Chapter 110 - 108: The Four Who Waited on the Rocks

Chapter 110: Chapter 108: The Four Who Waited on the Rocks

Captain Elsen Marrick had spent thirty years at sea, and Arin had never seen anyone argue with a map quite so fiercely.

"That reef is wrong."

EVE looked up from the navigation table. "Which part?"

"The northern approach. There should be a channel here."

Elsen pointed to a narrow gap between two rocky islands.

EVE examined the chart. "The most recent survey indicates submerged rocks at a depth of three meters."

"That survey was conducted during a spring tide. At high water, there’s a passage wide enough for a fishing boat."

Arin leaned closer. "Would you trust that passage with a rescue vessel?"

"Not without someone watching the depth."

"Then we don’t use it."

Elsen frowned. "You’re giving up?"

"No. We’re finding a better way."

Lucan, who had been eating an apple near the window, raised his hand. "I volunteer to swim."

Arin didn’t look at him.

"No."

"I’m an excellent swimmer."

"The reef is thirty kilometers offshore."

"I’ve had longer walks."

"That’s not remotely the same thing."

Elsen watched them for a moment before turning toward EVE.

"Are they always like this?"

"Unfortunately, this is a relatively productive conversation."

The northern reef chain was known locally as the Widow’s Teeth.

Seven rocky islands rose from the sea, surrounded by shallow shelves, narrow channels, and violent tidal currents. Only two had enough flat ground to support temporary shelter, and neither possessed a reliable freshwater source.

The fishing boat Marigold had disappeared seventeen days earlier.

Four people had been aboard: Captain Derren Holt, his younger brother Soren, a deckhand named Pell, and a nineteen-year-old apprentice called Nessa.

Elsen knew all four.

Derren had worked out of Seabreak for nearly twenty years. His wife operated a fish stall near the western market, and his daughter had been waiting at the harbor every morning since the boat vanished.

Arin listened without interrupting.

When Elsen finished, he studied the weather forecast.

"Seventeen days is a long time."

"I know."

"They could have found shelter. They could have moved to another island. They might have been picked up by someone."

"I know that too."

Arin met her eyes.

"But we shouldn’t promise their families anything until we have evidence."

Elsen’s jaw tightened. Then she nodded.

"Agreed."

They launched the search at dawn.

The Civic Exploration Platform remained outside Seabreak. Its sheer size made it useless for this particular operation, although its communications systems and fabrication workshop continued supporting the expedition.

Arin chose a different approach.

Three long-range aerial drones would survey the reefs from above. Two compact surface craft, fitted with shallow-water propulsion and medical supplies, would approach from separate directions. The harbor authority would provide an experienced navigator and coordinate local vessels if a rescue became necessary.

No giant machines.

No unnecessary explosions.

No charging blindly into unknown waters.

Victor found the plan disappointing.

Arin considered that an encouraging sign.

"Why am I staying behind?" Victor demanded.

"Because the rescue craft have limited seating."

"I don’t take up that much room."

"You brought a cannon."

"It’s a compact cannon."

"No."

Victor folded his arms. "One day, you’ll appreciate my preparedness."

"Today isn’t that day."

Lucan grinned as he climbed aboard the first craft.

Victor looked at him.

"Why does he get to go?"

"Because he didn’t bring artillery."

Lucan patted his sword. "Just the essentials."

The sea beyond Seabreak was beautiful.

That was what unsettled Arin most.

Sunlight glittered across the waves. White seabirds circled above the fishing grounds. The water was a deep, brilliant blue, and the distant coast looked peaceful beneath a cloudless sky.

Nothing about it suggested that seven vessels had vanished nearby.

EVE sat at the navigation console of the first rescue craft, her hands resting lightly on the controls. She had insisted on joining the search in person.

Arin hadn’t objected.

He knew why.

This was her first experience of the ocean, and she wanted to understand it beyond images and sensor readings.

The craft rose over a swell.

EVE steadied herself against the seat.

Lucan noticed.

"Seasick?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I am adjusting to the motion."

"That’s what seasick people say."

EVE gave him a flat look.

Arin smiled. "Leave her alone."

A larger swell lifted the bow.

Lucan grabbed the railing.

EVE smiled sweetly.

"Adjusting to the motion?"

Arin laughed.

The first island contained nothing except seabirds and weathered stone.

