Beware the Dragon (Part Two)

Stormday. Some weeks it was better than others. Today was one of the bad ones. Gales whipped the small ship about the ocean. Mighty waves reached up and crashed upon the deck. Bones called out orders, that booming voice quite beneficial in times like this, and the men worked together flawlessly. It impressed me. 

I lent a hand where I could, subtly letting them know this wasn’t my first Stormday either, but they certainly didn’t need me. The men held that boat, steering through the storm right until the pulse came through, pushing back the storm clouds and revealing a clear night sky. 

“Xin!” Bones clapped me on the shoulder, that wide grin back on his face. Guess I was back in his good books. “Nice work back there. Didn’t realize you were a sailor too.”

“Yeah, used to have a smaller boat that we would sail around on hunting bounties.”

“That right? What happened to it?”

I couldn’t help but scowl a little, and out came my calming toothpick. “Let’s just say I lost it in a bad breakup.”

Bones gave my shoulders a squeeze and a shake. “Ah, I hear ya, friend. Women, am I right?”

“Yeah…” 

One man, I think they called him Big Mike, rang out his shirt then asked, “Hey, is it true you used to work with The Siren?” 

My blood ran cold. I just gave a small nod.

That was a mistake.

The crew surrounded me in an instant, and the questions flew. I had been avoiding the news at all costs since She left. Apparently, that was a mistake. She had made an even bigger reputation than I had, and they all had questions about her. 

“Oi, oi, oi!” Bones shouted, shooing the men away. “Can’t you dumbasses see you’re overwhelming him. Come on.”

The men lowered their heads and apologized in almost perfect unison. 

“Uh… it’s alright.” It wasn’t. I was very uncomfortable.

“Right, the rest of ya hit the sack,” said Bones. “I want you all up bright and early so we can get to port before the next Stormday. Got it?”

“Yes, boss,” they chimed in unison, then headed below deck.

Bones steered me towards the Captain’s quarters. “Come on friend, come have a drink and we can discuss terrible exes.”

“Uh… I don’t…”

“Don’t give me that. I saw your eyes when they said her name. You got some serious grievances with that woman. Lorelei the Siren.” He dragged out her name, watching me close as my blood ran cold again. He laughed. “You see? Come on. It’s good to vent.”

I looked him over, feeling torn. That first night he recruited me, I had gotten an off feeling about him. My dad always taught me to listen to my gut, and I always had, but it hadn’t always served me well. It didn’t help me save my family, and it was wrong about Her. Even though my gut was warning me against this, I had to look at the facts. Bones had sixteen men working under him, who all seemed to respect him. Maybe he knew what he was talking about. 

I sighed. “Alright, one drink, but I make no promises of any venting.”

He squeezed my shoulder and gave me that pure white smile. “Good enough for me.”

It wasn’t one drink; it was a lot. And I vented, I vented far more than I thought was possible. I tried to keep the details out of it, but once it started, it just wouldn’t stop. As the drinks increased, so did my anger. I hated being angry. That wasn’t me.

After nearly punching a hole in his cabin, Bones started laughing at me. I glared at him, then got right in his face. 

“What’s so fucking funny?” I asked.

“I see you, Executioner.” He gave me a knowing smile, and I had to take a step back. 

“What?”

“I see you. I get you. Little kid thrown into a world of violence at such a young age. You grew up too fast, yet you’re still just a little boy who wants mommy and daddy’s approval, aren’t ya?”

My teeth clenched, and a growl escaped my throat. “Fuck you.”

“Yeah, that’s it. Then the damsel in distress came along, alone, just like you, hurting just like you, and you felt something different, didn’t you?”

“Stop it.” I tried to growl again, but he was too right. I was losing my steam.

“You thought you could get back what you were missing with her, didn’t you? Thought she would make everything better?”

He looked at me, waiting for a response, but I had none.

“I’ll tell you a secret that you might not like.” He paused, scootched to the edge of his chair, and looked me deep in the eyes. “That feeling you’re looking for; it’s gone. It died with your family. Believe me, I’ve looked for it for a long time myself.”

I flopped back down in my chair, the sting of tears in my eyes. I couldn’t let those fall, though. That would mean he was right.

“All of my men, we’ve searched for something like that, knowing full well it will never find us. I have, however, found something that helps.” He rustled through a drawer on the desk beside him, then brought out a long pipe with a place for a little bowl near the end. I’d never seen anything like it.

“What is that?” I asked, as my gut twisted.

“Something to help you relax.”

Bullshit. I thought. “I was told that once and got addicted to cigarettes for half my life.”

“Ha! Cigarettes are kids' stuff. You want to get that broad out of your head. This is what will do it.”

Annoyance rose in me. “I’m not a kid.”

“I know.” He smiled and passed me the pipe. 

No, no, no, no. Don’t touch that, my gut screamed at me. I looked it over, then asked, “What is it?”

“Just some seeds from a flower. Nothing unnatural.”

“Is it addictive?”

“Nah. Just relaxing. Lets your mind figure itself out, you know?”

Don’t do it, my gut screamed again. I wondered why this man was being so buddy buddy all of a sudden. Did it have something to do with Her? No, come on. That was just the paranoia talking. The world didn’t revolve around Her. This guy knew what I was going through and wanted to help… Right?

He smiled at me as if he knew my innermost thoughts. “From one man to another, I promise this will help you.”

Screw my gut. It lied to me about my family, about Her, about my future. This guy actually understood me.

I sighed, then cautiously took the pipe, taking a deep inhale of the vapours coming out of it. A calming, wonderful warmth came over me. Bones was right. This was exactly what I needed. Every muscle in my body relaxed, including my brain. I just slumped back in my chair and let that sense overtake me. I hadn’t felt this calm since I was a kid snuggled up in my mom’s arms. It felt so good.

At least until the next day.

By the time I woke up in that same rickety chair, Bones was already gone. A terrible ache coursed through my body. Not that nice ache I’d get from a deep workout. It was one that told me my body was not alright with what I had done. As I came out on deck, dripping with sweat, Bones laughed at me.

“How ya feeling… man?”

I smirked at his choice of words, but wasn’t really up for banter. “Like shit.”

“Ah, well, I suppose I coulda taken it a little easier on you for your first time. You just had so much shit going on. I thought it would help.”

“Yeah…” 

He looked me over, then smiled. “Head on below deck. Jimmy’s got a meal made up that will make you feel back to your old self.”

I complied, forcing my legs to work against the aches. Maybe Bones really was trying to help me last night, but he definitely lied about the addictiveness. I already wanted more of it. I craved that warmth.

I told myself then and there that was the last time I did that; that the aftereffects were not worth whatever that was. 

I tried. I tried to get that feeling out of my mind.

I failed.

Maybe I should have listened to my gut in the first place.