Firelight

Adira's P.O.V.

The cold blackness was beginning to fade and I felt warm– fuzzy even. In between the bouts of darkness, I could hear more unfamiliar language and a low whimpering sound. My body felt lighter than air as the warmth continued to envelop me, leaving only the softness of fuzz to weigh me down.

The smell of something good tickled my nose, urging my eyes to pry their heavy lids open. But the task was too great, and I found myself slipping away into the void once again. Only when I felt a hot liquid spilling into my mouth did I manage to barely open my eyes, seeing a shadowy figure holding a bowl to my lips. It tasted earthy and savory, with a saltiness to it that reminded me again of the crashing ocean. Only this time, its embrace was warm and welcome, like the woman who held me on that boat.

Maybe it was her? Maybe she had saved us both from that freezing water and brought us somewhere warm and safe, away from those cruel men who’d tied us up and seemed to take amusement from our suffering. I needed to thank her as soon as I could muster the strength to get up, though I didn’t think she’d understand me. I hoped with time that we could come to communicate with each other, so I could tell her how grateful I was for all she’d done for me.

In my haze, I didn’t consider how impossible it would have been for her to pull us both from the raging sea and find us shelter. So when I finally opened my eyes again after what felt like such a long time, I was surprised to see a hulking man stoking a fire rather than the motherly woman I’d met before. Instinctively, I let out a gasp and tried to crawl back, finding my back against a wall. The large figure froze and turned to look at me, his eyes meeting my gaze before he spoke in a low tone.

Confused, I huddled into a ball, pulling my knees to my chin and trying to shrink into an invisible speck, hoping that this man wouldn’t hurt me as the others had. I kept my eyes on him, beginning to tremble in fear as I heard his voice again, lower still and speaking slowly. He raised his hand, and I yelped, flinching as I hid my face and prepared for the strike. Strangely, it never came, and I dared to peek up at the man again, seeing his wide-eyed expression contort into one I didn’t understand.

He raised his hand again, slowly this time, and began to back away, speaking softly all the while. He seemed to be repeating the same phrase in a hushed tone that I was desperate to understand. Suddenly, I felt the ground next to me begin to move, and some of that fuzziness I had felt all this time seemed to come to life in the form of a large, beast-like creature. I froze in shock, afraid it might harm me if I made any sudden moves. Perhaps that’s why this man was moving so slowly, to not startle the beast?

It peered at me with large dark eyes, almost black, and let out a short whimper that sounded like what I’d heard when drifting in and out of the darkness. My hand reached out for the beast, stopping just short of its head as if on its own. Seeming pleased, it pushed its head into my palm, rubbing its face there and only stopping to lick my fingers with its massive slobbery tongue.

The beast had a mate who lay on a heap of cushions and furs opposite of the small room. At first, I mistook the mess of brown fluff for another blanket and ventured closely enough, after the hulking man had gone, to reach for it in hopes of shielding myself further against the cold. The fire had begun to die and this room did little to bar the icy-cold fingers of the outside world from seeping in and clawing at my skin.

Only, as soon as my fingers brushed the warm fur, it shifted to reveal a pair of dark brown eyes looking up at me drowsily. Slowly, as if to convince me of its docile nature, the concentration of fluff unfurled itself and rolled to expose a very large belly.

Feeling equal parts brave and uncertain, I gently placed my hand on the creature’s belly. Stroking soft fur against its firm stomach, I was surprised to feel movement against my hand, coming from inside the plump beast. Before I could pull away, a gust of wind billowed in from the suddenly open door, and in stepped the giant of a man from before. At his side was the original beast, black as coal and wagging his tail happily at the sight before him.

I froze. The warm feeling of the creature’s belly below my hand and the feeling of movement, an immediately distant sensation as all of my focus, all of my senses, were trained on the man before me.

