Excerpt: Tide and Shore, Wind and Sea

As their discussion fell quietly into the final negotiations, Shadow allowed his attention to wander elsewhere – namely to the window beside him, where an orange sunset was casting a giant oil refinery in soaring black silhouettes, far off in the distance. Smoke poured out from the tops of shadowed pipes, steel-grey plumes rolling amidst clouds breaking over the setting sun, the water around the refinery seemingly darkened despite the sun’s reflection.

Shadow stared, lost for a moment in the striking colours. It was only the second time he had seen a sunset, and the vision of smoke from the refinery and the sun casting its pumpkin light over the sea almost looked like a still image. It was a beautiful picture, Shadow could certainly recognise that. And yet… the sight of it, of smoke drifting over the half-set-sun, of black and orange so bright and dark in contrast … left something inexplicable heavy inside him. An awful weight. An ominous feeling, which Shadow - being entirely new to this world – could not entirely place. How could a sight so beautiful leave him feeling this way?

Perhaps because there was nothing in front of the refinery, but sea. Miles and miles, hundreds of miles of sea with nothing either side of it. A long, rippling stretch of water, with its natural tranquillity ended by the black-silhouette oil refinery on the edge of the horizon. There was nothing beyond the refinery and nothing before it.

Somehow, though again he could not place it, the sight of it bothered Shadow immensely. As though there was nothing... nothing but darkness to be seen ahead of them.