Thunder cracked, lightning zapping the raging sea. I peered through the thundering rain. Droplets of water momentarily blinded me, and then I saw him. There was a man hanging from the edge of the ship, slipping.
“Hold on!” I shouted, spitting water out of my mouth. My hair hung in wet clumps around my face, clothes heavy with water. My boots slipped against the slick wood as I ran towards him, holding out my hands. “Grab onto me!” I leaned
over the edge. He held onto my arms.
“Pull me up! Hurry!” His eyes were wide with fear. I pulled, one foot against the edge for support. He was heavy.
Suddenly, a shadow fell upon us. The man screamed in horror as a wave towered over the ship. Terror churned in my stomach. I couldn’t survive this. It would push me overboard with him.
Strong hands wrapped around my waist, yanking me back, and the man I tried saving pulled himself up, slipping and sliding as he made his way back to the center of the ship. I toppled against our savior.
I turned to see Xavier once again, his golden eyes focused as he tied a rope around my waist. I whipped my head to the side to see the other end of the rope tied around the mast multiple times.
“Don’t let go of my hand,” Xavier said for the second time that day.
And then the wave slammed against us.
I didn’t remember letting go. All I could focus on was the stinging feeling of saltwater filling my lungs, through my nose and mouth. I couldn’t breathe. I felt my arms wrapping around something—someone. Xavier. All I could see was gray.
When the wave passed, I rolled onto my stomach, choking. Water spilled out of my mouth, my lungs. My head throbbed.
“Xavier,” I gasped, reaching around for him. He lay on his back, eyes closed. I stumbled towards him, pressing the base of my palms between his ribs and pushed. One, two. One, two. One— Xavier rolled over, water gushing out of his mouth. He coughed, wiping his face on the back of his sleeve. I grabbed onto his shoulders. “Are you alright?” I shouted. He nodded, laying on his back, his chest rising and falling heavily. I untied the rope around me and tried to tie it around Xavier. He shook his head, pushing it away.
“Help me up.” I pulled him to his feet, shakily. I examined his face, heart pounding in my ears. I couldn’t lose him a second time. I rested a hand against his cheek, Xavier putting his over mine. My teeth chattered, and I could feel him shivering, his skin covered in goosebumps. Droplets of water hung from his long lashes, dripping down his nose. I pulled him towards me, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Xavier bent down, chin on my shoulder, holding me against him.
“There’s a leak!” I heard Isabel shout. I didn’t want to let go of Xavier, but I had to act quickly. Half of the crew grabbed buckets, climbing down the ladders. They tossed up buckets of water, working together. Jax rolled over the heavier barrels, pushing them over the edge of the ship.
“What are you doing?” I asked him loudly, pulling him around to face me.
“We’re going to sink!” he yelled back. “Something hard hit us.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you alright?” he shouted, pressing a hand to my forehead.
“Why?” I asked, pulling his hand away. To my surprise, his fingers were crimson.
“You’re bleeding.”
“Something must’ve hit me when the wave struck,” I frowned.
“Go down and get yourself cleaned up. I’ve been asking Isabel to stay below deck, but she won’t listen. Please take her with you.”
The storm was slowing down, so I agreed. I searched for a sign of her, and saw her blond head bobbing as she ducked below deck to pull up a bucket of water. She ran to the edge, throwing the water over. Isabel returned to the trapdoor, tossing the bucket to the person below.
The storm had almost completely stopped.
I looked down at my fingers, feeling stings of pain. My hands were raw from pulling the rope. I hadn’t realized how much they’d rubbed against it when I was helping close the sails. I clenched my fists.
And then, just as fast as the storm had come, a spine-chilling calm fell over the ocean.
Xavier patted my head with a cloth. He had goosebumps all along his arms, droplets of water dripping from his hair. I could feel him shivering.
I pulled his hand down, holding it in mine. “Change. You’ll catch your death.”
He smiled, amber eyes locked onto mine. “Is your head fine?”
