Chapter IV - Swift Wind Isle

Water still caught in my lungs I was choking on water, coughing and hacking. Until a hand touched my back and sent something into my skin like a bolt of instant fading pain.

Then like water out of a hand pump, out of my mouth and nose in a large flow of seawater. Salty and bitter it cover the smooth rock floor. Looking around I saw Peter still tied to me but he was awake spewing out water like I was moments ago. Still coughing I looked around to see who was dragging me and where I was dragged to, it was a cave.

A dank cave with the mouth pointing out of the water, the low tide revealed the mouth. On higher tide would flood it hiding the mouth. Dark brown stone and muck filled the cave with stalactites hanging like teeth around the top of the cave mouth. Smoothing into the bumps around the top and bottom of the cave.

After the seawater was rubbed from my eyes I looked around and saw in the darkened cave Peter. Water had left his lungs and throat like it had mine, puddling on the ground before him.

Awake he seemed dazed and confused, the heat with little food or water took its toll on his senses.

That was when a hand handed me a loaf of bread, some grapes, and a flask. I drank from the flask greedily having felt a need to drink my fill. The taste of a watery wine filled my throat, not bitter but sweet like juice from fruits.

Peter was also handed the same as me, he ate first and drank it down. My eyes followed the blue hand which was part of a figure in the darkness.

With the little light I could see it had blue skin, and long blue hair, with a frame that seemed womanly. However when it spoke to me suddenly it had a familiar manly voice.

"Once you finished eating, come with me deeper into the cave. When the tide rises it'll flood this part of the cave".

The voice I was sure I heard it before but the lack of water, food, and burning heat made me weak. In the mind and body I wasn't sure how I could focus my thoughts. I decided to finish eating and drinking the from the flask. After I finished I was as fuller I've been in what seems like my entire life.

Peter finished after me, he was savoring his food, which made me wish I was the kind of man to steal his food. The thought of alienating a man who showed me compassion kept me from doing so, as I would need more kindness. Even if the food I was given was a short reprieve I doubt it was the end of my suffering.

Seeing the water rise upwards and starting to come into the cave me and Peter went further into the cave. Darkness filled our vision and we moved cautiously in the darkness. Coming to a slope that lead upwards me and Peter went upwards. Not saying anything as we had very little to say, what could've been said? Perhaps it just wasn't the time for wordS?

Moving upwards we came to a steep part of the sloop, reaching up I found a horizontal ledge to lift myself upwards. Hearing Peter climb it also I lifted myself onto the top of the slope as I looked back. The light from the cave mouth was darkening as the water flooded into the cave.

"Come further into the cave, we must talk" said the familiar voice.

I wanted to be hesitant but I was too weak to try and explore my avenues. At that point I was ready to give up as I was too weak to fight against what was happening. Hoping that if it lead to my death there was more food and drink. Mouth not as dry as it was I grew to appreciate the sweet taste the wine left in my mouth.

As we were walking further into the cave Peter spoke to me, "do you know what happened"?

To which I had to think about, did I know what was happening? Was this something I could explain or let it alone, "not entirely" I said as we saw a light lit up behind a curtain. It was a dirty white curtain over a opening to another part of the cave. Going through the curtain me and Peter saw a Coat of Levithan.

I knew who it was, the image of that man-woman stuck in my memory since he-she saved then captured me at the Gulf of Orion.

"Have you come to kill me"?! I said with little hesitation as I lacked the endurance to stand the suspense. Coming close to dying so much as left me with little tolerance for any close calls or would be scenarios.

"No", he-she said as she was sitting on a rock with bags to her side and a oil lamp lit.

"Then why did you come here to get me? Why did you take me and Peter from the boat"? An urge to understand my situation was overpowering my recent weight of apathy. Having some food and drink might have revitalized me and made me bolder.

"I couldn't take you with taking the one you call Peter, I need your assistance", said the Coat.

"Assistance? Why would I help you? After beating me, locking me in with man eating monsters, and giving me a damn unjust trial". Those things were said from a centre of anger, not having the filter the disgust. The voice in the back of my head reminded me of the pain I suffered with his-hers hard strikes.

