Chapter 26: Favorite Book

Crystal

“Now, that’s a good beer,” Captain Bayou wiped his mouth with his arm, after he placed his mug down. I finished my sandwich. He patted his stomach and took one last bite of his cooked stuffed fish.

“Thank you.” I bowed my head and then look everywhere. Everyone was either busy talking to each other, or drinking hard. At least this time around there was no woman, at least not like the other girls.

“Why didn’t you get more food?” he asked, placing his elbows on top of the table. I shrugged, taking my mug and wrapping my hands around it, taking another sip of water.

“I’m not that hungry,” I told him. I lifted my gaze to catch him staring at me. I suddenly hiccupped, causing my water to spill all over my face.

“Geez,” I grunted, placing the mug down, and started to wipe my face with my hands. Captain Bayou moved rapidly and handed me a cloth. I took it and wiped my mouth and my shirt.

“Thanks.”

“Be more careful love, I know I’m hard to resist, but still,” he chuckled, and I noticed his silver eyes brightening up. I lowered my head.

“You are full of yourself.”

“Not really, just stating the obvious, but really, be careful,” he whispered tenderly. I looked up at him.

“What’s your favorite book, I mean, if you like to read.” I asked him. Captain Bayou crosses his arms and leaned back on the wall since our table was next to it, near a window. The inside of the pub is made out of wood, and the view we are getting is actually the backyard, that is filled with greenery.

“Beauty and the Beast.” His sudden words caught me by surprise.

“Really?” I asked with wide eyes.

“No, do I look like a guy I would be reading those? Reality, my favorite book has to be the Lonely Sea boy,” he told me. I tilted my head to the side.

“Isn’t that about a small boy that gets lost in the sea, and it took him about six months to reunite with his parents?” I remember that Alex read me that book long ago. I was crying hard, it was so emotional and deep.

“Aye love.” A deep sadness passed through his silver eyes, and for some reason my heart ached at the sight. I moved closer.

“I like that story, I cried for hours, after Alex read it to me. It was touching. That boy never lost hope on finding his parents.”

“It is,” Captain Bayou sighed, but I knew there was more to it, the way his body shifted at my words.

Maybe it reminds him of him? Or something like that.

“What’s your favorite color?” he asks, changing the subject. I shrugged, looking down at my hands.

“Yellow, yours?”

“Green,” he suddenly said. My eyes widened and I looked up at him.

Like my eyes?

“Green? Why?” I asked. He leaned very close to me, hitching his body up since he was sitting across from me. His eyes scanned mine, and I hiccupped again and turned my gaze away, feeling my cheeks turning warm.

“It reminds me of my home,” I faced him when he said that, and a strange longing filled his features. I licked my lips and shook my head.

“Anything will remind you of home, I should know.” he slightly nodded and moved to twirl his fingers.

“Aye, home, haven’t visited in a long time,”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t have a home anymore, love and...” but his words are cut off, when a slam of glass hit the table, causing me to jump in fright. Captain Bayou groaned and lazily looked up. A tall, slim man, with no teeth and thin face, lowered himself down.

“Well, there goes our moment, can we help you?” Captain Bayou asked. In a tight tone. His dark eyes landed on me, then at Captain Bayou.

“Yes, the man over there wants to speak to you, pirate,” he pointed lazily to the right, where the bartender was. I followed his finger, and the bartender gave us a dark look, while he cleaned a mug with a towel, behind the counter. Captain Bayou lifted his gaze and arched a brow.

“Why didn’t he come here himself?” Captain Bayou asks. The skinny guy shrugged at him.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Captain Bayou stood up and waved away the skinny guy. He turned toward me.

“Let’s see what hairless man wants.” I nodded, standing up, we went up to the bartender, a tall man with shaved head.

“I heard you are looking for little old me, what is what you want?” Captain Bayou sat on the stool and leaned forward. The bald man leans forward as well, placing his arms on top of the table and gave him a stern sketchy look.

“Aren’t you one that the king is looking for?” he asked.

“Aye mate me is, what about it, want my signature?” Captain Bayou answers him with muse in his eyes.

