Snippet #1891053

The hand never came. Instead as John's voice yelled that she was his an arm wrapped about her waist and held her steady and away from the commotion. Pavati looked up from where she had hid against Shaafir to find the carpenter was using his body to shield her. The man was looking at John and Pavati was relieved. He wouldn't see the confusion in her face. He had to no reason to protect her like he was and yet he had still done it.

Pavati heard the small woman's voice as she approached John. It reminded her of the venom from a snake, dripping and alarming.

For his part, John began to come at the man who held his wife but stopped dead as the small woman move towards him. He backed away from her, fear taking over where the anger had been. Horrified he watched the woman come at him. Then a flash of something in her hand and his fear increased.

Pavati watched as the boatswain approached John, she could see the blades in her hand. Her eyes met Shaafir's and Pavati tried to steady herself. He stepped away and towards the small woman. He got to her as she had finished patting John's cheek.

John didn't flinch, the blades were too sharp for him to feel them as they left small lines on his cheek and neck. He blinked, trembling slightly and then the slight sting set in. She had cut him. Blood slowly ran from the cuts. John's eyes went even wider as the dark skinned man came up behind the blade wielding woman. John shook now, pinned like a common rat in the corner.

He jumped as the man's voice called him unworthy. He wanted to lunge at the man, he had put his hands on his wife and was trying to take her, now he insulted him but his fear held him back. Even with all the rum in him he wasn't stupid enough to attack them both.

Pavati backed up against the wall as she watched the pair in front of John. Her feet wouldn't move, all she could do was stand there and try not to fall. She held her arm steady against her body. Pavati kept her breathing steady, not wishing to draw any attention to herself or make things worse.

It was stated again, they were going to the captain and Pavati waited to see what would happen. She was willing to go with them and from the look on John's face she didn't think he would be trying to stop them this time. Pavati could see the lines of blood on John's face and she wondered what the woman would have done if she had not been stopped.

John swallowed. He narrowed his blood shot eyes at them, a sneer in his voice, “Take it, fix it up and bring it back. The captain already said I got to keep it so there is nothing you can do about it.” It was mock bravado in attempt to hide the terror that was eating away at him now.

Pavati waited to see what would happen.