Memories of Gaia: Seeking Shadows in the Storm

Nyles had protested loudly to the boat ride, saying he would gladly meet up with Akari and Rowan on the island itself. But Akari had stood firm, saying it was too long of a flight and he would tire out long before he reached land.

“I am not going to die in that reverse bathtub!” He said, pointing at the boat. The vessel did look extremely old, with the wood warped in places from the bodies of its hundreds of passengers leaning against it. There was a deep visible crack in on the starboard rail, a piece of tape was peeling off of it.

“Let him fly if he wants, Akari.” Rowan had said, climbing aboard, the planks protesting under his weight. “We’ll just collect his body from the waves on our way home. That’s if the Queen hadn’t already.”

Nyles groaned again, dragging his feet through the sand as he boarded the small vessel, not liking the way it sunk further into the water.

Nyles sat at the stern, knees tucked to his chest, his head resting on his arms that were folded over his bent knees. The waves crashing against the ancient wood did nothing to ease his fears as he inhaled deeply the salty sea air.

Akari stood at the bow, her hair blowing back, a smile on her lovely face. She was using her crystal to light the way through the dark sky, the stars burning far more brightly than normal.

They had traveled east, past Tellah’s hut towards the sea where had happened upon an abandoned boat bobbing on the waves, waiting for the waters to reclaim it.

After a long argument, Nyles had reluctantly flown towards it, teaching himself on the spot how to drive it back to shore where Rowan easily took over.

The water was calm now, whatever storm that had been brewing hours before had faded away, leaving a beautiful, cloudless sky. There had been several scattered rain storms that passed as quickly as they appeared, leaving no trace of their fury behind.

Akari had found an expensive leather bag lying under one of the seats, blending in with the wood itself. She bent down and picked it up, standing as she peered within.

“Seriously?” Akari asked out loud, disappointed to discover that the bag held various types of makeup, a letter, and a gorgeous lavender dress.

“Who packs this crap for a boat ride?” Rowan asked as Akari pulled out the various contents of the bag. “I’m not going to lie, I was hoping there was food in there.” Akari and Nyles nodded in agreement.

Akari sat on the floor of the boat, tearing open the letter. She knew she was being nosy, but the owner of the letter would never find out as they were probably lost at sea.

Akari unfolded the soft, pink paper and read the words that were written on the page in a lovely penmanship.

“Please come home” was written near the top. Under it was one word in simple letters, “No.”

‘Well,’ Akari thought, placing the letter back into the bag and shoving it roughly back under the seat. ‘I suppose you got your wish.’

An eerie, gray haze was rolling in as the pointed tips of submerged mountains peeked out of the waters ahead. Rumen slowed the boat, the engine protesting as he jerked the wheel, nearly missing the bow of a destroyed ship that was hidden in the fog.

Akari could see the Isle of Lost Sirens rising out of the water; the ominous halo was visible in the sky. She saw planks of wood floating in the choppy waters as they drew closer, the victims of the fog.

Akari peered to her left as something slipped under the water, barely catching the movement out of the corner of her eye.

“What is that?” Nyles asked lifting his head, a look of confusion painted on his stone face. Akari shrugged, she did not hear anything except the water lapping at the rocks. “Could have been the waters. They like to play tricks on the sailors that enter their playground.”

Nyles did not enjoy the fact that Akari had said that, but his eyes scanned the water for the source of the lovely sound anyway.

Rowan carefully stirred around a broken ship, doing his best not to focus on the skeleton that hung over the edge of the wood. There were deep grooves in the planks resembling fingers traced in the sand, next to patches of stained wood. An arm, free from its body and nothing more than bones, dangled from the end of one of the tracks; the wind pushing on it, giving the illusion it was waving at them.

Nyles slowly climbed to his feet and proceeded to walk to the edge of the boat, inhaling deeply as a foolish grin spread on his face.

“It smells like summer here. Like flowers and hot afternoons under the sun.” He informed them, closing his eyes as the memories of his childhood played in his mind.

Akari made a sour face and shook her head. All she was able to smell was the salty, sea water and the musty scent of decay. Nyles had obviously never sniffed a flower before.

