The Queen of the Waves

38: Denouement

"We have a deal." Bas triumphantly shook hands with the two men he had been drinking with for the past few hours.

Not only had he negotiated the sale of the merchandise this trip, he had just signed a 10 year contract with the company.

In short, he had just signed a contract that would ensure his family, whatever the size, was well protected.

Bas sighed as he took in a deep breath of fresh, cool night air as he stared up at the sky. Now that the deal was done, he needed to get home to his family.

"Captain! Captain!" Bas spun around at the frightened calls of one of his crew.

"What? What's wrong!" Bas stared at the man who was supposed to be guarding his family.

"They're gone." The man panted and clutched at his bruised and swollen hand.

"What!" Bas snarled, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against a wall.

"Where are they?"

"I-I don't know." The man spluttered, "one minute I was standing guard, the next Mara was stamping on my-my hand. I-I went into the room and the window was smashed."

"Smashed!" Bas was practically feral with rage.

"And Calla?" He demanded, he already knew the answer but he was still dreading it.

"Gone."

Bas felt his knees collapse from under him as his world crashed around him.

A hand fell on his shoulder as the world echoed around him. A pale face in the dim light appeared before him, but he was distanced and echoing. There was nothing he could do but fight the urge to scream.

"We'll find them." The words buzzed in his ears but they didn't sink in.

"Captain! Get a hold of yourself!"

Someone began to shake his shoulders and then a firm punch to his jaw finally lifted the smothering blanket of pain.

"We'll find them." Louis promised as he helped pull Bas to his feet.

"Let's go back to the ship and organise a search party."

As much as Bas wanted to protest going home without his family there waiting for him, he knew that it was the best thing to do.

He took a step towards the harbour when something tugged in his chest. Pausing, Bas listened to the strange feeling in his chest.

Following it, he walked down dank alley after dank alley until he heard a sound that made the blood flush back through his veins once more.

With feet thudding on the ground, Bas ran towards the image of Mara and his daughter.

"Mara!" He called out and watched as her shoulders slumped in relief at his voice.

"Bas." Mara whimpered, weak and shivering as Bas swept her into his arms.

"Are you both ok?" Bas frantically asked, his eyes scanning over them both.

"Yes, yes." Mara rested her head on his shoulder as she adjusted Calla further under her coat. "We're both ok, they didn't hurt her."

Bas swallowed the rage in his throat, all that mattered right now was getting them back to safety. No one knew how the disease was transmitted, but that didn't mean he was going to risk letting them stay in this filthy air for a moment more than necessary.

"Let's get you both home."

Bas pressed a kiss to Mara's temple as he carried them both towards the ship.

"They- they were going to sell her!" Mara wept as the doctor took a sample of her blood to check for disease.

Her breath began to hyperventilate as she imagined a world where she hadn't found Calla.

"Mara, Mara." Bas fell to his knees and clutched at Mara's hand.

"Please, breathe with me now beautiful."

Mara took in a juddering, burning breath of air with Bas as the doctor turned his attention over to a sleeping Calla. She didn't seem to show any trauma from her ordeal and as soon as she was wrapped up in another of Bas' shirts, she fell asleep again.

"Mara," Bas pleaded as Mara clutched tightly onto Calla, "you need to put her down for a while. You need to sleep."

"No I don't." Mara spat, stroking Calla's cheek with her thumb lovingly.

Over the last four days, Bas estimated fat Mara had put Calla down no more than four times, which was also the number of hours of sleep she had had.

"Why?" Bas eased gently, "you need to rest too."

"No I don't. I was sleeping last time, whe-when they t-took her."

A frown sat across Bas' face as he finally realised the guilt Mara was dealing with. He took her free hand in his and pulled it gently to his lips.

"You're safe Mara. So is Calla. You sleeping had nothing to do with what happened and-"

He held up a hand to silence Mara's interruption, "and you are not to blame. So please, please have a sleep."

Mara opened her mouth to protest but a yawn beat her words to the finish line.

"You promise you won't put her down?" Mara checked as she uneasily passed Calla over to Bas.

He cradled his daughter in his arms, revelling in the feeling of her constant warmth pressed against him.

"I promise." Bas soothed, for the first time since the separation he knew they had to take baby steps.

"Here." He walked over to the door and locked it with the key which he then gave to Mara. "The door is locked, the window is boarded up and I won't even leave the room."

He settled down at the desk, holding Calla against him with one arm as the other began rifling through some documents.

"You promise?" Mara asked, attempting to be fervent and full of conviction even as she snuggled down under the blankets.

"We promise." Bas patted Calla's little bottom gently, "just sleep for an hour or two, you will feel better."

Mara nodded her head and smiled as she was lulled to sleep by the dulcet tones of Bas' voice as he read allowed to Calla until she too fell asleep in his arms.

His family was with him now, safe and on their way to Andonia.

The place they would make a home for their family.