Scealai's Tales

Eira

I slept more soundly than I had for many nights. I guess my body needed the rest following the extreme punishment it had taken the day before, fighting the angry seas.

As soon as I dressed, I left my cabin and walked out to the deck. The sun was high in the sky and even though we were still surrounded by ice, there was a warmth in the air.

"Captain. Something to warm you up." Wyhna, the cooks mate, passed me a steaming cup of coffee.

"Thank you. I appreciate this so much." Coffee was a luxury on this journey and would only come out when cook felt the crew needed a boost.

Wyhna left and I walked to the wheel. Frahley was standing there. "Have you slept?"

She nodded. "I took over from Liam a few hours ago. He took the night watch." She looked up at the crow's nest. "Our Zada sleeps as well."

"She did well?"

Frahley nodded. "She is a fine crow's nest mate."

"Do you want me to relieve you?"

Frahley shook her head. "No, but a mouthful of that wonderful coffee would certainly bring a smile to my face."

I took another sip and passed her the mug, walking away from her and to the bow of the Dochas. There seemed to be a fairly clear path between the bergs, though as I looked to the horizon, there did not seem to be any end to the maze of ice.

I was about to return to the wheel when a slight movement to my left caught my attention. At first I thought it was just the sun reflecting off a shiny surface of ice, but as we passed a particularly large, flat berg, I was assured that my eyesight had not failed me, although I was not sure if I were having an hallucination of some sort.

"Lower the mainsail," I yelled.

Fiona appeared on deck. "Captain?"

"Lower the mainsail," I repeated. I looked to Frahley. "Portside. Move in tight to that berg."

Fiona and her riggers were already lowering the mainsail as I hurried to mid deck. "Lower a dory," I ordered Paddy.

James, my master gunner and Liam were now on deck beside me.

"You are leaving the ship, Captain?"

I looked at Liam. "You and James get weapons and join me." Another berg was blocking what I had seen earlier and I did not want Frahley to bring the Dochas any closer to the bergs.

The two men returned with weapons, as the riggers lowered the boat. They claimed down the side of the ship and took oars, immediately.

"Where to?" Liam wondered.

I pointed at the berg nearest us. "Straight ahead and just around the far side."

Quickly the dory moved through the water. As we neared the end of the berg, I hoped that I had not been hallucinating.

As we reached the end of the berg and could see beyond, James' comment assured me that my eyes had not failed. "By all that is wonder in the world."

There, kneeling on a berg, with a large white bear by her side, was one of the most beautiful woman I had seen in my life.

She was scantily dressed, all in white. She had long white hair that was almost the same color as her skin. Though she was half naked and the air was cold and certainly the ice would be freezing against her skin, she continued to kneel. She watched quietly, as we approached, with the largest deep blue eyes that I had ever seen.

She showed absolutely no emotion until I stepped off the dory and stood on the ice, next to her. It was then she rose effortlessly to her feet and smiled at me.

I offered my hand to her and immediately the huge white bear growled and stepped in front of her.

She put her hand on the bear's head. "Kola," she whispered. "It is okay." She looked at me. "I do not believe our guest means us any harm."

I shook my head. "Indeed not." I offered my hand again. "My name is Scealai and I am the Captain of the Dochas."

At that moment the Dochas came into view.

The woman looked at the ship briefly, but then took my hand. I had almost expected it to be cold and hard, but her skin was warm and soft. "I am Eira," she informed me. She looked at the bear. "This is my friend, Kola."

I let go of her hand and cautiously petted the bear's head. He nudged my hand wth his nose.

"He likes you," Eira smiled at me. "He feels you mean no harm."

The Dochas was now a mere fifty feet from us. I heard the anchor hit the water. When I looked to the ship, my entire crew was standing at the railing.

"They are inquisitive," Eira suggested.

"I do not believe they have seen such a creature as beautiful as you."

She stared into my eyes. "Have they not seen how beautiful you are?"

I think I blushed and I know I stammered. "How is it that you came to be here? Are you lost? Stranded?"

She shook her head. "No. I was waiting for you."

"Waiting for us?"

She stepped forward and took my hands in hers. "You must join me at my home. I do not have much company and it would honour me if you would allow me to offer you food and lodging."

I looked to my ship. "There are more than 20 of us in my crew. Surely that would be an inconvenience?"

Eira shook her head. "Not at all. I have plenty of room." She swung her leg over the large white bear. "Come, I will show you the way." She dug her heal into the bears rump and with no running start, the bear leapt across the 50 or so feet to another berg to our left.

"Have my eyes deceived me?" Liam wondered.

"If so then so have mine," I assured him as I jumped back in the dory. "Quickly to the Dochas." As soon as we started moving I yelled to the ship to raise anchor and raise the mainsail.

Eira waited until the Dochas started moving again. "Follow me," she yelled, as her and Kola sailed across another expanse of water, landing softly on another berg.

Frahley and Aingeal joined me at the bow of the boat.

"Where do we go?" Aingeal wondered.

In the distance, I could see what looked like a rectangular berg, rising high above the others. I pointed at it. "I do believe that will be our destination."