Pouch the pelican reaches Erato Island, skims over a mountain top and begins his descent. He glides to the open-end ship hall and drops his package.
Inside the ship, on her throne, Nemeritias sits.
Steven sees the letter hit the ground, runs out, grabs it and hurries back to Nemeritias. Slow, she rolls it open. The letter, in Greek, reads:
"If you want Chiron back, bring the human in two cycles, when the sun reaches its high point".
She lowers the letter. "All of you, leave, find my daughter. Must I explain to you what will happen if you do not find her? Now go."
Steven, Australian, Seth, Trey and three other men dart out. Steven instructs, "Let's each take a separate part of the island. When we're done, let's meet back at the dinner area in the opening hidden behind the bushes."
They separate and search caves, Cove of the Rocks, huts, any possible hiding places.
Steven ambles along a trail overrun with bushes. He pushes
aside branches as he makes his way through. He stops, gazes around at the terrain and examines the openings he's made in the brush. Through a gap, he sees what looks like the top of cave, maybe twenty yards away. He pushes his way through the dense brush into a cleared area. He stares at a cave opening, maybe four feet round. He steps into the entrance.
He stands still until his eyes adjust. Slow, he creeps forward about six feet where the cave opens into a cavern. He's still as his eyes again adjust to the darkness. Slow, he creeps toward what looks like a white pile. He reaches it, bends down to see what it is. "Ahhhhhhh!" he bellows as he jumps backward. He stares at a skeleton. His eyes now adjusted, he scans the room and counts eight more skeletons in various positions. Remnants of old clothes cover small parts of them and two of them have their skulls laying nearby.
His heart racing and full of fear as if a lion were chasing him, he rushes out of the cave and returns to the dinner area. He finds an opening and pushes through the bushes. The only one waiting is Seth.
Steven asks, "Did you see anything mate?"
"No, nothing." Seth answers. "I think we should wait here until the others return. No sense dying alone."
"I found a bunch of them that died alone."
"A bunch of what?" asks Seth.
"Skeletons, in a cave. There must have been nine or ten of them. They're using that cave for a burial ground."
"Makes you curious about who they are...or should I say were." Seth wonders out loud.
"You've heard stories about men disappearing from here. I imagine that's where they take them."
"I suppose you're right, those that don't get eaten by sharks end up in that cave." Seth replies. "The queen witch probably has us on her list next, especially if we can't find Chiron."
Steven, on edge, observes, "She’s just pissed, she’s never had her ‘Queenness’ authority challenged."
"You know Steven, I almost don’t care if she kills us." Seth opines. "I’ve been here four years, you know how many we’ve seen disappear or die. I’ve lost hope. My wife's probably remarried, my kids won’t know me. Just shove me off a cliff."
"I’m on the edge of that same cliff mate. But, maybe, just maybe...this may be our time."
"If something is going on here, all the sharks will be gathered in one area. You know Joshua, the man from Bahama?"
"Yeah, why?" Steven asks.
"He can help us."
"How?"
Seth grins. "He has a boat. It’s only five hundred yards over to the mermaid island, at least we’d be safe there. They may even help us get away."
"Yeah, five hundred yards of giant teeth looking for a meal."
"That's fine." Seth answers. "Stay here and continue to be a butt boy."
"Well, when you put it that way mate." Steven rubs his chin. "Okay, I agree, let’s talk to Joshua."
Joshua places logs under a large kettle of water. He is a medium built fifty year old light skinned black man. Steven and Seth approach him.
Steven smiles. "How it be going mate?"
Joshua turns, stands. "Hi boys. I haven't seen you for days."
"You remember Seth?"
Joshua holds out his hand, Seth shakes it. "Of course I do. I may be old but my memory be good. So, what be going on?"
Steven continues. "When we first met, you said you had a boat, one you came here in but hid before anyone could find it. Is your boat still here?"
"Of course mahn. I take care of her, make sure she be ready for sailing any time."
"How in the hell could you hide a boat from these sirens, they know everything." asks Seth.
"Quite honestly mahn, I get lucky. Ten years ago, me and my two friends set out to catch some fish."
10 YEARS EARLIER
Joshua and his two friends, Benny and Nidel, cruise in open waters in their twenty five foot boat, loaded with fishing poles and nets. Two lines troll from the back. Joshua is at the wheel while Benny and Nidel watch a depth finder.
His friends are around the same age and build.
Nidel remarks, "This is where they're supposed to be but it's empty down there."
