The Voyage

The air was salty with a tinge of metallic copper as the young captain strode ashore. Brief as his life had been to this point, he was unfotunate enough to be familiar with this smell. This was the smell of a death. He looked back to the crew of the small rowboat. “Return to the Merganser, I will signal for you to return.” The oarsmen obeyed the order though they did not wish to leave their Captain alone on such an ominous shore. The Captain removed his leather hat and ran his fingers through his coarse black hair, wondering which God or demon had sent him visions of this evil place. He watched his crew disappear into the absorbing black of night. Silence filled the air with the dred of the unknown. This lone placid cove lay hidden among the jagged and leathal reef, dangerous to even the most experienced sailors. This perilous island wished with all its strength to remain apart from the rest of the world. Offshore spires of rock protruded from the oceans depths like enormous tridents aimed to pierce the sky. The island stood above the ocean, sheer cliffs hundreds of feet high taunting any ship to come near. The tides and undertow around the rocky spires could have pulled the sun from the sky with their strength. It was a miracle that he was able to find a place to reach shore. Only the amazing Merganser with its sleek and agile design allowed them to navigate through the rocky labyrinth without being dashed into oblivion.

The Captain turned his attention to the distant center of the island. With his rapier by his side and a lantern to show the way he moved inland at the rhythm of his beating heart. He knew from his dreams this journey into the island's hungry mouth was to be alone, though he did not believe it to be a wise decision. Several hours into his trek he seemed to enter a familiar place. A place he remembered or dreamt he remebered, he was not sure. Two rows of precisely crafted stones outlined a now visible path. He followed the path into a massive clearing that parted the wild island trees. Before him lay an enormous devastated city of stone and trees that seemed to never end. All around were huge fountains that looked as if they had sprout from the land itself dotting an enormous courtyard. Patches of wildflowers and grass grew sporadically and unpredictably throughout the ruined city. The smell of blood was everywhere but there was none to be seen. There were no bodies among the ruined homes and buildings. Ash and rubble lay in the path as he moved suspiciously though a giant archway leading into a beautiful colonnade.

The sadness he felt of such beauty destroyed was overwhelmed by his realization that this destruction was recent. So recent in fact that he realized he might be in danger from this great city’s now hidden enemies. However it was curious that so much overgrowth had sprung up so quickly despit the obvious evidence of a recent battle, and seemingly without penetrating the stone beneth. As he turned to look at the path back into the jungle a glimmering reflection of moonlight caught his eye. At his foot, among an out of place growth of flowers and saplings, laid a chain and pendant hooked around a rosebush. The pendant’s metal gave an iridescent glow as he removed it from its resting place. A small glyphic symbol had been meticulously etched into the shimmering metal. Though he did not know its meaning, he had dreamt of the symbol many times. Suddenly a deep rumbling growl filled the air of the colonnade. He whirled around to locate its origin and gasped as he was brutally pinned to the hard white stone of the city’s main path. His breath left him and he could not see what held him down with such unyielding force. He squinted in the darkness to find his attacker but saw nothing. The wind shifted to the north and the clouds moved to shade the moonlight. A second later the light returned bringing with it a change in the air above him. A ripple of darkness appeared against a lightening sky. The swirling apparition began to take form as the silhouette of powerful beast appears above him. His last thought was of his dreams and how they had become a nightmare. The Captain’s vision faded as the beast raised its mighty head to the sky and bellowed a deafening roar.

The burning sun beat down on the Captain’s face as he opened the eyes he never expected to open again. Pain stabbed at his chest when he began to rise. Several of his ribs had been broken and sides were marked with deep scratches. But he was alive. He limped back along the path towards the ship wondering how long he had been unconscious. Many hours passed with his paced hindered by his injuries. When he came to the end of the kept path a rustling of the brush startled the captain. He began to look for a place to hide when he realized the noise came from something not even as large as himself. Using his less injured right arm he swept aside a willowy branch to reveal a clumsy looking infant boy. The boy wore nothing but a cloth diaper. His large hands and feet looked disproportionate to the rest of his body. The Captain looked at the boy’s scared face, red from crying, and knew he fled from the ruined city. He thought to bring the boy to the ship but any movement towards the boy caused him to shy away. The Captain began to become irritated, he could not chase the boy in his condition but he could not leave this child on this island alone with a giant beast that may have destroyed an entire city. Just then out of his pocket fell the tiny pendant onto the sand. The gangly toddler crawled over and picked it up. The pendant must have signaled the Captain’s good intentions because the child stood on his wobbly legs. Together they walked back to the hidden cove where the Captain lit a signal fire. Within minutes the small row boat could be seen moving away from the distant Merganser toward the shore. His thoughts drifted as he watched the boat draw near. “What was the purpose of his visions, to stare at a ruined city and be attacked by some demon?” A pull at his pant leg by a wobbly child was his only reply.