fought simply for the pleasure of the nobles and for no other purpose. Or at least these are rumors I have heard.”
“And you’re wanting us to visit?”
Xander shrugged. “By my reckoning it is the closest port to us, and we are in danger of running low on some supplies.”
The wizard continued, “and again, anything is available for a price there — including talent. You need to hire more crew, yes? What about the list of ingredients I provided you the other day that would allow me to enchant the holds?”
Dexter found himself considering the wizard’s suggestion in spite of his better judgment. In fact, the longer he considered it, the more sense it made. A little risk, sure, but that could be found in any new port of call.
“Alright, but I’d best not find out you’ve got any plans for running us up on some rocks,” Dexter warned, his eyes taking on a steely gleam.
“What must I do to prove myself?” Xander asked angrily. “I’m no charlatan or juggler! I’ve the respect of my peers and the envy of many a foe I’ve bested over the years. Were it not for me honoring my debt and my current circumstances, our stations would be quite different, I assure you.”
Dexter just grinned at his outburst. “That’s why I’m keeping an eye on you. A crew can run up a new flag, but that don’t mean them forgets what kind of sailors they are.”
Xander stared at him for a moment, then finally broke his gaze and left with a huff.
Dexter’s grin faded after the wizard disappeared. He turned to stare out the window again. He wondered where and when the dwarf might show up next. He had half expected Kragor’s shade to pop up behind Xander the entire time, but he had not. Dexter had only seen him a few times since that first night, and always the stout ghost seemed amiable enough. It still bothered him though, and he took care not to mention it.
“Bekka, I’ll be in my room,” Dexter said, “keep to our course for now, it’s heading in the same direction anyhow.”
She nodded slightly, indicating that she had heard him. Dexter barely noticed though, he was already opening the door to his room from the bridge. Once inside he found himself sitting at his desk, staring once again through a small glass covered porthole into the void. He was exhausted but sleep would not come; Dexter was terrified of what dreams he might have since he was already seeing the impossible while he was awake.
Soon enough a knock at the door roused him from his fugue. He wearily rubbed his eyes and bid the visitor to enter. As he would have predicted, had his brain been operating fully, Jenna slipped into the room and shut the door behind him.
“Captain,” she said somewhat stiffly at first. Then she saw the sheer exhaustion on his face and her bearing relaxed as she fought the urge to rush over to him. “Dex… Gods, what’s going on?”
Dexter smiled wearily and waved away his concerns with his hand. “Too much ale, I’m afraid.”
She frowned but said nothing. She had not seen him drink more than a few cups since she had known him. She opened her mouth to retort, but he beat her to the punch.
“What troubles you?”
She swallowed her rebuke. He had been different of late. Since Kragor died and she assumed his position, Dexter had been more distant to her. To all of them, really. Something was pulling him away from them, she only hoped it was not the fear of losing more friends as he had lost Kragor.
“Xander came to me expressing some concern,” she said. “Concern about you, in fact.”
Dexter chuckled. “He was worried about me? That’s about as likely as…” Dexter paused, realizing he had been about to say, ‘as likely as Kragor coming back to visit.’
Jenna smiled. “Well, his exact words were something like, ‘that fool of a Captain is going to leave us stranded with no water or food if he doesn’t come to his senses!’”
Dexter nodded, that sounded more like it.
“I reminded him of his station, of course,” she quickly added.
“How’d he take that?”
Jenna grinned. “After he picked himself up and headed off to help Lynn and Keshira, he was muttering something about wondering why everybody seems to want to punch him.”
Dexter could not fight the smile that twisted his lips upwards. He gave in and let out a short laugh, then sighed. “He’ll come around, I think.”
“You think?” Jenna was not challenging him, simply wondering at his thoughts.
“That or jump ship at his first chance,” Dexter said with a smile. “He wants us to head to an uncharted port nearby. A planet run by some kind of super smart ogre race. Humans and the like there too, he alleges.”
“He been there?” Jenna challenged.
Dexter shrugged. “Says he ain’t, just heard tell of it and read about it his books. I reckon we could all do with some leave, especially after…”
Jenna nodded, sparing him from saying it out loud. “Yeah, I reckon we could.”
Dexter glanced up at her quickly, not realizing his gaze had drifted to the floor. “You ‘reckon we could’?”
She grinned and shrugged. “Yes, why not?”
“That just don’t sound like proper elf-talk… You been hanging around too many of us humans?”
She smiled again and said, “I can’t imagine much better company. Anytime you want to rub off on me, you just let me now.”
Dexter blinked and realized after a long moment that he had stumbled right into her trap. He groaned and shook his head; Jenna grinned triumphantly. Of course the truth was she meant it, she had never formed bonds and friendships like she had on the Voidhawk. And she had never fallen so hopelessly for a man like Dexter.
“Dangerous place, this,” Dexter said, moving back to the topic at hand. “Anything and everything to be had, he says. Lots of rules and the ones in charge seem a bit feisty. Violent, even. Not so sure it’s a safe place to be letting people with an itch to have a drink and a bit of free run loose at.”
“Especially Rosh,” Jenna added, finishing off the unspoken thought that Dexter had shared. The Captain smiled.
They were quiet for a long moment, each letting their thoughts wander to different areas. Jenna’s focused on concern for Dexter, whereas Dexter was trying to focus on what the Voidhawk should do. His fatigue kept interrupting him though, leaving him no closer to a solution than before.
“Is that our course?” Jenna asked him softly.
Dexter sighed. “What do you think?”
She raised an eyebrow, surprised. She wondered if he was just gathering his thoughts, but then tossed that aside. Dexter had always been a confident man with a plan of action, something she admired about him. This time though, he seemed lost and uncertain. That realization only made her heart ache for him even more. She hid it behind a soft smile.
“I think we should go there. Perhaps we can take on more crew to round us out, we need another skilled carpenter or shipwright,” she pointed out. “And if Xander just wishes to abandon us, well, better he’s on his way than to have us always worried when he might disappear. Or worse yet, betray us.”
Dexter nodded, what she said made sense. “Set a course,” he said.
She nodded. “Yes Sir,” she said, turning to leave because she sensed that Dexter had dismissed her. As much as she wanted to stay and help him, she knew he was not ready.
“Wait,” Dexter said, his words acting like a hand that spun her back around. “This is between me and you, got it?”
She nodded and stepped forward, sitting down in a chair at his table. “Dex,” she said softly and earnestly, “I keep telling you but you never seem to remember. Everything between us… is between us.”
“Aye, so you do,” he said with a soft smile. She caught a look in his eyes, behind the fatigue, that shocked her and thrilled her. It was a mixture of fear and appreciation… and openness. It disappeared quickly, but she knew it had been there.
“Is this where you tell me how you’ve been pining away for me and you’re finally ready to accept me into your heart?” she asked sweetly, teasing him playfully.
He smiled and then shook his head. “How’s the crew ever going to mutiny and toss me off the aft rail if you’re having relations with me? They couldn’t put you in as captain then.”
Jenna laughed at his well formed response. He had dodged her question artfully, all the proof she needed that
