“We gotta get out of here!”
“You’ll be killed!”
Torvus held up one hand and they were silenced. “You’re all going to stay here and repair the ship. I’ll go into the island’s interior and find them. Have the sails open and the hull fixed by the time we get back.”
“You can’t be serious, Captain!”
“Why’s this woman so important?”
He smiled at his crew. “That’s what we need to find out, and we can’t do that if she’s dead.”
“Then we’re going with you!”
“I’m going alone.” The roar of the crowd returned and was again silenced, this time by a single glance from their leader. “We need all hands to repair the ship. Fidel tells me the damage isn’t good, so everyone needs to work until the job is finished. Is that understood?” A few grumbles rose from the group.
“Maybe take one of us along with you, Captain,” one of them pleaded.
A crooked smile slipped onto Torvus’ lips. “You don’t doubt your captain, do you?”
Another sailor jerked his head over his shoulders in the direction of the island. “No, but we’ve all heard the stories. Hardly anyone gets out of there alive.”
Torvus clapped a hand on his shoulder. “That’s exactly why you shouldn’t be worried. If someone’s gotten out of there to tell the tale, then your captain can. Now get to work on the ship, and I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
The captain strode through their number and climbed down the rope ladder. He landed with a hard plop on the ground and was met by Fidel.
“I’d be glad to go with you, Captain,” he offered.
Torvus’ smile softened as he nodded at the hull. “The Tempest needs a steady hand on her, and you’re the steadiest hand I’ve got. Make sure she’s ready when I get back. That’s an order.”
Fidel didn’t look pleased, but he nodded. “Good luck, Captain.”
Torvus winked at him. “I’ll keep that in my pocket and use it when I need it.”
The captain strode past him and into the woods with a heavy swagger, but the minute he disappeared from sight, he paused. His sharp blue eye flitted over the area and his body tensed. He hunched low and hurried through the jungle, keeping part of his attention focused on the ground.
His footsteps led him to an open meadow. A small pool sat in the middle, shaded by a few palm trees and ringed by short white flowers. He paused at the edge and his eye rolled over the area. A white flower grew nearby, and at seeing him, the plant turned its face to him and revealed a mouth in the pestle. The flower raced across the ground and latched its short teeth onto his trouser leg.
A faint bluish light emanated from beneath his eyepatch, and the heavy dew around them quickly coalesced into a droplet. The water slid over to the plant, which eagerly absorbed the moisture. The flower released him and perked up before it drooped across the ground.
Torvus turned his attention back to the pool, and magic under his patch brightened. The surface of the water bubbled and the liquid changed color to match the soft glow on his face. A fountain of water burst from the center and splashed over its own embankments, where it spread quickly over the nearby area. The flowers drew away from the sloshing water, and new trees sprouted, absorbing the excess moisture.
The glow from under the eyepatch brightened, and a column of water lifted out of the pool. The pillar twisted up and droplets burst out of the top, covering the area with thick, gelatinous globs of water. The foliage burst out faster than weeds and gobbled up the globs.
The trees sucked up the strangely-colored water and began swaying to and fro. The flowers and grasses did the same, twisting and turning like drunks dancing to an offbeat tune. A crooked smile slipped onto Torvus’ lips as he strolled across the meadow and stopped at the edge of the pool. The waters retreated and revealing the swaying white flowers. He knelt and brushed his finger against the petals. The flower swayed and bared its fangs before it fell over into a stupor.
A faint smile slipped onto his lips, and he strode through the drunken stupor without a single snap of fangs. The story was the same along his whole route until he reached the misty ravine. He folded his arms over his chest and his keen eye studied the distance.
“You really want her, don’t you?” he commented aloud. A soft rumble came from the misty depths. “I’ll find out why, and it won’t kill me.”
The vibrations grew louder and more violent. The edges of the ravine fell into itself and the gap began to widen.
Torvus dropped his arms to his side and scowled at the hole. He hurried back a few steps and a wide smile stretched across his face. “So that’s the game you want to play. I’ll play.”
He darted forward and threw himself across the ravine. His leap took him across the gap, but a foot shy of the other side. He grabbed the crumbling edges of the canyon and his front slammed against the dirty wall. The wind was knocked from him, but he gritted his teeth and pulled himself up even as the earth gave way beneath his fingers.
Torvus crawled onto solid ground and away from the hole. He leaned his back against a swaying tree and breathed in some precious air.
“You had better take good care of her, Ramaro,” he muttered as he climbed to his feet. “I’d hate to have all this effort go to waste.”
