Page 59 of Crossbones
Perhaps a bit too harshly because the housekeeper screams and flees deeper into the house—probably thinking we’re a bunch of pirates coming to storm the place. I don’t really blame her.
“Damnit,” Harrison curses.
He rings the bell again and bangs on the door frame a few times, only stopping when we hear shouting and footsteps. The door is ripped open and relief courses through me, even though there is now a pistol aimed at my face.
“John—” I greet him breathlessly. “I need to call in a favor.”
Caspian stirs and jolts awake. His blue eyes turn to me, this time clear and sharp. The last three days have been touch and go with him. His fever raged to a point where he would lucid dream—still trapped in whatever nightmare he was reliving. It would take me and Van to calm him down.
Needless to say, I’m exhausted.
Caspian sits up with a wince. I jolt, my hands flexing on my thighs as I stop myself from putting my hands on him. He sits on the edge of the bed with a groan and rakes a hand through his hair.
“You look like you’ve been sitting there awhile,” he says.
Hearing his usual humor bleed into his voice makes all the tension fall away. I try a tentative grin that I’m afraid isn’t more than a twitch of my lips. He’s still pale but I don’t think it’s anything a little food and drink won’t cure.
I nod once. “Three days actually.”
He balks, his eyes widening. “Fuck, really? Wait—” He looks around. “We’re not on the ship.” He goes white. “Are we stillin Ironhold?”
Before I can answer, Van appears in the doorway. Seeing Caspian awake, a look of relief sweeps over his face.
“Good to see you back with us,” he says.
I begrudgingly have to admit, Van has been a saint the last few days. The way he went about caring for Caspian with ruthless dedication made me think that he’d done this all before. When I asked him about it, he’d simply looked over at Caspian with sorrow in his eyes and his shoulders dropped. He nodded briefly and shut down, once again leaving me without answers.
Caspian barely glances at Van before he’s on his feet, buckling his sword around his waist, but he has to grip the back of a chair as a wave of dizziness hits him. Van and I are looking on incredulously as he gets over the spell and shoves a pistol in his belt.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“We’re still in Ironhold?” He looks at me with fire in his eyes. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”
That’s the last straw for Van apparently, because he grabs the back of a nearby chair and viciously shoves it across the room. Caspian freezes at the crash and his eyes float to his quartermaster who is bright red, seething with rage.
“No, you’re not! We justfuckingpulled you out of there!” He exclaims. “You’re going to get back in thatfuckingbed—or so help me, I’ll chain you there.”
Van’s chest is heaving as he points to the bed. Caspian’s lips twitch like he’s trying not to smile, which isn’t helping things.
“He caught me off guard, Van. He won’t get that advantage again.”
“I don’t care!” Van shouts. “I really don’t give a fuck what you think will be different—Itoldyou this would happen, Caspian! I fuckingtoldyou!”
“Caspian—”
I say his name and he turns his attention to me.
“I need to end this,” he growls. His hand trembles where it’s gripping the second pistol on the table. He grinds his jaw as he composes himself. “That man has haunted me for years and I’m done. What he’s done to me—to my family—” His voice fails him. “I need to end this.”
I stare at him for a long moment.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” He echoes at the same time as Van says, “Fuck me.”
I nod. “But, you promised me the whole story.”
Caspian looks like he’s going to protest, in fact he opens his mouth but thinks better about what he’s about to say and instead, turns to Van.
