The Diary of Sally Wossname

Day 1:
The atmosphere on this boat is amazing. The crew are excited to have Mark back on board, and he’s looking forward to getting away from those horrible adventurers and their sweaty caves. I hope this is the start of a whole new chapter in our romance.

Day 2:
Well Mark didn’t invite me up for breakfast, but then he didn’t spend the night with those two tramps either, so I count it as a win. I’ll drop in to see him in his cabin once I’m feeling a bit less queasy. The crew said it’ll take a few days to get my sea legs.

Day 3:
So much vomit. Why is there corn? I didn’t even eat corn!

Day 4:
I knocked on his cabin door, but he just growled and shout that he wasn't hungry. I don't think he's in a good mood.

Day 5:
Finally caught a glimpse of Mark in his cabin today, sitting majestically at his desk and poring over important looking documents. There were a lot of empty bottles around him. The tramps were busy chatting up the helmsman while I staked out a good vantage point in the shade of the sails. One of the crew was taking him his lunch while another carried a few unlabelled bottles. I do hope he’ll call for me soon.

Day 6:
He came out of his cabin today, walked straight up to the wheel and spun it hard to the right. He then shouted at the poor marine to “listen to the waves” and stalked back into the cabin.
A few minutes later the boy up on the mast shouted out about “rocks on portside” but we missed them. It was very heroic.

Day 7:
I’ve been on this boat a week and Mark hasn’t spoken to me yet. I’m beginning to think he doesn’t want me here.

Day 9:
The tramps have both taken up with Marines. They tried to hide it from me, but it’s so obvious. I’m the only one here that deserves Mark. I’ve started working in the kitchen so that I can volunteer to take his food to him once the crew let me.

Day 10:
He didn’t recognise me! Me!! I took his meal to him tonight, and he just waved me off to the sideboard and didn't even take his eyes off the letter he was reading. What could be so important? I noticed the crest of the Mirrax Marines on the reports on his desk, along with some maps of islands.

Day 11:
This morning I cleared my throat while carrying in his breakfast. He looked very cross but didn’t stop working on his map. I should have known better. Tonight I’ll just stand there quietly.

Saw him reading something with a terrible, horrible sketch on the side. Some monstrous bird with three pairs of wings. the paper was yellow, the writing all brown and faded. I could see a really old-looking Mirrax crest on the paper too. It turned my stomach but I stayed there for near half an hour watching him lose himself in his work. Eventually he stopped, took a long pull from a bottle that smelled like fermented jerky, and fell asleep at the desk. I let myself out.

Day 12:
This voyage isn't what anyone thought. Hearsay has us going all the way north to the Sand Jungles! The crew are nervous. Even 'Dirty' Lizzy stalks around the deck, but that could just be her normal demeanour.

Mark has started talking. Not to me, but to the room. He talks about some “Black Scar” being “the Source”, and that the Jungles should be prepared for the worst. It sounded like one half of a conversation. Why are we headed towards somewhere if it’s going to be so bad?

Day 13:
I heard Mark describing something truly awful today to his invisible conversation partner. Violent storms, death itself flying on six terrifying wings. He went into more detail about ship positioning and counter strategies but it was all too much. The next thing I knew, he was standing over me with a concerned, but hard, expression on his face. He called in some marines and they carried me to my bed.

Day 14:
The ship weighed anchor at Skor, and Mark threw the tramps and I off the ship. 'Nonessential personnel', he called us. I still think he feels for me, I could see the pain in his eyes and I knew he was just trying to protect us.

I hope he is OK up in the jungles...