Viper's Creed (The Cat's Eye Chronicles)

by T. L. Shreffler

  Glancing from left to right, she barely spotted Laina slinking about in the shadows of a doorway. The frost on her breath was more visible than the girl herself. Her eyes picked up another brief movement on top of one of the roofs. That would have to be one of the Dracians. Tristan, maybe, or André.

  Sora felt the first drops of rain hit her face. The storm was preparing for another go, and she braced herself for a miserable night. Already she could feel the temperature dropping. The sailors sensed it too, for they doubled in speed, swinging pulleys back and forth, and the occasional net of fish.

  Another shadow on the rooftop flitted by her eyes. Joan, perhaps.

  The sailors appeared to be growing uneasy. They were looking over their shoulders, gazing into alleyways and dark windows. Sora knew she was fairly visible, and she had already attracted a few looks. There was nothing she could do about that. What's taking them so long? she wondered, and shifted nervously.

  She was to lead the frontal assault, aided by Laina, Burn, and a handful of Dracians. The rest of their crew—about two-dozen in total—were already aboard the ship, quietly dispatching the few sentinels on duty. The sign for attack should come any second now.

  Suddenly, one of the torches on board went out.

  The sign.

  It's time. Two more torches went out on the ship, and she brought her fingers up to her lips, summoning an earsplitting whistle. All of the sailors turned to look at her, their faces slack with confusion.

  Then the docks erupted in a flurry of whoops and yells. The Dracians leapt from behind boxes and out of shadowed doorways. Arrows shot down from the rooftops; Laina and Tristan's work, for certain. From on deck, a scream split the night. Several bodies fell into the ocean.

  The sailors began running about, drawing swords and knives, shouting to one another. It would only be a matter of minutes before they organized. Sora, staff in hand, plunged into the crowd of sailors, laying several out with sharp whacks to the head. This isn't so hard, she thought, pleasantly surprised. And to think she had actually been worried....

  They were larger than she, though, and strong from pulling ropes and climbing rigging. A few started to catch on to what was happening, and after that, her task became a lot harder. As Jacques had predicted, most of the sailors rushed back to the ship to help the captain. Quickly, she signaled to a few Dracians and maneuvered herself between the ship and the rest of the sailors.

  Gods, they're huge! she thought as they advanced. A half dozen broke through their line and made it aboard the ship. With a grunt of determination, Sora leapt in front of the rest of them. She rammed her staff into the thick chin of a charging sailor, then jabbed another hard in the ribs. Bones crunched. The man doubled over with a gasp, and she kicked him in the face.

  With a whirl, she tripped another to the ground, then brought up her staff to deflect a sword blow. The blade went flying sideways, skittering across the cobblestones, glinting in the hazy rain. She smacked the sailor hard on the hand, breaking a few fingers. The man screamed in pain.

  Then arms grabbed her from behind, and someone heaved her upward. Her staff was wrenched from her grip and sent flying into the darkness; then the world went briefly upside down as she was tossed over someone's shoulder. Fight, Sora! her inner voice screamed.

  She shoved her elbow into the man's throat, jamming his windpipe. Immediately, she was released. She dropped to the ground, landing clumsily, off-balance. More sailors jumped her, and with a burst of energy, she started punching left and right, aiming at their enraged faces. She broke one nose, jabbed another sailor in the eyes. She tried to grab her daggers, but there was no time.

  Heavy hands tried to pull her to the ground. It was difficult to see; she rolled to one side, barely evading a dagger thrust aimed at her chest. The sailors pressed in around her, a forest of broad arms and waists.

  Then a knee drove into her back.

  She gasped, momentarily paralyzed. She fell to the ground, a painful kick striking her ribs and a boot crushing her shoulder. She wanted to scream for help, but couldn't seem to recover her lungs.

  "Keeeee-ya!"

  The shout was sudden, ferocious. A body went sailing over her, and then four more bodies. The mob of sailors quickly scattered. Sora looked up in a daze, her head spinning, her body covered with a myriad of cuts and bruises.

  Before her stood Joan, outlined by the light from the ship, her deep auburn hair like a glowing flame.