Joshua responds, "Don't worry boys, we'll find them...or they'll find us first. Do we ever go back empty handed?" the guys don't respond. "Exactly, almost never."
Benny stares ahead of them. "How far out are we Joshua?"
"I'd say about forty miles from shore."
"And the weather report for today?"
"Calm and clear sailing. Why?"
"Because we be heading right into a fog bank...and it's a thick one."
Ahead of them is a thick fog bank, the edge like a wall, not a gradual increase. The banks start to curl around them, trapping them in the center.
"What be happening here Joshua?" asks a concerned Nidel.
"I don't know mahn" responds Joshua. "I never see anything like this before. It's making a circle around us."
"What you gonna do Joshua?" asks Benny.
"Since it's got us surrounded, I think we head straight into it and out the other side. What you two say mahn?"
Both nod yes. Joshua jams the throttle all the way forward. The boat disappears into the fog.
Once inside, the waves increase in size, rain pounds the boat as lightening shoots across the sky. The men stay inside the cabin as they hold on to anything stable to keep from being tossed and slammed against a wall.
"Joshua," Nidel yells, "Get us out of here!"
"I can only move forward mahn, the gauges and radar be out."
Benny yells, loud, "You think this be the work of the beast?"
"I don't know but it not be the work of the Lord!" Joshua yells back. "Just hold on, we running at full speed to get out of this."
Benny moves to the door to look at the back deck. As he peeks out, a wave slams into the side, knocking the door open and sending Benny flying onto the back deck. Nidel moves to the open door but holds on tight to a rail.
He yells at Benny, "Hold on mahn, I throw you a rope."
Benny yells back, "Hurry, please...hurry!"
Nidel turns and opens a cabinet, grabs rope, but when he turns back to Benny, he's gone.
Nidel yells to Joshua, "Benny's gone...he's gone!"
The storm starts to subside, the waves calm, the wind stops. It's an eerie silence. Joshua looks down, the water is up to his ankles.
"We've got a leak Nidel! We're filling up with water. Go check our skiff, we'll get out in that."
Nidel runs outside as the power goes dead. Joshua pushes buttons, tries to re-start the boat. He clicks on the radio but only gets silence. He grabs compasses, spear guns, a machete and other gear, throws it in a bag and runs out the back.
Joshua and Nidel, now in the skiff, watch as their boat slips below the water and into the sea, then completely disappears. They glance at each other and shake their heads, bewildered by what just happened.
Joshua says, "You know there's no land around here for hundreds of miles. You know that, right?"
"Mahn, I don't kn
ow nothing right now except when the storm got Benny, it calmed down. It claimed him Joshua, once it got him, it left us alone. That's all I know."
As they drift, the fog begins to clear. It seems instantly they are back under open, clear skies.
As Joshua studies a paper chart, Nidel spots the two islands. "I thought you said there was no land around here."
Without looking up, Joshua answers, "That's right mahn, no land."
"Then how do you explain those two islands in front of us?"
Joshua finally looks up, sees the islands. "Bloody hell, I think we be in trouble."
"But why mahn, it's land, we be safe there."
"Because there aren't supposed to be any islands anywhere around here. And if those two islands aren't supposed to be there, Lord knows what's waiting for us."
"Well, at least it be land."
Joshua squints through the binoculars. "I see a spot we can land. We'll hide the boat and see what's on the island."
Nidel grabs the oars and begins rowing. They spot an area with thick bushes and trees.
Joshua directs, "Head to that thicket, we can hide her there."
They reach the edge of the thick bushes. The entire area is covered by a huge tree. It's so thick they cannot see past the outer edge of bushes. Joshua grabs the machete and clears some of the brush away. He separates the bushes and sticks his head into them. "We have luck mahn!"
"What is it Joshua?"
"An opening on the inside, completely surrounded by bushes and trees. We dock her there, no one will ever find her."
"And no one ever has. She still be a seaworthy vessel, at least enough to get us over to the mermaid island."
Seth asks, "So what happened to Nidel?"
"The man couldn't take it here. He was never meant to be a prisoner, captive, or ruled by anyone. From the day we got here and were captured, he was making plans to escape. I guess we were here a year when they took a bunch of us outside to show us a man eaten by the sharks who tried to escape."
"Oh no, that was Nidel?" asks Steven.
Joshua asks, "You saw him?"
"No, I just heard about it."
"He turned into a madman, unable to control a dangerous craving. In the end, it cost him his life."
"Depressing mate. But your boat, she still be seaworthy?"
"Oh yeah mahn, like the day she was built."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN