Captain Black Shadow

by Janina Franck

  It didn’t take long for him to slip into the land of dreams.

  Griffin was standing facing his parents. They looked so happy to have him with them. They smiled proudly and pointed toward a ship behind them. But then, suddenly, the world changed, and they were in the Rock-vortex field and going down a maelstrom. Griffin couldn’t scream – water was all around him yet not touching him. It was as if someone had taken his air away. Then a shadow was cast on them – dark as night in the shape of a bat. Up above them was a black ship hanging in the sky. He blinked, and the ship was gone too, and instead there was Selene, reaching out to him. He took her hand and she pulled him out of the vortex. Griffin could hear his mother scream his name. “Griffin!” Only it wasn’t his mother’s voice.

  “Griffin!”

  Griffin opened his eyes slowly, becoming aware of a prodding sensation in his arm. It had been a dream. Just a dream. Above him stood Ference, carrying bags filled with the goods he had been sent to buy. Wordlessly, he pushed them into Griffin’s arms and left. For an old man with a limp who looked like he was about to break apart any second, Ference was astoundingly agile and strong.

  Griffin took a moment to collect himself. It had been a dream. Nothing more.

  Aestiva meowed, anxiously.

  He put some of the bags down to pat her head.

  “Don’t worry, Stiva. It was only a nightmare. It’s over now.”

  But nevertheless, the dream had left him with a bitter aftertaste.

  Griffin wiped the bothersome thoughts away and sorted out the food. One look at the clock told him that it was time to get started on making dinner anyway. Sighing, he began to work and forgot the dream.

  Griffin decided to go to Gyan. There was no point in staying behind on the ship and it would be nice to see an island without being imprisoned on it. He might go for a walk.

  Griffin put aside his fears about being recognized. He had been traveling with the Bat for quite some time now. Surely, no posters of his face were hung up anywhere anymore. After all, by now everyone must believe he was dead. The boy thought about his parents. How much had his mother cried? How were they doing?

  Although Griffin knew he didn’t want to give up the life he was leading – the friendship, the freedom – he did wish he could see his parents again. To tell them that he was alright, and that he was sorry, and there was no need to worry about him. To hug his mother and tell his father about the things he had learned. Yes. That would be magnificent. His father would smile proudly with tears in his eyes and say, “That’s my son!”

  Or maybe he wouldn’t. Perhaps they would be terrified and disgusted by the notion that he had joined a pirate crew. After all, pirates pillaged and sank the ships his father built. On the other hand, the more ships were sunk by pirates, the more ships his father had to build, and work and money went hand in hand.

  But to think of it in such a capitalist way was ridiculous. His father would definitely consider it to be wrong. His mother with her romantic streak might not condemn him right away, though.

  But in the end, it didn’t really matter. Gyan was so far away and so cut off from the rest of the world that they had probably never even heard of Griffin. He wouldn’t see his parents again. He knew it.

  Griffin didn’t want to slow his friends down for some childish notion of wanting to go back to visit the place he had escaped from. He had made his decision the day he had sneaked onto the Crow. And this was where it had led him. There was no point in second-guessing his choices. He did, however, decide to write his parents a letter before they passed through the Veil.

  Now, the boy was walking through the streets of a small fishing village. He could hear shouts and laughter coming from various inns. Indeed, it almost seemed to Griffin as if every second building was a tavern and each and every one of them appeared to be filled to the brim with people. Griffin was surprised. Ference had mentioned that Gyan seldom received visitors since the island was so far out of the way and largely self-sustaining. In fact, not even the Marine came here often.

  The others had all gone directly toward the town to have as much fun as they could in the limited time they had been given. Griffin alone wandered around the island.

  There was a little hill to his right with a little forest and a large meadow covering almost the entire slope. Sheep grazed on the hillside looking thoroughly satisfied with their lives. Griffin hiked up the hill and sat among them. The sheep didn’t bother to give him more than a brief, disinterested glance. Grass was so much more interesting than a person. You could eat it.