  "You okay, sister?" the Dracian asked. "There were a lot of 'em! You're lucky I spotted you!" She extended a hand and pulled Sora to her feet.

  There was a crash of thunder. The skies opened, as though waiting for the ideal moment, and rain poured to the ground, spilling down in torrents. Within seconds, they were both drenched. Sora slipped a little on the cobblestones, already slick from the pouring rain.

  "Thanks, Joan, good thing it's over now," she said.

  “Over?” Joan asked, raising an eyebrow. “Not yet!”

  As though echoing her sentiment, there was a chorus of yells from the ship.

  “Watch out!” someone cried.

  “Goddess, grab the ropes!”

  “Too late! Aggh!”

  She turned, just in time to see a massive crate swing through the air. No one had control of the pulley. The crate hung from several flimsy ropes, which were quickly unraveling.

  No, not a crate... a cage, with metal bars along its sides. Sora frowned—but why? The ropes finally snapped, and the giant cage came crashing to the ground.

  Cru-crunchhh!

  The wood exploded in a thousand shards. The metal bars were shaken loose, and several went bouncing across the docks—tong, tong—skidding wildly. One flew up into the face of a sailor, cracking him across the cheek. The man fell to the ground with a scream.

  It took a moment for Sora to hear what the sailors were saying.

  “Kraken!” one yelled, dashing past her. “Watch out! It's loose!”

  “Aye, get to cover! 'Tis a Kraken!”

  Sora stared after the running sailors, confused. Kraken...?

  A long, thin yelp pierced the night, close to the cry of a wildcat. Sora flinched and looked around. She squinted. Somewhere between the sheets of rain, she could see a large, black shape rising from the wreckage of the crates.

  Then Joan grabbed her arm. “By the Goddess!” she gasped. “'Tis a Kraken! Quickly, Sora!”

  But the creature had already turned toward them. A sailor, the same one who had been struck by the metal bar, tried to run away but didn't move fast enough. The long, wiry shape leapt after him, flying through the air, landing on the sailor's back. The man let out a bloodcurdling scream, then tumbled to the ground. Only the sound of ripping flesh was heard.

  When the creature raised its head, an arm was hanging from its mouth. It looked straight at them with glowing yellow eyes.

  The Kraken was small, the size of a mountain lion, perhaps still a baby. She could dimly remember the name now; she had read about the sea monster in books, but she hadn't truly thought they were real. The beast had a horse's neck, a mane of black hair sprouting from its nape. The rest of its body was low to the ground, squat and reptilian. It was too dark to make out its coloring, but its face reminded her of an eel, with a hooked jaw and rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. The mouth was wide enough to swallow a man's head.

  As she watched, the Kraken crunched through the body of the screaming sailor, limb by flimsy limb.

  “Run!” Joan screamed, turning to flee. Sora turned as well, but the Kraken was attracted to their movement. It abandoned the body of the sailor and lunged across the docks, slithering and loping like a giant weasel, heading straight for them.

  There was no safe place to run, and Sora wasn't fast enough to outpace the beast. Instead, she dove for her staff, which was tangled up in a pile of rope next to the ship. She didn't want to get close enough to the beast to use her daggers.

  She skidded to a stop on the rainy cobblestones, reaching down to
grab her staff. When she turned around, the beast was right behind her, and she raised her weapons just in time to catch its snapping jaws. Its teeth crunched down on the wood, mid-bite; she could imagine those jaws snapping a sword, but her staff held firm, without even a scratch. She let out a breath of relief. Witch wood.

  Then the beast thrashed its head, and she almost lost her grip. With a mighty heave, Sora threw the beast off her, twisting her staff out of its mouth. The Kraken curled its massive head upward, flexing its thickly corded neck. Then it opened its mouth and hissed at her.

  Sora was prepared for the next attack, but then Joan flew onto the scene, sword in hand. “Keeey-a!” She slashed and swiped at the rear of the beast, clipping off a chunk of its long, fin-like tail.

  The Kraken shrieked, a sound like shattering plates, then turned around, tail lashing, jaws snapping angrily at the air. It lunged at Joan, spitting and hissing, leaving gobs of black phlegm on the docks.

