MAN OF WAR

3

She had refused to eat for two days, but by the third day, the girl was beginning to look weak and withered in the corner. Titus returned to his stateroom that afternoon to check on the girl and found her slumped over in the corner. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were dry. The water and the platter of food he had brought her that morning remained untouched. She was killing herself with her stubborn refusal to eat.

            Titus knelt down beside her and placed his hand on her cheek, hoping to rouse her. She was barely conscious. “You will die if you do not drink,” he whispered softly, lifting the mug to her parched lips. He tipped it just enough to pour a small amount of water into her mouth. She lapped up the moisture, and Titus placed the mug back on the floor. He broke off a small piece from the roll. “Open your mouth,” he coaxed, touching the bread lightly to her lips. “You must eat,” at first, she did nothing. “Do not make me force-feed you,” he warned in a soft but firm tone. He would not have a death upon his ship.

            Reluctantly her lips parted, and Titus placed the scrap of bread in her mouth. She slowly chewed the stale morsel and swallowed. He sat on the floor beside her, feeding her and giving her more water. She had only eaten half of the small roll when she began to resist him once more. She turned her face away, her eyes closed. She tried to lift her hands and push his away, but she was weak, and the weight of the iron shackles made her limbs tremble with the effort.

            “You have not eaten enough,” he protested, pushing her hands down. “You must eat this whole platter if you wish to regain your strength,” it took some work, but Titus managed to force the rest of the roll into her and half the egg. He did not think he could get much more passed her lips. She had locked her jaw shut and was still trying to push him away. Why must she be so stubborn? What would killing herself prove? What purpose would it serve?

            Titus managed to get the last of the water into her, and then he released her from his hold. She collapsed into a weak lump on the floor, her back against the wall and her eyes closed. She looked so ill and failing, laying sprawled inelegantly on the floor in the corner. He felt his conscience nagging at him. He could not bring himself to just leave her where she was. Titus crossed the room to his desk and opened the top drawer. He searched it until he found the key to the shackles. Then he returned to withering beauty in the corner and removed the irons from her wrists.

            Titus scooped the girl up in his arms and carried her to his bunk. She would be far more comfortable here, and in her present state, she would not likely try to escape. He gently placed her on the feather-stuffed mattress and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. He would have to check on her later. Titus extinguished the lamp to save the oil. If she were to sleep the whole time, there would be no need for light; therefore, no need to waste the oil.       

            He then cleaned up the platter and the mug. He would return them to the galley before making rounds through the ship to see how things were coming. The repairs would be finished today, and in three days’ time, they would be docking in Port Kumun. They would then travel to the palace where they would present their prisoners to the court. His men would enjoy a brief shore leave with their families, and Titus would receive his next assignment.

            After returning the dishes to the galley, Titus took inventory of their food supply. It was a good thing they would be making port soon. Their rations were getting low. He then went above deck and watched the men at their posts. Someone yelled, “Captain on deck,” and everyone jumped to attention. He gave all permission to be at ease. Titus had no intention of barking orders when all was running so smoothly. The wind was filling the patched sails, and the Raven was cutting through the water at top speed. They were making good time. The Raven was long, low, and fast, a well-armed man of war in the form of a ship. There were few ships on the water that could match her strength and speed.

            Titus spent the next two hours overseeing the last of the repairs and inspecting the quality of the work. There was only so much one could do while at sea, but he still expected the best from every member of his crew and would tolerate nothing less. Finding the work satisfactory, he decided to relieve Pete at the helm and steer the ship for a while. Sometimes there was nothing better than standing at the helm with the wind at his back and the sun on his brow, staring out over the open water. It had a strangely calming effect on him.

            Titus had loved being at sea ever since he had run off and joined the navy all those years ago. His father had been at war for less than a year when word of his death had come home. His mother had been devastated. Young and widowed with a son and no means of providing for them, things had been tough, and she had soon remarried a high-ranking soldier. A General that lived at court when he was home. He was a cruel man that mistreated his new wife and beat Titus. At thirteen, Titus had run off and joined the Imperial Navy to fight in the war as his father had. He lied about his age to get on the ship as a cabin boy and literally learnt the ropes under fire.