The second had an old fishing marker, broken several years earlier.

The third produced the first sign of hope.

One of the aerial drones detected a rectangular patch of pale fabric caught between two rocks.

Arin enlarged the image.

"Canvas?"

EVE nodded. "Likely sailcloth."

"Recent?"

"Insufficient evidence."

They approached cautiously.

The current around the island was stronger than expected. EVE directed the craft along the sheltered western side while Lucan watched the rocks.

The landing took fifteen minutes.

Arin climbed onto the shore and examined the fabric.

It had been tied around a wooden pole.

Not washed there.

Placed there.

He looked toward the island’s highest point.

"Someone made a signal."

Lucan followed his gaze.

A small pile of stones stood on the ridge.

Beside it lay the blackened remains of a fire.

EVE scanned the ashes.

"Recent combustion. Likely within the past several days."

Arin’s expression sharpened.

"Then somebody was alive here."

They found the first person twenty minutes later.

Not on the beach.

Inside a shallow cave above the high-tide line.

Lucan spotted the footprints leading toward it. Arin followed, keeping his voice calm as he called into the darkness.

"Hello? We’re from Seabreak. We’re here to help."

Something moved.

A frightened voice answered.

"Stay back."

Arin stopped.

"All right."

"Who sent you?"

"Captain Elsen Marrick."

Silence.

Then a young woman appeared at the cave entrance.

Her clothes were torn. Her face was sunburned, and she held a sharpened piece of driftwood with both hands.

She couldn’t have been much older than nineteen.

"Captain Elsen?" she whispered.

Arin nodded.

The driftwood fell from her fingers.

"Oh, thank the tides."

Her knees buckled.

Lucan caught her before she hit the ground.

Her name was Nessa.

She was dehydrated, exhausted, and suffering from several infected cuts, but she was alive.

Arin helped her sit in the shade while EVE prepared emergency fluids and a medical scanner.

"Where are the others?" he asked gently.

Nessa swallowed.

"Two are here."

Arin’s chest tightened.

"And the fourth?"

She looked toward the sea.

"Captain Derren went looking for water."

"When?"

"Yesterday morning."

"Did he take a boat?"

She shook her head.

"He built a raft. There’s another island west of here. He thought it might have a spring."

Lucan glanced toward the horizon.

Arin nodded.

"We’ll look for him."

Nessa grabbed his sleeve.

"Please."

"We will."

She closed her eyes.

For the first time since they’d found her, she began to cry.

The other survivors were deeper inside the cave.

Soren Holt had a broken leg, splinted with driftwood and strips of sailcloth. Pell, the deckhand, was running a fever from an infected shoulder wound.

Both were conscious.

Both were weak.

And both stared at the rescue team as though they couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing.

Lucan crouched beside Soren.

"Can you stand?"

Soren laughed bitterly.

"Not unless you brought a new leg."

"Didn’t pack one."

"Terrible rescue service."

Lucan smiled.

"Complaints department opens after breakfast."

Arin shook his head, relieved to hear someone joking.

EVE stabilized Pell’s infection while A-01, arriving from the second craft, helped prepare a stretcher.

They had enough supplies to begin treatment immediately, but the injured men needed proper medical care.

Arin contacted the harbor.

"Elsen, we’ve found three."

For several seconds, there was only static.

Then her voice returned.

"Alive?"

"Alive."

He heard her exhale.

"All three?"

"Yes. Nessa, Soren, and Pell."

Another pause.

"And Derren?"

"Still missing. He left the island yesterday."

Elsen’s voice steadied.

"Find him."

"We’re working on it."

The search for Captain Derren was harder.

The reefs looked different from sea level. Currents twisted between the rocks, and sunlight reflected from wet stone, making small objects difficult to distinguish.

EVE divided the surrounding waters into search sectors.

The aerial drones moved outward.

Arin joined Lucan aboard the first rescue craft while the medical team prepared the three survivors for evacuation.

They searched the western islands.

Then the southern channels.

Nothing.

An hour passed.

Then another.

Lucan stood near the bow, scanning the waves.

"Maybe he made it farther than we think."

"Possible."

"Maybe a passing boat picked him up."

"Also possible."

Lucan glanced at Arin.

"You don’t sound convinced."

Arin watched the water.

"I’m trying not to guess."

He knew the difference between optimism and evidence.

