The Elixir

by George Willson

  “But it doesn’t take that long now,” Mina said. “Something is wrong. And I just feel … powerless.”

  The two sat on the bench in silence for some time. The sun lowered, and before long, they were walking back to the house.

  “Your mother has asked that I ensure your door is locked again,” Mina said apologetically.

  Lucy laughed. “My mother is superstitious.”

  “She said you’re sleepwalking again,” Mina said. “That’s not superstition. That’s trying to protect you when you won’t do it yourself.”

  “I just get restless when I get excited, and marriage is very exciting,” Lucy said.

  “I plan to do as she says,” Mina warned. “I don’t want you to wander outside and possibly fall into the ocean some night.”

  “I won’t fall into the ocean,” Lucy said.

  “And I’ll make sure of it,” Mina noted. “I’m serious.”

  “Relax, Mina,” Lucy said. “I’ll be fine, and so will you. Jonathan will be home any time now, and you’ll be just as happy as Arthur and I are. I’m sure he’s working non-stop to get back home to you right now.”

  Mina nodded distantly. She was certain that wherever Jonathan was that he would be working to get home. She only wished he would send her something to let her know what had happened and how long he would be.

  * * * * * * * * * *

  It had been four days since Karian had been able to leave the hold, and the hunger was unbearable. Although he could feel the effect of the storm on the ship as it buffeted the craft, it was a well-built vessel and held together admirably. A few times, some members of the crew had come down to the hold to steady the cargo, and ensure it remained balanced, but none had paid any attention to the crate where he had stowed himself.

  The seas calmed eventually, and the ship was once again quiet as night came on, and the crew took a well-deserved sleep. At last count, the captain, first mate, second mate, steersman, and three other hands remained, so the suggestion of the first mate for double shifts went largely ignored in the aftermath of these storms in favor of rest.

  Karian crept out of his crate and moved up to the main deck to see who might be about. This evening, only the steersman was present on deck, and Karian was not going to remove him from his post and risk the ship going off course. He looked around and found the only other person on deck to be the second mate high above them in the crow’s nest. Karian found this to be perfect since he could feed and remove the mate without anyone noticing anything so high up in the darkness.

  He scaled the mast and entered the crow’s nest behind the second mate who watched the endless darkness while struggling to stay awake. Karian hated to attack a man so vulnerable, and so he opted to at least make the mate aware of his presence.

  “Good to have a quiet evening after the storms, isn’t it?” Karian asked casually.

  “Aye,” the mate nodded. “’Twas rough going the last few to be sure.” The mate stiffened, and Karian saw him reach slowly for something in his belt. The smell of fear began to drift from him, and Karian knew that the man was about to attack.

  The second mate pulled a knife from his belt and spun to attack Karian. Karian casually caught the man’s grip and held the knife firmly away from him. The mate looked full into his face and showed confusion at how this elderly man was besting him so easily. The mate brought his other hand around in a punch, but Karian caught it as well. Karian squeezed the man’s knife hand and the weapon dropped to the deck far below. He took in a deep breath to scream, but Karian clapped his hand over the mate’s mouth to silence him.

  Finally, he bit into the man’s throat and drank while holding him firmly. The mate struggled powerlessly again Karian’s grasp until the loss of blood drained him of his energy, and he knew no more. When Karian finished with his victim, he unceremoniously tossed his body from the crow’s nest into the ocean. He looked to the steersman who had noticed nothing.

  Karian made his way back down the mast and into the cargo hold again. He hoped this would be the last time he would need to feed before they docked. The crew would definitely take notice of another missing man, but what choice did he have?

  Not only was the man missed, but his knife embedded in the deck caused more than a little bit of a stir in the morning as a gentle rain fell on them. It took no time at all for them to decide that the answer to their problems lay within the cargo hold, and they decided to investigate. Of the six remaining crewmen, the first mate led four of them into the hold, leaving the captain at the helm. Karian presumed that they hoped to overpower whomever they thought they might find down here. He heard them coming and left his crate to hide in a corner of the room in the hopes that he could stay ahead of them as they searched.

  “Stay here at the exit,” the first mate told the steersman, “just in case we flush him out.” He raised his voice to the other three walking among the cargo. “The rest of you, I want every one of these crates opened and its contents searched. Something or someone is among us, and we’re going to throw it overboard.”

  The men muttered their consent as they opened the crates, and Karian felt more than a twinge of fear over the thought of being tossed into the ocean. He knew he could handle some ocean spray, but he imagined immersion would have the same effect as rain water on him in that he would die most painfully. He had to stay ahead of them.

  “Sir!” one of the men called out. The first mate walked to him, and Karian saw that his crate was one of the first they opened. “He’s got a mighty stench on him, doesn’t he?”

  “Men, we’ve got ourselves a stowaway for certain,” the first mate said. “He ain’t a ghost or nothing supernatural. Just a man who’s committed murder among this crew, and he’s here somewhere.”

  The search changed from that point to checking around the cargo, and it did not take long for them to make their way to the corner where Karian had hidden himself. He took to the ceiling swiftly and softly trying to escape where they were looking. Unfortunately, one of them spotted him and screamed.

