I step through the portal and trudge after him, no closer to figuring out how I feel about any of this. Maybe I misjudged him, and maybe if I accept how he is, we can go back to being friends.
Because I won’t be able to handle an eternity without friendship if this ship becomes my permanent home.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“He’s almost ready to come out.”
Sig and I spend the next afternoon on deck, watching Fin and Jorn play on the mast. She offered to practice disarming with the dagger, since I haven’t really practiced any more after Weston taught me.
“Really? It’s barely been a day,” I say, as I grab her wrist and wrench it down. My movements are more fluid, and I fumble with the blade less often than when we started. Sig’s hands are almost the same size as mine, though, and I worry about being able to do it in an actual fight on someone larger than me.
Like Weston.
Sig holds her hand out for the dagger, and I place it on her palm. “He hasn’t given us any trouble. It seems like he understands everything, especially after Jorn talked to him.”
“They knew each other from before?”
She nods. “I think it goes back farther than on Dawnlin. Jorn hasn’t really said, but they are from the same kingdom.”
It took me by surprise when Jorn greeted Taril so comfortably, like he had been waiting for his arrival. None of the Castaways really talk about the Voyagers that are back at camp, so it is hard to know who was around at the same time.
“Are they actually brothers?” I ask, remembering what Jorn said to Taril down on the beach.
“No,” Sig says. “But maybe friends. I was waiting for him to tell me. Now that Taril is here, I’m sure he will.”
I flip the dagger at her, that attempt the smoothest so far, and she gives me a nod of approval.
“Do you think I could talk to him? Before he comes out?” I ask.
There’s a lot I want to know from Taril, especially with what we’ve seen of the Voyagers since I left. After everything I’ve learned about Dane, I still feel like I need closure. I don’t know if Taril can give that to me, but I hope I can get something.
I’m also worried. I know what I thought when I was captured and brought here, and I know what my plans were. Now that I know these people and care about them, I don’t want anyone to hurt them. I need to know for myself that he isn’t plotting anything harmful.
“It’s not me you have to ask,” she says, tilting her head toward the quarterdeck, where Weston sits with a group of the crew who already finished their tasks for the day.
I slide my dagger into the sheathe at my back and she plops down on the floor, leaning against the wooden pillar. I climb the wooden stairs up to the quarterdeck and feel Weston’s focus catch on me the second I am in view. He watches as I take a step toward the rail and gesture over my shoulder, away from the group.
“Captain? Can I talk to you?” His brows draw together as he pushes to stand and leads me to the opposite side of the quarterdeck, near the other set of stairs.
“What do you need, princess?”
My stomach tumbles at his tone, not at all annoyed or bothered that I interrupted him, but helpful and sincere. We haven’t talked since last night, since his admission in the portal,and it feels different now that I’ve decided to give him some grace. I want to be friends again, and I am nervous that he doesn’t feel the same way.
“I wanted permission to talk to Taril,” I say.
He crosses his arms and leans back on the rail, quirking his head to the side. I try to stay focused on his face, but the rippling muscles in his forearms beg for attention.
“You’re asking permission? That does not seem like you, princess.”
“Would you rather me just go down to the brig and talk to him without you knowing?”
Trying to accept his protective nature is going to take getting used to, but just because I’m trying doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun with him about it.
His eyes narrow slightly. “Why do you need to talk to him now, and not when he comes out?”
“I just,” I pause, trying to make sure I find the right words that won’t make him jump to his favorite word, ‘no.’ “I want to make sure he’s alright, but coming around this quickly is suspicious. I want to make sure he isn’t faking it. I’m intimately familiar with the poison Dane spewed, and how it can affect someone when they come here.”
He stares, his eyes boring into mine, and I don’t know which part of what I said caused him to react. I shift on my feet, waiting for an answer.
