The Fourth Man

The Third Island

The Third Island

Siggy had raced down to the docks, and very swiftly greeted Quaker and Exo. Quaker was tall and well-built he looked a lot older than his seventeen years, a medium length lock of blonde hair occupied his head. Exo was smaller and thinner, and looked a lot younger than sixteen, but he held all of the maps and charts, leading Siggy to believe he was a boy of intelligence.

It didn't take them long to board the boat, and soon they had pulled away from the docks and were motoring steadily away. The boat was small, with a motor engine, and no cabin or shelter. There was enough room for the three boys and the rucksack of supplies. Quaker steered the motor from the rear, as Exo navigated from his map, spread across his knees.

Soon they were well out of sight of Further Farland, and only the vast blue of the water stretched out infront of them, but it wasn't long before Fontaine Island appeared on the horizon.

"I'm Exo," Exo exclaimed suddenly

"I'm Siggy," replied Siggy, assuming Exo was addressing him

"Back on Fontaine Island," Exo continued "My dad is a gardener, and I was brought up helping him really. I offered to come help when Jamie-Sandy asked for a couple of lads to aid someone look for the Fourth Man. I've always been interested in him; most say he's just a legend."

"Any idea what he can do?" Siggy asked

"Nope, not a clue," Exo admitted "But I would recommend we look in Treeline Forest for him, that's where all the stories I've ever heard say he comes from."

"Right, thanks," said Siggy

"No, you don't want to be going to Treeline Forest," Quaker piped up, "From what I've heard the Peight Plains are your best bet, a large expanse of open plains; people say he has somewhere underground there. I'm Quaker by the way, same story as Exo really, except my dad's a farmer, and I help around with everything." Siggy noted the muscular physique "But I'm more than happy to try and help, the Fourth Man is such a big mystery to everyone."

Siggy didn't know where to go. The forest could be a good place to hide but they could get lost quite easily. The plains would be easy to get across, but something underground would be almost impossible to find. He still hadn't decided where to go as they approached the island, and a fog began to descend upon them.

Soon it became thicker, so much so they could barley see infront of them. The coastline disappeared and Exo gave up with the map. Quaker attempted to steer in the general direction of the coast, but he looked uneasy doing so.

Unexpectedly the fog cleared almost at once. The day was a lot darker than it had been before, and the wind was strong, dropping the temperature to a noticeable chill. Sight could tell from Exo and Quaker's faces that they were lost, but there was still land straight ahead of them.

They reached the coast and Quaker vaulted down onto the sand, studying the area. Exo looked about similarly.

"So are we here?" Siggy asked

"Well I don't think I recognise it," admitted Quaker "But we could have drifted to the other side of the island or something."

"No," said Exo, looking grave "I dont know where this is, but we definitely aren't on Fontaine Island."