“Yes.”
“Let me check.” He reached out to open up my eyes, and I pushed him away.
“Stop it. I said I’m fine.” The words sounded harsh after I said them, so I gave him a reassuring smile. I reached up to pat the small cut above my eyebrow, but Xavier frowned. He reached out, turning my hands over.
“These blisters will get infected, Adalia. Wait a moment.” He turned, shuffling through a few drawers.
Jax and Isabel had fallen asleep in the cabin I shared with Isabel, so Xavier had pulled me into his cabin and here we were.
He turned, holding out a flask.
“Give me your hand.” I held them both out. He opened the flask. “Ready?” He poured the contents onto my palms and I bit the inside of my lip to keep myself from shrieking with pain. He wrapped bandages around them, and then poured a little more onto the small towel and pressed it to my forehead. “There. You’ll be fine now. Change and get some rest.”
My heartbeat pulsed in my ears.
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
Day Six.
“We’re running low on supplies,” the man I’d saved from falling overboard two days ago, said. “A few barrels were thrown off to maintain the weight on the ship, so the rations are going to be less.”
“Got it. Your name?” I asked.
“Ollie.”
The cook dumped fish and bread into the bowls, handing it to us. The room stunk of the sea, but no one seemed to mind. Everyone continued laughing and chortling, swinging bottles back and forth. Everyone except for me.
When the storm hit us, we’d been pushed at least three days off course. The waters were getting more dangerous every day we spent here, and being pushed so far away from our original course could bring many other problems.
We had no idea what could lie ahead. Now, we were sailing over uncharted waters.
Under our ship, under the sea, and even deeper, were creatures unimaginable to us. In my life, I’d heard the old sailor stories of how they lost arms, legs, and eyes to giant eight arm fish and snake-like serpents the size of islands.
When I’d first gone to Trella, to our luck, there hadn’t been any storms. This was new.
“What are you thinking?” Isabel asked, snapping me out of my dark train of thoughts.
I turned to Ollie, ignoring her.
“We’re three days off course,” I answered Ollie. “And our rations are already low enough.”
“We’re in the middle of the sea,” Isabel rolled her blue eyes, taking a bite of her stale bread. “There’s food everywhere.” A chunk of bread flew out of her mouth and smacked me on the cheek. I wiped it off.
“And water?” I asked, trying to calculate the rations in my head.
“Rain,” Isabel suggested, shrugging. She swallowed the bread, taking a swig from her cup.
“Isabel,” I frowned. “We’re supposed to be saving water. And we better hope that there is no more rain.”
“Sorry,” she grinned. “But this actually isn’t water,” she gestured to the cup. I rolled my eyes at her, getting to my feet. “Aren’t you going to finish?” she motioned towards my plate.
“Give it to someone who needs it for now. I’m not hungry.” I made my way to the deck to get some fresh air. The moon was out, casting a silvery glow across the calm sea.
“Why aren’t you down there with everyone else?” a voice asked. It was Xavier.
“Why aren’t you?” I climbed onto a barrel and sat on it, crossing my legs. Xavier shrugged.
“That looks uncomfortable.”
So he did.
“What do you think is out there?” I asked him, gazing over the rippling waves.
“A whole other world,” Xavier said. His eyes met mine, and I was surprised to see a look of adoration in them. My heart hammered against my ribcage.
His elbow was propped up on his leg, chin resting on his palm. His slender fingers tapped his jaw absently. He pursed
his lips and we sat there in silence.
Right now, silence was all I needed.
On the eighth day out at sea, Captain Carac gave us startling news.
“We were pushed farther than I expected,” he said, his eyes weary. “By tomorrow, we’ll reach Amghadon.”
Something clanged loudly against the floor, and all eyes turned to Isabel.
She apologized, reaching down to pick up her cup.
“What’s the problem?” I asked, my eyebrows drawn together. “Why can’t we go around or avoid the Black Island?”
