Whisper (5 page)

Dearra, now! Tell the men, now!
Brin urged.

There was no way for any of them to see with the storm howling and in the dark of night; everyone relied on Dearra’s magical companion, Brin, to guide them closer to their friends in the water.

“Daniel, William! Brin says, now!” Dearra called, and the two men went over the side of the ship, using ropes they had put in place for the rescue.

Hugh stood at the rail trying to offer guidance and called out commands to those on deck to collect as much hot water and as many blankets as they could find. Hugh knew the danger would not be over until they had been warmed, and there was no sign of fever.

“William! There!” Daniel yelled, pointing a few yards into the distance.

Daniel and William swam to meet Darius, and as William started to break his son’s grip on Darius’s neck, the Breken struck out violently.

“Peace, brother! It’s me, William!” he said.

Darius shook his head to clear his muddled thoughts, and then, as quickly as his half frozen fingers would allow, assisted William with the transfer.

Getting back aboard the ship was not as straight forward as it would seem. In the tempest, the ship crested high on the whitecaps only to crash down again, and the timing needed to be precise to avoid someone being crushed. The first to attempt boarding in the makeshift sling was Royce. When Hugh and the others pulled him from the frothing sea, his body was as limp as a rag doll.

Daniel turned to wrap the sling around Darius only to see his friend sink below the waves. Daniel stretched out to grab hold of Darius before he slipped out of reach, pulled the young man to the surface, and shook him violently, in an attempt to rouse him.

It seemed to work. Darius opened his eyes, but just as Daniel was about to put the sling around his friend once more, Darius stopped him. “Reo first!” Darius said.

“We’ll get the wolf next, Darius,” Daniel said. “We need to get you up first!”

“It wasn’t a request, Daniel. Reo first.”

Knowing that by the time he’d won the argument with the strong willed Breken, another full season could pass, he gave in and put the sling around the wolf, who began to twist wildly at the strange sensation of being lifted through the air.

Darius knew he needed to quiet the animal before he injured himself in his struggles, so he sent calming words in his thoughts in an attempt to convey a sense of peace to him.

Soon Darius’s thoughts turned to Dearra’s lovely face, and he remembered the way her hair had felt like warm silk to the touch. He remembered that first, sweet kiss they had shared on the beach. He remembered the way her smile warmed his very soul. His whole body felt warm, and he took a deep breath, reveling in the sensation. When the sea water filled his lungs, he didn’t even feel any pain. In the absence of sound, light, and cold, Darius let himself slip further under, surrendering to his memories as he surrendered to the pull of the ocean.

Daniel and William dove down a second time in the spot where they’d seen Darius only a moment ago, neither willing to face the possibility of losing him. William’s hand found the course fabric of Darius’s shirt first, and he struggled to pull the Breken upwards. Daniel followed directly behind William, gripping onto Darius’s belt the moment he found him. Together, the two men were able to lift Darius to the surface. Neither man spoke as they hastily wrapped the sling around his unmoving body. After Darius was safely aboard the ship, Daniel and William climbed the second rope to join him.

“In Cyrus’s name,” Carly said, almost in a whisper, as she watched them lower Darius’s lifeless body from the sling.

Dearra was beside him in a moment, her ear pressed to his chest listening for any sounds of life. Desperate, she lowered her mouth to his, pulled his jaw wide, and forced her breath into him. 

Dearra shared one breath after another with Darius, but as the seconds ticked on, she felt panic creep up on her, and her breathing came faster and shallower.

Dearra! Concentrate! Come on, girl; you can do this!
Brin told her.

Dearra shook herself mentally, and slowed her breathing to the deep, steady, measured breaths she needed to keep Darius alive.

Better. You’re doing fine, Dearra. Stay with it.

The seconds dragged on until a full minute had passed, and then two. Darius’s lips were blue, and he showed no sign of life, but Dearra continued to breathe for him.

Finally, Daniel stepped forward and put a hand to Dearra’s shoulder. Dearra spun on him. Had she Reo’s teeth, Daniel might have lost a hand. She glared at him for only a moment and turned her attention back to Darius.

Hugh was about to intercede when Darius made a strangled choking sound. Hugh was closest, and he bent to help the Breken to his side as he coughed up sea water.

Thank Tolah, you did it, Dearra! You did it!

But Dearra did not hear Brin’s praise as she had dropped her head into her hands and was weeping openly in relief.

