Heart of the Ocean by Jason A. Gilbert

Author:Jason A. Gilbert [Gilbert, Jason A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Argonaut Publishing
Published: 2015-04-16T23:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

The Island

The next day, after a cheerful evening meal upon their return, thanks to the addition of the fresh, tropical fruit, Laila and her companions set out to explore the island again. Icarus and Lunete were still recovering from their brush with Nuriel, and Wyndam remained closed off in his cabin. They went under the pretense of gathering more food, though Laila actually wanted to see if she could spot the strange structure she had seen in the distance the day before. Pulling the boat onto the beach, they quickly dove back into the trees again, but this time Laila led them inland.

"Where are we going?" Connor asked.

“There was something further in yesterday. I wanted to see what it was. Maybe there’s more fruit…” Laila answered.

“All the trees we found yesterday were near the beach, though,” Connor said.

“I know, but I wanted to see if we could find anything else.”

“What are you really looking for?” Dio asked, “I know that look, Laila. Just tell us.”

Laila sighed. “I saw something yesterday. Like a building maybe, further in. I just want to go look. We’re on an island in the middle of nowhere. I doubt there’s that much danger to it. We haven’t even seen any animals yet.”

“But didn’t Icarus tell you to stay near the shore?” Connor asked.

“I know. But…I don’t think it’s that far. What else are we going to do?” Laila responded.

Connor shrugged and fell into step beside her. Dio followed. They walked through the trees for a while. As they moved further inland from the beach, the air became heavier; the gentle breeze off the coast did not penetrate far into the forest, and the air was stuffy. They did not have any trail to follow, instead working their way along the path of least resistance among the trees. Connor periodically pulled out a long knife and cut his way through branches, but they could usually find their way through. Laila kept her eyes toward the treetops, looking for the same structure she had seen the day before. She was not sure exactly where it might be, but she hoped that it was large enough that if they moved closer to it she might be able to see it.

"I don't think there's much else here," Dio said.

Connor nodded his agreement.

"We haven't gone that far, though," Laila responded.

"We've been walking for two hours, Laila. There's nothing here. Not even more fruit trees," said Dio.

Laila scrunched her nose. She did not want to head back yet, even though she knew the longer they stayed out the harder it would be to make it back to the ship. But she felt a need to find the structure again.

"What exactly did you see?" asked Connor, seeing the resistance flicker across Laila's face.

Laila sighed. "Some kind of building. I didn’t think that much of it yesterday, but when I woke up this morning I felt this strange urge to see it up close. I was hoping if we went further inland that we'd find it.

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