Lost at Sea Bk. 02 Ch. 11

Will's head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. He was cold. He was naked. He was stiff and sore.

He was in a bathtub.

Uncoiling himself was a process. He caught a whiff of himself and recoiled. What had happened?

"Oh. Right," he croaked as memories came flooding back to him. He reached over and started working the pump. In sputtering bursts seawater came flowing into the tub. It was comfortably warm. Probably daytime. The ocean was usually warm by noon this time of year. The charm hanging from the spigot didn't have a lot of work to do to bring the tub to a soothing heat.

By the time the tub was full he was starting to feel better. The water definitely helped. Enough light filtered in through the porthole windows that he could find washcloths and soap. By the time he drained the tub and pumped up a bit more water to give himself a final rinse, he was feeling a lot better. His head still throbbed, but he felt mostly functional.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door into the captain's cabin. Bella was sprawled out in bed with her head under a pillow. He moved quietly, finding his pants and boots, but his shirt was nowhere to be seen. His decoy coin purse was missing. So was his not-decoy purse. More memories came back to him. He cursed under his breath.

He walked out on deck shirtless and bootless, blinking into the noonday glare.

"Wreckage, ho!" Lace called out from the rigging. Will blinked up and saw her pointing at him. The crew was laughing. He sighed and gave her a rude gesture. She returned it heartily.

He walked up the stairs to the aftcastle. The new helmsman's mate was at the wheel getting a lesson from the Captain. She gave him an amused look.

"How ye feeling, Mister Sterling?" she asked, looking like she clearly already knew.

"There's a drum in my head and knives in my eyes, and I'm thirsty," Will shrugged. "Besides that, I feel terrible."

"Good to hear," Captain Vex grinned. "The galley saved ye some food. When ye've eaten, give us a heading. We're four hours out from Barcola heading northerly."

"Aye, Captain," he smiled. It got dark suddenly. He turned and nearly ran into a monster of a man. His gaze ran upward. It was the giant they'd spotted last night. Captain Reeve. He had a small sliver whistle around his massive neck.

"New crew's all assigned their berths, Captain. Rotations are posted, and Mister North reports that all the new cargo is logged and stowed," Reeve said.

"Thank you, Mister Reeve," Captain Vex said.

"Nice ink," Reeve said, admiring Will's tattoo before turning and heading back down the stairs, moving much more gracefully than Will would have expected from someone his size.

Will gave the Captain a sideways look. "Reeve is your new Bosun?"

"Ye've met him?" Captain Vex seemed surprised.

"No. I spotted him last night. Miss Webber told us about him," Will said.

Belita shrugged. "Miss Webber likes sea stories. I wouldnae pay them any mind."

"So you don't believe them?" Will asked.

"I'm not sure what stories I believe, but I do believe that I dinnae really care. He's a dependable sailor. That's good enough for me," Belita said adjusting her hat. "Some folk thought I was crazy for taking ye on as crew too."

"Fair enough," Will said. She gave him a small nod and he headed back below decks to get breakfast.

The day was lazy and hot. With the additional crew, Lace's ladders were being built quickly. The Kestrel bustled with energy. Through it all, Captain Vex maintained her presence on the aftcastle. The new crew quickly got used to working under the captain's scrutiny. On some ships, captains let their officers run things and only came out of their cabins to deal with problems or emergencies. Not so on the Kestrel. With Lace in the rigging and Reeve on the deck, Captain Vex was able to efficiently command her ship with only small commands or even gestures. Reeve knew his whistle calls well, and his voice boomed, relaying the Captain's commands and making small corrections of his own. The officers were pushing the crew a bit hard for a calm day, especially considering that many of them were nursing hangovers from the night before, but Captain Vex knew that day one with a sizable number of new recruits would set the tone for the rest of the voyage. She was loving how things were working out so far.

Below deck, Will took his time finishing a bowl of oatmeal and honey and forcing himself to drink water. The meals after being dockside were always richer fare. The honey was a rare treat. By the time he finished he was feeling quite a bit better. He thanked the cook, washed his own bowl, and headed out into the ship's underbelly. He wanted to check in with Jack after losing track of her last night. He was a little nervous about it, but he figured he owed her at least an explanation.

