Chapter 8: Telling the Truth

"Jacob. Jacob."

Damon's ear twitched to sound of a soft whimpering, sounding like someone was crying. He opened his eyes lifting his head to look at what reminded him of last night event.

He caught a teardrop rolling down across the girl's face as she remains deep asleep on her front. His hand reached out to cup her cheeks and wipe the tears rolling out from her eyes with his thumb. What was she dreaming about, he wondered to himself as he slowly raise his hand allowing his palm to rest over her forehead. A sigh of relieve escape his lips. The elixir he experimented on her had worked, a burden off his shoulders.

"Matilda, Matilda!" Cale calls out to her as she storms down the corridor towards Damon's cabin. "Why don't we give him some more time?"

She turned sharply on her heel to face him. "Cale! That child is stricken with a fever, locked in a room with the man who tried kill her."

"I worry for her as much as you do but maybe things might not be as bad as how we deem it to be. After following the Capt for about 5, 6 years now, I know him well enough to know he still has a soft side. Why else would be bring the girl to his cabin?"

She arched one of her brows.

"Yes, yes you followed him all his life." He dips his head low.

"And don't you mean kidnap her?" She continues forward till she stood outside his room and starts rattling on the doorknob.

Cale caught up with her and tried to explain himself further, "What I am trying to say is....."

"Break the door down."

"What? I don't think that is a good idea."

"Just do it!"

"If you break my door I will break your bones Cale!" Damon's voice resounded from inside before they heard the door lock unhinge from inside and the door swung open.

"Capt, what a good, morning surprise. We wanted to check on how's the girl fairing."

Matilda didn't even bother to wait for his reply and push pass them with her weight into the room. The girl was her utmost concern and she was thankfully to find her undisturbed on the bed. She ran to her side and felt for her forehead first. She was surprised that her fever had broke just overnight, but how?

"Damon! What did you do to her?"

"He left." Cale informed as he stood behind Matilda. He too was shock to see the girl stirring on the bed, looking fresh like she had just been in a deep sleep. He too could not believe his eyes, "what is going on?"

"Child, can you hear me?" Matilda prompted as she watched the girl's eye fluttering open.

Danielle looked at the woman first then to the man standing behind her, who she remembers she raised the rifle to. Her memory flushes with all the recent events which led her to slide away from them to the other side of the bed.

"Cale leave the room please."

No argument or resistant. He left quietly leaving just Matilda and the girl alone in the room.

"Don't be afraid child, no one is going to hurt you anymore." She brushes her hand over her head bringing a sense of comfort over the girl.

"W-Who are you?"

"I am Matilda, a nanny to Damon since he was a child." She stood up from the side of the bed to pour her a cup of water and continued her introduction. "The man who just left is the Captain's first mate, Cale."

Damon? Danielle took a sip of the water, where had she hear that name before.

"And you are?"

"Danielle."

"Good strong name." Matilda mumbled the name a few more times on her lips.

"If you don't mind my forwardness but where are you from Danielle?"

"I.. I." Damn it! Why was nothing she had planned to say before, coming to her mind. She had rehearsed in her mind multiple times on how to response when she meets Artty's brother. Wait, that's it, Damon, he is Artty's brother!

"Da—Damon!" Danielle wince from her sudden spring of her muscle as she props herself up on her elbow on the bed. "Where is he? I need to speak with him."

"Why do you wish to speak with him."

"Artty, do you know him? Artty says he has a brother named Damon."

"Yes, we are aware that you were onboard the same ship with Artty. Damon saw it when it happened. You were trying to escape with Artty but, he didn't make it."

"Didn't make it? He died?"

"His captor caught his collar preventing him from leaping off the ship with you. Damon dove in the water after you."

Danielle took a moment to process all of that. All these while she thought they had got off the ship together and now that she knew the truth she was ridden with guilt. It was her fault again!

"It would help if you could share with us a bit more of what went on while you were onboard the ship with Artty."

Danielle could only nod in response as she felt too guilty to speak up anymore.

"Before that, I have one thing I need to know. You are not from this world, are you?" Matilda pulled out something from her pocket and slide it across the bed to Danielle.

"I believe this is yours?"

The color drained from her face as she stared at her cell phone on the bed.

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"That's all she knows about Artty." Matilda sipped on her cup of tea after pouring out all that she had learned from Danielle to Damon.

Damon sighed and lean back on his seat behind his desk after pacing the length of his room while listening to Matilda speak.

"What about her strange clothes, did she say where she's from?"

"About that, the lesser the people know the better. Your job is to protect her well and ensure nobody gets their hands on her."

"Why, is she some sacred God?"

"If that was the case, your life will be on the line after what you did to her." She snorts at his comment.

"Then, give me a reason why I need to protect her?"

