I need to get something off my chest before we continue. All the way back when I first introduced myself to you, I complained about how little imagination my parents had when they chose my name, which is likely the most common name in the English language. They were naming geniuses, though, compared to the people of this world. Who in the hell just calls an island that is an important source of trade and commerce “the island”? It’s not like this is the only island that existed in this world. I knew there was at least one other, the center of government in the inner sea between the continents. And they didn’t think this one existed before they discovered it. How many more islands were lurking out in the endless expanses of the deep ocean? I don’t know why, but I was offended in the same way I was when Pizza Hut decided to be trendy and attempted to rebrand themselves as “The Hut”. It just sounded too precious, like they were trying too hard. Exercise your brains a little, people.
Anyway, I got my first glimpse of the island the next day when I woke up. Our ship was holding position a couple of miles away from the shoreline, gradations of water color demonstrating that the sea got quite shallow before reaching the shore. Since we were on the back side of the island, there were no settlements or other ships in sight. The island was obviously volcanic in nature. It was dominated by a large mountain with hints of igneous rock peeking through the foliage and ground cover on its craggy slopes. The place was not small, covering at least a dozen square miles. I hoped the volcano was dormant. If it wasn’t, with my luck it would likely erupt as soon as we pulled into port. The trees I could see were a mixed lot. We were obviously much further north than the territory I was used to, and while the climate was much more temperate it wasn’t exactly tropical. It reminded of pictures that I had seen of Northern California or Oregon more than Hawaii or Tahiti.
Yes, I know I need to stop blaming shitty luck for the bad things that happen to me. I learned in my time in jail that blaming chance for everything that goes wrong is the lament of the loser. My cellmate for part of my time there was a prolific auto burglar. He went out every night breaking into cars, but the night he finally got caught it was bad luck. Another person I met in jail was there for a probation violation because his probation officer had him drug tested and he was using regularly. Yep, that was bad luck, too. I could go on with more examples, but you get the idea. If you make bad decisions long enough, sometimes those bad decisions bear fruit. Luck doesn’t really matter as its more a matter of repeated exposure to risk. Sometimes, I was very good at making poor decisions.
Once everyone was up and about, Captain Clemenzio started sailing carefully around the island. With our lost mast, water in the hold, and diminished speed, though, it felt like we sailed carefully everywhere we went. I applauded his caution. The pattern of the waves and the eddies and currents around the shoreline clearly indicated that there was something lurking under the water. The ship had made it this far and it was still somewhat intact. There was no sense risking catastrophe when we were this close to the finish line.
The slope of the mountain on the west side of the island was somewhat sheer and unwelcoming. It plunged directly into the sea with no real beaches to speak of. We sailed southward and then turned east once we were well clear of any underwater hazards. As we glided over the placid seas, the brutal topography became gentler. Small coves and untamed beaches started appearing on the shore. There were gulls and other birds filling the sky. Everything was calm and serene until we heard a deep rumbling roar from some sort of creature echo across the water. Whatever made the noise sounded both very large and very unhappy. That growl drove all idle thoughts of a serene beach vacation directly out my mind. I was not the only one, either. Glancing around the deck, I could see other members of the company exchanging nervous looks as what we all had heard about the place came home to roost. There were remarkable riches to be had but only if you survived to enjoy them.
As we made our way along the southern side of the island I started becoming more and more nervous. This was where the rubber met the road, so to speak. Finally, Aleyda noticed my unconscious fidgeting and spoke.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I just worry I’m not up to the task,” I said with a sheepish little smile. “What if I screw up and get us all killed.”
“Then we’ll be dead and our worries will be over,” Aleyda replied sunnily. “Only the living worry. I don’t think that will happen, though. I clearly have more confidence in you than you have in yourself. Doubts, misgivings, those are normal responses to the unknown. It never hurts to be cautious and to think things out but there will come a time when all the planning in the world doesn’t prepare you for what you face. When that time comes, you have to react. I trust you. I trust your reactions.”
“Well, the last time I led people into battle it didn’t go so well,” I replied.
She stepped forward and grabbed my arms, looking up at me and staring right into my eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you,” she said. “You faced down a group of hardened killers with a mob of farmers and tradesman. The fact that any of us are still drawing breath is tough to believe. And that’s what all of this is about. Belief. I believe we are doing the right thing. I believe risking my life is worth it. And I believe we will see our way through this together. You, me and Bowen, we are a good team. We make up for each others’ weaknesses. You are stronger than you think you are. Nobody is perfect. Nobody makes the right choices every time. Nobody I have ever met, anyway. Just do your best. That’s all anyone can ask.”
While she was talking, a thought flitted through my mind. I liked it when Aleyda touched me. Was I starting to become attracted to her? I brutally squashed that thought. The last thing I needed to do was ruin our working relationship. That was far more important than any idle fantasy that I might harbor. The power dynamics were just too screwed up. And, if I was misreading things, I didn’t end up like Werner, embarrassed and nursing a bloody nose.
“Thanks for your confidence,” I replied. “I hope I can live up to it.”
“We’ve got this,” Bowen said, having overheard at least my part of the conversation. “The time for worrying is past. Now is the time for doing.”
Aleyda released my arms and I turned and clapped Bowen on the back.
“I hope you’re right,” I replied.
