A Hidden Queen

Chapter 52

Hawthorne stirs, blinking his eyes several times. His tongue runs across his lips, a soft moan vibrating his throat, as honey eyes drift about the room. Darkness surrounds him, the flickering dim oil lamps creating shadows lurking in the corners. Hawthorne scans across the cell peering into the void. He zeros in on a shifting dark form in the back. His palms dig at his eye sockets, clearing his vision. He knits his brows together. Josephine sits in the darkness, leaning her head against the hull. She stares blankly out over the expanse of the dimly lit room. He sighs heavily, forcing himself to sit up and rise to his feet. A heavy groan forces its way out; his muscles protesting to the movement. He yawns wildly, popping and cracking several joints.

Hawthorne shuffles his way to the back, throwing himself next to the young woman. He grunts uncomfortably, wiggling down the hull until their shoulders brush. The honey eyes glimpse down, delaying as the ash brown eyebrows hit his hairline. Adean laid in Joe's lap, his head resting on her thighs. The boy snores quietly as her fingers massage at the back of his scalp. Hawthorne exhales tiredly, resting an arm on a raised knee as he fixates on the iron bars.

"What are you doing awake?" Hawthorne questions. "It is you who is to be asleep not Adean."

"I could not sleep; and he had done his time. I merely stopped him from waking Alex." Joe waves off.

"Hmm." Hawthorne hums. "Any reason for the lack of rest?"

"The sea." Joe whispers. "She sounds different."

Hawthorne traps the breath within his lungs. He stills his body, straining his ears to listen to the echo of the waves battering the hull. There was a minor disturbance in the crashing of the waves, but nothing that would agitate a sea-lover out of their sleep. Hawthorne releases his breath, glances over at the young woman. She continues to stare out over the deck never focusing on anything.

"She seems agitated. Unsettled." Joe adds quietly.

"Aye. But it sounds nothing more than the ship veering into the wind. Or maybe the unsettling of rain. It is nothing that we haven't been in before."

"No." Joe interrupts. "This is different. It's like she's angry."

Hawthorne quirks an eyebrow as Joe tightens her hold on Adean. The teenager stirs, moaning quietly in his sleep. Joe grimaces, inhaling sharply as she quickly relaxes her hold. The slender fingers find their way into his hair stroking it gently. Hawthorne rests his head against the hull, a heavy sigh collapsing his chest.

"You have always had a special connection to the sea Josephine. Even in this dark damp hell that is clearly seen." Hawthorne comments off-handily.

The following silence engulfs the pair. Hawthorne lulls his head to the side, staring at Joe in the darkness. The oil light flickers, casting various shadows on her face. There were deep frown lines filled with exhaustion and weariness that had not been previously shown. Hawthorne lifts his head, wrapping his arms around his knee.

"Okay. So, she's agitated. But it is still nothing so severe that it would cause you lack of sleep. I have seen you sleep peacefully through a small gall without so much as rousing. So, what is really bothering you?" Hawthorne challenges.

Joe eyes him out of the corner of her eye, shifting her shoulders. Hawthorne cranes his head forward trying to peer directly into the deep blue eyes. Joe scoffs, slouching her shoulders as she refocuses on the deck ahead of her. Hawthorne drops his head, massaging at the back of his neck.

"You're not going to inform me of it are you?" He questions innocently.

Joe continues to ignore his pleas fixating on the darkening void. Hawthorne slouches against the hull. His knees knock together as he stares out at the darkness. His eyes shift down to Alex sprawled upon the deck; his deep snores filling the damp air. He snorts lightly grumbling unintelligibly while rolling onto his side. Hawthorne drops his gaze picking at the hem of his pants.