  Aestiva curled up in his lap and as the boy stroked her fur absentmindedly, she purred and snoozed.

  Griffin watched the sun set slowly over the waves, or rather, behind the Veil. The sunset made the dusty wall light up and glow in a silvery gold, with hints of orange and purple. It was sprinkled with high, arching, strongly saturated rainbows, merging and crossing one another. He had only ever read about this phenomenon and seeing it up close took his breath away. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It looked as if the rainbows were showering the world with glowing silver and gold coins, as the light shining through the Veil cast the world into the same colors. Griffin had never thought he would ever see something this astoundingly perfect.

  While the Veil had slightly unnerved him in the grey, cloudy light of day, in the evening sun it couldn’t be more welcoming and warm. Griffin wanted to throw himself right into it. It was so close… He could easily get there in a rowing boat…

  But common sense kept him from moving. He continued to enjoy the lovely sight from where he sat. He couldn’t just throw himself into the Veil because it was beautiful. That would be exactly like running into a knife Selene was holding just because she was, well, Selene.

  Once the Veil ceased glowing in the vanishing sun, Griffin lay back in the grass to look at the night sky and watch the stars appear. The air cooled down quickly and a gentle breeze made it even chillier. Griffin was glad he had taken his coat. The grass beneath him was soft and he felt like he could almost fall asleep. The sheep around him bleated occasionally and after a little while, one of them lay itself down next to him, warming him with its wool and body heat.

  The sky slowly darkened while being lit up by millions of stars and the waxing gibbous blue moon. The waning crescent green and golden moons added little light to the night. Both of them were going to disappear over the next week, while the blue moon would reach its fullest point, reigning alone in the sky. Griffin particularly loved the rare nights when all three moons were either full or hidden. Griffin looked up into the night, letting his mind wander.

  Some time later, he jerked up, frightening Aestiva and the sheep next to him. He had dozed off! How much time had passed?

  He decided it would be safest to return to the ship.

  One by one, the crew returned. Ference arrived last.

  Ryo and Skip had some more livestock for the journey in tow. The animals were quite agitated, possibly because of the intoxicated state of their keepers. Griffin managed to calm the them down quickly.

  “Ye’really have a way with an’mals, dun you,” Ryo giggled.

  “Maybe yoush’ld think about opnin a travlin show,” Skip said, grinning. Both of them were slurring their words considerably, and neither of them was able to even walk straight. They leaned on each other for support and stumbled under deck. As they were leaving, Ryo turned back around to Griffin and yelled, “I got some!” grinning while giving a thumbs-up.

  Griffin was left standing alone, confused. Got what? Money? A hangover? That wouldn’t be surprising. Given the way the crew tumbled to their hammocks, most of them had looked rather deeply into the glass that night.

  Only Selene, Griffin and Ference were left on deck. Ference sighed.

  “I shall take on guard duty for the rest of the night, I suppose. Unlike this fine group of gentlemen, I have not drunk myself to a state of near delirium,” he declared.
/>   Selene shot him a glance.

  “Are you sure?’ she asked.

  Ference shrugged.

  “I will not be sleeping either way. And there don’t seem to be many other options, now do there?”

  Selene accepted this and went under deck herself. Griffin was about to follow, but he thought better of it. It was probably best to leave the cabin to Ryo and Skip that night. Instead, he made himself a bed in the galley again and slept there, curled up with Aestiva.

  CHAPTER 14

  They set sail early the next morning. Most of the crew was miraculously cured of their hangovers by some “medical attention” from Joe, which involved drinking a foul-smelling brew. It was an opaque brownish-green, and the smell alone made even Griffin want to throw up. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem pleasant, but none of the others appeared to mind it.

  Griffin passed the day by taking stock of their new provisions and looking after the two goats, three pigs and seven chickens that Ryo and Skip had brought aboard.

