Nan's Jewel

Nan's Jewel~ Chapter 20 <3 Edward

AN: The next Chapter will have an interesting part in it. I suggest only reading it if you can handle............ ANYWAY

<3 Kaitlin

*Starts to type frantically.*

Chapter 20- Edward

The nights and days were very lonely for me. I spent most of my time watching Aaron's ship with the chief's sons, or roaming around on the beach. I was a man of the sea, I was constantly drawn to it, one reason why I never stayed on land much. It was odd; most would get sea sick, but I got land sick. I had forced myself to stay with Zillah because I had promised her to get her to safety. This island was plenty safe, but I had a feeling Aaron wasn't going to leave soon; making it very unsafe for her. I knew Zillah roamed the beach at night, so I took it at dawn. I was feeling very disturbed. I felt like I needed to be with Zillah; like something was going to happen, but I couldn't bear to see her. I knew I was a mess. Plenty of sleepless nights had taken their toll on me. I had prayed for Zillah's safety in as many different ways as possible, so this sudden disturbance bothered me. I felt blind and deaf to its warnings. The sun was still a few hours away when I snuck out of the house. I slowly walked down to the beach, and stuck my hands in the cool water. I splashed a bit on my face, though the salt stung a little bit. I sat back away from the waves, my thoughts coming and receding with each wave. When the sun finally raised enough for me to see, I took off my thin shirt and dove into the rose colored dawn. When I broke through the surface I took a deep breath of the salty air. It felt good to be one with the water, but I longed for Nan's Jewel's sturdy planks beneath my feet, and the sound of her splashing quickly through the water. I looked off to my left to see her anchored, still dark in the early morning light. There was no activity on deck, and I assumed my men to all be drunk from last night's revelry. I could hear it all the way up in the chief's house. I started to head for my ship, but decided against it, and swam out into the open water. When I felt my feet leave the floor I dove under, seeing the beautiful coral reefs through the crystal clear water. After a few hours of swimming I swam back to shore in the bright daylight, and dried in the sun. I stood and stretched, feeling much better. I looked down to see beads of moisture still dotting my chest. With a shake I dislodged some, and put my shirt back on, turning to find Firecry watching me.

"Earthstar wishes you to see something."He explained.

I nodded, and together we took off at a run for the hastily constructed lookout the men had built for the lookouts. Earthstar was sitting there, his eyes focused on the Mary Rose.

"Tell him brother."Firecry prompted. "I'll take the watch now."

Earthstar backed away from the window, and stood by me.

"We saw a boat lowered, but it only had one man in it. He was an older man, and he had nothing with him. He hasn't returned yet. I didn't get a good look at him though."Earthstar said, quite elated.

"Thank you Earthstar. You have been helpful to me."I praised, already starting back towards the village.

I figured the man to be Aaron. It was very unlikely he would send one of his crew around. He would send groups, but only he would go by himself. With these thoughts bouncing around in my head I walked into the village to eat breakfast with the chief and his family. Before Zillah arrived I told them what Earthstar had observed, and my suspicions. Edler refused to make his own case, because he said he knew little of Aaron. Edler was a very well educated man, and I understood his reasoning. After breakfast I returned to Earthstar and his brother, and stayed with them for the rest of the day. The man did not return, and soon it was dark. Earthstar and Firecry remained, in case of a night invasion, but I left, hoping to get some sleep; it had been a long day.