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Salt water burned her lips and the inside of her nose, it had gone past burning her eyes and her bones felt as though they would rattle right out of her skin from the freezing temperature. Finally it seemed the universe was taking pity on her and she felt her toes brush against the rough sea floor below her, but she still clung to the slippery piece of wood that she was holding onto. It smelled slightly charred and by the cold metal handle she had used to haul herself half atop it, it must have been a door. A pretty door too if the carvings she used to cling to were anything to go by. Zelda reached out and felt for wet fur and a shivering form resting on the other half of the door, sighing in relief when she did. She didn’t know if it was stupid to prioritize saving her dog, but if she was to die in the middle of nowhere, she’d rather it be with Vinegar Tom.
She let the waves push her closer to whatever shore she was approaching and when it felt like her arms were going to give out from gripping the door a second longer she pushed off the sand under her and took staggering steps onto the beach. The water weighed down her dress and despite that she hauled the door onto the shore until she was sure she was past any risk of the german shepherd being swept away by the waves. Then she collapsed.
All Zelda did for several minutes was take deep panting breaths. She dug her fingers into the fine sand, felt grains of it stick to her nose which was an inch above the ground, and ignored the water droplets that cascaded down her face and hit the very same sand. She absolutely would not cry yet. Yet. Yes, she knew the time would come, but it could not be now. This was the time for her mind and thoughts to catch up with what she had just been through. Folding her arms under her, she laid her head on them, tried to ignore the cold that was her soaked dress sleeves, and turned her head to the east where she could tell the sun was rising. Limited as her vision may be, she could see the shift in lighting taking place. As she gathered her strength, she tried to listen for any other survivors reaching the beach, and couldn’t stop herself from replaying the whole event in her head.
The deck was filled with voices, busy for such an odd hour. Not odd to her, no, no she was often up at this time and decided that night to take a walk. The ship she was aboard was usually delightfully vacant of other passengers at such an hour and she liked to make use of the wide observation deck. She hadn’t expected to enjoy the voyage so much, but it proved to be much better than the ones she had taken for this journey in the past. After traveling to Europe for a short trip to attend a midwifery conference and visit an old friend, she was on her way back to her family in America. Zelda felt Vinegar Tom stop by her side, and knowing that she wasn’t anywhere near the deck she was headed for, she toed the area in front of her wondering perhaps if there was something blocking her path. She felt the toe of her shoe hit dull leather boots and someone, a man she assumed, turned toward her.
“Excuse me,” she said and waited for the man to move. She would’ve expected Vinegar Tom to weave around him though.
He did not move. He instead touched her elbow, removing it after he felt her tense, and clicked his teeth. “I don’t think you’ll have much luck going any farther.” He had a rough voice and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. He must be someone who thinks it’s subtle, she thought.
Zelda, huffing, squared her shoulders already on the defensive, “And why not?”
The man spoke again, “Well the whole deck’s packed. Apparently something’s going on.”
“At this hour?” She had heard voices, but really, what could possibly draw such a crowd at this time.
The man huffed when someone suddenly pushed past the two of them. A muttered "Asshole" followed by more of an explanation, "Yeah, heard there's some nasty looking waves in the distance. Captain said there's nothing to worry about, but that's really easy for him to say when the wind's howling like it is.”
Zelda frowned, what did he mean by wind? She couldn't hear a thing let alone feel anything, it could hardly be wind. It must be some sea animal.
"Mr-…”
Fabric rustled and suddenly a rough hand closed around hers and she had to fight off the grimace she felt come over her face, "Name's Mr. Kinkle."
"Ms. Spellman," she supplied curtly and did her best to subtly wipe her hand on her jacket. "Mr.
Kinkle, I hardly feel a breeze. What wind?"
There was a second pause. " What wind ?" Mr. Kinkle scoffed, "You don't hear that? It sounds like a tornado going through a drafty house. It's screamin'." Brow furrowed, Zelda listened for a moment, but still all she could hear was the drone of voices overlapping and the water hitting the sides of the ship. Dread pooled in her stomach and Zelda was suddenly certain something terrible was looming; the way one’s body may tell the person something is wrong before they convulse. She felt Vinegar Tom nose at her leg and she shifted his handle to her other hand and reached down and stroked his head. The dense fur beneath her fingers only helped soothe her nerves somewhat. She switched the lead back to her other hand and straightened; try as she may there was hardly a whisper of wind in her ears, all that she could pick out was the hollow sound of shoes over the wooden deck, overlapping voices, and the crash of the waves against the ship. Reaching out, Zelda felt for the man’s arm and opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by a deafening boom of thunder.
