Survivors of Corrica Read online

  She’d pondered the idea of an afterlife many times in the past, treating the sick and dying at the infirma hospit, and after the volcano erupted. But now here was proof that there was something more to life than the miserable reality and death that encompassed her at times. Even when she recognized that they were still alive and the animals showed up, disproving they were dead, she knew that their spirits were real, and she was happy with that.

  Mogame was fascinated as he studied everything that happened, wanting to know more about what was going on around them. But then he paused as he perceived the shadows lurking in the corners of the mist, stirring at their appearance.

  He sensed them gathering their strength, forming a conglomeration that threatened to pounce upon them, to impede their progress and try to attack them. However, Mogame stood up and strode over to the edge of the boat, as if he might somehow bar them from coming. The shadows retreated at his mere presence, but they still remained, always skulking.

  Mogame shook his head, snapping out of his reverie, and wondered if he was letting his imagination get carried away with him. He smiled and marveled at the merpeople, glancing over at Geneva now and again. She was busy trying to reassure her family and soothe herself, wishing she had solid ground beneath her again.

  Lapida burned with an inner fire when the blaze encircled them and gripped her husband’s hand with a warm flush. Hasbas patted and comforted his wife, worried that she was so hot and feverish, while Corr could only detect death and destruction in the atmosphere, and wished he could defend his family like a soldier or a wild animal.

  Dahlia cradled her baby, amazed and frightened at what was going on, while Buzzbo watched everything, filled with joy. Marko found himself split between the two halves of his life, and he wished for a moment that they could all be as solid as a rock, whole and together.

  Meanwhile, Zeldos regretted the decision he made when the weird lights popped up, startling him and the others, yet at the same time, he oddly thought it was the right choice. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew they couldn’t turn back now and he wanted to make the most of his new life ahead of him, the opportunities it’d afford him.

  As Zeldos rested on the gunwale of the ship, he touched the wood the boat was made of, and he discerned the bark of the tree and the roots it had sprouted from, how it once stood in the middle of a forest with other trees. It was chopped down along with others and taken away from the forest, repurposed and reshaped into a new mode to serve people as their ship.

  Despite that, he could almost sense that it was still growing, reaching out to the oars plowing through the waves. The tree was still alive within this boat, moving on across the ocean, away to another shore and another forest where it might reside, and it comforted him for a moment.

  ℜℜℜ

  Finally the haze began to clear and fade, and as it did, they saw the coastline of another shore they’d never been to before, with a beach dipping down towards the waves amidst steep cliffs and a forest looming beyond. The passengers whooped and cheered, forgetting about the strange phenomenon they’d just encountered, but Porran and his crew were concerned when they’d have to navigate through uncharted shoals and potential hazards like rocks, sandbars, and the tide.

  They told everyone to sit down and take up their oars again with Porran himself manning the rudder. Crew members took up position on each side of the ship, checking the depths and on the lookout for any sign of a threat as they called out orders and directions to each other.

  In the midst of this, Wilama regained consciousness as Wintha and Anya kept watch over her. “Are you okay?” Wintha asked, staring down at her.

  “I’m fine, better than I was before.” Wilama radiantly smiled, sitting up and looking around at everybody, her eyes darting about as she studied them. “I feel great, stronger and faster than I ever was. I feel like rowing.”

  She grabbed the oar and pushed and shoved at it, heaving with all her might, which had increased dramatically from the last time she applied such force. Wintha trembled, gazing upon Wilama, and she vacated the bench that they shared, moving over to join Anya at her post.

  “What’s wrong, Wintha?” Anya asked, glancing back at Wilama. “Everything’s fine now, we’ll be okay.”

  What had she done? Wintha whimpered and half wondered to herself, worried about the change that had occurred with Wilama. She wasn’t the same person she’d been before, or at least she wasn’t acting the same anymore, now that she’d been exposed to her magical strength.