            Titus was young and eager to learn, fearless in battle when he faced the enemy. He quickly rose through the ranks, earning many field promotions. He had been promoted to the first mate of the Sea Hag under Captain John by the time he reached seventeen and earned his own ship not two years later. He was one of the youngest Captains in the Imperial Navy, and he lived for his job. He slept, ate, and breathed the war. He was utterly dedicated to the crown and to bringing an end to the rebellion that had taken his father from him. This blasted war, which had been anticipated to end within months, had gone on for years. Thirteen long years. Thirteen too many.

            The rebellion had proven themselves more resilient and more organized then they had been given initial credit. Over the years, they had managed to recruit more followers, increase their strength and even turning otherwise loyal subjects traitor. The rebellion was like a virus, and the longer they lasted, the more they spread, the more good people they infected with their propaganda. Their rebel leaders had proven themselves cunning and brilliant in the art of guerrilla warfare. Their tactics were underhanded but effective, and there were none better known nor more notorious than the rebel leader Sakwa.

            No one knew what the man looked like, but Sakwa was rumoured to have once been an Imperial soldier. It was said that he, himself, had ridden through the land inciting riots and rallying the peasant and poor against the Emperor. They said that he and his followers had begun sacking supply convoys and freeing slaves. He stole wagons transporting taxes and prevented them from reaching the Emperor. Sakwa went out of his way to harass soldiers and Imperial transports as if he held a vendetta against the Emperor. Each passing day more and more people joined his cause. The Emperor saw an immediate need to crush the rebellion before things got out of hand, and the war began. Thirteen years later, they were still fighting. This blasted war had gone on far too long. Someone needed to find the head of the rebellion and lop it off. Perhaps if they lost their charismatic leader, they would fall apart, and this blasted war would end.

***

            Jade rolled over, burying her face into the soft pillow. The soft mattress beneath her felt so good. She pulled the blanket up over her shoulders to ward off a chill. Suddenly Jade’s eyes opened as she realized she was no longer chained in the corner. She was free; slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Jade felt terribly weak, but she sat on the edge of the Captain’s bunk and looked around in the dark.

            She reached up, trying to find the lamp in the darkness. It took a minute, but she found it, and lighting the lamp, she looked around the stateroom. She was alone, and the shackles were still on the floor in the corner where she had spent the last few days. Jade hauled herself to her feet. She felt a little dizzy, but she walked over to the door and tried to open it. She pulled on the latch and found it locked. The Captain had freed her from her chains, but she was still a prisoner.

            Unless she could find her crystal.

Jade looked at his desk, thoughtfully. Where might he have put it? Jade crossed over to the desk and began to rummage through the drawers. Finding nothing, she searched through the things on the desktop and then opened the large chest. She found canvas, bottles of oil, and all sorts of things, but no crystals. Jade looked at the storage space beneath the bunk. Crawling across the floor, Jade began to search through each one of the storage boxes. She felt like screaming. She could not find it anywhere.

            She heard a key in the lock and looked up just in time to see the door open. The Captain entered with a platter in one hand and a bottle in the other. He smirked when he saw her on her knees. “Looking for something?” He asked, kicking the door shut with his foot. He placed the bottle on the floor and locked the door slipping the brass key back into his pocket. She watched him pick up the bottle and cross the room to the desk, where he placed his load down. “You will not find it in there,” he said.

            “Find what?” She asked, wearily pulling herself to her feet.

            “Your crystal. I assume that is what you are looking for. It is what I would be looking for if I were you and woke up finding I was alone and unchained,” he said, leaning against his desk.

            She still felt so weak. Jade sat down on the edge of the bunk. She should have guessed he would have stashed her crystal somewhere safe and away from her. He did not strike her as a foolish man. “It means nothing to you. Why will you not just give it back to me?”

