Veils of Storm

17. Leila

Jazz was fuming. 

Ever since they started the journey, Kat had gotten used to him being light-hearted and understanding, a smile never too far away. This time, his black eyes seemed to blaze with fire as he glared at her and Cage over his desk.

She had no idea how, since she'd been on that ship for almost three weeks, but she'd never been in the captain's quarters. Jazz usually spoke to them in the mess hall or on deck and he always cleaned up after himself, so there was no need for anyone to enter his quarters. Hell, she wasn't even sure he slept there.

The room was circular and huge, the size of the poop deck above it. The desk stood right under  the windows, large and nailed to the floor. There were dressers and trinkets and a bed which was a little larger than her own cot and neatly made. The dark wood on the walls and the impressive windows gave the place a much larger and more civilized feel than their cabins. A room worthy of the commander of the vessel.

It only made Jazz look even larger and more threatening. What made it worse was that Kat could feel Cage was tense as well, as if anticipating danger. She didn't want to think what Jazz could do to them if he decided to hurt them.

"I said two hours."

His voice wasn't loud, but the menace in it had the hairs on the back of Kat's neck standing on end.

"We were only maybe a half an hour late," she squeaked.

"Only a half hour? That's a half hour too much."

"Jazz, come on--"

He just lifted on finger and Cage fell silent. "Excuse me, your majesty, but I thought we had an understanding when we took you in."

Cage winced at his title, but didn't comment on it. The lack of fight from him over this made Kat even more uneasy.

"You see, the strings of fate are difficult to untangle." Jazz's eyes turned milky white. "But you seem to want to take a sword to them and just cut."

"One of those strings had us dying, didn't it?" Cage's voice was blank and it made her shudder. "You can say it, the moment's gone."

Jazz let out a laugh, but it was harsh. "Is it now? Do you believe you understand this curse better than me? After only a few words I decided to throw your way?" He stood from his chair, leaning his hands on the desk and looming over them. "When I tell you to do something, it's for a reason. Not because I enjoy ordering people around. Especially people like you."

Cage nodded. "Understood."

"No, I don't think you do." He leaned even closer. "My strings are now entwined with yours. Mine, Jinx's and Tricksy's. We are in this together, so whatever you do affects us all. I will not have your rashness hurt them."

"Jazz, I meant it." Cage stood, too, forcing Jazz to straighten so that he could look him in the eyes. "I understand. It won't happen again."

"Good. Because if it does, I'll be cutting some strings myself." He waved them away. "I'll meet you in the mess hall."

Kat opened her mouth, wanting to protest the obvious threat, but Cage took her hand and led her out of the captain's quarters. Darkness had already fallen an no one had turned on the lanterns on deck.

"Did he just threaten to kill us?" she mumbled the moment they closed the door behind them.

"More or less," he answered, sounding amused for some insane reason, and leading her towards their new, imposed destination.

"We can't let him think he has that much power over us."

"Kit-Kat..." He stopped next to the entrance to the lower deck. "What you need to understand is that Jazz can see a multitude of outcomes for us all. You can't blame him for trying to protect his own. He took a huge risk taking us along."