"Useless! Pathetic! Who'll want you? None of the women in this village, my lad, and certainly not me! Best learn to knit and mend, since you're useless for all else. "You're like a fucking daughter with balls," his father had complained. Far from comforting him, Julian's presence only seemed to enrage the man. Or to drag his brother Paul back aboard during the frantic tossing of a midsummer storm.Īfter Paul's death, their father had grown rougher, like a man whose whole life had been swallowed by the sea, and never mind that he still had one son left. He was blamed, nevertheless, for his inability to haul his fair share of the nets. It wasn't his fault he was spindly or that no amount of work seemed to build up his frame, but there were other skills he could exercise, and he was talented at finding the places where the fish were thick in the water. The next day, he was up early to mend the tears in his father's second net, hoping to earn his way back onto his father's ship. And though Julian had known that he should return to his home and begin to plan his strategy to prove himself, it had been an hour or more of hopeful waiting before he'd been able to pry himself away from the harbor. Nonetheless, the creature had been beautiful, the sun glistening wetly across the type of muscles that Julian would never know on his own body. The man, unfamiliar, stilled for a moment before diving beneath the gentle waves.įor a moment, Julian had stood entranced, thinking that he must be swimming toward the dock, but the sun had glinted off of the clear, unbroken stretch of sea for too long, and Julian had realized with a chill that he'd witnessed a visitation from something. Julian had raised a hand to shield his eyes, and just as the man's motions had drawn his attention, Julian's gesture made the man turn toward him. Wading where the sea floor was at least twenty feet down. He'd turned listlessly to begin the shameful walk back into the village when some strange bit of movement had caught at the corner of his eye, and he'd turned toward the stone breakwater to see a shirtless man wading casually through the water.
#Brother in arms hell gateway call findresource failed full
He had struggled not to spill a single tear as he watched the sails billow full and carry the fishing fleet away like a flock of gulls. He'd run out to the end of the docks, already knowing he was far too late, and stood there, fists clenching and unclenching. The first time Julian ever saw the sea-man was on the day the fleet left him behind. "Deadline" copyright © 2014 by Peter Hansen. "A Home Among the Stars" copyright © 2014 by Gryvon. "Chained to the Wheel" copyright © 2014 by Angelia Sparrow.
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