  He was also grateful for the seeds Joe had brought with him. Griffin planted a few of them, in the hope that he could add fresh herbs and vegetables to his meals soon.

  That evening, Selene told them that, judging by the unfavorable current and the meager speeds they were reaching, it would take a couple of days, maybe even a week, to reach their destination.

  Two days later, Aestiva became ill.

  It started with occasional sneezing. At first, Griffin thought she was making cute squeaky noises as a new way to express herself. But he quickly realized his error. The little red cat became drowsy and instead of being her usual highly active self, she was sleepy all the time. It got to the point where she almost fell off Griffin’s shoulder, but he managed to catch her just in time.

  Unfortunately, they were also making even less progress than before. The sea was as calm as could be, and there was a distinct lack of wind, leaving them to rely on Ayalon and Zero to pull them as much as they could.

  Progressing at a snail’s pace, Griffin became more and more worried for Aestiva.

  The third evening of her illness, she threw up and refused to take in any more food after that. Griffin had Joe take a look at her, but he didn’t know enough about feline health to be able to help. He suggested that Griffin ought to let her rest and make her eat something, even if she didn’t want to.

  Griffin, worried as he was, did not leave the cat’s side for even a second. Everyone on the ship was very under-standing of the situation and didn’t bother him. Ryo took over the kitchen duties and Selene even brought him food one day, but he barely noticed.

  Aestiva was hot, her fur without shine or volume, sticking up at odd angles. She was breathing rapidly, shaking, and shivering. Even her nose was dry and warm.

  Griffin was worried sick. He spoke to her constantly, praying to the sea for help, to save her life, to make her okay again. He didn’t sleep, he barely ate, he didn’t move. He kept Aestiva cool by fanning her and opened her mouth to drip water and liquidized food inside. But still her state worsened.

  The fifth day, her breathing didn’t sound right, and her eyes were wide open. Frightened, Griffin called for Joe.

  The doctor didn’t know what to tell him. Eventually, he said, “I apologize. I do not believe there is anything I have the ability to do for her. I fear it may be time to say farewell.”

  Sadly, watching Griffin’s growing desperation, Joe left to give the two some privacy.

  Griffin’s eyes filled up with tears and his throat tightened. He felt like he was choking. A fire flared up inside his stomach, making him feel sick. He began to sob uncontrollably.

  She couldn’t die! He couldn’t let her die! She was his Aestiva; he had to save her!

  After a few hours, Griffin had been awake for so long that the mental exhaustion became too much for him. He sat like an empty shell beside his beloved Aestiva, watching her tiny side rise and fall. Desperately, he strained his mind to remember something, anything, he had ever read or heard that could save her. He barely even registered Joe coming back to feed her some fluids. They were green in color and smelled of herbs. A few minutes later, her breathing calmed down, as if she was falling asleep.

  The tears on Griffin’s face didn’t have a chance to dry. The salty water kept flowing, on and on; he didn’t even notice anymore.

  He was engulfed in darkness. Everything was black and cold, so very cold. He shivered – or would have done if he’d had a physical body.

  Then, suddenly, all was coppery red instead. But the temperature was still falling. There was only this one color everywhere. There was not even any light or shadow to give any kind of variation to the eternal copper. It was like being caught in the middle of a thick, reddish mist. There was nothing – nothing aside from this color and Griffin’s consciousness.

  The space, if it was indeed such a thing, felt vast, comparable to looking into a clear sky and having nothing but the universe in one’s view. Never before had Griffin felt so small, so alone, such emptiness.

  Then, a black shape appeared in the not-space. It radiated warmth, kindness and love. Griffin felt drawn to it like a moth to light. As they approached each other, the shape became clearer and he recognized it.

  The shadow shape spoke to him in a young, friendly, female, and comfortably soft voice. It spoke in pictures and emotions, not words.

  She told him about a bath of warm saltwater and an herb of sorts. He didn’t know the plant or its leaves, but it felt important.