Sometimes that difference was unpleasant.

EVE’s voice interrupted them.

"Possible debris detected. Northwest sector."

A drone image appeared.

A crude raft floated near a cluster of rocks.

Its lashings had broken.

One side was submerged.

No person was visible.

Arin’s stomach tightened.

"Get us there."

They reached the raft ten minutes later.

The current had pushed it against a narrow stone shelf. Several ropes hung loose, and a small wooden container was wedged between the planks.

Lucan retrieved the container.

Inside were two empty water bottles and a folded scrap of cloth.

Arin examined the rocks.

Fresh scrape marks.

A broken paddle.

And a trail of wet footprints leading upward.

He smiled.

"He’s alive."

Lucan followed the tracks.

They climbed the rocks and disappeared around a narrow ledge.

Then they heard shouting.

"HELP!"

Arin turned.

A man was clinging to a higher shelf, one arm wrapped around a jagged stone projection.

Below him, waves crashed against the cliff.

His left foot was trapped between two rocks.

And the tide was rising.

Lucan grinned.

"Found him."

Arin was already moving.

The rescue wasn’t difficult because of the man’s weight.

It was difficult because the stone shelf was unstable.

Each incoming wave struck the cliff with enough force to send spray over the ledge. The trapped foot lay beneath a loose slab that shifted whenever the water surged.

Arin reached the man first.

"Derren Holt?"

The man stared at him.

"Depends. Who’s asking?"

"Someone who’s had a very long morning."

Derren gave a weak laugh.

"Then yes."

Arin crouched beside him.

"Your crew is alive."

Derren stopped breathing for a moment.

"What?"

"All three. We found them."

His face crumpled.

He pressed his forehead against the rock.

"Thank the tides."

Lucan arrived behind Arin.

"Ready to get out of here?"

Derren looked at his trapped leg.

"Been trying."

Arin examined the slab.

He could lift it easily.

But doing so carelessly might cause the surrounding rocks to collapse.

He waited for the next wave to recede, then asked Lucan to brace the upper ledge while he secured Derren with a rescue harness.

"On three," Arin said.

Derren nodded.

"One."

Lucan tightened the rope.

"Two."

Arin lifted the slab just enough to free the leg.

"Three."

Lucan pulled Derren clear.

The slab dropped back into place.

A wave crashed against the rocks a heartbeat later.

Arin climbed onto the higher shelf and looked toward the rescue craft.

"All right. Let’s go home."

Captain Elsen met them at the harbor.

So did half of Seabreak.

Word had spread during the return journey, and by the time the rescue craft reached the docks, the quay was crowded with fishermen, merchants, families, and harbor workers.

Derren’s daughter was standing at the front.

She couldn’t have been older than ten.

The moment she saw him, she broke away from her mother and ran.

Derren barely had time to step onto the dock before she threw herself into his arms.

He dropped to his knees.

Held her.

And cried.

Arin stood a little distance away.

Lucan came beside him.

"Four out of four."

Arin nodded.

"Four out of four."

They had been lucky.

Arin knew that.

Another storm, another high tide, another few days without clean water, and the outcome could have been very different.

But for once, the timing had been enough.

That evening, Seabreak’s harbor authority held a short briefing.

The survivors confirmed that the Marigold had been caught in a violent downward current near Blackwater Hollow.

Its engine failed.

The hull struck submerged debris.

Then the enormous blue-lit creature appeared.

Derren described it slowly, pausing several times to gather his thoughts.

"I thought it was going to eat us. Biggest thing I’ve ever seen in my life."

Elsen leaned forward.

"What happened?"

"It came alongside the boat. The current was pulling us down, but that creature pushed against the hull."

Arin listened carefully.

"With its head?"

"Yes. Or the side of its body. Hard to tell. Everything was moving."

"Then?"

"We got shoved out of the worst of the current. The boat was already sinking, so we abandoned it. We managed to stay together until the wreckage carried us toward the reefs."

EVE reviewed the account.

"The behavior is consistent with our observations. The larger creature may be responding to objects caught in the current."

Derren nodded.

"I don’t know why it did it. But it saved us."

Arin smiled faintly.

"Then perhaps we should stop calling it a monster."

The next morning, Lyra and Luna visited the recovered sailors with a basket of biscuits.