Her cabin was one of two that sat along the hallway from the galley to the hold, so he didn't have far to go. He knocked on her door. Doctor Kalfou answered.

He blinked. She looked like she'd been about to say something, but then stopped in surprise. "What are you doing here?' they said simultaneously.

Doctor Kalfou laughed, and shook her head, bemused. "I had not expected to see you again, Will Sterling."

"Uh, likewise," Will managed to say. The Doctor looked quite a bit different than she had last night. Gone was the bodypaint and the fancy clothes. Now, she wore black breeches and a loose fitting white button up shirt that reminded him of the shirts Captain Vex favored, but without the added ruffles. Her hair was braided in many small coils that were all pulled back into a tail thicker than Will's wrist. She glanced down at Will's bare chest with an amused expression on her face, and suddenly Will regretted not wearing a shirt. It was a ship, and he was comfortable being shirtless around crew, but he couldn't help but associate the Doctor with land, and he barely knew her. Being ashore had it's own set of rules, and suddenly he felt underdressed.

"What can I do for you, Will? How is your hand?" she asked, seeming like she wasn't sure what else to say and was trying to fill the silence.

"Oh, it's fine. A little stiff, but I barely notice it honestly." Will glanced down at the bandages and realized how incredibly dirty they were. They were still wet from his bath, and the bandages were incredibly soiled with dirt. "I, well, actually I was looking for your bunkmate."

Doctor Kalfou followed Will's eyes to his hand and pursed her full lips with obvious judgement. "What did you do? Trying to get an infection, are you?"

"I... spent a lot of time on the ground last night," Will said, a bit embarrassed.

"Come in. Let's fix that up again," Doctor Kalfou said with a shake of her head.

Will didn't argue.

Jack was asleep on her bunk. Will's chest knotted at the sight of seeing her like that, so peaceful and beautiful, but he pushed the sensation down and sat down on the small chair Doctor Kalfou gestured towards. She unwrapped the bandages, inspected and cleaned the wound, then re-wrapped it with efficient skill. "You still have not told me what you are doing here," she said quietly as she worked.

"I'm the Kestrel's navigator," Will said. "What about you?"

"Booked passage last night, I. Your ship's doctor now, until I reach home," Doctor Kalfou smiled.

"That is an impressive coincidence," Will said, amused.

"Don't believe in coincidences, I," the doctor said. "Spirits guide us. They brought you to me last night, and they bring us together now."

"Destiny? I'm not sure." Will was trying to be polite, but his skepticism was strong.

"Destiny, no. Is it destiny when a parent nudges a child in the right direction? Just because we cannot always see who is nudging us does not mean they are not there," Doctor Kalfou smiled. She finished wrapping up his hand and tapped it gently.

"Well, tell them I said thank you," Will smiled.

"So you did not come here seeking me?" Doctor Kalfou asked.

"No, your sleeping bunk mate," Will said.

"Wondered, I. Men do not often come to my door half dressed," Doctor Kalfou smirked.

"If you want them to, maybe I can arrange something?" Will teased.

"Seems unnecessary. You are here now," there was a playful glint in her eye that made Will smile, but his smile froze as he noticed Jack watching him from her bed. "Morning," he said with a look he hoped was reassuring.

Jack closed her eyes again and breathed like she was gathering strength, and then sat up, tucking a pillow behind her back and rubbing her eyes. She was wearing a white tunic-shirt as sleepwear. It looked like it had a few small holes in it and was worn enough that it was mostly translucent. She didn't reply to Will. Instead she gave Kalfou a small nod as the doctor looked over her shoulder. "We didn't meet at a great time last night," she said to the Doctor apologetically. "I wasn't doing well and needed some time to myself, Coming back to find I had an unexpected bunkmate was hard. I'm Jack Hunter."

"I am Friday Kalfou," the doctor said graciously. "It was not my intent to intrude on your space. I did not know you had not been spoken with."

"Last night seemed pretty hectic for everyone," Jack shrugged. Will chuckled. Jack gave him a flat look.

"Sorry about the chaos. Things got out of hand," Will said. "Thanks for backing me up."

Jack just shook her head. She was trying to stay calm, but Will knew her well enough to see the angry pressure that was growing inside her. "What the hell happened? I went to get my face painted, and the next thing I know I'm facing down a goddamn Centurion."

