MAN OF WAR

2

Titus stood on the quarterdeck leaning over the banister. He stared at the crystals in his hands, fascinated by them. What powers did they hold? How did they work? The red one, in particular, held him captivated. The way it caught the light. It flickered almost like fire, but its beauty was not what held his interest. This particular gem looked oddly familiar. Only he was not sure why. He felt as if he had seen this pendant somewhere before.

            “Sir, your orders?” Gulliver repeated, drawing Titus from his thoughts. His first mate had been reporting on the damage to the ship, but Titus’ mind had been distracted. “What are your orders?”

            He tried to refocus his attention to the matters at hand. “Um, go ahead and begin all necessary repairs. How are our supplies?” He asked, putting the crystals in his pocket.

            “We are out of jerked meats. Low on water and rum, we have enough pickled eggs to go around. Our artillery is dwindling; we are down to a few kegs of powder. I suggest we make port soon and stock up,” Gulliver suggested. “With these extra mouths, what little we have left will not last long. Might I recommend keeping what we have for our men and to hell with the prisoners?”

            Titus shook his head. “They will die without food and water. You know that as well as me.”

            “A few might,” Gulliver agreed, “but that should not be our problem. We can toss the bodies overboard, and those that live we will offload at the port,” his first mate tried to reason. “Why waste our supplies on the enemy?”

            “We are at war, but we are not monsters,” Titus said firmly. “We will give the prisoners water and food. See to it that the water is rationed. I do not want to run out before we reach land,” he turned to face Pete. “Set a course for Port Kumun,” he ordered.

            “Aye, Sir.”

            Titus left the quarterdeck and headed below deck. He made his way through the ship to the brig where his prisoners were being held. He walked along the outside of the bars and stared at all the men conquered inside. He noticed that the major body of the group sat clustered to one side of the cell while on the other side, the shifter was shackled to the wall alone. The men feared him, and with good reason, after what had occurred on deck. The man could be dangerous, but Titus felt confident that the source of the shifter’s power now resided in his very pocket.

            He watched the man through the bars. The man glared back at him with violent hate in his bright amber eyes. They were the same eyes the girl in his stateroom had. Titus reached into his pocket and held up the blue crystal he had taken from the prisoner. “What is this?” Like the girl, this man refused to answer him. “Alright, let us try a new approach at this. I believe this to be the source of your power. I believe this because you have not been a problem since I have taken it from you,” still, the man just glared at him.

            Titus was getting tired of the silent treatment. He was getting nowhere with his interrogations. He knew no more about these blasted crystals then he did earlier this day. Titus did not wish to present these prisoners to the Emperor without knowing just what these trinkets did and how they worked. The girl had been less than helpful. She had been more frustrating than anything. A lesser man might have tortured the information from her, but he prided himself a gentleman and beating women was simply something he did not do, but he was not above lying to provoke a response.

            “If you are not willing to talk to me, I could always have this conversation with the girl. Perhaps if I give her to my men for a while, that might loosen her tongue,” he threatened, his expression steeled. He saw the flash of rage in the other man’s eyes. He had struck a raw nerve, this man loved the girl in his stateroom very much, and he could see it in his reaction. His body tensed and pulled against his restraints. The man wanted to do him harm. “Of course, I could leave her alone if you would only be agreeable and answer my questions,” Titus held up the blue crystal once more. “How does this work?”

            The bound man smiled. “Give it back, and I will show you,” he offered in a low, menacing tone.

            Titus smiled. “I think not. You would likely rip my throat out. I would have to be a fool to arm an enemy combatant.”

            “I am not a combatant,” the prisoner objected.

            “You attacked my men.”

            “Your men attacked us first,” he argued. “I was merely defending us. They were going to throw her overboard. I suppose you think I should have allowed them?” He said with disdain.

            Titus was not heartless; he understood the man’s desire to protect his lover. She was beautiful. Alone in his stateroom, Titus had done his utmost not to stare. He had never in his life seen a woman like her. She was of small stature, very young, a slender waist and curved hips. Her dress draped her body in a way that made a man wonder what lay beneath. Wisps of raven hair had fallen loose from the configuration atop her head and brushed her flawless ivory skin. It had been all he could do not to walk over and pull the pins from her hair and watch the heavy locks tumble down her back. Her full pouty lips practically begged to be kissed, and her eyes, those hypnotic mesmerizing eyes, were beyond incredible. It was clear why this man would take on an entire warship for her.

            “How does the crystal work?” Titus demanded, trying to refocus his thoughts.

            “It will not work for you if that is what you want,” the man divulged.

            Finally, some progress. Titus moved closer to the bars. “Why not? Is there some sort of spell at work?” He asked.

            “No.”

            “An incantation needed?”

            “No.”

            “Why will it not work for me? Why can I not use it to do what you did?” Such power could be useful in battle.

            “Because you are not one of us.”

            “Are you saying it only works for your kind?” The man did not speak. “What is your kind? Are you as mortal as I am without this little rock?”

