“Sure you are,” I snapped unintentionally.
The sick feeling was growing again, tears welling in my eyes. Distantly I was aware of how silly it was to be so upset, but I could not stop myself as the words jumped from my mouth.
“When you die we’ll see who was right.”
I stormed from the room before I could catch a reaction on the kin’s face. I had just wanted to help, but obviously he was above accepting it. Even he could die if that head wound ruptured something important.
Once again I ended up standing on the deck, trying to clear my head. I had a moment to catch my breath before Bolivar appeared, clearing his throat to catch my attention.
“Would you like to rest?” he asked politely, saying nothing of the harsh emotions he had just witnessed.
Though I was not completely exhausted from the healing, my sensitive behavior was evidence enough that I was not at my best. I nodded resignedly, and followed the captain’s lead up the steep stairs and into his dimly lit chambers. He gestured to a plush, but small, couch at the back of the room.
I took it as an invitation to make myself comfortable, and did so.
“These aren’t the best accommodations, but I’m afraid the only other free beds are those in the infirmary. This is the best I can offer at the moment.”
His tone had changed much since I talked to him before we left the ship. Then, he had been more condescending and commanding. Now he sounded positively polite.
I looked around the room again, noting how much money must have gone into maintaining it. My eyelids were growing heavy, but there were so many questions. I propped myself on the armrest and looked at the human captain as he settled behind his desk.
“Pray tell. What, exactly, do you and your crew do when you’re not off hunting dragons?” I asked.
“Well, Rio would tell you we are fierce pirates, but that’s not entirely true. We operate outside certain regulations, yes, but mostly we are just a merchant ship, transporting supplies from Bain to Lykwain.”
Lykwain was the unfortunate city just barely beyond the border between the