Hidden Island Chapter 26, part 2 of 3

Hidden Island
Chapter 26, part 2 of 3

"Your liver is going to commit suicide. You're going to turn funny colors and die," the pretty bartender said cheerily.

"I'm not that lucky," Caine said. He took a long drink.

Bella hadn't had such fun in years. Usually, she could never relax in a crowd; even among her people, it was rare for a witch to be asked to dance. She hadn't had the chance to dance like this since she was a teenager.

Jack had been right about asking witches to dance. It only happened sometimes. Bella hadn't done anything like this in years between that and her fear of crowds. She loved dancing and the attention. She was used to catching eyes wherever she went and liked it, but she also had to be constantly on her guard. It was almost impossible for her to enjoy the side of her that got a thrill out of public exhibitionism in a way that felt safe.

Tonight, she was loving everything. She whirled and moved from partner to partner, enjoying the freedom and the attention, casting smiles, winks, trailing touches, flirtatious hip-bumps, and sexy shimmies and spins that did delightful things to her curves. She usually wouldn't have agreed to dance, but with Will and Jack nearby and knowing Captain Vex had specifically vetted her crew to accept her, she decided to let her guard down.

She'd been chiefly spending her time in the Captain's cabin. She had yet to socialize much with the crew, so she needed to figure out what to expect, nor were they. Knowing that a witch was working with the Captain aboard was one thing. It was entirely another to be dancing with her.

She could not have planned a better first impression. The crew of the Kestrel were consummate sailors, confident, bold, and unbridled in their approach to life. They were used to attraction and sexual thrills being short-lived affairs without any real promise or deep meaning. They felt that way about most things in life.

Moments were just moments meant to be enjoyed but dismissed when they were gone. It was a trait that came with the life they lived. They were folk who braved the elements and faced the possibility of death on the seas with dismissive bravery. They'd all signed on for what they knew would be a difficult mission. They were gamblers, throwing their lives in as the ante, hoping to win big. People like that didn't tend to get hung up on things like prejudices, superstitions, or jealousy.

They were the right people for Bella to find a sense of community with. She whirled from partner to partner, her skirts swirling and her tambourine slapping her lush body to the beat. She was light on her feet, energetic, and unabashed sexuality. The Nivalese sailors immediately reacted, turning the dance into something akin to the festival the night before. The Mainlander sailors might have been taken aback, but the Nivalese rhythms and enthusiastic grins drew them in. Even without a rum ration to lower their inhibitions further, the music and the energy in the air made them all quick to enjoy the unbridled sexuality their new ship's witch was adding to the festivities. Doctor Friday quickly took Bella's lead. The striking Nivalese woman was wholly used to such displays and enjoyed the turn things had taken. Even some more conservative Akula sailors joined the dance after a bit. Only a handful of women were aboard, so they were in high demand. For the most part, the women were only made up of Bella, Friday, and a half-dozen of Lace's rigging crew. Many men formed a circle, watching and clapping to the beat. A few danced with each other. Some tried to get Jack to join them, but she stayed in the circle watching Bella, waiting her turn with the sultry witch.

Will spent most of his time dancing with Janie in the mirror, but after a while, he'd turned the mirror around and somewhat awkwardly acted as a cavorting Eisel, holding up the mirror from behind so that Janie could dance with the other crew members. Then, one of the crew members took the mirror so Will could dance without holding it. Soon after, the giant mirror was being passed around the circle as the sailors each took their turn.

They had no idea who Janie was, but she was mysterious and gorgeous, so they didn't care.

Most of them assumed she was some mystic spirit bound to the mirror in service to their witch. Strangely, they'd already accepted a witch aboard, so strangeness was expected.

Bella's looks and infectious grin made accepting things reasonably easy. She earned herself more than a few admirers while the music played, but they were all reasonably respectful. Bella was clever enough to whirl away to a new partner when someone got too familiar with their words or hands. Fortunately, those moments were few. With anyone else, they could have sparked jealousy or frustration, but one of the benefits of being a known witch was that people tended to behave very respectfully. No one wanted to risk a witch's ire.

There was tension when Bella whirled from her previous partner and found herself unexpectedly in Jack's arms.

She started to tug Jack into the circle, then paused as she realized who she was dancing with. The tension only lasted a moment, but their hearts seemed clutch in their chests. Jack started to step back, but the gorgeous N' Madi witch gave Jack a sensuous but shy smile and a slight curtsey, then fiercely pulled Jack into the middle of the circle, spinning and skipping together. Jack was surprisingly adept despite her earlier protests. She'd had years of dance training, was quick to adapt, and was light on her feet, so she found the freeform Nivalese rhythm easy to move to.