Not showing any anger at me instead the Coat gestured for me and Peter to sit down. Taking a seat on the large rocks me and Peter waiting in a dimming light of the lamp.

"Toddwilling when we met I never learned you name, until I heard it while following the slave ship. I kept an ear and eye out of what was happening on that ship but I didn't want to interfere until it was time. My name is Gorm Storm one of the Blue Minches of the Sea of Leviathan.

"After you escaped Fort Dagon I tracked you down and

found you were captured by slavers. I didn't warn my fellow Coats because I wished to use you as bait. Captain Blood Teeth wants and needs you back in his control. He is a wicked mortal demon, who has killed many of my order, innocents, and has marked people like you with his blood.

"I have come in hopes of finding Rock Island, Captain Blood Teeth, and you. All three have come here as I had hoped. What I need from you whether you are willing to give it or not is blood".

That made me shiver in my skin as I squirmed as Peter looked at me worried.

"Hold Gorm", said Peter in a voice of deep concern. "I can't allow you to risk this man's life marked or not. You can't have his blood without him saying so, he is guided by the Twin God".

Gorm didn't seem to care for my concern but he-she did seem interested in the Twin God. "I find that hard to believe".

"It is true"! Said Peter loudly, "he has the cards to prove it", to which both of them looked at me, waiting.

Not right away to remember what happened I reached in my pocket to pull out the cards. I remember though Captain Slur has the cards.

"Captain Slur took them", I said my eyes open wide in the realization.

Peter put his face in his hands and shook it bitterly giving a bitter toothy frown. Giving a deep moan that showed that what I said wounded him deeply.

"What's wrong Peter"? I asked as I wasn't sure why he was so sad over the loss of the cards. I can understand that he is sad over me losing them as they were important to his beliefs. Showing such turmoil made me worried that something terrible was going to happen.

Gorm then said as Peter was engulfed in his own grief, "the cards if given by the Twin God are sacred and have power. For Captain Slur to have them is both a blasphemy and a sign of ill times to come. It is deep rooted in their beliefs, you should of kept those cards from sight, if they are from the Twin Gods".

The tone of Gorm's voice seemed to scold me but had skepticism of the cards.

"Oh what do you care"? I said not caring for his-her scolding of me if Gorm didn't fully believe. "Even if it he does have them what can he do with them"?

Peter was still full of grief to answer me or even notice anything I said.

Gorm answered me,"Captain Slur is a scion of Abaddon. He exists as the offspring of Abaddon and as Abaddon himself. Both a demon and a man he is the breeder of dragons and master of beasts. The beliefs of those in Twins Sea is that a new beginning is going to happen. When Abaddon has the relics of Gods he can wipe the stars from the sky and corrupt the world".

This scared me Gorm's words frightened me as it had a sense of finality in them. Was it true? Peter seemed scared.

"Of course Slur doesn't have such powers even if he had relics of the Gods". Gorm said trying to ease the tension that was in both me and Peter.

"We are getting off the issue at hand", said Gorm as he-she wishing to discuss the plan.

"I need your blood Toddwilling. With it I can kill Captain Blood Teeth all I need to do is have the tainted blood pulled from you on Rock Island. Tonight is going to be the white night. That will be the time to do it when the powers of Cancer are the weakest. When dusk comes I will swim you out to Rock Island when the tide goes down from the cave. After this is done Captain Blood Teeth will be dead and you'll not be marked anymore".

That plan seemed insane to me, what was I supposed to think. The idea of my blood spilling out was making my stomach turn inside my guts.

Silence caught in my throat as everything seemed to conspire against me, Peter was still distraught. No help to me at that point and Gorm seemed to be getting ready to subdue me, to keep me from escaping. With a spring in my step I ran from a sitting position. Gorm didn't move he-she just sat there at first but before I got to the curtain Gorm stood up and started moving.

