The Power of the Fire Stone

“Captain, you're never going to find it-”

“Yes, I will. I will. Yes. I. will.” Captain Zale said mostly as a reassurance to himself. 

“Let everyone on this boat know that if they tell me that one more time, I'll throw their hides into the water. In fact, I'll do it personally.”

His  crew mate, Aeron, pursed his lips and nodded. “Yes, captain.” he said. 

Captain Zale looked out at the great expanse of the blue waters. Aeron cast a worried glanced at the captain. The skies were gray  and the wind was strong. It tugged at their clothing and scratched at their  faces. They would have to stay  on that island until the coming storm settled. 

Aeron looked at his captain. He had a crazed look in his eye, ever since that hijack from a few years before. Dozens of his crew mates were killed. Some were with him from childhood and then they were  gone. His crew was made of fourteen men. Now there were only five. Including, Zale, it was six.

Since the high jack, Captain Zale had been obsessed with the fire stone. Although no evidence of it existed. Only stories and multiple tales  told by people.

“Every story has a ring of truth to them.” Captain Zale would tell Aeron, when he would voice his doubts to the captain.

“Come on, Captain. Have any of these stories been proven as truth?” Aeron would say.

The captain would ignore him and go back to steering the boat.

“Aeron.” Captain  Zale  barked. Aeron went to him.

“Sir?”

“We are nearing the island. Ready the others.”

Aeron  went to fetch the others, but  at the moment, the clouds overhead thundered. There was a flash o f lightning and the boat lurched violently, sending Aeron skidding across the starboard side. He gripped tightly  onto the railing to keep from falling off the boat and into the water which had suddenly turned  into a violent presence. The waves were coming in quick and crashing loudly against the boat. Aeron heard the other men and he saw the captain  gripping onto the wheel. The rain had begun pouring, blinding them momentarily.

The mouthed something, but Aeron didn't hear him. There was another flash and the boat lurched onto its side, sending them all into the icy water.

Aeron awoke sputtering onto his side. He was completely soaked and his body was shivering. The captain was looking at the ocean and the wreckage of the boat. 

“We can salvage it later.” the captain said. “First we find shelter.”

“The others?” Aeron  said, voice raw. 

He felt a  hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Evan. He had survived. Did that mean the others…

Evan pursed his lips and gave a quick shake of his head. “They're gone.” he said.

Ambrose...Charles… Owen… the last of Captain Zales friends. Gone. Aeron didn't dare  look at the captain, now. He didn't want to see the expression on his face.

They walked into the island into the  thicket of woods,  shielding them from  the oncoming onslaught of rain. 

The captain took the lead, pushing away at the branches and twigs of the thick wood. It was incredibly dark, the woods dense and silent. 

After minutes of walking they encountered a cave. “Stay near the entrance.” The captain said. “There's no humans on this island. Only animals. We’ll begin our search tomorrow.”

Aeron  did not voice his thoughts out loud. Neither did Evan. The storm would last at least the whole day. 

The captain kept his back to them, as he stared out into the woods.

Evan turned his head sharply, as if he had heard something.

“What? Did you hear something?” Aeron said.

“No. I thought I heard a voice. Captain’s always right though... there should be no people here. Unless…’’

“It's one of our crew mates,” Finished Aeron. 

Evan clenched his fists. “Let's start the fire.”

They started the fire and glanced at the captain who was still standing at the mouth of the cave, staring out, seemingly, at nothing.

“Captain? Captain Zale?” Evan started. He drew near the captain. He stayed utterly still. It was eerie.

“We’ll find them. Once the storm is cleared off. I heard what the two of you were muttering about.” The captain said, finally turning towards them. His face was haggard.

Aeron  said nothing. 

The captain continued as he stood over the fire. Aeron was stooped low next to it, shivering still.

“It's here. I know it.” The captain said.

Evan snapped. “This is all your fault! Everyone is dead because of your stupid wild goose chase about this stupid fire stone.”

The captain turned sharply towards Evan.  “You all had a choice in staying with me-”

“Not Aeron, you picked him up seven years ago. It's not like he had a choice.”

“I stand with the captain.” Aeron said. Evan looked at  him, stunned.

“They’re not dead.” The captain said. “ I would know.”

Aeron looked dubiously at the captain and then stared at the fire. He had said the same thing when his crew was slaughtered five years ago. Something was not right in his head. The captain  was always in denial when it came to deaths. Aeron followed only because he didn't know where else to turn to. He was an orphan, no parents, no family. He was an indentured slave and the captain had freed him, giving him an opportunity to follow him and his adventures. 

And it had been fun. Aeron was the youngest in the crew. When he was freed, at age twelve, it was everything he could have hoped for. He was a child and he had found a home with these rowdy and ruff men that were among Captain Zale’s crew.

And although none of them  offered him parental guidance, they were more like lousy brothers, he wouldn't have traded it for anything else.

But now everyone was gone. And he understood why Evan was reacting the way he was.

 The Captain walked back to the lip of the cave. “Come. If you stand with me then we will find the fire stone and bring glory to our crew mates and our country.”

