VIOLENT TIDES (gxg - editing)

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A shoal of tiny, darting silver dragons raced alongside the Finch, glinting in the light every time they joined the waves that splashed against the wooden hull. Ainsley stood at the edge with her hands wrapped around it, a breeze at her back and gaze fixed on the living water below.

It had been three days since the storm, and a week and a half since her escape from Ellay. She had no way of knowing the conditions back on the mainland, whether tensions had died down and she was still being searched for or if Ackerley had already decided to let it rest. Perhaps her country had already been plunged into war and she was here instead of trying to right things again.

But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

That thought arose every time she saw Gael.

Ainsley felt a smile she couldn't resist as the pirate appeared, strolling across the deck in a moment of rest from the work that had been keeping her. The Finch was in dire need of repairs after the storm it had come through, and Ainsley and the crew had been working tirelessly to fix what they could.

A swath of sunlight made its presence known, glowing strands caught in Gael's wind-whipped curls and lining the contours of her face in gold. Ainsley struggled to tear her gaze away. Despite the intimate night they had spent together, asleep and tangled in each other's arms, she wasn't sure what they were to one another or how to manage this new angle to their relationship.

She liked Gael, not more than anyone she had liked before, but in a very different way.

But that had added a level of confusion to this entire thing, and Ainsley found it easier not to bring it up.

"How is the Finch?" She asked as Gael approached to lean against the edge with her.

"She's nearly in good shape again, but there are a few things we need to make full repairs, such as new canvas for the sails." Gael tipped her head up to squint at the white sails that spread and billowed over them like the wings of a giant bird. "We need to make a stop. In a few days we pass by the Dune Islands. We can drop anchor near Greater Dune and get what we need before leaving again."

Ainsley nodded, recalling her geography and political studies. The Dunes were a small principality, two cozy islands nestled close to each other north of Ellay. It likely wouldn't pose too significant a risk to stop there, but she voiced her worries regardless.

"Do you think it's safe?"

"Well, we have to make this stop regardless of safety. The sails need to be patched, and Holman needs more medical supplies. We'll make the visit as brief as possible and be back at sea again shortly." Gael's smile settled the anxious tickle in Ainsley's stomach. Of course everything would be fine. It wasn't as though her father had any reason to search for her on Greater Dune.

A shadow swept across the sun, carving a path through the light that fell on their shoulders for a brief moment before it passed agian. Ainsley glanced up. There shouldn't be seabirds, they certainly weren't close enough to shore for that.

The silhouette, however, was distinctly draconic in nature, bearing a long, serpentine neck and the shape of leathery wings. Ainsley squinted against the sunlight, watching as it soared between the towering masts, disappeared briefly behind the sails, and then swept towards them again in a leisurely arc.

"A dragon?" She mused.

Gael looked up as well. "Did you...?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea what it's doing out here. I didn't call for it."

"Maybe it just felt your presence and came to greet you," Gael joked. Ainsley smiled.

It soared closer, and she realized it was perhaps the size of a hunting dog. When she reached out for it and it promptly dropped into her arms, however, she let out a surprised chuckle. It was much heavier than a dog.