The crowd of people around her gasped in shock and fear; the hair on the back of her neck stood up and Zelda tightened her grip on Vinegar Tom’s leash. The air was ripped apart by another clash of thunder and bright white light flashed around her. She dug her nails into the fabric of Mr. Kinkle’s coat and tugged, “Sir, we need to get back to the rooms, now.”
The man didn’t budge, however, and Zelda stopped short. “Mr. Kinkle?”
“I don’t…I don’t understand. Those rocks weren’t there a moment ago I swear.” The man sounded let down, as if whatever he was seeing had bypassed horror and brought him right to the brink of reluctant acceptance. Zelda didn’t have time for that frankly and sharply pulled on his arm again, “ Mr. Kinkle ,” she urged, “There’s a storm, we must go before it hits us.”
“It’s already hit us, darlin’.” The thunder rang out again and it was impossibly louder. Rain began pouring down as if summoned. If she hadn’t needed her hands she might’ve covered her ears. The voices that surrounded her gave way to panicked screams and frightened yelps. There was the rumbling of different groups running and she faintly heard Vinegar Tom give a high pitched whine. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest and she did her best to not panic. “Please-”
Mr. Kinkle spoke again, his voice calm, “There’s cliffs surrounding us Miss. They’re sharp.”
“What? We’re days from landing, they must be waves.” The thunder was coming in quickly now, one rolling over the next like the growl of some predator and she had to strain to hear his voice.
“Mr. Kinkle, with the commotion I’ll need help making it back to my room,” desperation laced her voice and she had to yell to be heard now, “Please, Mr. Kinkle!”
A sudden BOOM! of something crashing into the hull of the ship prevented Zelda from ever getting to hear what he might’ve said. The movement pitched her forward and sent her tumbling to the floor. She heard Vinegar Tom barking and felt for his lead that she had dropped. The screaming and thunder blended together blotting out her hearing; her panic rose and she felt the ship lurch again as it was shredded by rocks that appeared like phantoms.
Zelda cried out when she was shoved aside by someone running past her. A foot landed on her hand that was feeling for the lead causing her to recoil. “Tom!” She cried, “Vinegar Tom!” She crawled forward, jostled by running passengers or another object crashing into the boat that was surely sinking. She could feel the descent happening and called out, “Mr. Kinkle! Mr. Kinkle!”
The temperature of the air dropped as the deck hastened its way to the sea and if the thunder hadn’t been so loud she would’ve heard the splashes of others hitting the water. For her the world was suddenly tilted and she heard water rush in through the floors beneath the deck like a great roar. Water sprayed over her and she froze realizing truly how close she was to the ocean. Frantically, she continued her search and finally felt the German Shepherd against her; she could’ve burst into tears when she felt him push himself under her arms so she could grab hold of him. The wood beneath her groaned and in what felt like seconds she found herself plunged in icy cold water, the ship leaving her feet and racing for the ocean floor. Saltwater filled her mouth and she kicked her legs to stay above the water. Her body fought to go into shock, but luckily she was able to keep her wits about her. It felt as though she were being stung all over, the cold biting and sharp against her as she struggled to stay afloat. The grip she had was iron clad around Vinegar Tom’s harness and she felt the dog paddle in the water by her.
Treading water, Zelda scrambled for a hold of anything around her. Debris knocked against her shoulders and hit her feet. All were too small to be of any use to her or were swept away by the water. Then something large hit the back of her shoulder, no doubt bruising it heavily, and she hurriedly reached over her shoulder and grabbed onto the large piece of wood, dragging Vinegar Tom through the water with her. She managed to haul herself up on her elbows after her first attempt sent her back into the water. The dog had the sense to get his paws up on it as well. Vinegar Tom certainly wouldn’t be able to withstand the waves and cold, so she lowered herself in the water again despite her mind screaming at her that she was stupid and wrestled her arm under him. She got his back two legs in grip and with all her strength, pushed him onto the debris. Zelda once again made several attempts to raise herself aboard the piece of wood and thankfully got her torso over the edge. The thunder was quieting down now, whatever storm mystically disappearing almost as quickly as it came.
