Page 56 of Astrid at Sea

When everybody burst out laughing at his words, my cheeks flamed, and I buried my face in his chest.

“That’s very reassuring, Captain,” Roscoe joked.

“You’ll be the first person I give to them to eat,” Viktor joked back, and another round of laughter filled the bottom deck.

However, the laughter quickly fizzled out when the reality of the situation we had somehow landed ourselves in loomed over our heads once more.

“I’m convinced that they’re cannibals,” Hammond persisted. “There’s this line of empty ships along the shore. We asked about them, and they said that no one uses them. Like they’re just there for decoration.”

“I spotted the ships, too. Bjorn quickly changed the subject when I asked about them,” Viktor frowned, and I could practically see the cogs turning in his head.

“What if they’re not eating each other?” Garth mused aloud. “What if they’re eating sailors who were naïve enough to stop at Canne like us?”

“Think about it.” Jerrik snapped his fingers, his eyes wide with a look of realisation dawning in them. “We haven’t been able to catch any fish for the past week, so I imagine they have the same issue. What else must they survive on if they don’t have any fish? Surely, they can’t survive on the limited fruit and vegetables they grow. And it’s not like they have abundant animals here either.”

“And have you seen the amounts of huts they have?” Laurence asked. “They have more than double the huts we have back at Jorvik, and each is brimming with people. More than just one couple.”

“With that many people, they’re bound to have worked their way through all the animals already,” Manny added. “Probably even years ago.”

“We have to think rationally here,” Viktor murmured, his eyes distant.

“What is there to think about?” Odin snorted. “We need to get off the island. I refuse to allow myself to be the next meal for these people.”

“Me neither!” Crosby agreed, but after a brief look, we all went back to ignoring him.

“But if we leave, we’re going to die at sea,” Jerrik groaned and buried his face in his hands.

“I’m with Jerrik on this one,” Gustav said. “There’s no food, and who knows when we’ll find fish again? It could be a day or two if we’re lucky, or it could even be another week. We won’t be able to go on long without food.”

“What do you want us to do?” Laurence snapped at him. “Stick around here and wait to be eaten for dinner?”

“They’re not going to eat us. Not if we don’t let them.” Caspian shook his head fiercely, though he still looked worried.

“I’m sure that’s what the crews of those other ships also thought,” Odin snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Enough!” Viktor squeezed my hip before rising to his feet, a stern look on his face. “I see both sides of the argument here. Frankly, it doesn’t look good for us either way.”

I nodded and rose to my feet as well. “If we wait around here for too long, they’re going to eat us, but if we leave for the sea now, then we’re going to die out there. Either way, we’ll end up dying, and no one will ever find us.”

“What are you saying?” Garth asked, his voice deathly quiet.

“I hope you’re not suggesting that we take this lying down,” Laurence frowned deeply at me.

“No, of course not,” I said. “I think we need to time ourselves.”

“How so?” Viktor asked, cocking his head to the side in a curious fashion.

“We stick around here for the feast and to gather as many supplies as we can. We play nice so they don’t suspect anything, and then tonight, after everyone has fallen asleep, we sail away. The more food we grab, the longer we’ll be able to survive out on sea. We’ll ration it. Try to make it last as long as possible, and hopefully, we’ll be back in waters where we’ll be able to find some fish. At least enough to keep us alive till Greenland where, hopefully, they won’t be cannibals.”

“I’m certain the people of Greenland aren’t cannibals,” Viktor chuckled from behind me and leaned forward to press a kiss to my hair.

I loved many things about Viktor, but I especially loved that he was never shy or embarrassed to show me how much he loved me, regardless of where we were or who we were with. And it was never in an overbearing way I had seen some men behave with their wives.

The best part was that it was all subconscious, as if he did all these sweet little acts without thinking—like it was second nature to him.

“Now, any objections to Astrid’s idea?” Viktor asked.

I couldn’t help but hold my breath as I glanced around the crew. No one stepped forward to oppose my idea.

---