  “’Tis a demon for sure, sir,” the man said. “There he be on the ceiling crawlin’ like a ruddy spider.”

  The first mate and one of the men drew swords while the others drew knives that were better used to cutting rope than fighting anyone. With the rain coming down outside, Karian knew he was trapped here, and he would do what he had to do to survive. Though it was five to one odds, as a Mutation, Karian knew he had the advantage.

  He scrabbled along the ceiling and dropped right into the middle of them, staring defiantly at each of them.

  “Back to hell with you, demon,” the first mate said. “Get him!”

  The crewman with the sword swung at Karian, and Karian easily avoided the blow. He grabbed the man’s wrist, broke it, and easily took control of the sword. In one fluid motion, he decapitated the man and tossed the sword at another, running him through. Two down, three to go.

  The steersman and other crewman attacked simultaneously with their knives. Karian dodged their pathetically slow swings, grabbed the steersman by the throat and slammed him into the deck so hard that his neck snapped as Karian cracked the floor boards. The other crewman tried to swing again, but Karian grabbed him and while locking eyes with the first mate, he bit into the man’s neck. The man screamed, but Karian drank from his victim as the blood drained from the mate’s face.

  The first mate backed away from Karian and tripped on the stairs. Karian dropped his victim and walked slowly toward the first mate. The mate came to his senses and scrambled up the stairs into the rain above. Karian could only listen to the exchange between the first mate and the captain.

  “I know the secret,” the first mate screamed. “God in heaven, I know it, and I repent of my sins.”

  “What are you on about, man?” the captain asked.

  “If you want to save your soul, you had best follow,” the mate said and Karian heard a splash. The mate had jumped overboard. He heard the footfalls of the captain as he r
an to where the mate had jumped.

  “You damn fool!” the captain shouted. “What is this all about? Where is the crew?”

  “The crew is dead!” the first mate shouted from the sea. “Save yourself from damnation. Save yourself from what lurks in the hold. The devil himself is down there waiting for the next soul to snatch.”

  “Yes, I believe I know the secret now,” the captain shouted. “You killed my crew and you’re feeling the guilt of it yourself.”

  “You’re the fool if you believe that and remain on board,” the mate said, his voice fading as the ship moved away from him.

  The captain turned to the stairs leading into the cargo hold, and Karian quickly hid himself away from the carnage he had created. The captain remained on the stairs looking at the cargo hold in quiet shock, and while he heard the captain mutter a few words here and there, none were intelligible. Eventually, the captain returned to the deck leaving Karian alone again.

  Once the rain stopped, Karian decided to go up on deck to see what became of the captain. With only the one man, Karian knew he would be in no danger.

  He emerged from below decks into the afternoon sun and looked across the water. Europe lay on one side of the ship while England lay on the other, and he was grateful this journey was nearly complete. He turned to see the captain standing at the helm staring at him. Karian walked casually to the man, climbing the steps to stand beside him.

  “What are you?” the captain stammered.

  “Only a simple passenger,” Karian said. “I apologize for the loss of your crew.”

  “A foolish passenger you are,” the captain said. “You are lucky the sails were unfurled before the crew was lost. One man cannot effectively sail a ship like this.”

  “This ship must reach its destination,” Karian insisted.

  “Then you should have left me with a crew.”

  “They attacked me.”

  “You attacked us.”

  “Granted,” Karian agreed. “Yet, as close as we are, had they not come into the hold and attacked me, I would not have needed to attack any more of your crew. They would all have lived had they left me alone.”

  “Is that how you justify what you’ve done?”

  “You’re rather brave knowing what I can do to you.”

  “A dead man has no fear.”

  “You’re not dead yet.”

  “We’re not going to England either.”

  “What?” Karian looked around and noted that the ship was pointed north, away from land. “I have to get to England.”

  “I will not willingly take a creature like you to that country,” the captain said. “It’s the least I can do for them to make sure you don’t get there that easily.”

  “We are close enough for me to get there without you,” Karian said.

  “So be it,” the captain said. “I will not be a part of it.” The captain turned for the side of the ship, clearly intending to jump. Karian was much faster and caught him before he could go over the side.

  “You are not leaving,” Karian said.

  “Do what you want with me,” the captain said. “I will not help you, and nothing you can do will convince me to do so. I won’t help you while I live, and I can’t help you when I’m dead. You’re on your own.”

  Holding the captain with one arm, Karian walked to the wheel and spun it so that the ship faced the English coast. The ship was in full sail, but they were still a considerable distance out. He dropped the captain hard on his knees in front of the wheel, took the captain’s sword, and walked to one of the riggings. He cut a long length of rope and walked back to the captain.

  Using the rope, he lashed the captain’s hands to the wheel in order to keep it pointed toward the land.

  “You think this will help?” the captain laughed. “We’ll be so far north of the Thames, we’ll miss that entire region, if we hit the island at all.”

  “I may have been a soldier instead of a sailor, but I can point a vehicle toward a target. We’ll hit the island, old man,” Karian said. “All that remains is whether we get there before I need to feed again. I will keep you alive for that.”