  Why’d she put all of these people at risk, guiding them to this new land? Did she fear the world beyond, not certain they’d be safe on the old islands that used to belong to Corrica? Yes, there were plenty of threats in the world they came from, but would they really be better off in this new, magical territory?

  Wintha wasn’t sure anymore and doubted her intuition, especially when the visions were still dim and chaotic as she tried to discern what’d happen to her and the others. Perhaps she misjudged the situation, and now they’d pay a heavy price for her mishap. It was her fault. Anya noticed Wintha’s melancholy and tried to cheer her up, but Wintha wouldn’t respond.

  Wilama didn’t care or mind that Wintha left her when she was distracted with her racing thoughts, the pace of her exercise, and her burgeoning impression of everyone else. She could feel their muscles and bones contracting and moving, back and forth.

  She could almost grasp their forms and manipulate them to stretch longer and farther, to expand and grow bigger, or even crush them if she so wished. But she didn’t do anything, not certain what she was doing or why she had this endowment. However, she was curious to find out just what she could do, and if there was anything more to her new capabilities.

  ℜℜℜ

  As they approached the coast, the oars and the boat began to scrape and skiff along the bottom of the shallows, still a few feet away from dry land at this time of the day. Porran and the sailors tried to get the vessel as close to shore as they could before they finally called a halt and dropped anchor. Now they needed a landing party to form up and take a look around.

  Marko and Hasbas quickly grabbed the armor and weapons they’d brought with them when escaping Corrica’s destruction and suited up with Corr and Lapida helping Hasbas while Buzzbo and Dahlia assisted Marko. Buzzbo put on an extra helmet and breastplate he borrowed from Marko, and took a bow they bought at an island, while Corr got a knife and shield from Hasbas. Zeldos still had some chainmail and greaves from his gladiator days amongst his possessions, so he wore that and took one of the fishing spears a crewmember had.

  Mogame also volunteered to go with them, but he wouldn’t arm or shield himself as he insisted it was too much encumbrance for a quick survey trip. He wanted to check out the new land and investigate it without clanking or lumbering about, startling and scaring away any animals or potential humans they might run across.

  That was the main thing they were concerned about, other people and what they might be like if there were any that lived in this realm. The Corricans would be encroaching on their territory, and were practically defenseless and vulnerable at this junction. Porran and most of his crew would stay with the boat to keep an eye on things and help the passengers disembark once it was safe enough.

  So Marko, Hasbas, Corr, Buzzbo, Zeldos and Mogame, along with a few others, sloshed through the shallows and climbed up onto the beach, staring at the forest ahead of them while the people who remained on the boat kept a close eye on them for as long as they could see them. Corr glanced around, wondering if he saw movement near some rocks, but then he was distracted as Marko planted his sword down, claiming this land in honor of the lost empire of Corrica.

  Zeldos grimaced at such brazenness, clutching his spear, while Hasbas attempted to shake Marko out of his memorial, telling him they had to keep moving. Buzzbo hesitated, wanting to side with his lover and mourn Corrica’s loss, too, but he wanted to put the past behind them as well and make a fresh start in this n
ew home. If that meant leaving Corrica and all of its baggage behind them, then so be it.

  Corr wandered off with Mogame, gazing upon the forest. “Do you think there are people living here?” Corr asked the scholar.

  “It’s possible, people spread from island to island. We don’t know where humans come from, in general, but we seem to have a habit of wandering and settling wherever we can. If this landmass really is as big as Wintha said, and it seems pretty large from my perspective, then yes, we might run across some other humans eventually.” Mogame said.

  Corr nodded and looked back at the others arguing. “I don’t think this place or any other belongs to us anymore, but maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll find a home here.”

  “I hope so, too.” Mogame said.

  Once the others had calmed down, they hiked into the forest, scanning their surroundings. They spotted even more unusual creatures, including a horned horse and a small flying lizard, but otherwise, most of the animals and vegetation was about the same as where they’d been before and it seemed safe enough.

