The collision almost knocked Kerian clear off his feet. He brought his blade up to meet the charge, only to find it knocked back towards him with such force that if he had not been wearing his new armour, he would have ended up injuring himself. He turned sideways as the creature continued to push, parrying the clawing talons and snapping jaw that attacked with a ferocity that found the knight sliding back across the blanket, despite his best efforts to hold his ground.
Steel blue eyes stared into his own with no sign of recognition, just a cold determination to bring down prey no matter what the cost. The mounts behind Kerian snorted in terror stamping furiously, pulling at their ties, making Kerian realise that if he let the monster past, he risked losing much more than his own life. He could not let this creature injure the horses. They were literally life and death out in this desert.
Kerian parried a vicious swipe from the left, then shouldered forwards, closing the distance between them, pushing back at Octavian’s snarling form with his right side as he tried to get beneath its vicious jaws. Teeth snapped inches from his face, then lunged down to bite deeply into the shoulder guard of his armour. The warrior felt the vice-like grip bear down sending a numbing pain through his right arm, nearly making him drop his sword.
He struggled to release his pinned blade, only to find Octavian’s hind leg kicking out towards his midriff, the claw sparking off his blade, more by luck than design, before tangling in the loop of his mysterious satchel. Kerian found himself pushed away by the force of the kick, the grip on his shoulder mercifully ceasing as the creature released its bite in preparation of another attack, the satchel slapped back to hang at Kerian’s side as the beast’s claw released its grip. The respite was instant, feeling rushing back into his right hand as his sword came up just in time to flick out the blade and score a glancing hit across the monster’s snout as it swiped at Kerian, knocking him backwards across the blanket.
Desperate to miss colliding with the horses, Kerian took a step onto his left heel trying to use the backward momentum to angle his body, pivoting himself so he could bring his right foot down to stop his movement, only to feel it sinking into the soft sand. He reacted as if scalded, vivid images of the creatures Octavian had told him about forming in his mind. His boot pulled free from the clutching sand just as Octavian leapt at him again, talons outstretched.
His sword swept through the air, the blade glittering in the chill moonlight, its keen edge catching one outstretched claw before the warrior reversed the strike, bringing it back to slice across Octavian’s chest, causing the beast to roar in outrage. It pounced again but this time Kerian was ready. He turned in towards it, allowing the creature to slam into his back and hit the shield slung there. Talons curled around the edge of the shield as the monster’s rear claws scrabbled against the metal surface and Kerian suddenly realised his error. The monster was simply too heavy to hold and he felt the power go from his legs as the weight of the creature dropped him to his knees.
Kerian felt hot breath panting at the base of his neck as he was crushed down towards the blanket. His hands pushed back against the shifting material as he desperately tried to support the weight of the beast upon his back. The knight scrambled for purchase of some kind but it was impossible, with one hand gripping the hilt of his sword and the other struggling not to get tangled up in the satchel. Kerian tried to heave himself up and push against his attacker, only to inadvertently pull the blanket away beneath him, leaving his face now hanging out over the edge, where something silver slithered just under the surface. He suddenly realised this was the moment.
“Sorry Octavian.” He gasped. “It’s either you or me.” Despite his instincts screaming not to do so, Kerian threw himself forward, his face coming within inches of the squirming sands, before he pushed off with his feet and dropped into a roll, using the weight of Octavian to pull him forwards and allow him to flip over, leaving the snarling monster suddenly beneath him.
Snarls of fury turned to yelps of pain as something under the sand attacked the exposed back of the beast. The monster bucked Kerian up into the air, before pushing him off to the side, its actions violent but not directed towards the knight; instead, it focused on getting itself up off the treacherous sand as swiftly as possible. Kerian tucked and rolled with the action desperately hoping that this motion would move him back towards the safety of the blanket but he was not sure where he had landed, all he knew was that he needed to keep moving if he wished to avoid the venomous creatures hunting beneath the desert surface.
Sand exploded up around Kerian as he rolled, silver serpents striking out from beneath, their seeking jaws missing him by the narrowest of margins. He slammed up against something hard, jarring himself with the collision but continued to roll up and over the resistance to find he was perching unsteadily on a slab of fallen masonry half buried in the sand.
He drew up one knee, turning towards the snarls and roars on the left, where Octavian continued to roll across the ground, snatching at lengths of silvery coiled serpent that appeared to be burrowing up through the sand and striking at its form. The beast snatched snakes from his ragged vest, yanked others from his thick bushy hide and got to his feet, tearing several snakes apart and showering the sand with gore before he ran off into the deepening shadows. The sand appeared to boil as other serpents, hungry for flesh, cannibalistically devoured the remains.
Kerian uttered a sigh of relief. It appeared that for now at least, Octavian was still alive. He noted the creature’s path of travel, then swiftly continued his reconnaissance, noting the flickering fire pit around which he had set camp was now somehow way over to the right. A large, open expanse, of rippling sand lay between himself and the relative safety of the blankets. Kerian had no idea how he had managed to roll so far. Panic was clearly a great motivator!
