“Shit.”

“Exactly.”

My mind is racing. “This isn’t a bad thing, right?”

To my surprise, Mac releases the boy and unceremoniously shoves me out the door. He closes it firmly behind him and nods to the crew member manning the door. The man immediately leaves. I stare at Mac, mildly confused.

“Do you remember any of what I said to you last night?”

“Yeah?”

“It still applies.”

“But Mac, he’s the water controller. That explains why he’s here. I should be able to just give him the glove, cast him off, and go back to living my life with all that crap behind me.”

“Cast him off in the middle of the ocean, in what? His craft was destroyed.”

“He’d be fine. He’s a controller.”

Mac’s stare settles on my face. “That’s cold, Andy.” He holds the stare until I look away. “And it doesn’t negate what I said last night. He came from somewhere. It may be . . .”

“Fate?” I interrupt.

“. . . That brought him onto the Freedom, but he didn’t start on shore. We still can’t be sure if he’s a friend or enemy. That’s what you need to find out before you hand him a weapon.”

“The glove isn’t a weapon.”

“Stephen used it as one, and we’re vulnerable here, literally surrounded by water. When we get to port, then you can give it to him. Easy as that. In the meantime, find out who he is, will you? Just in case he has friends . . .

“I can nullify his power, remember? That’s who I am. We’re not completely vulnerable.”

“Unless he pulls a knife on you,” Mac says. “I nearly got you with a freaking butterknife. I saw how you froze, if even for a moment.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “It’s been months since you’ve slept properly, Andy. I know you feel ok, but you aren’t as sharp as normal. You aren’t thinking this through. My first priority is this ship’s safety, and yours should be too. I know you remember about the last time you and . . . fate . . . crossed paths. It haunts you. It revealed your past, gave you your phobia, and it fuels your insomnia.”

“Perhaps this time, it’ll help me move on,” I say, my voice cracking slightly. I can feel how much Mac cares.  

“Perhaps. But you need to prepare yourself. Chances are, this kid is not our friend. Someone will be close. I’ll be there for you, too, always, if you want to talk it out. Ok?”

I nod, slightly choked up. To his credit, Mac just removes his hand from my shoulder, nods, and heads deeper into the ship. I wait outside the door for a long few minutes, gathering myself. My feelings are muddled – and so is my mind, somewhat proving Mac’s point. I’m fine when I’m doing my jobs, when I’m following routine, but now things are changing and I’m not sure I’m keeping up.

The crewman has returned to the door, and I nod to him as I go inside. It’s the only thing I can think to do – if in doubt, move forward.

I pull up a chair and sit reasonably close to the boy and study him closely, knowing now what he is. He’s really small, but I don’t think he’s that much younger than me. Still wearing his threadbare singlet and shorts, I find myself wondering if he’s cold. The weather hasn’t been bad, but this part of the world at this time of year isn’t really suitable for such thin clothing. There are scars scattered about his body, and his eyes are older than his appearance.

“So, what’s your name?” I say finally, when the silence has extended well beyond comfortable.

No response. I’m not surprised. I raise my gloved hand and rest my chin on it. I see his eyes flit to it, then return a moment later. There’s no recognition in his gaze, but I can see him focussing on the symbol, curiosity written all over his expression.

“Do you even speak English?” I watch his eyes closely, and I’m sure he understands.

“Well, the boss decided that if you aren’t going to talk to anyone, we’re just going to hand you over to the coastguard. We’ve already contacted them,” I lie. “It’s not really our thing, ya know, ‘cause the coastguard round these parts are inclined to assume everyone has done something real wrong. I’m sure they’ll hold us up, and we’ve got these fish that we need to get to port while they’re still fresh.”

When I’d first been found, stowed away in the hold, I’d received a similar threat. The boy’s eyes widen slightly, but silence falls again and we sit for a while. I’m tapping my leg, regretting my decision not to drink coffee. Normally I don’t need help to be wired, but this is the first time in a while that I’ve been sitting instead of doing anything. I stand, deciding that I’ve given him enough time to think.

“So, what is your name? My name’s Andy. Wanna know something? I was a stowaway, too. Saw some bad shit. We don’t want to give you to the coastguard, not if you’re running, but if you don’t give us anything to work with, we’ll have to.”

I wait another minute, then shrug. “Well, I guess I’ll have to go tell the boss I’ve got nothing.”

