Sea Of Sparks And Shadows

Hey everyone! This story has the last two chapters removed. To read them, please head over to Webnovel and search for this book. By doing so, you would be supporting me while also getting to know what happened to the Amaris and the crew. Thank you for reading!

The crow’s nest was almost unrecognizable. A white blanket covered the wooden floor, another one was draped on the rails and attached to the flag post making the space feel isolated from the rest of the ship.

A basket sat on the floor. Its content was emptied beside it. Peaches, berries, two loaves of bread and a jar of jam.

“Are you going to come up or…?” The question brought Amaris out of her gaping.

She was still on the ladder, only half her torso out of the trapdoor. Ash had climbed up before her and was now sitting in their makeshift tent waiting for her to follow. She quickly pulled herself up and crawled to his side. “What is all of this?” She finally asked.

Ash shrugged. “I just stole some stuff from the kitchen and I figured we should hide here and split the bounty. He threw her a peach and bit into his own. “I’m not very good at it though. Sly caught me.” He nodded towards the jar of jam. “I had to bribe him with another jar of to keep his mouth shut. He’s probably eating it right now.”

She smiled at that, and rolled her peach between her palms. “He must be ecstatic then.”

“He is.” Ash opened the jar then reached for the bread slathering it in jam as he spoke. “Sometimes I think he goes snooping around to catch us slipping up just so he could satisfy his sweet tooth.”

Amaris laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised.” Ash handed her a piece of bread. “He’ll get back to winning the card games now, I guess.”

“Give me and Wind some credit.”

“Wind? Maybe. You? I’m not so sure.” She teased.

“I’m better than both of them.”

“Not without my help,” She corrected.

“Do you want me to prove it to you?”

“Go ahead,” She challenged

He reached into his back pocket still playfully glaring at her when he realized something and checked his pocket again. Then the other one, then he cursed. “The ass must have stolen them from me earlier.”

“Sly?”

He nodded “Probably when he asked to ‘help’ me set this up.”

Amaris laughed “well it just goes to show that he will kick your ass sooner rather than later.”

“He’ll pay for it,” he said, shaking his head before staring at her. “You’ve got a little jam…” he cupped her cheek and pressed his thumb to the corner of her mouth. A blush rose on Amaris’ face but she didn’t say anything. He kept his hand there for much longer than needed before something crossed his face and he pulled back.

“When I was little, before all of this went to hell, I would get mad at my parents for not letting me play out after dark, or for refusing to give me a second piece of desert. And I would go and steal their blanket and take my own to build a fort on the roof.” A small smile crossed his face as he stared forward and the wind ruffled blanket. “My best friend lived a house away. She’d jump from their roof to ours and we’d play games until I forgot why I was mad to begin with.”

She looked up at the blankets hanging around them, cocooning them and shielding them from the wind. She felt safe there, as if the rest of the world didn’t matter. As if the rest of the world didn’t exist. “I like this fort.” she said at last. She wanted to stay there forever. She didn’t want to go.

As if sensing her thoughts, Ash turned to her and said, “I don’t want you to leave.” his voice was low, husky, and Amaris felt her heart leap at his words.

“Me neither.” she whispered. His eyes didn’t leave hers. Those eyes that now looked almost black in the shadows. “I want to stay. Here.” she did not mean at sea, she did not mean on the ship, she did not even mean with the captain. She meant there. in that crow’s nest, in that blanket fort.

Ash too understood that. “Then stay.” His eyes lowered to her lips. She unconsciously parted them, her own gaze watching his slow approach. As if coming out of a trance, he stopped and looked up at her, seeming conflicted. His breathing was already heavy. She nodded ever so slightly, a silent permission, and his lips immediately pressed into hers.

Her heart sped as she relished in the feel of his warm lips and his hand cupping her face. Her arms wound around his neck as she pulled him closer, his other hand at the small of her back. By the time he pulled back, they were both panting, watching each other silently. They moved in for a second kiss when a loud knocking made them jump.

“That place is made for keeping watch, not for whatever the hell you two are doing.”

Amaris froze and the two crawled to the edge of the trapdoor and peered down. Slygrin stood on the deck, leaning on the mast and scowling up at them.

“What do you want?” Ash grumbled down at him.

“Come down for dinner and stop whatever you’re doing, I don’t need you two ruining my favorite spot for me.”

Ash only grunted and threw a peach seed at him. Muttering some curses to himself. Amaris just laughed, praying the wind would cool her burning cheeks, and got to her feet.