Rowan shook his head, “No, that’s not flowers. That’s the scent of the mines where I grew up. And the sweet smell of fresh baked bread. The kind my mother used to bake.”

Akari glanced over her shoulder at the smiling Reap, wondering what he could possibly be smelling.

“You two are odd.” She informed them, shaking her head and rubbing her arms. “It smells like blowfish to me.”

“Shhhh!” Nyles hissed, leaning farther over the rail of the boat as his smile grew wider, ignoring the cracking of the wood. “Do you hear that?”

Again, all Akari could hear was the water slapping the sides of the boat. She wondered if Nyles was going crazy and made a mental note to keep an eye on him. Nyles closed his black eyes and bobbed his head to a song that was playing just for him.

The boat was nearly to the shore of the island where the tall, green palm trees were visible against the canvas of night sky. Their trunks were hunched over from the many storms that plagued the island.

Rowan cut the engine, allowing the boat to coast slowing towards the sandy shore, the rolling waves pushing the vessel forward.

Nyles was pushing himself even more over the edge of the boat, the tips of his shoes barely touching the floor as he put all his weight on the wood rail. He was peering into the murky waters, smiling foolishly.

Akari grabbed her own bag, preparing to disembark the boat when she noticed a pair of dark, teal eyes staring at her through the fog just level with the green waters of the sea.

Akari blinked and the eyes were gone. “Weird,” She breathed, turning to face Rowan as he joined her by her side.

“I know this song,” He was saying, closing his eyes and moving his finger to a tune that only he seemed to be able to hear. Akari listened intently, her ears hearing nothing but the wind and sea.

“She’s beautiful,” Nyles said, his voice light and dreamy. Akari blushed as she turned to face Nyles, finding he was still looking into the water. She felt embarrassment cross her face as she realized he was not talking about her.

Akari watched in horror as a pair of skeletal hands reached out of the murky waters and grabbed Nyles by his shoulders, pulling his strong body into the water as simple as a coat off the stand.

“Oh, no!” Akari shouted as she ran towards the gargoyle, his feet slipping away before she had a chance to grab his ankles.

“Sirens!” Akari felt foolish for not realizing it sooner, it was pretty obvious they lived here. Even the Isle was named after them.

Akari dropped her bag and jumped overboard, swimming with all her might, following the still smiling Nyles as the sirens drug him deeper into the sea. She was thankful she had learned to swim, even though her people lived in the desert and had no need for swimming.

The sirens had long, slender bodies the color of slate; their tails a mossy green color. They had fins on their forearms and back, with large, teal eyes and pointed noses.

Akari used her crystal to illuminate the waters, a few sirens hissing in protest, shielding their ugly faces from the light.

She could feel her lungs burning, begging for the sweet taste of oxygen, but she pressed on. Akari focused on the glittering light sparkling in the water and forced it to burn brighter, heating the water around it.

One of the sirens released Nyles’s arm as the water scolded her skin, whipping her tail around in an effort to strike Akari with it. But Akari was able to dodge it, grabbing Nyles by his now free arm and tugging upwards.

The sirens were not about to give up so easily as they circled near Akari, pulling at her hair and biting her leg. Akari removed her sai and stabbed the nearest siren in the tail, the creature hissing in pain and releasing her leg.

Akari pulled on Nyles once more, bringing him closer to the surface. Her lungs were aching; she felt an odd throbbing sensation in her throat as her body longed for air. She pumped her legs hard, propelling herself through the water.

Akari continued to use her crystal, focusing on the various sparks of light to warm the waters. The sirens screeched in anger but stayed back, deciding Nyles was not worth the fight.

Akari broke the surface of the water inhaling deeply, coughing as water sloshed back into her mouth. She swam slowly to shore, dragging Nyles heavy body through the water.

Akari collapsed on the sandy shore, releasing Nyles. “I hate you.” She panted, lying on her back, her heart pounding as her lungs took in deep gulps the salty air.

Nyles did not respond as he laid beside her, feet still on the water, his eyes staring at the sky, wishing he was back in the arms of the mystery girl.