“No, Captain. We can't go out there right now. It's pouring.” Evan said. Aeron clenched his  jaw. Maybe the  captain had finally lost it. He was old. The oldest of the bunch now. He led them to their deaths. And all for what? A slim hope that a fire stone, a mythical treasure, existed?

“Captain.” Aeron started, rising from his spot near the fire.  “Evan is right. At least wait until the morning-”

The captain waved them off. “Go ahead and sleep. We’ll wait until morning.”

Aeron and Evan both shared a glance and settled down. 

It wasn't hard to drift off to sleep. Aeron was exhausted. His bones ached and the frigid cold only made it worse. When they awoke the storm had died down, significantly. There were no more winds. The sun peaked out of fat and  fluffy clouds.

Evan and the Captain were awake. “Good, you're up. I was about to kick you.” The captain said. 

“Up. And onward. To the east.” The captain pointed towards the sun.  With sunlight pouring in, Aeron saw the woods and the grass. They were dark and quiet. The only noise coming from birds and animals rustling the branches and leaves. Sun rays poured in from breaks in the trees. 

Evan sulked, not saying a word, as they followed the captain, who was in a more cheerful mood than he should be considering the circumstances.

He hummed a tune, with no clear melody, like he usually does.

He stopped abruptly. “Now, mates. I’ve no idea what kind of territory we’re stepping into. Watch your steps.”

“I thought you said there were no humans.” Evan said, speaking for the first time this morning.

“That’s  what I said. Yes. And it  holds true. Watch for animals.” The captain said, bending down and picking up a rock the size of his palm. “Choose your  weapons.”

They picked up their own rocks and held them close.

They walked for hours into the dense woods until they  finally reached the other side of the island. The waves rolled gently onto the shore. They stood, the three of them, for a few moments staring out into the blue ocean. Aeron  thought of Ambrose, and Charles and Owen. They were twenty five years older than him. He felt lost and sad. As if a storm had overtaken his head. It felt bleak.

“All right, west.” The captain said. The sun drew farther down with each step they took.

“Look, Captain.”  Evan said, awestruck. “There's a glow down there.”

The captain turned swiftly to the direction Evan had pointed. He was right. There was something bright, shining. They all ran to the source and stopped short. It was only a large puddle from the storm. The light was reflecting off it. The blue petals of a flower were the cause of the glow. But it had seemed so real. Stark. Like the fire stone.

When Captain Zale had first told Aeron about the fire stone, he had been awestruck. 

It was known simply as the fire stone. It can light up civilizations, burn them down. Captain Zale wanted it to breathe life into his own country back home. It would be a marvel. Fire would be readily available for everyone. It didn't matter if there were no trees or wood to start a fire. With the stone, it was possible. It was magical fire and it existed.

The captain had picked up the tale from merchants who heard about it, some witnessed its glory, but fled. The holder of the fire was rumored to be a demigod. He kept it safe from selfish humans

Aeron remembered thinking that maybe Captain  Zale could be the one to capture its essence. It had to be him.

But after multiple failed excursions and island hopping, that  desire and hope had faded away.  But not for the captain. He would continue searching for it until his last dying breath.

“North, is our last stop, mates. Keep your eyes sharp.” The captain said. 

Evan and Aeron both turned to a rustle in the trees. A streak of brown fur and horns landed on Evan. He screamed as he tried to pry the animal off. Aeron jumped in, smashing the rock in his hand onto the wild boar. The captain did the same until the boar slumped on top of Evan. They pried it off him and Aeron grimaced. The boar was tremendously heavy. It took both their strengths to lift it off of Evan.

Evan was a bloody mess. Fortunately, the boar had only managed to scratch Evan’s arms  and not his face. 

Evan cursed as they helped him into  an  upright position. “Im done, captain. I'm going to go wait at the wreckage of the ship and head home.”

The captain nodded, solemnly. “As  you wish. Here.” he handed him a wrap.

Aeron helped wrap Evan’s arms and then they walked back to the wreckage of the ship. The captain made a strangled noise. 

“Mates…” he said. “Stop.”

The  captain kicked at  a tree and a hole gave way. It led to an underground passageway. Evan's hands trembled with anger. “Let's go.” he said.

They went down the hole. It was dimly lit. Stalagmites lined the dirt ceiling. The  large puddle from earlier was actually an entrance to the underground chamber they had crawled into. If they had gone in, they'd have drowned. It was deep, but held by a type of bowl shape structure that held the water in place. There was water on the floor, presumably caused by  the  storm from yesterday. The water seeped into their shoes as they took in the sight of the underground  cave.

Aeron realized his mouth was open in awe. It was beautiful.  The most  marvelous thing he had ever seen in his short life. The lights that managed to seep in cast the cave in soft orange colors. It was like a whole other fantastical world. In a corner of the cave, there were dozens of light fractions, sparkling. They neared it.

Oh, the irony. Treasure. Dozens of beautiful jewels and piece of gold.

 Millions would have killed for this gold, for these trinkets. But not the captain.  Captain Zale sank to his knees and for the first time in Aeron’s life, he heard the captain cry.  His shoulders trembled as he picked up a piece of a dusty jewel.