“I think your head cost a lot more gold, then you damn signature, will you offer it to me?” the bald man teased, but in a dark manner. I gulped, rubbing my hands together.

“If I could, I would have cut off my own head and gave it to the king myself, if I were able to get that gold, but you see, I like breathing and walking, so I’m sorry.” Captain Bayou chuckles at him.

“Stop mocking, we aren’t going to do anything, but the shadow is. It’s already awoken. So if you can leave this humble adobe.” he pointed at the doors behind us. Captain Bayou smiled and shook his head.

“We will, I’m not scared of no Shadow, but I do have a question mate,”

“What?” the bartender asks.

“Do you know anyone by the name of Joe, he’s a seer.” The bald man went quiet, as though he knew something.

“I don’t, get the hell out of my pub. We don’t want any filthy pirate, and I hope you die a violent death.” He chuckled darkly.

A dark smile spread on Captain Bayou lips when he suddenly took a small knife from his breast pocket and slammed the tip of the knife on the table so hard that it made it jump. I gasp a little looking up at him.

“Now, I hate repeating myself, where is he?” Captain Bayou asked, leaning forward, placing his arm on top of the table. I bit my lip and glanced at the muscle up man, with one good right eye and tattoos all over his arms. He had no hair, shaved off, and his eyes were small. He chuckled, leaning forward.

“You think you will scare me?” he asked Captain Bayou. Captain Bayou tilted his hat up, grasping the handle of the knife.

“Ne mate,” he stood up, and I did the same, the big guy looked straight at me, and a smirk passed his lips.

“I’ll tell you if you let me have one night to bed her,” he offered. My body froze at his words, and I glanced at Captain Bayou with horror.

No expression passed his eyes, but Captain Bayou walked slowly up to him, grasping the edge of the knife, he pulled it out from the table and pointed the tip straight at his good right eye.

“But this will scare you, if you want to keep that eye of yours intact, don’t ever ask that ever again, you stupid bastard. She is my woman.”

My eyes widened when he did a spin with his knife and jammed it in the man’s hand, piercing it through, his hand stuck to the table, blood squirting all over.

“Ahh!” he screamed in pain.

“Come, love, before it gets messy,” he took my hand, I looked back watching the big man talk to some other guys before I grabbed Captain Bayou hands.

“You shouldn’t have done that, look.” I pointed behind him. Captain Bayou cracked his neck and looked down at me.

“It’s time for you to show off once again,” My eyes widened and I looked up at him.

“No, I won’t do it,” he held my waist tightly, causing me to shiver slightly. He grabbed my arm and pointed it straight at the guys, then before my own eyes a sword appeared in my hands.

“Don’t worry love, I won’t leave you, now show me what you can do, show me that I choose the right person to be my wife, my own witch.”

My heart thumped watching everyone surrounding us.

“Get them!” the bald man shouted, running towards us. Captain Bayou grasped my hand, holding me tighter. A dark laughter passed his lips.

“I’ll try hard to not kill anyone,” he whispered to me, his breath brushing against my skin making me shiver. I looked up at him, my heart racing even more.

“Please don’t remind me that I’m your wife,” I groaned, as we started to fight.

Bayou

I twirled Crystal around and pushed one of the guys away while I heard Crystal grunt. I lifted my arm up and knocked someone over, by breaking his nose. Then I kept hitting everyone that came my way. The bald man came rushing towards me holding the knife that I had stabbed him with and raised his arm to stab me back.

“You are going to pay, you f...” but I stepped aside and placed my foot out so he would trip. I hit his back rather hard and then Crystal turned towards me.

“We need to leave now.” she is heaving hard, without a thought, I moved and grasped her hand and we went out, when we stepped outside, the atmosphere felt heavier and thicker, as a heavy fog appeared around us.

“What the hell?” I hissed out, I could hear Crystal gasp as she took a hold of my hand. I turned around, only to see the doors already closed, and I sighed.

Just great.

“At least we didn’t kill anyone, but what in the world is this?” Crystal complains.

“I don’t know, but sure as hell, it’s not been a boring day.”