“Nothing but us and the void, Captain,” she answered.
“Well, all the same, keep an eye out.”
“Yes Sir.”
Dexter had just returned to his train of thought when she spoke again. “Back on Azmea, when we were trapped, Jenna told me how you filled her with hope even as you denied her.”
Dexter sighed and turned around. “Telling you to mind the ship’s not going to do me any good, is it?”
Bekka smiled.
“I’m thinking I know why they say women on a ship are bad luck,” he muttered to himself. Sighing in defeat, he asked her, “What about it? I did what any Captain ought to do.”
“You did,” she acknowledged. “But there’s more. Captain — Dexter, Jenna is special, very special. You do see that, don’t you?”
Dexter blinked. He hid the grin from his face and nodded. “Aye, she’s one of a kind.”
Bekka smiled again. “Good. If you didn’t, then you wouldn’t deserve her.”
Dexter’s laugh was hesitant. Did she know? Did the entire crew know? It had only been a couple of days and he’d had made himself scarce whenever Jenna was around. What they’d done was too complicated; the words they’d spoken too important. Involvement was dangerous, damn it! Why didn’t that fool woman understand? Had Kragor’s death taught her nothing?
“What do you mean?” he asked, catching himself before the silence dragged on too long.
Bekka shrugged and glanced away. “If you didn’t deserve her, then I’d have to convince her to find someone who did.”
Dexter stared at her with wide eyes. “Someone who did? Like who?”
She looked at him and shrugged again. “Not many elves can look beyond their race, she’s special. She had no kindness for me when we met, but she’s overcome that and even gone so far as to apologize for her kind.”
Dexter snorted. “Not her fault her kin are bastards.”
Bekka nodded. “True, but still she did it. She’s got a heart of gold, and only now learning it herself.”
“So you’d be one who deserves her then?” he asked, intrigued by the idea. He felt mildly threatened as well. He tried to stomp away the jealousy — after all, he knew better than to get involved with one of his crew. What happened must have been a mistake. Too many emotions lately: Kragor’s death, their narrow escape and Jenna’s near death.
“Only if her first choice fell short,” Bekka said.
A commotion in the companionway heralded the opening of the door. Rosh stuck his head through and looked around. He saw the two of them and shrugged, then pushed himself in.
“Hope I ain’t interruptin’ nothing,” he said, knowing he probably was but not caring. He had spent a fair bit of time screwing up the courage to have the talk he planned on having.
“Of course not,” Dexter said. “Just taking about Jenna’s brush with death.”
Rosh grunted, hardly caring. Bekka laughed lightly. “Among other things, like when the Captain will stop denying that he loves her.”
Dexter glared at Bekka, who only shrugged and refused to back down.
“You love her?” Rosh asked, surprised. “Careful Cap, she likes messing with people, I think she’s got your number.”
Dexter threw his head back and groaned. “Enough! There’s no talk to be had about my love life… because there isn’t one! Jenna’s second in command, you’d do well to treat her with respect.”
Rosh blinked and then grinned. “Sunk her teeth in ya, ain’t she?”
Dexter bristled, forgetting that he was supposed to be in charge momentarily. “You’ve got no room for talking! What about Willa and you?”
Rosh opened his mouth then shut it. He looked thoughtful as he pondered what Dexter had said. “You think?” he asked. “I thought we was just friends and all.”
Bekka snorted from her position on the helm, but other than a sharp glance from Dexter, she was ignored. The pause served to help Dexter reign in his frustrations. He took a deep breath and addressed his Arms Master.
“What are you needing, Rosh?”
“Huh? Oh,” Rosh said, glancing briefly at Bekka and then shrugging.
“Cap, the other day, I didn’t mean nothing by what I said,” he explained. “I was just… well, we been having a run of bad luck.”
Dexter nodded; he could tell the big man had more to say.
“The course you been laying ain’t been easy, but we’re still here and I guess that’s something,” he continued. “Still, a fellow can’t help but wonder sometimes about other things.”
“What are you saying?” Dexter asked him, wanting to get to his point and spare the man the clumsy rhetoric.
“That’s all,” Rosh said. “I was just saying what I said. It ain’t easy for me, ya know.”
Dexter nodded, accepting the closest that man could give to an apology. Rosh smiled a little self-consciously, then slipped back out the door and headed off to have a friendly chat with Willa. The Captain watched him go, then sighed and turned back to the charts on the table.
Unseen on the helm, a faint smirk found its way to Bekka’s face.
The following days had been very stressful on the Voidhawk. Bailynn had seemed increasingly withdrawn. Jenna had been distant, though Dexter was thankful for that. His own thoughts were considerably remote, but in spite of it he still noticed how surprisingly cheerful Logan seemed to be. Apparently life on the Voidhawk appealed to him.
“Been meaning to have a word with you,” Dexter said, catching the man as he hopped up the stairs onto the forecastle to make sure some lines were tightened down.
Logan glanced up and smiled. He looked at the ropes and, assured they were right, turned his full attention to Dexter. “What can I do for you, Captain?”
“Between the problems we had and… everything else, I’ve had no chance to welcome you proper to the ship.”
Logan chuckled and shrugged. “Don’t worry, Captain. As you said, there were a lot of problems. I was reluctant at first, but now I find I could not have landed in a better place.”
“You’ve done right by us,” Dexter said thoughtfully. “But I’m still wanting to know what ails you.”
Logan glanced at the main deck and then shrugged. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, turning back to Dexter. “The moon, on Azmir, caused me madness.”
“At times I would wake up with my clothing torn and signs of trouble about me. Dirt and blood on my fingers, once even some hair stuck to my arm,” he said frankly. “It was never my own, and I could never remember where it came from.”
He shrugged again. “Since we left Azmir behind, I’ve yet to have any problems.”
Dexter nodded. “I got no idea what sort of thing this could be,” he said. “Don’t make sense, it just going away though. You be sure and let me know if you feel it coming back, we don’t need any more trouble here.”
Logan chuckled, unable to repress his good mood. He nodded though, and promised Dexter that he would. He returned to working and Dexter watched him for a long moment before he decided to head below and see about getting some food. On his way he stopped and saw Kragor sitting halfway down the steps to the main deck, the ghostly dwarf watching Willa as she worked on the main deck.
“Kragor,” Dexter said softly, by way of greeting. He found himself smiling, putting his troubled thoughts aside for a moment.
The dwarf glanced up at him and smiled, then pointed back to Willa. He gave a thumbs up motion, letting Dexter know he approved of her. For what, Dexter had no idea, but it still made him feel better.
Jenna rounded the corner suddenly, the elf girl moving silently and quickly and surprising them. She took the stairs quickly and passed right through the spectral dwarf, which caused him to scowl at her as he patted himself off. Jenna paused at the top of the stairs, next to Dexter and peered back down at them curiously.
“That was odd,” she muttered. She turned to the Captain, her expression still baffled. “Did you feel something?”
Dexter smiled uneasily. “Jenna, I-“