While we had been talking, the ship continued to skim along the southern coast of the island. Viewing it from east to west, the island was much wider than it was deep. Soon, we had passed the mountain that dominated the landscape and were gliding along a relatively flat, heavily wooded volcanic shelf. Up ahead, I could see the limits of the southern coast of the land, where we would eventually turn to the north to find the port. I hadn’t yet seen any other people on the island, which wasn’t too surprising. Even though there were a large number of expeditions here at any given time, there still wasn’t much population density. All in all, it was a rugged, wild, foreboding place. Nothing in the modern world had prepared me for this taste of true wilderness.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
When we swung around the northern tip of the island and started moving north, I saw something I hadn’t seen for several days. There were ships in the distance, both arriving and departing. They were far enough away that they were little specks with large sails billowing in the breeze. The eastern side of this place was much gentler. Beaches and little bays lined the coast. It looked like we could sail into any one of them but I trusted the Captain. He knew what he was doing. I did not.
Eventually, we made it to the inlet of the largest bay I had seen to date. Then we turned and headed in to port. As we got closer, I could see a series of crude wharves stretching out into the water. There didn’t seem like there was much warehouse infrastructure, as storage yards lined the foot of the wharves, goods stacked high and covered with canvas. Farther away from the water, a number of crudely made log buildings stood, clearly thrown together from local material. Slightly separated from town, several companies had set up compounds surrounded by log palisades. Some even had small, private docks.
Glancing around me, I saw a variety of ships of many shapes and sizes. The military contingent that we had left Shroud Hallow with had clearly made better time than we had. I noticed several ships that I recognized anchored out in the deeper water of one side of the bay, parallel to what looked like the beginnings of a military base. Boats moved back and forth from the navy ships to the base transporting personnel or supplies. Other ships from our convoy had also made it to the island, but there were still many missing. I wondered how many had turned back. How many were victims of the storm? Were there others still out there, sailing back and forth vainly trying to reach an island they would never find? Maybe I should stop moaning about my luck. We had actually made it when so many others didn’t. If that wasn’t good luck, I don’t know what good luck is.
While I was lost in my thoughts, I could feel that someone had approached us from behind. I turned and realized it was Caider. That’s right. He told us he wanted to have a company meeting again before we disembarked.
“Is it time for the meeting?” I asked him before he could say anything.
“Yes,” he replied. “It will be brief.”
We followed him back to the group which was gathered near the area once occupied by our downed mast.
“Alright,” Caider said. “This is everyone. While it was a rough trip, we made it. Now its time for hard work.”
Thinking about it, I couldn’t remember that he had ever taken his turn at the pumps. Hard work? What did he think we all had been doing the last several days? Napping?
“The first order of business is to find some place to set up camp. Then, we will need to unload all our supplies. I think setting up will take a day or two. When we leave the ship, we will all leave together. I don’t need anyone wandering off. Once we find a place to set up, we will take turns hauling supplies and preparing the camp. I am in charge of organizing our camp. Tikter will supervise the unloading of supplies. Remember what I said before. Some people may try to bait you into conflict. Resist the temptation. We have one job to do. That job is to get rich and make it back home alive. Everything else is meaningless. During your off time, travel in groups. I don’t want anyone to disappear and spend their life chained to a bench and rowing one of those big galleys out there. Does anyone have any questions?”
I quickly relayed Caider’s message to Aleyda and Bowen, but used a lot fewer words.
“Don’t you think we deserve a day off after everything that we’ve been through?” Inside Voice asked loudly.
“No, Sapthu, I don’t. You can rest on the way back home.”
Inside Voice’s real name was Sapthu. I would have to remember that. I felt a little sorry for him. He had been taking his turns at the pumps and he looked a little worn out.
Then, with a few grumbles, the meeting broke up.
We were forced to anchor out in the bay until a space to dock opened up. It was maddening to be so close to our destination but still be stuck on the ship. The vessel was still leaking and I was forced to go back down below deck and work a pump for awhile. I dearly hoped that the ship’s crew could do a decent job at repairs before our trip back or else it would be long and quite miserable.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for a space large enough to dock opened up. That’s one of the benefits of being on a smaller ship, I suppose. When I felt the ship start moving again, I left my station, grabbed my gear and went back upstairs.
Soon, we were docked at the far end of one of the rough quays. Glancing down at it, it appeared pretty rickety, just a series of stacked logs. Groups of people were moving around on it, transporting cargo, or leaving and returning to their ships. Although the construction looked crude, it didn’t collapse from their weight so I assumed it wouldn’t from ours either.
Finally, docking was complete and a steep gangplank was lowered from the side of the ship.
“As promised, you have arrived safely,” Captain Clemenzio said with a barely concealed smirk. I couldn’t help it. I laughed a little bit. I liked the man’s style. As I was preparing to disembark, he wandered over to me.
“When times were tough, you offered to stand with the crew,” he said to me in a low voice. “We will not forget.” Then, he strolled off, shouting orders to his people.
My little group was at the tail end of the procession off the ship. We moved down the wharf like an undisciplined mob. When I stepped off the wood and on to solid ground, I stumbled a little. Why did I still feel like I was out on the water, like the ground was still pitching and rolling?
There was a sailor walking by when I stumbled, a human. When he looked at me, he smiled. “First long voyage?” he asked.
“How did you know?”
“Don’t worry, the feeling you have right now will probably pass. You got so used to the motion of the ship that it takes a little time for most people to adjust back to land. Just don’t do anything that requires perfect balance until it does.”
“Thank you, sir,” I replied. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Nobody ever does, and that’s why its so damn funny.”
“You said the feeling will probably pass?” I asked.
“For a few people it persists for quite awhile,” he replied. “But I’m sure you are not that unlucky.”
I hoped that he was right.