Waverider Expedition - Lake of Life
The Waverider drifted into the crater lake like a wounded beast seeking rest. The cliffs rose high on all sides, their black faces streaked with moss and salt. Below, the Lake of Life shimmered green and gold, the water alive with weeds that moved like breathing flesh.
Captain Solonex Virellus watched in silence. Behind him, Severin Valerius leaned lazily on the rail, a cup of watered wine in his hand.
"Strange place," Severin murmured. "The water looks thick enough to chew."
Eira snorted. "So long as it floats us, I don’t care what it tastes like."
Decimus Brutio said nothing. He stood at the bow, still as carved stone, eyes scanning the drifting clusters ahead.
A raft-town was rising from the mist. Dozens of wooden platforms lashed together, huts built from bamboo and sailcloth, banners fluttering in the warm wind. Smoke rose from fires. Drums beat slow and steady, like a heart far below the water.
"They’ve seen us," Decimus said.
Small boats came out to meet them, six of them, oars flashing like silver. The foremost reached the Waverider’s side, and a man climbed aboard without invitation. He was tall and lean, his skin bronzed, his neck hung with teeth. His smile was wide and confident.
"I am Merun of Raelith’s Drift," he said. "Your ship is heavy. The lake will charge rent for carrying it."
Severin smiled back, smooth as oil. "Then let us pay her well. We bring iron, wine, and news from beyond the cliffs."
Merun laughed and slapped his shoulder. "Good! You’ll drink with us, trade with us, maybe sing. Raelith welcomes travelers."
The Waverider moored among the rafts. The air smelled of fish, smoke, and sweet rot. Children stared wide-eyed at the ship’s hull, touching it like a god’s skin. Traders came quickly, shouting and bartering with wild energy. Severin vanished into the noise, haggling in three tongues and inventing a fourth.
Eira wandered the decks, studying the Lakers’ faces. Many were scarred, some tattooed with curling lines like waves. She saw a man flogging a slave with a rope of seaweed, the blows raising welts that bled. No one intervened. The crowd simply parted, silent.
She found Solonex watching from the pier, his expression unreadable.
"They call this place the Lake of Life," she said. "Doesn’t look like much life to me."
He nodded once. "Life and cruelty often share the same shore."
Before she could answer, drums began to beat again. The rhythm changed, sharper, urgent. Men shouted from the rafts’ edges, pointing south. Another flotilla was drifting toward them, smaller, faster, its sails striped red and black.
Raiders.
Eira gripped her axe. "Captain?"
"Hold," said Solonex.
The Lakers armed themselves, bows and spears flashing. Women ran with baskets of arrows, children vanished below deck. Decimus stepped beside Solonex, his voice low.
"If it’s a fight, we should pull clear."
Solonex shook his head. "We came to see their world. Let’s see it whole."
The rafts drew closer. Tension crackled like heat before a storm. Then, suddenly, laughter rippled across the lake. The newcomers raised garlands and tossed them into the water. The drumming turned to song.
Merun shouted in delight. "Lanith’s Rest! Friends, not foes. You see? The lake only bites when it’s hungry."
Relief spread through the rafts, though the air still trembled with the echo of fear. The two towns lashed together, trading gifts and gossip. Then came the slaves, a line of thin figures pulling heavy crates across swaying planks. They wore collars of iron, their eyes hollow.
Severin poured himself another cup of wine. "Trade, song, slavery. Civilization floats, after all."
Eira spat into the water. "If that’s civilization, it should sink."
Decimus watched in silence, his jaw clenched. Solonex turned away and looked toward the center of the lake, where black cliffs rose like broken teeth.
"Mark this place," he said quietly. "We leave at dawn. There’s truth here, but not the kind I wish to trade for."