Reaching to grab me I was limping due to my weak state and would've been caught. Until Peter tackled Gorm, who tried his best to hold him-her back. Not hesitating I went through the curtain and went into the darkness of the cave. Moving deep into the cave I heard the curtain rip open from behind. Moving quicker I didn't want to get caught, to have my blood spilt, I was scared. Confused and unsure what to do, I moved onwards trying to stop my mind from figuring out my situation.

I just wanted to find a way home I didn't care what I had to do to get there, my mind was becoming my enemy. Second guessing my hopes to return back to a ignorant life before leaving my island home. Wasting that money, and suffering all those months I felt like dying so many times. In my rush and with my head a fury of these thoughts I lost my footing and fell.

There was a steep fall in the cave that I didn't see in the darkness. Feeling the snap of air of someone trying to grab me but I seem to fall abnormally quickly. Skidding on the rough stone my arms, legs, and back were cut and scrapped as I came to the rolling end at the bottom.

Again I saw light but it was the light of two glowing eyes staring at me, with ten eyes. Too blinding for me to see but I felt sharp claws dig into my arm and drag me across the hard rock floor. My feet and legs were bleeding heavily, which made me lose the strength in my legs.

Once again I saw the light of the sun but in the light I saw a great demon. Later I came to know it as Lilith with short wings like a chicken and long disjointed legless feet. Ten eyes on its face which was also its torso a mouth where its waist was filled with spike like teeth. Arms that had nine fingers each with shredding like claws.

"The man is caught by me it is", said Lilith the demon. "I want to keep it in my cave till I am hungry".

Cave? I wondered what she meant there was a sun but looking up my eyes focused and saw the rocky ceiling. Stone walls but the ground was grass. Looking back the place where I came from was solid rock wall. Clouds in the sky with the heat of the sun and all around is endless rock walls that expand into ethereal illusions. Each one wall grew up larger in the distance like an after image repeating for eternity.

"Where am I"? I asked fearful of my fate and confused as I am afraid.

That was when I noticed Lilith's voice is like a women screaming high pitched and full of rage. "This is the Lilith's cave, I am Lilith demon of caves in caves".

Looking around more as the pain subsided in my body and was again filled with that less painful numbness.

"Caves in caves"? I didn't understand was it a cave further into the cave or just part of the cave? Was this all an illusion? Something was not sounding quite right in what the demon told me, but I knew it wasn't a lie. As the cave did seem to be its own place outside even though it was inside of the cave.

Letting me go Lilith gave out a cackling like that of a thousand crows all sounding at once. Then flew upwards with its tiny wings and went through the sun and disappeared. That was when the light of the sun went out and darkness was all around me but as the light was dying I saw the cave shrink.

The cave shrunk considerable, no walls, no floors, no ceilings leaving no way to escaping. Leaving me there in the complete dark, standing up I felt around the stone walls and floor. Blood making my legs and feet wet and robbing me of all bodily movement. Finally I grew tired and laid my back at the wall of the cave and slept.

When I awoke I saw the light was back but it had no origin and lit the cave I was inside. There was no entrance still and Lilith was gone. Something new was there however, me a copy of me was sitting across from me on the opposite end of the cave.

At first I didn't recognize myself the only difference was that the wounds on my body was reversed. The blood on my leg was more flowing on my right leg more than the left. With the me on the other end of the cave it was the left leg more than the right.

Both of me stared at one another, both rubbing eyes, both squinting, then both waving at one another.

"Hello" we said to one another.

At the same time we said it and it confused us both.

"What"? again at the same time and that confused me further.

"Why are you doing this"? he said even though I was still confused with the third time we spoke at the same time.

"Did you just speak"? I asked unsure of what was happening. The other me was moving around while I sat leaned against the stone wall. Limbing and rubbing at his leg as if to bring blood flow back.

"Yes", he or rather I answered. "Why are you doing all of this? Can't you see the more you run the worse this all turns out"?

I didn't understand what I was saying to myself, was this real or a subconscious delusion?

"I don't believe this is happening why are you saying this to me or rather us or whatever"? I was sick and tired and couldn't stand for anymore of the bizarre things that were happening to me, as my stomach ached. Feeling the urge to vomit I tilted my head to the side and red watery vomit came from my throat.

