Raw Winter

Chapter 24 Bosun

Hades watched Rawintr closely when Marcal came in and placed the food in front of each of them—Hades, Nagyra, and her. He expected her to leave as she often came to eat with him, but never stayed long enough to eat. It didn't bother him, but that she wasn't getting up to leave now was notable. She didn't seem to show any sign of discomfort despite the cloth wrapped tightly around her neck, and she smiled at him when she noticed him studying her.

"I know I've been rather rude lately, not staying to eat when I've agreed to, so I thought today I might actually relax and enjoy my meal in your company. I hope that's not a problem after all?" Rawintr asked.

Hades glanced at Marcal, but he was already leaving the room. He was often in a foul mood about how she behaved, but this time said nothing and left as quickly as he came.

"Are you finally getting along with our ship's chef?" Hades asked as he looked at the grilled fish on his plate. It wasn't the usual extravagance, but he expected it from how long they had been out at sea. He decided they might risk docking soon.

"He can burn in hell," Rawintr answered as she looked at her own fish, carefully cutting off a piece. She seemed to watch him, waiting for him to eat first. It was only polite, and she was used to waiting for the other person to eat first when she was a servant. He couldn't fault her for that, cutting off a piece for himself and raising it up to his mouth.

He chewed it slowly, savoring the flavor. It was a sauce he wasn't used to, but thought it complimented the fish rather well. He wasn't an expert on different flavors and was definitely no gourmet, and Rawintr kept her eye on him. After, she ate a piece from her own plate.

No sooner than after he had swallowed, the most awful hissing, gasping noise rose from Nagyra. No sooner did Hades look at Rawintr before her eyes were on the bosun. He hadn't seen if she had eaten any of it. His eyes then shifted to Nagyra.

The man was tightly gripping the cloth around his mouth as if trying to lift it, but his hands were twitching and spasming and his face was going blue. He was opening and closing his mouth like a carp, trying desperately to call for help, but his voice was a gasping whisper.

The bites she had given him were bleeding openly, bleed through the bandages and his clothes, leaving a swathe of red on his shoulder where her teeth had sunk in before he had escaped. He continued to spasm and struggle, but the thing he was fighting against was far out of his reach and he ended up falling, his head hitting the table with a resounding thump before he hit the floor. Hades struggled to take his eyes off the man as he squirmed and struggled on the floor, purplish foam bubbling up from his mouth until he finally stopped struggling altogether.

He looked a moment longer and then looked at Rawintr, who finally took a bite of the fish she had been holding up to her mouth on her fork. She shrugged meekly and told him, "I don't like when people attempt to kill me nearly as much as you seemed to. I take great offense to it and thought he should learn a lesson about what happens when you make yourself foreign to your own crew. Speaking of such, I was hoping there might be a place available for me. I would hate to stay on your ship without pulling my weight, but frankly, I don't care for doing work without being awarded my dues."

Hades' voice was thin, a low growl building at the back of his throat as he stared at her, and Rawintr did her best not to show any sign of what she was feeling. "Tell me right now why you think I should allow this incident to pass. Give me some insight on why I shouldn't take this threat seriously. Trying to kill me is one thing, but how can I trust you with my crew after this?"

"First," she said, "none of them tried to kill me except for this one. Second, I don't believe this man was ever a proper member of your crew, and yet I return to your ship to find him whispering poison in your ear. I think we should all hope for crew members willing to so assist our captain. I'm not asking for much."