A Dance of Shadows : Witches of Rothmina

Prologue

A red sun was climbing up the east horison,its light slowly came through the window and lighted the cabin. The first thing he heard was a change to the sound of the ship's engine.They were slowing down. "Rothmina dead ahead!" shouted a sailor.
He tried to rise from his bed but his body seemed to be still partialy asleep ,his eyes were itching .When he finally stood up,he felt he had to struggle to move his whole body. "Another dream" he said,heading for the cabin's bathroom.
"Another damned restless night".He washed his face,hoping that would wake him up and looked at himself in the mirror.A pair of ocean blue eyes, checked every inch of his face,his short dark brown hair,the scars on his body until they stopped upon a particular scar starting from his right cheekbone and ending to his jaw."How many more scars will I get before I'm done with all of this?",he wondered.3 knocks on his cabin door interupted his thoughts.He saw from the corner of the mirror the door opening slowly until a head of a young sailor appeared."Master Mether? Are you awake?"
"Yes."
"Excuse me sir but the captain requested your presence as soon as you awoke"
"Very well.Tell him I'm on my way"
The sailor nodded and left,closing the door as slowly and gently as he had opened it.Attius Mether threw a few drops of water to his face again and went back to his bed to collect his equipment from a little chest beneath it.A blue light leather vest,black gloves,a small hand crossbow with regular and explosive bolts, a belt filled with smoke bombs,more bolts and bullets, a small red rifle that he strapped on his back and finally his sword.It wasn't some great or fancy rapier or a cutllass but it wasn't a simple knife either.It was a light short sword with a thin blade made by a special kind of silver.That blade saved him from all kinds of perils and foes, both normal and supernatural.Attius made his way to the deck of The Crow and found her captain Jasko at the bridge,looking at the island of Rothmina through his binoculars.He was an old, bold and muscular man with a long trimmed white mustache ,at least 51 years old with grey eyes full of experience and a hint of sorrow.
"Did you ask for me?"
"Hmm?", He turned to Attius,"O yes! Good morning Attius.I trust that you slept well".
"Not really..."answered Attius.
"Oh,that's unfortunate.You all right?"
"Yeah...it's just... I remember the last time I set foot on that Island".
Jasko smiled " Oh I get it,do you think you will find her as you uncover this threat the counsil told you about?"
"I don't think so." said Attius,giving the old captain a serious look,warning him not to discuss the matter any further.Jasko's smile widened,revealing a long line of white gold teeth. " I wager 50 gold pieces you will see her and she will somehow be involved."Attius responded with a warm smile and said "Keep dreaming old friend,and thanks for the getting me here"
"Don't mention it,we're even now.Oh you will have to excuse me,I should focus on getting us to Oldfel
port without crashing at the ruins".
Jasko took his leave and started screaming orders again to the crew.The ship moved now with a slow and steady pace.Attius stared in awe and wonder.All these rocks that ships struggle to avoid in order to enter the waters of Rothmina were once parts of collosal and magestic statues depicting the ancient heroes and gods of the Ilse.Sometimes you could actually notice that some of these boulders once had the shape of  giant feet,or hands and even heads .Attius would never admit how Jasko was actually right about her being involved in his mission.After all,she was the one that was sending these dreams to him.Dreams that showed him darkness,death and destruction and at center of all these, women in robes,peforming rituals that shake the earth and anger the sea.Convinient was also the fact that the Secret Counsil ,that battles all the paranormal threats of the empire, informed him of this mission to investigate strange behaviour of witches in Rothmina the day after he had the first dream."What are you up to now,Ilvine?" Attius asked in his mind as the boat was ready to dock to Oldfel Port."After all these years...why is fate trying to reunite us?".He raised his left arm and looked at the back of his left hand."Or perhaps not fate,but...something else...".With that final thought a mysterious yellow light was emited by the back of his hand,so bright that it could be seen even through the black glove.The light formed by a symbol,a symbol from the unnatural beyond, a symbol of magic.