35. Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

Dominick

M y head hurt badly, similarly to that one time I helped take away the pain from a man who had his head rolled over by a wagon wheel. Yes, he survived, initially, although only for a few hours, and I sat with him and took away his pain. Let’s just say, that’s not the way I would choose to go.

The head pain I experienced after those serpent bites hurt even worse than that. I groaned. I did not often outwardly show my pain. I did not gasp or scream or groan often, but I needed some sort of release.

You are so weak, Veeto’s voice was an unwelcome memory in such times of weakness.

No. I am strong, I assured myself.

“Dominick?” I knew that voice, and it was not in my mind.

Meria. She is here? I opened my eyes to see her at my bedside. Last I remembered, I was in the hull, helping patch the holes made by the hoard of small sea serpents. We had found a dozen in the hull, but had gotten them all out.

I will never underestimate the size of a magical sea creature. They do extensive damage, even when small.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked, her voice pulling me from my thoughts.

“My head–” I said, barely able to speak. It was an almost unintelligible grumble, yet somehow, Meria seemed to understand.

“The poison, it will take some time to work itself out of your system. You should drink,” she said, handing me a cup of water. I was unable to sit up, but she moved my head to the cup so the water could slip into my mouth.

Maybe I am weak. No, I was poisoned. Anyone would have a difficult time in my situation.

I tried to move my limbs, attempting to sit up even just a little. Nothing.

“Am I paralyzed?” She shook her head and forced me to drink the rest of the water.

“Can you not feel?” she asked after I finished drinking.

“Unfortunately, I can, but it seems hard to move.”

“You are not paralyzed, and will be feeling much better soon.”

“What happened?”

“You and a dozen of the crew were bitten by the sea serpents when you were trying to patch up the hull.”

“Bitten?”

“Their bites are numbing at first, so you would not have felt it, but, eventually, you did.”

“How long has it been?” I asked as I attempted, but failed, to remember such a thing occurring.

“Just a few hours. You passed out after Sands brought you in here.”

“Did you–are you alright?” I asked, looking her over. She seemed as beautiful as ever, her soft, white-blond hair, over her shoulder and still in a braid. Her light blue eyes were so focused on me, I could not look away. She was so beautiful.

“I am.”

“Well, thank you,” I said, closing my eyes slowly as she let go of my wrist and stepped back.

“Rest for a while. I will be here when you wake up. The other crew members who were bitten are doing well with their recovery, too. Although no one was bitten as many times as you were. You really ought to be more careful, Dominick,” she said, reaching her hand out to remove some hair from my brow. “You are the captain of this ship, and we need you.”

“Do you need me?” I was surprised I said such a thing. I smirked, opening my eyes a bit, trying to play it off.

“I do, and do remember that you also need me . We must come out of this adventure alive,” she whispered, still playing with a few strands of my hair. If my body had been numb before, her touch shocked it back to intense feeling. But instead of feeling pain like I had when I first awoke, her touch was a balm, a warmth that made me never want her to stop touching me as long as I lived.

When she stepped back and removed her touch from me, the pain slowly made its way back, although not as acute as before when I had first come to.

Is that because of Meria?

“Okay, Dominick?” she asked.

I attempted to nod but found it difficult as my head felt so heavy. “I think I am going to fall asleep again,” I grunted.

“Sleep,” she said, and I felt her warm caress on the side of my face. “Rest, Dominick. I won’t leave,” she whispered, and I felt as if those words were the words that could heal my soul if she truly meant it–if my mermaid, truly, would never leave me. But she would– she should .