Page 59 of Take No Prisoners
The dark-skinned islander running the shop looked to be twice as old as Efren, but she moved with the grace and agility of a dancer. Something about her felt familiar to Niall, but the thought slipped away as her gaze seared into him. She assessed his current wardrobe and then pinched at the fabric of his tunic and pants with her thumb and forefinger, her touch so light Niall couldn't feel it.
"Finally, you bring your young man to meet me," she chided, patting Efren on the shoulder. "You bring me measurements and old clothes to mend, but I've not set eyes on him 'til now. You forget your manners, out there on the sea."
Niall opened his mouth to say he'd only been there for a day, but Efren stopped him with a shake of his head.
"I'm sorry, Gulde." Efren bowed to her. "This is Niall."
Instead of shaking his offered hand, she handed him a bundle of clothes to try on and pushed him toward a screen in the corner.
"Gulde is the island's only fire weaver," Efren said, raising his voice so Niall could hear him behind the screen.
"Ha. You know I weave nothing but a little spark here or there. The empress wouldn't even hire me to be her maidservant."
"It's enough for Allora's enchantments," Efren said.
Niall had never worn clothes like these before. They felt too tight, but he'd never had clothes made to his specific measurements.
Efren also had a new pair of long pants tucked into new boots, and a crisp white shirt tucked into that. He looked more comfortable in his clothes than Niall felt. He'd never had such soft fabrics against his skin, but the cut of the cloth made him feel naked wearing them. The button-down shirt fit much like Vadim's, and it hung to mid-thigh, long enough for him to tuck in. The pants hugged his legs from the tops of his thighs to his knees, and then they belled out. He could either wear them over his boots or tuck them inside. He was surprised to find the hem caressing the top of his foot. Since he'd grown, Niall couldn't remember the last pair of pants he owned that went past his ankles. He would need to tuck them in on the ship.
His new boots were weathered brown leather. They were softer and more supple than he expected, as were the pants. He rolled the pantlegs and tucked them in before lacing the boots to the top. Then, he shuffled around the screen, smoothing the shirt over his chest.
"How do they fit?" Efren asked.
"Perfect," Gulde said, studying him from head to toe.
Efren's gaze flicked from Niall's head to his new boots, and back again. He said nothing, but his look of appreciation matched Gulde's appraisal.
Niall felt his face heat as Efren continued to stare at him.
Finally, Efren cleared his throat and turned to Gulde. "Don't you ever complain about me giving you measurements again. Those fit him perfectly."
"Aye, which is why I charged you extra."
Niall bowed his head to Gulde. "Thank you very much. What do I owe you?"
"Your captain paid."
Gulde held out her hand to Efren, and he placed a large gold coin in her palm. Niall had never seen so much money spent in one place before. Once again, he felt inferior to Efren in ways he could never compensate. He had nothing beyond the clothes on his back and a skill he most likely couldn't use on the island.
While Niall worried about his inadequacies, Efren made arrangements with Gulde for winter sailing clothes. Then, he thanked her and pulled Niall to the door with a promise to return before they left for Hearthstone again.
Aquarion was not a large island, by any means. It was bigger than Horseshoe by acres, but it would take less than a half-day to hike from east to west, and anywhere from a quarter-hour to an hour to walk from the north shore to the south shore. It only took a quarter-hour to walk from Gulde's shop to Efren's cabin on the north end of the island to drop off their packages.
Niall couldn't shake his melancholy, even as they watched the beautiful sunset dip below the ocean waves from the balcony. When they returned to the beach for their evening meal, he and Efren sat on opposite sides of a piece of driftwood with the rest of the crew between them. Klaus sat on a blanket at Niall's feet and tried to cheer him up, but even he stopped after Niall's fifth or sixth one-word answer.
If love made him feel inadequate and hollow inside, he wanted no part of it.
Chapter 14
Efren
Efren was relieved when Niall bid him goodnight and went upstairs to bed alone. He looked like he'd been run over by a horse and overtired besides. He'd learned to use two elements in one day. Granted, Efren wouldn't put him on the sails or ask him to fill their water barrels yet, but at least he wouldn't slice the sails to ribbons or fill the ship's hold by accident, either.
Efren still wanted to kiss him silly and bring him all manner of pleasures, but that could wait. Niall needed rest and time to acclimate to his new abilities.
Besides, Efren's mind was still buzzing with possibilities. Beatrice had once again hinted that Martiz was no longer the council's golden boy, and that Vadim's claims of what had happened before he left for the academy were finally being heeded. Two children had gone missing in the six months since Efren had sailed. No one had accused Martiz, but the stories Vadim had brought with him from Hearthstone made it sound like he'd been responsible for the deaths of many children when he was a ship's healer for the navy.
Efren had never liked the healer, but he didn't want to make assumptions. They needed proof, which was why Beatrice was forcing Martiz and Vadim to work together.
