Helix

Crushing Blackness

19 AD

With practiced ease Helix climbed the rigging and hauled himself into the crows nest. Pulling his small scope out he scanned the horizon. The noonday sun sparkled against the gentle waves making them like so many millions of diamonds. Below him, the deck crew was going about their various task with lighthearted ease. So far this voyage had been blessed with fair weather and good winds. They had also managed to avoid the pirates they'd seen a few days out. The more religious among the men had offered thanks to Poseidon for their luck.

Scanning the horizon Helix saw nothing save a few whale spouts. Lowering his spyglass he adjusted his position and closed his eyes drinking in the salty sea air. It had been eight years since he'd started working for the Elis Sea Guild. He'd started out as an errand boy, running messages to various ship captains and business owners he'd also spent a good amount of time cleaning the guild masters office, boots and anything else the man threw at him. A few years later, guild master Portheus promoted him to act as a cabin boy to keep watch on some captain he didn't trust. Now he was a full-fledged sailor, still keeping watch on Portheus's less trustworthy captains.

Helix liked being on the open water. He liked working as a sailor too, but recently he'd started getting bored and wishing for something new. Something new as it turned out, had boarded the ship at its last stop. A woman had paid for passage to Aquileia, a port city at the northernmost end of the Adriatic Sea.

Opening his eyes Helix looked out at the sea once more than down at the deck below. She was there, standing near the bow, looking forward. He didn't think she could be that much older than him. She might be eighteen or nineteen at most. Her long red hair was neatly braided to the side, although a few temperamental strands had escaped and were now fluttering slightly in the breeze. She was beautiful from afar and even more intensely beautiful up close.

When she had first boarded, her sparkling green eyes had distracted Helix so badly that he'd tripped and almost dropped the bucket of water he'd been carrying. She had laughed. He had blushed and quickly hurried by. Sitting in the crows nest, so far above her, Helix didn't figure he'd have to worry about making a fool of himself again so he gawked openly.

As Helix stared he became aware of how balanced she was. Most passengers took a while to get used to the sway of the deck. She hadn't. She stood relaxed her legs absorbing the motion beneath her. His eyes and imagination drifting he looked higher, his gaze settling on the point where her finely toned legs met the rest of her shapely body. The thin, emerald green, summer dress she wore accentuated every one of her curves.

She turned suddenly looking up. Directly at him. Helix quickly averted his gaze scrambling to lift the spy glass intending to observe the watery horizon around them. In his haste, the cylindrical object dropped from his grasp. A good sized, thunk, swish, sounded as the metal met the wooden deck then rolled.

Helix winced, his cheeks coloring as the captain began a barrage of curses. "Sorry, sir!" Moving hands and feet in perfect rhythm he descended the rigging and bent picking up the dropped spyglass. As he stood up he came face to face with the smiling face of the red-haired beauty.

"May I look through it?"

Helix blinked. Her voice was like the sweetest honey. "Uh, sure." He held it out to her.

Taking the offered spyglass she studied it for a moment her emerald eyes roving from one end to the other as she slowly rotated it. Glancing at him she smiled once more before closing one eye and looking through.