Chapter 2
Mysterious Gargoyle
Nyree stood out on the supply ship deck, breathing in the sea air and watching the graceful glide of an albatross.
Earlier, she’d marveled at a pod of orca gliding through the waves, their upright dorsal fins distinctive and majestic.
The waves slapped at the ship’s hull with low to medium to very loud thumps.
The sounds were familiar. Comforting. She spent every moment out on the deck, despite the wind and the chill in the air, cataloging briny scents and drinking in the ocean’s stark beauty in its many moods.
The trip to South Georgia from Chile took several days, and after two long flights to Argentina and onto Chile, Nyree now savored the more relaxing style of travel aboard the supply ship. She had a cabin of her own, which suited her perfectly.
With the full moon tonight, her taniwha was on the rise and with it the sexual urges that plagued her each month.
Luckily, she’d hit on a workable system for her, which included a collection of vibrators and an ample supply of batteries.
She hoped that once she arrived at South Georgia, she could shift to her dragon, which would nullify her urge for sex.
Her dragon nature was a double-edged sword, and she either transformed or indulged herself in copious amounts of sex.
Ari had enjoyed that part, and fortunately, hadn’t understood what her increased sexual urges meant.
Carolyn and Keith, the married couple she’d be working with on South Georgia, had told her they’d spot land later this morning, and she was eager to see Grytviken, the place she’d live for the summer. For the first time in months, she felt young and carefree and excited to start this adventure.
A flash of worry pulsed through her, though—concern for her parent and sister—before she pushed her anxiety away. Manu and his mate, Jessalyn, had promised they’d watch over her family, and she trusted them.
Carolyn stepped to the railing at her side, her lined face filled with excitement. “Look! Do you see the penguins?”
Nyree scanned in the direction the brunette pointed and soon spotted a large group of sleek birds gliding through the water and diving beneath the surface.
They swooped up and down, graceful and a delight.
Nyree looked forward to seeing the colonies of king penguins massed on land and the smaller Gentoo and the Macaronis with their golden yellow forehead crests.
“We should see land in the next half hour,” Keith said, who’d joined them at the rail. His sandy blond hair ruffled in the breeze, and he narrowed his brown gaze while studying the horizon.
Nyree turned to smile at the couple she’d come to like because of their laid-back attitudes and caring natures. That they hadn’t been too nosy about her situation helped. “Is there a jetty?”
Keith turned to her with a nod. “Yes, but the cruise ships must moor offshore and use their inflatables to land crew and passengers. Landing our supplies is not always easy, although there is mooring available for small yachts at one of the old docks.”
“You said I’d be able to walk and get outdoors,” Nyree said.
“Yes, but you must always tell one of us where you’re going and note your destination in the book we keep in the community area,” Keith warned.
Carolyn patted Nyree’s arm. “It’s not that we don’t trust you or wish to restrict you, dear. It’s that we have only ourselves to rely on in an emergency. Danger to one places us all in peril.”
Nyree smiled, having listened to this lecture or its variation several times since they left Chile. She understood, of course. South Georgia was an isolated territory. “How many scientists will be down here?”
“Oh, they’ll come and go all season,” Carolyn said. “They’ll be pleased to see a pretty girl like you.”
Nyree pulled a face. “I’m not looking for romance or sex or anything except friendship. I split from my boyfriend earlier in the year, and I’m not ready to throw myself into the dating pool anytime soon.”
Carolyn laughed, taking her face from plain to arresting. “It won’t stop the men flirting with you, although some of them will have wives and girlfriends.”
“After they’ve been out camping and doing their research studies, you can smell them coming,” Keith warned, his eyes twinkling. “No sensible woman would venture too close.”
“That’s true,” Carolyn said with another tinkling laugh. She made a waving motion in front of her upturned nose. “They pong.”
“I can’t wait to see the penguins. The seals, too,” Nyree said. “I’ve been reading about Sir Ernest Shackleton and his exploits. He was an interesting man. Grytviken has so much history.”
“What with Shackleton’s grave and the old whaling station plus the church and museum, our little community of Grytviken has a lot going for it,” Keith said. “Ah, the islands are coming into sight now.”
Nyree glanced in the direction he indicated and spotted the smudge of land on the horizon.
