Chapter 20

"Does anyone recognize where we are?" Claire asked.

Mand, Hida, and the boy all crowded around the porthole, trying to get a better view of the approaching landmass.

"I've never left my island before now," said Hida.

Mand struggled to recall some of the maps she had seen of the continent and the surrounding areas. Wherever they now located, it would have to be a fairly small island that was mostly mountain. She couldn't align any of those maps with what she was currently looking at. "I've got nothing."

The boy shrugged.

"Well, tell me what you see then," Claire insisted.

"Well, it looks like an small island. There are two sorta arms that stick out into the ocean. They kinda curl in on themselves and have a small gap between them. They look like they're artificial. Maybe some sort of stone or concrete?" said Mand.

"Go on."

"Beyond the gap is a harbour that's kinda in protection of the arms. Looks like there are about 20 or so ships anchored inside. The island itself has a huge mountain in the middle. I can see what looks to be buildings or a town at the far end of the harbour."

"The overall layout," Claire asked. "Does it remind you of a crab?"

Mand thought about it for a moment. If the arms of the harbor were the claws and the mountain was a shell... then yes, the island was roughly crab shaped.

"How did you know that?" Mand asked.

"Remember that my father and I run an inn. We get a lot of sailors who like to brag about all the places they have been."

"So where are we?" asked Hida. "Knowing sailors, this place is probably called Crab Island or something just as unimaginative."

"Shellrock." confirmed Claire.

Hida raised her hands. "Shoulda known."

"Wasn't all the sailor's fault," Claire continued. "Apparently, if you climb the mountain, you'll find broken seashells all the way up. The seabirds drop shellfish on the rocks, breaking them open to get at the meat inside."

"I think we are getting a little off topic," interjected Mand. "So we know where we are, but do we know WHERE we are?"

Confused looks from all around.

"I mean in relation to Cain's Point."

"Kind of north-west, if I remember correctly." said Claire.

Mand thought back again to the maps that she had seen. She was still drawing a blank. Her head hurt, why couldn't she recall anything useful?

Suddenly there was a stabbing pain behind her left eye.

"Uggg!" she moaned. She sat down on a cot and began to dig the palm of her hand into the socket, trying to bring about some relief.

"Mand?" Claire asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... uhggg…"she trailed off. "Must be....an aftereffect of the concussion."

The sharp pain continued, no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to shake it.

"Ahgggg." she moaned.

Hida started pounding on the door to the cell. Each slap on the door was like a drill digging further into Mand's brain.

"Please, my friend is sick. Get a doctor!" Hida shouted.

There was no answer.

"Hida! Stop!" Mand shouted. "Your making it..... uggggg…. worst!"

Her head felt fuzzy. The lights of the room began to get brighter and brighter, forcing her to close her other eye. Her stomach was doing summersaults. Was she going to pass out again?

Then it stopped. It hadn't even faded away, it just stopped.

Mand opened her eyes. She looked around the room confused.

Claire tilted her head quizzically, Hida was still by the door. The boy sat in his chair, looking more than a little frightened.

"Is everything OK?" Claire asked.

"It just stopped," Mand said with wonder. "I felt like I was about to pass out, and it just stopped."

The three others looked at each other with worry.

"That.... was weird," said Hida.

***

Two decks above, a man and a woman leaned on the railing as the ship sailed closer and closer to Shellrock.

"One more stop," the large man said, his metallic hand glinting in the light. "Then we finally get to go home."

The woman leaned with her back towards the ocean. In her hand she held a small box. She was mindlessly pressing a small button that would make the box to retract to display a small red crystal. Once the crystal was revealed, she would then press another button that would return the container to its original form.

"Well?" The man asked.

"Well what?" snapped the woman. She dropped the box back into her pocket and turned to face the ocean with him. "What do you want me to say? Yes brother, it's been quite the journey. Sibling bonding time, fabulous. We'll have to make a scrapbook!"

The man shrugged. "I was just making conversation."

The woman suddenly dropped to her knees. "Ugggg!"

"Sister, what is wrong?" he looked on helplessly.

"Ugha, behind my eyes. It hurts." The woman said, digging the palms of her hands into her eye sockets.

"What's going on here?" The Captain approached the two. He looked to the man "Is she alright?"

The woman staggered to her feet. "Headache," she said through gritted teeth. "I just need to return to my cabin and lie down."

She started shakily walking towards the door that would bring her to the interior of the ship. Her brother approached her, "Here, let me help you."

She pushed away the offered help and on legs that felt like jelly, pushed her way through the portal that would bring her to the stairs that led below decks.

The halls were empty. Sweating, she continued forward, leaning against one wall for support. Her vision began to darken.

"Fuck, I'm going to pass out." she thought.

Just as she reached the door to her cabin... it stopped.

The pain, the nausea, the dizziness, it had all disappeared in an instant.

She opened the door to her cabin and sat down on her bunk, shaking her head.

"What in the fuck was that?"