Raw Winter

Chapter 21: Blue Eyes

Rawintr stood on the bottom of the sea and looking up, she could make out the sight of a great serpent circling overhead. She couldn't breathe, so she knew they were under water, but it looked to be flying rather than swimming. It then paused and regarded her, its silvery mane floating as her blood had. It had a long snout like a wolf, and its eyes were crystal blue. It showed its teeth at her, and she felt afraid, but only for a moment. The beast was smiling.

Her heart was pounding hard when she woke up. She felt like she had been holding her breath in her sleep and took deep breaths now that she was awake. She looked around her cabin room to get her bearing. The man sitting next to her noticed her panicking and reached out to take a firm grip on her shoulder to make sure she didn't hurt herself. She was still holding the knife she had tried to use to kill Hades, and he cautiously reached for that as well.

"May I have it?" Yulsylus asked her. "I worried you would hurt yourself in your sleep, but I didn't want to take it away from you before you were aware of where it had gone."

"I want to keep it," she answered. Her eyebrows knit together as she regarded the doctor. He had short black hair. It wasn't cut close to his head, but it was definitely shorter than she imagined a pirate's to be. He wore a tan overcoat that more or less covered him. The white shirt underneath was looser and stained with sweat, but not much of it shown through. His eyes were a crystal blue and regarded her steadily.

"If that's what you prefer, then that's fine. I think it's good for you to have something. I imagine you don't feel safe here, do you?" He let go of her and leaned back. "What were you trying to do last night?"

"I was trying to kill Hades," she answered, unblinking. "I don't know, really. I feel safe here, or at least safer than I have in a long time, but I think if he stays alive I won't be safe for much longer."

"I'm not so sure about that," Yulsylus told her. "I think if you're to get rid of Hades, things will become much more dangerous for you. For example, he's the one that's currently allowing you to stay on his ship, and there are rumors about you. Some crew members are saying you're a magician and you're going to sink us. What do you think about that?"

"I think they're right. I think I am going to sink this ship, eventually. It wouldn't be so bad to be a one. They're an old race, and some are healers. I am neither of those things, so I don't think they should call me such. I am Rawintr Wlyfric, and I was born no longer than two weeks ago." She narrowed her eyes, frowning.

His body hung above her, and she wanted to scream out. Each time she saw it, she thought she should have screamed, but she couldn't remember what she did. Had she bothered to get him down? Would she see him again?

She hadn't realized she had screamed, her body thrashing in the bed as she pressed hard on her missing eye. It saw things she didn't want to see in the present. She felt like she was shaking. It wasn't long before Yulsylus was moving forward to hold her down again and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tight against her. It shocked him how strong she was, and he wasn't sure if he could escape her, but he recognized the gesture wasn't a violent one. The problem was he was also aware she wasn't aware of who he was, her sobs hinting at who she was speaking to, but the words incoherent to his ears.

"I forgive you," Yulsylus told her, wrapping his arms around her with great care. "I promise you, I forgive you for what happened. It had to, do you understand?"

"I was coming back for you. I loved you, and I wanted you to know, but I wasn't in my right mind. Don't you understand? I wasn't in the right mind, and I destroyed you because of it," she answered.

"It was my decision, and neither of us are to blame. That's sometimes how it happens, and I'm so glad you got away," he murmured, his fingers wrapping in her hair. She stiffened before relaxing, but tears still shook her. Her crying grew softer until she was fast asleep. He placed her gently down on the bed. It took a long time before her grip relaxed enough to pull himself free. He almost wanted to stay in her arms, but it wasn't his place to.