The Elementals by Abby Lattanzio

Author:Abby Lattanzio [Lattanzio, Abby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Curious Curls Publishing
Published: 2023-07-10T23:00:00+00:00

17

An incessant growling echoes through the room. It takes Joe a minute to realize it’s his stomach. Damn, when was the last time he’d eaten?

He lies on a cot, staring at the rough wooden beams above him. That’s odd. He’s fairly certain the dungeon is made of dirt and stone. Also, the dungeon is not this bright. Sitting up, he looks down at his wrists.

I’m not in shackles.

Hearing a soft moan, Joe turns to see Jonathon sleeping in the cot across from him. The Moro. Somehow, he’s back on his ship, in the sick bay by the looks of it. Someone has left two changes of clothes on the workbench behind him. He’s happy to see that whoever it was had the sense to bring him his own shirt and pants from his cabin. Joe quickly sheds his current clothes, smelling of dungeon and dirt, and puts on the soft, clean shirt and sturdy canvas pants.

Nell. The thought enters unbidden to his mind. Did she visit him and bring the change of clothes?

Quietly, he leaves the sick bay and heads topside. The bright sun sears into his brain as he emerges from below. Eyes adjusting, he scans the deck, searching for Nell. He needs to explain it all to her, to tell her he’s sorry he lied. But then he remembers her father, how he died. He’d be lucky if Nell ever spoke to him again.

He spies the captain at the helm. Taking a deep breath of salt air, he makes his way over. Stares from his former crewmates pierce his back, and he does his best to ignore their silent judgment. Captain Merrill, sensing a lull in activity, spins around to order his crew back to work when he spies Joe just feet away.

Startled, the first thing Joe notices is that the captain’s right hand is missing, the stump wrapped in a dingy bandage. The second thing he sees is the hard frown aimed at him.

Joe is about to blurt out something stupid, like “What happened to your hand?” but it dawns on him that the captain is just one more casualty on his list. The more he thinks about it, the more he knows it to be true. Of course the Magistrate wouldn’t let his crew go scot-free. Punishment had to be dealt out for harboring an elemental. He wishes, not for the first time, that he had never met Jonathon, had never taken that job.

Tearing his eyes away from Captain Merrill’s stump, he steels himself and meets the captain’s gaze. The hot sun bears down on his neck, and sweat breaks out on his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, dropping his head. “For everything.”

Captain Merrill sighs and attempts to rub his forehead with his right hand, momentarily forgetting himself. He crosses his arms instead.

“Joe,” he begins. He opens his mouth to say more, but nothing comes out. Frowning, he tries again, but Joe interrupts.

“I should’ve told you. You’ve been like a second father to me, and I never meant for any of this to happen and…I should have just told you.

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