Tides of deception ✺ Outlander/Stephen Bonnet Fanfic

♤30. A safe passage 🕷🌶

A double chapter today! To make it up to you since I failed to post.

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As dawn broke, Stephen sat quietly in his cabin, his gaze fixed on a small, grey shard of stone resting in his hand. Maria was still asleep beside him, her breathing soft and even. He glanced her way, briefly allowing himself the comfort of her presence before his focus shifted back to the shard.

It had been hidden behind the closet, probably fallen out of his pocket when undressed the night after the celebration, nearly forgotten in the whirlwind of recent weeks-the raid, the relentless tension, the mutiny. In the chaos, he'd somehow overlooked it, but now, holding it in his palm, he felt its weight-its mystery-all over again. The buzzing was gone.

Memories surged with a vividness that made his skin prickle. He remembered the flashes, the strange, almost otherworldly sensations that had overcome him when he'd first touched the stone. The unsteady hum, the pulsing energy, and that haunting glimpse of a future he couldn't quite decipher. And as he thought about it, he remembered the other missing stones-the gemstone on his dagger, the one from Maria's ring. It was improbable, yet somehow the pieces were fitting together in his mind. Could these stones be a toll of sorts-a price for safe passage through time?

The thought stayed with him, shifting into a certainty that hardened his resolve. He had plenty of gemstones, and if they truly held the key, then perhaps there was a way to rid himself of Justin's growing threat and restore order among his crew.

Rising quietly, Stephen dressed, then stepped out onto the deck where the early light cast a soft glow over the ship. He spotted Justin near the railing, staring out toward the horizon with an expression he couldn't quite read-part resignation, part hope.

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"Justin," Stephen called, his voice low but commanding.

Justin turned, his shoulders tensing as he met Stephen's gaze.

"We're taking you back to the stones," Stephen announced. He approached Justin slowly, the weight of his words carrying a certain finality. "I believe I have the key to let you pass safely."

A hint of disbelief flickered across Justin's face. Stephen didn't wait for him to question it; he held the grey shard between his fingers. "I think a gemstone is the price to cross through time," he continued, his voice calm, though he wasn't fully certain himself. He could see Justin's expression shift as he processed the notion, his jaw clenching as memories danced behind his eyes-memories of his own missing gemstone, the one that had disappeared mysteriously from his pen, a gift he'd once treasured.

Justin's eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms. "And you believe this... this theory of yours? That a gemstone alone would send me back?"

Stephen held his gaze, his tone unwavering. "I trust what I've seen," he said, a subtle edge to his voice. "These shards might allow us to glimpse what's ahead, but a whole gemstone... that's something else entirely. It's a toll, Justin, a way to pass safely through the stones."

A long silence stretched between them as Justin considered this. Doubt mixed with a glint of reluctant hope in his eyes-the closest he'd been to a way home. But is that what I really want? he thought, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face before he looked back at Stephen.

"Alright, Captain," he replied with a slow nod. "I'll take you to the stones. I think I remember the way. But you'd best hope this works."

Stephen gave a brief, tight-lipped nod. "Then we'll need three horses. I'll have Declan arrange it, and I'll tell him it's for another errand for Bertie, to keep things quiet." He gave Justin a pointed look. "Get ready to pack."