Jack felt like the world had gotten smaller. She forgot the music and the crowd and just moved, watching Bella's joy at finally letting her guard down. Jack knew how rare it was for her, and even though her chest was a knot of tangled feelings, she was determined not to screw this up for Bella.

They didn't talk, but their eyes said volumes to each other. Jack's apprehension and care were evident on her face, and Bella was encouraging but guarded. The crowd loved watching the two women dance together. There was quite a lot of applause and jeering, but it was good-natured, so neither Jack nor Bella cared. They shared a momentary exasperated look as one of the sailors encouraged them to kiss. Another sailor next to the bold man elbowed him in the arm. Bella leaned in and gave Jack a light, momentary kiss on the lips, then spun away to a new partner, leaving Jack wide-eyed and dazed. The crowd roared and clapped. Jack blushed bright red and stood there stunned. I will rescue her. He took her hand and pulled her into a fast waltz. Jack had the good sense to let him lead, moving naturally while her mind reeled. After a few moments, she looked up at him, the expression on her face tangled with confusion and delight. Then she realized how they were dancing.

"This isn't waltz music, Will," Jack called over the music. Still, she kept pace with him and allowed herself to be turned under his arm.

"It's the only dance step I know," Will grinned.

"Because I taught you," Jack laughed.

Will shrugged. "You looked a little lost when Bella left. I wanted to check on you."

Jack's impulse was to roll her eyes and tell him she didn't need to be taken care of. She held that reaction down. She didn't need it. That was true. She liked that he was trying to look out for her, however. She gave him an appreciative smile. "Thanks. I think I'm about done with dancing, though."

"Me too. Come on," Will said. They reached the edge of the circle and slipped into it. Then, through it, we were out of the chaotic tangle of musicians, onlookers, and dancers.

They both laughed and took a few breaths to calm their pulses. They started talking simultaneously, stopped, waited for each other, then laughed again. "You first," Will said.

"Bella kissed me," she said, looking happy but worried and confused.

"I saw that," Will grinned. "You didn't even trip over your own feet."

She swatted him in the arm, then sighed. "I can't get a read on her."

"Her kissing you isn't a pretty clear sign?" Will asked.

"This morning, she told me she was still mad at me, but every time we talk, she's supportive and helpful but guarded," Jack explained.

"Supportive, helpful, and guarded is most of Bella's personality," Will chuckled. "Just add mischief and innuendo to round out the total package."

Jack chose to ignore the joke and stay focused on her thoughts. "She's trying to help me figure all this out, but she's not letting me know what she thinks or wants. Then she kissed me just now. I'm just... I don't know what it means."

"Don't ask me," Will shrugged. It was a lie. He knew exactly what was happening in Bella's head and her goals, but he felt it wasn't his place to tell Jack.

"Big help you are," Jack sighed. They found a bench at the prow and sat down. "What were you going to say?"
Will gestured to the mirror, bobbing and turning in the arms of a burly sailor. "Janie thinks you and I need to talk."

"We have been talking." Jack gave him a skeptical look.

"Talk more. Talk better. There's a lot we haven't gone into," Will said.

Jack looked worried. "I know. Are you saying you want to talk now?"

"No. Things feel nice right now. The conversation will be hard; I don't want to ruin something good. Besides, I don't think I should leave Janie alone," Will said.

"She's in a mirror; I think she will be fine," Jack said with a sardonic eyebrow.

"She's never been dancing before," Will said.

"I think she still hasn't," Jack smirked. "Clapping on the other side of a window someone else is dragging around is hardly dancing."

"True. It's a milestone for her, though, and I don't want to disappear in the middle of it," Will said.

"Good," Jack nodded. "If it were me in her place, I'd be pissed if you vanished in the middle of my first almost-dance. I'll thank her for letting me leave our pending conversation."

"You don't want to talk?" Will asked.

Jack sighed. "I do. I'm just nervous."

"Me too," Will agreed.

"Tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"I was thinking later tonight when the festivities wind down," he suggested.

"Even better," Jack said. She never was one for waiting. Even though she was nervous about the conversation, she still wanted to hurry up and get it over with.

"It might get ugly," Will said. "Things have been mostly good between us the last few days, but I'm ignoring many things that make me pretty mad when I think about them. There might be some long overdue yelling."