“We couldn’t,” the captain said, running a hand through his graying hair. Although he stood tall, his hazel eyes were afraid. “We have nine days’ worth of supplies left, but sailing around Amghadon could lead us to twelve more days. We’ll have to sail through the mountains.”
And of course, the unspoken fact that hung heavily around us. Amghadon was the island of the pirates.
No one escaped pirates.
Jax groaned, rubbing his face, and Xavier leaned against a wall, arms crossed.
“Fortunately for us, we can disguise the ship. Henry sent us well prepared, as instructed by our princess,” he continued. “We’ll have to change our flag, but the rest of the ship can blend in fine. We have orders to do as you say.” He stared at me. “What shall I tell the crew?”
I swallowed, my hands clasped together. I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees. It was a risk. The crew would starve if we went around, with barely enough energy even to adjust the sails. If we were attacked, none of us would survive.
If we went through Amghadon, we could pass through as a
pirate ship in a day, and reach Trella on time. But if we were spotted by pirates, we wouldn’t survive the trip.
“Take your time,” Carac said, exiting the cabin and shutting the door behind him.
I caught Isabel’s eye. She lowered her head.
“It’s your decision,” Jax said quietly when I turned to him.
“Xavier?” I asked. “What do I do?”
He pushed off the wall, taking a seat beside me.
“Give me your hand,” he said. I gave it to him, palm faced upward. The blisters were almost fully healed. “For once, don’t think about everyone,” Xavier said. “What would you do, for yourself?”
“I can’t think like that, Xavier.” I tried pulling my hand back, but he held on.
“Are you afraid?” he asked.
Was I afraid? “I’m afraid we won’t make it.”
“Do you think you can make it?” I could. I nodded.
“Then we can,” Xavier smiled. “It’s your decision, because everyone on board trusts you. If you can survive this, so can the rest of us.” His amber eyes shone.
The decision was made.
We would sail through Amghadon.
SEVENTEEN
Day Nine.
I saw it before the others. The black mountains, darker than ebony. The water below was the color of coal.
Mist rose up around us, slowly, and then we lost visibility of anything in a fifteen foot radius around the ship.
“I can’t see anything,” Captain Carac shouted from the helm.
“I’ll be back,” I waved at him, running to the front of the ship. “Xavier, stand in the center. Send Jax up to me.” I stood at the front of the ship, and moment later, Jax appeared. “Jax, you have to pass my messages onto Xavier. That way I can keep watch at all times. The captain can’t see anything.”
Jax saluted and watched the water warily, peering through the thick fog. Nothing.
“Holy God—Adalia! Look!” A huge black rock appeared, jutting out of the dark surface.
“Jax! Go tell Xavier!” He spun, racing towards the back. The rock was right in front of us. “Left!” I shouted. “Turn left!” The ship turned, narrowly missing the sharp edges waiting to rip The Andromeda apart. I let out a sigh of relief, but I had acted too soon. Jax returned, and I had more news to give him.
“Tell Carac to sail straight. If he turns either way, we’ll smash into something. Go!”
Jax disappeared once more. Slowly, the fog started to clear. I held in my breath.
Oh, my—
Dozens of jagged rocks similar to the one we’d avoided protruded the still waters. Jax appeared on my left again.
“He can see now,” Jax said, out of breath, watching my face for an order.
“Jax,” I muttered, grabbing his chin. I turned his face towards the scene in front of us.
Jax groaned. He slammed his boot against the wood. “What do we do?”
I placed my hands on his shoulders and turned the tall boy to face me. “We can’t panic. That’s what’s going to ruin us. Fear, and panic. Take a deep breath. We can do this.” Jax inhaled through his nose, exhaling through his lips. “Good,” I smiled. “I need you with Carac. Send Xavier up, please.”
Jax and Xavier switched posts.
“Where’s Isabel?” I asked Xavier as we dodged another clump of rocks.
“She woke up a few minutes ago.”
“Does she know what’s happening?”
“I filled her in.”
