On a jolly ocean voyage they cheer,

"What a nice storm. We have nothing to fear."

With a puff of brisk wind,

Onward they grinned,

And sank two feet from the peer.

~Author~

And so, the boat set sail. Waves brush the hull and the sails billow in the gentle wind. These are perfect conditions for such a journey. The lines are reeled in and with all the grace of a swan the boat slides from the dock and out the harbour. A number of birds float around the ship as sailors toss scraps to them. "It is good luck to have the birds follow the ship as long as possible," the captain explains having followed my gaze. I nod as a sea eagle flies past and grabs a gull from the air. The rest of the birds flee, and the eagle gives chase having finished its meal on the bow. So much for good luck.

The rest of the first day is spent in good spirit. With smooth sailing some of the sailors are able to break out drink, cards and coin. In good spirit I trade my coin for the equivalent in the mainland's currency and even earn a little more in cards - I am quite the actor after all. Mari tries her hand at the games and loses even whilst cheating slightly.

By the afternoon the sky is covered in thick cloud. The mood darkens with the sky and the drink is lashed below deck. We go to our cabin below deck. Meri sleeps and I listen to the chatter above. We are blown off course. They will have to drift with the storm until the sky clears enough for navigation. I drift into a troubled sleep.

The boat shudders and a loud grinding sound causes me to bolt awake. I watch Mari sleeping for a few minutes. A knock on the door and a call from a sailor that we are going to land makes me shake Mari awake. We both get dressed and leave for the deck. Outside a storm blows around a rocky island surrounded by sand. At the top of the cliff above the beached ship is a castle. Flickering lamplight streams out from windows and the open gate of the castle and the walls of smooth stone are lit by lightning. The captain stands with his magnificent feathered cap and a bright grin I had not seen since our departure.

I get us room and board. The mistress of the castle will greet us personally. We all follow the captain into the castle and towards a woman in a chair with a flowing dress. I feel a light impulse to kneel but ignore it. Many of the sailors bow to the woman and mutter thanks. A strong gale blows rain through the door and it slams closed behind us. "I am very glad to have some company for a while," she says placing her elbows on the arm of the chair. "My servant will show you to your room. Food will be served in a while." An old man with a hunch shuffles into the room and beckons to us. We flow out of the room and drift down halls, past display cases filled with outfits. Finally, we reach a series of doors each with a number. "We are here." The old man rasps. "A warning from one who knows more than you. Don't eat anything during your stay." The man fades into the shadows and is gone when a flash of lightning illuminates the darkness. The sailors are left shaken but wander to their rooms. A desire for a proper bed overwhelming the apprehension from the unconventional welcome and scary storm struck castle. It is not long before we are called for food.

Everyone files into a grand hall covered in lanterns. In the centre of the hall is a grand feast on a long table lined by high backed cushioned chairs. The whole place is lavishly decorated and well maintained. Whole roasted hogs rest on beds of salad. Bowls of fruit and baskets of bread rest on the table. The sailors salivate over the feast. “Go ahead,” says the mistress smiling and taking a slice of pork.

One thin sailor which I remember had gambled his rations away does not hesitate to tear into a loaf of bread. Many of the others including the captain hesitate before eating, remembering the old man’s warnings. Soon all of us are eating. It is not long before I notice something strange. The sailor who started eating first is getting fatter and starting to grunt and squeal excessively as he laughs and talks. I stop Mari from eating in horror. It seemed strange to me how a single servant and the mistress could maintain a castle as large as this and refill every lamp. There are clearly secrets that we have not seen. All around us sailors are becoming more pig like. They are losing clothes and squealing in horror. Despite their distress the sailors never stop eating. Soon the room is filled with animals each wearing some item of clothing. One, the captain, is still wearing a particularly spectacular hat.

The crew of the ship are herded from the room by the hunchbacked servant as the Mistress saunters over to us. Mari looks stunned. She smacks her cheeks and glares at the woman. I give her a sharp look. “Calm down,” she says. “I have nothing against beast-people or women. Besides, my enchantments only work on humans and I wouldn’t cast it on a girl like you. Unless you decide to act like a swine.” Our glares don’t change. “Why?” Asks Mari.

“It is simple really. We were betrayed and forced to serve them and so now the roles are reversed.” She sits opposite us. “Let me tell you the story of my people and myself.”

“We were a feared and respected people ruled by the women who inherited the unique magic of our people. Our lands were small but bountiful. The men of our land betrayed us out of greed aided by outsiders that wanted our home. The enchantresses were slaughtered or enslaved and forced to eat our own. I alone escaped. A band of turtle beast people helped me.”

“This was once a stronghold we owned. Here I revived the magic of our people and reveal our enemies for the pigs they are. The world is safer for my work.”

“This is wrong.” Mari cries. “Those people helped us and are taking us to where we need to go.”

“Are they really.” The Mistress gives a grin. “If they continued south they would find themselves in the thriving slave markets of the southern kingdoms. Besides when have you ever heard a tribe of beast-people starting a war or a woman.” I glare harder at the mention of war. “None of those here have started a war and we were heading west until we were hit by a storm.” Mari stands up. I decide to speak up. “Is it right to become like those who you claim to be killing?” The mistress holds her head and starts to scream.