Phillip

Well, Father, I will never complain about cleaning my room again. I think I have swept about a million steps since I came here. Stupid waste of time, I say. No sooner do I sweep them off then a wind comes along and blows the sand right back. I have blisters on my blisters that will never heal.

Zuzu came last night, and the two of us snuck away for a while. I said I thought we should just run for it, but she asked me where I thought we would go. She was right, darn her. The Breken city is large and full of life, and outside of it, in every direction, there’s nothing but sand. I have no idea which way I would even run, let alone how I would survive out there in that environment. Oh well, it was a thought anyway. At least we got to get away for a little while.

Someone’s coming. I hear the mistress in the hall talking to—

Jacob?

What’s he doing here?

“Royce!” William called out to his son.

Royce had been daydreaming. After weeks of hiding in the ship’s hold, the thrill of being on deck was exhilarating. He’d been dreaming of captaining his own ship one day, but his father’s stern voice snapped him to attention. “Yes, Father,” he answered quickly, if somewhat timidly. Even after a week, he still felt some of the tenderness on his backside. To be fair, his Father had given him the night to rest from his ordeal before meting out the punishment, even he knew, he deserved.

“Darius looks thirsty to me,” William stated flatly.

“Yes, Father.” Royce almost tripped over his feet as he hurried to fetch some water.

Darius rolled his eyes and spoke quietly to William. “Don’t you think he’s suffered enough? You have him waiting on me hand and foot. He’s certainly sorry for what he’s done, and well…it’s embarrassing to be babied like this. I’m fine, so, maybe we could call it even, and let the boy off the hook, okay?”

“No,” William answered in his typical terse style.

“Daniel,” Darius called to the man who was busy winding rope a few feet away, “help me out. Surely you agree with me.”

Though Daniel had been busy, he had not missed the conversation. “No, Darius I don’t think I do. First of all, the boy’s not sorry at all. He’s exactly where he wanted to be, and a spanking hasn’t done a thing to help him repent.

“His father’s right. At least this way he doesn’t get to spend all of his time playing aboard ship. And as for you, you’re not fine. You swallowed an awful lot of sea water, Darius, and though you’ve been trying to hide it, we’ve all heard the coughing.”

Darius opened his mouth to protest, but Daniel held a hand up to silence him. “True, you have improved—if you hadn’t I would have tied you to the bed and let Dearra have her way with you.”

William and Darius both stared at Daniel with mouths agape, not quite able to believe what they had just heard.

“Oh, for Cyrus’s sake! I mean healing! She had all kinds of poultices and treatments she wanted to try, but I insisted you would be fine, and she should just leave it be.”

“She did?” Darius asked. “She was worried? I didn’t know that. I mean, I know she needs me to help rescue Pip, but I didn’t think she still—”

“That’s because you’re an idiot, boy. If you two would just talk, you could get past all of this, and the rest of us could stop being so uncomfortable.”

“I don’t know. What if I…Well, what if something…happens?”

“Like what?” Daniel asked menacingly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

“What do you think, William?” Darius asked, hastily turning from the threatening gesture the weapons master had made.

“Talk to the girl, Darius,” William said.” For everyone’s sake.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.” Darius squared his shoulders, as if preparing himself for battle.

***

Darius left the deck and headed towards the girls’ cabin in search of Dearra.

Royce tried to scamper after him, toting the cool water he had gone in search of, but William put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Leave Darius alone for a bit, Royce.”

“I thought he was thirsty,” Royce said, a look of confusion on his face.

“Don’t worry about it, Royce,” Daniel said kindly. “Turns out he was hungry instead.”

Royce sighed. “I will never understand grown-ups,” he said, and walked back to his look-out at the rail.

Daniel and William just grinned knowingly and returned to their tasks.

***

Carly heard scratching at the door and pulled it wide to admit Reo. The wolf yipped his puppy bark and bounded into the room to have Dearra scratch his ears as was his habit from time to time. He used to disappear into the ship’s hold as well. Everyone assumed he was chasing a rat or two that had found its way aboard before leaving Maj. As it turned out, the wolf was spending time with Royce who had managed to hide himself there amongst the crates and barrels. She smiled and shook her head, actually a little proud of young Royce’s ingenuity. He would make a fine warrior someday. When she looked up, she was startled to see Darius standing before her.

“Carly, is…uh…is Dearra around?”

“I’m sitting right here. It’s not a big room, Darius.”

Easy—temper, temper, Fuzzy. He came to talk—maybe you could try letting him.

“I think I’ll just go on deck and get some air,” Carly said, backing out of the room.

