Crossing Oceans | ✓

ᖴIᐯE | TᕼE ᔕEᑕᖇETᔕ

Amber couldn't help herself, and so she snorted. "Me? Respectable?" She laughed half-heartedly. "I am a gypsy, which makes me little better than yourself."

"Oh, I beg to differ. You are a much better person than any of us could ever hope to be." he said.

His words went straight to her heart, and being flattered she said, "Thank you very much. What is your name?"

"Victor."

Just when she was going to inquire on how he had become a pirate, she heard someone clear their throat from behind them. They turned to find the Captain, and inclining his head, Victor took his leave.

Amber was suddenly nervous, and so she turned her attention back to the sea and did her best not to notice how close Carson stood next to her. However, the sound of his low, melodious voice easily commanded her attention. "Is that what you did, in your caravan?"

She thought for sure that when she opened her mouth to speak, no sound would come out for her throat had gone dry, and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. But she managed, "Yes."

He was silent for a few beats before replying, "Well, if you don't mind me saying so, you were quite good." He cleared his throat and rushed on, "And I thank you on behalf of my men. It is not so often that they are able to have decent entertainment."

"So I have heard," she mumbled.

The awkward silence returned, and she shifted nervously. He acted as though he wanted to say something else to her, but finally he sighed and whispered, "Goodnight, Amber." She turned and watched him briskly walk to the cabin, and as she heard the soft thud of the door, she wished he hadn't gone.

••

Amber laid in her bed listening to the slosh of the sea against the side of the ship. The moon's silvery beams fell through the small window, and she gazed up into the skies, admiring the constellations that seemed so much more vivid out in the middle of the ocean. Sleep was evading her grasp, because every moment she felt herself drift off, she would hear his voice, or his face would pop into her head. This is silly! She told herself over and over again. I cannot possibly be falling in love with my captor. I don't even know him! But then she saw his clear, sea-green eyes staring at her, and she felt a smile creep onto her face. She wondered what his soft, full lips would feel like pressed to hers. Heat began to course through her, and she shook her head to clear her mind.

Restless, she stood from the bed and crossed to the window. The water was black and threatening, crashing against the ship as if it wished to smash it to pieces. The wind blew across the water, catching droplets of the sea and raining them against the ship. She shivered, and as she reached for a blanket to wrap around her, she heard footsteps in the hall outside the door. She froze and became suddenly alert, her hands still stretched out to grab the blanket. The footsteps traveled down the corridor and up onto the deck of the ship, and Amber, possessed by a power she could not identify, silently crept to the door and carefully turned the handle. The guard outside her door was sound asleep, and as she wore no shoes, her footsteps were muffled by the soft wood panels beneath her. Upon reaching the deck of the ship, she pressed herself to the doorway and looked around cautiously. She recognized his form immediately, but she made no move to approach him.

Captain Reed stood leaning against his hands that clutched the railing of the ship, staring out at the open sea stretched before him. His eyes were sorrowful, and his brow was creased with worry. He sighed and felt eyes on him. Turning swiftly, he automatically reached for his sword, but upon seeing Amber, he stayed his hand, and his features softened. They were silent for a moment, staring at one another, but when the captain spoke, his voice was gentle. "Amber, you should be in bed. It isn't safe."