Excitement pulsed in her, and she experienced a weird surge—a sense of coming home.
A release of stress. Nyree bit back a snort.
Now that part was natural since she’d escaped Ari, and it was a weight off her shoulders.
Her gaze remained glued to the landmass as they sailed closer.
“I might go to pack the last of our belongings,” Carolyn said.
“That’s my cue to help,” Keith said with a wink at Nyree.
“I’m already packed,” Nyree said. “I’m going to stay out here and enjoy the view.”
The older couple wandered off, and Nyree caught snatches of their conversation before they walked inside.
Carolyn hoped that Nyree settled fast and didn’t mind the isolation, unlike their last summer helper.
If only they knew. This adventure was the opportunity to reset her life and make plans.
It gave her the ability to sneak away and fly over the mountains—freedom of a type she’d never experience in Papakura, the suburb where she’d lived with Ari.
Life in the city meant few opportunities to fly. Yes, this was bliss since she didn’t need to keep glancing over her shoulder for Ari’s looming presence or ever-ready fists.
Two hours later and on land again, Nyree picked a room for herself.
It was inside a prefab building and wasn’t much in the beauty stakes.
There were three small bedrooms, a shared bathroom, and a lounge and kitchen area.
A dingy gray carpet square covered the lounge space, and the other rooms had bare wood flooring.
The furnishings were sparse and well-worn, with a mud-brown couch that sagged in the middle and two mismatched chairs that might’ve been comfortable when they were new.
Now, they bore permanent butt imprints. She didn’t care.
Once she arranged her possessions, it would seem more like home.
Unpacking was a breeze, and once she’d finished, she went in search of Carolyn and Keith. She found them standing in a room full of boxes.
“Can I help with anything?” she asked.
“We have to empty every box,” Keith said. “Luckily, there is no one here to tell us we must do it today.”
“Set me to work,” Nyree said. “I’m not afraid of a little physical labor.”
“Our first job is to check and dust every museum exhibit,” Carolyn said. “And make sure the public areas are tourist-ready. Don’t worry. We have plenty of chores to keep ourselves busy. But first, why don’t we take you to see Shackleton’s grave and meet the locals?”
“Yes! I’d love that. Let me get my camera.”
“You have months to take photos,” Keith said. “Just wander today and enjoy the wildlife’s antics.”
Nyree followed Keith and Carolyn past the dilapidated whaling equipment she’d read about when she’d devoured everything written about South Georgia.
Huge rust-colored vats of various sizes towered overhead.
A rusty old wreck crouched, partly submerged in the water, not far from a ramshackle jetty to her right.
Old anchor chains stretched toward the shoreline, holding it fixed in place.
Ancient brick foundations barricaded other mystery machinery within fallen and toppling walls.
Nyree gazed in wonder and acute interest, taking in the bright, white museum with its red roof and green door and window surrounds.
Seals dotted the grassy area between the machinery and shoreline.
Nyree inhaled, the seal and penguin smell unique and stinky—something she’d become used to given time.
A seal regarded her with round black eyes from beneath a metal pipe, and a group of king penguins scooted away, charming in their black-and-white tuxedos with the bright yellow accents at their throats.
“We keep our distance as much as possible,” Keith said. “We watch but never pet them since we want the animals to maintain their wildness. The seals are curious, but they can become aggressive when they have their pups. Don’t worry. That’s part of your training.”
Nyree grinned, not trying to hide her excitement, and picked her way past the penguins and seals, following in Keith’s and Carolyn’s wake.
They paused often to watch the birds standing in groups on the rocky shore and the nursery of seal pups swimming and playing in a shallow stream.
Nyree smiled so wide her mouth hurt. She’d never tire of watching the wildlife.
It took ten minutes to navigate the grass area, skirt the seals and tufts of tussock-like grasses, and jump the stream running to the sea before they paused at the edge of the cemetery. A white-painted fence surrounded the entire plot, presumably to keep out the wildlife.
“Shackleton’s grave is at the top. You’ll find Frank Wild’s grave there too. His stone reads Shackleton’s right-hand man. The other graves belong to sailors, sealers, army men, and early explorers,” Keith said.
“I mentioned I’m reading about Shackleton’s voyages. I also have a book about the South Georgia and South Sandwich Island group.”