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“Are you concerned?”
“Nothing to be concerned about at this point.” The tone of his voice betrays his words.
I stare into the sea, trying to get a better view. Other than the sails, I can’t see much. Movement below grabs my attention. “What was that?” I ask, pointing at the water.
“I don’t see anything. What did you see?”
“I’m not sure. Something large breached the surface.”
Thorne peers over the deck. “Most likely a dolphin. My men caught an injured one a few weeks ago. Sometimes they like to swim with the ships.”
I stare into the water, seeing the movement again. This time something that looks like dark fabric surfaces before disappearing again. “Do dolphins wear clothes?”
“What?” he asks, following my line of sight. “What did you see?”
“I’m not sure, but it looked like fabric.” Together,we look over the side. When the creature surfaces again, it’s obvious that it’s not a dolphin. “What was that, Thorne?”
“I don’t know,” he answers. He turns toward the helm. “Smith, do you see anything in the water?”
“No, sir!” he yells back. “Spotters!” Smith yells toward the men on top of the lookout post. “Is there something in the water?”
The men above stare down, searching for what we just saw. When the creature breaches the surface for the third time, it’s obvious there is no creature, but a man. “What the hell?” Thorne whispers. “Elsbeth, get inside.”
“She stays,” the voice I heard from the water days earlier whispers. A man emerges from the water, fully dressed. He climbs the bow of the ship, scaling the wood unlike any human I’ve ever seen.
“Elsbeth, get to safety, please.” Thorne pulls a long sword from his belt, holding it between me and the creature.
I turn, ready to follow orders, when the man jumps onto the deck several feet in front of us. “Maybe you misunderstood me,” he hisses. “I said, she stays.” He’s wearing black pants and a loose-fitting black shirt. His dark hair is tied behind his neck and tied with a black cloth.
“Who are you, sir?” Thorne asks.
The man moves closer. His movements remind me of a predator on the prowl.
“Who I am is of no concern. Give me the girl.”
“You are in no position to demand anything of me, sir,” Thorne retorts. “You are trespassing on my ship, and I demand you leave.”
The man laughs, showing two sharp teeth in front. Chill bumps cover my skin. “I don’t believe you are in the position to demand anything.” He looks around the ship, spotting the sailors awaiting their leader’s command. “Your men will be no help to you.”
“Those men will kill you on my word.”
The creature moves so fast, I can’t track him. A scream sounds from my right. I turn, finding a young sailor lying in a pool of blood and the creature behind him. “How efficient are your men now?”
“What the bloody hell?” Thorne asks.
“Should I kill a few more?” the man responds. “Give me Elsbeth.” His words are slow and calculated.
“What do you want with me?” I ask. My voice is no louder than a whisper.
He stalks closer. “Your pain calls to me. I can help you. I can fix the convulsions and make you live forever. Free of your pain. Free of the demonic possession that fills you.”
“I am not possessed.”
The creature laughs. “You don’t truly believe that. You didn’t believe that after you killed your father.”
“How…how do you know about that?”
He smiles, showing the sharp teeth again. “I have my ways.”
