have the canvas sail in storage. You can hang it around the hold for privacy.”

  “I would appreciate that.” Until I found another way off this ship, I would do what I had to in order to isolate myself from the pirates.

  Footsteps approached from below. “Captain?” A crewman interrupted our conversation, a bundle of cloth in his arms. I couldn’t make out the colour or pattern in the dimness.

  “Ah,” Alamar said, taking the bundle and unfurling it to reveal a beautiful gown. The underdress was green with long sleeves and a square neckline. The surcoat was a deep burgundy, with a belt at the waist. The sleeves opened at the elbow and then draped long. I reached forward with my other hand and fingered the rich, expensive material.

  “You like it?” Alamar asked, his eyes gleaming and his smile knowing. He was a pirate, but the effort he went to please me soften my heart a little.

  “It’s beautiful,” I admitted and stepped back. “Where did you get such a thing?”

  “As you can imagine, when we raid a ship, we do not open every trunk before we bring them aboard. Sometimes, we come across treasures such as these dresses—presents the men we rob are bringing home to their wives, daughters, mistresses. We are often able to sell them for an excellent price.” His gaze swept over me, the delighted gleam changing to his usual leer. “I suspected you would like something more suitable to wear.”

  I crossed his robe tighter over my chest. He held the dress out to me. There was an awkward moment of silence. I took the dress and mumbled, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Alamar continued to stare at me with his amused smile.

  “When will you be going back to shore?” I asked. His story about selling the fine clothes they stole had me hopeful.

  “We never dock on the mainland. It is too dangerous,” he said. “We get our supplies from raiding merchant vessels.”

  I swallowed hard and ground my teeth. Pirates. Of course.

  “We do not kill anyone,” Alamar assured.

  I shook my head. “All pirates kill people.”

  “I do not,” he snapped. “I am such an ex
cellent pirate, I do not have to.” He crossed his arms and glared at me.

  I blew out a sorrowful sigh. He had to sail close to shore sometime and if I hadn’t convinced him about being Watcher by then, I would escape. I scanned the horizon, hoping to see light from a city or even another ship in the distance. Nothing.

  I felt Alamar’s gaze on me. “You’re not sparkling anymore,” he said.

  I pressed my lips into a thin line. His curiosity didn’t bother me, but the fact that he didn’t want the answers I had did. “My skin reacts that way to the sun,” I said flatly.

  Alamar nodded and looked up at the night sky, a glittering navy blue. “When my men pulled you from the sea, your body was so stiff they thought you were dead. They were going to throw you back, but when I saw the sun glittering off your skin like jewels, I knew you were still alive.” He laughed lightly, like he was still trying to figure out some mystery. “The strange thing is that I was the only one who could see the—”

  “Lifelight,” I said, hoping that he would allow me to tell him more of our heritage. “Only Watchers can see it.”

  “I see,” Alamar said with a grin and arched his eyebrow. He had an amazing ability to make me feel stupid. “Why were you in the ocean?”

  I lowered my gaze and thought about how I had gone searching for Azrael instead of Alamar like I was supposed to. “I disobeyed orders.”

  Alamar shook his head and clicked his tongue as though he was scolding me. “Occasionally, someone in my crew does the same thing and we throw them in the sea too.”

  I hated being compared to a pirate. I thought I was following my heart, but the underlying motives were selfish—like a pirate. I’d convinced myself that I was an exception to the rule instead of being diligent about completing my mission.

  Alamar motioned toward the captain’s cabin. “Until we get you settled down in the hull of the ship, would you like to stay in my room?”

  “Where will you sleep?” I asked suspiciously.

  “In my cabin as well. I can’t have my men thinking that you run the ship or I would have a mutiny on my hands. I’ll be in the chair far away from you.”

  “No, thank you. I’ll stay here on the deck tonight if you don’t mind.” I kept my voice cold and hugged the dress to me.

  Alamar’s expression turned serious. “You will be much safer inside my cabin than sleeping on the deck.”

  “Ha!” I tilted my chin up, gathering every ounce of nobility I possessed. “Forgive me if I cannot trust a man who made his intentions upon me plain from the moment I awoke.”

  Alamar threw up his hands. “Suit yourself.” He shook his head as he strode away.

  I waited until I heard the door of his cabin slam and latch lock before I relaxed. If I couldn’t convince Alamar to return with me to the Northern Sanctuary, I would need a way to get off this ship without drowning again. I searched the deck for a rowboat, but there was nothing. Since Alamar controlled water he must not have to worry about his ship sinking or getting stuck on the reefs.

  I leaned against the wheel of the ship and dropped my head. The wheel shifted slightly. I stood and placed both hands on it, glancing around the deck to make sure no one was watching. I stared up at the stars, searching to gain my bearings in this vast sea. Once I found the North Star, I used my immortal strength and strained against the wheel, shifting it just enough to change the ship’s course in a more northerly direction. It wouldn’t be enough for anyone to notice, but it would help if I failed to persuade Alamar to come with me to the druids.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alamar’s Secret

  As promised, Alamar’s thugs took the hold door off its hinges, turned it around, and refastened it in place with the lock on the inside.

  I stared into it with my arms crossed. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. The hold was more of an animal cage. There wasn’t even enough room to stand erect or stretch out. Pieces of rotten straw lay scattered in a pitiful attempt to make a resting place over the wood planks caked in black grime. I scraped some of the oily residue off with my fingernail to examine it. Whatever it was, it was disgusting.

