Ra' van (Book Three of the Items Trilogy)

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  “How did you furl the sails?”

  He grinned again. “I scratched the wood outside the brig, telling two men to do it or I’d kill the lot of them. They took it seriously, although they didn’t know it was a bluff.” He then looked over at the hole when another warning growl to silence came from below. “I’m having two of the smaller ones look over the items while the rest watch the humans.”

  Not a moment later Lily and the six warriors climbed aboard and Alex explained what Shade just said. Everyone grinned at how the plan Allahandra proposed worked yet again. While the ship was secured Alex walked down to the brig and saw the thirty naked men behind iron bars. None approached them as Crest and four others snapped at anyone who dared come closer. From the looks he received, they weren’t welcoming. He walked over to the stack of clothes and began emptying out all pockets before picking up the stack.

  His voice altered as he commanded “Step away.” and the Shadow Fangs obeyed without question.

  Since the Shadow Fangs couldn’t lock the gate they guarded it the entire time. Alex simply opened it and stepped inside. He then dropped the clothes before the men and altered his voice again. “Go ahead and put these on.”

  Crest then said “But..” but then Shade shook his head and gave her a look to stay silent.

  Apparently the captain was in the back as he said acidly “Ye be a traitor! Get him men and we can use him as a hostage!”

  Alex was no fool, but these men surely were. If they were smarter they would understand that if he could enter a cell of an enemy presence of thirty men all alone, that should have given them pause. More so when he could command beasts. He grabbed the silvery, wire wrapped hilt of his sword and increased his heat to use both Fire Touch and a strength every person charging was unable to culminate against him.

  When the first three men were close Alex used the heel of his hand to slam it into their chest, shattering ribs and instantly killing all three with his right hand alone. As they dropped to the ground another man came close and he intentionally allowed him to grab his arm. The man grabbed and howled in pain as his flesh sizzled from the heat Alex produced. Another went for the sword and found the hilt was just as hot because the rare metal absorbs heat and retains its unbreakable density. He couldn’t even draw it from the sheathe before succumbing to the intensity of the heat it absorbed for a few moments. The weapon is perfect for a Furion.

  Seeing their crewmates drop dead or scream in pain gave them pause. As they stopped Alex said “Captain, if you value your men’s lives, remain quiet and put on a pair of clothes. You should realize by now that I’m a person to not take lightly, especially in a fight. Either comply with my orders or I’ll throw all of the items on this ship overboard and you’ll be itemless for the rest of your miserable lives.”

  “Who are you to be giving me such orders?”

  “Your future king and rightful heir to Ra’van.” He held up the ring on his right hand. “If you looked more closely, this is the royal seal to which you pledged your loyalty. Since you won’t believe me, as a naturally suspicious person, I will allow you to keep your lives if you behave and simply wait long enough to see who I am. Who knows, maybe you’ll find a way to defeat me, but I doubt it.”

  Alex turned his head slightly, keeping those men in sight at all times as he ordered again “Please drag these three men out and give them a burial at sea.”

  Three smaller Shadow Fangs entered and grabbed the foot of a fallen man in their teeth and drug them out and away.

  When they were gone Alex said “Remember, any more outbursts or attempts against anyone under me will result in losing your items and if you insist on trying my patience you’ll join those three.”

  The gate screeched closed and Alex grabbed a set of keys to lock them in. One of the warriors with a wickedly curved sword came below to see his partner he was handed the keys and ordered “They know the rules. If they so much as try, call me and they will be dealt with.” The man put a fist to his heart and said it would be done.

  Once the ship’s minor repairs were complete did Alex pull out one of Janken’s mirrors, activate it by swirling a finger over its surface, watch it disintegrate and marveled as the dust collected into a miniature version of Janken. The report remained simple and said they captured a ship and were on the way back north to drop it off. Janken said he was glad all went well and wished for a safe return.

  It took only three days to see the shore again and the men in the brig complied with all orders and were allowed to live. At the designated location floated three other commandeered battleships. The idea worked well and the casualties to captives remained somewhat the same. Nearly two hundred men waited patiently on the docks as it proved to be much more difficult to dock the giant boat than Kallel’s, but in a few hours did all become well. Sixty men quickly boarded and escorted the prisoners to a holding area while confiscated items were stacked on the opposite side of the camp. The prisoner area is surrounded by a large wooden wall, watched at all times by heavily armed sentries.