            “You and I are nothing alike,” the prisoner said proudly, holding his head high.

            “Why does this work for you?”

            “It is mine,” he said. “It will work for no other.”

            “Will it work for the girl?”

            “No.”

            So, each stone was host-specific. Well, that was something. He still did not understand the dynamics of the gems, but at least he knew something to tell the Emperor when he presented them at court. Each gem was the source of one shifter’s powers, but they could not just use any gem. So, he who held the gem controlled the shifter. There was only one thing he wondered, and Titus did not think the man would answer him honestly. Titus drew his sword, and through the bars, he stretched out his arm and then sliced a small shallow cut across the man’s cheek. The prisoner flinched from the pain, and Titus watched and waited. Blood came to the surface of the skin but did not heal. So, he was mortal.

            “Where is the girl?” The prisoner demanded.

            “She is safely tucked away in my stateroom,” his confession only further infuriated the man, and he struggled against his chains. “You object?” Titus asked smugly.

            “It is not proper for a man and lady to share quarters,” the captive man protested.

            Titus smirked. “Luckily, she is no lady,” he chuckled.

            The man lunged at Titus, yanking so hard on his chains the bolts in the wall creaked from the strain. “I would kill you for the insult.”

            “Ladies do not involve themselves in espionage.”

            The prisoner laughed out loud. “Is that what you think? That we are spies? You are a bigger fool then I thought. We do not care about your stupid war,” he spat at Titus.

            “Then why were you on an enemy warship?” Titus demanded.

            “Buying passage from a man who would not ask questions.”

            “Like spies,” Titus reiterated. “You have not convinced me,” Titus said, placing the blue crystal back in his pocket and started for the door.

            “I wish to see her,” the prisoner called to him.

            “You will not see her again,” Titus informed him, leaving the brig. He could still hear the man screaming at him as he went above deck. He had some more business to attend to. He would oversee some of the repairs, and then he had to tend to his logs.

            Titus stood on deck and looked around, watching the men busy themselves with the repairs. Two of his sails were down; the canvas had been torn in the battle. Gulliver already had men working on patching the sails. With his sails down, he would lose momentum and speed. “I want those sails back up by dusk,” he ordered. “I am not wasting the wind.”

            “Aye, Sir.”

***

            Jade sat huddled in the corner of the dark room. The oil lamp had burnt out hours ago, and the room had no porthole to allow light. She assumed because the stateroom must have been below the surface of the water. She had given up on freeing herself from her chains. All she had succeeded in doing was cutting and tearing the flesh. Her wrist throbbed, and her mouth was parched as she sat huddled into a small ball in the corner where the Captain had left her.

            She was not sure how long she had been in that room alone, but it had felt like hours. Jade wondered what had become of Miya and how he was fairing. She worried if the crewmen had beaten him as the Captain had suggested. He must be worried sick about her and hating himself for not having been able to protect her adequately. She knew her brother well, and he despised failure.

            It worried her to think of what might be in store for them. If the Captain did not intend to execute them as witches, then what did he intend to do with them? Would he sell them as slaves like he had threatened to do to the others? She would almost prefer to be tossed overboard. In their travels, she had seen the way slaves were treated. It was no life she would wish to live. A wild animal caged would die inside.

            The door opened, and the Captain came into the room, carrying a platter of food and a bottle. He crossed the room, placing the things he carried on the desk and opened the large chest removing another bottle. He then used the bottle from the chest to refill the oil lamp and lit it. A soft light filled the room. He replaced the cork in the mouth of the bottle and placed it back in the chest. He then turned the lamp light up, and the room became brighter.

            Jade watched Titus from her place in the corner as he walked over and placed the platter of bread and pickled eggs on the floor at her feet. He took a sip from the bottle he held and placed it with the platter. “You need to eat,” he said, walking back to the desk and sitting down. Jade watched as he opened a large ledger and removed the pen from the inkwell that was secured to his desktop. Titus looked up at her and noticed she had not touched the food and drink he had brought her. “You must be hungry by now,” she was, but she did not want his vile food. “It is not poisoned if that is what you fear. The bread may be stale, but I do not believe it is bad yet.”

            “I do not want your food,” Jade snarled, picking up the bread and throwing it at him. She missed, and the roll struck the wall behind his head.

            The Captain rose and came over to her. He leaned over until his face was close to hers, and he glared her in the eye. “Do not confuse my mercy with weakness. I will not tolerate your behaviour,” he said, snatching up the platter and the bottle. “If you would rather go hungry, so be it. In a day or two, you may find yourself grateful for what you receive,” Titus said, returning to his desk. He set to his work and ignored her presence.

            He wrote in the book he had open and then in another. After which, he took a set of what looked like maps from his desk and began to study them, the whole time drinking from the bottle he had taken from her.

