The evening ticked by quickly and soon enough the moon rose high above the ship, the waves reflecting its glow. The rest of the crew was settling down for the night and preparing for a late meal.
The four of us sat around a small, mahogany table that had been moved to the center of the room. The large chairs were set close to each other, so close that I could reach out and touch Helena across from me.
The small glass table that Helena and I had used for tea was piled high with roast vegetables, bread, and pork. Alexander and Jax had arrived minutes before and settled in to eat. Alexander reported there had been no other survivors and, for the first time, I felt a sliver of pity for the men. I'm sure not all of them were cruel.
Our plates were stuffed with the rich food and our cups were full of warm tea. The good food made conversation easy and everyone was smiling.
As the four of us swapped stories, I could see the love Helena and Alexander had for each other. It was simple things they did. Whenever Helena started speaking, Alexander lowered his fork or glass so that he could listen, drinking in every word. His eyes only left his bride when he was talking or eating. Otherwise, he was staring at her with calming eyes and a delicate smile.
Helena was also entrapped, her eyes glancing at the man as though he would disappear any moment. Numerous times Helena had been speaking while subconsciously leaning toward or reaching for Alexander. I don't believe she noticed, but I did. A human living harmoniously with us made me dream.
Glancing across the table, I found Alexander laughing, head tilted back as his jaw shook. Their conversation seemed to have taken a few steps in the second I wasn't paying attention.
"I think the fair would be fun," Jax grumbled. "We never do anything exciting anymore, all the talk of survival."
"Perhaps you'll have a chance to slip into the celebration when we return. What about you, Maurea?" Helena asked. "What will you do?"
There was so much I wanted to do, but nothing that I knew for certain. Only one thing came to mind as an immediate plan.
I shrugged my shoulders, raising my goblet before speaking, trying to downplay the importance of my words. "I don't know. I might try to find my sister and help her to create a better life for us."
"A sister? You didn't tell me you had siblings!" The women and the man across from me turned their attention away from the child when I responded.
Jax and Alexander's heads both snapped to Helena, their eyes wide and warning. Her smile stuck on her face, jaw tight.
"Yes. I haven't seen her in a long time. She was married off to a Lord in the South. My father's estate is farther North, near the capital. He didn't allow me to visit, so our only contact has been lettered." The faces around me softened and I regretted saying anything. I didn't want their pity.
"After that, I don't know. Maybe I'll travel." My hurried words didn't cover up my earlier statement. When no one responded, the pain in my chest increased.
"I have one older sister." I looked from the men whose gaze was slowly turning back to me. "You're not being honest with me," I stated, knowing it was a fact. I had been patient, waiting for them to tell me more, but it didn't look like they were going to.
"If you ask us a question, we'll answer honestly," Alexander offered. "We should have been here when Helena explained, she doesn't know everything."
"You knew I was on that ship. Jax, you searched me out and tried to trick me off the ship. I want to know why."
"Helena, love," Alexander stood, offering his hand to the woman, "I hate to ask, but may we have a few minutes alone?"
"If you insist," Helena agreed, standing slowly. Her eyes lingered on us searching. "I trust you'll tell me what you discuss if you can."
"I promise I will when I can." Alexander kissed her hand, watching as she left the compartment.
He sat again, back slumped like he was a soldier coming back from a battle. Perhaps he was.
"Why did you ask her to leave?" I asked, my hands clenched under the table. "What is so horrid or secret that your wife can't know."
"When she agreed to marry me, she also agreed to follow our rules." Alexander's voice was tight, a few octaves higher. "There is something you need to understand, we are not human and their laws are not our laws."
"You have laws?"
I had assumed we were free, no attachments. With the amount of power I could feel, nothing seemed capable of controlling it.
"Jax and I lived, rather Jax lives in a haven for us, Intutum. It has rules and if you live there, you must follow them. The one that separates you from other Spirits is your obedience to our laws."
