Chapter 318: Mountains
Rindiri glanced over the helm, watching Youritz hover above the front of the deck, his eyes closed and gleaming. His arm was still jotted forward, pointed straight into the storm that howled around them. Even after sailing through it for days, most of the crew rarely dared come up on deck, fearing the thin barrier might shatter at any moment.
Not that any of them had wanted to be left behind. No, many would rather be killed outright instead of that, something Rindiri understood well. Still, except for a handful of her crew, the rest were hiding below deck, preferring to be stuffed together in overcrowded quarters or shoulder-to-shoulder in the tiny galley.
That left just herself, Youritz, Dagger - who was rushing across the sails, keeping the spotless sails clean, and Castibal, the only non-Yuurindi person on the ship.
The burly Simlari stood with his arms leaning on the railing, staring at the storm in reverent awe. His shoulder-length, gray, and silver hair was floating around his head as was common for his species, sometimes flowing along with the storm beyond. He’d been standing at the same spot ever since they entered, seeming almost offhandedly to be powering the barrier separating them from certain death.
“That obsessed son of a fart has more soulforce than anyone I’ve ever met…”
Rindiri glanced up at Dagger. Her second in command was hovering above her. Her whispered voice had been loud enough that Castibal had probably heard it.
“Don’t agitate the one thing keeping us from dying,” Rindiri said, narrowing her eyes as she gave Dagger the glare she usually used on Zender when he’d pulled some shenanigans again.
The thought of her son made her think of her other living children, and for a short moment, her mind wandered of- wondering how they were doing. She knew most would be and stay safely tucked away, but Earilla and Zender were bound to follow Irwin. As much as she approved, she couldn’t hold back a tiny worry that this would cause them to be lost to her.
Before her thoughts could cause her to be distracted, she focused on Dagger. The short, almost criminally average-looking Yuurindi shook her head, her piercing purple eyes glimmering with glee.
“He won’t mind, Captain. He’s got a good sense of humor for one of dem stormy ones, even though he can’t seem to pull his head out of the clouds.”
Rindiri held her gaze for a bit, but with Castibal giving no reaction, she let it drop. She’d have to talk with him after her shift was over and make sure he wasn’t harboring some grudge.
She looked up to see that Dagger was gone again, crawling across the sail with as much ease as most would over a grassy field.