  “You had best hope those clouds don’t turn into anything,” the captain said. Karian had noticed the overcast skies, but was hoping to himself that nothing came of it. Of course, the captain had no way of knowing about his weakness.

  “Why do you say that?” Karian asked.

  “If it develops into anything serious, there won’t be a crew to reef the sails,” the captain explained with a chuckle. “A storm could tear us apart.”

  “Then you had better hope for the best,” Karian said, but deep down, he was frightened. As he had learned, a skilled crew could weather a storm without any problem, but one man could not, especially one willing to die.

  He looked at the English coast in the distance. They were making good time with the wind at their backs, and while he had not intended to kill the crew, he knew he could not allow the captain to live. While the captain was tied to the wheel, Karian would do his best to clear the bodies from the ship to minimize the evidence of what he had done. He had a couple of days still before they rather violently arrived at the English coast provided the captain did not try to affect the course of the ship, which he undoubtedly would. He admired the man’s sense of honor, and he knew if their roles were reversed, he would do the same.

  He watched as the distant land mass grew steadily closer, and hoped that once they arrived, he would be able to escape quickly, and then somehow find his prey among the mass of humanity that called the island home.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Despite the way it sounded, the cemetery in the churchyard of the Whitby Abbey was a remarkably peaceful place, which is why the locals had constructed paths and benches to accommodate those who came to the churchyard to enjoy its serene environment. Mina and Lucy went there almost daily as it served to take Mina’s mind off of her worries over Jonathan’s continued absence. It had been a week since she had seen Mr. Hawkins, and there was still no word from him or Jonathan.

  On this day, they had run across a man who was employed by the coast guard and liked to talk. He was young and clearly trying to win these ladies even though they had told him that they were both engaged.

  “It was my Gran who told me the story,” he said. “She’s French, you know. I think I told you that, didn’t I?” They nodded with a laugh. “Anyway, she told me that when she was but a little girl about seventy years ago, she was on holiday with her family on the French coast at the Bay of Biscay, and all of a sudden, something came up out of the water. Something like a big tube.”

  “A tube?” Lucy said skeptically. She would be the one to talk to him more than Mina as she was always more comfortable around men. She simply enjoyed the attentions they lavished upon her, and this would be no exception. Mina wondered for a moment what Arthur would say, but she knew this was only talk.

  “It’s true. I swear it,” the young man insisted. “My Gran’s an honest woman, and sure as the sun’s in the sky, she wouldn’t make this up.

  “This tube come up out of the water, and all of these flying machines came out of it soaring over their heads like metal birds. All kinds of people saw them.”

  “So what were they?” Lucy asked.

  “Nobody knows. She said her mum and dad along with most everyone else stopped believing they saw anything that day. She said they called it hallucinations or birds or clouds or just a trick of the light or even witchcraft, but she knew it was something else. She told me about it even though her own kin don’t believe her neither.”

  “Then how can you know it’s real if no one believes it?” Lucy asked with a smile so big, it surely melted his heart.

  “She’s an honest woman, she is,” he insisted. “She also got no imagination on her, if you follow me. A storyteller needs to be able to make stuff up, and it just ain’t something she does. She’s honest because she weren’t clever enough to be otherwise. I loved her, to be
sure, but that’s the truth too.

  “She been gone ten years now, but she lived a good long life, and that was her big experience. I went to sea to see if I could find something just as interesting.”

  “And have you?” Lucy asked.

  “I seen a thing or two, my lovely, but I swear on my Gran that nothing I seen compares to your beauty,” he said sweetly. “I’m kinda like her in that I just ain’t clever enough to make stuff up neither, so that’s got to be the truth.”

  “We’ve already told you that we’re engaged,” Mina reminded him.

  “He don’t deserve you, I’m sure of it,” the young man said. “Give me a night, and I’ll prove myself.”

  “Why don’t you tell us is there’s anything out in the ocean today?” Mina said. “Anything magical coming up?”

  “Yes, do tell us what you can see out there,” Lucy said more encouragingly than Mina.

  “I did come prepared for such a thing, you see,” the young man said, and he removed a small spyglass from his pocket. “You look through this and you can see far out across the water.”

  “Well, what is that out there then?” Lucy said, pointing to a dark spot in the water some distance off. The young man handed her his spyglass.

  “Why don’t you have a look?” he asked proudly.

  “Oh, how do I use it?” Lucy asked innocently. Mina rolled her eyes and folded her arms, wanting no part of this.

  “Well, you hold it over your eye like this,” the young man said, kneeling behind her, putting his arms around her and his hands over hers as she held the spyglass with her body naturally held against his as he showed her. “And while you’re looking at whatever it is, you turn this to focus on it.”

  “Oh, it looks like a boat,” Lucy said excitedly.

  “Really?” the young man said. He took his spyglass back and looked through it. Lucy protested and crossed her arms, but he paid no attention to her now. He focused completely on the dot in the distance. “I can’t make her out. She’s a Russian by the look of her, but she’s knocking about in the queerest way. She don’t know her mind a bit. She seems to see the storm coming, but can’t decide whether to run up north in the open, or to put in here. She is steered mighty strangely, for she doesn’t mind the hand on the wheel, changes about with every puff of wind.”