            Titus chuckled. “That is where you are wrong. It means control and power to me. With it, in my position, I have control over you. With it, in your possession, you are far too dangerous. I think I will be keeping it,” she stared at him with annoyance. He was so terribly arrogant. Titus picked up the roll from the platter he had brought in and brought it to her. He held it out for her to take, and she refused. “Listen here; you are going to start eating if I have to sit on you and force the bloody food down your throat. I will not have you dying on me before we reach court.”

            Jade glared up at Titus studying his eyes, trying to decide if his threat was genuine. She had no doubt that he would sit on her and force her to eat should she refuse again. She believed he was not a man that made idle threats. Jade took the roll from his hand, and grudgingly began to eat. She would never admit it aloud, but she was awfully hungry. She actually found herself grateful for the stale roll. She almost wished there were more as she quickly devoured the bread.

            Titus smiled at her triumphantly as if he had just won another battle. “I told you that you were hungry,” he said, bringing her an egg. Annoyed, she snatched the egg from him and took a bite. “You would do well in the future to comply. Your master will likely not be so tolerant,” he said, walking back to his desk and taking the cork out of the top of the bottle.              

            “I will have no master,” she growled between bites. “I will be no man’s slave.”

            “Is that so?” He asked in a condescending tone. “How do you propose to prevent it?”

            “I shall run away,” she said matter of fact.

            “The penalty for runaway slaves is death. They are almost always caught, and you would most certainly be caught. You could hide nowhere. Without your crystal, you would blend in nowhere and being what you are; anyone would turn you in for the price of ale. You have nowhere to run that you will not be found,” he said in an attempt to strip away her hope and make her see the severity of her situation. Only Jade understood fully the severity of the position she was in, and she would take her chances with the gallows before allowing herself to become the concubine to some fat filthy man three times her age.

            He was, however, right about one thing. She could not simply blend in or disappear into the crowds without her crystal. She desperately needed it back before she made a run for it, or she would be stuck in this form for the rest of her life. That would be unacceptable. She needed to find it and do whatever it took to get it back. Only she did not know where it might be. Jade had looked everywhere in the stateroom and could find no sign of it. So, if the Captain did not keep the crystals tucked away in the cabin somewhere, where did he keep them? Someplace he would feel they were safe and secure. Someplace he would be sure he always knew they were and knew she could not find if he was not around.

            Jade eyed Titus thoughtfully. Was it possible that he kept the crystals on his person? It would certainly be a secure place. He would know they would always be safe with him, but how was she to search his person? Or to retrieve her crystal if that was where it was? It would not be like she could just wait for him to leave the room? She would need an excuse to touch him. Need a reason that he would allow her to touch him so that she could find what she needed, but it was not like he was just going to stand there with his arms out and welcome her search.

            Jade finished her egg thinking to herself of just how she could search him. She could wait until he fell asleep and try then. But he may chain her up once more, and then she could not reach him, and her chance would have been lost. She could wait for him to change into clean clothing and then search what he left behind, but if he had the crystal, he would likely just take it with him anyway. So how did she search him awake, alert, and still dressed? A reluctant vile idea came to mind, she would have preferred to have done anything else, but unfortunately, Jade saw no other way to achieve the goal she had in mind.

            She had never seduced a man before, but Jade understood the fundamentals. She knew she was beautiful; men had been telling her so all her life. She had hated it so much; her beauty had been like a curse to her. Drawing more attention than she preferred. Harassment from all sorts of unsavoury men. It was why she often chose the form of an elderly woman or that of beasts to avoid troublesome men.

            It was also why she travelled with Miya. He was her protector, her chaperone, and she loved her brother dearly. He had always been there for her, protecting her since their home was destroyed and their people scattered some years ago. When their parents were murdered during an attack on her village, she was but a child. Miya had taken her and hidden her in a hollowed-out log. “Make not a sound,” he had instructed her. “I will be back for you,” he promised before leaving her alone. He had then tossed some large branches over the opening of the log to hide her from sight and left her there.

