Storm a Brewing
1104 Words
For all his talk and bluster, Dagon left me alone for the most part. He was too busy preparing the ship for the journey.
And so I was left floating in the water, and watching one of the men that used to mean so much to me, but was now a stranger.
A breeze blew across the boat and his red beard and rough braid fluttered in the wind. He snorted and turned around, scowling at me.
"Knew you were no good," he sneered.
"Wha?" I looked around, hoping someone else could provide me an answer as to why he was so upset, but no one was around at the moment, not even Maxwell.
He pointed his finger to the sky. "There's a storm brewing, little mermaid, and it's all your fault."
I winced at every word. "Why do you hate me so much?" I blurted. I barely held my tongue from calling him Dagon.
"Don't take it personally," he chided. He turned and walked toward me, looming over and his shadow covering me. "I would hate anyone that's a danger to my vessel. There's no quicker way to cause a journey to go south than to have a woman on board, let alone a siren."
I frowned. "Sirens and mermaids are different…"
"I know what I sense," Dagon snapped. "And you're more than just a bad luck mermaid. Besides, I see how you've already got that Mawell wrapped around your finger."
"What's going on here?" Questioned a soft, but not too happy voice.
Dagon glanced over, barely sparing the intruder a thought. "It's my ship, it doesn't matter what's going on here."
"I might not exactly be fond of this woman, but I am perfectly aware of what she means to the Master." Quix leaned against the entryway.
My breath hitched. I remembered when he looked like that when he defended me before. My heart sped up and I leaned closer.
Dagon smirked. "Are you really going to start trouble when I haven't even touched her?"
Quix gave a short nod. "Anything that would upset him, will be dealt with."
Dagon laughed and leaned down, spearing his fingers into my curls and rubbing them between his fingers. Quix stiffened at the gesture. "What if I could take care of your little problem for you?" Dagon offered, his breath husky.
"Let go," I ordered, trying to pull away from him, but the river was much too thin and all I did was wedge myself against the wall as he leaned closer.
"Quiet," he hissed with a tiny clench of his fingers. It wasn't enough to hurt, though he was more than capable of that. It was more as if he was letting me know that he was the one in control here.
Quix raised a brow. "Oh? And just what are you planning? The Master won't be willing to part with that woman for any amount of money, believe me, I've already ventured down that route."
"We could arrange a little accident," Dagon offered. "All he has to do is think she's been lost at sea. Besides, there's no way this woman willingly followed a man like that."
His deep blue eyes locked onto me and my poor heart sped up. Why couldn't I fight back? They were sitting there talking about my life and what was happening to me, but I couldn't even manage a peep.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, little mermaid?" Dagon purred. He stroked my hair in a rough caress. "You could be free."
Coral probably would have been delighted at that offer, but I wasn't that woman. "I'm not leaving," I blurted out.
The captain's hand stilled. "What?"
"Not until I've accomplished my mission."
He slowly withdrew his hand, staring down at me. "And what is this grand mission of yours, little mermaid?"
What could I possibly tell him that wouldn't make me sound like I believed in some sort of special care? "To save my friends," I finally whispered. It was the truth, just not in the way he believed.
Besides, Dagon was on that list too. No matter what, I would restore him.
"Captain Blade, I advise you to get your hands off of her," Eros growled softly as he entered the room. He pushed by Quix who glared at him, but Eros only had eyes for me.
Dagon chuckled. "And what are you going to do about it? You look like the type I could pick up and toss overboard. They probably wouldn't even notice you missing."
"We have more important things to worry about than you waving your big bad ass flag around."
A smirk creased Dagon's lips. "You are fairly brave for such a small thing. Fine, I'll bite. What is this important thing?"
Eros straightened his vest. "The storm, of course."
Dagon puffed and glared down at me. "Of course we have that, I knew it was coming but I got distracted by our little guest here."
"Remember that she is a guest," Quix snapped. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to help Master Maxwell prepare. He has the audacity to think that he can just go with this woman everywhere, but I will correct him of that folly."
Why did Quix insist on talking around me like I didn't understand or didn't exist? If only there was an echo of his old self inside. It would make it so much easier to fight with everything I had if I knew there was a chance at bringing my beloved back.
Eros knelt beside me and roughly grabbed Dagon's wrist, twisting it back until the man grinned at him. "You're sure you want to play that game, boy?" Dagon asked with a glittering smile.
"I told you hands off," Eros snarled. His words were accompanied by a gust of wind that sent me diving into my lake for safety as lightning streaked across the sky.
"When we survive this little mermaid, we are going to have a nice long conversation," Dagon promised but the way he looked at me made me shudder.
"Captain Blade, I do not like to repeat myself," Quix interrupted. "Ignore this matter and attend to your ship like you were more than fairly compensated to do."
Dagon chuckled. "Scared of the storm already?" He laughed, a booming laugh that made the waves dance. "Oh, this is nothing boy. Your little witch has caused quite the bad luck and I'm the only one that can get you through it."
As if to emphasize his words the sky around us went pitch black and Dagon laughed. "This isn't over," he promised.
- Writer
