Escape From Myth Island, Larry Payne [top ten books to read txt] 📗

What I am about to tell you is true. Experienced in the year of our lord, 1717, by me, Morgan Burkes, while I was, not of my own choosing, a member of the crew of the QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE under the command of one, Edward Teach, known to most as Blackbeard.


We'd come across an island that was not found on any of our charts. Dropping the anchor, Teach ordered a long boat launched with an armed landing party. I was the first one out of the boat when she slid onto the white, sandy beach that surrounded the island. Finding the old trunk of a tree on the beach, I secured the boat, allowing the landing party to set foot on the pristine sand.

Teach, the white plume in his tricorn hat fluttering in the breeze, was the last one off the boat. He was an imposing figure, his black, braided beard hanging down to the middle of his chest, a cutlass hanging at his waist and three pistols hanging in holsters across his coat.

"Stay together men," he said in his baritone voice, "we don't know what wanders this island."

The beach extended about three hundred yards in front of us to the jungle foliage ahead. The ten of us, led by the Captain, cautiously crossed the beach. As we reached the tall grass, we heard a strange sound I could only describe as the wind blowing across a loose metal shingle. Looking up, I saw a small flock of big birds fly out of trees. As they banked toward us, I caught the glint of metal that seemed to be coming off the birds.

"They're coming toward us," said one of the men from the back of the group. They, indeed, had banked into a dive right for us.

"Captain," I said, tugging on Teach's coat as I moved toward the cover of the jungle. Teach drew one his pistols, firing it at the flock coming towards us. Immediately, what appeared to be knives being thrown came at us from the flock. We turned, running for cover. Hearing gunshots behind me, I turned to see two men fall, being hit by the knives. One got up holding his arm, following us in to the jungle.

The screech of an eagle made me turn as I reached safety. I watched in disbelief as a creature with the head, wings and talons of an eagle and the body of a lion flew into the flock of birds, snatching one in each talon, screeching louder as it flew off, disappearing into the clouds.

"You ever seen anything like that, Cap'n?" asked Israel Hands,Teach's first mate, when we reached the safety of the jungle.

"I have," I said, as I pulled the brass feather from the shoulder of Ben Tripp, holding it up for all to see. "They're Stymphalian birds."

Being a teacher before my unfortunate cicumstances befell me, I'd read about these mythical creatures in Homer's The Odyssey.

"They're what?" asked Hands.

"Creatures of Greek Mythology, they don't exist," I replied.

"The hell, you say," said Ben Tripp, "then what is that you pulled from me shoulder. That says they do."

"They're the pets of Ares, the Greek god of war," said Teach. I looked over at the pirate captain. "Aye, I read that book too, Mister Burkes."

"What was that thing what got them birds?" asked Tripp.

"A griffin," I replied, "they don't exist, either." The landing party had suddenly huddled close together.

"What is this place, Cap'n?" asked Wil Beechum.

"What say we find out, Mister Beechum," said Teach, sliding his reloaded pistol back into its holster.


Regrouping ourselves, we continued on through the dense foliage. At times it seemed we were fighting our way through a jungle, swords and machetes leading the way. Other times, it was a stroll through the forest. During one rest stop, Wil Beechum, pistol in hand, disappeared down a trail into a wall of ivy. Coming back down the trail a short time later, he approached Teach, Israel and I.

"Morgan, I've got something to show you, up that trail," Beechum whispered to the three of us. Excitement, more than concern dominated the tone of his voice. I started to follow Wil, when Teach, removing his hat, handed it to Israel Hands.

"Stay here with the men, Israel," said the Captain, following close behind Beechum and I.

We walked quietly as we could up the trail, through the overhanging ivy. A short way up the trail, Wil put his finger to his lips as we neared a clearing. Motioning Teach and I to follow him, we hunkered down behind a fallen tree. Wil pointed to the clearing.

"What are they, Morgan?" asked Beechum, with a childlike sparkle in his eyes.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Teach and I looked at one another with questioning looks. Three half-human, half-horse Centaurs frolicked in the clearing.

"Centaurs," I whispered to Wil. We watched them in the clearing until a rustle of the foliage sent them galloping in different directions. From the far side of the clearing a two-headed dog appeared from the foliage.

"What t'hell is that?" asked Beechum in a half whisper, half shout.

"Orthos," whispered Teach, pulling a pistol from one of his holsters. "What have we stepped into, Mister Burkes?" Concern lingering in the Captain's voice.

I motioned with my thumb and we quietly backed away from the clearing and Orthos. Israel Hands was waiting for us when we returned back down the trail.

