The door to my cabin opened with a creak and a built but scrappy looking man came through the door. The man's eyes first found the map hung on the wall behind my desk but quickly followed his head to the floor as he bowed, hiding the pride seeping into his face.
"General, we are approaching the island."
"Excellent, how do the waters look?" I responded.
"To be honest, not great. The wind is fine but the waves keep shifting directions and are increasing in size. Miss Amy is also beginning to get anxious because of something in the water."
"Tell Darius that he needs to prepare himself to assist the boat in landing if he isn't in the water already. Amy's anxiety is most likely correct so be prepared. I will be with you all shortly. Thank you for your report, Liam."
"Of course, General."
The door creaked behind the big man as he shut the door, and I heard him loudly, but respectfully conveying my word to the ship, causing the boat to get busy. I turned in my chair to face the map that Liam was eying and picked up a pencil.
Currently our ship, The Vinland, was very close to the center of the massive body of water that covered the center of the map. Surrounding the water was the landmass that covered the majority of the map which included all of the known world. I marked the current location of the ship and made my way out of the cabin.
The Vinland was a small 20 gun boat built, designed, and now captained by shipwright Layla Hayes. Layla introduced a technology that can prevent water from leaking into boats even through holes created by cannonballs, an incredible accomplishment for someone who is only twenty four. The woman herself greeted me as I exited the cabin.
"General" The shipwright acknowledged with a salute.
"Captain" I responded with a similar salute as she began to guide me to the back of the ship.
The sound of waves crashing into the ship from seemingly all directions barraged my ears. Despite the winds being entirely in our favor we couldn't move forward even a bit. The Vinland stayed steady though, a testament to Layla's genius.
"As you were just told, we are quickly approaching the island, " she explained. "Once Darius begins to calm the waves we should make good progress."
During the whole seven day voyage I can confidently say Darius has been living more in the water than the ship. The fact that he wasn't already in the water was surprising enough, but an unwillingness to swim seems unreal.
"Is there a reason Darius hasn't started yet?"
Layla's expression revealed a tinge of uncertainty for the first time.
"Both Amy and Darius believe that something is not right under the surface. I have never seen Darius seem reluctant, or even a bit scared, of the water since I began working with him a little over a year ago. I believe he is getting a similar feeling to Amy, as they both have been quite restless."
Amy's blessing makes her anxiety hard to ignore but we need to have Darius in the water or we won't make any progress.
"What do you think of the situation? I responded, trying to draw from her experience.
"Well I've definitely never seen waves like this. Calling them natural would rid myself of any and all credibility I have. I'm not as in tune with the natural things like they are but even I can tell that something is making these waves."
"I will keep that in mind. Get the advance group together and tell them to make sure the ship is prepared to land and then come back to the wheel. We may need to make a speedy landing."
YOU ARE READING
Inevitable
FantasyNothing in life is permanent. Seeds grow, buildings crumble, and paintings fade as time goes on. The impermanence of life is what makes it unpredictable and exciting, at least to some people. Follow Jaxon and his friends and family as they struggle...