  Griffin wasn’t freezing anymore. The black shape was close to him, radiating warmth and making the cold disappear. To look at this shadow in a copper desert was the most relieving and beautiful sight he could imagine. He didn’t dare to avert his gaze, afraid to see only the ever-color, but after she had relayed her message, the shape faded, leaving Griffin without a body in pure nothingness.

  Griffin woke up with a start.

  He wasn’t entirely sure where he was, but seeing things, actual things, no matter how trivial, seemed like a wondrous blessing to him. Then he saw Aestiva.

  She wasn’t moving.

  He almost fell forward to take a closer look, fearing the worst.

  She couldn’t have died while he had been asleep – she just couldn’t!

  Close to tears again, he then noticed the slightest expanding of her chest. She was still breathing.

  Gratefully, he sank into a heap of relief, worry, and misery.

  How could he have fallen asleep? Aestiva was fighting for her life and he had taken a nap. He didn’t deserve such a wonderful creature as his friend. He was nothing more than a worthless worm. Oh, how he wished there was something he could do!

  Skip came in, bringing soup for Griffin and water for Aestiva. He sat down and patiently watched Griffin feed the cat.

  “How is she?” Skip asked.

  Griffin’s silence was answer enough.

  “And how are you holding up?” Skip continued.

  Griffin tasted his soup, realizing that he needed to eat as well.

  “I’m fine.”

  The soup was warm, relieving his body from the chill he had carried from his dream. It was also over-salted. Ryo had learned a lot, but by far not enough to make him a master cook. If Griffin had not been preoccupied with worry for Aestiva, he would have noticed that there was barely any taste to the soup. It was mostly salt in liquid form.

  Salty… Warm…

  Griffin remembered the things the shape had shown him: warm saltwater and that herb…

  “Books!” Griffin exclaimed. “Herbs! I need books on herbs! And Joe! Can you get Joe here? Thanks!”

  Skip gave Griffin a look of concealed pity, but he nevertheless heeded his request.

  “Keep fighting,” Griffin whispered to Aestiva. “I think I know what to do now.”

  Soon after, Griffin told Joe about his plan.

  “Seawater has indeed been known to heal small ails on occasion,” Joe s
aid thoughtfully. “However, it is doubtful that it will heal her.”

  Griffin nodded.

  “That’s why I need to find out more about that herb.”

  Frantically, he then flicked through the books Skip had brought while Joe prepared a bath with Ayalon’s help. He had the dragon fill up a basin with seawater and heat it up slowly with his breath. Joe rolled up a cloth and placed it in one end. He made sure to let Aestiva’s head rest on it, so that while her body was submerged in the shallow water, her head was not.

  Griffin finally found a picture of the herb in one of the books and showed it to the doctor.

  Joe gave a short but contemplative nod.

  “I am aware of this herb. It is not commonly utilized except in extreme cases. An incorrect dose can be highly dangerous for the patient. If anything is carried out incorrectly, she will be poisoned. But it may also save her.”

  At last, a glimmer of hope.

  “Where can we get it? We have to do it right away!”

  “That may pose some difficulty. I believe there to be a possibility of the herb growing on Ignya, the island of our destination. However, it must be collected under the light of only the green moon. The blue moon will begin its rise tomorrow. It is unlikely for us to land in time.”

  Ice-cold desperation took hold of Griffin.

  Blind with suppressed tears, the boy turned around and bumped into Ryo in the doorway.

  The man put his hand on Griffin’s shoulder.

  “Hey, hey, careful there. I heard. We’ll find a way. I’ll go with Ayalon and fly ahead to Ignya. We’ll get that herb and be back before you know it!”

  Griffin couldn’t say anything. His throat was choked up and his eyes full of tears.

  “Hey, you’re not the only one who cares for that little thing,” Ryo grinned and pulled Griffin into a bear hug. Then he shoved him on deck, and toward the galley.