Perhaps it was because I knelt on the ground or because I was paralyzed with unease, but the man seemed even larger now as he carried a bundle of logs under one arm and stood looking down at me from the door frame.

He spoke, his voice low like before as he gestured to the round beast beneath my hand. I spared a glance at the honey-brown animal. She remained rolled over, now lazily wagging her tail with her tongue drooping from her mouth as she stared expectantly.

At the sound of movement, I shot my gaze back over to the large man who tossed the wood into a pile and began feeding the dying flames. I traced every curve of his face with my eyes, finally taking in his appearance against the warm glow of the firelight. I hadn’t yet bothered to closely observe his face beyond registering his expressions and scanning for signs of danger.

Now, though, with the warm light dancing across his face, I could see the steely grey color of his eyes made prominent by the dark rings that circled his irises. His hair was short, messy, and such a deep inky black that it resembled the starless night sky that hung over the ship, which had been my prison for what felt like an eternity.

The thought made me shiver, drawing the man’s attention. Taking off his heavy fur jacket, he revealed a simple cloth shirt beneath and spoke quietly, holding the jacket out in my direction and deliberately inching closer until he knelt less than an arm’s length away from me.

I resisted the urge to pull away, instead meeting the man’s gaze as he draped the heavy fur coat around my shoulders and offered a small nod.

He spoke, his voice low still but in that disorienting tongue spoken before that I did not understand. It was different from the language my captors had used. Still, it was not one I knew.

He watched me, expectantly, with his head cocked to the side. The glow of the blaze against his skin accentuated his strong jawline, peppered with stubble. His skin was a sun-kissed tan, flushing red against the heat of the flames.

Frowning, I pulled myself from observing the bulky male before me. He repeated himself, his face still portraying a patient anticipation, eyes never leaving mine.

“I don’t understand what you are saying,” I answered hesitantly, knowing full well that my savior or captor, whatever he may be, wouldn’t comprehend my words any better than I could his.

His eyes momentarily widened in bewilderment, finally registering our situation. Now he looked me up and down, let out a sigh, and glanced over at the fire, muttering under his breath. He ran a hand through his black hair, which had started to dampen with sweat and cling to his skin from sitting so close to the heat.

Once again, he looked at me, this time drawing my attention to his hands as he gestured toward himself.

“Brone,” he announced slowly before reversing the direction of his hands and now gesturing for me.

I looked at him, perplexed. Was he introducing himself or indicating some agreement between the two of us?

It didn’t matter; it was a start. And while I was hesitant to make any deals with the strange, lumbering man who had taken me in, I had to make an effort to bridge this gap between us if we were ever to understand one another.

I bit my lip reluctantly before mirroring his hands, now gesturing to him.

“Br…one…?” I voiced, sounding strange in the air between us and feeling odd against my tongue.

He smiled, offering a nod and repeating his introduction before gesturing back to me.

A small sense of relief swept over me, and I repeated the word back to him, happy to have done something right. Now, gesturing to myself, I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped myself short.

My name?

I have a name… I know it. But where did it come from?

Sensing my pause, this man– Brone, I assumed– took both of my hands in his, making me jump. Slowly, he guided my hands back to myself, repeating the earlier gesture as his eyes met mine, questioningly.

“Adira,” I answered quietly, pulling my hands from his and mimicking the hand movement on my own.

“Adira.” He whispered in response, his voice edging with some emotion I could not place. He looked at me now with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher, repeating my name to himself again.

I nodded before letting my eyes drift over to the fire, watching it devour the glowing logs placed at its core.

We sat in silence now, and I did not look up. Instead, I welcomed the warmth of the fire to consume me just as it consumed the timber it used for fuel. Realization had set over me.

I only know my name. Where did I come from? How had I come to be on that ship? Where are the others who were tied with me? Where am I now?

As the questions raced through my mind, I pretended not to feel the set of eyes on me, watching. My own vision blurred as tears threatened to spill over, barely holding on.

Who am I?