We pulled the boats away from the water. I looked back over the waves and saw the wrecked sloop in the distance. Destiny’s entire front had crumbled beyond repair. The sloop would never sail again.
“Don’t linger, Jacob,” said Waylin. “Dwelling over our misfortune will not better the situation.”
We walked away from the shore and toward the dense wild of the island, a forest of stone. Giant shards of blue and silver stretched from the ground and twisted to create arching passages and ominous caves. A low and resonating howl filled the air as the steady breeze blew through the gaps in the blue rock forest. Brilliant beams of reflected sunlight were colored in many hues of purple, indigo, and soft green. These ethereal rays bounced off the shiny walls and brightened when the clouds moved from the sun. We ventured through the crystal passages, but dared not go in places where there was no light. The scent of the sea remained strong. As we passed the mouths of dark caverns, we could hear water echoing from within.
“Grottos,” said Konopo. He stood close to one of the lightless caves and listened. A cool breeze came from the dark entrance. “These are not normal caves. These are waterways. The sea flows under this island.”
Owen rushed over to the mouth of the grotto and took a step inside.
“Owen, get out of there!” I ordered.
The old pirate looked back at me, then walked into the dark entrance and disappeared. We heard a splash.
Waylin shouted into the grotto, “Owen, can you hear me?”
There was no reply, not even the splashing of Owen treading water or swimming to get out. Only a soft dripping and gentle lapping echoed from the dark.
“Make way. I’m going after him.” I stepped into the dark, feeling the cool water on my toes. I jumped forward into a deep pool of salt water.
Smooth rounded walls of cold stone surrounded me. I let my body sink and fanned my arms over my head to speed my descent through the blackness. As I ventured deeper, the walls around me widened and brightened, signifying light. My feet appeared as black silhouettes against a pale whitish-green light. As the round walls opened away from me, I found myself within a large chamber. Sharp crystals grew from the ceiling, and from another opening streamed a ray of sunlight. The beam of light cut through the water and was absorbed by a multi-sided green crystal. This crystal bent the sunlight and shot it out in all directions, bathing the entire room in a pale emerald glow. My mind struggled to comprehend such a place of beauty. If not for the burning in my eyes and the growing pressure in my lungs, I would have remained in that chamber for hours.
The increasing need for air forced me to think fast. I scanned the emerald room for Owen, and then swam for the center of the chamber and into the beam of white sunlight. I kicked and clawed through the water, rushing for the surface. The sunlight grew brighter as I swam. With a forceful kick, I erupted through the waterline and nearly choked as I drew in the warm air. I floated for a moment, savoring every breath. I rubbed my eyes and surveyed my surrounding. I had come into a circular pool wrapped in the same powdery-white sand. Owen, on his hands and knees, crawled around in the sand.
I swam to the edge of the pool and climbed out of the water onto the hot sand.
“Ah, Master Jacob. My apologies for going ahead of the group.”
“You jumped into an unknown grotto!”
“As did you.”
“I came to help you.”
“But I’m well.”
“We thought you’d drown.”
“Who would have cared if I did, eh?”
“I would have, you old fool.”
“Look what I found.” In his palm he held a smooth red clamshell fashioned from a crimson stone. A thin gold chain was attached to it. A closer inspection revealed an engraving on the other side. Four looping letters formed the word CORA.
“Where did you find this?”
“There,” he pointed. “It was half in the sand, the chain glinting in the sun. It would be wise to leave it here.”
I held it up to the sun and marveled at the beauty of the shell. “It looks tribal. We should take it to Konopo and see if he can tell us anything about it. Take a deep breath, Owen, it is back through the grotto for us.”
Chapter 35
Something in the Water
When Owen and I emerged, I put on my dry shirt and shoes and summoned the group to gather around and see the shell necklace.
“You say you found this beyond the waterway?” asked Waylin.
“Yes. This grotto descends roughly twenty feet and opens to a crystal cavern filled with green light. In the center of the ceiling is an opening to another waterway that leads up to a small pool and beach.”
