Devoted to The Tide

CHAPTER NINE

PERSEUS

“Mamma!” The moment Charlie and I walked into that cottage, the little girl who I presumed was Amora, ran right into her arms, throwing herself into an embrace. “Hello, my love! What’re you doing here bothering Mrs. Tinley for?” I watched the two of them hold each other, smiling and giggling. This was a side of Charlie I never thought I’d see. It was almost jarring. Maybe because I’ve never seen her smile, but when it came to her loved ones, it seemed that much easier for her to express her happiness. “Oh, she could never bother me!” Mrs. Tinley laughs. Charlie sets down Amora to her feet, her eyes still sparkling as she looks at her daughter. They really did look a lot alike. Caspian scowled in the corner at my presence, but I expected nothing less. “Mama? Are you and daddy leaving soon?” “We leave tomorrow little lamb.” Caspian interjects, still leaning against the wall in the corner of the living room. “But remember what I promised you.” His tone was soft and gentle, a tone I’ve never heard from Caspian before. Amora nodded, her expression soft. Charlie glances at me and kneels down to get on her level. “Amora? This is Perseus. Daddy’s cousin.” Amora looks up at me with her big blue eyes and gives a shy wave. I waved back, flashing her a gentle smile. “Hi Perseus.” She mutters, her hand hovering over her mouth as she chews on the hem of her dress sleeve. I knelt down as well, Amora taking small steps towards me. “You can call me Percy. It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Amora.” She smiles at my greeting and shyly turns away to give Charlie another hug. “Daddy and I will come tuck you in bed tonight since we won't see you when you wake up in the morning. Are you going to be good for your grandmother and papa?” Amora nods, Charlie kissing her forehead. “I love you so much little lamb.” She whispers against her forehead, a look of dread and guilt washing over her expression.

I watch Amora as she walks hand in hand with Caspian out the door of the cottage, assuming taking a walk back to my aunt and uncle’s place. “Your coop is all cleaned up. Thank you again for allowing my crew to take over the barn. Your hospitality is always appreciated.” “Ahh, don’t worry about it dear. Anything for a woman of service. And you my dear serve the kingdom well, just like your grandfather.” Charlie smiles at Mrs. Tinley’s compliment, her boots shifting on the floor ever so slightly. “Now, you two go do what you need to do. I will take care of everything here.” “Are you sure? You don’t need help with anything-“ “Nonsense child! Go! You have more important things to do. Stay safe on the trip to Zadavi. There’s been rumors that Catouli Crossing has been infested.” Charlie and I exchanged glances for a brief moment. “Infested? What do you mean by that?” Mrs. Tinley dawdled to the kitchen to move around some dishes. “The local fishermen of Shia have been sharing tales again down at Duke’s. Something about the sights of a sea serpent and their offspring treading the waters and making their way to shores.” Charlie looked at me, the blood draining from her face. “Oh don’t worry about it dear, you know how the fishermen here get. A bunch of drunken nonsense and tomfoolery.” Mrs. Tinley laughs. But the furrow brow and clenched jaw I saw on Charlie’s face told me that this was no laughing matter. My stomach turned in knots. Charlie didn't scare easily, and even if she did, she was always good at hiding it. She pulled up her mask of artificial content before she spoke. “Thank you for the heads up, Mrs. Tinley. Those fishermen enjoy babbling, but sometimes they can lead to valuable information for us sailors.” Mrs. Tinley came up to her and gave her a gentle hug once again. “Stay safe out there.” “Of course.”

I followed behind Charlie back to the barn, attempting to keep up with her quickened pace. “Those fishermen at Duke’s. Do you believe their rumors to be true?” I ask. “I don’t know. Rumors can be easily turned through the grapevine of gossip, but the people of Shia aren’t usually known for lies. If it's a sea serpent that was rumored, then let's hope the story started with the sight of a crawdad.” I thought about her words quietly for a moment, still trailing behind her as we took long strides through the meadow. “I didn't take you for the scared type.” “I’m not scared of what you think I’m scared of.” She replies. “Well I think you’re scared of dangerous waters, risking your life.” She stops in her tracks and turns to me, her face contorted in disbelief. “You think I’m scared of dyin’? What I fear is losing the supply I just spent a fortune on. I don’t give a pile of cow s**t about my life. Risking it for the sake of my men and my country is my job.” “Really. So you don’t fear losing your life, wondering if you’re ever going to go home to your daughter?” She winces a bit, and then glares at me viciously. “You really know how to piss me off, don’t you? How f*****g dare you-“ “I’m just asking! You are worried about losing the supply you spent a bunch of money on but not worried about your own safety for your kid!” “OF COURSE I’M SCARED OF THAT!” She snaps. I could see fire blaze in her eyes as she looked into mine, the flaring of her nostrils as she spoke. “Ya know- I keep wondering why you’re still here. I told you you didn't belong here and yet you still stick around like a lost pup with no owner. It’s pathetic how badly you want my approval.” I felt my hands clam up and my own jaw clenched. A gut wrenching stab to the chest. “You call me a s**t captain, you disobey every order I give you, and you claim you have a right to be here all because your father served more time on this crew than he did with his own son. Well guess what? Have you ever thought that maybe he ran off to join the sea, leaving you and your mother behind, and neglecting to mention that he had a kid within the twenty four years that I’ve known him, because he knew you would never be like him?! Perhaps reflect on the kind of son you were to him and possibly take some damn responsibility! You know nothing about anything or anyone. You. Don’t. Belong. Here.”

Every word she spoke cut deeper and deeper into my flesh, reopening scars that I thought were already healed. Choking on my words, I was clueless on a response. Perhaps she was right. Maybe I’ve been blind this whole time. Maybe it was my fault that my father left. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this after all. Because no matter what I did, or what I said, I couldn’t gain the approval of the captain, or my father before he died. It was a never ending cycle of blame and hatred and sorrow. Her cutting words ringed in my ears, dread and guilt showering over me, soaking into my flesh. And that feeling burned with the heat of a thousand suns. Before much more was said between us, Bishop came jogging to meet us where we stood in the meadow. “Captain. We have a situation.”