"I have told you the lesser the people know the better. I promised her I will not share it with anyone."

"Secrets, secrets. Blasted it with the secrets. The only thing women are good at."

"Drop your damn pride and prejudice Damon! I told you before stop treating everyone like Althea. This girl is going to help us get Artty back with her knowledge."

"Fine, we will use her to trade for Artty."

"You will do no such thing."

"Has she won your trust that easily?"

"This girl is special. I cannot explain to you exactly how, but I do trust her."

"And I don't."

"Yet, you lock yourself with the girl in your room for a night." She scoffed.

Damon stood up and walk away from the table to look out of the window, staring out into the horizon. In a few hours, they would reach Sage and what they would do from there on he doesn't know. All that occupy his mind now was how can he get to Artty. By the time they dock, the Saurs would have been at Sage for a day or so and the repair of the ship would be started and that might leave them with less than their required time to work things out. He pressed his weight on the ledge of the window and inclined his head.

She pats his shoulder. "Her intelligence will prove her usefulness to us."

He stood alone and breaths deeply, thinking about what to do with the girl who current resides in his cabin.

Danielle jumped as she heard a door closed from nearby. After her short confession with Matilda, she had been jittery and regretted her action greatly. How could she trust someone she didn't know so easily with her secret? Not that there was much of a choice since the evidence have been brought forth before her. She could tell no lies, only truth. This truth might lead her to be sold off to slavery or trial as a witch. She cried out to God, praying it would be neither.

The more the thought lingers on her mind the worst she felt and groans as she lies on her side and fiddle with the loose end of the oversized dress Matilda don her in. Failing to distract her mind, she pulls out her phone tuck in her corset. Inspecting it she wondered if it might work after the adventure it had in the water. The idea had her painfully pushing herself up on the bed and begin dismantling the phone to dry the insides not until a knock echoes the room where she panics and slide all the parts of her phone under her skirt and flattening it nicely on the bed.

"Yes, yes." She calls out to the person on the other side of the door. With her back facing the door while she adjusts her hair and clothing she heard the door opened and closed quickly.

"Matilda, about this Captain." She cleared her throat. "You haven't told me..." She stiffened, her mouth lost for words. It was not Matilda who entered the room but the man who she recognizes vividly, he who attempted to shot her, he who brutally whipped her, this brute of a man!

Well, he certainly does not look like a brute now, standing by the chest of drawer with his white shirt lazily half tuck into his black breeches. His hair ash brown, long to the collar of his shirt. His fringe covering his eyes from her view.

"How do you feel?" He asked breaking the silence.

She doesn't respond but continue staring at him until he turns to face her with a cup of tea in hand, offering her.

Danielle accept it with shaky hands and inches backwards, putting a distance between him and her. If it was not for her back she would have put a bigger distance between them, but her distance now was barely far enough from his reach. He felt her forehead on his own accord without needing her permission or respond.

"Hmm. Still a little warm but otherwise well." He removed his cool hand from her forehead. "And your back?"

He rested one knee on the bed attempting to reach for her shoulder, so he could turn her around, she flinches and wince. Instantly, he held his hand up in defeat. "I will get Matilda to check on that then," and took a seat beside her on the bed.

"I had heard a great deal about your time on board the Saurs." He cleared his throat.

"As Matilda says, you are the key to helping us rescue Artty. In that case, you will learn to obey my orders otherwise you will face punishment."

Her jaw dropped and could not believe what she was hearing. After what he had done to her, he was reminding her of the rules that she had to follow like she was some slave. "Look here you, I am not part of your crews, so I should not be subjected to your damn rules. And secondly, after what you had done to me...."

"As a unknown person, you have been given the privilege of not being in shackles but does not mean you will exempted from my orders. What I have done to you previously was lenient, for your crime of raising a rifle at my first mate."

Danielle didn't hesitate to slap him in the face, shocked by his rude nature. He was the worse lot of men she had ever come across. However, the slap she intended did not reach his pretty face thanks to his quick reflexes, gripping her wrist so firmly he could snap her bone without a thought.

"Captain!" The door slammed hard against the cabin wall sending the windows vibrating from the impact. Matilda stood there with an disapproving look on her face, like a mother about to scold a child for his wrongdoing.

"Looks like we will be arriving at Sage sooner than expected but I'm sorry to say the ship won't dock on its own."

Despite the searing glare from Matilda, Damon continued to glare into Danielle's eyes noting the fear he elicited in her. To Danielle, although she was afraid of him and what he can do, she notices his grey colored eyes had some softness in them and it draws her in as she watches his pupil moving left and right looking at her.

"DAMON!"

"I'm coming!" He growled standing up from the bed.

She felt her soul leaving her body along with him when he left. She clutched the fabric over her heart tightly. Damn it, not again!