I went to Konopo and handed him the crimson shell. “What people would make jewelry like this?”
Konopo handled the necklace delicately, holding it up to the sun and turning it around. He read the inscription, and then he brought it to his nose and sniffed it. His dark fingers caressed the gold links and the curves and ridges of the clamshell. His black eyes met ours and he said, “Woryi…my tongue for your word ‘woman.’ It belongs to woryi. Though it looks like the armor of a clam, it is not.”
“What is it, then?” asked Hammock.
Konopo handed me the necklace. “Tapire topu,” he said in his strange language. “Red stone. Ruby. Many tribes shape jewels into relics or charms. They are often sacred totems. This bears a word I do not know. Cora.”
“No doubt worth a fortune,” guessed Owen, his eyes fixed on the necklace.
I put the gold chain around my neck and tucked its ruby pendant into my shirt. “Let’s get moving. We can examine it more on the ship. There is much ground to cover and we should be very careful about where we wander.” I looked squarely at Owen as I said this. He nodded and the party set out through the mysterious forest of rock.
As we wove our way through the labyrinth of stone passages, I tried to form a mental map so that later I could draw it out. We made deep marks in the ground every few paces, as guides to follow out. We found some large leafy plants and networks of vines growing around the looming stone structures, but no trees.
We heard the babbling of a stream and followed the sound until we came upon a small rushing brook that bubbled up from a cluster of stones. Konopo dipped a finger in the water, tasted it, and nodded. We all knelt by the edge of the stream and drank.
Following the water, we found that it emptied into a large reflective pool. Within it rested six wide chairs, each rounded on the edges and forged from the island’s dominating azure ore. The chairs were partially submerged in the clear water and ornately decorated with shells of various shapes and colors.
Around the edges of the clearing stood beautiful sculptures made from smooth, white clay. There was a sculpture of a cresting white dolphin, a detailed shark, and a graceful sea turtle.
The sky opened above the clearing and reflected off the water to create dancing rays of light that made the surrounding walls of cerulean stone sparkle and shimmer. We walked along the edges of the bottomless pool.
“Master Jacob,” called Hammock in his low and rumbling voice. “Look in the sand. Jewels!”
There were diamonds, gold nuggets, shards of sapphire, bits of emerald, and whole pearls among the broken pieces of the cerulean rock. I sifted the fine sand with my toes and uncovered even more jewels. Konopo stood beside the sculpture of the fearsome shark. He touched the art softly as if it would help him unlock the artist’s secrets of creation.
“This is a courtyard,” said Owen, “and those small pools are the openings to more underwater tunnels. I’m sure of it! Look at the lovely statues and there, in the center pool, the thrones of the Mer that protect this sacred place. We’ve just entered the heart of Cerulean Isle.”
Konopo spoke in a serious tone. “This island is inhabited. We stand in a hallowed place. We should not linger here.”
Waylin said, “I think this island was inhabited but is now forgotten.”
“No,” the Cari
b seaman replied. “These are not ruins.”
“Konopo is right,” added Bart. “Look around, Waylin. If the island were abandoned, this courtyard would be a mess. The sand would surely be windswept and the pools would be sullied. Those thrones are un-weathered and the sculptures are pristine. This place has been maintained.”
“I see no footprints from the caretakers,” added Waylin. “No signs indicating man’s inhabitance.”
Owen chimed in, “That’s because men do not live here and the caretakers do not have feet.”
I motioned for Owen to be silent, then addressed the crew.
“I agree with Konopo. This place is not abandoned. They must be a seafaring people. How else could they settle an island? They may return. We should make for the sloop and inform the others. Leave the jewels and gold where they are. We take only the necklace.”
~~~~~~
I spoke to Grant in the privacy of our quarters. We sat at a short wooden table with a bottle of ale opened in front of us. “Here, look at this.” I pulled the ruby clamshell from my shirt, took it off my neck, and handed it to him. “Owen found this in the sand. There is a word on the back.”
