A Forsaken Alliance

[Jack Shipsteel]

We've all heard of and been to Raven's Cove. It is the talk of the town, the place to be. But, what do we know of it? We know only bits and pieces of this place, and even less of it's past. It began so innocently, with the EITC searching for something, and ended with a horrible scene. But, what filled the blanks? What truly happened to The Cove? Well, I intend to give an answer.




A Forsaken Alliance


William Smythe hurled over the sides.

He hadn't been in the poor excuse of a rowboat for more than a few minutes before seasickness set in. He never had the problem back on the HMS Barren, but the rowboat shifted back and forth between the waves like the Devil itself rocked it. Good thing I'll only be making this trip once, he thought.

Smythe looked side to side in his rowboat, looking at all the other pale faces that shrunk in the Black uniforms they were required to wear. These men he were familiar with, they had been in his previous unit back in Port Royal, he knew each person's abilities, in both fighting skill and card playing. They had been assigned to that place for nigh upon 8 months, being the EITC's scrapegoat for everything that happened to Fort Charles. Until they were assigned to here, this Cove of some sorts.

William lifted his head a little more to see Lt. McKirkley, his commander, in the rowboat next to him. McKirkley had been fidgeting ever since they got on board these tiny vessels, but he still maintained his composure. McKirkley never let his men know of anything besides orders.

William returned his head forward and saw nothing. They had entered the fog. The fog was seen 5 days ago from the HMS Barren, and it had been as visible as it had been when they started in the boats. It was thicker than the stuff back home in Britain, that was for sure. William reminded his oarmen to keep their eyes on the oars. If they hit anything with them, the oars would break in two.

McKirkley was no longer visible, but his voice was still heard over the roar of the waves. Then he stopped speaking. Smythe was about to call out for him, when they erupted from the smog.

There, in all it's glory, stood Raven's Cove. The Cove was aptly named, for everywhere Smythe looked, there was nothing but the flock of birds. But what really enthralled him was the disfigured shape of it. His eyes darted from mountaion to mountain, each more ghastly then the last, until he saw the tallest of them all, the Mountain that reached higher than he could bend his neck to see. And those mountains.. all the mountains Smythe had seen were lush and green. These were darker than a bottomless pit. They hung over you, mocking you wherever you turned, just frightening you to the point of considering turning back, but Smythe knew that was impossible. He was bound to the place, per orders.

He reluctantly turned his eyes from the sight, and began issuing commands. The dock was 200 feet, give or take, in front of them, and there was a retinue of EITC there to greet them. He wasn't going to make a bad first impression. Slowly but surely, the rowboats approached the docks. Two of the fellows on the docks through a rope to each rowboat, and they were pulled in.

Smythe took his shaky legs and put them back on steady ground. He was still turning a bit, and he was curious to study the rest of the island, but the welcoming comittee already had started to give a lecture.

One man stepped forward and unraveled a piece of parchment. He cleared his throat before beginning.

"You EITC men are hereby order to guard this island, Raven's Cove, from danger, to follow your commanding officer's order to the letter, and to help in discovering this islands secrets. During your service here, you are expected to let no civilians know of our plans, not to partake of the Devil's Drink, not to leave here without permission, and to follow Captain Shaw's orders so as to do our King's bidding. If you disobey any of these, you will be shot. If you disrespect your superiors, you will be shot. If you are too cowardly to perform an order, you will be shot. Nothing from within these premises will be talked about to anybody but a commanding officer. If you find yourself scared of this place, take these boats and sail back to your ship from whence you came."

The men under Lt. McKirkley's command let out a few snickers at the last comment, knowing that this was to break the tension.

The others didn't return their grins.



So mates, what do you think?