“Well,” she said, dusting her pants and looking around. “I guess Hawk meant it when he said he’s not making exceptions.” she gave Ash her hand and he pulled himself to his feet, holding on a little too tightly for a little too long before letting go of her hand.

“Yeah,” he cleared his throat, “I guess he was.” They silently disassembled the fort and gathered the remaining food before climbing down. They walked side by side to the mess hall but before Amaris could step in, Ash tentatively reached out a hand and stopped her. “I meant what I said earlier. I’d do anything to make you stay.” Amaris shook her head and smiled. She pushed her tears back and stood on her tiptoes, kissing Ash on the cheek before stepping back and walking into the loud crowded room silently.

Of all the things the captain had taken away from her, a father, a warm loving home, perhaps she’d resent him for depriving her from this the most.

She watched the room silently. Knowing that it was most likely the last time she’d see it. The loud laughter, the cards and curses being thrown around. Mirage and Mecheye standing in one corner, holding their bowls and talking intently, Wind Tuner trying to make his way through the crowd with his large grey wings tucked closely to his back, Slygrin trying to slip an extra turtle egg onto his plate and Hawk chastising him for it. Then, there was the boy she left at the entrance. The one watching her with his shining grey eyes and his unreadable face. The one she was doing all she could not to look at because she knew that the second their eyes would meet again, her cool uncaring facade would melt and she’d be bare for them all to see.

This.

This was what she could never forgive her father for. These friends he’s pulling her away from. This family that she couldn’t imagine life without anymore. How would she wake up without a bucket of seawater in the morning? Who is going to explain to her all the different pieces of a ship engine ? What was she supposed to listen to without Wind Tuner’s flute every morning? Who is she going to fight with over games and nicknames and shooting matches and-

She took a deep breath and leaned on the wall to her left. She slid down and sat observing the scene in front of her. The people she had learned to love. She hated him. And no matter what excuses Hawk found for him, it would never change the fact that he was pushing her away. He was just trying to escape his guilt. And she was nothing but a living reminder to him.

“You’ll still come to visit us when we go back to Paradelia right?” Amaris snapped her head to the side to find Slygrin sitting cross legged next to her, his bowl in his lap and holding out hers. She took it silently, trying to even out her breathing.

“Yes, of course.” She tried to sound cheerful but her broken voice would not cooperate. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I still need you to teach me how you throw those knives.” she joked.

He smirked. “That might take you a few years.”

Amaris nudged his shoulder playfully. “I’m a fast learner!” She defended.

“Really? I don’t see you being an expert shooter any time soon.”

“I beat Ash in that sword match.”

“Please, princess, that was only because he likes you.”

Amaris pushed down the fluttering in her stomach and muttered. “Shut up, I told you not to call me that.”

“I guess you won’t need a nickname once you leave the ship.” He said solemnly.

“No, I won’t.” She spun the spoon around her plate. It was Wind Tuner’s turn to cook dinner again. The broth looked so similar to the one she had on her first night there. Her smile was bittersweet as she swallowed the too salty spoonful and chewed on a piece of bread.

“So are you and Ash lovers now?”

“What?” She coughed out.

“You were kissing in the crow’s nest, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but…” She trailed off as her eyes searched for him in the busy room. He was gone.

“But what?”

“I’m leaving, remember?”

“So?”

“So do you really think Ash would want something like that? For us to stay together while we don’t meet for weeks, maybe months? He’d be much happier if he was free to pursue someone else.”

Slygrin snorted, “Look around. Do you see any other pretty ladies he wants to pursue around here?”

Amaris didn’t answer. She stared down at her soup and moved the small fish pieces around. “I’m going to bed.” She said as she stood up. Hawk didn’t comment on her half eaten plate, nor did he stop her when she left the hall.

When she reached her cabin, she wasn’t surprised to find Ash lying on his bed, shuffling the pack of cards mindlessly. When he saw her at the door, he scooted over silently and she lied beside him. He wound his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head on his chest. No words were spoken as he drew soothing patterns on her arm. She clutched onto him a little too tightly. Hours later, his breathing had evened and his soft snores filled the room but Amaris still had her eyes wide open. Slygrin and Wind Tuner didn’t return to the cabin that night and by dawn, Amaris succumbed to the power of slumber, enjoying the gentle rocking of the ship and the arms around her for probably the last time.

Hey everyone! This story has the last two chapters removed. To read them, please head over to Webnovel and search for this book. By doing so, you would be supporting me while also getting to know what happened to the Amaris and the crew. Thank you for reading!