Zelda rested her head against the sturdy wood and focused on being alive. Out in the water, however long that would be.
She must have dozed off because next thing she knew, Zelda was pulled from her slumber by the sound of Vinegar Tom growling. She lifted her head and listened for whatever it may be that set him off. He was perfectly trained, he didn’t even growl at her niece’s cat when the feline would hiss and scratch at him. So whatever it was suddenly had her heart nearly beating out of her chest. For a moment she heard nothing and she tried to make out any shadows, but in the dim light of dawn and flashes of light from the sun hitting the water, it only proved to disorient her. So she stayed still, hoping that if it was an animal it would find her uninteresting, and that if it were another person, well she only hoped this new day was more merciful than the night.
Suddenly, Vinegar Tom went silent and the sound of sand shifting behind her was all the warning she got before one arm wrapped itself around her torso and another was over her eyes.
The scream that ripped itself from her throat was something roughed by years of not only smoking but burned by choking on salt water. And it was loud. She attempted to wrestle herself free from the hold that she was in, and when that failed due to the unnatural strength of the one holding her, she clawed at the limbs. Her nails were short but they were still sharp, and she did her best to dig them in and rip at any skin that she felt. There was a grunt from her captor, but still they did not budge.
“Will you stop that!” A voice low but not rough like her own hissed. Zelda distantly realized the one holding her was a woman. Despite the words though, she continued to struggle.
The woman huffed and adjusted her grip, one hand staying firmly over Zelda’s eyes, “Settle down, or do you not want to be saved? I could leave you to wander alone.”
Zelda did her best to not struggle anymore, though she could hardly help the trembling that had taken over her form. She would’ve been embarrassed had she not been so thoroughly terrified. She tried to remember all of the times Hilda was by her side when the mask would slip, when she could not hide the little girl that was so frightened instead of the woman, the protector, she so desperately tried to cling to. Taking deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth like her sister had instructed before, the trembling settled some. The panic did remain however.
The woman hummed, voice low and next to her ear and something moved against her hair, “There we go, hardly get any talking done like that. Wouldn’t that be difficult?”
“Would you let me go? …Please.” She amended after a moment, knowing it was better to be on the good side of whoever this woman was and being rude wasn’t going to help her. She felt the woman shake her head at her shoulder, they must be close to the same height then. Then how could she be so strong?
“No,” the woman said, “Can’t risk having you run off and trying to catch you again, and certainly can’t risk having you turn around.”
Zelda grit her teeth and tried to not wrestle her way from that iron stronghold again. For some reason, she knew without a doubt that the woman would be able to catch her. No matter the amount of times it took for her to inevitably tire herself out. Besides, from the lack of sounds of any other survivor, she truly was her best best at living. She tried another tactic. “Let go of me, now. I won’t run.”
The woman tutted, clearly not happy with that approach. “Now is that any way to make a good first impression? Here, I’ll show you how one makes a proper introduction- My name is Lilith, it’s a pleasure to meet you. What is your name?”
Zelda ignored the question, “What did you do to my dog? I heard him a moment ago and now he’s not making a sound.” The realization sunk in as she said those words, and try as she might to deep breathe it away, the trembling sets in again, and Hell below she feels her chin wobble. She was doing well at avoiding crying till now, but the possible death of her best friend causes there to be a forsaken strain in her voice, “Did you kill him?” She doesn’t know how she did it so quickly, so silently.
Lilith, she remembered, scoffed, seemingly offended at such an accusation, “No, I did not kill the beast. I merely put him to sleep with a spell.”
Zelda could only laugh, what on earth was this woman saying? “Have you been on this island long enough you’ve lost your mind? A spell? Who are you then, a witch?” Just her luck, to get stuck on some godforsaken island with a lunatic, a violent and strong one at that. Her disbelief momentarily pushed her fear to the side, survival still at the forefront of her mind.
She hadn’t expected though for Lilith to dig her nails into the skin where she held her close. The woman hissed in her ear, “Worse.” There was a nerve there that she had just hit. “As I said, he is only asleep.”
Zelda huffed, irritated, “You make no sense. What would you have me believe? That you are some sort of magical being? Excuse me if that’s difficult to trust, and really could you let me go!” This time she could hardly be blamed for shifting in her captor’s grip, trying to pull at her arm. Lilith still didn’t budge and ignored her request.
