The storm never let up. It was a proper hurricane, and the crew of the Dispatch spent their days rolling in bunks or emptying their stomachs into the sea. More than a few were already showing the early signs of scurvy. Vanci had told them they had to assume this was the Isle of Dusk, and for their safety, he forbade anyone from going ashore, despite the agony of their current situation.
They had enough food to last them the rest of the month, and the voyage from the Isle to Sheld would take nowhere near that length.
But Renado was angry and tired. This whole voyage had been a waste; they had made nowhere near enough money to justify their expenditures and now were weathering out a storm for who knew how long. He sat next to Vanci, in the rain. It was their turn on deck. Vanci had been in a foul mood since the storm struck too, so they did not speak. They simply moped.
Asar was directing a few others on water duty, making sure the boat didn’t have any flooding, which could lead to rotting below deck. Thankfully, they didn’t have cargo down there too.
“You two look happy,” Asar said.
Rain was dripping from Renado’s dark hair and he gave Asar his best glare. “Go scrub the deck. It’s not clean enough yet.”
Asar laughed and made a mock bow. When he rose again, his glanced past Renado, at the rocky shore of the Isle. “There!”
Vanci turned faster than Ren, and he said, “Someone’s up there.”
Sure enough, there were people on the rocks. One was pointing down at the ship, but they were too distant to be distinct. There couldn’t have been more than ten, and they wore dark, nondescript clothes.
“What should we do?” Renado asked. “What if they’re mages?”
Asar drew his sword.
“Sheathe it,” Vanci said. “Let’s see what they want…”
It was still pouring and the boulder only blocked some of the wind. Sailing out into the storm would be suicide.
“Asar,” Renado said. “Sheathe it.”
The man complied, hesitantly. He was pale and his hand didn’t stray far from his blade. He was a reliable man, but was, with good reason, fearful of the unknown.
The air began to warm up a bit, and Renado opened his mouth. “Something—”
“Cut the ropes,” Vanci said. He felt the change too. “Cut the ropes. We’ll take our chance with—”
With a bang, everything changed. Renado glanced to the right, up the length of the Dispatch. Crew and all, the front of the ship vanished. Quick as lightning the disappearance shot towards Renado, the masts were gone, the floor gone. Asar turned to run from it, and then he was gone too. Without another sound, Vanci, Renado, and their ship vanished into the air.