Beyond Tempest

Chapter Two: Hidden Isle

Pheonix moaned as she protested to her Captains steering against the ferocious pull of the Eye, but turned her hull obediently offside of the dark, jagged mass that was Kagras Eye. Jed stared from the bowsprit at the maelstrom at least twice the width of the 65ft craft on which he stood, its swirling centre being huge in diameter. Many ships lay at their deaths on the jagged rocks that riddled the Eye, making it seem to Jed that Pheonix was steering straight into some giant monsters gaping maw.

"Brace the mainsails! Get her ready to cutthroat this monster!" The Captain bellowed over the roaring of Kagras. Jed and the crew strained at the sails and rigging as the captain turned Pheonix towards the very center of the Eye. Derby thought the Captain had lost his mind, as did the rest of the crew. Jed, at his position on the shrouds of the foremast, watched as the current tore at the carved bow of the galleon, and almost lost his grip when something thudded into the side of her, something heavy.

"What was that? What did it do?" the Captain barked, from where he was grappling with the wheel. Jed searched the boiling waters beside them, for any signs of damage. On the other side of the deck, one of the crew noticed a large piece of masting from a wreck.

"Mast wood Sir!" he called back.

"Bounced off, she's not damaged!" Jed added as the hull breached clear of the waves for an instant, showing nothing but a slight dent, about the size of a fist.

"Good! Now everyone, secure yourself to the mainmast before I do it with your guts!" The Captain bellowed above the roar, and the men hurried to tie themselves to the main mast with thick loops of rope slip knotted around their chests. The rescued man jumped to his feet, and grabbed a loop of rope as well. The Captain was secured to the wheel stand, a broad grin on his face.

"Now brace yourselves as we look into the Kagras Eye!" he shouted. The crew watched as the Captain let go of the wheel, surrendering the Pheonix to the currents ravenous pull. With a sharp, jerking turn, she began to circle the centre of the Eye, getting pulled closer and closer each round, narrowly missing the jagged rocks. Just as her prow broke over the edge of the gaping, swirling hole that stretched to the ocean floor, and the crew began to pray, the Captain jerked the Pheonix clear of the Eye's center, and caught the wind whipping her sails so they billowed out like clouds, and she launched forwards out of the currents grip, and into the again intense silence. But their speed was long lasted, and her bow narrowly missed many a wreck upon the rocks. The crew slowly released their chokehold on the main mast, and the rescued man gawped about him as if he could not believe they had cleared the Kagras Eye.

Jed looked ahead of them and almost fell over in shock, as a thick wall of mist had settled onto the waters. By the wheel, the Captain narrowed his storm grey eyes. As one of the crew began to untie themselves, he called out for them to stop.

"You'll be needing that yet lad." He said. Holding the wheel straight, he focused on seeing into the fog ahead. Jed, no regard for the Captains warning, slipped free of his ties, and ran to the foremast.

"Boy! What ye be doing!?" shouted the Captain. Jed flicked him a glance.

"Scouting Sir, you'll need it in this weather." He answered. The Captains stone face broke into a grin. "Right you be lad, just rope yourself onto something."

The rescued man tossed Jed his ties, and looped his own about the foremast. Jed secured himself as well, then, with a nod of thanks to the man, turned to peer ahead. Suddenly, a screech, muffled by the fog, alerted the ship to a bird of some kind, circling overhead, great wingspan slowly beating up and down. The sight of a bird this far from any known land confused and mystified the crew, but their thoughts where soon turned back as the bow of Pheonix cut into the wall of fog, which reached up, past her crows nest to cover her entirely. The echoing cry of the bird came again. Jed shivered. As he stared ahead it seemed the mist was taking ghostly shapes, of rocks looming, then when they where almost close enough to hit, and his mouth opened to call out, they vanished. Also there came a shape of another ship, with an odd, haunting bowsprit that looked like long jaws pointing from the ships bow. It never got close enough for Jed to see clearly, for every time it came close, the unearthly cry of the bird came again, almost as if warding it off. Suddenly, Jed saw in the mist, two huge pillars of rock, looming towards them. He waited for them to disappear like the others but they did not.

"Cap'n! pillars of rock, ahead!" he cried up to the Captain, who now saw the great thick columns of rock, jagged and rising to nearly the height of the mainmast.

"Steady as she goes! There might be outcrops under the surface!" the man next to Jed called.

"Well then, I trust you to tell me if there are!" the Captain hollered back, a slight sarcastic ringing to his voice. Jed flashed another grin to the man, before turning to lean over the bow to peer at the waters below. Eyes straining, he tried to determine outcroppings ahead from the pillars, but could not see any. Trusting what he saw, he stood anxiously as the Pheonix slid between the pillars, waiting for the scrape and crack of rocks on her hull. None came. The Captain slightly turned the Pheonix as she strayed a little, and Jed saw ahead that the mist was clearing, crying out in relief.

As her prow breached the wall of fog, a sharp beam of sunlight fell upon the ship, blinding the crew for an instant. There, ahead of them lay an island, small, but with a tall outcropping of rock in the centre. The sight of land warmed the hearts of the men and raised their spirits. The Captain steered Pheonix carefully towards the island, and Jed watched the waters ahead, surprised to find they where clear and he could see the hull of the boat below, and looked towards the island. His jaw dropped as he saw the island was in fact floating, not secured to any sea bed, free to drift amongst the ice shelves.