Something must be wrong with me I thought, my whole body was numb but it ached and was pained tremendously.

"Look you can't run anymore" I said to myself, "if you do what you saw in those cards will happen. Your fate is not just set by gods or demons. You have to face Blood Teeth, tonight go to him and I promise you whatever happens you'll see home again".

That I didn't believe I looked away from the other me and was caught back in shock and awe. A crab was in the cave also against the wall of the cave to my left, was a crab with my head.

Mouth opening will bloody drool pouring out the me as a crab looked unhappy. Suffering endlessly, opening its mouth like it wanted to talk instead came more bloody drool. Followed soon after was a slimey sound of bubbles forming in the drool and popping.

"He can't talk" said the other me, "that is what happens from running. Eventually everything catches up to you and you end up in a state of perpetual living hell. Blood Teeth does this to all those that betrayed him, this has happened more times than any other scenario".

Giving a scream of horror I tried to looked away at the horrible crab monster. Looking to my right I saw something even more sickening, another me only I had no hand. My hand and most of my upper arm was gone with the bone sticking out of the limb bare. My body had a sense of great evil inside of it and I was sickened to even see it with my eyes. Still I felt the evil that was inside of that me, and I knew what happened to that arm.

The dragon took it and afterwards came a screaming from that other me following by the sound of opening oyster shells. A roar of a dragon made me look back and see me as a shredded flesh and blood. To this I was breathing hard and my vision became blinded by pure white as my heart got stuck on a hard beat.

When my heart was beating again my vision was restored and the other two versions of myself were gone. All that was left was my opposite self. Saying nothing, blinking only when my eyes became too dry, we just sat there in the light that had no source. Starring him standing me leaning against the wall.

There was silence in the cave, until that horrible cawing sound of thousands of crows came from above. Then descending from the newly restored sun and grass was Lilith. Stray ugly red feathers flying around as she settled on the ground.

Then she looked at me, then looked at the other me looking between us quickly she was confused. "Two? Two, two, two meals. I am hungry for one, eat one now, save the other for later. Which one do I eat first"? She asked herself as her clawed feet dug up the grass below her feet.

The other me stood up and said aloud, "one of us will kill you if you eat them but the other will not. Neither of us know who it is but it is one of us", looking back at me the other me gave me a look of certainty. Standing up I nodded as Lilith seemed to be disturbed what was told to her.

Tearing up the ground at he feet she stomped around between me and the other me sniffing at us and looking us over.

"I can wait", she said as she seemed embittered about it and her voice grew more shrill.

"No you can't" said the other me definitely, "you're hungry and you can't help yourself can you? You glutton"!

The other me did a great job riling up the demon as it snarled and whipped its claws towards us missing us just barely.

"Fine"! said Lilith in a frenzy, "I'll try you"!

Opening its maw up wide it came towards the other me but stopped, and stood back. Pausing for a moment it turned to me and a wicked grin came over its face.

"Trick me you can't" said the demon looking at the other me with a monstrous grin then Lilith came charging at me mouth open.

I didn't escape its large maw as it the bottom teeth tripped me into the open blackness of the mouth. A swallowing sound came and suddenly it felt like I was inside of a candle melting to the flame. Screaming came from outside of my black moist prison, then light came through the black.

The bottom went away and I fell through the open backside of the demon who was melting into red and white slime. Screaming in pain it then went quiet and laid down as it melted completely forming a red puddle of slime. Some white remained in the puddle but it was primarily red.

Looking around I saw the other me start to fade and take a new form which grew from the faded form it took. Coming towards me was the Twin God. The head of the man and the head of the women looked at me as he-she came towards me quickly. Standing before me he-she lended me a hand so I could get onto my feet.

Standing weak in the legs I looked at the both heads of the what I've been told is a God. "Why do you…" I began but the hand of the man put a finger on my mouth to silence me, then the woman's hand handed me a card.

Looking at the card I saw something new, it was grandfather with his telescope. Standing on a stone castle he he is looking at the sky through the telescope. The night sky had a full moon but considerably less stars in the sky. Below the card it was named, The Scholar. What did that new card mean, as I raised my head I saw I was outside. Not in a cave within a cave with its own sun but a sun that actually burned down onto my exposed skin.