  "Hey!" Sora yelled, trying to attract the beast away from Joan. She brought her staff down on its hind quarter, hoping to break its leg, or at least distract it.

  The Kraken shrugged off the blow. It turned to snarl at her, then went back to Joan, lunging forward, trying to bite around the sword.

  “Run, Sora!” Joan yelled. “Get on the ship!”

  “No way!” Sora yelled back. “I won't leave you!”

  Then the monster lunged past Joan's defenses and bit down on her leg. The Dracian screamed, an ear-piercing shriek full of pain that made Sora want to cover her ears, her stomach curling in horror. She brought her staff down again, over and over, trying to beat the creature off the woman, but the Kraken was impervious to her blows. They bounced off its thick scales.

  Joan kept screaming, and total panic enveloped Sora. Her friend would be eaten right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do! Her Cat's Eye was useless against such a creature. Her staff wasn't sharp enough to split the scales. She would have to fling herself on its back to use her daggers—and that was sheer suicide. She beat away at the Kraken furiously, but to no effect.

  Sora opened her mouth and screamed.

  Chapter 17

  Crash's knife sung with the night, whirling through darkness, invisible death. In this moment, he felt more like steel than a man; sharper than the blade he fought with. He stabbed a sailor in the gut, then whirled around, swiping his knife across the throats of two more. He moved so fast that his enemies didn't even realize they were wounded. He watched their expressions—the slow blossom of understanding, the sudden flicker of horror. Their hands flew up to their throats, blood running between their fingers. With a mighty kick, he sent them staggering into each other, then stumbling overboard into the ocean.

  There were no more sailors onboard. The ship was secured. Sheathing his daggers, he turned to join the rest of the Dracians, who were preparing to cast off. It had taken longer than he had anticipated, and he didn't like the delay. He had to leave the city before Volcrian reached them—or before the Shade made another appearance.

  Abruptly the wind shifted, and his head snapped up. A scream pierced the air. It skittered across his skin and reverberated through his bones. He shivered. Suddenly, he felt as though a large hand was squeezing his stomach, tighter and tighter, making it impossible to breathe. Danger. Uncertainty. Fear...?

  Sora!

  That scream, that pitch, the direction it came from.... Crash found himself running across the ship, bounding toward the docks.

  Sweet Goddess—no!

  * * *

  The rain battered Sora's face, but did nothing to calm her fear; she was too scared to move. Her hands shook where they gripped her staff, wet and slick.

  The Kraken had released Joan's leg at last, and the Dracian had stumbled away, unable to walk. It would have chased her down, but Sora had lunged between them. A foolhardy move, to be sure—but she would not let her friend die.

  The Kraken snapped at her, lashing its tail, so close she could smell the stench of its breath. It was not as timid as it had been before. Its eyes flickered over her, and with a snarling yowl, it lunged, its body flying through the air. Sora raised her staff, her only defense, just as the beast made impact.

  Wham!

  She crashed to the ground, the Kraken's body on top of her, its powerful claws tearing up the cobblestones, snagging and ripping up wood and rock. It pierced her shirt and shredded the cloth down the front, grazing her skin.

  She screamed again.

  Then, from nowhere, a black shape sped past her, as brief and furious as lightning. The beast let out another roar—this time, one of pain. Abruptly the Kraken sprang off her, whirling to face the new threat.

  Sora took a moment to regain herself, her head spinning with panic, adrenaline pounding. There were sounds of distress and grunts from behind her, and when she finally turned around, she could only stare in confusion. The Kraken was slowly backing across the docks toward the water's edge. A black shadow darted around it like a vicious wasp. Slowly, step by step, the monster was driven back, but it was fiercely enraged, snapping at its attacker, long claws slashing through the air.

  Then Joan was next to her, limping heavily, using one of the metal poles to help support herself. Sora could see blood trickling down her shredded pant leg.

  Joan grabbed her by the arm. "Let's go," she said.

  The two began stumbling toward the ship. Sora's eyes remained on the wicked fight, the spitting Kraken and the deadly shadow, barely visible through the torrential rain.

