A/N:  Well, here you go:  Chapter 4 of my story Children of a Dying Sun.  I can’t believe how popular this fic IS!  It took me by complete surprise when I started getting all these awesome reviews.  Thanks a lot to all of those who stuck it out through this long period of no new chapters.  Here’s to you!

 

Also, if you’ll notice, I didn’t do any color to this one, because (from what I’m told) ff.net has banned the use of color on any story we authors post.

 

Umm…I was KIND of out of it when I typed this up, so there may be a few parts where it’s in past tense, not present…

 

And, of course, as always:  MINE.  *^_^*

 

~*~Children of a Dying Sun:  Chapter 4:  Only One~*~

 

Phoenix slept for 8 hours, and would have probably slept longer had I not entered the room.

 

“Blade?”  At first I’m not sure if she had really spoken.  But as I watch her, her eyes open and she yawns.

 

“Hey,” I pull the chair over to sit by her head, “How are you feeling?”

 

In answer, Phoenix winces and sits up.  I had bandaged her shoulder last night and it looks like a little blood had soaked through and dried.

 

“You’ve been out for a while.”  I say.

 

“Who is he?”  She asks.

 

“Who?  Drago?  He’s one of us.”

 

“A Child?”  I nod.

 

“You’ll have to introduce us.”  She tries to get out of the bunk, but I force her back down, pushing her down by her good arm.

 

“You stay right there,” I order, “and tell me what happened last night.”

 

For a moment, she chews on her lip and I’m not sure if she’ll answer.  But she does, “I-I was just looking for some water.  I kind of figured that women weren’t allowed, so I stood in the hall and asked a guy to get a bottle for me…well…actually it was for you.  You looked really dehydrated when I left and thought that, though you’d had some already, another bottle couldn’t hurt.”

 

“So what happened?”  I ask, when she doesn’t continue.

 

“He-he got me the water.  As I turned to leave, they called out.  They knew my name…”  She stares at the bed sheets, “They asked if I wanted to play a ‘round’.  I thought they meant of poker.  But…” Tears well up in her eyes.

 

Where is the Phoenix I know?  The strong one, who doesn’t know how to cry?  I have a guess that this isn’t Phoenix.  I guess that this is Linna.  But I don’t dare use either name.

 

I move to the side of the bunk and pull her into my embrace.

 

It feels like hours as she cries into my shoulder, my heart twisting at every sob.  Finally, she pulls away and stares at the floor.

 

“But I was wrong.”  Her voice is monotone as she picks up where she had left off, “The instant I stepped into the room, they hit me.  I tried to defend myself, but there were too many.”

 

“And your shoulder?”

 

“One of them had a knife.  When I tried to leave, he sliced through my shoulder.”

 

“Why did they stop?”

 

“Because I called you.  I guess they knew you’d even the odds…or something.”  She shrugs a little.

 

I look towards the door, “No.  Not because of me.  Because of Drago.  They’re scared of him.”

 

“Why?”  Finally, she looks at me.

 

I shake my head, “I don’t know.  But we’ll have to be careful from now on.  He’s the only one we can trust now.”

 

He’s the only one keeping us alive, I realize.

 

~~@~~

 

It is 2 weeks before Consigea approaches me about the brawl.

 

I am sitting on the chair, Drago is on the floor and Phoenix is on the bunk, her feet hanging over the edge.  We are all silent, as we often are when the three of us are together.  There is a knock on the door.  I am the one to answer it.

 

“Ah, Blade.  May I have a word with ye?”  The heavy-set Captain asks.  I look back at the others, who stare at the floor, before I slide out the door.

 

“Here’s the deal,” her voice loses all politeness, “keep ye’r girl in ye’r sight.  My crew isn’t used to having one who doesn’t know her way around.  They get…antsy.”

 

“I noticed.”  She raises her bushy eyebrows, I shake my head, “Never mind.  Continue.”

 

“We got about 2 more days to Orlan.  Do ye think ye can keep her in here ‘til then?”