  The other options of where to stay were far worse. I wasn’t about to stay out in the open where filthy pirates would eye me. I didn’t need to read their minds to know their filthy thoughts. Their crude sneers and flashing eyes said everything.

  I dragged the canvas he’d given me inside the hold and considered how I would hang it to give myself some privacy. Alamar had probably taken down this sail when he first acquired the ship so the wind wouldn’t catch in it and slow his boat as it skidded along the currents. A rope, intended to hold the sail in place, was also added to my inventory of pitiful “luxuries” on this temporary stay.

  I didn’t know if I should begin cleaning the filthy hold first or hang the canvas for some privacy so I could change out of Alamar’s robe into the dress.

  I envisioned cleaning in the beautiful dress Alamar had given me and made my decision. Cleaning first in my current apparel so I wouldn’t soil the new clothing. After a desperate search, I finally located a broom, empty bucket, and scrub brush. I swept the floor several times and dumped the dirt and diseased smelling filth into the empty bucket. The next task was to scrub the floor. I would have to go up on deck to dump the filth over board then lower the bucket into the ocean to retrieve water.

  Though I didn’t like the idea of leaning over the side of the boat, this mortal filth terrified me more than the possibility of falling into the ocean. The only problem was the source of the filth – pirates. I wasn’t about to go up on deck still wearing Alamar’s night robe.

  I set the cleaning supplies aside and shook out the heavy canvas sail. Several large spiders flew into the air and skittered across the floor. I let out an involuntary shriek and immediately scolded myself.

  I shouldn’t have been startled. I was an Immortal. Spiders couldn’t hurt me. Still, the thought of them crawling on me with their eight long legs and unsuccessfully trying to pierce my skin with their tiny fangs made me squirm.

  Footfalls raced in my direction. Alamar bounded down the stairs and held out his unsheathed sword, ready for a fight. He glanced around the room with furious eyes then looked to me. “Are you all right?” He actually sounded sincerely concerned.

  My face flushed with embarrassment. “I’m fine. I was just startled by—” A huge brown spider scurried across the floor. I pointed my finger at the fiend and it burst into flames.

  Alamar must have understood what happened. He chuckled, obviously entertained by my fragile tolerance to insignificant pests. He slid his sword back into the scabbard. “You certainly have a gift with that fire.”

  I looked away and clutched the canvas tighter in my immortal fingers. “Thank you.”

  “Did the druids teach you how to create fire?”

  I hesitated. Even though I had discovered my powers on my own there was so much I still needed to learn. “I have yet to fully learn to control my powers,” I said. “There have been a few accidents…”

  “Hmmm.” Alamar stroked his chin. “I see.” His smirk told me what he was thinking before he said it. “The druids are not as helpful as you have argued?”

  “They have their ways and their own timing.” My jaw tightened as I met his gaze.

  He nodded once with a smug I-told-you-so expression.

  I turned away from him, pretending the canvas I held required all my attention. I waited for him to leave, but still felt his presence radiating like fumes behind me. Apparently he wasn’t done taunting me. After a few moments of me not paying him any attention, he cleared his throat. “Signorina?”

  I turned slowly and made sure to exhibit my reluctance to converse with him. “Yes?”

  He stepped closer and leaned uncomfortably close to me. His expression changed and resonated tension and ferocity. “If any of my men attempt to touch you or look at you sideways, do to them what you did to that spider. I know you are capable of defending yours
elf, and I’m ordering you to.”

  My hands and tongue tingled like metal bars being struck together. Was he actually asking me to kill a human? I had never killed a human before. The whole reason for my existence on Earth was to protect humans against my kingdom’s rebels. If I killed a human I might as well be working for Erebus. I pressed my teeth onto my bottom lip and wrung my hands together. Alamar laid a hand on my shoulder. My immediate reaction was to shrug free, but his touch was caring, almost in a brotherly way.

  “Carry this if it makes you more comfortable.” He held out the handle of a sheathed sword. I raised my gaze to meet his ocean blue eyes, and he smiled. Of course I didn’t need a sword to kill anyone, but Alamar didn’t know that. My grip could easily crush a bone and with a flick of my wrist I could incinerate a man in a whirlwind of flames.

  “All of my men have seen how you handled this weapon. They won’t dare get near you.”

  “Thank you.” I took the sword. Intimidation was much better than actually having to hurt someone.

  Alamar stepped away and glanced around the room. “Well, this looks much better already.” I didn’t say anything. My designated area was still filthy. Another awkward moment of silence settled over us, and Alamar took a backward step toward the stairs. “I will let you get on with your work.” He squared his shoulders, turned sharply, and marched up the steps.

  I swung the sail across the floor, trying to measure what I would need for each side of the hold. As I worked, my mind replayed the conversation with Alamar. Why was he so concerned about me? He seemed so eager to come to my rescue when I screamed. Maybe there was a small sense of decency in him after all.

  It took longer than I expected to hang the canvas, especially since I worked by myself. The sun was high in the sky by the time I finished. Grateful for the privacy I’d finally afforded myself, I stripped off Alamar’s robe and the tattered remains of my dress. I donned the underdress, saving the surcoat for once I was finished cleaning. Once dressed, I snatched the bucket in one hand and Alamar’s robe in the other. Bracing myself at the bottom of the ladder, I prepared to emerge onto the deck and pretend I was the only one on board. I marched up the steps and steadily walked across the deck to the Captain’s cabin. I knocked twice and waited without making eye contact with any of the pirates.