"What the devil has got into her?" exclaimed Stevenson.

"Don't mind her. She's been acting like that since this morning," Eddie replied.

I watched Arenis, not far behind us. She was scolding Naade for spilling some of the pitch on the sand. She was red in the face and sweat was beading on her forehead.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh." Stevenson huffed. "She seems more irritated than usual."

Their comments worried me so much that I started to observe Arenis. It didn't take long to realize that something was really wrong. I saw her wobbling dangerously; she was forced to cling to a log to keep her balance. Naade stared at her, tense, and she scolded him harshly, yelling at him to get back to work.

They all ran away from her and avoided angering her in any way.

I abandoned my tools in the sand and ran to her.

"Captain," I called to her.

She turned. Her eyes were clouded and alight with fever. "What is it, Adler?"

"You should go rest."

"I don't have time to rest."

She made to leave, but with a snap I grabbed her arm, holding her back. "You're obviously sick."

"Don't worry about me."

Arenis ignored my presence and began talking to Dinnington, agreeing on what to do. As she spoke, however, she suddenly lowered her head and tried to move away from us, stifling a sneeze.

"Captain," I insisted. "You've taken a sunstroke, and you can't continue to work under these conditions."

"I'm fine, Miss Adler."

"No you're not fine. You have a fever."

"No matter."

"It does matter."

"My men are counting on me."

"They can manage without you for a while. I'm sure Dinnington will be able to guide them properly. Isn't that so, Mr. Dinnington?"

The man nodded. "Of course."

Arenis tightened her lips in a grimace.

"Captain, listen to Adler," Dinnington continued. "Your health will deteriorate if you don't give yourself some rest. And then you would be of no use to us in any case."

"All right!" Her voice trembled. A strand of hair had stuck to her forehead.

"Adler, why don't you accompany the Captain?"

"I don't need a wet nurse, Dinnington," the woman scolded him, through gritted teeth. "Adler is more useful here."

Her tone was so stern that neither I nor Dinnington dared protest. We watched her walk quickly away, heading toward the township.

"I never knew a more stubborn person than she is," commented the quartermaster, shaking his head. "Sometimes it's infuriating."

The next day Arenis didn't show up. We all looked at each other a little bewildered by her absence. We proceeded to work in silence, wondering what happened to the Captain. She didn't show up even as the sun approached its zenith. And then Dinnington became seriously concerned.

"Adler!"

At this time, I was several feet above the ground, clinging to the side of the Black Star, with a rope tied round my waist to prevent my being smashed on the beach. I was in charge of spreading a compound called 'grease,' consisting of tallow, fish oil, sulphur, and lead white mixed with a compound of lime and arsenic to prevent the attack of the worms that penetrated the hull planking, feeding on the wood. Jackie Jay, on hearing the quartermaster's call, loosened the rope a little to allow me to descend.

"Sir?"

"You're done for the day. Eddie will take over for you. I want you to go check on the Captain."

I nodded. "Of course."

"Please hurry."

Arenis was staying in the room of an old inn. When I entered, I found it full of sailors intent on eating their lunch. Long tables of rough wood were filled with plates, mugs of beer, jugs full of wine and rum. A boy played a hurdy-gurdy and the men laughed at every off-key note.

"Are you dining alone?" asked a waitress, addressing me with a kind smile.

"I'm not here for lunch. I'm looking for my Captain. I know she's staying here."

"Captain Arenis, you mean? Oh. You must be Eveline Adler, then! I've heard many stories about you and how you saved Arenis and her crew from the gallows!"

"Is that so?"

"Fame precedes you." The girl laughed.

"Where is she?"

"Upstairs. Room number 10. She looked bad last night when she went downstairs to get some food. What's wrong with her? Is she sick?"

"I'd say so."

"Oh."

"Excuse me."

I climbed the steps two at a time and found myself in a narrow, windowless corridor, lit by a single candle. I quickly looked for the door with the number ten and knocked.

"Captain? It's me, Adler."

There was only silence.

"Captain?"

I waited a few seconds, but since I received no response, I lowered the handle and went inside. The room was plunged into darkness. The window curtains had been drawn tight. The furniture was spartan, and the wooden floor creaked with every step I took.

"Captain?" I whispered.

I caught a glimpse of her silhouette on the bed. I approached her cautiously, so as not to arouse her. I moved the curtain a little, letting a glimmer of light into the room, and that's when I realized the situation. Arenis' body was shivering. She had drops of sweat on her upper lip, bluish lips and milk-white skin.

"Oh, no."

I quickly reached out a hand to her forehead, brushing it gently. It burned with fever.

"Oh, no, no, no..."

Arenis, hearing me, opened her eyes slowly and placed her gaze in mine. It seemed as if she didn't really see me. She ran a hand over her face, annoyed by the light coming into the room, her mouth contracted and tight.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry." I forced my voice to remain calm.

Arenis' chest contracted in a gasp, then she coughed.

"I'll be right back."

I ran downstairs in a flash, looking wildly around for the waitress. She was surprised to see me so upset.

"Is it that bad? Does she need a doctor?"

"I'll see if I can get her fever down first. If it gets worse I'll come get you."

"All right."

"I need a bowl of water. Cold. It must be cold. Soft cloths. And blankets."

