26

The crew of the Finch had left Ellay's shores a week ago, and now, storm clouds brewed on the horizon.

Ainsley spotted them from her place in the crowsnest, towering black masses that seemed to touch the sea with how low and heavy they hung. Even as she watched, they boiled and twisted in the sky, outlined by the midday sun. She felt her throat bob as she swallowed.

Gael and Nathe didn't seem particularly concerned when Ainsley gave up her spot to another pirate to approach the captain and officer about the coming storm.

"It looks bad, doesn't it?" She asked, hands wrapped around each other and lifted to her chest. A distant rumble sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine.

Nathe just chuckled, adjusting a heavy coil of rope on his shoulder. "The Finch has survived much worse. Everything will be fine, Princess."

Gael was a little more serious. "We'll prepare for it, of course. Everything will need to be lashed down, and someone needs to gather men to take in the sails. But Nathe is right, we have weathered through worse storms than this one is shaping up to be." She gave Ainsley a smile. That smile had started making Ainsley's heart jump when she received it, but this time, it thumped instead with nerves she couldn't calm.

"Alright," she replied, wiping her palms on her trousers. "Is there anything I can do?"

The rest of the day was spent preparing for the quell that loomed ever closer, until it hovered over them like a dark monster or one of the great titans of the sea. With each slap of the waves against the Finch's hull, growing larger and larger every time, Ainsley's throat grew drier.

It was silly to be afraid of storms. She knew that. But even in the safety of stone castle walls, the flashing of lightning never failed to set her atremble. It would be so much worse here, on the open ocean and surrounded by towering waves of foam and seawater.

By the time evening fell, the ship was ready to endure the storm. A harsh wind had whipped up, blowing Ainsley's hair erratically around her face until she stopped trying entirely to push it out of her eyes. The air smelled thick and heavy with salt and humidity. Now, the waves that rushed up to meet the Finch's bow rivaled the ship's own height.

Ainsley approached Gael on unsteady steps. The deck convulsed beneath her.

"I think I'll turn in," she said, watching the sky, now dark with the fall of night. The clouds completely obscured the stars, so they were surrounded by nothing but a chaotic black void and falling rain.

"Oh. Of course. Nathe and Otto will be watching the helm tonight, so I think I'll do the same before too long," Gael replied, apparently not picking up on the worry in Ainsley's voice. For that, the princess was glad.

Inside the hold, everything tossed violently, and Ainsley couldn't get comfortable. The warmth of the cat pressed close to her back couldn't settle her tonight, and the small dragon flapped its wings and chittered, picking up on the anxiety she experienced. The storm was straight above them now, and every clap of thunder was a roar that shook her bones and made the inside of her skull ache. The Finch was tossed like a rabbit in the talons of a dragon.

Finally, she sat up, shaking from head to toe.

"It's alright," she murmured to herself, putting a hand on her heart. It fluttered beneath her fingers like the heartbeat of a caged animal. "It's alright, it's alright..." But it wasn't. Despite her best efforts to tell herself she was being ridiculous, Ainsley was terrified.

Swiping away the blanket that had tangled between her legs, Ainsley got to her feet and made her way unsteadily down a narrow corridor, then up a ladder into the next level of the ship's innards. By now, she knew her way around the Finch as well as any of the crew, but the darkness had her stumbling around blind.

Then she bumped into someone.

Gasping in shock, Ainsley stumbled backward, unable to catch her balance as the ship tipped violently. A hand snatched her arm and caught her.

"Ainsley?"

"Gael!"

Ainsley wasn't sure she had ever been so relieved to hear the pirate's voice. Resisting the urge to throw herself into her arms, Ainsley reached out and placed a hand on the wall next to her to steady herself.

"What are you doing up?"

Ainsley couldn't make out any more than a dark shadow where Gael stood.

"Nothing. I..." her voice trailed off as she sucked in a shaky breath. Gael's hand hadn't moved from her arm, and she spoke up suddenly.

"Ainsley, you're trembling."