"Well, Captain?" said Hands, handing Teach his plumed hat.

"I don't know what we've stepped into, Israel, but, from here on, the men are to stay together and keep their weapons within reach."

Turning toward me, Teach put on his hat. "Dare we go on, Mister Burkes? Part of me wants to run back to the boat, but the other part wants to see what other surprises this island holds for us."

"You're the Captain," I said to Teach.


"Very well, then. Lead on, Mister Burkes and may the Gods be kind to us."


II

With weapons in hand and unsure of what we were going to encounter next, our motley band trekked deeper into the jungle of what I had come to call Myth Island. We'd been on the move for about an hour when I heard the faint sound of singing and laughter. Holding up my hand to halt the band, I motioned for Wil Beechum to follow me. The Captain, not one to be left behind, again handed his hat to Israel and followed us.

The laughter growing louder, we hunkered down in the tall grass at the edge of a clearing in the jungle. Swimming in the clear water of the pool and frolicking around the clearing were nymphs. Dressed in white and decked with garlands of flowers, they chased each other swiftly around the pool, sometimes seeming to quickly disappear and reappear just as quickly on the other side of the pool. Laughing, as they glided through the air the length of the clearing, they disappeared into the trees. The singing came from the nude nymphs swimming gracefully in the pool.

"Nymphs," I said to Wil Beechum in answer to his questioning look.

"I know, they don't exist," said Wil, looking back at the scene around the pool. Teach chuckled, patting me on my shoulder.

After watching the nymphs frolic for a time, I motioned to Wil and Teach and we backed away from the edge of the clearing, going back to the waiting men, explaining to them what we'd found. Not wanting to disturb the nymphs, we altered our direction to take us around the clearing.


It was near the end of the day when we reached the outskirts of the jungle. A vast plain lay ahead of us, but the gathering storm clouds told us we needed to find shelter soon. Leaving the cover of the jungle, we started across the plain looking for a place to wait out the storm. We entered a cave in a small mountain not far from the jungle, as the first raindrops started to fall. The cave was big enough to comfortably accommodate all of us.

"Someone's been here before us," said Wil, finding firewood scattered around a burned out fire pit.

Collecting the firewood, we stacked it into the pit and with the help of some dry grass found near the entrance to the cave, my knife and the flint in my pocket, we soon had a blazing fire in the pit.

"That should ward off any night chill," I said, admiring my handiwork. Wil Beechum and Xavier Mendes came to the fire, each reaching in to pull out a fiery piece of wood.

"You need to come see this," said Wil, walking with Xavier, holding up the wood to light the way to the back of the cave. Going down a short passage, Wil led us to a huge boulder blocking an entrance to another part of the cave, holding up his wood to illuminate the word scratched across the boulder with the ashes of a fire. BEWARE.

"What'd you find, Mister Burkes?" asked the Pirate Captain, who had walked up behind us along with Israel Hands.

"Wil found it, Captain." I said, pointing to the word on the boulder.

"Let's find out what's in there," said Teach, "roll the stone back."

"That's a warning, Cap'n," objected Wil.

"Mister Beechum, I'm not in the habit of giving orders twice, so consider yourself fortunate. Move the stone."

After a moment's hesitation, Wil and Xavier put their shoulders to the boulder, rolling it enough for us to squeeze by it.

"Mister Burkes," said Teach, motioning toward the new discovered entrance.

"You ain't leavin' me behind this time," said Hands.

I squeezed by the boulder, followed by Wil and his makeshift torch to light the way. Xavier brought up the rear behind Teach and Israel Hands. We stopped in the entranceway for a moment, adjusting our eyes to the dimly lit cave.

"Lookit this," said Wil, holding up his torch. A stone figure stood beside us, a look of terror frozen on the sculpture's face.

"Looks almost real," said Israel. After what we saw today, a very uncomfortable feeling came over me.

"Captain..."

"Push on, Mister Burkes," said Teach, waving me forward, pulling one of his pistols from a holster.

Xavier came up to the front beside Wil to give us extra light. We walked about two hundred yards into the cave, when Wil stopped, holding up his hand.

"Listen." A soft hissing could be heard in the cave. Wil and Xavier slowly made a sweep of the cave with their torches. Suddenly, a huge serpent appeared in the torchlight. It had the upper torso of a woman with a head of writhing snakes for hair. MEDUSA.

"Don't look at her," I shouted to the group. The warning was not quick enough for Xavier. Medusa's eyes glowed red, freezing Xavier. The hissing grew louder as Xavier morphed, starting