"Suspect that I happened," Doctor Kalfou said. "The Magistrate was there for my Grandfather and I."

"What? Why?" Jack asked.

"Think they that we are possessed by demon spirits, or some such nonsense," the Doctor said with sad exasperation in her voice.

"I was distracting the Magistrate so they could get away," Will said.

Jack looked pained but some of the tension in her seemed to drain. "Of course you were."

"It all happened pretty fast. I didn't exactly have time to tell you what was going on," Will added. "When you showed up it put a pretty major kink in my plans."

"Oh really?" Jack asked flatly. "Well forgive me for trying to keep you alive."

"I wasn't in danger, Jack. They were trying to capture me, not kill me. They'd have figured out I wasn't what they were looking for eventually. I was just trying to draw it all out to buy time. I've been through that song and dance with them before. Hell, they were the first ones I went to when I tried to have the curse removed. They studied it at length, more than once. According to Janie there's a whole shelf dedicated to me in the Fort Deliverance archive. They'd have detained me, done that weird communion thing, found out I'm fully documented and registered with them, and let me go." Will said.

"Well how was I supposed to know that?" Jack asked angrily.

"You weren't," Will shrugged. "You weren't around when that happened." There was an edge to his tone that he hadn't meant to put there, but couldn't stop from coming out.

Jack looked stung. Her eyes dropped. "I thought they were trying to lock you up for something."

"Well, I guess they were, but I wasn't really in danger until you turned it into a faceoff," Will's brows furrowed. "Then that revealing spell got the crowd involved, and we nearly started another war."

"What was all that about asking them to kill you?" Jack asked fiercely.

"What?" Friday interjected, giving Will a sharp look.

Will sighed. "It was out of hand. The crowd had decided I was one of the spirits the festival was about. They were already throwing things and getting riled. Magistrate soldiers were coming to back up the witch hunters. I was afraid it was going to reignite the old conflict and get people killed."

"The crowd thought you were Loa?" Friday asked, shocked and amused.

"Yeah. Apparently I glow like they do under a revealing spell," Will said.

Friday just shook her head. "So that is what Grandfather meant about you. Incredible."

"You scared the hell out of me, Will," Jack said quietly.

Will didn't answer for a while. It was rare for Jack to admit something like that. A surge of frustration and bitterness ran through him. He wanted to rage at her. To tell her that he'd been fine, and that he didn't need her help in the first place, that she'd only made things worse, that he'd learned all kinds of ways to handle life without her, that it wasn't his fault he didn't trust her anymore, that she didn't get to just walk back into his life like nothing had changed!

The air was thick. Friday's eyes flicked back and forth between them. "Think I'll give you two the room." Will gave her a small nod as she slipped out the door.

"It didn't used to be this way," Will said once they were alone. "A few years ago, you'd have been able to read my intent and roll with it. You'd have known I was scamming them the moment you saw me."

"I know," Jack sighed. "That's why this is so frustrating. Last night felt good at first. Familiar. I was really enjoying just spending time with you and I thought we were going to be alright, right up until it really mattered. Then everything went to hell."

"We're different now," Will sighed. "Maybe we can get back to that, but it seems like we should walk a while longer before we run."

"We don't have time to figure out how to walk again, Will," Jack's face twisted in frustration. "This job isn't a milk run. If the two of us from last night go into it, not able to read each other and ratcheting up the danger every way we can, we're going to die. We're going to hit the Drifts in a week, and that's the easy part. I'm second guessing all of this now."

"We can't force ourselves to feel differently, and we can't fix years of distance and damage by trying to just be professional. We didn't start that way. I don't see us being able to use a job as a patch for this rift between us," Will sounded a bit strained. The tangle of frustration in his head was still there, but he was trying to work forward instead of dwelling on the past. It wasn't easy.

"Then what do we do?" Jack asked. "I'm not very good at apologies to begin with, and lately it seems like all I've done."

"I don't know," Will shook his head. "Maybe we were trying too hard, or getting ahead of ourselves."

"When have we ever done anything slowly? The reason we work so well together is because we're the only ones who can keep up with each other," Jack smirked.

Will shook his head again. "We also worked well together because we were naturally in synch with each other. We got even better at it over time, but it was never something we had to forge. It was just there, from the very beginning. Now it isn't."