 

“Phoenix will get cabin fever.  I can’t.  I’m not her master.”

 

“Ye ain’t?”  Her eyebrows rise higher, but she waves her hand, “Then keep a tight hold on ‘er.  Ye hear me?”

 

And then, she walks away.

 

~~@~~

 

Phoenix, of course, isn’t happy when I tell her.

 

“What the HELL does THAT mean?”  She shrieks, “That you have to WATCH me all the time?”

 

“Either me or Drago.”

She crosses her arms and doesn’t speak for the rest of the day.

 

~~@~~

 

Both suns sink as we stand on the deck, the three of us.  Phoenix has water and Drago and I take turns drinking some kind of alcohol from a flask.

 

Drago and I share a hushed conversation while Phoenix (who still isn’t talking) watches the clouds change colors.

 

“So, when we get to Orlan,”  I ask, “what will you do?”

 

“I’m not sure yet.  I have another week before my contract expires.  Maybe they’ll hang around that long.”  He gives a gruff laugh, his dark hair falling into his eyes.

 

“So you’ll finish your contract…and then join us?”

 

Drago nods and looks out to sea, the light reflecting off his face.

 

Phoenix bursts away from the railing, “I’m going to bed.  She says and goes towards the stairs to our room.

 

We watch her go, then turn back to the water, “Sometimes,” Drago sighs, “Women have to be alone.  To think, I guess.”

 

“Hm.”  I nod.  Absently, I make a note to see what’s bothering Phoenix later.

 

“I think I’m gonna hit the sack, too.  Hopefully, by morning, we’ll be able to see Orlan.”  He hands me the flask and pats me on the back before walking away.

 

I take another swig from the flask, but am cut off by Phoenix, who suddenly reappears and grabs my arm.  I open my mouth to protest, but she raises a hand to my mouth and signals for my silence.

 

She keeps a tight grip on my wrist and drags me down the stairs, past our cabin.  She stops and crouches down to the floor once she gets 4 doors past our room.

 

“What are you doing?”  I whisper into her ear.

 

“SH!”  but it is not her that silences me.  It’s the voices coming from the room we’ve stopped at.  I lean closer.

 

“I say kill ‘em and dump ‘em.”  One voice says.

 

“Naw.  To close to Orlan.  They coul’ ‘ave someone waitin’ for ‘em.  Don’ wan’ any suspicion fallin’ back on us.”

 

“Hm.”  A lot of people shift.  I guess there’s about 12 people in there.  There is some grumbling and muffled voices before I can hear again.  This little conversation has caught my attention.

 

“Look at the blade on ‘is sword.”  There is a ‘clink’ of metal.

 

Blade.

 

“Where ye think he go’ it?”

 

“Probably slit someone’s throat.”

 

“I say we return the favor.”

 

“Ye got my vote.”

 

I tug on Phoenix and we slip back up to the deck.  For a long time, neither of us speak.  I can sense her anger, though it’s hard to see her in the sliver of light coming from one of the moons.

 

“Phoenix?”  I ask when I can bare the sound of waves alone no more.

 

“They want to kill us, Blade.  US.”  She looks at me, I can see her eyes flash dangerously, “And they have our weapons.  What are we going to do?”

 

I watch her and hear her footsteps as she begins to pace.  She growls some more before saying, “I’m going to be in the cabin.  I’ll lock it ‘til I hear your voice.”  And she storms off.

 

I lean on the rail once more and look out to the horizon.  After several long moments, I pull the flask of alcohol out again and unscrew the lid.

 

I take a drink, but the liquid tastes wrong now.  Like poison.  I screw the lid back on, look up at the sky, and take two steps back.

 

The flask flies out about 200 feet and hits the water with no sound that I can hear.

 

I turn and go to the cabin, intent on sleep.

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

Dun dun *DUN*  Uh oh, new little thing unfolding…what will happen?  I guess you’ll just have to wait for the next chapter!  It’ll be out probably by tomorrow night.  I’m almost finished with it!

 

Oh yeah, as always: R&R!