Dark waters

2. Speculations

Cole held his hands out to have support of the walls as he walked down the stairs. The ship had started to move in the most uncomfortable way, slowly rocking from side to side. Sometimes it moved like a seesaw and sometimes it just rolled in all directions, like it was balancing on a ball or something. His head didn't like it at all. He had been fine out in the cool breeze, but a room should not move like that.

He came down to something looking like a dining hall with a wooden table and benches. On the sides were some doors that blended in with the wooden walls. The rocking lanterns hanging from the ceiling didn't do much for his growing seasickness. Holding his arms out for balance, he stumbled between the wall and the long table towards the kitchen.

A red skinned Taur bull with his horns cut to short stumps looked up from a big pot on the stove. His eyes narrowed when he saw Cole grabbing the kitchen counter for support.
"Hi. Tan said I should talk to you about my work."
"You mean the captain said you should talk to me?"
"Yeah. Sorry. I meant the captain."
Vock gave him a long look.
"First voyage?"
Cole nodded.
"So I see. A swig of booze might steady your stomach. Something salty might help and if you throw up you clean up. Okay?"
Cole nodded again.
"Well. Are you here to assist me, or did captain give you something else to do?"
"I'm supposed to be the new cabin boy."
"Really?"
Vock took a small bottle from a shelf behind him and placed in front of Cole.
"Have a swig. Let's see if it calms those sea legs of yours."
Cole quickly grabbed the bottle when the rolling of the ship threatened to make it slide off the counter.
"What is it?"
"Booze."
Cole removed the cork and gave it a hesitant sniff. The smell burned his nose and resulted in a cough before he used his arm to rub his nose.
"Are you sure? It smells worse than turpentine."
Vock laughed.
"Too much for you, pretty boy?"
Cole gave the cook a quick glare before he took a small sip from the bottle. The burn in his mouth slid down his throat and made him cough again. Vock laughed and took the bottle from him. Cole gave him the cork while gripping the counter again.

"I guess I should give you a tour and show you the jiff of the ship. She's a fine vessel. One of the fastest on the Marmorian seas. And the captain has the respect of all that travels these waters."
"Why?"
Vock gave him an icy stare.
"I mean... Is there a specific reason?"
Vock leaned forward with his elbows on the counter. The smell of smoke and kitchen grease swept by Cole's nose.
"Have you ever heard about Dark waters?"
The way Vock lowered his voice gave Cole a chill.
"No."
"Well. The Valkyrie is the only ship that goes through those waters. Unharmed. Every time. The only reason why is that our captain sails the ship himself, with the rest of us down here. No other man has sailed those seas and returned. Ships floats back empty with everything untouched. Sails still up. No signs of battles or damages from a storm."
Cole stared in to Vock's yellow eyes for a moment.
"What happens to them?"
His voice lowered, as if they were sharing a secret.
Vock gave him a smirk.
"Mermaids."
"For real?"
"Yeah!" Vock straightened his back, "Of course they're real. They sing and intelligent men lose their heads like mad. They jump from the ships and swims out to meet these creatures."
Vock turned to the pot to stir in it. The smell would have been pleasant if it weren't for Cole's unsettled stomach.

"So how does the captain do it?"
Vock sighed.
"There are plenty of speculations about that. Some say he had a spell put on him. Some say it's a curse. Some say he made a deal with the queen of the mermaids for clear passage through their waters. The most logical one is that he simply has no interest in women. I choose not to speculate. It is what it is and it's very convenient. We travel to places no one else can go. We don't go around all the land to make it thorough to the other side. We simply travel through Midvatter. It's a calm sea, but according to legend, it's full of mermaids and sea creatures."
"How long does it take to go through?"
"Going around from, let's say Modrin to Nara, takes five to seven weeks. Going through Midvatter takes about two."
"And you stay down here the whole time?"
Vock chuckled.
"Of course not. The creatures only come out at night. Before sunset, we go down here and after sunrise we go out again."