Jack's face fell and she nodded. "I guess that's the problem isn't it? There's just too much between us now."

"Feels like it," Will agreed.

"Well, we have a week to figure it out," Jack sighed.

"We've managed bigger challenges in less time," Will said, trying to sound hopeful.

"I don't think anything has ever felt like a bigger challenge than this." Jack's hands were shaking. "I feel like I finally have a chance to have you back, and then last night you tried to kill yourself."

"I didn't try to kill myself," Will protested.

"Didn't you?" Jack's glare was tearful and angry. "You stared into the barrel of a gun held by an Inquisitor who thought you were a demon, and asked her to pull the trigger. I don't think you were gambling, Will. I think a part of you wanted it."

Will opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. Was she right? So much had happened in that moment that he hadn't thought about it much. He'd just acted. It hadn't seemed too bad, the idea of dying. He hadn't really wanted it, but at the time there had been something that seemed freeing about the idea of just letting it happen. Now that he was forced to stare that feeling in the face, he realized he didn't like it at all.

"You're right," he nodded.

"I can't lose you again," Jack said softly.

Will was torn, but his anger and frustration had drained. Now he just felt hollow and sad. He looked at the door, but he couldn't just leave. In his head he could see Janie's face looking at him like he was being an idiot. He could practically see her gesturing him toward Jack. He nodded to himself, then got up and sat down on the bed next to her. She looked up at him. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were brimming. He gave her a small smile.

"I want us to be alright," he said.

Jack nodded. "Me too."

They held onto each other for a long time.

_______________________

Captain Vex stepped over the thick ropes stretched across the deck and wove between sailors busily splicing and reinforcing them. She gave small nods of recognition and words of gratitude and encouragement as she went. She was nursing a mild hangover, but her crew would never know. Aside from the waterskin she'd been sipping off of all morning, she was at her best. Her boots and buckles were polished, her coat was freshly washed and bright blue. She'd stopped over at a bathhouse before they left, so she was fresh faced and immaculate. The two thin braids she normally wore at her temple had switched sides, and she'd swapped out the golden beads at the end for a different pair that looked more like teardrops or plumb bobs.

The looked the way an adventurous ship's captain should, and the effect on the crew was noticeable. The newcomers watched her with awe and respect, and the old hands nodded and smiled with subtle pride as they watched the new folks being impressed.

She stopped and had a word with their new Bosun. None of the crew heard what was said, but to watch the small, blond woman look up at the massive Akula and clearly command the man-monster's respect was enough to add a new chapter to the growing legend of Captain Belita Vex. As she walked away, Reeve scanned the deck, noting the many eyes that were snapping down back to their work, trying to pretend they hadn't been watching and trying to listen. The big man smirked and looked up into the rigging.

"Webber!" he boomed.

"What?!" Lace called down from above. She was upside down with her legs wrapped around a beam, re-tying a rope.

"Captain wants to see how fast we can move now that we're fully manned. Once we get a heading we're going to open her up," Reeve said loudly.

"We're re-checking all the lines now, and I have a sail to patch. Give us a half hour," Lace called down.

"You heard the lady, folks!" Reeve boomed louder. "Show time in half an hour! Stow anything that isn't strapped down." He took two steps and bellowed down through the grating into the bay below. "Hold, check your cargo!"

"Aye," a voice echoed up from below.

The ship felt alive.

"How's the patient?" Captain Vex asked Doctor Kalfou.

The doctor was sitting on a bench at the prow. She'd just removed a long splinter from a sailor's hand and was alternating between watching the rolling sea and the bustling ship.

"Has a severe concussion, he," she replied. "It is getting better, but he did not do himself any favors trying to push through it at the beginning. That is how such damage becomes permanent."

"He's stubborn. How long 'til he's fit for duty again?" the Captain asked.

"Two days? Perhaps three."

"Good. I'm going tae need him in a week," Captain Vex smiled.

"What happens in a week?" Friday's brow raised. "Likely won't be at his best by then, he. Injuries like his usually take weeks or even months to heal fully."

"We are going through the Drifts," Captain Vex said with an grin that bordered on manic.

Doctor Kalfou's brows furrowed and she looked at the Captain oddly. "You have an odd sense of humor, Captain."