A sly gleam appeared in Johan’s eyes after Thorval asked him how fast the old fishing boat would go. Johan guessed if he were about to die anyway, since they were heading to the Shadow Islands, then his reputation as just an ordinary common fisher was not going to suffer if he let Thorval in on a few secrets.
“So ye noticed that ship that’s been doggin’ our stern too,” Johan said, looking over his shoulder at the horizon line. “Sadly ye not be correct that that ship has been stayin’ the same distance behind. She be gainin’ steadily over the last hour, and at the rate and speed she be goin’, she be overtakin’ us before nightfall.”
“I’ll trust your more experienced eye, but you haven’t answered my question. How fast will this old boat go, and can we out run that other ship?”
“Well, son, this old boat and this old skipper be havin’ a few tricks up our sleeves, that under other conditions I’d not be tellin’ ye about, but since I not be goin’ to survive this voyage, no sense in takin’ me secrets to a watery grave.”
“I wouldn’t be giving up so easily, old man. We’re not caught yet,” answered Thorval.
“That be the spirit. Never have had the guts to sail anywhere near the Shadow Islands, and now there be that ship behind us tryin’ to take this opportunity away from me. Can’t have that now, can we? If we actually get out of this mess we seem to be in, and somehow make it back to port, ye have to promise me ye’ll not be revealin’ me secrets. Promise?”
“You have my word,” Thorval said with great sincerity.
“Well, then, give me the wheel and get ready to follow me orders to the letter. Ready?” Johan asked.
“Ready,” Thorval replied. He liked the look the old fisher had in his eyes.
“First I want ye to drop and secure the jib. Once Thorval had done that, Johan continued. “See those two water barrels amidships, one on either side?” Johan asked.
“Aye.”
“That would be ‘Aye Captain’ to ye son,” Johan commented.
Next thing I know, that old rascal will be demanding I salute him, Thorval thought to himself, as he made his way forward to the barrels Johan had indicated. Once there he waited for further instruction.
“I want ye to unfasten the barrels and move ’em towards the stern. Lash ’em down with some line. Don’t want ’em careenin’ our way.”
Thorval did as asked. Once that was done, Johan instructed him to look at the deck where the barrels had been sitting. There was an iron ring set in the decking, an iron ring like those used on trap doors. When he looked closer, he could see the faint rectangular outline in the decking.
“Listen careful now, for ye be goin’ to have to do exactly what I tells ye, or this ol’ boat be goin’ to flip over and, like a turtle, not be able to right itself. When ye open those hatches yer goin’ to find a coil of line attached to a lever. Ye be needin’ to uncoil the line and careful bringin’ it back here without puttin’ any tension on it. Once ye have it here to me, ye need to do the same on the port side. Remember, no matter what, don’t be pullin’ on the ropes,” Johan stated emphatically.
Thorval did as Johan asked, carefully playing the lines out, making sure he did not put any tension on them. It did not take him long to have both lines to the stern of the boat. “Now what?” he asked.
“Make sure ye have both lines equal, and then yer goin’ to have to do two things almost at the same time. Ye be needin’ to pull both lines with equal force, and then prepare for the ride of yer life. Oh, and ye be needin’ to take the wheel because I not be sure I can hold course with just one hand,” stated Johan.
Thorval wished Johan would be more specific about what was to happen next, and he was feeling a great deal of trepidation, just based on the look of unabashed glee forming on Johan’s face. Whatever was about to happen, he hoped it worked, for he now agreed with Johan’s assessment that the ship following them was gaining, and at an alarming rate. Bracing his back on the stern rail of the boat, he let Johan know he was ready to pull the lines.
“I be goin’ to turn the boat into the wind, and when I tell ye to pull, do so quickly. Then come take the wheel. Get us back into a broad reach as soon as ye can, and then hang on.”
Thorval pulled hard on the lines, and at first nothing happened. The lines just stretched tighter and tighter, and then the resistance began to ease.
“Pull now, son, pull for all yer worth,” shouted Johan above the sound of wood squealing against wood.
Thorval pulled, muscles straining until he felt he could pull no harder, and then suddenly, something gave way, and two things happened at once. Just as Thorval heard a loud thunk, the lines went slack, and he almost did a somersault right off the stern of the boat. It was a good thing the boat had a high stern rail, he thought to himself as he quickly gained solid footing and rushed forward to take the wheel. As instructed, Thorval turned the wheel to bring the boat into a broad reach, and as he trimmed the sail, all of a sudden the boat leapt forward, rising out of the water and picking up speed at an alarming rate. He thought he heard Johan yell “yahoo” and actually cackle, but he was too busy trying to control the boat.
“Hold her steady and adjust to yer settin’ now,” Johan said. “Oh, I be forgettin’ how much fun that be. We be leavin’ that ship behind us, but I be a bit concerned with that fog bank ahead. We be goin’ to have to slow down when we enter that. Good for hidin’ us, but also good for hidin’ shoals, rock, sandbars, and other obstacles.”
