Kagon's heart thumps within him, beating to the rhythm of his footsteps as he dances away from the slash of Kip's sword. The boy grips on to the wire-bound wooden handle, brows crumpled in complete concentration.
From the sidelines, Delia sits and leans against the main mast, studying from a huge book.
She really meant what she said three nights ago. Kagon thinks as he delivers his own attack, drawn back into the heat of his duel.
The lad has improved much. Kagon thinks with a wry smile. But he is still no match for me.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kagon watches as Captian X-Tavius swings and drops down from the rigging and on to the main deck.
"Good day, fair Delia." Tavius takes off his hat and presses it to his chest as he bows slightly.
Her grey eyes almost regretfully leave the pages as she looks up at him. Realization crosses her face and she flushes a light pink. "Good day to you as well." She answers shortly.
Tavius sends her a devilish smirk that has Kagon thrown for a loop with the emotions he feels. It's not the green of envy, but something quite different. Protectiveness...?
Kagon reels at the feeling of cold steel on his arm where the blunt side of Kip's blade meets his skin. "I win." The boy announces in a an even tone.
Kagon shakes off his thoughts and feeling, offering the boy a shaky chuckle. "I was being easy on you." He says, not wanting to admit that he was not concentrating as much as usual.
Kip's amber gaze stares into his own, unwavering. "You're never easy on me."
Kagon blinks and looks away. "Well, I was this time! Alright?"
Kip only shrugs and saunters over to his mug where he gulps down the liquid inside.
Perturbed and thorny at his loss, Kagon traipses over to Delia and Tavius, swinging an arm around the pirate captain. "What are we talking about?"
Tavius brushes off Kagon's arm from his shoulders. "If you don't mind, I don't like being touched, mate."
Ever shrewish, Delia regards him, looking determined and stubborn. "Tavius was just offering me the opportunity to learn better how to fight." She jabs, time cool as she scrutinizes his facial response.
Kagon's hands turn into fists as he matches her iron-will with his. However, it is not her that he's angry at. He turns to Tavius. He's so close to the pirate that he can see the thin scar that causes his smiles to be so crooked. "She's a lass, just a girl."
"A woman." Tavius corrects.
Kagon can almost feel his ears and face turn the color of the setting sun. "Either way!" He snaps. "Girls should not be allowed to fight."
Tavius eyes the Roarian dagger at her thigh before glancing at Kagon, a slow lopsided grin conquering his lips. "Then why allow her to keep that dagger, why let her travel with you, and be by your side through all of your dangerous quests if you truly believe that?"
Kagon is at a loss for words.
"Besides, you're just the hero that she's writing a story about. It's nothing personal, right?"
"Tavius-" Delia attempts to to interject.
"Teach her to fight then, it is no matter to me." Kagon says, voice suddenly calm as his face returns back to its regular shade. Then, he focuses on Delia. "Be careful of your friend, he is a criminal. Don't you ever forget that."
It is then that the hero turns and goes to resume his duel with his protege.
〰〰〰
Tavius unsheathes his rapier with one hand and offers Delia his other hand. "Shall we?"
She almost says no. Kagon only just forgave her for her deceit, so why would she want to upset him once more?
"Well?" Tavius says with that smile of his.
Her mind goes to the many times Kagon underestimated her in her ability. Her hand, almost on its own accord, reaches up and takes his. Tavius pulls her to her feet with a grin. "You've mentioned that you had some training from the Amazons and from watching your two friends spar. Let's see what you've got then, sweetheart."
Suddenly, footsteps bang up the stairway and up to the main deck. A sleepy Maude rubs his single eye before zeroing in on Delia and Tavius. "What did I miss?" He smirks
"Tavius is going to teach me some more fighting techniques." She says.
Maude plops down on the floor and watches them. "This will be quite a show, don't mind me."
Delia rolls her eyes, but ignores the man, taking the Roarian dagger from her thigh sheath instead. Once the weapon is grasped properly in her hand, she offers Tavius a grin. "Are you ready?"
Tavius laughs. "Are you?"
In answer, she kicks his legs out from under him and points her dagger at his neck.
"That was dirty, sweetheart." He says from his position on the deck.
Delia shrugs as she gets back into position. "I learned that from the Amazonian leader, Yetska, they often fight with their legs to trip up their opponent in battle."
"Not a very honorable thing to do." Tavius notes as he gets to his feet, seafoam green eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Fighting is never clean, as a warrior you should take every opportunity to kill your partner. Fighting isn't a polite waltz, but a primitive dance of death." Delia quotes. "In the short time I was there, she drilled that into my head."
Tavius nods with a smirk. "Smart woman."
Suddenly, he take a swipe at her. Delia barely dodges this. Before she can properly gather herself, Tavius goes in for another swing that Delia dodges once more. This time he is able to rip off a piece of fabric at her side.
However, when he goes in to strike once more, she is finally able to raise her dagger. The two weapon clang against each other. Delia's ears ring with the sound of the clash. She quickly pulls her weapon away and goes in for a low stab at his abdomen. Tavius twists out of the way, turning on light, agile feet and pointing his rapier at her jugular.
Delia takes in a shallow breath, afraid that any movement would cause the blade to sink into the soft flesh of her neck. She looks at him from the corner of her eye and sees his victorious smile as his carefully, slowly lowers his weapon.
"Not bad." He comments. "But you leave yourself too open when you go in to strike. Try not concentrating on the movements of your dagger and more so on your opponent. You don't look at your hand as it picks up food, so you shouldn't stare down at your weapon either, it is an extension of your body after all."