“Shut up! Shut up! I am doing good! I have killed pirates and merchants who would kill for coin along with those that work for them. I finally find those who I felt would understand and they curse me as an evil, controlled by greed. I am not like those that wronged me!” She looks wild eyed and the hunchback shuffles in. “Throw these two out!” The mistress cries. With a wave of his hand myself and Mari are lifted and forced to glide alongside the servant.

“I warned them not to eat the food he groans.” I notice something. The servant is not hunchbacked as I had thought but a turtle beast person. “The mistress is misguided. She has seen many bad things in her life, too many, but her heart is in the right place and she has helped remove bad people from these waters. She does this out of sorrow as much as anger at the world. She would be killed if she left here. If you wish to save your friends, the purple flowers in the centre of the island are antidotes to the curse. The ship will be able to sail tomorrow at high tide. It is then the storm will have passed. Remember, the kraken will grab eight, but the whirlpool will drown you all.” With that we are gently dropped into the downpour. With a flash of lightning the door is closed behind us and the world goes black. I produce foxfire and see we are facing the crags of the island ahead of us.

We move away from the castle, scrambling over rocks and wizened land. Mari looks miserable. “We should kill her.” She grumbles. “No.” I respond. Mari pouts and kicks a puddle. “But she will keep turning people into pigs if we don’t.”

“I know.” I whisper. “That woman has suffered enough and this place is a prison for her. Sometimes you should do nothing even if that might be wrong. You can’t solve everything or save everyone.” We trudge for an hour in gloom, relentless rain and silence so thick it makes the walk harder. Eventually we come across a purple flower. Mari rushes to it but I stop her. I don’t know if it is possible to use the rest of the plant. I carefully extract it from the roots. Mari looks ecstatic and for the first time to day gives her large grin. “We can go back and save everyone now!” She shouts. My smile withers. “This is not enough for everyone. We have barely begun.” Her expression falls at the prospect of scrambling over rocks and rain to locate the flowers, avoiding high points in order to not attract lightning.

The light of dawn ends our search we have gathered 13 plants and are soaked to the bone. We are both glad we got sleep on the ship. Mari would not have lasted if we hadn’t even with her training from the village. We walk back to the castle and push the door we left from. It is unlocked. We sneak through the hallways, trying to avoid the hall. I am incredibly glad that we are both well prepared for this with soft footwear and stealth training.

It is not long before our enhanced senses lead us to the pen filled with swine. I wonder how exactly the flower will resolve the curse and try feeding some to the closest pig. It takes a few minutes before the pig begins to change form. I cover Mari’s eyes. The sailor is naked. I feed pieces of the flower to various pigs and mix the rest into the trough on the side of the pen. It takes a few minutes for each sailor to readapt to being a human and a few more minutes to locate their clothing. Within the hour we are trying to be as quiet as possible. Wincing as the occasional sailor makes a loud noise. It is almost an hour in total before we are at the ship. I see the servant wave us off. He seems worried so I urge everyone to increase our pace. The storm has not died down but the screams of the enchantress drive us to work faster. A ball of green fire streaks towards us missing by a large margin. Despite all the wisdom about raising a sail in a storm we depart from the shore and sail away. Another screech comes from the island and the most obvious path is blocked by a whirlpool. I remember the warning of the turtle.

I shout to the captain to avoid the spiral of water at all costs and look out for something in the water. I walk to the bow of the ship and sit cross legged. I have not done an illusion of this scale for a while. If there really is a sea monster we need to hide from it. Sea creatures don’t rely on only sight but are able to sense vibrations in the water. It is harder to fool such a creature than to fool a human. I also can’t hide the ship from the sailors or we will die from the raging wind. I mutter some words under my breath, block out the distraction of the rain and a ship appears to starboard. It separates from the location of our vessel as if dragged towards the swirling water. I am not sure it is noticed by the sailors struggling to keep the boat afloat but it is noticed by a shadow that chases it. It is a while before a thrum sounds through the water. The creature knows it has been tricked.

Hours later the last of the storm is clear and our boat is being patched to serviceable state. The captain approaches me. Myself and Mari are dragged to the raised part of the deck and the captain makes his announcement. “I would like to give thanks to these two who saved us from our own folly. From now on I will remember to heed the warnings of old men and to give any pig I encounter a scratch. I never knew rolling in mud could feel so good.” The crew cheers and get back to work. “We have lost a few days from this but we should make it by the weeks end. How can we repay you?” The captain asks. “Free passage on your ship on request would be nice.” I reply with a grin. “A cheap price for such an accomplished weaver of illusion and a girl my crew seem to like.” He smiles back. “I am happy to accept.”

The rest of the journey is mostly uneventful except for a small pirate skip that tries their luck and is scared off. I will be happy to leave the ocean behind for a while. It was not quite the ideal place of beauty it seemed from the shore.