  They didn’t go far, just a mile or two in any direction before they returned to the beach, and signaled to the boat with everyone else watching out for them. They’d make a more exhaustive sweep and travel farther inland once they were all together and properly ashore, ready to find a new settlement.

  Porran and his crew assisted the passengers, gathering all of their belongings and children before clambering over the side and splashing through the water onto shore, with many praising the gods for their safe arrival. Then the sailors began to tether the ship and start hauling it up onto the beach, far enough away from the tideline that it wouldn’t be washed out to sea. Others grabbed onto the ropes and heaved as well, so that by the time the sun set, the ship was fully beached and secure.

  ℜℜℜ

  They set up camp not far from the ship, and some even chose to sleep in the ship, in the shadows of the trees, but not quite off of the beach or in the forest yet. However, they sent Corr and some of the youths off to fetch firewood to celebrate the end of their travels with a bonfire.

  Corr strode off into the woods again by himself, looking around at everything while the others were busy with their chore. He wanted to explore like they’d done before and maybe be the first to encounter the strangers who lived in this land. Would they be nice and friendly, or hostile? He wasn’t sure, but thinking about the horrible things his empire had done to other people like Zeldos, maybe he shouldn’t expect too much from other humans.

  Corr heard a snap and looked up, only to realize that it was a falcon alighting on a branch. “Oh, thank the gods,” He murmured, shaking his head. “Thought it was something else.”

  “Like what?” The falcon asked.

  Corr gasped and staggered back. “You talk and speak my language?”

  “Um, yes, I do. It’s a little bit of magic. Fato the falcon you can call me, or just Fato.” The bird peered about.

  “Do all birds talk in this country?”

  “No, I’m sort of special. What brings you here?”

  “To this land? It’s a long story.”

  “I’ve got time to hear it, I think.” Fato said.

  Corr quickly conveyed the gist of their journey so far, glancing back towards the camp as he wondered if he’d be missed soon and brought back there. “So now we’ve landed in this strange locale with talking animals, magical creatures, and some sort of hum in the air.”

  “You’ve never encountered magic before now?” Fato asked him, tilting his head.

  “Not like real magic. We’ve heard stories of miracles and creatures beyond our island that are difficult to believe, but we’ve never come across them in real life, occurring right in front of us. It’s like something from a myth or legend, what’s happening all around us. You’re part of that, too, Fato.”

  “Huh, I never knew there was an area beyond here where magic never developed, and people and animals didn’t acquire such knack. That’s fascinating to me, although my condolences to you, your people, and your family for your losses.”

  “Thanks for that. By the way, do you know where we could meet other people, the humans who live on this land?”

  “If you were to go south for about thirty miles, as I recall, there’s a small outpost where humans fall timber and fish the river channel. Some live there, but many more live farther south in the land that belongs to Bahealfisaba.”

  “Bahealfisaba?” Corr repeated, trying to pronounce it correctly.

  “Yes, a bit complicated to say. They claim part of this land, but there are many more territories and groups beyond here. I don’t know them all, but the people of Bahealfisaba are supposed to be friendly and tolerant enough, although that’s just a rumor I’ve heard. I don’t know what they’re really like.”

  “Thanks anyway.” Corr nodded, turning away.

  “By the way, if you need more help, you could try calling for me. I might be able to come once or twice, especially when it’s dark, but only if it’s an emergency, okay?” Fato told him.

  “Okay, thanks.” Corr said and wandered off.

  Fato grimaced. “I hope I don’t get in trouble for this.” He flew away, and vanished soon after.

  ℜℜℜ

  Corr returned to the camp, excited, and quickly told the others what he’d seen and heard. Hasbas and Lapida, who’d been worried about him when he was still missing after the other children came back with firewood, dismissed his story for the most part as his imagination going wild here, but they were glad that he was back.