            She had sat in that log for what felt like forever listening to the screams of those who were dying. She was terrified and cried in silence, afraid to make a sound. After some time, the woods went eerily quiet, but she dared not move. She stayed in that log all night, alone and frightened, wondering if Miya would ever come back for her or if he too had perished. It was the next morning before he returned.

            Having waited long enough to be sure the enemy had left the area before going back and revealing her location. He took her from the security of the log, and she saw for the first time the devastation of her home. The war had spilled over into their lands, and those who survived had scattered to the winds. They were alone. Miya had taken it upon himself to be her defender from that day on.

            She knew he must be insane with how helpless he was to protect her at the moment, but she was in a position to possibly do something to help them both. If she could find their crystals, then they would both have the powers restored and be able to escape. She watched the Captain take a sip from the bottle he held. Jade felt nervous, having never attempted to seduce anyone; she was not entirely sure just how to go about it without looking suspicious.

            She looked at the bottle in his hand and decided to use it to break the ice. “I am terribly thirsty. Might I have a drink?” She asked.

            “It is rum,” he warned. “Our water is low; we are rationing it to last until we dock,” he explained.

            She shrugged her shoulders. “Rum shall have to do,” Jade said, rising from the bunk and still feeling a bit dizzy.

            “Sit,” Titus ordered, coming to her. “You do not have your strength back yet,” he said, standing directly before her holding out the bottle. She reached for the bottle letting her fingers graze his. She could feel his warmth, and the casual contact sent shivers through her. Jade looked up and saw heat in his dark eyes that had not been there a moment ago. He must have felt the shivers too. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a sip, almost choking as the nasty liquid burned its way down her throat. This stuff was terrible. Why on earth would anyone wish to drink it?

            Titus was laughing at her as he took a seat next to her on the bunk. “You are a stranger to the drink,” he observed.

            Jade coughed to clear her throat and attempted to regain her composure. Her reaction had been less than graceful and nothing like what she had been hoping for. “Not at all,” she lied. Jade could see in his face that he did not believe her. She brushed a thick lock of her hair from her face. Over the last few days, her hair had begun to fall from its arraignment. With her hands chained, there had been nothing she could do about her appearance. She still had no mirror or brush, but she could do her best to fix her hair nonetheless. “I must look frightful,” she sighed, reaching up and pulling the pins from her thick dark hair, letting it tumble down her back.

            Her hair was thick and long, hanging as low as her waist in heavy waves. She placed the pins on her skirt in her lap and reached up to gather her hair up. She paused when she felt his hand closed over hers, arresting her movement. Jade looked at Titus and noticed the heat she had seen had turned in to a blazing fire as he watched her. He guided her hand back down as he looked at her. “Leave it down,” he ordered in a husky tone.

            Jade sat still as he reached out his hand and touched her. He stroked her hair, lacing his fingers in her raven mane. Her eyes locked with his, and she held his gaze, refusing to look away. She would not be intimidated by the intensity she saw in his eyes. She had to remind herself that she wanted this attention; it was the only way to be able to search him. Jade took a breath to steel her nerves, and then she nuzzled his hand so that she felt his palm caress her cheek. She closed her eyes and felt the pad of his thumb graze over her bottom lip.

            His touch made her shudder. She heard the bottle he held touch the floor. He must have been putting it down. She opened her eyes and watched as he moved closer. “What is your name?” He asked softly.

            “Jade,” she whispered.

            “You are a seductress,” he grinned.

            “I have done nothing.”

            “You need not do a thing,” Titus said, placing his hand on her knee. She could feel his warmth through the heavy fabric of her skirt. “Your beauty is exceptional; it in itself is enough to make a man’s blood run hot,” he said, leaning into her breathing her in. His lips hovered over hers, and she held her breath, anticipating his kiss. The air that hung between them felt charged, and Jade felt a strange sensation tingling through her body. Suddenly she felt his lips press firmly against hers, and the tingling grew stronger. Her head began to spin as his kiss deepened; his tongue slipped passed her lips and swept her mouth.

