The Song of the Sea

20. A Safe Space

"I'm not going to ask you to use your powers," Jacob said, making Raephier's jaw drop.

"W-What?" Raephier asked, not quite sure he was understanding correctly.

Jacob stopped pacing and turned to face Raephier.

"I know Raephier. I know that you've never killed anyone before, that you've never used your powers, so I'm not about to ask you to change that for me."

Raephier slowly lowered himself till he was sat on the bed, his mind racing.

"You know?" he repeated, not quite able to break down what Jacob had said.

"Yes," Jacob said gently, coming to sit next to Raephier on the bed. "I know you're not a killer. That's why I've stopped taking the Muntle seaweed."

Raephier couldn't help the small laugh that came out. "The Muntle seaweed doesn't work anyway. That's just something that Fingers made up to make extra money."

"What?!" Jacob said, standing up again.

Raephier just shrugged apologetically.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jacob asked.

"I did. I told you that you didn't need to take it, and you replied that it was your decision to make."

Jacob initially looked shocked at Reaphiers response, but then nodded slowly.

"Yes, you're right. And even if you had continued to tell me, I wouldn't have trusted you enough to know whether what you were telling me was true."

Jacob sat back down and stared down at his hands that were sitting on his lap.

"Don't feel bad about it," Raephier said, hating to see Jacob looking sad about anything. "You were right not to trust me. You didn't know me then."

Jacob turned to Raephier with a sense of urgency.

"But I trust you now. You know that, right?"

Raephier couldn't help the small giggle that escaped.

"Of course I know that. You let me wander freely round your ship."

Jacob gave Raephier a small smile before going back to staring at his hands.

Jacob's whole body language was that of a defeated man, and Raephier hated to see him like that.

It was always Jacob that initiated contact between them, so Raephier felt a little jittery when he slowly reached out his hand and tentatively placed it over Jacob's.

Jacob just stared at Raephier's hand for a good 30 seconds, during which Raephier forgot how to breathe. But then Jacob took hold of Raephier's hand with both of his and let out a deep sigh.

Raephier closed his eyes in relief and subtly took in a deep breath.

"What am I going to do?" Jacob asked, although Raephier was sure that he wasn't expecting him to be able to answer that.

"Maybe we'll get lucky," Raephier said, wishing rather than believing that to be true.

Jacob shook his head slowly.

"Every time we've tried to make it home, it's gone the same way. There are several scout boats patrolling the Farraday Straight which is the stretch of water between Arran Island, my home, and the mainland. These boats only have light armory, so we can usually fight them off, but their purpose isn't to destroy us anyway. It's to slow us down, and then go and report our location to the bigger ships. The bigger ships either belong to the Tredda (they're the race who are attacking our home) or Pirates who are under the protection of the Tredda."