Semua Bab Dark Water: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Nathaniel watched Lloyd's expression as he slept. It slipped rapidly from nonchalant peace to discomfort.His brow furrowed as something spoke, the beast Nathaniel knew well, or one of its many minions. He looked away, already imagining the words being offered. Lloyd was innocent here, save for being too curious. He hadn't shaken the hand of a clawed fiend and sold his life and thrown away the souls of others. "Means he's fair game for it," he muttered, swirling the residue of rum in the glass bottle. The etched crystal caught the candlelight and sent diamonds dancing like young stars on the walls. "Can only hope the lad's got sense enough to see through it. I ain't holdin' much hope for that though."He thought of Thomas. He was an example of one who resisted the constant taunts and allure of the mist dwellers. So many men, older and supposedly wiser, had been lured in. His crew was less than what it had been, foolishness wiping them out one by

Lloyd was less than happy to be sent below. It was dark and his imagination was already alive with thoughts of devils and demons. Quite frankly, he would rather have been up on the deck, regardless of what sights he might see.It was hard to keep his footing as he cautiously felt for each step. Every heave of the ship pushed him off balance. All around him the shadows twisted and rolled, giving him a nauseous feeling of vertigo. All around him, he imagined eyes watching him, narrow and animalistic, their maws open or grinning, waiting for one slip that would hurtle him into their claws.The ship gave a violet jerk and Lloyd tripped down the remaining stairs, crashing through the door into the storage room. His foot twisted, embedding itself through one of the weaker boards. A torrent of colourful language followed as he sought to free it, dulled by the roar of the sea and shouts from outside.Splinters dug into his ankle as he wrenched his foot free

The lag of time was made worse by the unchanging sight of the sea, a vast expanse of water that stretched as far as the eye could see. Even the waves seemed identical, smooth and stable after the earlier agitation. Sometimes, if he peered very closely, Lloyd could spot a fish, drawn by the ship's shadow, rising closer to the surface before sinking back to safety.The mist had settled, but strange shapes still rose and fell, and soft sounds, dulled wails and groans, could be heard emanating from within it."Souls of the damned," one of the crew muttered as he passed. "Those ripped from the decks. Aye, lad," he smiled cruelly, revealing split and yellow teeth. "Watch ya' back! That's a warnin' to ya! They’d like an offering; it would be a nice treat! Might even save us some grief.”"I'm running out of room in my head to store warnings," Lloyd retorted bitterly. "That's all I've heard since I've got here. Maybe I ought to turn to stone, then I won't do anything."The man guffawed, his eye

Present DayLloyd listened as Nathaniel spoke. Able to picture the scenery he describes. Thoughts of the adventure novels and comics he used to read as a teenager sprang to mind. Plump, lush jungles, curious natives that were either friend or foe. And intrepid, mainly pompous, explorers, looking for their next chapter in life."The crew scouted out a wide area," Nathaniel leaned back against the rails, ignoring the uneven surface that dug into his back. The open air was more pleasant than the stuffy cabin, and now the sun was setting it was safer, the beasts that lurked beneath the ship often ventured off, diving deep below the surface in search of prey.Sometimes, if one looked over, bloody scales and blubber floated idly on the surface. "What happened?" He pressed, feeling like a rapt schoolboy. "You obviously found stuff.""Aye," Nathaniel sighed, looking up to the clouds that billowed over the darkening sky.

1745Nathaniel passed on joining his crew, who were merrily falling into drunkenness. The cook was a marvel at brewing his own alcohol and the strong liquor would flow freely. It ever failed to bemuse him, that men so hardened to drink became intoxicated so quickly. Like himself, many had been drinking since they were children, lulled to sleep by parents dousing milk with brandy. Consequently, Nathaniel's tolerance to the heady brew had started early, and he could indulge in well beyond the realms of healthy without even getting a sway in his step."Make sure we don't lose any in the sea, lad," he muttered to Thomas as he swept past towards the dark of the rocks. "If we do, don't bother fishin' them out. I ain't go time for idiots on board."Thomas mustered a smile. "Aye, Sir," he answered to the departing back. "If they'll listen."Putting a task like that on him was hardly wise. The crew were older and unlikely to listen to