Steam seemed to be coming off the sea’s surface as the Vesper’s launch was carefully lowered into the water. Duglin looked at the milky green water with trepidation as the boat touched the surface. Instead of releasing the ropes, those on the deck peered over the side.
“How is it?” Inder asked.
“A little warm,” Elran, who was sitting next to Duglin replied. “But we ought to be alright.”
“Try touching the water,” Inder ordered.
The young woman nudged Duglin in the side while Tash looked at him from her position on the prow expectantly. The boy swallowed nervously and slowly lowered his hand towards the water.
“You know it’s hot, you’ll want to just use a finger,” Tash suggested.
“And quicker would be better than slower,” Marsel added.
The boy took a deep breath and dabbed his finger into the sea. He frowned before doing it again. Finally, he dipped his whole hand in.
“It’s warm,” he said. “But not uncomfortably so.”
“Told you,” Elran winked from the prow.
On Inder’s order, the launch was released into the water. The hull became warm almost at once, making it feel like a sauna on board. Soon, all three were sweating profusely.
“Well, let’s see if we can find that beacon,” Tash panted. “And hopefully fresh water.”
Duglin cast an eye at the three empty barrels of water they had brought with them. Conditions on board had been stifling over the past three days, and they had consumed more fresh water than expected. Now, it was being strictly rationed.
On Tash’s order, Marsel and Duglin began to row along ring shaped reef. The Captain didn’t want the two who had been in contact with the witch on board with the witch hunter in the others’ absence, so they were the natural choices for this shore party, together with Elran, who was the most knowledgeable about volcanos on board. Their mission was to try and spot the other beacon from the island and if possible, find a source of fresh water to replenish their stores.
The seas were rough beyond the atoll, and the Vesper pulled away out of concern for the safety of the launch as soon as they were set free. The launch foundered at first, making little headway as her occupants scrambled to steer themselves away from the reef. After they had found their rhythm, they slowly made their way through the small opening and into the calmer waters beyond.
“What’s the plan?” Duglin panted as they rowed.
The scene before him looked like something out of a nightmare. Everything was tinged in red from the ashy sky, the island with the volcano in its centre, spewing black ash into the sky with rivers of molten magma dripping down its sides. The boy jumped when streaks of lightning forked to the volcano’s peak, followed by a loud crack. The launch’s occupants froze, unsure if continuing was wise.
“That was ominous,” Marsel murmured.
“It was just a coincidence,” Tash said, trying to sound confident.
“Lightning is a common occurrence above volcanos,” Elran said. “Something about the ash cloud it spews…”
“Besides, if we go back now, they’ll just send us out again,” Duglin added.
“Right, so we agree. The quickest way out of here is to get this over with quickly,” Tash declared.
The others didn’t need any further encouragement and doubled their efforts. Soon, their launch scraped up against the island’s rocky shore. Tash carefully dipped her bare foot into the warm water and winced.
“Is the water hot?” Marsel asked, her voice tinged with concern.
“No, the ground is… it’s sharp,” the muscular woman gasped as she jumped back in.
“Shoes on, everyone,” she ordered.
The shore was made largely from black rocks that were strewn with what appeared to be shards of black glass.
“Never seen anything like it,” Marsel muttered as they gathered their things from the launch.
Duglin looked up at the volcano worriedly. “I hope we won’t have to climb that…”
“We’ll walk along the shore, make a full loop of the island first,” Tash said. “Climbing up there is a last resort.”
“No arguments here,” Marsel breathed.
Here on the island, the stench of sulphur was overpowering. The trio wrapped rags soaked in seawater around their noses and mouths to help ward off the smell, which made it hard for them to breathe. The temperature was sweltering and sweat dripped from their bodies as they trudged down the rocky beach. Duglin walked with his head bowed, raising it every now and then in the hope that he would see the second beacon in the distance, only to be disappointed.
It wasn’t long before he felt lightheaded and reached for his flask. He lifted it and was reminded that it was only half full.
“Perhaps we should find water first.” His voice was hoarse and faint.
Just when he finished speaking, lightning ripped through the air above them, leaving behind the scent of ozone. Moments later, an ear-splitting crack of thunder assaulted their ears and shook their bones. Then came the rain. It came in a sudden deluge, and the three parched mariners raised their heads to the sky and gratefully opened their mouths.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
However, their relief quickly turned into panic when they felt the pain in their mouths and on their skin. The rain burned!
“To the jungle!” Marsel cried, leading the charge.
The quartet paused at the fringe of the jungle, each knowing better than to run headlong amongst the dense trees where they could easily be lost or pounced upon by a lurking predator. The canopy was thick, preventing most of the rain from reaching them.
“Strip your clothes off!” Elran ordered. “Wring out as much of the rainwater as you can.”
Casting their modesty aside, the others obeyed without objection. Once they had squeezed as much of the corrosive water as they could, they carefully put their clothes back on. Duglin felt his skin tingle and looked out towards the shore where the rain was quickly beginning to subside.
Elran looked around curiously. Then his eyes widened, and he stooped over to pluck a herb from the ground.
“This is Bathlin,” he breathed.
“That’s nice,” Tash said dryly. “I’d be happier if we found a usable source of water.”
“You don’t understand,” the doctor said as he looked around in wonder. “This is an incredibly rare herb that is a key ingredient in potent medicines. An ounce of dried herb can fetch up to two hundred crowns.”
That caught the muscular woman’s interest. She looked around and grunted. “There’s a nutmeg tree over there … That fetches a pretty penny as well.”
“Then forget our destination, this is a literal silver mine right under our feet,” Marsel observed.
“That’s all well and good,” Tash remarked. “But since we’re here, we ought to find a source of water.”
“These plants don’t seem to be affected by the rain,” Duglin observed. “Do you think they can grow in this water?’
