Book 2 Chapter 23

Tirr let out an excited shout as their small boat crested an incoming wave, sliding down the other side and crashing into the start of the next one with a splash before starting its rise once more. He shook the water from his hair, smiling towards Maria who clenched the side of the boat uneasily, before looking towards Nerida.

She moved quickly around the boat, deftly piloting their small craft while giving reminders and warnings to her two passengers. Tirr had asked if there was anything he should do to help but had been refused by a confident Nerida, who asked him to just relax and enjoy the trip as they traveled through the waves and out into the open water.

The Priestess smiled as she passed Maria, guiding the boat over another wave. As Maria watched how confidently she moved across the shifting planks, she couldn’t help but feel jealous of how easily the young woman seemed to move…

“I must look ridiculous sitting here afraid to fall off…” Maria told her with some embarrassment.

“Of course not!” Nerida assured her as she passed, “Most new sailors are too busy losing their stomachs to be scared of falling overboard.”

“How long have you been sailing for? You seem more accustomed than I would have thought.”

“Since I was a child,” Nerida said with a laugh as another wave crashed against the hull. “My father said that it would be blasphemy for a water priest not to know how to handle herself on the sea. I think he regretted teaching me when I started sneaking out of my other lessons every chance I got just to get back onto the water.”

“No wonder you’re so good at this!” Tirr cut in, standing confidently as he shifted with the swells. He had taken only moments to adjust his balance before mastering the strange movements and had spent a large part of the trip showing off to the still scared Maria.

“Thank you for the praise, my Lord, I’m glad that this skill has some use to you…” Nerida said, before looking up, her eyes catching sight of something in the distance before turning towards both of them happily, “We’ve arrived…”

“Where…” Tirr started, scanning the horizon until the ship crested another wave. There in the distance, rising out of the water like a stone monolith, was the island they were looking for. The majority of the place seemed to be mostly rock, as if a mountain had simply risen out of the bottom of the sea bed.

“How are we supposed to land there?” Maria asked curiously as she looked over the rocky outcropping.

"Carefully...” Nerida replied as she turned the boat to make her way around the island. “There’s a small beach on the other side that’s safe to land at. I found it by chance when I came to look at the Sea Beast when I was younger. Was lucky I didn’t end up smashed against the rocks back then.”

“And now?” Maria gulped as they almost scraped by another barnacle-covered reef, jutting out of the water.

Nerida let out a laugh as she glided easily through the treacherous waters. “Now I don’t need luck.”

They rounded the island quickly, cutting through the waves under Nerida’s control. As they passed, they soon caught a view of the cave entrance that Nerida had spoken about. It sat like a gaping mouth, reaching out of the water waiting to swallow any that came close. Tirr felt his excitement rise as he looked forward to exploring this cave no one had seen before, wondering what clues to his past they might find.

As they continued, the small beach soon came into view and Nerida guided them in gently. The boat struck the sand with a jerk before grinding to a halt. Tirr wasted no time before jumping out into the shallow water and onto the beach. He breathed in the salty air and laughed looking back at Maria and Nerida who were climbing out slowly themselves.

“How do we get back to the cave from here?” Tirr asked excitedly, the thoughts of adventure and stories outweighing the heavy topics of the last few days.

“This way my lord” Nerida said leading them over the nearby outcropping. They pushed their way through the rocky terrain as they worked back towards the cavern entrance. The island was barren of and foliage or life save some small tufts of grass and some tiny crabs that scuttled away as they passed. Nerida explained that most of the island would flood under the yearly storms, keeping anything else from really setting a foothold on the rocky land.

Soon they arrived at the cavern’s entrance, the yawning portal seemed to let out a low moan as it caught and directed the wind. Nerida called them to a stop as they reached a bit of safe ground just outside the entrance.

“Aren’t we going inside? Tirr asked impatiently as Nerida took off her pack.

“I thought it’d be best if we took a break…” Nerida replied as she dug through her pack. “We don’t know how far the caves may go and there might not be a safe place inside, so this is our last chance…”

“We don’t need a brea…” Tirr started exasperated until Nerida pulled out a package of carefully wrapped fish sandwiches, complete with sauces to go with them. As he looked at the spread, he felt his stomach growl in response and couldn’t help but blush.

“Hmph,” He coughed lightly, “Maybe a break would be a good idea…” He accepted the food happily, ignoring the giggle that came from Maria before she thanked Nerida for her portion.

“Of course!” Nerida replied proudly, “I did ask you to leave the planning to me, so I must do everything in my power to ensure the Lord is as comfortable as possible.”

They sat and ate, digging into the food with gusto as it had been several hours since the breakfast they had taken. Just as Tirr was taking the last bite of his first sandwich, about to ask if there was another, there was a clatter as sand and stone scattered nearby. Tirr rose immediately, followed closely by Maria and Nerida as they all took defensive stances and turned towards the noise.

There, crawling weakly towards them, was a starfish. Tirr frowned as he saw the creature, wondering if it was one of the older one’s young that had been left behind… Until he heard Maria’s whispered voice.

“It’s arm…”

He looked more carefully at the words, and sure enough, one of its arms was missing, perfectly matching the wound that Garm had caused the gigantic Beast in their fight. Tirr took a step back in sync with the others, each of them watching carefully as it continued moving slowly towards them…