I felt a lump in my throat. I was leading everyone to their deaths. Xavier watched me closely, and without a word, wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Calm.
Everyone was on edge. The Andromeda continued to sail slowly, avoiding the pillars of stone.
“This isn’t what we signed up for,” one of the blond-haired men grumbled as he walked past me. “We sail all the time. The only time she’s on board, we’re completely pushed off course.” I chose to ignore the remark, knowing everyone was just afraid of what was to come next.
These men had never sailed so far from home.
And as if to make matters worse, a fight broke out below deck.
“What are you two doing?” I demanded, stepping between them. I grabbed the front of his tunic and pushed him against the wall. “What’s your name?”
“Why do you care?” he scowled.
I looked him right in the eye. “What is your name?”
“Cornell,” he said under his breath, averting his eyes.
“And you?” I faced the other one without letting go of Cornell.
“Favian.”
“Why did this happen?”
Cornell pulled away from my grip and I let him go.
“Look, miss,” Cornell said, crossing his thick arms over his broad chest. “The cap’n makes the rules. Who gave you the right to hop on board and lead us to our deaths?”
“All I said to him,” Favian said, blinking his dark eyes, “was that it shouldn’t matter because he had no one to go home to.” Cornell looked as if he were about to hit him again. Favian wiped his bloody lip on the back of his sleeve. “I have a child,” Favian said, almost sadly.
I set my jaw.
“Man up, both of you,” I snapped. “If we fight against each other, how will we protect ourselves from outside dangers?” I pushed past them, making my way up to the deck. Before I could climb up, something pushed against the Andromeda, making it tilt.
“What was that?” Cornell asked, blue eyes wide. “Pirates?”
I hoped not.
“Follow me,” I said, climbing up the ladder. I swung over the edge, running to the side of the ship.
Nothing.
My entire view was clear.
“What is it?” Favian asked, out of breath.
“I can’t see anything,” I shrugged, peering into the black water. “It must’ve been—”
Suddenly, something leapt out o
f the water, nearly missing my head. My breath caught in my throat as I stumbled back, losing my balance. Favian held onto my shoulders, pulling me up.
“I’m fine,” I pushed at his hands, taking a few steps back. “What the hell was that?”
“It was long, and as dark as the water itself,” Favian sputtered. “There wasn’t a face.”
“Where did it go?” Cornell shouted, leaning over the opposite side. “It disappeared.”
“Cornell,” I reached out, “stay back—” Suddenly, Cornell screamed. He was yanked overboard. The crew fell to their knees, hands pressed over their ears.
“We’re going to die!” Favian shouted.
I clapped my hands together, collecting myself.
“Harpoons!” I ordered loudly. “Get it together. We need harpoons. Now!” I yelled as loud as my lungs could muster. “Do you hear me? GET OUT THE HARPOONS!” My voice seemed to wake them up. They started to run, stumbling over each other. I ran towards the mainmast, pulling myself up high enough for them to see. “CANNONS!” I hollered. “PREPARE EVERYTHING! WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE DEALING WITH!”
I watched as they fixed the cannons in place, ready to shoot. Harpoons were pointed over every side of the ship.
Complete, utter silence.
Everything was set.
Everyone stood silent, waiting.
Was it a large creature with tentacles? If we could cut down one of each, the creature would be left defenseless.
How many could it have? Eight? Six? Twelve
I could hear my heart beating in my ears. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha—BOOM!
The ship lurched again. I grabbed onto the rope as everyone stumbled, trying helplessly to keep themselves upright.
“What is this?” I asked under my breath. “What kind of a creature—”
“There!” Jax yelled. All heads turned in his direction.
“Over there!” Favian shouted at the opposite end.
“That way!”
“No, I saw it here!”
The entire crew was in a frenzy. I whipped around, watching every direction. What could it possibly be?
And then I saw it as it leapt, shooting straight out of the water and splashing back inside.
The Four Kingdoms Page 13