“Bring her around! We’ll pull him out over there!” Bardroy called to Kamden, who stood at the wheel and gently steered the Winter Hawk through the water. The Preyda now completely destroyed and fast sinking to the depth of the sea, Kamden turned his attention to fetching his captain. He knew that Alveon was not dead. The sunlight and fall might have inhibited the completing of his transformation, but the vampire would still be alive.
Myn stood at the helm next to Kamden, her eyes focus on the water where she had watched Alveon fall. “He is…he is a vampire,” she said in soft disbelief.
Kamden gave a slow nod. “He keeps it under control as best he can. He was taught how to survive without revealing his true nature to most. It was one of the only reasons that he chose to become a captain.” He paused as he glanced at her. “You have nothing to fear from him, Myn.”
Myn gave a slight nod as she looked back to him for a moment. “But can I trust him?” she asked quietly.
Before Kamden could reply, Bardroy spotted their captain in the water. “He’s there!” He shouted, pointing to a spot in the water a few yards away.
“Haul in!” Kamden called, and as the sails were pulled up, he walked to the edge of the ship and threw a rope out into the water.
Alveon, in his complete human form, swam slowly towards the rope and took hold of it. He continued swimming to the ship, and slowly climbed up the side. He was greeted by his quartermaster and a few of the crew, who had brought a new shirt and some blankets for him to dry off with.
“You realize how foolish a thing that was, right?” Kamden asked in dry humor as Alveon dried his hair off quickly.
Alveon paused and gave his friend a sardonic look. “Better than the alternative though,” he replied somberly, his eyes looking quickly to Myn. She stood a little ways behind Kamden, watching silently.
“Are you well?” Kamden asked his captain.
Alveon’s eyes looked back to him, giving a slight wince as he took a step away from the rail. “Weak,” he answered tiredly.
Kamden pulled a metal flask from his side. “I took the liberty of filling what I could for you. I know it’s not the same as a fresh from the source, but you’ll at least have enough until we can…acquire more.”
Alveon stared at the flask skeptically for a moment before taking hold of it. He removed the lid and took a long, slow drink of the dark red liquid within. “Thank you,” he said as he returned the lid to the flask and placed it at his side. His eyes darted again to Myn, though she had turned away from him. He wanted to talk to her, but now was not going to be a good time. “I should…rest for a while,” he said as he turned and took a step towards his cabin. “I will be well by tonight.”
Kamden gave a short nod and returned to the helm. Myn had walked towards the bow of the ship, lost in her own thoughts.
---
True to his word, Alveon had recovered from his less than pleasant experience by the time night had fallen on the Winter Hawk. The crew, though not given the entire day to leisure, had not been pressed to work as hard as normal, given the battle they had just endured. Kamden oversaw their relaxed evening, and somewhere amid their time of telling tales, Alveon silently took his place at the helm.
Myn had not taken part in the socializing on deck, choosing to remain in her own room to rest. She had not felt well from sometime in the afternoon, and had fallen asleep for a few hours. When she woke, it was late in the night. Nearly all the crew had returned to below the deck. Softly, she got out of her bed and made her way to the deck.
