“Controlling the natural elements with your song,” he mused as he studied me. “We may have found your use to Encina.”
Chapter 9
My whole body shivered, but not from the cold. I stared down at my clasped hands as though I didn’t recognize them. A few soft, trembling words left my parted lips. “What’s going on with me?”
“Encina must have seen this gift in you before you did,” the captain mused as he kicked one of the melting, warped crystals. “It needs a lot of focus that you don’t have. You’ll have to learn to control your emotions if you hope to use it.”
I swallowed hard. “Use it? Use it for what?”
“You could turn a whole deck to ice with those crystals, or maybe even jam their weapons.” A crooked smile slipped onto his lips. “Or you could give them a cold.”
I cupped my forehead in my hand and swayed from side to side. The captain leaped forward and grasped my arms, drawing me against his muscled chest. “I. . .I don’t think I feel very well.”
“You’re not used to using magic. It can take a lot out of you the first time,” he whispered as he nodded at the cabin door. “Let’s get you to bed.”
I had enough energy to frown at him. “Whose bed?”
He chuckled as he led me across the deck. “You’ve earned your bed, at least for this night.”
I didn’t like that little asterisk comment at the end, but I was too tired to argue my case. One of the men roused from his sleep as we passed and sat up. He was about fifty with a long ponytail with gray streaks at the temples. His worn clothes were as wrinkled as the corners of his eyes, which were as sharp as a hawk’s.
“Something the matter, Captain?”
“Just getting some air, Fidel. Could you manage the helm for me for a while?”
“No problem,” he accepted as he eased himself out of the pile of ropes that had been his bed. Something cracked in his back, and the poor man clutched his back and winced. “Another one. . .”
We took the low road while he took the high one up a short flight of stairs to the wheel deck above the cabin. I was glad for the warm interior of the captain’s quarters, and even more glad to see the bed. The captain seated me on the edge and stepped back to look me over. There was a strangely curious look in his eye, and a bittersweet smile on his lips.
I wrapped the blanket tighter around me and frowned at him. “What?”
H shook his head. “I was just remembering something.” He nodded at a nearby table with a pitcher, bowl, and glass. “There’s water there if you need it.”
“Thanks,” I replied as I scooted back and curled my legs up against myself. “I. . .I appreciate you doing this for me.”
He crossed an arm over his chest and swept into a low bow that brought his face even with mine. “The pleasure is all mine.”
My attention invariably fell on the eyepatch, and I nodded at the cover wear. “Did you. . .did you lose that in a fight?”
He straightened and brushed a finger over the patch. “No one’s ever bested me in a fight, Miss Larkin. We’ll just say this was a deal. Now try to get some sleep.”
“Wait a minute.” The captain had taken only a few steps toward the door before he stopped and turned back to me. I swept my eyes over the room. “We could share the room.”
A warm smile slipped onto his lips. “I appreciate the offer, Miss Larkin, but I have something to do.”
The captain slipped out of the room before I could inquire further. Silence fell over the room. I cleared my throat and sang a few notes. My voice was shaky, but the air vibrated in rhythm with my tune.
My impromptu singing was interrupted by the sudden lurch of the ship. A faint noise came from the windows. I slipped off the bed and hurried to the glass, where I opened one of the panes. Seaspray struck me in the face. I wiped it off and leaned over far enough to see the churning waves beneath me. The ship’s speed had increased.
I shut the window and padded across the floor to the entrance, opening the door. The stars still twinkled over the deck, but the quiet was gone. So were the sleeping men. A solitary figure stood at the bow. I recognized the long trenchcoat flapping in the breeze as the vessel flew through the waters. He was using his magic now.
I stepped back inside and closed the door before leaning my back against it. Moving a ship by sheer force of will. That must have involved a lot of focus.
I reached up and wrapped my hand around my throat. I’d trained for years to perfect my voice, and now it was doing things I could never have imagined. I suddenly felt like I didn’t know myself, much less know what I was supposed to do with whatever had changed inside of me.
My unsatiated curiosity couldn’t stifle the yawn that stretched my mouth. I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. Sweet sleep lulled me into its soft embrace.
I wasn’t awakened by the motion of the bed, but by a tickling in my ear. My face scrunched up, and I rubbed a finger in the canal. There was a slight dampness, but not enough to disturb my desire to go back to sleep. I snuggled back into the pillow and sighed.
