The Unknown Realm #4 (Waverly Stump and The 7 Realms)

XLVII

Estmere.

That was the name of Bergor Oxborn's ship. She was twenty five years old and had sailed the waters of Turmoil for half that time. Inside her four feet wide cabins, warmth always took shelter, whereas a blasting cold forever laid siege on her decks. Regardless of the constant sway placed on her by the hypnotic waves beneath her aging hull, she traveled on at a constant speed; never once dissuaded by the salty ocean slapping recklessly against her sides. For many nights and days, she scaled dark blue waters, skidding and bouncing, and occasionally dipping forward in subduction to the great waves before her.

In spite of all, Estmere sailed on.

As Waverly came to discover, Elderdeep was one of the twelve points on Turmoil. It was the first and the last coast they would ever behold, with white rocks adorning its wide beach. She watched Bergor wade toward shore to reach the horseman, who was apparently affixed to collect him there on said day, and tumultuous emotions rolled around inside her.

It was maddening that fifteen days had passed already.

For the first half of it, all she could think about was Elderdeep and Bergor's slated departure. The sailor spoke very little. He was a curious man; sinewy with tousled hair of charcoal gray. His one eye was missing, but he never bothered to conceal it with a patch. As a matter of fact, Bergor had a lot of body parts missing – his left ear, two different fingers on each hand, and several teeth. He spoke only to Judson, but would nod ever so gently at Waverly at the peak of every time of day in some reverential manner, as if she were a sight he felt utmostly honored to look upon. His curious gaze followed Chestnut wherever he went. Twice he tried to pet it and twice the wolf snapped angrily at him. Waverly suspected that Chestnut's disapproval was as a result of something he sensed within the frail sailor rather than his unsettling appearance.

Before his departure, the sailor gave Judson a cluster of cloudberry as a parting gift of some strange sort, and she glimpsed him indicating to a ledge in the helm that he claimed would release a drogue sail when pulled. His next words had made Waverly's blood run cold.

"Let my Estmere find her way in drifting." He croaked, staring deadeye at Judson. "Do not let her come to ruin. You and your company would be a much worthier feast for the accursed sea monster."

Waverly clung tight to Judson as they both watched Bergor and his new company ride away from the coast. Beyond it, about six miles from the beach, was a rural village that they could lodge before making final travel for The Grand Ale.

Soon, all was quiet save for the sound of sloshing waters.

"What did you give him in exchange for the ship?" She queried. The question had been eating away at her ever since she first sighted Estmere from atop her wolf's back.

Judson sighed softly. "Bergor asked for nothing. He is a generous man, but he believes my cause to be a lost one. He thinks it foolish, my quest, and is severely angry at me for making it. Perhaps, our inescapable perishment is his due."

A knot wound into Waverly's throat. She wondered how Judson truly felt about the idea that they would quite possibly die before their journey was complete. She had spent the past fourteen days brainstorming Talandren's successful evasion of Homaroggon and whenever those intense thoughts brought her nowhere, she would dearly miss HalfHyde. Her father would have easily deciphered the meaning of the riddle in no time, and it made her gravely regret not asking him before hurrying off.

As Estmere was drawn back into the grasp of woolly waves again, the voyage became much harder.

Waverly quickly adjusted to sea life; the staggering, salty smell of ocean air; the beautiful sight of dolphins and stingrays beneath the blue surface, the fickle change of weather from sunny to threatening shades of gray, unexpected thunderclaps even at daytime, seagull sightings, Chestnut sluthering down the deck with a hilarious screech each time Estmere reared back from climbing a tall wave, hours of steering, and even longer hours keeping Judson company while he did.