“What did pulling those lines do to this boat?” Thorval asked, after he had adjusted to the feel of the boat and had her once again on the correct course. He noticed the boat was riding much higher in the water.
“Just a type of rig that an old smuggler showed me a long time ago. I had me boat outfitted with it years ago. Have kept the mechanism oiled and in shipshape all these years, but I have to tell ye, I really not be sure it be goin’ to work.”
“Now you tell me,” Thorval groused. “I have to tell you Johan, I don’t have a huge death wish, and I fully intend to go to the Shadow Islands, get what I need to get, and get out of there in one piece. I have a trick or two up my sleeve also. Will we be able to undo whatever it is we have just done to get this boat to go fast?” Thorval asked, for he had some suspicions about just what kind of rig had given their speed a boost.
“Yep. Once we be in the dense fog ahead, we be needin’ to drop anchor, and ye be needin’ to crank the rig back up and set the locks. The mechanism for that be in the hold. It be takin’ both of us, now that I be one handed. With dusk coming and the thickness of that fog ahead, we be safe enough for awhile, but if the fog lifts, well . . .”
“Let’s just get there, and then with a bit of luck, and a little bit of help, this day might turn out much better than you had expected,” Thorval said.
Neither man spoke much after that, concentrating on keeping the boat on an even keel and on course. The wind picked up and held steady, so they did not need to change their tack in order to keep to their heading. With the favorable wind and whatever rig Johan had on his boat, they soon outdistanced the ship that was following them, but it also meant that the dense fog was drawing closer, and the sun was close to setting. Something that happened abruptly on this sea. Both men were concerned about approaching the fog at the speed they were going, but to slow down before they were hidden by the fog was equally as foolhardy as heading straight into the fog at a high speed. Now they just had to trust to luck.
It felt like one moment they were in the clear, and the very next moment they were enveloped in a wet blanket and could hardly see their hands in front of their faces. Thorval rushed forward to drop the mainsail, and once it was down, the boat began to lose its forward momentum, slowing to a slow glide and settling back down to its normal height above the water. Loosely wrapping the mainsail around the boom, enough so it would not catch the wind, Thorval felt his way to the bow and dropped the anchor. He and Johan then went below and working in unison, cranked the rig back up and locked it in place. At another time, Thorval thought he might like to take a close look at just what was within the hidden wells of this boat and wondered if this type of rig could be adapted to a small skiff.
“I’m going to need to borrow your rowboat for awhile. You’re welcome to come along, or you can stay with your boat,” Thorval said.
“Let me get this straight. Yer offerin’ me a chance to leave the safety of me boat to go scuttlin’ off with ye into a fog so dense ye be needin’ to cut it with a knife to row to where?”
“I intend to row to the east shore of the middle Shadow Island,” Thorval answered calmly.
“Be ye daft? I hardly be seein’ ye, and ye be standin’ right in front of me, not to mention with this fog, I not be getting’ a fix on where we be in relation to the islands. How do ye expect to find them?” asked Johan.
“Well, old man, since you have trusted me with one of your secrets, I’ll trust you with one of mine. I’ll be right back.”
Johan stood on the deck of his boat and felt like the fog was getting thicker if that was at all possible. He was aware of every creak and groan of the old boat, the water lapping at the sides, the wind rattling the rigging. He could also hear sounds he could not identify muffled by the fog, and he could not tell what direction they were coming from. If he were very still and listened very hard, he thought he could hear whispering but could not make out the words. Eerie was an understatement. It was probably just moments before Thorval returned from below deck, but it had seemed much longer. Thorval was just about to speak when both men stilled. A voice carried over the water and sounded as if it were coming from directly ahead of them.
“Twenty feet depth, Captain. Zero visibility. Eighteen feet, seventeen feet.”
“First mate, bring her about. I am not about to loose this ship on what could be a fool’s errand. We will wait outside the fog bank.”
Thorval and Johan continued to stand like statues, afraid to move, and at one point the boat began to rock as a larger vessel passed by so close that they could make out the running lights. Fortunately, they had not lit theirs, so they were not visible to the bigger ship. Equally fortunate was the fact that the other ship did not run them over. When they thought enough time had passed, Thorval again asked Johan if he wished to accompany him or stay aboard. Johan had given it a great deal of thought while standing frozen on the deck.
“I think I be stickin’ with me boat. Once ye leave, I be goin’ to me cabin after battenin’ down the hatches and await yer return. Ye still not be answerin’ me how ye be goin’ to navigate this fog.”
“I have brought something with me which will help,” Thorval suggested, as he pulled out an oilcloth-wrapped bundle from inside his coat.
Thorval carefully untied the string around the bundle and opened the wrapper. Inside was a well-oiled wooden box. Opening it, Thorval pulled out a strangely-shaped object, an oval that tapered at both ends. In addition, the object had holes evenly placed along the top and holes in both ends. It was very pale ivory in color, and Johan had never seen the like.
“What in the world be that?” Johan asked.