  However, Marko was interested, or at least pretended to be, especially when Wintha vouched for him and said that there was likely a settlement so close by. Corr stared at Wintha, wondering why she was so insistent and interested in his tale. But at least he had some support and Wilama chimed in, too, saying they should believe him.

  Mogame and Zeldos at least wanted to check it out, while Porran thought it might be a good idea to consider such an exploratory trek and discover exactly where they’d landed. Hasbas reluctantly agreed to go along with them, though he didn’t know why they’d take his kid brother so seriously.

  Corr wanted to go with them now, saying it was his contact with Fato that had gotten them this information, and he wanted to find out if the bird was right. Lapida was concerned, and she didn’t want to be left behind if Corr and Hasbas were going off on this adventure, so she was adamant on coming with them.

  Meanwhile, Buzzbo said he’d go along with Marko on this journey and Dahlia, hearing this, piped up that she’d be with Marko, too, even taking their baby along. Marko grimaced when he didn’t think this’d be an easy hike, especially for the sake of his son, but he couldn’t say no to Buzzbo or his wife, especially when this could be an opportunity for all of them to learn how to get along with each other.

  Earlier Buzzbo, Marko, and Dahlia had been arguing about their sleeping arrangements, who’d go where when, as both Buzzbo and Dahlia wanted Marko to themselves, and Marko wanted to spend time with Buzzbo while placating his wife, too. He couldn’t have it both ways, apparently, and they both wanted him to choose between them.

  But he couldn’t make that choice when he didn’t want to lose his beloved Buzzbo or his only son Jomo, the joy of his heart, and the family he was building up with Dahlia. He’d rather try his best to convince them to let things settle down between them, and so he decided that they should take this trip together and hopefully come to some sort of resolution.

  Geneva wanted to get away from her family for a while and spend time with Mogame, so she volunteered for the expedition, and Zeldos also wanted to warn the local inhabitants about the Corricans and their past misdeeds. Wintha clamored to come along, too, and Wilama wouldn’t let her go with them alone, while Anya said she should accompany them to treat any injuries they might receive and be with Wintha and Wilama.

  Porran was further fixed upon joining their party to protect his cousin Anya, and enlisted a couple sailors to take charge of t
he campsite in their absence, along with the eldest members of Geneva’s family. So they left together the next day, Corr, Hasbas, Lapida, Buzzbo, Marko, Dahlia with baby Jomo, Wintha, Wilama, Anya, Zeldos, Geneva, Mogame and Porran, trekking into the forest and entering the interior of an unknown continent. Privately, Zeldos said good-bye to the ship, certain he’d never set foot on a boat again.

  Chapter Eight:

  The First Encounter

  For most of the day, they journeyed along, walking through rough forest terrain with barely a trail to follow, heading south as Marko, Hasbas, Mogame, Geneva and Porran helped them navigate. They found the river channel Fato had mentioned not far from the cove where they’d landed, and they used that as a guide, expecting the outpost to be close to there.

  Corr was excited, wondering what to expect, but the others were grim and preoccupied with their own problems. Finally, as the sun started to set, they made camp again, a few miles away from where the way station was supposed to be, but without a sign of it. Marko muttered about a wild goose chase, but Hasbas hushed him, not wanting anybody to belittle his brother.

  Wintha wandered off, away from the group, and curious about where she was going, Corr followed her into the underbrush. She paused a few feet away from the campsite and glanced back at him, studying him, while he also examined her, too.

  He wasn’t certain just how old she was, perhaps a couple years younger, older, or the same as him, when she was thin and small from living on the streets. But she was the strangest person he’d ever met, and seemed wiser than her years, too, like an old woman instead of a youth or adolescent.

  She turned to him and said, “The falcon came to you first?”

  “I guess he did.” Corr said, confused.

  “I thought he might come to me or Zeldos or one of the others first, but I suppose you’re the one, then.” Wilama frowned at him. “Though I doubt that you’re ready for this. Did he say anything about his magic?”