Blood ⤘ In The Heart Of The Sea [Thomas Nickerson]

Chapter VII

The warm morning air weaved through the crew of the Essex, the men running around between their different stations, following the usual routine.

Verona sat in her cabin, her eyes skimming the pages of an old book, when she heard a knock at her door.

"Miss Pollard?" Mr. Ramsdell called, "Mr. Chase asked me to wake you. He would like a word."

Getting up from the comfort of the bedsheets, Verona made her way to the door, opening it a crack. "Tell him I'll be right up."

Mr. Ramsdell nodded before walking off towards the steps that lead to the upper deck, leaving Verona to wonder why Owen would want to speak with her at this time in the morning. Pulling on her boots and quickly getting dressed, the raven hurried up the steps, letting the chilly morning wind push her hair back. Squinting, she noticed a beast laying on deck.

George heard steps walking towards him, and he turned to see his daughter staring at the animal they'd brought aboard only a few minutes before.

"A sperm whale," he spoke when she was close enough, gaining the girl's attention. "The men had to use two lines to catch it."

Verona nodded, but didn't utter a word as she stared at the bloodied beast. She was a strong girl, but she'd never quite liked the idea of hunting down innocent animals. Then again, that was the only way her father had ever taught her. Sighing, she placed a grin on her face, and made her way around the ship to start congratulating and checking in on the crew. Finally, she reached Owen, who was standing on the edge of the deck, staring out towards the waves.

"Three months," she said, making the man turn around, startled as he'd been in deep thought.

"Three months to catch such a beast. I'm starting to question whether the tides are in your favour, Mr. Chase."

Owen chuckled, walking towards the rest of the men, followed by the raven. "He wasn't easy to catch, either. We had to–"

"Use two lines," Verona interrupted, receiving a questioning look from Owen. "I spoke to my father," she added, to which the man nodded, then excused himself as Mr. Joy called him over.

Verona walked around a little more, when a wisp of brown hair caught her eye. Smirking, she headed towards Thomas, who sat in a corner of the deck, holding his hands.

"Hey, you," she said, sitting down next to him.

The boy's head snapped up, his brown eyes meeting a pair of blue ones, and he smiled at her.

Verona's eyes slowly fell upon his hands, and her eyes widened when she noticed the scarlet seeping through a piece of cloth.

"Thomas," she said, taking his hands, "what happened?"

The boy shrugged, looking at anything but her. "I didn't wet the line."

Verona sighed, shaking her head as she stood, dragging Thomas with her.

"Where are we going?" The boy asked, confusion covering his features.

"To get your hands bandaged. You won't even be able to hold a line if those cuts get infected," Verona replied, not letting go of him as they walked below deck and into the crew's sleeping quarters. Opening a cabinet, the raven pulled out a roll of bandages, then looked at Thomas and ordered him to take a seat.

The boy did as he was told, trying to hide a smile as he watched the girl wrap the cloth around his palm.

"So," Verona said as she worked, "how was your first time catching a whale? Other than the fact that you forgot to wet the line."