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Dreadhorse Chapter 19
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Captain Sol Archer had heard it all before—the whispers, the superstitions, the tales of improbable luck that clung to him like barnacles to a ship’s hull. Rumors swirled around him, stories of unlikely escapes from krakens, harrowing duels with ghostly pirates, and cursed treasures that always seemed to land in his favor, though they brought misfortune to those daring to sail alongside him. Some said he was blessed by the sea itself; others, that he carried a curse that protected him but doomed all else. Sol took it in stride, guided by a spiritually supportive inner voice, an enigmatic echo that whispered insights only he could hear.
Today, however, the sea’s serene facade shattered. A distant rumble crescendoed into a deafening crash as Sol’s vessel, the *Sea Fortune*, was struck by an unseen force in the maze of reefs known as the Devil’s Grin. Chaos erupted on deck as the crew scrambled to assess the damage. Amidst the pandemonium stepped a newcomer—Ewan, a maritime engineer who had boarded merely two ports ago. Ewan had quickly endeared himself to the crew with his tales of distant lands and keen mechanical intellect.
“Captain,” Ewan called out over the din of shouts and crashing waves, “I’ve been studying these waters. There’s a peculiar phenomenon around these parts. I might be able to help.”
Sol nodded, beckoning Ewan to join him by the ship’s wheel. The crew labored to control the flooding below deck, bailing water and patching splintered wood as best they could. Sol’s mind raced, assessing options, when the whispering voice within urged him to look closely at Ewan.
Ewan worked swiftly, his hands a blur of motion as he attempted to recalibrate the ship’s instruments. “These reefs,” he began, “they form a natural magnetic anomaly. Your tools are giving false readings. But if I can adjust them, we might navigate our way clear.”
As Ewan fiddled with the compass, Sol’s inner voice tugged at him with increasing urgency, though he could not quite discern why. With each passing moment, Ewan seemed more engrossed, his demeanor shifting from helpful to something more intense and clandestine.
Sol’s eyes narrowed as he observed Ewan’s deft movements. There was a precision to his actions that seemed too calculated, a knowledge of the ship’s inner workings too intimate for a mere traveler. The inner voice echoed louder, driving Sol to probe deeper.
“You’re well-prepared for someone who just joined the crew,” Sol remarked, maintaining an air of casual conversation despite the turmoil of his suspicions.
Ewan paused, his gaze momentarily flicking up to meet Sol’s. “Just trying to do my part, Captain. A ship in distress is everyone’s concern.”
Sol nodded, but unease rooted deeper in his belly. The voice inside pulled harder, like a riptide dragging him toward an unseen source. “Tell me, Ewan, how familiar are you with this area’s peculiarities? You seem to have a rather detailed grasp of it.”
Ewan hesitated for a fraction too long. “Well-traveled, Captain. The sea has been my home for years, and I’ve picked up a few tricks along the way.”
Sol forced a smile but felt his fingers tighten on the wheel. The voice within surged, a whispered declaration that demanded action, understanding dawning with alarming clarity. Ewan’s seeming benevolence had a shadowed edge, an underpinning of intent hidden beneath layers of helpfulness.
Suddenly, the storm of realization broke within Sol. Ewan’s suspicious behavior, his uncanny knowledge, the abruptly “helpful” nature—it aligned too perfectly with the inner voice’s warnings. The engineer wasn’t merely assisting; he orchestrated their dilemma, thriving amid misfortune like a ghost weaving through the *Sea Fortune*’s storied past.
Just as Sol was about to confront Ewan, a tremendous wave crashed over the ship, temporarily engulfing them both. When the water subsided, Ewan was gone—a whisper of shadow deeper than any sea could swallow.
Sol grasped the wheel with renewed determination, staring into the horizon as the storm’s fury began to subside. They were free of the reefs, but not of the mysteries that Ewan—whatever his true nature—had left in his wake.