by Heath Pfaff
"We have oars. We should begin paddling." Ethaniel added.
"What will we do when the creatures in the sea come?" Snow asked. There wasn't fear in her voice, but I knew it was a question that lay inside of all of us. Just because I could not hear the fear, did not mean that it wasn't there. I was afraid, and I was sure the others were as well.
"They might not notice a craft as small as ours." I answered. My words were an attempt to give the others hope. I didn't put much faith in them myself. I did not doubt that the great sea monster would come again. It was only a matter of time. The further we got from the storm, the more obvious our presence on the surface of the water would be. Being small might make it more difficult to find us at a distance, but then I wasn't sure how those behemoths of the sea found their prey.
"How are our supplies?" It was Silver who spoke, her voice quiet.
Ethaniel answered. "We have fresh water to last us three weeks, food to last a month. If we ate and drank the way humans did, we'd only have a few days of both, but we have a slight advantage."
We were lucky. Even Telistera ate as we did, infrequently, and small quantities. Of course, Malice had grown accustomed to eating more, and sleeping more than a normal Knight. She had not done so during our struggle to survive the storm. She had stayed awake with the rest of us, breaking her normal sleep cycle for the first time since she'd lost her memories. It had not occurred to me before that moment. I looked at the green-eyed Knight. She didn't seem any worse for wear than the rest of us, and she was stoically accepting the fact that she would be eating only every couple of days, as well. Would she feel as though we were starving her? I worried, but I tried not to show it outwardly. Her memories were gone, but had anything changed about her physically? She seemed as strong and willful as ever. She'd already been on light rations for a week. Time would tell.
We broke out the oars and began to paddle, Ethaniel guiding our direction. We had no choice but to trust his guidance since none of the rest of us knew how to navigate without equipment. We were not men of the sea, despite the fact that we had spent so long on its surface. We were fighting men, and that was what we did best. If Ethaniel said he knew the way, we would have to believe that he did. I could see no benefit in him misguiding us. He was as much stranded as the rest of us. Until we reached land, we were all dependent upon one another.
We paddled for what felt like forever, working the six oars constantly, only stopping when it was time to shift one person off of the paddles for a time. This went on for an entire week, with only one break for a few hours of sleep. The work was unrewarding. No matter how much paddling one did, it always felt as though we were not moving at all. The ripples of the passing of our boat were the only indication that we were changing position at all. I watched Malice for any sign that she was ill affected by the sudden change in her normal patterns, but she did not complain. She smiled little, though, and spoke rarely. In a way, she was more like her old self than ever before. If that were true, though, why did I miss her smile so keenly?
We were eight days paddling when a dark spot appeared on the horizon, small, but growing larger. We all stopped at once, drawing our oars from the water.
"What's that?" Silver asked. We all squinted to see, straining against the unending horizon, trying to make out whatever shape was breaking that line we'd been chasing for a week.
I stood up in the boat and peered, trying to focus on the object. It was still so distant. Our craft drifted out of line, and I used my oar to right it so we could face the black speck again. The dot began to take shape.
"Sails. . ." I said, as I recognized enough of the object to make out what I was seeing. I couldn't believe it. "It's a ship!" An almost euphoric relief passed through me, and those in the boat seemed to explode into an outburst of pleasure. Silver's voice, though, broke the momentary joy we'd all been on the cusp of enjoying.
"What kind of ship would dare sail this far into deep waters?" She said, and her words doused the momentary excitement of the crew like a bucket of cold water dispels the warmth of a fire.
Telistera shook her head. "My people don't sail this deep."
Suddenly the ship on the horizon, which seemed to be sailing unerringly in our direction, no longer looked like salvation.
As the approaching vessel drew nearer, Telistera became more and more troubled. "It's one of our ships." She said, as the outline of the craft became clear against the horizon.
"Then you should be happy. Your people are close at hand, and we're to be saved." Ethaniel said, his voice dry, a hostile edge suffusing it.
"My people do not sail this far out to sea." The silver-eyed warrior restated, her hands ringing the wood handle of her staff weapon.
"You sailed all the way across the ocean. Why is it so strange that others might sail out into the deeps as well?" Ethaniel retorted. He had a valid point, though I too felt that something was amiss.
Telistera ignored the old Knight's reply entirely, which I thought was probably for the better.
"We don't know who they are, or what their business is out here yet. Whatever business they may be about, we couldn't do ourselves any harm by getting out of this life boat and back aboard a ship. If they are willing to take us aboard, we might yet make Telistera's homeland. The alternative is bleak." I said, trying to calm everyone's agitation.
". . . and if they don't intend to return the way they came?" It was Silver who asked the question, but I had already anticipated it. Indeed, that question had passed through my mind shortly after first spotting the foreign ship. What was to be done if the crew of the ship was heading back the way we came, and had no intention of returning to Tett O Sut? The ship might well be full of more survivors of the Hungering onslaught trying to break free. What would we do if they refused to turn about? We should acquiesce, return to our boat, and continue on our long and impossible path. Even that possibility floated through my mind, I felt a searing rage take seat in my gut. No, I would not be turned back, and I would not return to the boat that might never see me to my destination. If I had to, I would make the ships occupants take me where I needed to go. It was a painful realization to come upon, but I could not deny the knowledge. I could lie to the others, but not to myself. I was too close to fail.
