Guilt

There were no issues during their voyage. The seas were calm, no pirate vessels intercepted them, and the men who had given them trouble when they first boarded kept to themselves. It almost felt too easy. Wu Jian didn’t want to be the kind of person who would look a gift horse in the mouth, but with how often trouble found him, he had expected something to happen during his time here.

Only one thing really bothered Wu Jian during his time at sea.

“No… Wu Jian… don’t… don’t go…”

Another nightmare?

Wu Jian woke up to Hou Jingshu’s soft whimpers and moans. He sat up and looked down at the bottom bunk of the bed on his left. Hou Jingshu tossed and turned, sweat beaded her brow, and her face was scrunched up in pain. She released a short gasp, briefly opened her eyes, then settled down again.

Hou Jingshu had nightmares almost every night; sometimes they would wake her up, but she usually settled back down after a few minutes.