Page 119 of Tell No Tales
"Gods, Hannah, you put us to shame," Milton said. "Where's your mask?"
"I can't see with it on." They shrugged. "Besides, I'm only up there for fifty minutes at a time. Thank you," they said when Tim handed them another steaming cup.
Klaus knew he didn't need it, but he wished for his own warm cup. The cold filtering through the bond was starting to freeze him from the inside.
After a few minutes of organizing, and Niall offering to set up little fire pits for Olivia and Hannah, Efren decided against splitting their shifts. "If anyone gets cold, they're to come to the galley while they can still feel their fingers," he said.
"Aye, Captain," the others agreed.
Efren, Milton, and Hannah left the galley, each their own ways.
"So," Niall said when they were alone. "Efren said you and Vadim are partners now, and you're thinking of starting a family together."
Klaus grinned at the thought of Trin being their daughter. It seemed absurd to adopt someone so capable of taking care of herself, but both he and Niall knew what it would mean for her to have a family.
"We'll probably adopt every stray that comes along, to be honest."
"Are you sure Vadim should be a father?" Niall smirked the way he always did when he was kidding.
Klaus feigned outrage anyway. "Of course he should. He loves it when I call him daddy." He absolutely did not, but Niall didn't know that.
"Too much information, my friend." Niall's laughter filled the room, and for a moment, it was like old times, when Klaus would say something outrageous, and Niall would call his bluff and laugh. Nostalgia had him bending over his empty plate, rubbing at his eyes.
"Are you all right?" Niall's voice was soft and sweet, same as always.
"Thinking about the old days."
Niall grinned. "It's better now, though. We're better now."
"Aye." The pirate word felt funny on Klaus's tongue, but it seemed right to use it on a pirate ship, surrounded by pirates. "I'm sorry I was such a shitty friend before."
"Don't mention it." Niall shrugged. "We wouldn't be here now, if not for your conniving ways!"
Klaus grinned. "Now you sound like Mother Enzella."
Niall coughed into his hand a couple of times and spoke from the back of his throat. "Now I sound like Mother Enzella."
Klaus couldn't remember a time when he had laughed so hard for no reason. Niall sounded nothing like the dear orphanage manager who had kept them safe and warm more often than not, but it felt good to laugh. War would come to them in the spring. Until then, they could enjoy the bit of happiness they'd found beyond Landale and the orphanage.
"Thank you for healing me," Klaus said. "You did something extra, too. Vadim can feel it. He says it keeps the illness from coming back. I think it also gave me some immunity to Coryn's death power."
"You're very welcome," Niall shook his head to the negative, "but any resistance you have to death weaves comes from Vadim, not me."
"Did you hear that? You're the one who saved me from Coryn,"Klaus shared through their bond.
"Good. Now I don't have to be jealous of Niall's powers."
"Admit it, you'll always be jealous of his powers."
Klaus was too far away to hear it, but he knew Vadim was now laughing like a carefree schoolboy while standing with Efren, Nola, and Olivia at the helm of the ship. Levity didn't come easy among their crew, and there would be dark days ahead, but Klaus would make it a point to enjoy the light while it lasted.
Epilogue
Vadim
After Vadim confirmed with Efren and Olivia that he could withstand the cold for eight hours, thanks to his bond with Klaus, he spent another seven hours on deck. He should have been shivering, but the bond protected him far better than any coat.
At the start of Olivia's shift, Niall built a fire on deck and Stan harvested some trees from the nearest island to keep them stocked for a few days. The cold crisis was averted, and the only conflict aboardStarlight Specterwas the air weavers bickering at each other as they sailed. They all did it, from Niall and Milton to Vadim's shift with Roy and Ray. Olivia had to put up with the worst of it between Tovey and Stan. If they didn't kiss and make up soon, she swore she was going to lock them in the crate together to hash out their differences. Vadim couldn't argue with her logic. It had worked for him.
