Fog of Shadows

Part 25

 "Flinn aye? ' Had a friend named Flinn once, 'been dead now for three years, I think?" Said Richard, taking out his pipe and stuffing it into his worn coat pocket; this, of course, did not ease Flinn's unease over the man, but he simply smiled at Richard.

"What does your friend look like?" Richard looked around the surrounding fog.

"She has long, copper hair and deep soulful eyes..." Flinn stopped when Richard began to chuckle at his description of Alisea. He looked up at the elderly man with a questioning expression, since he could not remember saying anything funny.

"It has been a while since I heard any one describe someone like that." There was a glimmer in the old man's eyes, a glimmer of remembering a distant past. With another smile and node of understanding, the two men made their way in the direction that Flinn thought Alisea must have went.

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Still heaving at the water's edge, Alise heard footsteps on the gravely sand slowly approaching her. She tried to get up, but stumbled and fell back to the ground, her mind dizzy, and her eyes still unfocused from her experience in the cave. Slowly a new figure came into view; it was a familiar figure that she had often seen now and it made her heart jump with relieve.

"Oh Willow!" Alisea, once again, attempted to get to her feet and was successfully able to reach her dear friend. Desperately, she warped her arms around her friend's frail figure and held her close like a child their mother. "My, oh my, you are shaking. Is everything alright, did something happened?" Willows voice was soft and calm; she gently stocked Alisea's copper hair, trying to calm her down.

"The cave, there is something wrong with that cave." Alisea found it difficult to speak her voice was trembling. Willow let go of her friend and made her way to the cave; she takes a quick look around and then returns to shaken friend. "I think some animal made its way into the cave to die." Her voice was flat and her eyes, which are otherwise bright and glowing, appeared dull and slightly grey. She, gently, put her arm around Alisea's shoulders and started guiding her away from the cave and back in the direction Alisea had come from.

After a few minutes, Alisea could feel Willow's hand clench down on her shoulder. In the distance, blurry from the fog, Alisea could make out two figures. One was shorter than the other was and had a more fluent walk; the other was taller, broader, and walked with a slight limp. As the two women came closer to the two men, Alisea could make out that the younger man was Flinn, but the other was a stranger to her.

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Flinn could feel his heart beat with joy and relieve when he saw Alisea safe and accompanied by Willow. He only wondered why Willow had pulled the hat, that Alisea had given her on their way to the island, so low that it hid all but her lower jaw line. When the two women drew closer and there was less fog between the four, Flinn's heart sank when he saw the shaken expression on Alisea's face. "Alisea, is everything alright?" he rushed to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. He could feel her shake under his hands.

"I lost the person, but came across a.....a cave..." once again Alisea could feel her through tighten and nausea starts in her stomach. " There is something wrong with it." She could not continue.

"I looked at it myself, I think a large animal must have hidden there to die." Said Willow, she had slightly altered her voice and refused to look up at the other person. Flinn found this behavior questionable, but then remembered that Willow had fled this island to escape dangerous people, so he let it slide. Perhaps willow recognized Richard and was worried of having her identity revealed.

"If you are talkin' 'bout that old cave down the way, that is known as death cave. ' Cause it stinks like death. It is deep. 'Been there myself, but it is so dark and smelly, 'hardly made it half way in." explained Richard, Alisea's shaken expression reminded him of his own, first encounter, with the cave. His attention moved away from the young captains, reminded him of a love he once lost. His attention wondered to the young women accompanying the young female captain. From what he could see, there was not much because of the jacket and hat, he noted her beautiful red hair and fair skin. She was tall and thin, though a little too thin for his liking and he wondered how she was able to move about. Her red hair also reminded him of someone he once knew, but the red hair was all both she and that person held in common. "I say you two get off the beach and back to where you from. Poor girl is frightened to the bone."

"Good idea Richard, it was nice meeting you." Flinn smiled at the old man and then gently slipped one arm over Alisea's shoulders. His heart rose as he felt her shaking ease.

"No problem, if you need me, I am always somewhere on the beach." He then slightly lifted his hat and walked on in the direction of the cave; disappearing in the fog before he had even walked ten feet. Flinn, with Alisea under his arm and Willow walking beside them, led his shaken friend back to the Inn, where he laid her down on a sofa in the living room. With a warm fire burning in the large fireplace and a cozy blanket draped over her, Alisea could feel her nerves start to ease. Lillian brought her a cup of tea, not as much to comfort Alisea, but to have an excuse to be in the same room as Flinn despite the mountain of chores he had to do.

"Flinn, I do not think I can continue today. I am sorry." Alisea looked down at her cup in defeat. She then felt Flinn give her a gentle hug, which made her heart race a little. "It is alright," he said, "as long as you are alright, that is all the truly matter." Again, Alisea could feel her heartbeat quicken and her cheeks slightly blush; this however is thwarted when Lillian's voice peeped up.

"Perhaps I can help. I know the island like the back of my hand."

"Are you sure, with your eyes?" Flinn turned to Lillian and he gave her a friendly smile.

"As said, I know this island like the back of my hand and you, and your friends, will leave tomorrow, so I suggest taking advantage of this day as much as possible."

Alisea only nodes her head when Flinn asks her if she would be alright with this. Within a few minutes, Flinn and Lillian were gone and Alisea hung her head. Willow, however, had shot Lillian a dirt look, which remained on her face even when the young girl was gone. Her hands clenched and dark shadows began to form in her mind.