As I place my hand on the door, he finally speaks. There’s a definite accent, but his voice is deep enough that I’m now sure he’s near my age. “Joshua.”

“What was that?” I turn as I ask.

“My name is Joshua.”

I walk over to him and offer my gloved hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you, Josh.” He takes my hand, and we can both feel the glove’s response. It loosens on my hand, and Joshua seems reluctant to let it go. I finally pull away and take several steps back. His attention is solely on the glove, so I call the balls of water back to my hand and let them slowly rotate.

“What . . . what is that?” He asks, awed.

“This? It’s. . .” I let the water fall away “. . . a glove.” I find myself smiling at his confused expression. He looks to his hand and then back to the glove.

“Is there another?” He asks slowly.

“No.”

I want to let him sweat, but he’s talking to me and I want to make the most of it. So I take a risk. “You want to know something? This glove belongs to you.” Surprised, he makes eye contact with me. “Yep. That’s what that mark on the back of your hand means. But there’s no way I’m going to just hand it to you, because you’re not being honest with me.”

I indicate to the glove on my hand and double-down on the risk. “This? This means we’re connected, and it means I can tell when you’re lying. So let’s start again. I need to know everything about you, and if you answer me, I can give you your birthright.”

“My birthright? What is it, actually?”

“Balance. I’ll let you think about it.” I stand and leave the room to pace outside. I couldn’t sit still anymore. This is my chance to get rid of the glove and all the crap that came with it. The last connection to the man that haunts my nightmares. The crew man smiles at me. He’s one of the older men who pretty much ignores my existence.

“You get anything?”

“He’s talking to me. He hasn’t said anything, but he’s talking to me.”

“Good job.” He turns his back to me and resumes his slouched position in the chair. I smile slightly at his acknowledgment. I pace a few more rounds before my curiosity overrides my need to move. I step back into the room and am surprised to see Joshua standing. His eyes race to meet mine, and he offers me a slight smile.

“I weren’t completely honest with you.”

“Already? Well, there’s a surprise,” I say sarcastically, but inwardly I’m stoked. A risk that paid off.

“No. My name is Dakila Joshua. I am more often known as DJ.”

“Well, DJ, pleased to meet you properly.”

“I came from a pirate ship.”

“Ok, maybe not so pleased.” DJ frowns, and I hold up a hand. “Sorry. Continue. How did you end up in the water?”

“I dunno. Can’t remember.”

“Ok. Are the pirates gonna care? Are they likely to come for you?”

“Yes. I’m one of their possessions. They will come.”

“Oh.” I turn to leave the room, to tell Mac and Cap what I’ve learned.

“Can I ask you something?”

With one hand on the door, I stop. “Sure.”

“When you stowed away on the ship, what were you running from?”

“Homelessness.”

“Before that. Why were you homeless?”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “My family were killed.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. And the ship accepted you?”

“A few beatings, yeah, but we got there.”

“I stowed away, too.”

I turn from the door, signalling that DJ has my full attention. “Why?”

“My pa beat me. I ran. Landed myself on a ship of thieves and pirates, and I been worked to the bone even since.”

“You were there by choice?”

“I didn’t have no place to go. You and me, we aren’t so different I think.”

“. . . No, maybe not. I have to tell my boss . . .”

“Yes. I wait for you. Maybe you will tell me more about that magic on your hand.”

I nod as I leave. To my surprise, I find both the captain and Mac in the mess hall, eating.

“Andy!” Mac says, equally surprised. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

“I thought you’d be asleep,” I say in response.

“No. I was up early but it isn’t the right time for a nap. Sit down.”

“Did you get him to talk?” Cap asks.

“Yeah. Mac, you were right, he’s from a pirate ship. A stowaway, but he said they’d come for him.”

“Why was he in the water?”

“He says he doesn’t remember.”

“What kind of time line are we looking at? How would they even know he’s on our ship?” Cap asks.

I shrug. Mac answers.

“There aren’t many vessels around here at the moment. We will keep a lookout. It is likely the pirate vessel has stolen equipment to track any others nearby.”

“If they come near us, we’ll fight them. Andy, the kid, what his name? What else did he say? Did he seem eager to rejoin his crew?”

Too many questions. I start with the easy one. “Dakila Joshua, DJ. He, er . . .”