  Since it had become late it was almost time to get some rest, but the loser of the bet was a man of his word and bought everyone a round of ale. Since Shade remembered the last time he drank, he moderated the intake. Crest and the others on the other hand didn’t know what ale was or its effects. They liked the spicy taste and how it warmed their bellies. Before long there were seven inebriated Shadow Fangs who couldn’t manage to even walk straight and the small hall cheered and laughed at the sight. Even Shade couldn’t hold back a few laughs at his mate who started tripping over her two front paws while hiccupping relentlessly.

  By morning though, an officer knocked on the door to hand Alex a piece of parchment. It detailed where their next target lay.

  As everyone woke and walked towards the docks, eleven more battleships waited. This is going better than expected. Alex thought as he boarded with everyone again and set sail.

  Five days of free sailing was cut short as Ava warned of another ship that Kallel spotted a few minutes ago. Like last time, everyone dropped the net, stored their items and hid their Freelan ring. The downside was that when the ship were to be boarded it would be midday and it would be more difficult to utilize Shade and his companions, but not impossible.

  The crew stayed prepared as the next monstrous ship pulled up alongside and yelled to be boarded for inspection. The Water Guard didn’t show any variety or thought into how they spoke or ordered. The plank soon stretched between both ships, but as Alex looked at those watching from the other ship he noticed something off about their movements and grim expressions.

  Something doesn’t feel right. He thought.

  Eleven men crossed and somewhere in the pit of his stomach Alex knew something was seriously off. Then a familiar face crossed the plank, it was the admiral with the two swords, one black and the other white. It was the admiral who boarded them on their first voyage into Alluan.

  As the burly man with earned metals reached the ship he began rubbing his bearded jaw while looking over everyone and the ship he stood on. With a glance Alex saw Marlin swallow dryly. Ever so slowly Shade and the others moved through the cracks in the deck’s flooring, without revealing the true size of their shadow. Something truly didn’t feel right.

  “Aren’t you going to inspect us so that we may be on our way?” Kallel spoke.

  The admiral looked at each person and then said casually “That won’t be necessary. I remember you and these two.” and pointed to both Alex and Marlin who tensed slightly. He didn’t see it, but Alex watched the others get nervous. “I see you repaired your ship. You see I never forget faces or all the boats I’ve boarded. Good day.” And as he and the other men turned around to walk back up the plank they shimmered like water for a moment, one too fast for normal human eyes to realize.

  Alex did see it and Shade was still too far away to slip underneath the plank.

  Now the unease made sense. All the stone cold stares from the crew on the ship and how t
hey turned around for no reason and neglected a standard search. Then came the unmistakable sound of fires being lit too suddenly to be coincidence.

  “They Know!” Alex shouted and flared his strength. He leapt forward as a flaming arrow shot at him first. He deflected it with his bracers and dove for where his sword had been stashed. He grabbed it and as the perfectly balance blade slid from its home it sang loud and clear.

  Then Alex threw himself at the eleven men and admiral, cut them down and watched as they all hit the deck as clear liquid and splashed into water.

  With a quick look back everyone had retrieved their hidden items and were deflecting flaming volleys of arrows. The Water Guard knew it was a trap and set their own. Lily already had her rectangular pink sword working as thousands of razor thin petals of metal swirled around her and the children like a deadly shield. Nothing could pass it without being shredded. Mary then threw her two rectangular, palm size items over the enemy ship and a bright light, twice the sun’s light, with a concussive bang halted most of the violent attack.

  The plank dropped into the water before Shade and the others could cross.

  A large blue bubble launched from the battleship and it was only Alex’s talents that kept it from hitting the ship. He grabbed the plank that remained on their ship and used it like a giant club. As it connected with the bubble it completely consumed the long board in flames. If it had hit the sails or deck it would have been terrible. He threw the flaming wood like a javelin back aboard the enemy ship.

