The Archman

Chapter 41 - A Celebratory Evening

A crisp mist of ocean water sprays up into the air as Adrulac's ship cuts through a series of rolling waves, dusting both him and Eira with a refreshing vapour. Just as Adrulac predicted, the wind had returned full force. Eira looks out over the banister from the upper deck, holding a hand at the side of her head to keep her ebony hair out of her eyes as it dances in the wind. She looks over her shoulder to Adrulac, who is at the large oakwood steering wheel, commandeering it with both hands. He turns around and indicates for Eira to come over to him with a quick nod of his head.

"Want to give it a try?"

"Give what?" Eira walks over to Adrulac curiously. He removes a hand from the steering wheel and steps back, creating enough space for her to stand in front of him.

"Are you sure?" Eira asks politely, though she is already moving towards him eagerly to take him up on his offer.

"It's quite simple."

Eira looks around at the many levers and cranks located around the steering wheel, wondering exactly what Adrulac's definition of 'simple' was.

"Don't worry about those." Adrulac takes one of Eira's hands and places it on one of the spokes of the steering wheel, then does the same with her other hand. "Just focus on this."

Eira grips the wooden spokes firmly, as Adrulac removes his hands from the wheel completely. The current running beneath the ship pushes on the rudder connected to the wheel, demanding Eira to keep a constant counterforce against it. The wheel feels heavy and bulky in her hands, but she can nonetheless sense a kind of control over the massive vessel beneath her.

It would have been a significantly more daunting task if she didn't have Adrulac standing close behind her.

There was a simmering energy still left inside Eira from the previous night, which bubbled up vibrantly whenever she came into close proximity with Adrulac. His mere presence was enough to soothe her nerves; it inspired a kind of courageousness which was previously nonexistent.

Temporarily distracted by Adrulac's company, a large wave crashes against the ship and catches Eira by surprise.

"Ah!" The wheel jerks to the left from the sudden impact, slipping out of Eira's grasp.

"Careful." Adrulac grabs the wheel with a single hand, stopping it in place and keeping the ship on its course. He leans down so his head is beside Eira, lowering his voice to just above a whisper.

"Eyes forward, princess."

"I was..." Eira's voice lowers in proportion to Adrulac's. She can feel the heat of his breath gracing the back of her ear and spreading across her neck. It sends a shiver of delight crawling up her spine to the crown of her head.

"Then try and keep your mind from wandering." Adrulac chirps.

"It wasn't!" Eira starts speaking with a protestive tone, but her words quickly devolve into laughter.

"Are you sure?" Adrulac places a hand on Eira's right hip with just enough force to command her attention. Eira shudders and softens from his touch, as it inspires remenitions of the previous night.

"It wasn't..." Eira's voice lilts, her head lowering slightly and her gaze along with it.

Adrulac places a hand on her chin and lifts it slightly, so her eye line is lifted. "Do I have to remind you again?"

"No..." Eira grips the spokes of the wheel even tighter and fights the urge to turn around and throw herself into Adrulac's arms.

~

"Salut!" Jacob waves towards Eira and Adrulac as they get within earshot of one another, their ships slowly approaching beside one another. Adrulac pulls a lever beside the wheel, dropping the ship's anchor to quickly grind it to a halt.