SurfAngel_1031

  Digger held up a finger and had a disbelieving look etched on his face. “You honestly jumped in the water, wearing all that leather…a sword, a little backpack and your dagger?” He chuckled and looked up at the stars, noting the consteltion Cassiopeia. Shaking his head and still lightly ughing, Digger resumed looking at his captain. “You had to have sunk like a stone, Captain. Forgive me if I think that is a bit far-fetched.”

  Drawing her dagger and spinning the tip on her middle finger, Ruby cocked her eyebrow and squinted her supercilious hazel eye. “Aye, Digger. That be the case as I knows it.” Ruby fell partly back into her sailor speech. “See’n here, and knows this as truth my young deckhand…” She flipped the dagger gracefully from hand to hand, and banced it perfectly on her fingers. “…Being that it is unwise to challenge your captain, one that has afore mentioned not to do once a’fore…”

  “Pleaze, mine love. My darling Rubiez...” Avanora leaned over and whispered into Ruby’s ear. “He’s young, yes? Perhaps one more chanze, zo he can enjoy his lovely captain and My Rubiez charming ways.” Ava holds up her hand towards Digger, “While my love ponderz what to do, I think it would servez you better if you apologized … again.” Ava widened her fractured and burned lips into a smile towards Digger.

  “Captain Ruby One-Eye.” Digger cleared his throat and waited for Ruby to answer.

  Slipping her dagger back in its ruby sheath, the brunette beauty tilted her head and responded, “Serve up your piece boy, Ol’Ruby has her ear turned she does.” She picked up and kissed Ava’s hand. “You have a way of stealing the fire inside me and using it for yourself, minx.”

  “Miss Avanora had a wise solution, I do apologize for making it sound like I called you a liar.” Digger no sooner took a breath as he felt wind and saw a gleam of metal whiz by him and stick into a nearby barrel. “I…” He stopped when he felt a warm stream passing down his cheek. It took a few seconds for Digger to realize that Ruby had tossed her dagger with such speed and accuracy that it barely scraped his cheek and ear, drawing a healthy amount of blood with it. “…OW!” Digger screamed and held his face and started breathing heavily. “Captain…Captain…please…”

  “Now see you now, Digger, What Ruby did there? Lied to you and my Avanora. Tis true she can often cool my blood.” Ruby uncurls herself from Ava’s arms and retrieves her dagger. “Paid with your blood you did for infer’n me honor isn’t square.” Ruby knelt and waved the point in Digger's face. “If’n there be a next time, Ruby will choke them words down your throat, Savvy?”

  Scared beyond anything he’d felt in his life, Digger visibly started shaking like he did when he first arrived. “Aye, Captain. I swear…never again.”

  With a tiny groan and a smile, Ruby stood up and sheathed her dagger with the blood still on it. “So you remember what ya did, pour rum on it and hold this to your face, boy.” Ruby opened one of her pouches and handed Digger a clean cloth. “The blood will teach you.” Prancing back over to Ava, Ruby sat down and noticed her lover’s swirling silver eyes looking questioningly at her. Smiling seductively Ruby perked her eyebrow and cooed, “What is it, my darling?”

  “I…I…” Avanora pointed to Digger. “Should I care for him? Heal the woundz, my lovely captain?”

  “In a little bit, for now let him bleed, call it a constant reminder.” Ruby replied and popped the cork on another bottle of rum. Swigging the spiced brown liquid rapidly, Ruby cherished the warmth and calming effect the drink had on her. “Ava, my sweet. I am not angry with you.” She pced her hand on Ava’s ample chest, feeling her heartbeat. “You are the soulful member of the crew and take all of the pain into yourself, You always have.” Ruby leaned forward and pressed her silky lips to Ava’s charred ones briefly. “Though I hold my own council, you keep right on suggesting the kinder and gentler side.” Ruby purred and kissed Ava once more. “Your pain stops with me, love.”

  Falling hopelessly into Ruby’s arms Ava kissed her way into Ruby’s p, then reached up with her light blue hand, cupping her pirate’s scarred cheek where her missing eye was. “Oh, Ta-“ Ava stopped herself and smiled, “…my lovely Rubiez, You have no pain while I am here..darling.” Ava kissed the scars on Ruby’s cheek and breathed lovinging. “Let us hear this lovely tale, I am myself anxious to zee how you removed yourself from the water, Yez?”

  With another heavy pull from her new bottle of rum, Ruby began again. “So there I was freezing and sinking in the cold ass water…”

  Bobbing her head out of the water for a gulp of air, Ruby heard the calls from Captain Jaques to open fire. “Shit. Shit. Shit.” Ruby cursed herself and with another quick refresh of air, dove deeper into the dark depths of the Mediterranean Sea. Initially Ruby heard shots hitting the water and passing close enough to her as she swam deeper, that she half turned and caught a bullet to her tight leather shoulder pad, and spun her so she didn’t know which way was up. Knowing that panic would only use up her remaining air, the pretty pirate focused enough to outstretch her arms and legs so she’d stop twisting in the water. When a few air bubbles escaped her lips, Ruby followed the little circles and both knew where the surface was and that she was still dropping.

  Losing track of time and space, Ruby could feel her lungs burning to let out the air she had and draw in a breath. Before too much longer her ears stopped ringing, her mind clouded over and she closed her one remaining eye. She could sense and see darkness approaching and instinctively reached for her namesake bde, caressing it as she felt the air escape from her chest.

  -It was fun while it sted, No regrets. Sorry Delsie.-

  No sooner had the name Delsie rummaged through her foggy mind, the world ceased to exist and only a peaceful darkness remained.

  —

  “Were we fast enough, Ingemara? She looks so pale.” A sweet light voice rang out, stirring Ruby from her darkness.

  Since currently not aware of where she was, Ruby held perfectly still and breathed as slow and shallow as possible, so she could listen and figure out how many others were close to her, other than the angelic voice she’d just heard.

  -Why does my shoulder hurt like hell? Shit. I really could use some rum for this pain…now then..it smells like a beach of some kind because I smell the sand and hear the pelicans along with seagulls. Shit. Shit. You impulsive ass.-

  Were the thoughts running through Ruby’s mind as she heard a second heavenly voice that sounded a little deeper than the first, but just as womanly and desirable. “She was fine the moment you grabbed her wrist, Kaini..you know that, so rex she will awaken soon.” Registering the two names in her head, Ruby kept saying the two over and over to memorize both their name and the differences in their voices.

  - Ingemara and Kaini. Where do I know those names?-

  Given that she was highly educated as a child and teenager, Ruby recalled as many literature csses as she could. Fascinated at one time with the mysteries of fantasy, Ruby recalled reading every fantasy legend she could, from King Authur, to vampires to most of the Greek works to include things like the fall of Troy and Perseus and the Medusa. Without warning five names passed through her mind.

  -Ingemara, Kaini, Marissa, Nerice, and Talisea. Wait, that can’t be real…it was only a child’s tale.-