"Thanks for the warning," Jack said. "Do I get to yell at you too?"

"If you need to," Will shrugged. "Not sure what I did, though."

"I'm sure I'll come up with something," Jack said with a conspiratorial grin.

"Great," Will rolled his eyes. "Looking forward to it."

"Can we still just have fun tonight? I don't want to think about this stuff right now," Jack asked.

"Sure," Will agreed. He put his arm around her shoulders, and they lost some time watching the dance and the shuffleboard game.

When the music changed, Jack nudged him with her shoulder. "Go dance with your mirror girl."

Will gave Jack a final squeeze around the shoulders and got up. "Come with me."

Jack's face twisted in apprehension, but she got up, and the two rejoined the circle of revelers.

The music had gotten slower. Bella was dancing with a sailor and talking to him. Doctor Kalfou was in the arms of another. Janie was in the outer circle, her mirror leaning against a sailor so she could watch. Will wove through the dancers and hefted the mirror. Janie looked surprised. "You disappeared," she said with playful accusation in her voice.

"Had to talk to Jack for a bit," he explained.

"Oh, good. How'd it go?" Janie asked.

"Well, I think. I took your advice," Will said.

"Oh, you're going to talk?" Janie asked, smiling excitedly.

"Later. Tonight, I want to have a good time," he said. He carried her mirror into the middle of the circle and started waltzing to the slower music. He could hardly see anything around him. The bottom edge of the mirror was sitting against his belt, his arms holding the sides of it. Everything in front of him was blocked, so he stayed in the middle and slowly rotated in a circle, hoping the other dancers gave him a wide berth.

"This is a little silly," Janie said. She had her hands on her side of the mirror and swayed back and forth to the music.

"Yeah," Will grinned. "Fun, though."

"It is. Thank you," Janie smiled.

"We'll do this for real someday," Will said, adjusting after being bumped by another dancer.

"I'd like that," Janie said a bit shyly.

"Did you have fun dancing with everyone?" he asked.

"I did! I mostly just watched and let whoever had the mirror do the moving for me, but it was fun to see everyone having fun. The sailors seem nice.

Most didn't talk to me, but a few did. They asked why I was stuck in the mirror," Janie giggled.

"What did you tell them?" Will asked.

"I told them evil pirates trap me, and Bella's magic mirror is the only way I can see out into the world," Janie shrugged. "A few of them want to rescue me."

"You work fast," Will smirked.

"What?" Janie asked.

"Convincing men to risk their lives for your favor," 'Will explained.

"Funny," Janie said dryly.

"You're a succubus luring men into wicked fates," Will snarked.

Janie's face blanched. "Please don't say that, Will."

Will slowed his dancing and looked worried and apologetic. "I was only joking."

"I know. It's all right. Let's keep dancing," Janie said with a small smile.

"If something is wrong, you can tell me," Will said.

"I told you earlier that you aren't the one I will vent to until I'm off this island. I'm fine. Something happened earlier, and your joke... never mind. It isn't important," Janie said, hoping Will would let the subject drop.

He did. They danced in silence for a few minutes until Bella cut in.

"Help me turn the mirror around," she said without preamble.

Together, they awkwardly turned the big mirror so that Will held it from behind. He had his face turned, and the frame leaned back to balance on his head. It wasn't comfortable, and he could see even less in this position, but once the mirror's weight was settled, it wasn't too bad. His wounded hand was protesting slightly, but he ignored it. He felt Bella's hands gently grab him and start guiding him in a slow circle. It was like dancing with Bella, letting Bella lead, but with the awkward mirror frame between them.

"Having fun, luv?" Bella asked.

"I am. Seeing more of the ship and Bar Cola last night was nice. Your mirror is the only thing keeping me from going stir-crazy," Janie said.

"Can you tell Tonya I want to do another lesson tomorrow?" Bella said. Will could practically hear the witch winking.

"Oh my," Janie giggled. "What will she be learning?"

"How to make a Rocky," Bella grinned.

"Can I..." Janie trailed off.

"Watch? Of course," Bella said happily. "I'm thinking noonish?"

Will kept turning, content to be a prop for their dance as they talked.

Will and Bella carefully hung the mirror back on the wall.

It mainly involved Will holding the big mirror from the sides and letting it lean against his head while he shuffled back and forth in Bella's direction. She stood off to the side, helping him align the brackets on the back of the frame with the nails in the wall.


To be continued