Arin had approved the visit after the harbor medical staff confirmed that the patients were well enough for guests.

Lyra stood beside Derren’s bed.

"These are free."

Derren blinked.

"Free?"

"Yes."

He looked suspicious.

"Really?"

Luna nodded.

"Because you got rescued."

Derren smiled.

"That’s very kind."

Lyra hesitated.

Then added, "But if you want more later, we have a shop."

Arin, standing in the doorway, closed his eyes.

Derren burst out laughing.

Later, Arin returned to the coastal research station.

Bubble was undergoing maintenance after its first deep-water mission. Its hull had survived, but several external stabilizers showed signs of stress, and one propulsion bearing required replacement.

Rian was already working.

Arin joined him.

"How bad?"

"Repairable. We need stronger current compensation and better protection around the manipulator joints."

"Good."

Rian looked up.

"You’re not disappointed?"

"Why would I be?"

"We couldn’t recover the other wrecks. We barely completed the survey."

Arin leaned against the workbench.

"Rian, we built our first deep-water submersible, found three wrecks, identified a dangerous current system, discovered an enormous marine species, and helped rescue four people."

Rian considered.

Then smiled.

"When you put it that way..."

"Exactly."

Arin picked up a damaged bearing.

"Now let’s make the next version better."

By afternoon, EVE had completed a revised analysis of Blackwater Hollow.

The underwater fissure remained active.

The dangerous currents would continue.

And the enormous marine creature appeared to interact with the flow during each major pressure pulse.

But there was a useful discovery.

The strongest currents followed a pattern that could be forecast within a limited margin of error.

Not precisely enough to make the Hollow safe.

But accurately enough to improve warnings.

EVE displayed the proposed navigation system.

"With additional sensors placed around the outer ridge, Seabreak could receive advance notice of major current pulses."

Arin studied the design.

"How expensive?"

"Less than building another submersible."

"That’s not a very high standard."

EVE smiled.

"True."

The system would use anchored sensor buoys, shore-based receivers, and replaceable mana-crystal power units. Local technicians could maintain most of it, provided they received training and spare parts.

Arin nodded.

"Present it to the harbor authority. We can help install it, but Seabreak should operate it."

"Agreed."

That evening, Arin stood on the beach with his sisters.

The sandcastle had been rebuilt again.

This version was smaller.

Simpler.

And farther from the water.

Lyra had finally accepted that tides were not interested in architectural negotiations.

Luna sat beside EVE, arranging seashells into a circle.

Lucan was teaching Victor how to skip stones.

Victor was terrible at it.

Arin watched them for a while.

Then EVE approached.

"Arin."

"Yes?"

"The harbor authority has approved the preliminary buoy network."

"Good."

"They’ve also requested training for their technicians."

"Even better."

EVE looked toward the horizon.

"And Captain Elsen wants to know whether we intend to continue exploring Blackwater Hollow."

Arin considered.

There was still much they didn’t understand.

The enormous creature.

The Ribbonbacks.

The hydrothermal fissure.

The strange relationship between the currents and the marine life.

All of it was fascinating.

But the ocean was not going anywhere.

And neither was the rest of the world.

"We’ll finish the safety network first," he said. "Then we’ll decide."

EVE nodded.

"That seems reasonable."

Arin smiled.

"Don’t sound so surprised."

She laughed.

As the sun began to set, Luna ran toward him.

"Big Brother!"

Arin crouched.

"What?"

She held up a small shell.

It was white, with a faint blue stripe curling across its surface.

"For you."

He accepted it.

"Thank you."

Luna smiled.

"So you remember the ocean."

Arin looked at the shell.

Then toward the water.

He had come to Seabreak expecting a beach, a little exploration, and perhaps some useful discoveries.

Instead, he’d found a town struggling to protect its livelihood, an unfamiliar world beneath the waves, and four people who had nearly been lost forever.

He slipped the shell into his pocket.

"I don’t think I’ll forget."

Luna seemed satisfied.

Then she grabbed his hand.

"Come on."

"Where?"

"We need to finish the castle."

Arin laughed.

"Again?"

She nodded firmly.

"This time it needs a lighthouse."

Behind her, EVE smiled.

Arin looked toward the half-built sandcastle.

Then toward his family.

"All right."

He followed Luna across the sand.

For tonight, the mysteries beneath the ocean could wait.

Chapter End