The Queen of the Waves

1: a Call to the Ocean

Coughing and groaning echoed around the deserted streets as the dying were left to perish and rot in the ocean misted air.

For days the silence was only perforated by the sounds of death. When the plague came for the old no one cared, the old were always dying of one sickness or another so it was nothing new. It was only when it turned its talons towards the children that the world caught its breath.

Now there were no newborn infant wails calling through the once bustling streets. Pregnant mothers had been desperately fleeing the land of Zauros for weeks, often getting no farther than a mile of two before the environment became too harsh.

Zauros is situated between the ocean and a range of malicious mountain, in short the plague was trapped within the town. 

Mara sat on the scratchy sheet of the bed as she listened for the return of Ciaran with news. Days ago the women of Zauros started coming down with the fever, and everyone knew what that meant.

Since then Ciaran had been frantically searching for a way to himself. In his mind if the plague had moved onto women, it wouldn't long before it's attention waned and pointed at men.

Finally, his salvation came in the form of a letter delivered by hand. At first he was furious at the risk the man had brought into the apartment, until he realised what was written on the parchment.

A call to the ocean.

His experience as a sailor in his youth had led him to be noticed by a ship that had become stranded at the port following the death of  one of the men. A ship that was destined to travel to Andonia, a land free of the sickness, a land full of freedom and riches.

When the key turned in the lock, Mara's ears pricked up and she stood from the bed to greet her lover.

"Mara?" Ciaran called from the front room making Mara roll her eyes, he never simply looked for her, always hollered.

"I'm in here." Mara's voice was free of the attitude and fear she was feeling, any sign of anger from a woman could be interpreted as disrespectful. Zauros was not the most progressive of places to exist and Mara knew that.

"How was your day? Did you meet the Captain?"

Mara was eager to find out if there was a way Ciaran could get her on the ship with him, she didn't care what that meant for her. Death was already knocking on her door because of her gender and Mara had no intention of dying from a sniffle.

"I met with him and the First Mate, man he's a mean bastard that one."

"Oh?" Mara hummed plainly as she padded out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. "Did you hear anything about a place for me?"

"No there would be no legal place for you on that ship."

"Oh," Mara's gut dropped to the floor as she fetched the sprawled out Ciaran a glass of ale. "So you're leaving me here?"

He took the full pitcher from her without a word of thanks, Mara silently sat on the floor beside him. His hand rested on the top of her head absentmindedly as he chugged down the alcohol.

"No, I didn't say that I was leaving you here." Ciaran's voice is full of a sneer at her stupidity, if he could he would leave Mara here. To die of the sickness or become a whore, he really couldn't care less. All Ciaran knew was that he could use Mara in the new land.