Ashsib and the Cat Beast

Chapter Six

The island of Tarsiss was hidden in a fog, a shadowed cloud that blurred any sight of land. The Mermaid was waiting for the fog to part before approaching the island proper.

Tarsiss was a midsize island, but most of its mass was uninhabitable mountains. It had a central capital at the foot of the largest mountain and two notable towns up on the rocky peaks. A bit out of the way of major shipping routes, but the call for supplies had been normal enough. It was a manufacturing island, industrialized for textile export, and held several masterwork guilds. No specific guild or merchant name had been issued on the goods request, but that was not unusual with intermediary trade. The only thing dimming the glow of sale was that they couldn't yet land to complete it.

"It must be a jungle island or something, to cause this much fog so late in the morning." Bretta remarked as they circled.

"It's not particularly." The Captain said, "Though it was summer last I was here."

"Before out time, huh?" Calder said as he leaned on the railing to gaze out at the phenomenon.

"Shortly, yes." Quinn didn't take his eyes off the fog, either, "Curiously, our informant didn't mention it and the intermediary did not send a warning when we spoke yesterday morning over the radio."

They kept a vigil on the island, but by the next morning the fog hadn't budged an inch.

"Definitely unnatural." Their navigator commented. That Pashqua had come out of his wheelhouse to study the weather proved it's oddity.

"Can we make it to another landmass?" The Captain asked aloud to those present.

"You'll have to ask Challah." Bretta responded, "Tarsiss is pretty far away from any other islands. Pashqua, what was the nearest place called?"

"Par de Sallen." Pashqua grunted.

"Yeah, Par de Sallen is the closest island and it's two weeks away eastly." Bretta explained.

"Just east." Pashqua corrected.

"Pashqua, please." Bretta dismissed him.

The two got on well mostly. Pashqua had been in charge of the ship before Quinn had convinced Bretta to sail with him and allow use of the boat. They were a pair, of sorts, though neither explained how they'd come to be so. Ashsib didn't pry into any past not offered first. He expected the same in return.

"This fog is too perfect to be natural." Vel said.

The ship gave a lurch.

"Wha!" Ashsib flailed up in the crow's nest, clinging on for dear life when just a steady hand would do.

"Buk-!" Calder wasn't so lucky, he fell to his rear end.

"Did you just say buk?" Vel asked the man, looking down at him with a mocking smile.

"Shut up!" Calder colored, righting himself.

"Why is my boat moving?" Quinn addressed the group.

Pashqua had already returned to the wheel, his voice answered from the small hutch, "Rudder unresponsive."

Bretta checked the taut anchor chain, "The anchor is still deployed and the sails are furled."

"I'm hearing 'I don't know' and I don't like to hear I don't know!" The Captain huffed.

The ship gave another lurch, only Bretta was caught unawares and she stayed close to deck as the ship creaked and cut through the water.

"She didn't say buk." Vel said.