Ainsley managed a breathless laugh. "Am I?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just..." She separated herself from Gael gently. "I'm afraid of storms," she confessed. "It's stupid, I know, but I always have been—"

"It isn't stupid," Gael cut her off. They were so close Ainsley felt the pirate's breath whisp against the top of her head.

"I... didn't want to be alone."

Gael's presence was suddenly warm and real before her.

"Come with me."

Somehow, their hands found each other. Gael's skin felt like fire against hers, like Ainsley was holding one of the bolts of lightning that sparked far above them.

A crash of thunder rattled the ship, and Ainsley jerked.

"It'll be alright. This way."

Gael led her carefully through the corridor until she opened a door, nudged her through, and then shut it again. Ainsley blinked.

It was still dark in the room, but there was a lantern in one corner that cast a soft orange glow and flickered with every plunge the Finch took into a valley between waves. It wasn't lavish by any stretch, but there was a bed and a heavy chest shoved against one wall and a table that was covered in pinned down maps and charts. The whole ensemble took up most of the floor space, but Ainsley felt herself begin to calm even though the room was small and she could still hear and feel the storm around them. These were Gael's quarters, she realized. The captain's room.

Ainsley's exhale was breathy and trembling as she released Gael's hand and stood silent in the center of the room, staring up at the planked ceiling as though if she focused hard enough she would see the storm raging outside.

"You can stay here tonight, if you'd like," Gael suggested, words so soft Ainsley could barely hear them. "I... can find space on the floor for myself."

"Oh, no, I could never ask that of you, but thank you regardless, it..." Ainsley felt herself flush. "It's very appreciated."

The ship lunged violently downward just as a boom of thunder seemed to shatter all of the air in Ainsley's lungs. She flinched, clasping her hands above her ears.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry..."

Ainsley kept whispering apologies even as sudden warmth enveloped her. Gael's arms found her shoulders and pulled her in, and suddenly, she was pressed against her chest and held so tightly it seemed to calm her racing heart.

Ainsley lowered her hands and let herself be held, tears prickling her eyes even as she closed them. Gael was warm, and with Ainsley's cheek pressed against her collarbone, she smelled like saltwater. The ship rocked on the waves, but Gael was steady, and Ainsley felt as though nothing could sway her if she held her like this.

And then she realized.

The idea of it hit her with what felt like a crushing weight.

She couldn't be in love with Gael.

Could she?

There was a sudden rumbling over the sound of the storm, pulling Ainsley from her thoughts, and she placed her hands on Gael's chest, separating them by an inch or so. The way the light outlined the gentle curve of Gael's cheek in gold was horribly distracting.

"Do you hear that?" She whispered. She let her eyes flutter shut and reached out with her mind. From the center of the roaring storm, another consciousness touched her own.

"There's a dragon out there," she breathed.

"A dragon?" Gael let go of Ainsley and stepped away only slightly. They were still close enough that Ainsley could watch Gael's chest move as she took a breath. "We should go see it."

Ainsley's heart thumped. "Oh, no, that's a horrible idea, we should not do that, have you seen it out there?"

And yet, she didn't protest as Gael took her hand again. Maybe it was because of the way the dragon seemed to call to her, or maybe it was because of how Gael's hand felt around hers. If this let her hold on to Gael a little bit longer, maybe she could manage it.

"It'll be alright. Trust me."

Suddenly, trusting her seemed like the easiest thing in the world. Ainsley nodded wordlessly.

The two walked carefully to the hatch, where rain dribbled in through the edge of it and flashes of lightning lit up the cracks in a square of white light. Ainsley gripper Gael's hand tighter, and her heart beat wildly, but now she couldn't tell if it was from the storm or how close Gael was.

"Ready?" Gael shouted over the roaring wind.

Ainsley nodded, and Gael reached up to push away the hatch.

whoa things are getting spicy !! this is one of my favourite chapters for obvious reasons, though the next one is pretty close as well. as always, please vote and comment, i'd love to hear your thoughts (: