Chapter 395:
Smith
The mood on the ship is somber.
We're reaching the waters known to be the home of the monster. The sea is different here—darker, calmer, wrong. The waves have lessened, as if the water itself is holding its breath. A fog is growing around us, thick and gray, swallowing the horizon.
Cannons are prepared. Harpoons. Every weapon we have.
"Relax." A voice says.
I exhale forcibly.
Naia is standing beside me. Her beads click softly in the stillness. Her dark hair is loose, blowing across her face. She's watching the fog, not me.
Normally, I would never be with someone like her.
But I suppose this journey has taken its toll on me.
I'm about to respond when—
"I see something!"
Someone shouts.
I turn. Look where they're pointing.
The fog shifts. Parts.
Something is floating toward us—drifting on the current, caught between waves, lost.
I move closer. Curious.
The fog clears.
The object bobs in the water. Wood. Cloth. Colors.
I recognize them.