Before me was a sloping walk through trees, tall brush and grass. I was on Swift Wind Isle, where the Governor's fortress was and his plantation. In the distance I saw two ships were anchored out in the waters near the island.

One was The Coastal Breeze and the other I remembered from its rotting appearance, the Tropic Cancer. Out on the beach was longboats some were Captains Slur's the rest were the red skin pirates of Captain Blood Teeth. I didn't see them but I worried if I stood out in the open I would be found out. Hiding in the brush I felt the card in my hand slide, looking at it I found another card underneath.

Holding the other out I looked at it and saw it was Peter, standing legs parted one standing on a rock. Holding aloft a sword behind him was a army of men and women with broken chains behind him holding weapons. Looks as though they were storming the Governor's fortress. Seeing the sky in the background looked like it was becoming dawn with the full moon in the sky. Below the card it read, The Savior.

After given it some thought I came to understand what the other me was saying in the cave. The Twin Gods were giving me the tools to make sure I get out of it alright. Giving me the best possible choice, in the cave they saved me from Lilith though I am not sure how exactly. The red slime of the demon coated my body but it started to seem I needed to have a little faith.

Not wanting anyone to see the cards they gave me I found a big rock. Then I hid the cards underneath them so Captain Slur or anyone else couldn't take them. Even if they couldn't use them to start a new beginning of the world they could see what is going to happen.

The dawn on the card of The Saviour was Peter leading a revolt and it was going to happen possibly tomorrow at dawn. Both cards I was given had full moons in the sky, which made me think that night I was going to meet my grandfather.

I didn't like to think about it before but the card gave me hope. That perhaps my grandfather was still alive. Even after my parents sold him into slavery. It began when my home island was visited by a ship who dealt with slaves. They were sold to them by island occupants or were criminals they captured. The slave master offered the islanders a bag of thirty gold mints for those willing to sell them someone. Since one of their slaves died they didn't have enough to reach the quota. No one even considered the deal except my parents, they sold my grandfather as he was old and spoke out against the islands traditions.

Even if he wasn't liked by most on the island it was still a disgrace to my parents who cared little. We didn't need the money and I was held back by my mother as I tried to get my grandfather. I saw him chained put into the rowboat and taken on board the ship which sailed away. I begged my parents for days to get him back but they told me he was probably dead. Due to the beatings they give slaves.

That was when I started to see the island I lived on as an uglier place. Something far more grotesque than I could've imagined. If what was happening to me now was being lead by divine guidance, who was I then to fight against the destiny laid out?

Taking the advice of the other me in the cave who was the Twin God I went down to the beach to confront Captain Blood Teeth. Knowing that a God was on my side.

Walking through the tall grass and brush I walked straight ahead. Only looking back briefly to see the large hill behind me from where I started. Fear gripped my chest as I descended the through the greens and came closer to the beach.

Getting closer to the two horrible crews of two dreadful ships of two evil captains. Light shot out and almost blinded me as men with metal hats and chest pieces walked from the governor's fortress. Carrying large pike's with swords in theirs belts. Wearing very finely tailored green uniforms they looked like they belonged to the navy special forces.

I only heard stories about the special forces so I couldn't do a fair comparison. However they matched what my mind pictured them as, regal but formidable.

They marched out from the stairs leading up from the fortress through an outer gate. When they got to the beach they looked like they were informing the crew men on the beach of something. I continued to walk towards them and it looked more and more like a disagreement. Which turned into shouting I couldn't hear them until I got into ear shot.

"Governor Rochester owns this island and he commands you vagrants to move further down the beach", said a guard. The one with the green ribbon across his chest seemed to be the one in command of the other guards.

In response a red skinned sailor spat and said with a mouth of rotten teeth, "we don't move until our capn' comes back". Then he spat a black piece of scum from his mouth.

A guard took offense and prepared his pike but the head guard motioned for him to stand down. That made the crew men laugh and return to their activity. The head guard seemed to be judging what to do, up until I walked onto the beach.

