Empress of the Sea

Chapter Nine

A week had passed since they had arrived on the island, and Elesa felt as if she would go insane. The farthest she had been from the camp was as far as Luhn agreed to walk with her. She kept track of each day in her journal, but since little was happening, she mostly wrote down her own thoughts. She made sure to keep track of the sailors who were kind to her and open to conversation.

That day, the kinder half of the crew was left in the camp. Most of them were milling about the tents, waiting for the noon meal so that they could spend the afternoon fishing. Elesa was standing on the beach, puzzling over the fog that still obscured Tria.

Footsteps approached behind her, sluggish in the sand. Turning, she smiled at the crewman. "Hello."

Hendric seemed hesitant or perhaps it was the affect of heavy boots in sand. He nodded at her. "M'lady."

There was silence for a few moments before Elesa broke it. "I can't make sense of that fog," she remarked lightly.

He squinted into the distance, one hand idly stroking the beginnings of his mustache. "No, it doesn't make sense. Even if they were having a bad storm, it wouldn't have lasted this long."

She nodded in agreement. "What do you think of the island so far?" she asked to shift the topic to something that interested her more.

Hendric shrugged. "I don't have much of an opinion. It's a strange place, I think, but the cap'n seems to think it will do for what the emperor wants it for."

"The expedition isn't set to return for another three weeks. Captain Arion isn't thinking of leaving sooner, is he?" Elesa asked hurriedly, worried that she would not get her chance if they left before the designated time.

"No. He needs more time to map the island. He's very meticulous; he'll need the set time to finish."

At Hendric's sideways glance, Elesa tried not to appear too interested. She didn't want anyone to guess at her motives or question her presence on the expedition.

"Are you going to go fishing?" she asked to again change the topic.

When he nodded, Elesa nodded back before turning to see if the noon meal was prepared yet. "I believe Hail has finished cooking."

The meal was silent; the sailors were interested in eating quickly to be off to fish. She sat near Hendric, and made few remarks during the meal, attempting to be polite. Since their arrival on the island, Hendric had continued in his pattern of small kindnesses, and Elesa wanted to show she appreciated it and did so through conversation.

As she thought about the prospect of another long, boring afternoon, she spoke impulsively. "May I come along?"

Hendric stopped, spoon halfway to his mouth. "M'lady?"

"May I come fishing with you?"

The sailor blinked at her once. Twice. "I suppose you could." His words were hesitant.

"Are you sure it would be alright?" Though she asked, Elesa could hardly contain her excitement at the prospect.

"If the first mate gives his permission, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to."

He finished the bite of his food, and Elesa looked down at her own half-eaten meal before dumping the rest of it into the flames. She stood and set the dish into a bucket of water that sat by the fire. She would take her journal along so that she could record everything as it happened. Finally, she would be given a chance to leave the campsite and see part of the island.

When she emerged from her tent again, the crewman were gathering their fishing supplies and preparing to head to the pond. Five men in all were going, including Hendric who told her that Luhn had given his permission for her to go along.