  “Who... who is that?” she finally asked, squinting through the darkness. “What is that?”

  “I believe it's your assassin friend,” Joan said through gritted teeth. She leaned heavily against Sora, staggering toward the ship.

  Sora's jaw went slack. From this angle, she couldn't make him out clearly, only that he was somehow dodging the Kraken's spear-like claws. She felt cold. Shocked. The beast was twice his size and just as fast, and the cobblestones were as slick as ice.

  No... I have to... I have to help him somehow, that monster is far too large... but what can I do? A slow, sinking fear crept over her. Nothing. She could do nothing. She would only get in the way.

  Joan tugged at her and Sora realized she had stopped walking. With one last, desperate glance, she turned and ran the rest of the way to the plank, practically carrying the Dracian, her staff gripped hard in her hand.

  Once on-board, a sailor lunged at her, one of the last of the crew trying to get off the ship. A Dracian, unrecognizable in the flickering firelight, kicked him down into the water.

  Sora was too shaken to respond, even to the surprise attack. She stared at her rescuer for a long, stunned moment before she recognized Jacques. As though on cue, a large, dark crow fluttered down from the sky, landing awkwardly on his shoulder. A strip of flesh hung from its beak.

  Tristan appeared too, standing slightly behind him. There were a few bruises on the younger Dracian's jaw, but other than that, he seemed to be in good shape. He was even grinning.

  Sora let out a shuddering breath and shoved Joan into Tristan's arms. “Get her to the infirmary,” she said. “She was bitten by a Kraken.”

  “Crikey!” Tristan exclaimed. “Crippled by a Kraken?” He grabbed Joan just as she began to collapse on the deck, and swung her up into his arms.

  Jacques shook his head. “She'll be all right, Sora. Dracians are immune to the beast's poison.”

  “Poison...?” Sora asked, surprised. Then she quickly scanned herself for wounds. Shockingly, there were none, except the slight graze to her chest, which wasn't even enough to draw blood. She checked her arms and legs twice. Her adrenaline was still surging and she doubted she would feel a small cut.

  There was a high-pitched yowl from below, and she looked at the docks again, feeling another burst of concern. What if Crash was bitten?

  No one asked what the noise had been. Tristan turned to walk away, carrying Joan in his arms, and Jacques waved to the Dracians who man
ned the rigging. “Unfurl the sails!” he called. “Prepare to cast off! We have a good wind behind us and a long voyage ahead.”

  “Wait!” Sora cried, stopping Jacques from pulling up the boarding plank. “Crash is still down there!”

  He frowned. “Are ye certain?” he asked, turning to look at her.

  “Yes! Don't draw anchor yet!”

  Jacques nodded to her, a grave expression in his eyes. Then he held up his hand. All of the Dracians stopped in their tracks. “Hold up!” he yelled. “One crew member is still on the docks!”

  The crow squawked, as though echoing his command. Then it took off into the air, flying over the side of the boat into the darkness.

  Sora nodded. She watched their small crew scramble to obey. Then she frowned. She wanted to ask where Jacques had been just a few minutes ago, and why she and Joan had been left alone on the docks with a Kraken in their midst. And why had no one helped them earlier, and why was no one going down to the docks to fight alongside Crash...?

  But Jacques turned away from her, preoccupied. He cursed at one of the Dracians who was tangling up the ropes.

  A sudden, shuddering roar rumbled across the docks, followed by the sound of a heavy body splashing into the water. Her insides quivered sickeningly, a horrible jolt rocking her chest, and she found herself peering desperately over the railing, trying to see through the darkness. Silence descended. Her heart lodged in her throat.

  Come on, Crash.... come on.....

  The rain lashed down. It thrummed against the wooden deck like a thousand jabbing fingers. It was impossible to hear anything else. Sora was drenched, shivering with cold. Her stomach felt like it would slide right out of her mouth.

  She knew Crash was a skilled fighter... but the Kraken was a vicious, powerful beast that had torn the sailors to pieces. No man could have won that battle. The vision of Crash's body, floating still and cold in the murky water below, or perhaps dragged under the waves to some far-off den, stayed firm in her mind.