The Dragonborn

Part 96

Jack very slowly sat up. Had it been all in his head? It looked real enough to him. Keeping his eyes on Mark, he asked him hesitantly. "Mark... Is there anything you want to tell me?" Mark shied away from him a bit, replying in an unsettled voice. "What do you mean? Jack, what's going on?" Jack scanned Mark's body with his eyes. If he had been bitten then he'd show some kind of sign, right? Mark reached out to touch his cheek, but before his fingers could touch him, he stated out bluntly. "You got bit didn't you." Mark's hand froze and his fingers curled into a fist as he lowered his hand. His face was riddled with guilt. Jack took a deep breath, shakily asking him. "Why did you lie to me?" Mark slipped off the bed in silence, pulling his pants back up. Jack rolled onto his knees, asking him in a hurt tone of voice. "Mark, WHY? Why didn't you tell me?!" Mark let his hands fall to his sides with a heavy sigh, before grimly retorting. "I didn't want you to worry about it. You've got enough problems right now."

Jack climbed off the bed, swatting Mark's arm enough that it made him look at him. When their eyes locked, Jack snapped at him. "Damn your pride, Mark! You should have told me this! We could have-" Mark cut him off in that moment to snap back sternly. "Could have what? Missed our chance to investigate Miraak? You said it yourself. We have to see what he's up too before it's too late. We don't have the time to go chasing after a cure that doesn't exist!" Jack's shoulders fell and his voice creaked as he uttered out defensively. "Don't say that... You don't know that. We could have... I could have gone back to the college and asked them!" Mark grabbed his shoulders tightly, telling him seriously. "Jack. This was my choice. You have to focus on Miraak." Jack narrowed his eyes on Mark, sneering out through his teeth. "You did this on purpose?" Mark straightened up, saying in his defense. "Yes and no. It was going for Tim's neck and... I saved him."

Jack shoved Mark away from him, yelling out louder than he had intended. "How could you do this?! Do you have any idea what this means?! Damn it, Mark! I can't protect you if you're going to try to kill me!" Mark lowered his gaze to the floor and Jack quickly slipped on his clothes. Heading barefoot for the door, Mark tried to stop him asking him curiously. "What are you doing?" Jack yanked the door open, shooting back angrily. "I'm going to tell the Captain to go back." Rushing out the door, Mark raced after him, yelling after him. "Goddamn it, Jack! Don't! Stop!" Jack dashed up the steps and onto the deck with Mark right on his heels. Already the boat had left Windhelm's harbor on the edge of the horizon. Spotting the Captain at the bow, Jack ran up to him. The Captain lowered his spyglass, starting to tell him happily, before his expression changed to a worried one. "Hey there! I hope you don't mind. We had to stable your horses at the harbor. We didn't have the room and Raven Rock has laws against... What's going on?"

Through heavy panting, Jack told the Captain bluntly. "We have to go back! Turn the boat around!" The Captain stiffened up and Mark snapped out after Jack. "No! We're not going back!" Jack shot Mark a hard scowl, when the Captain raised his hands in surrender and asked nervously. "Someone want to tell me why the sudden change of heart?" Mark grabbed Jack's arm, starting to drag him away as he answered. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Jack was so distraught that he shouted out to the Captain as Mark forcefully dragged him across the deck. "We have to go back and find a cure before it is too late!" The entire crew stiffened around them. The Captain's expression turned into a hard glare as he asked seriously. "What did you bring on board of my ship?" Mark released Jack's arm, reaching for a sword... that wasn't on him. Jack swallowed, regretting his slip up but told the Captain honestly. "Mark got bitten by a werewolf and we need to go back to get the cure."

The crew all drew their swords as the Captain slowly approached Jack, asking in a cold voice. "You brought a werewolf onto my ship... On the night of a rising full moon. Even if I turned this ship around, we wouldn't make it to the harbor before nightfall." Jack felt suddenly light headed. The Captain looked over at Mark, telling his quartermaster sternly. "Lygrleid, take the werewolf below deck and put it in a cage." Lygrleid stepped forward, gesturing for Mark to start walking with his sword. Jack slipped between the sword and Mark, begging the Captain desperately. "Don't kill him. Please!" The Captain puffed himself up, stating casually. "I'm not going to kill him, but I'm not going to have him running loose on my ship either." Mark patted Jack's arm confidently and moved to let Lygrleid guide him down below deck. Jack cursed to himself and dashed after them. Lygrleid guided Mark down another ladder to the cargo hold and gestured to two built in cells. Mark stepped inside one with a sigh, kicking the loose straw beneath his bare feet.