When I had everything I needed, I returned to Arenis' room. I sat on the edge of the bed, quickly soaked the cloth in water and pressed it to her forehead and cheeks. Then I gently lifted her head with one hand and with the other placed the cloth on the back of her neck.

Arenis' eyes went wide. "What...?"

"Ssh," I urged her. "Don't force yourself to talk. You have a very high fever."

"Jahzara?"

"I'm Eveline Adler, Captain."

She moistened her dry lips and spoke, barely more than a whisper. "Where is Jahzara?"

I didn't know who Jahzara was, but I could tell Arenis wasn't herself. She was babbling and the words came out of her mouth disconnected.

"She'll be here soon. Now go to sleep."

Arenis fell into an agitated sleep. I unrolled a blanket and spread it over her shoulders.

I stayed with her until late into the night. As evening came, I let out a sigh of relief when I noticed that her fever was subsiding. When she awoke, I forced her to drink some water and hot broth that the inn waitress had prepared for her.

"Still cold?" I asked.

"No. I feel much better now."

"You gave me quite a scare, you know that?"

"Adler... Thank you," she said, clearly uncomfortable, "for taking care of me."

"I forbid you to go to work tomorrow."

"You... forbid me?"

"Exactly," I replied resolutely.

"I'm the Captain, Adler, and you..."

"I don't give a damn who you are. Tomorrow you will spend the day in this bed. You are to rest as much as possible to regain your strength. Are we clear?"

Arenis raised an eyebrow, amused by my unyielding tone. "Yes, ma'am."

"I'm not kidding, Captain. This is serious."

She huffed. "What do I have to do to convince you that I will obey you?"

"Swear."

"On what?"

"On the Black Star."

Arenis chuckled. "If that's what you want, I'll do it," she replied; then she brought a hand over her heart blatantly. "I swear on the Black Star that tomorrow I will not attempt to do any exhausting or strenuous work."

"You must also swear that you will not leave this inn."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Adler, I've already lost a whole day, I can't waste any more time..."

"Swear it."

"It's not possible to change your mind, is it?"

"No."

"Fine, then. But know that I will die of boredom and it will all be your fault."

"It will mean that I will have you on my conscience for the rest of my life."

"I hope so."

"Are you done complaining now? Can I leave?"

"Not yet."

"What now?"

"Since I am destined to die of boredom because of you, you will follow me into oblivion, Miss Adler."

I laughed. "Oh, yeah?"

"Tomorrow the accounting job will fall to you. You will have the task of administering the ship's supplies for the day of departure."

"It will still be a couple of weeks before the Black Star can be ready to sail."

"I don't care. You will calculate the necessary food, drink, clothing, bedding, candles, gunpowder..."

"How much gunpowder is necessary to take on board? Captain, I have no idea of the quantities...!"

"And that is why you will return here tomorrow, to this inn, and do the work with my help."

Arenis had always been the one doing those chores, and the idea of having to calculate quantities and list supplies was terribly tedious.

"But-!" I objected.

"Uh-huh." Arenis brought a finger to her lips, signalling for me to shush. "It is your Captain who commands you."

"Pff," I replied through clenched teeth, directing a glare at her.

I spent the next day entirely in that tiny room, which smelled of fried food and burnt oil. The inn's kitchen, Arenis told me, was right under our feet.

As she had promised, Arenis stayed most of that day lying in her bed. She only got up to go to the bathroom and to eat. Her body temperature altered a little in the afternoon, but it never got worse. She had her pillow behind her back, her arms entwined around her chest, and she watched me pacing the room as I calculated in my head how much meat, how many vegetables, and how many oranges to jot down in Arenis' notebook, where she kept a record of all her financial transitions.

"Have you noted the raisins? "

I nodded. "Yes. 750 pounds."

"The oil?"

"25 gallons."

"Perfect. I think we're done."

"Really?" I asked hopefully. I looked at the door. All I wanted was to get back to the Dinnington hut and take a nap. Spending the whole day calculating had given me a painful throbbing in my temples. I hated doing math, and Arenis, to her great satisfaction, had noticed it.

"I mean with the food supplies. Now it's up to ammo and cannonballs," Arenis said, laughing under her breath at seeing my face fall into despondency.

While I was busy writing, my mind brought up a memory. "Who is Jahzara?" I asked.

I knew I had made a mistake in asking her that question a few moments later, when pain and anger warped Arenis' face at hearing me say that name.

"Who told you about Jahzara?"

"It was you," I answered alarmed. "You were feverish and talking in your sleep. You thought I was her."

Consumed by a memory, Arenis sighed wistfully. "I see."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

Arenis shrugged and gave me a slight smile. "You did not make me uncomfortable, Eveline. Jahzara was a healer. It was from her that I learned everything I know about healing people."

"You loved her, didn't you?"

Arenis was speechless and lifted her gaze into mine. "How did you figure it out?"

"Your tone of voice. Your gaze. They suddenly changed, as they do when you talk about Everett."

"Ah," Arenis sighed. "I have to be careful with you. You can understand things I don't want to express." She tucked a lock behind her ear; it was a gesture so vulnerable it almost didn't belong to her. "I'd like to talk to you about Jahzara one more time, though. If you'll allow me."

"Of course. Whenever you wish."