“Would that really be so hard to believe? How do you think I manage survival on my own? Surely you must feel it, the energy of this island? Settle and focus.”
Zelda began to protest, but Lilith barked out, “Focus!”
What a load of poppycock this surely was. But, she couldn’t ignore the voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like her brother’s voice that told her to take a moment and listen. So, feeling a little like she was being duped, she stilled and focused on…what, well that was what she was asked to find. Waiting and doing her best to breathe, it occurred to her that she could utilize the moment and take Lilith by surprise, possibly gaining her freedom. It did cross her mind though that even with the element of surprise she suspected that the other woman wouldn’t be easily fought, or even phased. As she continued to plot her impossible escape, she felt what only could be described as a breeze that swept along her being. It wasn’t physically felt over the surface of her skin however, but more like wind through her veins causing her to shiver.
“There,” Lilith cooed. Somehow, despite holding her, Zelda felt her tuck some hair behind her ear. The magic she felt managed to calm her down some and she felt some of the tension ease from her shoulders. Faintly she thought she should be sent further into the fits of terror, but the fear wouldn't come when she felt the island settle along her own aura. She wet her lips and spoke steadily, "I believe you." Lilith was a witch, or some kind of magical being. Her ship crashed, Vinegar Tom was put to sleep using a spell, and Zelda was coming to terms with that far better than she thought she would.
Lilith’s hold softened slightly and it was then that the soft and ever present hissing around her head quieted now. Zelda hadn’t even realized it was there, coming to the conclusion that somewhere in her mind she must have attributed it to the ocean or the wind or maybe she was just so scared she ignored it in favor of focusing on the woman trapping her. Pausing, she tried to focus on it now and despite the sound being mostly quiet there was the occasional hiss, sometimes one would start by one ear and move somewhere else around her head. It was as if she was next to a pit of vipers, the kinds she’s seen at exhibits. She couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her then.
“Ah, finally noticed, did you?”
This bit was harder to come to terms with. Zelda couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Surely these were not actual snakes she was hearing. Something brushed against the skin of her cheek and she flinched away from the feeling of smooth scales. It felt as though her brain was stumbling horribly, coming to one conclusion and rushing toward the inevitable next one all the while filling with so many questions. She tried to turn around again and very nearly screamed in frustration when Lilith prevented her from doing so again.
“Let me face you, you must know I won’t run now.” It was beyond uncomfortable now and she hated the restraint.
“No,” Lilith said.
Zelda might actually scream now, “Honestly! I will scream if you don’t let me move.”
Lilith only laughed, the sound rough and yet smooth like the first sip of whiskey, “And who will hear you? There is no one to hear it.”
“No, but I imagine it wouldn’t be pleasant so close to your ears”
Lilith huffed, “Perhaps I’ll just cast a spell on you next to silence you.”
Zelda cried out at the injustice and used her calmer state of being to wrestle her hand closest to the arm around her and found Lilith’s hand. Locating the offending hand she dug fingers and felt the soft muscle tissue between the thumb and index finger and pinched it hard. Lilith yelped and Zelda took the opportunity the moment her grip lessened to get her arms up to her sides and twisted around. The movement also dislodged the hand over her eyes and she heard Lilith’s horrified gasp as she faced her.
“No!” Lilith cried and quickly slapped her hand over her eyes again. Zelda felt the woman tense in front of her and frankly didn’t care, “Let go!” She shook her head trying to move the hand.
Lilith growled, “Mortals, your stupidity is always your downfall. Did you see?” The hissing was loud again, the sound was angry and turbulent. “No, she couldn’t have, Stolas. That’s impossible and you know why- well maybe I was quick enough.”
“Excuse me,” said Zelda, “Who on earth are you speaking to? And see what?”
“Quiet,” commanded Lilith.
Zelda took a deep breath, stopping the comments that were about to spill from her lips. She opened her mouth to speak when Lilith spoke first.
“It’s impossible, Stolas, now quit it. I know, well I don’t. How? What are you?”
It took a moment for Zelda to realize the woman was addressing her and she pursed her lips, “I should be asking you that.”
Lilith snapped back, “Answer me. How are you not stone? You had to have seen. What creature are you?” She was being held against her will over possibly looking at the woman? If this was really what this was about, Zelda was going to have a fit. She answered, voice cold and hard, “I am blind, I didn’t see anything.”