He listened to the growls and snarls growing fainter as Octavian loped off across the desert, knowing this respite would only be a brief one; Kerian knew he could not hope to fend off Octavian in his current bestial form. The creature was simply too strong, too full of fury and hunger to ever pause in its attacks. Whilst prey stood unguarded on the rucked-up blankets, it was a foregone conclusion that the beast would circle around and come back for another try. Everything would be fine as long as he managed to figure out a way to get back across the sand and prepare. At least he had managed to keep the beast from killing any of the animals.
His self-congratulation and smile for getting to the relative safety of the rock slid from his face as his eyes locked on the form of a sword lying in the middle of the sand. Disbelieving, Kerian looked down at his hands and confirmed his worst fears. It appeared panic made you also do stupid, thoughtless things as well!
He had managed to maroon himself on a little island of stone, surrounded by an ocean of treacherous sand, with a terrifying monster loose somewhere in the darkness. What was more, he was unarmed, with no way to defend himself against Octavian’s beastly nature.
“Well I suppose it could be worse.” Kerian muttered. “I could have been stuck on this rock with Ashe Wolfsdale.”
* * * * * *
“So where is Ashe Wolfsdale?” Thomas asked, rubbing his forehead and wishing there was something he could do to make his growing headache go away. He looked down at his toes, ten little bald people poking out from the bottom of the blankets and wriggled them to check they were working and that the pins and needles were lessening.
“No one has seen him.” Mathius confessed. “Apparently, he went off looking for his bird after it flew away. Where he is now is anyone’s guess.”
“This whole situation sucks!” Thomas shook his head unaware the other crew around him were looking confused at his use of slang. “Ives is dead, Ashe is missing and the helm was sabotaged by the Minotaur boarding party.”
Colette risked a quick glance over at Commagin’s blushing face but refused to elaborate on the slight untruth. There was enough to worry about without considering the verac
ity of how they happened.
“Aradol? What about him.” Thomas asked, his mind struggling to locate where everyone was.
“He’s taken a small party to a cove we noted on our row back to the ship. He’s taken Ives’s body so they can bury him properly. He was determined to do it himself but I convinced him to take others to help. Marcus will keep an eye on him I’m sure.” Weyn stated, his head bowed, exhaustion on his face, his arm held up in a crude sling.
“Weyn get your arm seen to by Violetta. I need you to be back in fighting form.” Thomas ordered.
“I’m not sure I can.” Violetta confessed. “I used all of my energy trying to save you.”
“I need him fighting fit!” Thomas snapped. “Whatever it takes. Get it done!” He turned to Commagin trying to distance himself from the negative emotions he knew he was creating. The ship was in trouble. He could worry about apologies later.
“Your priority is to get the helm responding. I want you on it now. Take as many people as you need.”
“It’s not that.” Commagin confessed. “It’s the small space we need to ease the mechanism through to get it working again. Barney is not available for such work and I can’t fit.”
“I don’t need excuses. I need it fixed. Can you at least do that?” Thomas replied. “Rowan is good with machines. See what she can do to help. Colette, surely you can help in some way as well?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” She replied cagily, wanting more than anything else to be back in Rauph’s cabin going over the spell she had discovered there.
“How did we get in this mess?” Thomas shook his head.
“Thomas don’t you think you should be resting and leave the running of the ship to the others?” Rowan asked from across the room, her fingers nervously dancing across the globe.
“That’s how we got into this situation in the first place. I do not have time to rest. One of my crew is dead, one is missing and my ship is to all intent and purpose landlocked.”
“There are two people missing.” Commagin stated under his breath.
“What?” Thomas tried to calculate what the engineer meant, his mind going over the facts. Surely, he could not mean… “Look I know Barney is missing, I meant no disrespect but I have other more pressing matters at hand. Do you know the damage Ashe can cause if he is allowed to run around Taurean unchecked?”
“It’s not Barney.” Commagin replied through gritted teeth, “Although he is still as important as any other member of the crew. No, it is Rauph who has gone off. When we got back, he left us at the dock and set off towards the palace. I’m afraid there was no stopping him.”
“Well did you at least try?” Thomas could not believe what he was hearing.
“Have you seen Rauph when he has set his mind to something?” Mathius replied. “I’d rather fight two Nirschl than have to step in front of him.”
“And I for one did not feel that suicidal.” Commagin confessed. “He seemed intent on explaining to everyone up there what it was to harm his friends. It appears our navigator is more loyal to his shipmates than his captain.” Thomas sighed, as the words struck home, delivered in a level voice, the barbs were no less sharp or wounding.
“Look I’m so...” Thomas cut himself off. He could not afford to be sorry. He swallowed hard and moved to sit up, only for the cabin to swim about him. His hand reached out to grab the edge of the bunk so he could steady himself.
“Get the ship repaired and move us away from the dock. This is your priority. Nothing else matters. Are we clear on this?” Thomas turned towards Weyn and Mathius. “As soon as Weyn’s arm is tended I want the two of you to go into the city to find Ashe and Rauph. Do this as quickly and as quietly as you can. Then get back to the ship. We need to be out of here as fast as possible.”
