Chapter 48: Chapter 48

Marcus POV

I had a hard time sleeping. I thought about taking some opium to help me sleep, but I did not take any. I finally fell asleep when the sun was just coming up. When I woke up again, I could hear noises coming from downstairs. It was late afternoon when I finally got out of bed. I went downstairs and got a cup of coffee. This would be the last cup of coffee on dry land for at least a month. Charlotte was already out and about. She had gotten up before me. The sun was starting to go down. Eleanor had prepared a delicious meal.

She was going to have her niece and her husband watch the house and take care of it while we were away. The animals here needed care, and the house needed care while we were gone. I was in the middle of finishing my dinner when my mother walked into the house.

" What are you doing?"

" I'm going with you."

" Mother, we talked about this."

"Marcus, I'm going."

I stopped arguing with her because it was no use. She was going to go with us, or she was going to use her magic against me. She has done that in the past. One time she used her magic to stop me by making the ship fall over. She is a very powerful witch. So her actions did not surprise me. However, her powers would not be enough for the island. She would not be able to use her powers. It would take a while. If my mother, Charlotte, and I could combine powers, then we could make it work.

I don't know how we would do that. But on the trip there, Charlotte could practice her powers. Right now, her powers were in chaos. She could only use them when she was upset by something. She would use them when she was scared or needed something else. She needed to learn how to use her powers when she wanted to; every witch learns how to do that. It was one of the first lessons that my father taught me. My father and mother are witches. They taught me early. They also taught anyone who showed any type of magical abilities at a young age.

If Charlotte had been on any other island, she would have been taught at an early age, given who her mother is. I was still dumbfounded that her father had her mother taken away. But that is the way with English. They do that to witches, pirates, and anyone they don't understand. There are several evil witches. That causes chaos. But I have only used my powers for protection and to help us through the sea. My mother has used her powers for other things. But that's her business.

"Then let's go."

I got to the ship, and everyone was shocked that my mother was coming. I think half the crew was afraid of her. She could use her magic to make you act like a chicken if she wanted to. Charlotte was in the captain's quarters.

" Hey, love, what are you doing?"

" I was sitting here thinking."

Is she having second thoughts? I hope not. I'm looking forward to sailing with her. She looked at me and saw the concern on my face.

" I'm not having second thoughts."

" I was thinking about the dangers of this trip."

" Everything will be OK, love."

I thought she was having second thoughts; it turned out that she was just worried about the trip. I will try to make this trip the best trip she has ever had. That will be good for us. I stood on the deck and watched the rest of the supplies being brought on board. Everything seemed in order.

" Set sail, boys."

I looked at my mother and nodded. She lifted the fog long enough for us to sail to the front of the island and for us to get out to open sea. Nobody would know that we had come from the island. That will keep everyone safe there as well. I could not wait to get back. I loved being at sea; however, this trip was neither for pleasure nor for finding treasure. This was a rescue mission. We sailed all night. Each of my crewmen took turns standing guard and making sure that we stayed on course. That morning I went up to relieve the one who had drawn the short straw.

I was standing at the helm when Charlotte came up to me.

" Good morning, baby."

" Morning."

" How did you sleep?"

I knew she tossed and turned for a while. I thought she might have slept like a baby from the ship's rocking. But she struggled. I lay awake all night trying to get her to settle down. It was when the sun finally started to come up that she fell asleep. It was almost noon. Judging by the position of the sun.

" I honestly could not sleep."

" I know."

I pulled her close to me. I held her while I was tending to the helm. The men who got sleep were emptying the chamber pots and scrubbing the deck. Eleanor was cooking lunch. She was making some beef stew. Even though it was hot, it would give us the strength that we needed. Also, the men were drinking water, which is important. The only real shade on the boat was going to the hull. A few men were finishing off the side of the boat. Keeping food stocked for the trip was important.

We had food stored, but there was no telling how long it would last, and we would have to throw it out. Some of the meat we could use to catch a shark or other big fish in the ocean. It was a beautiful sunrise this morning. Seeing Charlotte standing against the rail of the ship with the sea wind whipping her hair around her face, she truly looked like the goddess of the sea.