"We'll have to take matters as they come." I answered Silver, hoping my hesitance to answer did not so clearly spell out the inner workings of my mind. What would the others think if we were forced into such a situation? Would they still follow me, or would they rally against me? What of Malice? I clenched my jaw and pushed those thoughts away. Speculation would not help the situation that lay before me. I needed to focus on what was happening, and stop worrying about what might, or might not, happen in the future. One could only prepare themselves so much for the eventualities to come. After that point of readiness, further troubling over future events was counterproductive.
The ship loomed nearer, approaching until it began to slow as it drew within hailing range. Its sails came down and an anchor was thrown out. I could make out the shapes of figures moving across the deck, though I could not see them clearly. The ship was less than a third of the size ours had been, but not small. It looked like it had been to sea many times, aged and tired, but apparently well kept. We took up our oars and paddled our life boat closer to the ship, progressing with caution. They had traveled in a straight line out to us, and stopped before reaching us. It was as though they'd known exactly where we were, and had come to find us. That, of course, made no sense, and appearances could be deceiving, but. . .
As our boat drew near, the crew of the ship came into sight for the first time. They were hooded figures, moving quickly about their craft, with agile grace that was somehow familiar and strange at the same time. Each of them was tightly wrapped in shabby hoods and cloth, obscuring any sign of who they might be. A figure stepped to the edge of our mysterious salvation and cast a rope ladder over the side as our boat clattered to the side of the larger craft.
"Do
you need transport back to land?" A strong female voice called down, the accent lilting and familiar. It was the same accent that Telistera spoke with. It didn't obscure the language as some foreign accents did, but it gave the words a distinctly alien cast. The woman wore a brown cloak, as did the rest of her crew, the hood pulled low over her face. I noticed that her hands were wrapped in bandages.
"Our ship was destroyed in a storm. We thought ourselves doomed to die at sea. It is fortunate that you found us." I called up, as I stood to catch the proffered rope ladder. The woman dropped down another rope, a line to tie down our boat. Tower caught it and set to work at securing our craft.
"You're indeed quite lucky we found you. Few ships sail out from shore anymore, and none but ours come this far out." The woman called. "You are welcome aboard. We will turn about and head for shore as soon as you are on deck. I warn you though, keep your distance from our crew. We have the creep, and it's highly contagious."
I heard Telistera's sharp intake of breath, but I had never heard of "the creep" before. I was about to ask what "the creep" was, but Telistera shot me a sharp look that said I had better keep my mouth closed. I was hesitant to move our people aboard a ship with a contagious disease. The situation, however, was dire. We needed a ship, and one had just so happened to fall in our path. I would be a fool to turn down such an amazing turn of events. Or, perhaps, I would be a fool to blindly accept such uncommon luck. Either way, my goal was laid out before me, and I could not pass up an opportunity that would take me nearer my destination.
Telistera moved to the rope ladder, her weapon latched onto a clip on her back so she could scale the rope without it getting in the way. I followed her up, and Malice came behind me, shortly followed by the others. I watched the Knights as they climbed. I could see the tension, the fear of the unknown, in the eyes of all of them, except for Ethaniel. He seemed calm. In fact, he seemed more relaxed than I had seen him in a long time. His gray eyes, normally so dark and hostile, seemed almost at peace. It was that, above all else, that put me most on edge. I wasn't sure how a ship had just happened to come across us in the deeps of the great sea, but the situation felt wrong to me. Ethaniel's calm acceptance, when he was generally the first to speak out against any activity he considered suspicious, raised my hackles.
As we came up on deck, the crew of the ship gave us a wide birth. They didn't even really seem to notice us, other than that they stayed as far away from us as possible as they went about their jobs. The woman, who I took to be the captain of the ship, kept her distance as well, though I felt as though her eyes were upon me. I couldn't see them beneath her hood, and the bottom part of her face was covered by linen wrappings, but my skin prickled as though sharp points of ice were striking my bare flesh.
"I trust you will make yourselves comfortable up here on deck for the duration of your stay. I'd offer your greater hospitality, but with our condition I imagine you would be safest up here." The hooded woman said.
"We can't thank you enough for helping us out of our situation. It is unlikely we would have survived if you hadn't found us." I replied, offering a deep bow, but not quite taking my eyes from the ship's captain, or at least the ship's representative.
"The sea is a place of misfortune. If those cast to its foul temper do not help each other out, we stand no chance at all in surviving its fury." She replied. Her voice was calm and her words surprisingly eloquent. I was again struck by a sense of unreality, as though what was happening should not be.
"I am Noble, and these are my friends, Malice, Ethaniel, Telistera, Snow, Tower, and Silver." I offered an introduction, since our host had not yet offered one of her own. "We are bound for the mainland, returning our friend to her home."
