Crossbones

5 - Stitching

Jace

Jace was sure to reserve himself a seat beside Ingrid when they reached camp. Bloody and bruised, she became the hero of the clan the moment she stepped into the firelight.

He held her hand while Sasha and Charlie set up the tent, preparing a makeshift hospital for the wounded women. Jace watched the two, thinking that they and Ingrid may just be the most beloved members of The Rosada's crew. Sasha, known affectionately by the men as "Ma", had never been anything less than a mother to all. She could fight if need be, but didn't like to if she could help it. She prefered to care for the hurt and talk out any conflicts that arose.

As another well-loved member of the crew, Ingrid was surrounded by concerned friends and crewmates. But despite the multitude of concern and affection, she remained quiet and sad, her eyes full of mourning.

She would answer no questions. All anyone knew was, she'd been attacked by something and she had managed to escape.

Jace squeezed Ingrid's hand, prompting her to look up. He offered a smile that she didn't return.

"Aye, don' be this way, lass," he said.

Ingrid had always been the whimsical one on The Rosada. She skipped through her work, singing little songs to herself and dancing with sullen men to cheer them up. She cared for the sick in the infirmary and brushed the hair of whoever she felt needed it. She laughed easily and gave out infectious smiles indiscriminately.

Looking at her, Jace felt a pang of sadness. She seemed as though she may never laugh again.

Ingrid sighed and said nothing. Phoebe, who sat at her feet, patted the woman's knee. "Aye, you'll be back on yer feet in a wink, Ingrid, if I know ye."

Just then, Charles appeared. "Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, allowing Sasha to lead her away. Jace felt like his heart was being squeezed by a giant fist. He grabbed the captain's wrist before he could disappear again. "Can I come, cap'n?" he asked.

Charles gave him a small frown. "I suppose. It may ease Ingrid a bit to have you there."

He followed the captain into the small tent. Inside, Ingrid and Stella laid side by side, both turning their heads to look when the men arrived. Sasha had begun to strip the clothes from Stella, whose face flushed red when she saw the other two.

"May'b I should go--" Jace began to say.

Ingrid, to his surprise, reached over and grabbed his hand. "No," she protested. "Stay with me."

So he sat down beside her, feeling huge in the wake of the thin captain with his tiny wife, and their two lithe crewmates. Ingrid continued to grip his hand as Sasha peeled her bloody clothes away from her skin. Jace kept his eyes on her white-knuckled hand, ignoring the rest of her body.

"Ingrid," said the captain. "Now that we have some semblance of privacy, we would very much like to hear your story."

Sasha nodded her approval as she began to clean the woman's wounds with rubbing alcohol. "Yes, dear," she said. "Tell us."

Ingrid shuddered, lifting Jace's hand. Absently, she placed his palm on her stomach and left it there. Her eyes fading shut, she whispered, "It's not to be spoken of, Charlie, I told you this."

"You will feel better if you tell us," Sasha argued. She shushed Ingrid as she began to squeal in agony at the sting of the alcohol. "It will distract you, too."

Swallowing hard, Ingrid set her lips in a frown. Her skin felt soft and warm under Jace's hand, her stomach rising and falling rapidly. Her pulse had sunk there, resting under his fingertips. He considered having her life in his hands, wondering if she would trust him with it.

"Well," Ingrid began. "I woke in a cave, not on the beach like all of you . . . Just me, an' Henry an' Eddie--" she broke off, sobs shaking her.

Sasha ran her fingers through Ingrid's hair, her eyes loving and concerned. Ah, everyone loved Ingrid. What would they do if she died? The mourning would be perpetual, stretching on for decades like a long, black ribbon.

"Go on," the captain prompted. "What happened, then?"

She sniffed, her soft hand covering Jace's. "Then, we's all waking up, one at a time, wondering where we is. All we remembered was the shipwreck. I got knocked out early on, I think. Got thrown out o' bed. Hit my head on the floor." She paused, watching Sasha reach for her needle and thread. "You gonna stitch me, Ma?"

Sasha nodded. "Keep going."

"Well, Eddie, he remembers more," Ingrid said. "Says he gots dragged off the deck by th' collar of his shirt."

The captain's wife, who had remained so quiet Jace had nearly forgotten her, asked, "Dragged off by what?"

The woman began to weep again. "Oh, Stella," she cried. "They're so horrible, I hope you ain't ever got to see one yourself. They ain't human, I swear to you, but they was, once. They got these long, sharp teeth, and they been turned all white and almost see-through, like cloudy glass? Got blood all in their mouths. They ain't vampires, though. They're worse!"

"Then what are they?" Sasha asked, threading her needle.

"Cannibals!" Ingrid exclaimed, sobs garbling the word.

Charles frowned, looking down at his wife. Stella had gone nearly blue with fear, her entire body trembling. Jace had never known such a worrisome woman. The captain kissed her knuckles, silent for a moment. Unsaid words passed between Stella and he, thick with meaning but indecipherable to the others. After a moment he asked, "So what of Edward?"

Face crumpling, Ingrid responded, "He told me he gots dragged off the ship by two of 'em, an' they started to go for Stella, too." The other woman's face went even bluer. Charlie gripped her hand, his eyes wide with confusion and anger. "They was dragging the two of them up the beach, and Edward couldn't stand for it. You know how he was, always just a pi'ture of honor." She became too overcome with emotion to go on.

Sasha held the needle close to the crying woman's hip, meeting her eye. "I'm sorry, dear," she said. "I haven't got any ice or nothing."

Ingrid took Jace's hand again, digging in her fingernails. "Will it hurt?"

She nodded, putting down the needle. She reached behind her, producing a flask. Unscrewing it, she dribbled a bit into Ingrid's mouth. "Keep talking, Sweetie."

So she pushed on. "H-he couldn't let them get you," she said to Stella. "So he started fightin'. And you know how good Eddie was on a sword--" she paused to scream as the needle pierced her skin. Jace let her crush his hand in hers. "S-so," she struggled, "he fought for you, Stella. You's hurt, I know, but he saved you." Another scream. Jace brought her hand to his chest, cradling it in both his palms. Sasha leaked more rum into her mouth.

Tears also came to Charlie's eyes. "Aye, you couldn't find a more honorable soul on the seven seas. I will miss him dearly."

Ingrid nodded, grimacing. "As will I. He saved Stella, then he gots dragged down to the cave with me an' Henry. We's all sitting there, telling our stories, then them creatures start crawlin' out--Agh!"

Sasha leaned down, kissing Ingrid's tear-coated cheek. "Relax, child."

Voice shaking, she continued. "Them creatures start coming out, an' they're all in a ring around the three of us -- a dozen, at least!" She groaned, grabbing Sasha's wrist. "Stop for a second, Mama," Ingrid begged. "It's too much, I can't do it."

Sasha gave her another sip of rum, her face contorted in empathy as if she could feel Ingrid's pain. "Just ten more stitches."

"Ten!" Ingrid exclaimed, batting Sasha's needle away. "No, no, just let me die. The pain's too much, Sashie."

Charlie and Sasha shared a look. The captain cleared his throat. "Shall I?" he asked, already moving to knock Ingrid out.

Sasha sighed, shaking her head. "No, captain. She mightn't wake up." Then, addressing Ingrid, she said, "You are strong, my dear. Go on, tell us what happened."

So Ingrid went on with her vulgar story between screams and sobs, describing the cannibals' filthy attack, Eddie's death, and her own escape. The whole time, Jace clutched her hand and wished he could take her pain.