Dwellers of the New World Chapter Twelve ( Pt 5 ) The Wait

~~Unaware of what was coming, the Flying Fish rocked gently on the calm sea as it left the fog behind.  Blue skies appeared and the sun was now high; which created a bright and cheerful sight beaming down on the ship. 

Brothers Jason and Varg,  Bracus's two right hand men,  stood at the bow watching out for any signs of danger.  Hunger finally taking its toll,  they dipped the corn bread into their stew savouring every mouthful, the juices running down their chins.  Feeling the sun on their backs;  it felt good to be alive at that moment.

Though the pleasant feeling didn't last long, as quickly finishing what they were eating, the brothers both heard a humming noise at the same time,  their eyes narrowed as they looked around.  Gazing at one another, a shudder ran through them at the familiar – unpleasant  buzzing.   

Shading their eyes the brothers gazed out to sea, what seemed like a massive black cloud in the distance was heading their way. The sound was getting too close for comfort, they knew what dangers were on the way.  Panicking and without even thinking,  they threw down their bowls, quickly making their way across the deck to Bracus's quarters. 

Varden was sat on the floor in a corner of the room,  keeping quiet so as not to annoy his master.  Knowing the Island they were travelling too so well,  he was thinking of all the places he could hide once he was off the ship. 

Bracus however, was busy at his desk looking at a map of Wild Whistling Isle;  contemplating where he would have his very own cabin built,  not giving one thought  to the weather conditions of the windy Isle.  As the brothers entered,  Bracus looked up from what he was doing.

“Sir begging yer pardon.”  uttered Jason nervously,  rubbing his hands together in anticipation.  Varg stood by his brothers side clenching  his teeth,  every now and again looking over his shoulder and out of the door,  in sheer desperation to get below deck.

Bracus sat back in his chair placing his palms face down on the table,  wondering what the sudden intrusion was about,  his forehead scrunched up,  the lines pronounce below his hairline;  his eyes  bulged as he glared at the two men.  “What's all this about?  Barging in like yer pants were on fire,”  he demanded.

“Sir!”  said Jason with fear in his eyes.  “Sir...it be the flying ants,  they...they be heading our way.”

“What!” Immediately Bracus sprang to action,  he knew only too well how dangerous the flying ants were.  “Quick!  Tell everyone to get below.”  The ants were one of the things that Bracus feared most.

He turned to Varden,  who didn't know what all the fuss was about.  “You boy!”  he pointed,  “go with Jason and Varg now and get below... that's an order.”

Varden looked at Bracus with a confused expression as he came to standing.  “Sir what's all the fuss about?”  the boy although he'd made the crossing before,  had never come face to face with flying ants and had no idea of the perils they faced.

Bracus tried to remain calm,  but was becoming increasingly agitated.
“There's no time for questions boy...just do as I tell you...NOW!.”  He shouted so loud,  Varden darted between the legs of the two brothers,  almost knocking them over and dashing across the deck  scampering below.

Once out on deck,  Bracus motioned the entire ship's occupants to the hull,  he watched as the big black swarm was nearly upon them.  Panic was all he could think of as he glanced up at the sky,  barely able to see the Sun for the cloud of insects approaching almost overhead,  he had never seen so many ants.

The ship lurched as Bracus too made his way down beneath  deck,  shutting the wooden doors behind him.  The hull was sealed tight so nothing should be able to enter,  unless of course  the ants decided to gnaw their way through the wood,  but they would only do that if they detected sound. 

The hull was dimly lit by lanterns that cast shadows around, giving an eerie feeling to the situation.   Bracus just hoped that everyone would keep quiet with the gentle rocking of the ship, all they could do was wait in silence.

“Nobody make a sound...just sit tight and await  my orders,”   he whispered in the shadows.  As he sat there pondering he thought of the children;  he knew they could panic,  if one of them cried out the game would be up and the ants would not leave.

The children coward with anticipation, not understanding what was about to happen.  Cinnamon cuddled the frightened boy that had become so attached to her,  she could feel his shaking body. Trying to reassure him that everything would be al right,  the girl whispered in his ear.  “Don't be frightened...nothing bad is going to happen,  I'll look after you.”  Although the girl could not be sure;  but it seemed to have settled the boy somewhat.

Ben and Jay sat at the other end of the hull,  wanting to stay in the shadows and not draw attention to themselves. They too had no idea of what was about to happen. Jay was more familiar with the sea than his brother-in-law, though he had not actually ever been out on a ship before.

Outside the sudden surge of ants increased in numbers,  the sound deafening as they swooped around the deck,  the smell of the stew was enticing,  as they weaved between the sails trying to find the source of a tasty morsel.  Two dropped dishes had them all diving at once,  the left bread was gone in seconds.  They searched for food not leaving any nook or cranny untouched. 

Fear arose down below,  some of the children buried their faces in their hands,  some covered their ears,  the buzzing a deafening resonance that seemed to be all around them.  Cinnamon smoothed the boys hair,  as he cupped his face in her lap,  too frightened to look. She gazed over at Varden and wondered what he was thinking,  wishing she could speak to him but knowing it wasn't possible.  If and when they got to the Island,  Cinnamon knew that her friend would have a plan,  her only hope was that they reached the Island safely.

All they could do was watch and wait.  Varden had never been so scared,  but mainly because he could see the fear in his master's face, of which he found strange,  knowing that not much frightened or worried Bracus normally.

In the dimness of the candlelight,  the buzzing sound slowly lessened,
but still nobody spoke in the silence that continued.  As it became clear the raid on the ship was non eventful,  the ants moved off to seek food  elsewhere.

It seemed like ages that the crew of the Flying Fish had felt safe enough to come out,  but finally Bracus slowly opened the doors to the hull,  checking carefully that there were no lingering insects. Feeling the coast was clear,  he gave the order to his men to come back up on deck.  Once again the sun was now the only object in the clear blue sky.  For now everything was back to normal,  but for how long was another matter.

Dwellers of the New World Chapter Twelve ( Pt 6 ) Dangerous Zones | ABCtales