Numb legged, bleeding, and looking like I was dying of being burned in the sun.

"Hey look its McSwilling", said a member of the slaver brig as he pointed me out drawing everyone's attention.

All their threatening gazes were upon me, but I was walking in a half limb towards the group. Not afraid or at least not as much. The Twin God was guiding me and I had lived with a lack of belief for too long and suffered in result.

The guards came towards me holding up pikes as the head guard grabbed hold of me, restraining me in place.

"We are the Governing Guardsman of the Swift Wind Isles, I hereby place you under arrest", said the head guard.

"Hold on"! yelled a red skinned pirate. "He is a member of a our crew, he deserted! Captain Blood Teeth would want a word with him".

To which there was an uproar from the crew of the slavers ship, "he is our slave. We brought him here to sell him to the governor. He is coming with us to be sold with the others"!

A red skinned pirate then laughed and said boisterously, "he ain't your slave if he escaped now is he"?

"The same can be said for him being a member of your crew", retorted the member of the slave brig.

Things started to heat up and the head guard started to move me towards the gates of the fortress. Then I heard a loud crack like thunder, a pirate took out a pistol and shot a slaver. Then began a skirmish of red skinned pirates fighting the slavers and the guardsmen moving hastily towards the gate.

I was moving so quickly and the sound of the fighting was so loud I was caught immediately by surprise. A new form of sickening terror filled my mind, which me lose strength to hold myself up on my own feet.

Handing on the head guards grip I saw before me was Captain Blood Teeth. Half his face was burnt black and his left eye was glazed in a foggy pale white shade. Blood dripped from his mouth as he looked over the heads of the guards. Tower feet taller than any of them, he didn't seem to notice me but looked out onto the sea.

Turning towards the fighting he lead out a loud blood chilling scream which made us all stop still as turned to stone.

"You brainless dogs! How dare you disobey me, I'll personally give all of you a hundred lashes or until your dead for this"! Then he gave out a blood gurgling snarl which made the red skinned pirates drop their weapons.

The slavers were scared and even though some were wounded moved as fast as they could manage down the beach. Trying to avoid the towering monster that walked towards the beached boats. The dead, the dying, and the severely wounded were left on the beach which had patches of blood on the sand.

Stopping a few steps from the place of the fight Captain Blood Teeth yelled after the slavers. "I'll track you all down and break your skulls under my feet! Worms"!

The red skinned men seemed to shake as if death was just moments away from their current breath. "Kill those too wounded to stand" Blood Teeth ordered.

Scared of incurring more of his wrath the pirates hurriedly got their cutlasses and daggers. Moving swiftly upon the wounded and dying they slit their throats. Pools of blood spread around the light brown sands as the moans of men were silenced.

Then afterwards Captain Blood Teeth went into his jacket pocket and pulled out a long ugly whip. It had knots in it and spikes around each knot. Looking particularly ugly and heinous the Captain motioned for the red skinned men to stand in a straight line.

One tried running but the whip cracked out and wrapped around his neck like it was a living part of the Captain's body. Wrapping around his neck blood burst from it and flooded down his chest and back. The face usually blood red like a sunburn turned into a light pink. With life draining from his eyes the whip unravelled on its own and curved backwards.

Moving along the backs of his men Captain Blood Teeth ripped off their shirts and vests to expose their backs. The guards then took this chance to move through the gate with me in their custody. My face facing the stairs I could hear a man give out a horrible scream as the harsh sound of the whip cracked.

The sound was displeasing for me and the guards as they hurried up the stairs. Me feeling the strength return to my legs moved quickly with them as we came to the top of the stairs to a large gate. With thick iron bars which lifted upwards to a sound of a creaking chains. Inside it was a dim tunnel, I was taken inside and immediately I felt a freezing chill wrap around my once sore burned skin.

Hearing the gates closed behind me deafened the sounds of the wind and sea. All was almost silenced except the screams of a man being whipped to death and the hideous crack of the whip. When we reached the end of the tunnel was when we came into a well lit chamber. The sight was so elaborate and well decorated in made me hold my breath.