Elysian House: Edge of the World (3)

Chapter 22: The Calm Before The Storm

Olivia

The shop was dark and the smell of old nick knacks were heavy in the stuffy air. I was sweating profusely, but I refused to leave, despite the uncomfortable conditions. Every single pirate, thief, robber, murderer was in the vicinity and  if they knew who I was, they'd hand me over to the Royal Guard without a moment's hesitation.

Two years ago I awoke on the shoreline, after my entire crew had been wiped out and my dear friend, Davy Jones, was swept into the depths of the sea. The one thing he gave me, the one thing I can remember him by, was gone. Down into the darkness along with the rest. 

It was my job to get it back. My job to find it, to take it, and to never let it go. And the rumors of a peculiar object that could allow me to sea into the deepest, darkest corners of the ocean was what led me here today.

To a Witch's shop. A Witch most everyone knew as Mary Margaret.

As soon as I entered the shop, I pulled the hood of my cloak off and scanned the stuffy shop. Each shelf was stock piled with different trinkets. Bookshelves filled with old books with tattered leather covers. 

From the ceiling loft, there were small, shrunken heads, tied up by their greasy hairs on their small heads. They seemed to be looking right at me as I entered the shop that evening.

"What can I help you with today, ma'am?"

The voice of that Witch immediately had me turning around, in a swift motion. There she stood, on the stairs of her little shop, dressed all in black, her black hair tied up, and her face painted with dark makeup, and strange markings.

"I've heard you have something I need," I told her.

The Witch smiles and her teeth flash dangerously in the dark shop. She continues to climb down the stairs, almost floating down them. She seemed as if she were barely touching the ground. 

"And what is it you need?" She asked me, though she seemed as though she knew exactly what it was already.

I swallowed down the nerves. I had to get my hands on this, so I may find the Fleece I lost to that treacherous creature. "I've heard rumors that you have an object that can sea into the deepest, darkest corners of the ocean. An enchanted item."

She grinned wide and drummed her fingers over the counter top. "I may have something like that, yes. But beware, traveler, people that use this item often find themselves in sticky situations. A lot of things are hidden in the ocean, things man are not meant to see. And when the ocean finds out, well... most of them join the bottom of the sea."

"I think I can handle it," I said, trying to remain unfazed by her terrifying words.

"Very well," she said and leaned down, to a chest that rested at her feet and tapped her fingers on it in some sort of cryptic way, and the lock slowly undid itself and the lid flipped open. Inside were dozens and dozens of precious looking items, wrapped up in paper and tied with ropes. And I could have sworn I heard a few things inside hiss. 

But she reached in, without batting an eye and slowly lifts up a package. This package was a few inches long, and tucked away in what seemed to be a little box. She set the package down onto the counter delicately and waved her hand, and the chest closed itself and then sealed shut yet again.

She keeps her eyes on me as she speaks, all while grinning. "This item is one I acquired years ago. It's a deadly tool, and one that can often lead those to their deaths. The person who enchanted it remains unknown, but it often finds its way back to me."