Dark Tides

Chapter 7

"No, I'm not taking the last of it," you say, turning your nose away. Kylo sighs and pulls back the outstretched waterskin in his hand. It's filled with the last fresh drinking water on the ship. All of his crew are used to drinking rum anyways, and they'll restock once in Bergen tomorrow. So, Kylo is adamant that you stay hydrated.

"You need to drink water," he says gruffly. A couple of minutes ago he found you just staring out into the ocean while sitting on the steps. Deciding to take the opportunity to give you water. The Reaper is still sailing along the coast, further out, and in the very distance, the land peeks above the horizon.

"I've had so much already," you say, shaking your head. Guilt has settled in your stomach, thinking you shouldn't be the one to use up the last of the water. Kylo squats down in front of you, forearms resting on his knees, the pouch dangling from his left hand. "You're the only one who needs it right now."

"What about Cardo? Is he still-"

"I will send you down to where he's recovering so you can see for yourself, he's guzzling water like it's his last meal. Now, be a good girl, and drink this." At his words, you glance at him and give in. Pulling it out of his hands, you tilt it up, swallowing down the last of the water.

Kylo's face is that of satisfaction, eyes concentrated on your throat. He looks down to your ankle, all wrapped up. Surprisingly, you've had very little trouble walking around so soon after the incident. Your lips are wet, a slight sheen on them when you pull it away, handing the pouch back to Kylo. He smirks and stands up, holding out a hand to help you up.

His eyes lock on something behind you and he pulls you to him, a mischievous smile hinting at his lips. "Look out the port side," he says, nodding behind you. You snap your head behind. Nothing but the ocean. Turning to look back at him, he nods again, indicating that you should continue looking.

You frown and make your way to the edge. The waves are small, white caps reflecting much of the sunlight.

A loud spurt of water startles you. A geyser erupts almost ten feet in the air and you grasp onto the edge, scared and confused. Kylo's hand slides around your lower back, pulling in close to his side. Another column of water erupts upwards. This time closer. The waves being violently disrupted.

"What are those?" you ask, wildly looking around.

"Whales," he says softly, pointing to another geyser of water that suddenly shoots up into the air.

They're a pack of humpback whales, headed to the sheltered waters near the fjord the Reaper is currently passing by. You gasp when one of them launches itself out of the water, gracefully flipping around and falling on its back into the water with a thunderous splash. It's a huge animal and suddenly the true depth of the ocean becomes much more apparent to you. Sure, you had seen sketches of them before but you couldn't have prepared to realize how big they are.

"Ah!" Ushar yells, also having spotted the whales, and he crawls down one of the main masts. He sprints over to Vicrul and Ap'lek who are sitting by the stern. You watch him animatedly gesture towards the pod of whales, while the two knights intently listen.

The mood changes when Vicrul groans loudly and slaps a hand over his face. Ap'lek reaches into his coat with a scowl. Ushar immediately turns around with a yelp and starts running away. The knife Ap'lek had pulled from his coat goes flying, barely missing Ushar's head, and lodging itself in one of the masts with a thunk.

He skids to a stop in front of you and Kylo, out of breath. "Quick," he says, looking behind him. Ap'lek is trudging down the stairs, having pulled the dagger out of the mast. "What do polite whales say?" He bends over and rests his hands on his thighs, looking at you.