Emmalien's Constellation

Chapter Seven

The next morning, Edmond sat at his desk across from Halcreek. Willas paced the floor by the wide window behind the captain.

Halcreek looked pale with dark circles under his tired eyes. He cleared his throat and frowned. The men were sitting in silence. None of them knew what to say in the moment. Each of them wanting to find some solution. Each of them clueless about what to do.

"Will he die?" Edmond finally broke the silence, not able to look Halcreek in the eyes. The topic too grim.

"I don't know." Halcreek said softly. "The bleeding stopped. But the screaming doesn't. He screamed all through the night until he managed to pass out at last."

"What happened to him?" The captain asked. But it wasn't a question directly toward anyone. More of a question he simply put out into the universe, hoping for an answer.

"Sirens." Halcreek still stood by his original statement.

"We're still talking about children's tales?" Willas stopped pacing to glare at Halcreek. "He was attacked, Halcreek. He was almost eaten, and you want to go on a rant about-"

"You heard the singing." Edmond spoke up now to silence Willas. "Davis was in a trance. You must have seen it."

"You are seriously listening to Halcreek on this?" Willas seemed utterly shocked.

"I don't know." Edmond said, feeling torn. "I can't say anything with certainty. I saw it all the same as you. What we believe doesn't matter. The facts are that we lost four men while another two men are fighting for their lives."

"We need to leave this place." Halcreek told them now. His voice was still steady, still calm. He must have been exhausted. "Let loose the sails. Let's go. The direction doesn't matter. We just need to put as much distance between ourselves and this place as possible."

"We don't even know what "this place" is!" Willas stormed to the table to look at the map. "What was this course the researchers gave us? Where did they want us to go?"

"I haven't taken this course before." Edmond pointed to the map. "They said they knew a shortcut. For us to follow this route." He shrugged, "They couldn't have predicted the storm."

"Which storm?" Willas scoffed, "We've been in a storm for a week already. It's not natural."

"It's their storm." Halcreek told them. "We aren't lost. I know exactly where we are. We're right in the middle of their home."

"I respect you, Halcreek." Willas told the man bitterly, "But I can't abide with this nonsense."

"You are in denial. You're afraid." Halcreek tried to say in an understanding tone, "I am, too. Which is why we need to leave. Now. Before nightfall."

"Alright." Edmond nodded. "Alright." He was more than willing now. If nothing else, just to return home to get his men some help. "Tell the men. Let loose the sails. We'll leave immediately."

"Thank you!" Halcreek stood, his face finally showing some emotion. "I'll handle it!" He left the captain's quarters in a hurry.

Willas watched him leave before he spoke to Edmond, now. "You don't really think?"

"We need to get the men to safety." Edmond told him flatly. "We'll sail today, then tomorrow, we will take time to fish."

The sails clapped in the wind. Thunder and lightning loomed behind the clouds above as the ship set sail at last. If nothing else, they could sail until they reached the edge of the storm. Anything for clearer skies.

At the Helm, Edmond felt a sense of urgency he hadn't before. It was hard to really place. He wasn't sure if he was running towards something or trying desperately to run away from something.

The waves caressing the bow again was a refreshing sound. Back on the move.

That was...

Until the fog started to roll in.

Starting out thin, it didn't take long before the fog was so dense. He could barely see a few feet in front of his own face. Without seeing ahead of him, there was no way to know if or when they could dash the ship along a rock side. It wasn't likely they were near land, but he couldn't take the risk. Not with Emmalien's Constellation.

The men knew the routine. It wasn't long before the sails needed to be drawn up again. Just when they were trying to finally leave. It was as if something didn't want them to go.

Halcreek made his fumbling way up to the helm to find Edmond. He looked fearful.

"We must keep going! We have to!" He declared.

Edmond wanted to as badly as Halcreek did. He needed to be away from this place. But what was he to do? He was blinded by this fog. "When it clears and not a second later." Edmond assured him. "We will make it home."

Over the creaking of the ship and the splash of the waves came the singing again. It started soft and distant just to grow in volume, getting ever closer.

"They'll keep going until each of us walks right off this ship ourselves."

"What do you propose we do?" Edmond gave in to the idea now. He had sat on the fence for long enough. After seeing everything he had seen this trip, he was more than willing now to believe in devils and sirens.

"We sail. Regardless of the fog, we sail onward!" Halcreek had to speak over a low rumble of thunder.

"I wish I could." Edmond said sadly. "I'd put the whole crew at risk."

"They're already at risk." Halcreek persisted.

Edmond's hands were tied. And his foot was down. Not with his ship. Not with his crew.

A sudden screaming was heard from across the deck. Both the men turned their heads. Then, they looked back to each other. Halcreek had a very "told you so" expression on his worn face.

Both of them made their way down from the helm to investigate the sound. By then, there was more than a ruckus. Following the sound, they came to discover Davis. He had managed to scramble his blind way up to the deck, screaming like a mad man. His eyes were bandaged by now, but his mouth was still ghastly and opened like some sort of ghoul.

"Take him back below." Edmond shouted over the screams to Halcreek.

But Davis wasn't so easy to handle. He flung around and fought madly. What he was doing, Edmond had no idea. What on earth possessed him to come up to the deck?

Halcreek got a grip on him and tried to wrestle with him without hurting him. "Davis! Davis, it's me, Halcreek! Calm down!"

The singing.

It was the singing that was driving him mad. Edmond looked off towards the fog all around them. Something out there was calling Davis. Whether Davis was willing to fight his way to get to them or he was terrified, Edmond couldn't tell. All he wanted to do was get Davis back into a cot. For his own safety as well as for the others.

Halcreek did his best to drag Davis step by step, but it was clear he needed help. Bell stepped in to get a grip on Davis' legs. Together, they managed to take Davis back down. Edmond considered telling the men to gag the poor man while they were at it. His screams were haunting. But he couldn't do it. Davis deserved better.

Edmond took a moment to breathe. Feeling torn. He felt he was letting his men down all while trying to keep them safe. Was he supposed to run? Would that help? Even through the fog? It was only now that he realized the singing had gone quiet.

He slowly and carefully made his way back up to the helm. Upon approaching, he noticed something on the deck. Something... odd. He couldn't quite make it out through the fog.

He closed the distance by the wheel and finally came to a stop, the object at his feet.

His heart was ice in his chest.

There, with the tendrils still attached and still damp from the sea...

Were Davis' eyes.