"Spirits is that what we are. I haven't heard of them in any reading."
"That's why the laws exist, to keep us secret."
"What are they?" I asked the food on my plate long forgotten. "How am I to follow the laws if I don't know what they are?"
"You only have to follow them and after this conversation, you might not want to." Jax's head was bent, but his voice was as powerful as ever. "It isn't something you will enjoy."
"I haven't enjoyed most of today. I doubt anything you can say will startle me. Please, tell me everything." I could feel the intention of my eyes cutting across the table and digging into Jax. "You are the one who said I am owed that much."
"Then I want you to listen and believe everything I say," Alexander interjected. "As far-fetched as it may sound, it's true."
I nodded and he started his story, eyes clouding. "The reason Jax was on the ship was to collect you. There is a battle going on, one that you will not mention to Helena. The law's I mentioned are to keep our secrets from humans, but they don't always work. In the last few generations, there has been a growing movement against us."
His beard quivered as he licked his lips. "The reason we wanted you, was because of your family. Your father, Lord de'Laure, is the main antagonist in Spain. We were watching and intercepted a letter between you and your sister and laid in wait for you, our enemy's daughter, to wander into our grasp."
"So my father is in a war with Spirits," my throat felt like it was coated in tar. My word stuck and came out raspy. "I can't escape him, even now."
"Maurea, this is a lot to process. You should drink something or maybe go for a swim, clear your head."
"My head is clear," I snapped my face flushing with the intensity of my words. Taking a deep breath, I looked to Alexander, lungs quivering. "My sister, is she involved? Is she in danger?"
"No, and she won't be if she's not a hunter. Even then, we can spare her for you." Jax spoke for the first time. "This is a war to them, but for us, it is about survival. You were meant to be a source of information. That plan has changed under the present circumstances."
"My father wouldn't bargain with you for me," I argued. "What will you do now that I'm not a bargaining chip."
"Keep hiding, probably." Alexander shot Jax a glare and the younger man only shrugged. "I've lived there for twenty years and I haven't managed to talk my way farther than the servants. She was our only opportunity but it seems she had no idea."
"What did you need to know?" I asked, finally thawing from the cold spell that had taken over. "I might have heard something in passing."
"Recently Spirits living outside Intutum have gone missing. No one can find them and they leave nothing behind. We can only assume the Hunters have them, alive or dead."
Jax and Alexander seemed done explaining. Jax's features were tense and Alexander looked sick.
I could understand them. The daughter of a murderer sat across from them, forcefully connected by a greater power. No one could argue I was the same as them, but based on my past there was no way they could trust me either.
For all they knew, I could be a spy ready to run back to my father. Even with my current situation, in their eyes, it could happen.
"You don't trust me?" I asked, the guilt digging further into my gut. "There is nothing I could say that would convince you of my innocence. As much as I hate it, I am my father's daughter and I'll never be able to shed my bloodline."
"That's not it," Jax attempted a laugh. "I trust you."
"Why would you trust me?" I couldn't help my eyes tearing. I had cried enough for the day, but I could feel the unrestrained emotion clouding behind my lids.
"The reason Intutum sent me is that people cannot lie to me. That's my gift, seduction." Jax leaned back in his chair, grinning from under his lashes. "I guess they wanted a talented, handsome man to coax the target out."
I couldn't help laughing. He joined me, a bittersweet moment helping me slightly.
"Then you trust me," I breathed.
"The Ocean wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't trustworthy," Alexander agreed. "Now," he stood suddenly and I jumped in my seat, "this is no way to spend the night. You've become a Spirit, a gift that is rarely given. We will not spend it in solitude."
He offered me his hand and I slowly took it. Unlike the other sailors, his hands were smooth and warm. There was no trace of injury or scar on him.
Maybe one day I would be as good as him at hiding his pain. His eyes were warm, kind like a grandfather who had seen the world. There were beauty and regret, but an overwhelming understanding.