Elran shook his head slowly and craned his neck to look up at the canopy. “I doubt it. From Master Dernish’s notes, rain is a rare occurrence here in the Murkwater. There has to be another source of fresh water to support so much vegetation.”
Tash licked her parched lips. “Since we’re already here, we may as well go looking for it, eh?”
“You’re in charge,” Elran shrugged.
“Follow me,” she ordered as she led them deeper into the jungle.
“Wait,” Duglin said. “What if we get lost?”
Just then, they passed through a small break in the canopy and Tash pointed at the smouldering volcano in the distance. “We just walk away from that, and we’ll reach the shore soon enough.”
“It’s not a large island, Duglin,” Elran added.
Tash took the lead, drawing her cutlass and using it to cut down any creepers, vines or thorny branches that barred their path. The island appeared to be uninhabited, and it was the shore party’s only weapon, which suited Duglin just fine. The witch on Jerning was the first person he’d ever shot, and he hoped she would be the last.
“Say, Tash,” Marsel began. “We should keep our search close to the shore. We don’t want to have to carry those barrels far.”
“Let’s focus on finding water before we worry about how far we’ll have to carry it,” Tash suggested.
“Hush,” Duglin said sharply.
The two women stopped and whirled around to give him astonished looks. “Excuse me, what did you just say to us?”
“He’s right,” Elran hissed. “I hear voices.”
The women fell silent and cupped their hands to their ears. At length, Marsel pointed over to their right and mouthed the words. “Over there.”
“What do we do?” Duglin whispered urgently.
Tash furrowed her brow thoughtfully before pointing in the direction of the voices. “We go take a look.”
Thoughts of what kind of person would inhabit an island such as this swirled through Duglin’s mind and a vivid image of the witch they had killed entered his thoughts. The boy shook his head vigorously. “I vote we head back… warn the others, maybe come back with reinforcements.”
“There is no voting,” Marsel hissed. “Tash has been placed in charge. She makes the decisions.”
Duglin looked over at Elran who nodded solemnly. “She’s right. The Captain put Tash in charge. Besides, the Vesper needs all hands to maintain her station in open water off the atoll. We are all that can be spared.”
“If we’re done debating, let’s go,” Tash urged.
Together, they crept their way through the jungle until they came across a clearing among the trees. In the middle of the clearing was a small sinkhole that was filled with water. A pair of men stood by it, grumbling as they used a bucket to fill larger barrels with water.
“How many more barrels is the Captain going to make us fill?” One of the men groused. “We should leave before the blasted volcano blows us all to smithereens.”
“You volunteered for this duty, so quit your bellyaching, Pert,” his partner snapped. Both men were stripped to the waist and dripping with sweat.
“I must have been delirious from thirst,” the man called Pert sniffed.
Duglin looked around their makeshift camp and his blood froze when he spied a pistol. He tapped Tash on the shoulder and pointed at the weapon. The muscular woman’s eyes went wide when she saw it and gestured for them to withdraw.
Duglin was about to turn around when he felt something hard and sharp dig into his back. It took him a moment for him to realize it was the tip of a sword.
“What’s this?” a voice asked from behind him. “Four little rats, scurrying about?”
“Eh?” Pert called from the clearing. “What are you talking about, Hurnie? You finally back from your piss?”
“Set your weapon down and step out into the clearing or I’ll run your little friend through,” the voice behind Duglin warned.
The others did as they were told and Duglin stumbled forward onto his face when the man behind him planted his foot on his arse. Pert’s eyes brightened when he saw Marsel and a sloppy grin crossed his face. “My, what’s a pretty young thing doing like you on our island?”
“This is our island,” Marsel snapped. “You’re the ones trespassing.”
“I’m afraid that’s where you’re wrong, missy,” Hurnie said with a crooked grin. “Our Captain has claimed this island in the name of the Holy Emperor, Lloyd Arthagan the Third, hallowed be his name.”
“Hallowed be his name,” the other two echoed.
“Now, what are you four doing here?” Hurnie asked as he pointed his cutlass at Marsel.
“Our ship was blown off course and wrecked in a storm,” she replied. “We washed up here months ago.”
“Well then, your prayers are answered,” Pert beamed. “We can take you back to civilization.”
“That remains to be seen,” Hurnie remarked. “The Captain will want to see you.”
“Say,” Pert said, licking his lips as he eyed Marsel. “Don’t you think we could have a little fun first? It’s been weeks since we left Darvigan and I’m pent up.”
“They see the Captain first,” Hurnie stated.
Pert looked like he was about to object when his partner slapped him across the back of the head, and Hurnie moved his hand away from the pistol tucked into his belt. “Keep it in your pants, or you’ll be swinging from the yardarm.”
“What are you going to do with them?” Pert’s partner asked.
“I’ll escort them to the ship,” Hurnie said. “The two of you are to carry on with your work.”
“How come you get to skive?” Pert protested.
“Because I saw them first,” Hurnie grinned. “Come on, get going.”
The man drew a pistol and pointed it at Tash when she got up a little too quickly for his liking. “Slowly now. The Captain only needs to question one of you.”
“Listen, we just want to be left alone,” Marsel said as Hurnie marched them through the jungle. “We thank you for your kind offer, but we will find another way off the island.”
“That’s for the Captain to decide,” Hurnie replied. “And I should warn you to answer his questions truthfully. He has a knack for telling when people are lying and he doesn’t like it.”
“Could you spare us some water, please?” Elran asked. “We’re parched.”
“No,” the man replied simply.
Soon, the sea became visible again as they emerged from the jungle. A ship was anchored out in the bay. The gold eagle of the Huldarian Empire fluttered proudly from her mast, and the name Nomad was emblazoned on her prow.