“Did you tell him about the glove?” Mac asks. He sees my sheepish look. “Don’t worry, Stev knows about our little foray on land a while ago. Do that thing with the balls.”

I realise, as I cast the balls of water around my hand, that Cap never questioned my glove, or looked twice at it. He didn’t ask about my past or insomnia. He must have thought Mac crazy, but he accepted what his friend told him. Now he’s watching me with wide eyes as proof of our collective insanity circles my palm.

“So you told him?” Cap finally asks, wresting his eyes away from the spectacle.

“Yes. He seems more interested in the glove than his ship. I told him it was his.”

“Right.” The two men share a look. “Go get something to eat, or drink, or take a lap. We’ve got some talking to do. We’ll find you and let you know what we decide.”

“Ok.” I stand.

“Oh, and Andy? Leave DJ alone for the moment,” Mac says. I nod my agreement. The smell of his food has made me hungry. I don’t normally eat much during the day, but normally I’m working and not thinking about my stomach. I poke my head into the kitchen and, seeing it empty, go about preparing myself a sandwich. I’m glad it’s empty. All the knives are safely stowed away. When the cook is in here, he often enjoys waving the weapons around and it makes everyone nervous. Sandwich in hand, I step out and am surprised when Mac nods me over.

“Cap needs your reassurance.”

“Huh?” I say with my mouth half full. Mac kicks the chair opposite of him outwards, so I sit.

“I want you off the ship,” Mac says. My mouth drops open and I stare at him. “Don’t be so dramatic. I want you to take DJ in the yacht and get away from the ship. We don’t know his intentions, but it stops the threat of sabotage and it stops them from pinching him if he’s unwilling. It also protects the glove. The fight would be over before it began if DJ used the glove against us.”

“But I could use the glove to help. It would be safer, surely? Someone else can take DJ.”

“No. Only you can navigate the yacht in these conditions, and only with that glove will it be successful.”

“You can do that, can’t you?” Cap asks. “I need you to confirm it for me.”

“But . . . but what about you guys?”

“We can fight. We’ve got a few guns on board, and a few ex-military. We’ll be fine. They may not even attempt to board.”

“I . . . I dunno,” I stutter.

“Seriously, Andy, can you or can’t you navigate the yacht on these seas?” Cap asks again.

“I’m just not sure.”

Mac gives me a firm kick. “Pull your head out of your ass, Andy. I know you. You aren’t worried about navving the yacht, you’re worried about us. This isn’t our first rodeo, and we did fine before you came along. You’ve got the tougher job. And you’ll be going it alone with DJ.”

That gives me pause. “What? Why? You’ve been worried enough to have someone on him all the time here.”

“Well, gee, I dunno, maybe it has something to do with that glove?” Mac says sarcastically. I wince, but he continues anyway. “It is supposed to be a secret, after all. And you will have to use it. Night time navigating a small craft is hard enough without the seas behaving like they are.”

“Night? You want me to go tonight?”

“ASAP.”

“Then what?”

“Head towards land. We’re going to be headed that way shortly, anyway. If you happen to make it all the way in, contact Detective Hayden, but I doubt that’ll be the case. Best scenario, we throw you off the ship for a while, make contact with the pirates, and come pick you up when we’ve sorted them out.”

“We’re a long way from land.”

“Yes, we are.”

“What if I have to sleep? What if the pirates find us?”

Mac cocks an eyebrow. “The yacht is small. Highly unlikely they’ll even see you, let alone seek to board you.”

“Do you think you can do it?” Cap asks again.

I shrink back on myself. “I’d much prefer to just hide with DJ in the depths of the ship somewhere.”

“We’ve got contingencies for if we fail to repel the pirates. We’ve already contacted the coastguard. They’re on their way. They know the situation and the ship. We didn’t mention you or DJ. Him, we’re not sure on, but you sure as hell can’t give him the glove if he’s in jail. Remember the end game here, Andy.”

“Finish my job and give the glove to its owner. Then I’m free,” I mutter. Mac claps a hand on my shoulder.

“Good lad. He is still a pirate, as far as we know, and you’re still responsible for that glove. We’ve got the ship, you look after yourself. Ok?”

I nod. I’d be repeating myself otherwise. I don’t like it, but with the authorities already involved, even though they aren’t here yet, I don’t have much choice. I’m going to be protecting the random stowaway I scarcely know, all for this stupid glove.

© KL Burgess