Time Lapse

Chapter 10 ~ Cetus of the Sea ~ Part 1

Three days passed since the storm, and Wheel was never found. Captain Qort couldn't wait for more time to pass and announced to his men. "Everyone, I think it's time we address certain concerns and rumors."

The Vos Lonis crew was gathered on deck, a line of men of various ages and rough figures. They seemed to murmur amongst themselves before the Captain continued.

"Silence," the crew stopped bickering, looking up at the helm where Captain Qort stood along the railing and speaking to the crew. "I know each of you personally. I know which of you have families and that your family is also the crew. I've led these voyages in the past thirty years, and we have never lost a ship or entire crew. Because of this, we don't know the taste of loss or defeat. It might not even feel real to many of us yet..."

Qort paused momentarily, looking at the ever-expanding ocean that never seemed to end. "But I think it's time we realized our sister ship, the Wheel, is nowhere to be found. We should presume our brothers on board are dead and that we finish this voyage. Arrow is still sailing behind, and once the wind dies down, we'll contact the other crew."

Once again, Qort looked down to face his men in the eyes, "Tonight, we'll have a feast and drink to honor a hundred men aboard the Wheel. Once this voyage is over, it's our duty to contact their families and anyone close enough. For the ones whose families belonged among us, make a list of their names. And when we finally reach Gestalt, we'll mark their names among the beaches and tell the world of the bravery of everyone who gave their lives for this harsh voyage."

Some of the men among the crew hung their heads low, coming to terms with the loss of their closest friends. Most crew knew each other very well, spending most of their life at sea together. Some of the men stepped away, grabbing a pen and paper to hand to Eidos. It was natural most of the men couldn't read or write and trusted the cartographer to write their names.

"Before everyone walks away, one last memo." Captain Qort scanned the crowd, one eyebrow raised, "I understand this feeling of loss is new for us, but under no circumstances is there a monster in the ocean. We had two men see Wheel catch fire from the oil lantern. I'm not sure where this rumor started, and I understand we like to rationalize our frustrations into something tangible." Captain Qort hushed his voice, now more dark and demanding, "But trust me, the last thing we want is a monster following us."

The captain stepped away from the railing, waving his hand to the crowd and resuming his guard at the helm. Eidos ran to his room to use one of his papers for maps, but he couldn't ignore his son, who was still lying in bed. "Hey, we're writing down the names of the men on the Wheel. The Captain says we're gonna have a feast for them tonight. For their sake, please get out of bed, at least for the crew."

Carnia rolled over, "I would, but now so many men won't stop asking me about this monster I saw. I know they're teasing me, but some believe it."

"And I'll be there to tell them you were seeing funny because of your tumble. Does your nose still hurt?"

"Still broken, but not out of place. At least that you can't see."

"Son, the amount I've drunk over the years has changed that. Your left is not the same as mine, so your nose always looked broken."

Carnia laughed loosely, "I'd like to see what that looks like. Just don't fall overboard tonight."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Eidos laughed to himself. He returned for the door, quill, and paper in hand.

"I won't tell anyone what I saw. But do you believe me, at least?" Carnia asked his father, the door halfway open already.

Closing the door again, Eidos looked away and answered, "Hmm. Maybe if you believe I found Gestalt, I'll entertain this sea monster."