Delia presses her lips together and nods. "Understood."
Tavius chuckles suddenly, it's a clipped and snarky kind of laugh.
"What?"
His irises shine with amusement. "It's just that your friend can't keep his eyes off of you."
"Kagon?" Delia asks, cheeks reddening. However, when she turns her head to look, her eyes are meet with an amber gaze and a small smile.
〰〰〰
Delia collapses into her bed, exhaustion racking her aching body. It has been a week since she and Tavius began to train. Every night since then, she's crawled into bed and stayed up late studying from her book. Weariness has taken its tole on her.
She reaches for the book laying safely on her bedside table, only for her arm to fall slack, fingers grazing the wooden floor.
I'll skip studying tonight....
Her eyelids droop and then close as sleep overtakes her immediately.
Crack!
Delia fights her way out of her blankets, feeling as if she's drowning in the river Ta'ce as it steals her away from Kagon once more. Finally, Delia is able to throw the blankets from herself, gasping for air. Her chest moves up and down rapidly as her head whips around, trying to find recognition in her settings. Her gaze lands on the book on her table and her body becomes limp with relief. She's traveled so much that she forgets where she even is sometimes.
Crack!
Delia's relief is instantaneously replaced with fear as she nearly jumps out of her skin from the loud sound.
Boom!
The sound of rain slamming down from the sky quickly follows.
A storm?
Groggy and confused, Delia stumbles out of bed and clumsily pulls on one of her boots before realizing she's only wearing her undergarments. Delia groans, takes off her boot and tugs on a white blouse and brown legging before shoving her feet into her boots once more. By this time, she's awake enough to realize just how oppressive the heat and humidity of the air is.
A cool sweat pebbles on her brow as she runs down the hallway and jogs up the stairs. She can hear muffled shouts as she swings open the door to the main deck. As soon as she steps outside, wind and sharp rain buffet her, soaking her to the bone in mere seconds.
Rebelling against the forces that shove her back, Delia pushes through the elements to where she can see a figure in the darkness.
Blinded, she nearly trips over them, but is quickly steadied by warm hands.
"Delia? Are you okay?" Kip asks, his voice gruff and tired.
Delia bobs her head. "Yes, I heard yelling and came up to see if I could help."
Kip shakes his head, he has yet to let go of her shoulders. "There's nothing you can do." His eyes hold a sad kind of determination. "Storms reek havoc and its victims can only wait it out."
For some reason she doesn't think he's taking about the actual monsoon around them, but of something else. Something deeper. She studied him a moment in concern, but the moment is quickly broken as a gigantic wave crashes over The Sea Sorceress and Delia's feet are taken out from under her.
"Delia!" Kip shouts.
Not again. She thinks as she slides down the deck, sputtering water and screaming her head off.
"Wow there lass!" Out of nowhere, Kagon grasps her hand and pulls her to her feet, flashing her an arrogant grin. "Are you trying to be carried away again?" He teases, but she can see the through the facade. The fear in his face and the uneasiness in his smile is obvious to her as she remembers that he has a fear of the ocean.
"Kagon!" She hears Tavius holler. "For the sake of the Seas! Get over here, the ship can sail on its own in fair weather, but it needs help when the elements are throwing her about!"
"Go back to your cabin." Kagon urges, grabbing her arm and pointing her in the direction of the stairwell.
Delia rips her arm out of Kagon's grip, eyes blazing and anger boiling on hot. "Sticks and stones, Kagon! You need everyone you can get in order to stay afloat in a storm such as this!"
"Stop yer quarreling and lend a hand, will you!" Maude rants, trying desperately to tie two ropes together.
"What can I do to help!" Delia shouts over the crack of lightning.
"Up here, love!"
Delia angels her head upwards to see Tavius on the Sterndeck, manning the steer.
Delia rushes up the stairs, her wet hair whipping in her face and stinging her cheeks. Once on the Sterndeck, she faces the captain.
"I need you to control the steer while I climb the rat lines, one of the ropes that are keeping the sails furled has become loose. I need to go up and fix it, if the sail gets loose then we'll be at the wind's mercy."
"But Tavius! I-!"
"Just keep the ship pointed into the oncoming waves, it'll keep us from capsizing. I've tried running with wind and I'm afraid It'll sink us."
Delia sucks in a deep breath, almost choking on the rain. "Alright, I think I've got it. Steer the ship into the waves."
"Exactly." He turns toward the men on the main deck. "The ship is pumping the bilges itself so the water can be real eased fro inside the ship. Therefore, I want the anchor dropped, it'll help point the bow of the ship into the waves. Understood!" He shouts over the howling wind.
"Aye!" Maude responds, going with the others to help drop the anchor.
Tavius turns to Delia and winks. "Pray that the sea doesn't take me for herself tonight." At that, he nimbly climbs up the rat lines, leaving Delia to take control of the wheel.
"Oh no! The storm's taken us to Roaria! Delia, the reef!"
However, Tavius's warning is too little too late. Delia's teeth clench and her bones vibrate at the hull of The Sea Sorceress scrapes along the coral reef.
The water around the boat suddenly becomes even more shallow as if all the water had been stripped out from under them. Her mother told her sailor tales like these. Terror stocks its claws into her, refusing to let go. She turns her head to see a colossal wave coming straight towards The Sea Sorceress.
It crashes against the ship and then...nothing. Her vision goes black.