The sky was a light shade of pink where it met the glacier. There were no clouds and an immense amber moon shone above them.
“Is there a place to dock?” Boots asked, “Or are we headin’ inside there?” He pointed to the cave.
“If we want freshwater,” Lincoln said, “That’s where we will find it. All the water is pure, but it is too frozen out here to even get it inside the barrels. It will be easier inside where the climate is slightly warmer.”
“I’ll grab us some dry clothes,” Mazie said. “We’ll die if we don’t.” She rushed below deck as the captain stood at the helm, steering the ship towards the cave.
The sound of the ship cracking through the ice silenced the pirates. All of them looked at their surroundings. It was truly majestic, and the crew took in the world around them: the colors, the massive walls of blue ice, and the crystal-clear water below. All except for Tipsy, he focused on his breath breaking through the chilly air, creating a fine mist in front of his chapped lips. The ice cap slowed the ship as they entered the cave, making way amidst massive, towering glaciers on either side.
Once inside the cave, the pinkish hue dimmed but was overtaken by aqua-blue rays shimmering over the ice around them.
This is incredible,Nola thought.
“Kitten, drop the anchor once we reach that turn,” Lincoln ordered. Pointing at a fork in the cave.
“Where do those lead?” Nola asked.
“One leads to the city, the other, back to the sea. It’s easier to sail ahead than try to turn the ship around.”
Nola helped Kitten turn the windlass and drop the heavy anchor.
“Let’s get them barrels and I’ll be needin’ my cane as well until I fix up me leg,” Boots said, heading below deck, Kitten and Nola followed closely behind.
Lincoln looked around, his heart giving a twist in his chest. There was something he knew about that place that the others most certainly did not. Some bizarre creatures lived on that land, but somehow they were not yet aware of their presence. He was hoping it would stay that way, because the last time he was there, they were not so lucky.
Wentworth was a damn fool. He had not cared about the danger lurking in that cave. Despite the risk, he still did all he could to steal from the people, so they were met with cannons and ferocious creatures that wanted nothing but blood. And they got it. Wentworth lost several men that day and Lincoln swore he would never return.
“Captain, how in all these years have you not told us about this place?” Mazie asked, passing out dry garments to the rest of the crew.
A small frown edged his lips. “Oh, my dear Raven, this place may look beautiful, but ’tis what nightmares are made up from. I never wanted to return here so I kept this awful wonder to myself. The creatures that live here will, without a doubt, kill us if we are caught.”
The black-haired pirate then passed out the waterproof coats, boots, old gauntlets, and hats. Nola, Kitten, and Boots reappeared, each carrying a barrel onto the deck. Nola zipped one of the jackets tightly around her body and grabbed a pair of gloves from Mazie.
“How do you get the water into the barrels,” Nola asked.
“We’ll have to use the pulleys and rig the rope until it reaches the sea. It’s strong enough, but it’s goin’ to take us a while,” Lincoln replied.
Boots prepared the pulley and began coiling and securing the rope around the first barrel.
“Ardley, I need you to stay below deck. You are in no shape for this weather,” Lincoln ordered, watching Ardley’s already pale cheeks slowly turn blue.
“Come on, mate,” Hill said, “I’ll help ye down the stairs.”
The lunky pirate wrapped his arm under Ardley’s armpit, grabbing his hand with his other and carefully, yet stumbly, helped him to the captain’s quarters.
“It’s bloody freezin’,” Boots said once the barrel was tied off.
Even with layers of warm clothes, their limbs had already begun to stiffen. Their bodies were nowhere used to that temperature.
Mazie exhaled heavily, watching her breath fog before her eyes.“It’s been a while since we’ve been in this kind of weather, Captain,” she said, an unnerving feeling sweeping over her. She peered ahead as a soft echo sounded through the cave. She was not quite sure what she was looking for, but she still had a baleful feeling. It appeared to her as if someone or something had been watching them.
Nola gave Lincoln an anxious look. “What do we have to fear here, Lincoln?” she asked.
He frowned before he hesitantly answered, “Gnomes.”
A polar breeze caused Nola to shiver, or maybe it was fear. “As in, tiny creatures with red pointy hats?” she asked. He inched closer and wrapped his gloves over her already frozen fingers.
“Fairy tales, Nola. Those are just the fairy tales King Matthias made for the children to believe their parents. These gnomes are small, yes, but they look a bit different than you’ve probably been told they look like.” He turned to his crew. “They don’t speak our tongue and they don’t welcome visitors, especially those who plan to steal from them.”