            She felt his hand in her hair at the back of her head, pulling her closer. His sweet kiss became more passionate, more demanding as his other hand slid under her skirt. Her first reaction was to stop him. She reached down and grabbed his wrist, trying to stop Titus, but he was far stronger than she was. His fingers stroked her most intimate of spots at the junction between her thighs and ignited a fire within her. Jade gasped with shock as he skilfully stroked her. Waves for pleasure washed over her. His mouth ate at hers and moved down the creamy column of her neck.

            She felt her mind becoming foggy and unclear. There was something she was supposed to be doing, she recalled, but she could not remember what it was at the moment. Titus pressed her back against the bunk and crawled between her legs. He kissed her deeply, and his hands cupped her breast through her dress. His touch was electrifying, and she found herself craving more. He pulled the leather lace of her bodice loose and drew the fabric of her white blouse down, exposing her breasts.

            She sighed with pleasure as his mouth closed around one breast and suckled hard at her n****e. She had never felt anything like it, never been filled with such instant euphoria. Her fingers laced in his dark hair pulling him closer, arching her back. She had never known a man’s touch could be so maddening.

            His mouth moved to her other breast as Titus’ hand slid up her thighs and beneath her skirt once more. She whimpered when his fingers touched her again, stroking her now damp folds. “You are so wet,” he whispered against her ear, “so ready for me,” she felt so dizzy and dazed she could not think. Jade did not understand what he meant.

            Her hands moved down his shoulders and over his strong, wide back. She could feel his muscles roll and flex beneath her hands as he moved over her. She moved her hands lower over his narrow hips. His body was so different from hers. So hard, she did not realize how intoxicating the male form could feel. Her head was spinning, and she thought she might die from ecstasy. Jade wanted something, needed something, but she could not figure out what.

            Suddenly Titus pressed two fingers inside her, and she tensed up from the surprise. His fingers probed her body, and she began to pant heavily. He thrust his fingers in and out, manipulating her sensitive tissue, making her crazy as he kissed her neck. Jade could feel the ecstasy mounting, and she felt like she would explode. Titus gazed down at her, watching her face as he made her thrash and moaned. “Yes, scream for me,” he ordered, pressing so deep into her that she shattered into a million pieces, crying out with pleasure.

            They lay still as slowly her breathing returned to normal. What had happened? Jade had meant to seduce him so that she had an excuse to touch him, to search his person, but instead, she had ended up seduced herself. She was no further ahead. She stared up at him as he gazed down at her. How had he turned the tables on her?

***

            Titus braced his weight on his arms above Jade, sparing her the full weight of his body as he gazed down at the lush sight beneath him. Her long gorgeous hair fanned out over his pillow, and her ivory complexion flushed with ecstasy. She looked positively ravaged, and his loins were throbbing painfully with desire. He wanted so badly to drive himself deep inside her and slake his primal need, but his recent discovery had given him cause for pause.

            It had all been well as he invoked her passion, but as his hand probed her softness, he made an unnerving discovery. Jade was virginal; he was sure of it. She had never known a man. He had brought her to completion, but now he lay with her facing a moral dilemma. Did he take her innocence or leave her intact? Were she any other lady, the answer would be simple, he should leave her be. A woman was expected to be a virgin on her wedding night. If she was not, she could not make a good match, if any at all; but since her future was now that of a slave, any such protocol no longer applied.

            Jade was a beautiful woman, and Titus was no fool. He was perfectly aware of what fate awaited her once he handed her over to the court. Whatever man received her would certainly do so with lust in mind, and it was very likely that they would not be as kind and as attentive to her as he was. One way or another, her innocence would be taken from her. Of course, with her virginity intact, she would be more valuable. However, she would likely lose her innocents in a brutal way, a fact that did not sit well with Titus. She deserved to be treated gently the first time. To know that intimacy did not need to be harsh and unpleasant.

            She offered him an awkward smile, and her hands moved down his body. “I have never been touched like that,” she said, her cheeks turning blush red.

