protective charms Xander had placed around them. He had not seen what Rosh had referred to, though.
“That weren’t no light stone,” Rosh said. “It held up the ‘Hawk long enough for me to get out!”
Dexter nodded again, “You saying you couldn’t have done that?”
Rosh snorted. “Yeah, I’m saying that! Leastways not without breaking my foot and walking funny for a few weeks after.”
Dexter looked over at Rosh again. “What else are you saying?”
Rosh shrugged. “Just saying that ain’t right is all. If this were my boat, I wouldn’t want something that ain’t making sense on it.”
Dexter’s eyes narrowed. “Good thing it’s not your boat then,” he told him. “If it was, you’d be holding up the ‘Hawk and having trouble drawing a full breath.”
Rosh opened his mouth to retort, but found nothing to say. He clamped it shut a moment later then turned away to study the strut with Willa some more. Dexter looked away as well and went back to the where a rope ladder hung from the railing of his ship.
“Problems?” Jenna said softly when she saw him come up over the edge.
Dexter shook his head, dismissing it. They were in a tight spot, tempers were bound to flare. It did not make it right, but as long as there was no mutiny going on, they could still work together and find a solution. Speaking of working together…
“Shouldn’t you be helping Bekka?”
Jenna shook her head. “She’s able to do it fine on her own,” she said. “I need to show you something.”
Dexter sighed softly and followed her as she led him down to the bridge. Once there she shut the door behind him and turned as if to point out a problem with the outer hull. He followed her gaze and stood close to her.
“This is what I should be doing,” she said to him, then turned to the confused Captain and pressed her lips against his.
Dexter’s eyes widened and he pulled away from her. “Are you mad, woman?” He hissed at her. “You know what kind of trouble we’re in here?”
Jenna just stared at him. “Dex,” she said, her eyes sparkling with moisture. “I asked Bekka how she had seen this kind of thing before and she told me. The ‘Hawk’s in bad shape, she’ll take hours to make airworthy again.”
“From what she told me about them that’s out side, getting away’s the only way to deal with them. The mist will leave eventually, but those touched by it are cursed and won’t stop coming for us until they’re put down or we join them.”
Dexter listened intently. He was glad that Jenna had gotten the information out of Bekka, proud of her, even. On the other hand, her behavior was disturbing him.
“Thirty some men, who knows how many of those Perryn, and who knows what else,” Jenna said. “There’s only ten of us, including Aidan, and he’s done nothing but stare into the mists for a while now.”
“What are you saying?” he asked, suspecting her ulterior motive but wanting to know for sure.
“I’m an elf,” Jenna said after a deep breath. “We live for hundreds of years; I’ve already lived over a century. I’m patient… I’ve been waiting for you for how long now?”
“I’m afraid to wait any longer,” she said. “Dex… I don’t want to end up like that. I don’t want to see you like that… or any of them! If you came after me I don’t think I could do what I had to.”
Dexter stared at her. “We got a lot of fight left in us yet,” he pointed out, feeling somewhat drained by her grim outlook. “Xander’s spell is keeping us safe too.”
Jenna nodded. She smiled sadly, “He’s human, he can only go for so long without sleep and he’s had a rough week already between the brewing and today’s action.”
“So what are you for then?” Dexter asked her bluntly. He was angry with her for stating things thusly and angry with himself for not being able to counter her arguments.
“Love me, Dexter,” she whispered, a tear running down one cheek. “We may not have much time left, let’s take what we can and share it.”
Dexter felt himself drawn to her and, for a brief moment, he wanted to give in to her. Her arguments were sound; his desire for her considerable. His reasons for abstaining seemed petty in light of their troubles. He leaned in and kissed her, sharing a moment in time that stood still for both of them, yet vanished in an instant of ache and longing.
“We’re not done for yet,” he said to her, smiling.
Jenna looked at him, frustration and longing on her face. “We who?” she asked him bluntly.
He grinned. “All of us,” he said, and then he turned to head back up on to the deck.
Jenna reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him up short. “Dex, I-“
He turned to her and shook his head. “Jenna, stop worrying,” he told her. “If we was that done in, you think I’d be turning your offer down?”
He gave her hand a squeeze and then let go, heading with quick and powerful strides out of the bridge and back up on the deck. Jenna watched him go, fresh tears running down her cheeks. She took a deep breath, recomposed herself, and then laughed softly. In spite of their situation, in spite of his apparent rejection, she was smiling. It made no sense at all, but by doing what he had done he had renewed her faith in him and her hope they might live. She shook her head, wiped her tears, and followed after him.
On the deck Dexter looked around at the people working and nodded. Only Aidan was standing still, staring into the twilight ruins. Dexter made his way to him and stood silent beside him.
“I used to be in the army,” Dexter said without preamble. “Well, navy really; the Federation Navy.”
Aidan turned to look at him, roused from his thoughts. “Who is that?” he asked without really caring.
Dexter pointed up towards the sky and the void beyond. “A nation of power-hungry humans that rule a part of the Void,” he explained. “Wasn’t even important enough to be a tool, though; barely a tooth on a gear.”
“Course that wouldn’t stop them from turning their back’s on me at a moment’s notice if they could benefit from it,” he added with a dark chuckle. “The greater good, they’d have said to Kragor and Jodyne… only real family I had then.”
Aidan nodded, understanding the concept and perhaps where Dexter was going with it.
“See them down there? Rosh and Willa?” the Captain asked, nodding down towards the unlikely pair trying different things — to no avail.
“Willa just joined us, I bought her from some slavers in Azmir,” he explained. “She was near dead with pain, sickness, and a rotting hand… not to mention what the guards done to her.”
“I bought her, took her to a priest an’ got her healed. Lost her hand all the same, but look at her now, full of life.”
“She is an unusual slave,” Aidan offered.
“Uh-uh,” Dexter said with a smile. “I’ll have no slaves on my ship. She’s free as you and me. You’re laws say that can’t happen, but on my ship, my laws hold true. No such thing as slavery here. She’s free to do as she pleases, even free to leave service to the Voidhawk if she wants.”
“You speak of blasphemy,” Aidan warned, though his tone was conversational and not damning. “I should arrest you or kill you for it.”
Dexter shrugged. “Maybe. Point is, she was nothing to us a couple weeks back. Then the other day the ‘Hawk got caught in some wizard’s weather and damn near tipped us over. She went sliding off, heading for a long fall when Rosh there jumped to save her.”
“He caught her and saved her, though damn near lost both their lives in the process,” Dexter told him, skipping the heroic details of the deed. “We was in rough weather and nearly down two deckhands. In my spot, what would you’ve done?”
Aidan looked at him for a long moment, then decided to humor him. “Discipline them both, but mostly the big man for abandoning his post and risking the entire ship and crew for a single life.”
Dexter smiled fiercely. “I thought about that,” he admitted. Aidan nodded approvingly.
“Didn’t do it though,” Dexter said, turning to look down at the two of them. Rosh kicked a rock in frustration while Willa held a few pieces of broken wood in her good hand.
“Why not?” Aidan asked.
“Why’d you run back into the ruins to rescue your people from the Perryn when you first landed?” Dexter
