Page 4 of Delirium

“Well, I hope you find what you’re looking for then. Treasure and all.”

“Same for you. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” He held out his hand, an aristocratic hand if I’d ever seen one. “Obviously my manners went out the window the moment I stepped onto this shipwreck in the making. James Remington, at your service. Or as much as I can be.”

“I’m Scarlett.” I took his hand, soft and smooth. “It’s nice to meet you. I have a feeling we’ll be getting to know each other pretty well over the next couple weeks.”

James gave me a look, one that left me unsure if I should run or step closer. “Perhaps.”

“I don’t know where our last passenger is,” Nash said, looking down at the worn watch on his wrist. “I don’t like to leave people behind, but if we don’t set sail in the next ten minutes, we won’t be able to safely make camp before dusk.”

For the first time since booking this trip, an image of the rainforest at night shot through my brain. A snake as thick as my thigh wound itself around a tree, while the lone call of a hungry animal stood out against the symphony of nocturnal creatures. Danger. I had willingly booked a trip into dangerous territory, for what reason? My own ego? To prove to myself I was more than just a piece of paper, who could teach university?

I held great admiration for my professors in school, who seemingly knew more than I ever did. But I wanted more for myself. Before I settled down to a life of desks and grading papers, I wanted to explore exactly what I had spent so much time researching.Nature. Culture. Natural habitats and humanity living in it.

In doing so, I’d found myself in an unknown wilderness. My skin crawled with invisible bugs, the hair on the back of my neck stood straight and tall, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt, Humphrey was staring me down from behind.

James and Nash spoke quietly to each other, while I turned to face the grumpy croc. His heavy eyes glared at me, just above the surface of the murky water. I wasn’t sure if I entirely believed Nash—if push came to shove, and I was the food available, I had no doubts Humphrey would gobble me up without a moment’s hesitation.

Such was the way of the world. The bigger predators ate the smaller ones, who terrified those even smaller than them. A hierarchical totem pole that stretched back millennia.

The struggles appeared when two individuals battled for the same place in the hierarchy, neither wanting to admit their weakness, until one predator turned into prey.

I smiled at Humphrey, stuffing the fear he instilled me with deep inside my bones. “You’re not scary at all. After all, no one would make a purse out ofme.”

Humphrey merely glared back at me, unbothered by my threats.

I lifted the hair off my neck, grateful for even the slightest change in the thick air as a breeze whispered past. With it, carried James’ angry voice.

“I’m not waiting for whoever it is not bothering to show up on time. I paid double the amount to make sure this journey was swift, and I will not take kindly to any interference,” he hissed.

My lashes provided me cover as I watched their discussion. Nash didn’t seem bothered by James’ annoyance in the slightest. He shrugged. “Listen, I appreciate that. But I told you I wouldtryto keep us on time. Unfortunately, some things are out of my control. I’m going to give our straggler five more minutes, and then I promise we will head out with or without him.”

James huffed, a sound filled with deep disappointment. “I’m providing you with an opportunity greater than your dinky little boat could ever offer, Nash. Don’t make me regret it.”

Nash paled slightly, and I found myself leaning into the conversation. What opportunity could James be offering him? As far as I was aware, the two men had only just met. He looked from side to side, not meeting James’ eyes, and instead meeting mine.

“Five minutes, and we’re moving out!” He clapped his hands toward me, brushing off the strange conversation as if it had never happened. “Hope you’re ready for the trip of a lifetime!”

Nash pushed past James, headed toward what I assumed was the bridge, as I could see an old wooden steering wheel behind a pane of glass.

Beneath my feet,Carpe Diemroared to life. James looked down the river, where we’d soon be headed, while Nash shielded his eyes toward the market, presumably to find our missing guest. A minute ticked by, then another.

“Guess we’re headed out,” Nash announced, with a sour look at James. “Scarlett, I already stowed your bags in your cabin nearest the back of the boat. Say goodbye to the last bit of civilization you’ll see for the next couple weeks.”

I walked closer to James, hanging over the railing while Nash untied the ropes mooring us to the dock. “Funny how this marketplace is the closest to civilization we’ll see, but compared to the city, it’s nothing.”

James muttered an agreement, and Nash unfastened the last remaining rope. “And we’re off!”

At the end of the marketplace, a commotion rang out, rippling through the crowd. A lithe young man sprinted toward the dock, nothing but a backpack on his back.

He sprinted right towardus.

“Wait!” he called, out of breath. “Wait!”

The man was twenty feet away from us now, but we were a good two feet away from the dock. “Nash! Your passenger!” I shouted.

Nash looked back at me from the helm, shaking his head. “The current already has us.”

I whipped my head back around to stare at the man who now had made it to the dock, wobbling beneath his feet. He looked positively petrified to miss the boat, but I would be, too, if a good deal of money was on the line. I looked between the deck and the boat, now almost six feet of separation. “Jump!”

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