He turned it around. “Cora must be the woman who owns this. So, what’s the next part of our plan?”
“I was hoping you might have an idea or two.”
“We need to fix the bow. We’ll tear apart these quarters and use the wood from the raised quarterdeck. There’s enough wood here to get the ship seaworthy, at least enough to get us to the mainland.”
“From the island, I saw the extent of the damage. It’s much worse than you think.”
Grant drank from the bottle of ale. “In the morning, we’ll send down our most skilled swimmers for a thorough examination of the bow and keel.”
~~~~~~
Two of our men, Miley and Smirks, offered to dive under the ship. They tied ropes around their waists and entrusted the opposite ends to our mighty friend, Hammock. He stood near the rails, ready to haul them in if they tugged the line.
Not long after the two entered the water, Hammock’s line pulled. Hand over hand, Hammock lifted the divers from the ocean. The men pulled themselves aboard.
“What’s wrong, mates?” asked Hammock.
“We saw something down there.” Smirks wiped the saltwater from his eyes with trembling hands. He stared at the lapping ocean. “It was a monster of some sort.”
Miley said, “It looked like a dolphin but with a man’s face. It had long hair and a beard that looked like seaweed. It came for us fast and when it got close, two enormous arms came out from its sides. Thank God you pulled us up, or we’d surely be dead.”
“Did you get a look at the bow as instructed?” asked Grant.
“Yes. I can make a drawing in a few minutes.”
Grant dismissed the crewmates. He and I stood near the bow, looking over the edge and into the choppy waves. “What do you think?” I asked him.
“The crew is tired. The last several days have not been easy. Hard times such as this affect people in different ways. The most important issue at hand is the bow and how we will repair it. Let’s concentrate on fixing this ship and setting sail.”
Chapter 36
A Call for Help
The sun and moon wheeled overhead, and it felt as though the days were getting longer. We were running out of water and bottled ale. Hunger gripped the crew. I wished for rain, but the sky remained cloudless. In the nights, no one told stories or played games. The men struggled to sleep with groaning bellies. Repairs on the ship had stopped. Without wood or the means to dry dock, the bow could not be fixed.
On the morning of the tenth day, Grant and I discussed plans for another expedition to the island. This time, we intended to barrel and bottle fresh water from the stream we had found. The watchmen’s bell sounded, and we hurried to the man positioned at the stern.
“What is it?” asked Grant.
“Look yonder,” said the watchman. He pointed to the sea and handed Grant a long telescope. “There is a large family of dolphins coming this way. I have never seen so many.”
Grant put the scope to his eye and looked out. “There are nearly fifty dolphins heading in our direction. That’s quite the sight.” He handed me the telescope.
The dolphins crested from the water and fluttered above the waves like gray feathers tumbling in the wind. As they drew near, we could hear the cackling laughter that pierced the air. Destiny’s crew heard the approaching commotion and gathered around the edge of the ship.
Owen danced like a madman. “They’re here,” he cried. “They’ve come back at last! Now you’ll see. The keepers of the isle, the Merfolk have come!”
The dolphins raced by the sloop, missing the hull by mere inches and swerving around the stone pillars. The ocean whirled as their powerful fins fanned the water. They leapt from the waves as if to show off, and we felt the cool spray hit our faces. The dolphins paid us little mind. They tore through the sea effortlessly, their bottlenoses parting the water better than the bow of any ship. It wasn’t long before the last dolphin swam by. Soon, the commotion was over and the sea returned to it normal cadence. The dolphins were gone, undoubtedly swimming within the warm shallows of the blue crystalline island. Owen’s shouts and ridiculous dancing soon got everyone’s attention.
“In case you didn’t notice,” said Waylin, “those were dolphins. Not mermaids.”
“For the last time, they are called Mermaidens. And anyone could plainly see those be dolphins.”
Waylin kept on, “Then why do you now sing that the Merfolk have arrived?”