"Cap'n, that island is-"

"Floating. Yes men it is indeed. That is what we endured for!" the Captain called out. He steered the Pheonix as close to the shore as he could, sending two men over to the island by boat with a length of thick rope. The men tied it to a relatively smooth spur of rock, as that was what the island seemed to be made up of, rock and sparse, low bushes. They then threw one end to the ship, where it was tied to the side. Men where rowed across in the longboats, the waters being far too frigid to swim in. Once all where on the island, they set about trying to find any food, whilst the Captain sat on a rock, deep in thought. He sat that way until he noticed the bird wheeling overhead, lonely cries echoing off the ice cliffs. Something must have come together, for his grey eyes seemed to flash, and he stood, a wide grin on his face.

"To me you dogs, on the double!" he bellowed, and the crew where soon assembled before him, waiting to hear what put such excitement in his voice. "Who has a loaded pistol on them?" he asked. The men chuckled, this was a stupid question. All of them had one or more guns strapped to them.

"You all see that bird up there, circling?" he gestured. The crew nodded, and as if it sensed it was being referenced, the bird dropped lower, and alighted on a spur of rock nearby, looking odd on land. Its long smooth wings folded against a large body, and it regarded the crew with intelligent golden eyes over a long hooked beak, lengthy, thick neck slightly curved for balance. The rescued man seemed to know what type of bird it was and looked upon it with almost respect. "Well it not circling anymore." The Captain said. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Someone needs to shoot it, exactly in the heart, and catch the drop of blood, and only one, on the centre of this map." He produced a map from his belt, and unrolled it with a flourish. It was blank except for the outlines of what appeared to be the very island on which they stood. One of the crew, named Skire, who was known for skill with guns, stepped forwards.

"It's a sitting duck on land sir, I'll do it." He said, a grin fixed on his face. The rescued man shifted uncomfortably for a second, then, glancing at the bird, stepped in front of Skire. He looked him straight in the eye.

"No. you can't do that!" he seemed to plead slightly. Skire frowned slightly.

"And just why can't I?" He barked out. The Captain stood.

"Yes, why cant he?" he challenged. The rescued man shifted from foot to foot under the Captains stormy gaze, but his answer was strong.

"Because. That bird is an albatross, they are the protectors of all sailors at sea! And if you shoot it, we will be condemned to death!" he stated. The Captain raised a cynical eyebrow. Turning to the crew, he asked "Have ye heard of such a tale?"

Many of the crew remained silent, and then Jed spoke up.

"Sir, I have. And, if memory serves me, so have Derby and Mathews." The men in question nodded.

"So be it, but what of the map? Does that not see far better reason?" the Captain asked. The rescued man opened his mouth to argue, but fell silent, realising quiet defeat. He stepped away as Skire took aim at the bird.

Suddenly, the birds head snapped towards him, golden eyes drilling into his gaze. Skire's finger was poised on the trigger, and for the first time in many a year he hesitated. He then shook his head, and re aimed the gun. With a quick pull of the trigger the bird gave a high, mournful cry then collapsed. The man raced forwards, and picked up the large bird. The Captain held the map under it, and all the crew watched as the single drop of blood fell onto the parchment. There was a tense silence as the paper absorbed the scarlet, and the rescued man held the dying albatross close, cradling it, eyes fixed on the map. Then, as if it was charged with life, the scarlet shot out from the centre of the paper like veins pulsing on the thin surface. It formed a bird's eye view of the island, and a single small picture of a rose. Then, on the side of the map, a poem appeared, in black scribbled text.

Follow the path of winding red

From a soul of purity

To find the path to journey's end

And find death in scarcity

Upon the molten rock

Afloat in icy seas

Wake the sleeping fires

And knock them to their knees

For one to find the golden shores

One must look inside

The heart of fury wakened

Inside the Kagras Tide

The eerie poem made no sense to the crew, and Jed found his mind floating back to the son he had heard on the way to the island, and in his memories of distant past. The Captain stood for a moment, thinking. Derby, who was good with his mind, suddenly seemed to grasp something in the riddle. Just as he opened his mouth to say it, the island shuddered beneath their feet, and the crew scrambled for purchase on the rock as it shuddered again. The Captain looked about as the island settled, eyes lingering on the tall rock spire in the middle. Derby took the silence as an open invitation to speak.

"Cap'n, I think what the riddle refers to is a volcano of some kind, or a nonsolid mass, such as this island itself. I suggest we look at that mountain in the middle, and see what we can find there." he said, baritone voice booming loudly around the island.

Suddenly, the rescued man gave a sharp cry, and they all turned to see the albatross struggling in his arms, blood soaked white chest feathers evidence it should be dead. With a shrill, unearthly cry, like the crack of a mast breaking, it wrenched free from his grasp, and, without flapping once, floated to a few feet above their heads, regarding them all with jerking flicks of its head. It was then they noticed that its eyes where in fact glowing, with a golden flickering light.

…… Follow the path of winding red

From a soul of purity

To find the path to journey's end

And find death in scarcity……

The verse rang in every mans mind as the blood from the bird dripped onto the ground, leaving small, smoking pockmarks where it landed, as if acid. It gave another moaning, wailing cry, and began to drift towards the centre of the island. The men stood in awe, then one by one followed the ghostly bird across the rocky face of the Hidden Isle.

A/N: yes a bit longer. this story is coming along quite nicely! im surprised im up to where i am, but as i reread it, i think it needs a bit of work, and constructive critisism would be welcome as would reviews xD