Role

Chapter 7

He recognized he was dreaming again, but that was
not enough to tear him from his sleep. He was at sea
on Grurk's Rising, and the gentle sway of the ship made
him think of a giant cradle. Five cables out was an island,
and they awaited the return of of men sent there to provision.

His time aboard the ship had not been bad. A sailor's
life was giving him fingers like fishhooks, but the captail fed
his men well and saw to it that the boy was learning his numbers
and letters. No sailor would risk stealing the ship's stores from
a fire giant clerk was the captain's thinking.

He slipped into the harness, and slowly he was lowered over the side
of the ship to caulk the Devil. The weather was calm and the ship
stable, and Ajakirhuut did not mind the foamy splash on this tropical
day. His fingers began the methodic work of stuffing the caulk into the
seam and covering it with tar, and as he did so he stared into the deep
and let his mind wander.

The foam below him slowly parted around an object, a large object. It
was a man, no a giant. In a moment of clarity, the boy recognized his
father's coat on the figure. The waves pushed the corpse up against
the hull, and Ajakirahuut waited in dread as slowly the corpse rolled over.

The desiccated face was that of Gaspare Gnazzo.