“Carly, wait!” Dearra stood to stop her friend, but she’d already closed the door behind her when she’d made her hasty retreat.

The two of them stood several feet apart. A long, awkward silence stretched on and on until finally—

Isn’t this cozy? Well, it’s good that we all have this chance to work things out. Now, we can discuss this like rational, intelligent—Oh, right! I keep forgetting you’re not dragons. Okay,
I’ll
be rational and intelligent, you two just muddle along the best you can.

“Brin?”

Yes, Dearra?

“Take a nap or something, would you?”

Nice. Very nice. The last time you two were alone I practically had to torch Darius, and now you want me to go away.

The look of pain on Dearra’s face at Brin’s observation did not go unnoticed, judging by the low growl of warning that came from Darius’s throat. Dearra assumed this meant Darius did not care for the reminder any more than she did.

Brin got the message loud and clear, because he said,
Well, in any case, I will be right here should anyone need me.

Dearra’s lips curved into a soft smile. Brin was such a pain, but he was her friend, nevertheless, and she knew, in her heart, that he cared about them both.

Darius cleared his throat before speaking, forcing himself to take the first step. “I…uh…I wanted to thank you for what you did the night of the storm. You saved my life, Dearra.”

“Of course! It was you who was the hero though. You and Reo. No one else could have found Royce in the dark and in the middle of a raging storm, no less. I just did what my mother taught me. It was a simple technique, really, more luck than skill.”

“Well then, I am eternally grateful that you are so lucky,” he said, taking a cautious step nearer to where Dearra stood.

Dearra blushed and looked down at her own feet. “You’re welcome,” she mumbled.

“Darius? I…about what happened between us—”

“Yes, Dearra?” Darius said in a rush, relieved that she had been the one to bring it up first. He knew he was being a coward, but he honestly thought he had been just about to burst into flame and be consumed by it as a result of his own shame. He had to apologize, but how do you say you’re sorry for something so horrific, let alone start the conversation to do so?

“I just…” Dearra struggled to find the words. “I wanted to say…”

Darius took a few small steps towards the tiny beauty, until they were only inches apart. He looked down at her, while she seemed to be staring at her shoes. He was prepared for whatever she had to say. He wanted her to lash out at him, to scream and rant, even for her to strike him, and he was ready for it, whatever it might be.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

He had been wrong. He thought he had been ready for anything, but not for this.
She
was sorry? That made no sense. “Dearra, I don’t understand. It was all my fault. How can you be sorry? Oh, dearest! You can’t for one moment believe that you are in any way to blame!”

“Then you don’t hate me?” she asked hopefully, looking up at him.

“Hate you? Dearra, I
love
you! I haven’t been able to draw breath without a stab to my heart since that night. Without you, I am nothing. I owe
you
the apology. I can’t tell you the dishonor I feel, the self-loathing. I would crawl through ten Breken deserts if you would only say you could forgive me.”

Dearra smiled through sparkling tears. The golden halo around the blue in her eyes shone like fire, and she leaned happily into him. She felt his arms encircle her, and he pressed his cheek gently against the top of her head as he used to do. The two of them stood in silence for several minutes, just enjoying the closeness they had been denied these many weeks. Darius pulled back from Dearra and brushed away the last of her tears. “There now, no more crying. Even happy tears. It hurts me to see you so.”

“Okay, Darius,” Dearra said with a bright smile. “Whatever makes you happy. I’m just so relieved you accepted my apology.”

“Dearra, you’re so funny,” Darius said with a laugh. “There’s nothing for me to accept. You have nothing to say you’re sorry for, but as long as you forgive
me
I guess nothing else matters.” He smiled and chucked her gently under the chin.

Dearra’s smile slipped a bit. “Darius, I’m serious. Surely you understand I was at fault.
I
came to your room.
I
tempted and teased
you
, even though I had been warned. The fault was mine.”

Hey, you two—guess what?
Brin said, but he was ignored.

“Dearra, I should have had more self-control. I could have stopped you, as I had many times before, but I chose not to, because of my own selfishness.
I
am to blame.”

Really, you want to guess. This is pretty exciting news I have! Come on, Dearra what do you say? One little guess.

“Darius how can you say that? I was in your room after you told me specifically not to go there anymore. Why was it
your
restraint that was to blame and not mine?”

Darius? You then! Go ahead—ask me!

But Darius ignored Brin and said, “Well, because you’re just a woman.”

Tolah save us,
Brin said.

On deck, someone called out, “Land ho!”