The crew started to disperse from the cabin, one after another glancing towards Thomas, some relief on faces that the burden of command was back in its proper place, whilst others looked on with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
Thomas closed his eyes until the cabin door clicked closed, cursing his headache and the way he had needed to take control. His old Korean mentor sprang to mind, explaining to him that he could not be in charge and be a friend to everyone. Sometimes, in moments of danger, things just needed doing; you could not worry about feelings at such times. His mind flitted back to when he had once had to push the broken-down squad car through a poorly timed gangland shootout, with Chiou at the steering wheel and hot lead whizzing through the air. Chiou always told him hurt feelings could be ironed out later. It sounded great in principle but Thomas still felt awful about how he had had to act.
He opened his eyes and noted that he was not as alone as he had thought. Rowan still sat by the globe, her eyes red rimmed from lack of sleep and weeping. He tried to offer a tired smile and struggled to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Oh Rowan, how has this all happened?” She stood up and moved nervously towards him, her hands by her side. Thomas took her into his arms and felt the sobs racking her form.
“I thought I had lost you.” She cried. “When I’ve only just found you.” She held him tightly as his hands stroked her hair and he breathed in the scent of her. Honeysuckle and oranges, it was funny how these little things only served to intoxicate him further.
“You know I’m not going to leave you.” Thomas comforted her. “I’ll never leave you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Whilst I was poisoned, I dreamt something terrible had happened to you. It almost made me lose my mind. If anything were to happen to you, I’d hunt down whoever was responsible to the ends of the earth.”
“And extract terrible vengeance.” Rowan gulped, as her sobs eased and slight tremors ran through her. “I would expect at the least, terrible vengeance but you don’t look strong enough to avenge anyone.”
“Your wish is my command.” Thomas replied, pushing her away from his chest to take in her beautiful eyes and her tear-streaked cheeks. “You know me, I may look a little rough around the edges right now, but I’ll be back on top form before you know it. Just give me a sword to swing and a ship to sail.”
“I have another command as well.” Rowan replied; her voice hoarse with emotion.
“And what is that my lady.”
“Well before you apologise to everyone for being a thoroughly nasty person, I want you to do two things for me.” Rowan’s eyes sparkled with more than just the moisture of her tears.
“Name them.” The captain replied, pushing a stray lock of hair from her face.
“Well you need to have a bath and get dressed as befits a captain of the El Defensor.”
“And then I get to kick arse and chew bubble gum?” Thomas butted in, quoting from the 1988 movie They Live.
“Where are you going to get bubble gum from?” Rowan laughed.
“That’s the point of the quote.” Thomas joked, using his thumb to dry an errant tear. “You know, ‘Kick arse and chew bubble gum, and I’m fresh out of bubble gum.’”
“No, that’s not what I wanted you to do.” Rowan smiled back, her trembling now easing beneath his warm caress.
“Then what?” Thomas asked. “I need a clue here.”
Rowan looked up into Thomas’s drawn face, the bruising from the poison still etched on his gaunt features. In that unguarded moment he looked vulnerable and unsure, his sweat-stained clothing hanging from his form, his bed sheets rucked up about his body. She took his head gently in her hands and angled it down towards her face.
“Kiss me stupid.” She replied huskily.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“If I eat another piece of raw eel, I swear I shall just die!” Miguel groaned, spitting out what felt like the thousandth bone from the bloodied raw fish he held in his fist. The pirate turned to the huge lizard lounging alongside him and waved the slimy eel at him. “I mean you could have at least attempted to fillet it first!”
Huge jaws opened wide to displ
ay a pale gullet and Miguel found his meal snatched from his hand and swallowed completely, bones and all, with a mighty crunch of the creature’s massive jaws. Miguel snatched his hand back in shock, quickly checking the fingers on his hand as his armoured companion licked its snout with its long, forked tongue. A loud snort and a belch showed the giant lizard’s displeasure at having its offering refused.
“Look I didn’t mean it that way!” The pirate replied defensively. “It’s just that I’ve had enough of just sitting around here. We need to get out of this place; we need to take back what was ours.” He stood up unsteadily on the slanted deck to emphasise his point and immediately regretted it. The musty curtain he had rolled up beneath him as a cushion to save his clothing from the dampness, slid off the bench and down the slope to flop into a puddle of stagnant water.
“I just don’t have any idea how I’m going to do it.” Miguel muttered to himself, dejectedly sitting back down on the damp bench. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas?” The lizard man slowly blinked a yellow eye in response, its movements sluggish due to the lack of sunshine available within the ship’s graveyard. “At least I still have you Horatio, old buddy.” The pirate sighed, patting the monster’s scaly shoulder, despite knowing that his gratitude would only stretch so far if the mercenary reptile ever ran out of food.
Miguel sighed deeply as he took in his dismal surroundings. It was hardly what one would call palatial. They had holed up in a decaying riverboat paddle steamer, complete with a rotting paddle wheel at the stern of the ship. The blades stood proud of the water where the riverboat had settled nose down, due to a rusted cargo ship having crashed through her bow, leaving the boat at permanent 35-degree list. The whole vessel creaked incessantly, shivers vibrating through her timbers as she groaned and moaned at her undignified end.
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