A Game Of Changing Tides

Chapter Eighteen

1868, the Dawrey Ocean (we think)

No one dared go into the water. Nikolai and Xavier inched the ship as close to the island as they possibly could have, until Adelyn feared the bottom of it would scrape the coral on the ocean floor. There was an eerie silence on the deck, as though no one had quite yet processed what had just happened. Adelyn did not know the name of the man that had died, only that he couldn't have been more than a few years older than her.

Adelyn felt as though Death himself were following them, shadowing her and the entire ship, a cloud that refused to pass. The thought brought with it a gloomy feeling of dread, and just like Death, it settled and stayed.

Nikolai looked as unsure as he must have felt. They were so close to his dream, but not quite there. Not yet.

Without warning, Nik reached down and grabbed a metal bucket from the floor. The silver pail had rusted from water, but Nik was not interested in the item itself. He threw it as far as his arms would allow, and it landed upside down in the ocean, twenty feet away. Adelyn swallowed; her eyes did not move from the bucket, watching it sink, slowly.

The shadow returned, a threat in the water. Just like Adelyn and the crew, the beast seemed to watch the bucket and it's slow descent. It was not interested, however. There was no flesh, no life for it to steal.

"I don't understand," Adelyn frowned, her mind wavering. If the first witch had made it so only she could find the island, then why have an obstacle such as this in the way?

"Not all treasures are meant to be found," Nikolai muttered, his voice so quiet Adelyn wondered if he'd even meant for her to hear. His eyes, darkened by shadows of sleepless nights, were fixed on the sea before him. Adelyn could see it in his stare; he searched for a solution, but could think of nothing.

The island was only a few hundred yards away, but it would be suicide to climb into a rowboat. Adelyn couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she stepped into the water. Would the monster come after her, despite the blood than ran through her veins? She pondered, but her curiosity was not so strong as to make her consider testing the theory. Adelyn would have rather put a gun to her own head then leap into that ocean right then.

"Well, it seems we've got a bit of a dilemma." Nikolai said, pursing his lips. "Any ideas?"

Someone up near the helm called out, "Throw Jerry overboard."

There was a chorus of laughter, but Adelyn felt most of it was forced. Everyone aboard was just as afraid as she. She could feel it in the air, with every breath she drew in. Adelyn knew pirates were far from cowards, but that didn't mean they were immune to fear.

"There's an idea," Nikolai snickered. A beat later, he sighed, "Well, I guess there's only one thing to do."

He didn't give anyone enough time to question him. All it took was a flick of his wrist, and his pistol was unlatched and in his grasp, aimed at the sea below. Nikolai nodded at the man closest to the railing, his eyes hard and ready, as though desperate to pull the trigger. "Throw something overboard, Marty. Let's see how this beast does with bullets."

Adelyn swallowed, anticipation filling her veins. She watched as Marty lifted a barrel, likely once full of mead but emptied from the crew's many rowdy nights, and pushed it into the ocean. It didn't take long for the beast to resurface again, it's figure dark against the pale blue. Adelyn jumped when Nik fired, the sound, loud and alarming, ricocheting through her ears.

The beast made no noise, but when Nikolai fired again, it's jaws snapped out of the water. He'd angried it, that much Adelyn was sure of. It's teeth, sharp and pointed and more gray then white, reminded her of the siren on the front of the ship. Deadly and frightening, a horrifying mix.