The hissing stopped and she felt Lilith’s hand over her eyes falter, “What?” Her voice was small and was almost a whisper.
Zelda reached up, Lilith’s grip still there but now weak, and forcibly pulled the woman’s hand off of her face. She opened her eyes and growled, “I. Am. Blind.”
Lilith’s touch left her completely then. She rolled her shoulders easing the tension and ache that came from being restricted and stuck in one position for some time. She brushed the sticky and stiff saltwater drenched hair from her face. Tentative fingers touched her arm and she jumped despite herself. The hissing was back, but softer. For some reason, she thought the sound was almost apologetic. She heard an intake of breath and Zelda turned toward the touch, waiting for the other woman to speak.
“I-…I apologize if I hurt you,” Lilith began.
Zelda rolled her eyes and scoffed, “‘If’? No, I enjoyed it if you couldn’t tell by my struggling.” She could practically hear Lilith’s teeth grind.
“I apologize,” she continued voice tight, “I only wanted to keep you from killing yourself. After all, you’ve survived Charybdis. I thought, surely you must be far from doomed if you’ve been delivered from that.” The name was familiar to Zelda, but she was already rationalizing one mythic being in front of her; she could think about escaping a second one at another time.
She could hear the ever present hissing from where the woman’s head was. Unable to resist, Zelda reached out, knowing what she would feel but not believing it all the same. Her hand’s path was intercepted by Lilith roughly grabbing her wrist, grip tight and unforgiving.
“Don’t you dare.”
Zelda felt her cheeks burn, embarrassed by her act; who was she, going to touch someone so? A part of her wanted to argue that Lilith had been the one to restrain her and therefore touching her head was hardly outside the realm of decency. The other woman was still holding her wrist and Zelda searched within herself to come up with an adequate apology. “I-” she began.
Then she felt something nudge her hand. An involuntary gasp left her when the thing pushed against her palm; her fingers tentatively brushed against it, feeling the rough yet smooth presence of scales. Her mind quickly pieced things together.
Lilith growled, “Stolas you traitor.”
“Snakes,” Zelda said suddenly, “They’re snakes. You have snakes on your head.” It wasn’t the most eloquent way of putting it, but there wasn’t really an eloquent way of coming to such a realization. The one that had sought her attention, Stolas, pressed its face into her hand seeking warmth. Lilith let go of her wrist, sighing in annoyance.
“Yes, and if you have any intention of harming them tell me now so I can kill you before they get attached,” she hummed, the sound pleasant but holding an edge of a threat to it.
“I wouldn’t-” Zelda stopped as she felt more of them moving under her outstretched hand “I wouldn’t dream of it.” The questions filling her mind felt as though they were weighing her down and she became aware of the exhaustion that was rapidly settling in as her body slowly came out of survival mode. Her arm returned to her side feeling like lead all of a sudden.
“You’re tired,” Lilith supplied, “You need to rest.” Zelda heard the hissing of the snakes dip below her head and knew Lilith must be bending down. She was about to ask what she was doing when she heard a small yip and felt Vinegar Tom nudge her leg. Relief flooded her being and she knelt down, petting behind his ears and kissing the top of his head. “Good boy, Vinegar Tom, good boy!” He shifted against her and turned his back to her; she took his lead and stood back up.
“Come,” Lilith said, “I’ll find you a place to sleep.”
Zelda reached out, hand landing on the woman’s shoulder and she followed her arm down and held onto her arm, “Wait!” Lilith stopped and waited for her to speak. “Where are we? We shouldn’t leave, the rescue may follow the wreckage.”
Lilith laughed, the snort harsh and short, “Nowhere where rescue will find you. No man with a map of today’s world will find this place.”
Disappointment weighed down on her and Zelda immediately thought of her family- her sister, her niece and nephew, all at home waiting for her return, “But-”
“You’re here and here you will remain unless by some miracle you learn how to sail the seas without sight.” The comment stung and she wasn’t sure why it did. “Now, come. The path will be rocky so keep hold of me.” She set forward, keeping her elbow extended and Zelda numbly allowed her to lead her.
She followed the woman, the monster her mind supplied in mild alarm, and did her best to keep her footing steady, only occasionally stumbling on the uneven rocks. The journey was made in silence, providing ample internal space and time to go over each precious memory of her loved ones that she would never see again.