            As the evening progressed, Jade noticed him glancing at her more and more. He began to settle in for the night, unbuttoning the front of his shirt and letting his hair down. He had kicked off his boots and drank more than half the bottle in his hand. She was starting to become uncomfortable with his focus on her. Jade had seen that look in men’s eyes before. It was why she had chosen to travel as a woman of advanced years, to avoid the unwanted advances of men. She was surprised, though, despite the way he looked at her, he made no move.

            Then suddenly, Titus rose from the desk and carried the lamp to the bunk. He hung it from a hook on the ceiling and dimmed the light. He then placed the bottle on the floor beside the bunk and proceeded to undress. Titus made to sleep in here with her, she realized. “You cannot sleep in here with me,” Jade snapped, offended by his boldness.

            “It is my cabin, and I shall do as I please,” Titus said with a smile.

            “It is not proper.”

            “On the contrary. You are still under the delusion that you are a Lady of some stature. When, in fact, you are a slave and have been from the moment you came aboard my ship. You have no rights, and there is no edict for rooming with slave girls. I could bunk you in front of the whole crew, and it would not matter.”

            Jade gasped at his vulgarity. She would have liked to have slapped him had she not been in chains. “If you so much as try to touch me, I will claw your eyes out,” she warned.

            Titus laughed and pulled his shirt off, tossing it on top of the chest. “I would not bother. I do not force myself on women,” he said with a dazzling smile as he held up his arms arrogantly to show off his fine male form: strong muscular arms and hard flat stomach. “I do not have to,” she would be more impressed if Miya did not look similar. “Besides, I like my eyes where they are,” Titus said, turning around and grabbing a pillow from the bunk.

            Jade gasped when she saw the four long scars across his back. They had been long healed, but at one time, they must have been very deep. It looked as if he had been attacked by an animal… by a wolf. Suddenly he seemed all too familiar to her. “The boy,” she whispered.

            “What?” Titus asked, turning to face her. “What did you say?”

            “Your back is scared,” Jade said softly.

            He tensed for a moment as if he was self-conscious about it. “I was attacked as a child.”

            “By a wolf?”

            Titus’ eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he took a step closer to Jade with the pillow in hand. “How did you know that?” She took a breath; she could not believe her eyes. It was the same boy who had rescued her in the marsh so many years ago, now a man before her.

            Jade had been playing in the woods with her siblings, hiding when she had stepped into a hunter’s trap hidden in the marshland. She had been so young and small; she had not been strong enough to free herself. She had thought herself in serious trouble when a boy came upon her. She had been afraid; her people had told her to stay away from outsiders. They had told her that they would fear her and hurt her. Jade had been surprised when the boy had taken measures to free her from the hunter’s trap, and even after she had regenerated, he had not run from her. He had still tried to defend her when a pack of wild wolves circled them.

            He had not known at that time the beasts were her people. Her tribe had found her, and seeing her with him; they had taken measures to protect her. Her father had attacked him and would have killed the boy had she not stepped in. Jade had shielded him, sparing his life. He had been her rescuer and did not deserve to die for his heroics. She had bought him his life, but her father had left the boy marred with claw marks down his back. This man was the same boy, she was sure of it.

            Titus crossed the room and grabbed her arms, lifting her up from the floor. “How did you know that?” He snapped, his eyes searching hers for an answer.

            “You rescued a girl,” she breathed.

            Titus released her suddenly, taking a step back, understanding in his dark eyes as he finally recognized her. “The girl?” His eyes raked over her, and he shook his head. “No, it cannot be… you cannot be…” Titus backed up until the back of his legs touched the bunk, and he sat down. He stared at her with shocked awe, and she saw his acceptance. “I see it now. You looked so familiar, but I could not place why.”

            “Ironic, we meet again, and again I am trapped,” she said, tugging on her chains around her wrists.

            He scoffed at her obvious attempt to curry his favour based on the history they shared. “Only this time, I do not intend to free you,” Titus said, picking up the pillow he had dropped and throwing it at her. Jade caught the pillow and glared at him. The boy had changed into a nasty unfeeling man, she thought. “Sleep tight,” he said, turning out the lamp and laying back in his bunk with his back to her.

            Jade lay down on the hard floor and placed the pillow beneath her head. Her chains were uncomfortable, as was the hard-wooden floorboards, but she supposed it was better than sleeping in the brig with all those other men. At least the Captain left her be.

***

            Titus lay still, staring into the darkness. He now understood why the red crystal had triggered his memories. He had seen it before, long ago, around the neck of a child. A tiny beautiful little girl lost and alone in the woods. That child had haunted his dreams for years. The scars on his back were a constant reminder of that fateful day. He had never believed that one day, he would come across the woman that child became.

            She was even more beautiful today than he had remembered her to be. It was a shame she was the enemy; things that seemed so simple as a child were far more complicated as a man. Once he had freed her, and now he was to be the instrument of her imprisonment. It was strange the way fate worked, but who was he to question it. She had aligned herself with the rebels, and in doing so, had chosen her fate. His conscience was clear. Titus closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.