"Oh, returning a friend. . ." I thought I heard a catch in her voice, as though she was mocking me, but it passed in a moment. "I am Shay 'Fiiel." The woman introduced herself. She did not offer the names of any of her crew.
"You are far out to sea, Shay 'Fiiel." Telistera spoke up. I winced a bit at the silver-eyed woman's bluntness. My curiosity, however, kept me from speaking up.
"Yes, the bounty of the sea is much richer this far out. There is risk involved in making money this way, but when you are afflicted with a disease that shortens your life by so much, the risk is acceptable for the pay off." Shay 'Fiiel answered smoothly. If she was insulted, she let no sign of it show through in her voice.
I looked to Telistera, to see if she was satisfied with the answer. I couldn't read the expression on her face, but she did not speak again. An awkward silence hung in the air.
"If there is nothing more, I will see to preparations to bring the ship back in to shore. . ." The female ship captain said. We raised no protest. I wondered if the others felt as uneasy as I did. The situation was too conveniently solved. The strange crew went about their duties, making a wide arch around us. I watched them flit about the deck, their sinewy movements familiar in some way that I couldn't place. They were strong and agile. Were these the bodies of men and women in the throes of a terrible disease? I needed to know more about the creep.
I sat down on the deck, in a quiet, out of the way, place. The others followed me.
"Telistera, tell me about the creep." I asked the silver-eyed woman, in a quiet tone so that none would overhear.
"In a moment, don't you think it is strange that our appearance did not raise any unusual notice from any of the crew?" Telistera's whisper cut through the air. It hadn't struck me until she said it, but she was right. The ship was crewed by members of Telistera's people, and it was likely they had never seen a Knight of Ethan before. We should have been a curiosity to them, yet no one paid us any mind. At the very least Telistera, a legendary warrior of her people, should have attracted some notice. There was nothing. A chill passed through me. I still wanted an answer to my question, though.
"That is strange, and might be a matter worth bringing up before Shay 'Fiiel, but please, explain to me what the creep is." I bade my silver-eyed companion. She looked uneasy, but she explained.
"Before the creep, our people knew nothing of disease. In fact, until I learned of your people, I did not understand that there are many different types of disease in the world. We lived for generations without ever growing sick. We had stomach ailments, caused by eating bad food, and we had injuries, and the problems associated with treating them, but we did not have diseases that could be spread from one person to another. The creep changed that. It started in a coastal village. A young fisherman went out to sea, and when he came back he had a strange green discoloration on the side of his leg."
"Of course, everyone in the village was curious. No one had seen anything like it before, so everyone came to see what strange thing had befallen one of their own. Within a week, most of their village had already been infected. They all showed signs of the green spot. Things boded ill for the first man to be infected. The strange spot had spread all over his leg, and he was beginning to feel terrible pain in that limb. He visited the village elder, the pillar of wisdom for his people. When the elder could not help him, he left his village and searched for help elsewhere.
"This spread the disease even further, and infected more villages. Within a month, what had begun as a small spot on one man's leg, had spread to hundreds of people, spreading across their flesh and leaving them in terrible pain. The man who'd first contracted the disease fared the worst. As the green spots spread across his flesh, pain exploded beneath his skin. They were already referring to this strange new plague as the creep, because of the way it crept from one person to the next, and then across their skin like some foul horde of insects. People were wary of it, but it had not yet earned its place of horror. My people had been growing increasingly distrustful of those infected with the creep, but they were still allowed to live relatively normal lives. We required that they bandage their sores, and try their best not to come into contact with others who had not been infected.
"The young man who had first gotten the dis
ease took a turn for the worse. The flesh on his leg ruptured into a mess of black puss and disease. The bone had been eaten away entirely in places. The limb was so foul, that when they went to cut it away, the knife met little to no resistance as the surgeon performed his grim task. All those who were sick with the creep began to suffer the same symptoms. My people made a difficult choice. We declared those infected with the creep as pariah, and cast them out of our society. We feared that a further spread of the disease might destroy us all. It was a difficult decision to make. It worked to stem the spread, but we never managed to completely eliminate the sickness. Until this ship, however, I had never encountered anyone suffering from the disease." Telistera finished her retelling of events. I'd encountered many different sicknesses throughout my life, but none as bad as the one that my foreign companion had just described. Her retelling left my stomach sour.
I wasn't sure which part of her story was most disturbing to me. The disease was horrific. We had no sickness so terrible in our lands, but I was also startled by the calm way in which Telistera accepted that her people had banished those with the disease. I understood why it was done. What bothered me the most, I realized after she'd finished telling her tale, was that I might have done the same thing in that position. For the sake of the people as a whole, some must be cast out so others could live. Telistera's society was different from our own, but it seemed that it suffered from the same failings. A small portion would be sacrificed to better the whole. How was that any different than what Lucidil had once done to Kay? He had given my daughter to the Hungering so that they would leave the lands of men in peace, saving hundreds of thousands of lives.