Free Jalia Prevails (Book 5) by John Booth

reluctant Hala back to their cabin.
     
    They opened the door to the sight of Daniel back on his feet and dressed. He grinned at Jalia as she walked in. Daniel had trouble speaking clearly, as his mouth was full of their supplies.
    “There you two are. Has the Steam Dragon sailed yet? I’m starving hungry for some reason. I wasn’t sure if I saved Hala or not, but when I saw the way her bunk had been slept in and the absence of any blood I was pretty sure she came through in one piece.”
    Hala ran to Daniel squealing in delight and hugged him tight while Jalia just grinned at him.
    “It’s been nearly two days. Don’t you remember anything?”
    Daniel looked startled, but then shrugged his shoulders cheerfully.
    “The last thing I remember was pulling the crossbow bolt out of Hala. Blood spurted out of the wound and I put my hand over it. Then the world went white and the next thing I remember was waking up here in my bunk about half an hour ago.” Daniel cast his eye over Jalia, “Have you been practicing been pulled through hedges backwards? Or have you been out causing trouble again?”
    Jalia pouted, “I never cause trouble and you know it. It just follows me around wherever I go and jumps right on top of me. We came across a Telmarian sailing ship floundering in the river and I jumped over to it and saved a couple of survivors. I got a little dirty doing it, but it was simple task really.”
    “Daniel, it was incredible,” Hala said excitedly. “Jalia jumped over to the mast of the ship and got a man with a broken leg out of its innards. Then Don went down a mooring line and brought him back. And then, Jalia rescued this woman in the hold by tying a rope to a massive cover thing and pushing it into the river. And then the Captain of the Dragon cut the mooring rope so Jalia couldn’t get back. And then, me and Nin swung a rope over to her from the top of the viewing platform. And then Jalia swung back onto the Dragon with the woman using the rope. And now the Captain is going to do something terrible to Nin and we can’t stop him.”
    Daniel listened with interest. When she finished, Hala found she had lost the ability to speak as she had to do some breathing, Daniel turned to Jalia. “So it was a simple rescue?”
    “Hala does make a bit of a fuss,” Jalia turned on the hot tap and filled a bowl with water. She pulled her jerkin over her head, stripping naked to the waist. Daniel saw the bruises on her back and shoulders and reached for the ointment in his bag.
    “Who is Nin?” Daniel asked as he came up behind Jalia and began to apply the ointment to her skin.
    Jalia turned her head and kissed him as he moved in closer. “That would be Hala’s boyfriend. I’ve put her on Gintel leaves before they get up to anything sticky.”
    Hala gasped, her mouth opening into an ‘O’ of embarrassment.
    “He is not my boyfriend,” Hala spluttered in outrage. “And I did not need Gintel leaves.”
    “I see you acted just in time,” Daniel remarked straight-faced. “She has it bad, doesn’t she?”
    “First love,” Jalia replied as Daniel started to apply the ointment down her back and towards her buttocks. “By the time you’ve had as many lovers as I have, it wears off. It all comes down to performance in the end.”
    “And how do I rate on your well-populated performance scale?”
    “Oh I don’t know? So-so I would say… Ow, that hurts!” Jalia protested as Daniel brought his hand down onto her buttocks, hard.
    “Just checking for any damage down below,” Daniel told her dryly. “None there…. yet. I would say.”
    “Not in front of the child, Daniel,” Jalia said primly and stepped away from him. “But we do have a problem.”
    “We always do,” Daniel said and sighed. He sat on the bunk as Jalia explained about Nin.
    “I’ve tried bribing the Captain and that failed. I don’t see how taking on the crew will help either.”
    “There may be little we can do,” Daniel agreed.