Chapter 1

            The sun had just rose above the horizon when Alan stepped out onto the deck. Most of the crew of the R.M.S. Hathaway still slept below, which made now the best time for Alan to sneak away to the bowsprit unseen. He crept over the short wall and lowered himself as far down as he could. The top of his head would still be visible from behind, but he hoped that the glare of the sun in front of him would stop any passing soldiers from glancing in his direction.

            Alan looked out across the ocean, and there in the distance he saw it. The Island of Alilis had a single stony mountain at its center; its wide peak was domed like a turtle’s shell. Besides that, all he could see was the top of several trees; and the steep stony cliffs that made up the base of the island.

            Everyone said there was no other place in the world like Alilis. Those who had seen it from a distance called it beautiful; those who had visited rarely kept their lives long enough to come back. Alilis was supposedly uninhabited, but that only depended on what story you believed. Legends of monsters, murder, and magic surrounded it; and surprisingly the most believable tale of them all was that of the island’s guardian.

            Throughout history the description of Mizukahu had changed. Sometimes the monster was a creature that could only swim, like a mermaid, and at other times it was a snakelike creature that had six arms and two heads. In some stories Mizukahu took the shape of a lizard woman, in others it was a large bird. The only things the stories could agree on was what the monster wanted; to be left alone.

            Alan looked back at Alilis. Maircean soldiers had constructed a military base there a few weeks ago. If Mizukahu existed they’d know about it by now.

            It had been nearly a year ago when the nation of Panja had begun their attempt to rule both sides of the ocean. They had stormed across the sea and conquered six of the seven Kalese Islands between them and Maircea, and nearly a quarter of Maircea’s population was murdered in the attack. Even the Maircean king had lost his life, and it only after another several thousand lives were lost that Prince Mast and his three Generals had driven the Panja forces from the country.

            Alan was born in Maircean, but he was raised elsewhere. His father had been a cartographer and his mother a linguist. The three of them as a family had spent more time outside Maircea then in, and it was simply bad luck that they had been visiting when Panja attacked. Both his parent had been killed. Alan tried hard not to think about it and what had happened.

            Consciously Alan turned his thoughts back to Alilis. The island was closer now. The mountain and trees took on new details, and the ship sailed to show him a different side of the island. Here he could see where the cliff became a hill, and at the base of it was the harbor they were sailing towards. Just above the harbor Alan could see some of the buildings of the base, and he wondered which of them would be his home for the next few months.

            Bells around the ship rung, and Alan knew with all the sailors now awake that he’d soon be seen. Quickly he took off his boots and tied their laces around his belt.

            Most Maircean had joined the war voluntarily to fight the Panjans. They wanted revenge for their losses, but others weren’t as eager to risk their lives. It didn’t matter what they wanted, however, because Mairceans under the age of eighteen were conscripted into a branch of the military as soon as they became adults. Everyone was expected to contribute to the war effort, even civilians such as Alan. All throughout the voyage sailors had demanded that Alan do whatever minimal task they didn’t feel like doing themselves. He’d been worked hard for days, and he was sure that as soon as someone spotted him he’d be made to made to scrub the deck or something else equally as bad.

            “Hey kid!” someone called to him as if they had heard his thoughts. “Get over here, I got a job for you.”

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            Alan ignored the voice and kept looking at Alilis as it drew nearer.

            “Hey kid,” repeated the young man stepping closer to him. “I don’t know what you’re doing up so early, but I need your help with something. Heave-ho, come on now.”

            Alan sighed and stood up as if to follow, but when the sailor turned away Alan sprinted in the opposite direction. There wasn’t far he could go on the bowsprit, but he built up what momentum he could and vaulted over the railing. Alan yelled wildly as he plummeted down towards the ocean; the roar of the water and the wind deafened him to the shouts of the sailor above. Alan waved his arms to keep himself straight and his feet directly beneath him before he crashed into the waves below. Alan felt himself slow to a stop, and he enjoyed the sounds and the weightlessness of floating underwater for a moment. Then he oriented himself and swam to the surface.

            When his head broke the surface he heard the cries of “man overboard” from above. Alan couldn’t see the sailor from where he swam, but a life preserver had already been tossed into the water beside him. Alan ignored it and grinned. Unlike most Mairceans, Alan’s parents had taught him how to swim at a young age. He had taken to it like a fish. He was further away from Alilis then he’d liked to be, but he was confident he could make it.

            Sure, he knew he might not make it, this was the longest swim he’d yet taken after all. He could grow tiered and drown but dying wasn’t something Alan worried about much anymore. The night he’d lost his parents had changed him. What did it matter if what he was doing was dangerous? In a couple of weeks he’d turn eighteen and join the soldiers fighting in the war. There’d be nothing but danger for him then. At least what he was doing now was also fun.

            In truth Alan had always sought adventures. He hadn’t had many growing up, his parents hadn’t allowed him to do anything too crazy. They didn’t let him challenge himself by climbing mountains or swimming across fast moving rivers. He hadn’t even been allowed to pilot the family airplane, which was incredibly safe until it came to landing.

            He wondered what his parents would say to him if they saw what he was doing now. Then he stopped because the thought saddened him.

            Alan looked towards Alilis and began to swim. His strong steady strokes cut through the waves. Blasts from the R.M.S. Hathaway’s horn called him back, but Alan paid it no mind. The ship couldn’t follow him without dragging him under its wake, and although a team of oarsman in a dingy might be sent out to rescue him, Alan hoped they wouldn’t if they saw how well he could swim. He’d be reprimanded later, but some free time to himself would be worth it.

            A long blast of a horn sounded, and the ship turned towards the harbor. Alan made to follow it, but the wake of the large ship created waves that bobbed him up and down. He couldn’t see where he was headed, and by the time he could he see he saw that the current had pulled him further east then he wanted to go. The harbor now was to the west, and though he swam hard he couldn’t make any progress towards it. The current pulled him towards the southeastern cliff. If he couldn’t make any headway soon he’d be dashed against it.

            Alan swam as he never had before. He kicked, and pulled, and did all he could to reach the harbor. The water however had him, and all his efforts seemed in vain. He hadn’t gotten any closer towards the harbor and the safety of ships, though by now he had nearly reached the base of the rocks.

            Alan stopped to float in the water, and he quickly felt himself being pulled further away from the harbor. The sea was washing him towards the east side of the island, and in a moment of inspiration he swam with the current. He left the cliff behind him, rounded a pair of sea stacks at the corner, and then pushed towards the east side of the island with all his might.

            The current still had a grip on him, and he found himself swimming parallel a long stretch of beach. Up ahead there were no cliffs, but there were plenty of rocks that Alan knew not to get involved with. He was tired from swimming so hard for so long, and he knew that if he didn’t make it to the shore he wouldn’t have enough energy to fight the current a second time.

            He had been nearly swept past the beach when he felt the water around him change. The water drove him towards the outcrop of rocks, and Alan swam hard towards the beach instead. He felt himself pushed and lifted by waves, then before he knew it his feet reached bottom. He stood up, was knocked down, and then crawled out of the waves onto the warm sand.

            Alan laid down on the beach and caught his breath. He smiled. His adventure had been fun.