Johan wondered how that small object was going to help Thorval find the middle Shadow Island in this fog. It also occurred to Johan that he still did not know why Thorval wanted to go to the island in the first place.
“It’s a digeron. If you know how to use it, you can call for help and guidance here, for as you know, the Shadow Islands are well-named, for they are rarely visible due to the fog that surrounds them. Hopefully, I can get guidance to the sea cave I need to find and then be brought back to you. Beyond that, all we have to do is get past the ship that is waiting just beyond the wall of fog, and then get to the capitol before the fair opens.”
Thorval had spoken so calmly that Johan could almost believe this was something folks did every day. Well, almost, but not quite.
“If all goes well, I should be back in an hour. Wish me luck,” Thorval said, as he clambered over the side and settled himself in the rowboat.
Johan untied the bow painter and threw it towards Thorval, who flipped it into the water rather than coiling it and placing it inside the boat. Settling himself on the middle seat, he put the digeron to his lips and began to play. Or at least he appeared to play, but no sound could be heard. Thorval was not concerned about this and just continued at intervals to finger the holes while blowing on one end, all the while drifting away from Johan’s boat. He almost spilled backwards off his seat when the boat suddenly jerked and then started to glide smoothly forward at a slow but steady pace. Despite the dense fog, Thorval could see a slight glow just below the surface of the water ahead of the boat. He was glad he had experienced this phenomenon several times before, or he would have been seriously unsettled.
Though visibility was still almost nonexistent, Thorval became aware when he entered the sea cave due to the lack of wind and the difference in the sounds around him. As he moved further into the cave, a phosphorescent glow coming from within the water was bright enough to illuminate the translucent columns of rock rising up from the water and hanging down from the roof of the cave. Soon the cave ended at a low shelf, and Thorval’s boat glided up and softly bumped into it. Thorval quickly scrambled out of his boat, took the stern line, and tied it up on one of the columns that rose toward the roof. Playing one last series on the digeron, Thorval walked towards the back of the cave and spent a minute searching the wall. It had been a long time since he had been here, and while he remembered the sequences to play on the digeron as if he had learned them yesterday, the wall had changed somewhat, weathered by the constant water brought in by the tides.
Finally, he spotted the first of the handholds he needed and began to climb, carefully placing his hands and feet, moving ever upward. The sheerness of the wall, plus the slipperiness of its wetness, made the climb precarious. Time and again, Thorval found himself hanging on by his fingertips. Finally, he achieved the ledge he sought and entered a narrow passage which brought him into a small room that held only a short pillar. It was what was in the pillar that Thorval had come to collect. He knew he would not make it to the pillar if he did not tread correctly on the tiled path on the floor. Taking a moment to go through in his mind just how and where to place his feet, he took a deep breath and stepped forward, weaving his way from tile to tile until he stood before the pillar.
So far, so good, Thorval thought to himself. Now on to the next part. He reached into his pocket and withdrew an oddly shaped key he had also retrieved from the box back on the ship. He carefully inserted it in the third from the bottom of a line of five keyholes, turned it counter clockwise half way and then all the way around clockwise. He heard a click and held his breath, hoping he had remembered right, and after a second or two, the top of the pillar slid to the left, revealing an opening. Thorval reached in his pocket and brought out a bag made of golden pine spider silk, turned it inside out three quarters of the way to use it as a glove. He then reached in, keeping the bag material as a shield for his hand, and lifted out a small box, gleaming of gold and decorated with cut gems. Thorval quickly enclosed the box within the bag and pulled the drawstring tight. He then closed the pillar up and retrieved the key.
The descent down the cave wall was even more difficult that the climb up had been. By the time Thorval reached the shelf, he was sweating and far too warm, despite the cold mist within the cave. Untying the stern line from the column, Thorval climbed back into the rowboat and once again brought the digeron to his lips. The boat glided forward. Soon the boat left the cave, and Thorval was once again surrounded by fog. It was hard to tell how much time had passed since he had left Johan’s boat, but soon the starboard side of his rowboat was bumping up against the Mowenna. Thorval played one last tune on the digeron and watched as the glow in the water moved just a little ways away from the boat.
Upon boarding the Mowenna, Thorval headed below decks, knocked softly on Johan’s cabin door, and quietly called out, “I’m back, and we need to move out of here as quickly as we can.”
Johan opened his door and peered out.
“Ye actually be thinkin’ to move out now? Shouldn’t we wait until daylight? Even with a thick fog, in the daylight we be tellin’ if it be thinnin’.”
“I have some help, but we need to go now. Our guide is aware that there is a ship waiting just on the other side of the fog bank about where we entered. I intend to move us as far south as we can go and slip out beyond their sight line. You will just have to trust me on this.”
And so began the strangest journey Johan had ever experienced in all his years at sea. They raised only the jib, and the wind pushed the boat slowly through smooth water, following a glow that traveled just in front of the ship. The coming of dawn would tell if they had gotten out of the fog and slipped by the ship that had followed them.