“Are you that blind? You call yourself a man of the sea?” challenged Owen.
“Jacob,” yelled Waylin, “you talk to him. You seem to understand this lunatic better than all of us. I’m ready to maroon him!”
Grant and I motioned for Owen to follow us to our office.
“Explain your outburst about the Merfolk,” ordered Grant.
“The dolphins serve two primary purposes for the Mer,” he said. “They are cover.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Just as zebra group together to appear as one. Just as the cunning tiger lays within grass the same color as her face, the Mer travel with the dolphins. That way, they are safe. Did you see the beautiful Mermaiden as she passed?”
“No,” I replied.
“Ahoy! Then it worked. Didn’t it? Ha!”
“What is the other purpose?” asked Grant.
“Dolphins are fierce warriors. If one dolphin can kill a shark, imagine what a group can defeat. The dolphin is sacred to the Mer. They value them as much as they value their own kin.”
“Can the Merfolk talk to dolphins?” asked Grant.
“Of course they can, like you can talk to a dog. It doesn’t mean the dolphins truly understand them. They may obey simple commands like a dog, but that is all.”
“Owen,” I started, “in the strange courtyard there were sculptures—a dolphin, a shark, and a sea turtle. What does this mean? Are these animals special to them also?”
“The dolphin represents family and wisdom. The shark is for strength and pride. The sea turtle is the totem for balance and peace. These six virtues are the core of their culture.”
I thought on this for a moment. I recalled the center pool. There were six thrones in the water. Six places for six people… one for each virtue. Owen’s claims were holding true.
“Lord Sydin and his tribe of five are the keepers of Cerulean Isle,” said Owen. “There are many Mer who dwell in these waters, but the six of them are the leaders. These things I know from my journeys. The Dariens alone told me a great deal about the ways of the Mer. More than I could ever write in that old journal.”
~~~~~~
The rest of the day was uneventful. As the sun fell away, I sat alone on the bow near the great cerulean rock that clutched Destiny. I held my fancy broadsword and thumbed the blade. The golden Mermaiden on the hilt stared at me, and the tight lea
ther wrapping on the handle was still soft and clean. The mirror-finished blade reflected the colorful western sky. I saw blues, pinks, and shades of orange flash from the sword. I forced away my sadness. What was it my mother promised long ago on her deathbed? I recalled holding her frail hand. I heard her in my mind. You will have my love so that you may overcome even the hardest of times. I promise to protect you from harm and Death itself.
I sheathed the Mersword and wrung the rails of the broken bow in my hands. I looked out to the darkening sky; the mysterious island turned to a shimmering shadow in the distance. I spoke to the black waves. “You promised to protect me, Mother. Where are you now? My crew is weak and each day death draws nearer. We will die. Can you hear me out there? Help us…please help.” I fell to my knees and leaned against the rails. There, alone at the bow, I fell asleep.
~~~~~~
I woke to loud cheers and laughter. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and saw one of the crewmates stuff a large chunk of smoked meat in his mouth. Where did he get it? I soon noticed strange wooden crates piled about the deck. The men hauled more of them from the sea.
“Where did these provisions come from? Did a ship come?” “We don’t know,” said Grant. “This morning, at first light, the watchmen noticed dozens of crates floating around our ship.”
“And they heard and saw nothing during the night?”
“Nothing, but we can trouble ourselves over it later. Come, eat. You must regain your strength. Waylin is controlling the distribution and noting everything. Konopo and Bart are inspecting the food, water, and wine before anyone consumes it.”
~~~~~~
The food was as fresh as if packed only hours ago. The water was crisp and cold. I enjoyed several cuts of smoked fish and savored the sharp cheese and earthy nuts. The ship’s cook had taken a bundle of potatoes and prepared a spicy stew. I drank two bowls and took some wine. When all had bested their hunger, I ordered the men to rest under the shade of the sails. Slowly, morale returned as vigor was restored. As the evening fell around us, Bart led a team in stacking and labeling the containers.
Cerulean Isle Page 16