"Cyril!" he called in a strained voice. Cyril took an extra moment to get to his captain's side since he had been standing near the helmsman ready to relate more orders if needed.
"Sir?" Cyril said quickly coming to the captain's side. In response Captain Gagen handed Cyril his spyglass. Adiel noticed that his hands appeared to be shaking. Cyril quickly looked at the ship he took a step back his eyes wide.
"So you see it too then?" Gagen asked.
"Aye sir," Cyril said with lethal calm.
"Come about! Full sails! All hands to battle stations!" Gagen yelled. Suddenly the ship exploded with activity.
"What is going on captain?" Adiel demanded. "We are so close, why do we run now?"
"We are approaching a ship of the damned, you fool!" Cyril yelled as he, once again, ran toward the stern barking orders out to the crew as he went.
"Here see for yourself," Gagen said handing the spyglass back to Adiel, "we should be close enough that you can see."
Irritated at the delay Adiel held the spyglass up, and look at the back of the ship. At first he could not see anything, but slowly his eyes came into focus. On the back of the ship, which he noted seemed to be in poor, condition he saw the familiar word: Pernicious.
"I'm sorry I don't understand," Adiel began, but Gagen cut him off. Gagen did notice that Adiel had a strange look on his face though. It looked like the face of recognition.
"That is the ship that was lost all those years ago. It was the very same vessel that was defending the island when the war started," Gagen said with lethal calm eyeing Adiel closely.
"Impossible! It does still exist!" Adiel said. Before he could say more he was suddenly thrown to the deck as the ship suddenly started to turn around.
"Obviously, it is possible my good monk," Gagen said gravely. He quickly helped the shaken monk to his feet. "You may have to re-write some of your books. Assuming we survive this of course."
"Sir look!" a crewman yelled from up in the rigging.
Captain Gagen quickly looked over the port side of the ship and what he saw sent terror down his spine. Somehow the Pernicious had already turned itself around, and was now heading toward them! After a short time the ship had gotten close enough to the Eitan that Adiel could see easily without the use of Gagen's spyglass.
For long moments Adiel watched the ship when suddenly he realized that there seemed to be a storm directly behind the ship. It did not seem to overtake the ship at all; in fact it looked to Adiel as if it were actually pushing the ship towards them! In an instant he understood why the survivor's doomed ship could not outrun it. The Pernicious rode not on the wind but on a fierce storm!
"Captain!" Cyril's gruff voice called out urgently. "They are gaining on us! They will catch us in a matter of hours!"
"Damn," Gagen swore under his breath. "Unfurl all the sails!"
"Captain the rigging is already under a lot of stress, if we open the remaining sails the masts may give way!"
"Follow my orders!" Gagen shouted back
"Aye sir!" came a quick reply.
"Adiel I think it would be best if," the captain said, turning to face him only to find he was gone. He smiled to himself he was going to order him below decks, but it seemed that Adiel had already made that decision for himself.
The door to Adiel's quarters opened quickly, Adiel entered hastily and closed and latched the door behind him. He had secrets of own, much like the undead ship that was now bearing down on them. The last thing he needed now was to be interrupted, and he was not even sure that the crew would be all that accepting of what he was about to do.
YOU ARE READING
Itinerant Chronicler
FantasyThese are the tales collected by a wandering historian whose only goal was listen to anyone who would tell him their story so he can record it for all to know.