            “I am so pleased that you enjoyed yourself,” he said softly, painfully aware of her hands roaming over his body in the most delicious way. His own satisfaction denied him; her touch was torturous. Her hands moved over his chest and lower. Over his sides and hips groping at him, her hands lingering over his pockets. There was something odd about the way she kept feeling around his pockets.

            He felt his ire flare up as he realized she was searching him. This whole thing had been an act; she did not want him; she had feigned interest in him as an excuse to pick his pockets, the lying wench. Furious, he pushed her hands away and pinned her wrists above her head. “You will not find it on me either,” he snapped, annoyed that he had been deceived. He was not normally one to be taken by a pretty face. “I have the crystals tucked away safely someplace else on my ship, and you will not find them,” he said, glaring at her. “But since you are offering your body, I will take it anyway,” he smirked.

            Her bright eyes narrowed with anger. Suddenly her knee came up between his legs and contacted with his loins. He doubled over in pain, releasing her as he fell over on the bunk. Jade rolled off the bunk, fixing her blouse to cover nakedness. She searched his pockets and found the brass key to the door. She would not get far, he knew, his ship was crewed by fifty men, and she had nowhere to run.

            The pain subsided; furious, Titus got off the bunk and went in pursuit of Jade. She slipped the key in the door and unlocked it. She was out the door before he could reach her, and as she entered the hall, she found his sword hung on a hook outside his door. He had left it outside so she could not have access to it. Jade drew the sword from the sheath and pointed it at him. She used both hands and looked as if she was having difficulty with the weight of it. “Keep back, or I shall run you through,” she warned, backing down the narrow hall.

            “Killing a man is no easy task. Neither is wielding a sword. I do not think you can do either,” he said, moving forward.

            “I will kill you,” she warned again, moving farther back down the hall.

            “And go where? You are on my ship in the middle of open water. I have fifty men in my crew at the end of this hall. Where do you intend to go? Will you cut them all down and crew the ship yourself?” She looked over her shoulder nervously to view the large open room behind her, where the crew slept. Titus moved quickly, grabbing the sword and overpowering her. He pulled Jade hard against him, her back to his chest. He had her restrained the sword to her throat as he whispered in her ear. “A lesson for the future love, if you are going to threaten a man with death, you best end him,” he snarled, dragging her back into his stateroom.          

            She struggled against him as Titus dragged her to the corner of the room, snapping the shackles closed around her wrist, locking them tight and chaining her back to the floor once more. She screamed out with fury and pulled on the chains, trying to free herself. There was such rage in her as she thrashed and lashed out. Her bright eyes flashed like a storm. Her long dark hair swaying as she jerked and pulled, trying to free herself.

            She looked so incredible, like a wild animal, fierce and untamed. He found himself wanting her all the more as she stood there spirited, her dress and hair in shambles. She would be in high demand once they reached court, he thought, walking back to the bunk and picking up the bottle of rum. He took a large gulp and dropped down into the bunk with his sword at his side.      

            He kicked off his boots and continued to drink the rum. He was so frustratingly unsatisfied, and she was so close. He could take her if he wished, but could never live with himself for doing so. Besides, she would likely claw his eyes out as promised if he tried. No, he would sit here and finish the rum, let her wear herself out with her tantrum and then turn out the lamp for the night.

            He watched her rage for well over an hour. He was extremely impressed by her stamina; Jade was clearly not one to give up easily. Had she been any other prisoner, he would have tossed her overboard. She was lucky she was worth something to him; it was her only saving grace. She finally gave up and collapsed on the floor in the corner. She hung her head and pulled up her legs up to her chest, curling up into a small ball, hugging her knees.

            “Oh, are we finished?” He mocked, grinning wickedly when she shot him a hateful glare from behind the wild mess of her dark hair.

            “You are a vile man,” she said bitterly.

            “That was not what you were saying earlier,” he grinned, inciting her fury once more. He laughed at her rage and reached up to turn out the lamp. “Quiet down,” he ordered, rolling over to get some sleep.