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Chapter Eight
The island that peered through the humid haze seemed abandoned. From beyond the shore, more rocks than sand, grit and mud strewn paths led into the womb of the forest. Roots of trees, knotted together like despairing lovers, covered any safe footing.
Islands like these had been a godsend in Nathaniel's golden years. A bounty of fresh fruit and vegetation that gave the much-needed nourishment that dried and cured produce couldn't. Not that it was all manna from heaven, falling foul of poison was a high risk, some of the most succulent looking plants being the most deadly.
Lloyd stared in wonder. He'd read about places like this in books, seen images in museums of long-lost islands that apparently never existed. Or islands so remote that no one ever discovered them, or just avoided them out of fear of the supernatural.
His imagination grew, suppressed for so long, it crafted mystical and magical scenario's, ones he knew were poppycock but thrilling
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"Oh, come on!"Lloyd rolled his eyes as a loud hiss covered the words and the smell of frying fish and steam filled his vicinity."You can't say you're not abit interested! I mean, Adam Grant is starring! You know you like him, and it's being filmed in our town! He'll be walking the same streets as us!""Yeah," Lloyd wafted the humidity away and reached under the counter for his water, unpleasantly warm from being sat there. "Surrounded by bulky heavies. Remember to change the oil? Rick forgot last week and it reeked.""I'm not Rick." The blonde peeked through the hatch, her wispy hair fighting to free itself from the messy plait. "And don't change the subject. Sophie Lawson is the other lead and I'm dying to see if I can catch a glimpse. God! She has cheekbones to die for!"Lloyd tuned out as the ramble continued, voice growing higher and more annoying in her excitement.
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Despite what he had said to Thomas, Lloyd was not about to allow the chance to find out more to slip through his fingers.Nerves roiled in his stomach, undulating and nauseating as he closed Nathaniel's door behind him, confident he would hear any approach. The hard boards echoed with any tread and even walking barefoot one could be detected.His fears were only partly for about the repercussions of being caught. His greatest consternation was finding out something that was better left unknown.It was a risk he needed to take, he could lie in the shadows and allow the waters to wash over him, suffocating him in ignorance.He was wary of Nathaniel. Their first meeting gave him reason to be. The man had strength, had power that he was not afraid to use. But unlike the crew, people he could not yet see as companions, he hadn't the experience to fear or be in awe.Nathaniel's desk was in good order, albeit slightly random in the manner in whi
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Nathaniel watched Lloyd's expression as he slept. It slipped rapidly from nonchalant peace to discomfort.His brow furrowed as something spoke, the beast Nathaniel knew well, or one of its many minions.He looked away, already imagining the words being offered. Lloyd was innocent here, save for being too curious. He hadn't shaken the hand of a clawed fiend and sold his life and thrown away the souls of others."Means he's fair game for it," he muttered, swirling the residue of rum in the glass bottle. The etched crystal caught the candlelight and sent diamonds dancing like young stars on the walls. "Can only hope the lad's got sense enough to see through it. I ain't holdin' much hope for that though."He thought of Thomas. He was an example of one who resisted the constant taunts and allure of the mist dwellers. So many men, older and supposedly wiser, had been lured in. His crew was less than what it had been, foolishness wiping them out one by
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And straight the Sun was flecked with bars,(Heaven's Mother send us grace!)As if through a dungeon-grate he peeredWith broad and burning face.Nathaniel brought the chart to the helmsman, silently holding it out as the sun faded the ink even more. Even after all these years, the knowledge ingrained in the mans' mind, he still repeated this routine, adapting the map himself as time dictated."Aye, captain." The voice was cracked, the vocal cords dried from the lack of fluid. The alcohol did little to quench it but water tasted like filth to him and the tang of the grape or distilled molasses was all his palate craved."Any change, inform me," Nathaniel mumbled as he trudged away, his footfalls causing the crew to work harder as his eye looked over them.Any flaw was swiftly picked up, and although he neglected to use the cat-o-nine-tails now, slicing the back to the point where skin hung in flayed
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Lloyd was less than happy to be sent below. It was dark and his imagination was already alive with thoughts of devils and demons. Quite frankly, he would rather have been up on the deck, regardless of what sights he might see.It was hard to keep his footing as he cautiously felt for each step. Every heave of the ship pushed him off balance. All around him the shadows twisted and rolled, giving him a nauseous feeling of vertigo.All around him, he imagined eyes watching him, narrow and animalistic, their maws open or grinning, waiting for one slip that would hurtle him into their claws.The ship gave a violet jerk and Lloyd tripped down the remaining stairs, crashing through the door into the storage room. His foot twisted, embedding itself through one of the weaker boards. A torrent of colourful language followed as he sought to free it, dulled by the roar of the sea and shouts from outside.Splinters dug into his ankle as he wrenched his foot free
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Lloyd debated speaking to Thomas about the strange voice that still sang airily in his mind. Like the sweet song of a rising bird on a summer morning.Yet, when venturing up onto the deck, he saw the boy looking harried. All the crew was looking rattled, cleaning up the debris that had washed up from below and strange substances that the mist, or those within its folds, had thrown.He offered a small smile and took up a mop without being asked, pushing the brine back over the side. The smell burned his nose, salt clinging to him as though he bathed in the sea for hours."Hope you didn't get seasick," Thomas's voice finally broke the awkward quiet. "And if you did, I hope you cleaned it up. Captain Hemlock isn't the only one who hates bad smells."Lloyd laughed grudgingly. Seasickness would have been preferable to what he had experienced but it was better to leave that for later. He shook his head, pausing the wipe the sheen from his brow
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The lag of time was made worse by the unchanging sight of the sea. Even the waves seemed identical, smooth and stable after the agitation of earlier. Sometimes, if he peered very closely, Lloyd could spot a fish, drawn by the shadow of the ship, rising closer to the surface before sinking back to safety.The mist had settled, but strange shapes still rose and fell and soft sounds, dulled wails and groans, could be heard emanating from within it."Souls of the damned," one of the crew muttered as he passed. "Those ripped from the decks. Aye, lad," he smiled cruelly, revealing split and yellow teeth. "Watch ya' back! That's a warnin' to ya! They’d like an offering, be a nice treat! Might even save us some grief.”"I'm running out of room in my head to store warnings," Lloyd retorted bitterly. "That's all I've heard since I've got here. Maybe I ought to turn to stone, then I won't do anything."The man guffawed, his eyes bulging from the too big
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