  While most of the battleship remained occupied with a dangerous fire or being unable to see or hear from Mary’s items Alex yelled to his men “Defend this ship until you’re out of range! Come get us when I send Ava!” then he looked back as all the Shadow Fangs were out of their shadow and doing as Shade said and were stomping out any fires that their partners couldn’t reach. His voice changed as he ordered “All of you, Jump across the ships and dive into your shadow when you reach their vessel! Take out any in your way!”

  Alex ran in the opposite direction, measured the length he could run and the growing distance of the boats. Using a Furion’s speed it took only three steps before he jumped mightily over the thirty foot gap and drove his sword into the side of the ship before finding a hand hold and withdrawing the hissing hot blade.

  He looked back as Shade howled and launched himself easily over the gap and entered his shadow just as soon as his nose touched the wood. The other seven were right behind their High Alpha and Furion leader.

  With a mighty pull Alex threw himself easily over the rail and onto the deck. It took only a moment to take in the chaotic situation. Over half of the men were writhing on the deck, covering their ears and pressing their eyes shut. Two dozen men were dumping buckets on the flames that threatened to consume them and the boat. Sixty more were momentarily stunned to see him standing there alone. More were pouring out from the lower levels to see where they were needed.

  “Take them out, but leave the admiral to me!” Alex roared and eight deadly fiends rose from their shadows and began attacking.

  In but a moment Alex drove forth and began cutting through one man after another with ease as they couldn’t keep up with his speed and strength. One moment he’d be there and the next another would find him on the other side of the ship. The first man lost his hand by Alex’s sword while another’s neck snapped back as he back handed it with his left fist. Another found himself flying overboard as Alex grabbed his tunic’s collar and ripped him away from one of the smaller Shadow Fangs. More men saw their crewmates being overwhelmed and came to help, but it made no difference other than delaying the inevitable. One man’s item collected water and he encased Alex, but his body was so hot it flash steamed the water. That man soon fell beneath Shade’s talents.

  One of the other average Shadow Fang’s stood too far away and surrounded. She yelped once as she fell to the ground dead as someone drove a pike through her eye. The other lord among them took down all her attackers, but it was already too late.

  Within two minutes most fighters were either dead or incapacitated. Then a familiar figure caught Alex’s attention, the admiral, and he had both swords out and at the ready. From book knowledge of items he knew this set of weapons were level five and highly dangerous. The black sword rots flesh instantly while the white doesn’t harm flesh, but it harmlessly cuts through everything except bone. Together, that pair of blades were invincible.

  Before he even had time to react Alex used the round amethyst pommel of his sword to crush the bones in both hands. The man roared in pain as both swords were kicked over the boats edge, never to be seen again. The admiral’s eyes widened as a part of himself had been forever lost, he would be itemless for the rest of his days, a soon to be slave. Crushed hands didn’t register the pain nearly as much as his loss of weapons he was born with.

  “Tell your men to stand down!” Alex ordered and lifted his chin with the sizzling blade that created a pink mist. “Tell them!”

  “Stop…” he whispered, sounding empty inside. As the blazing hot, razor sharp sword slightly pierced his throat he became slightly more lucid from the pain. “Stand down if you value your lives!” the admiral cried and a hush fell over everyone except those severely affected by Mary’s remarkably effective item. It might not cause permanent damage, but its effects were remarkable.

  Now with the situation in hand Alex withdrew the misting blade to order “Put the fire out unless you’d rather go for a long swim!”

  While Shade and the others gathered those still alive down in the brig, after removing their items, Ava quickly flew in and landed on Alex’s shoulder. She quickly said “I would have helped, but you and the others were too close for me to put them under for a time.”

  “That is quite alright, you needn’t worry. None of us were injured. For now I need you to go back and show them it is safe to return…”

  A man in the line to go below yelled, grabbed a spear and charged while Alex’s back was turned, but the man didn’t know he didn’t let his guard down often, especially when aboard a ship that hasn’t been fully overtaken. With a swift upward back kick, the shaft splintered in half and found a heel smashed into his face. Alex turned around and grabbed him by the tunic “I hope you’re a good swimmer.” and threw him clear overboard with enough strength to show the others watching just how much power he could exert.

  Seeing the astonished looks from the rest of the crew showed they wouldn’t attempt anything again.

  While Ava felt sure her brothers were safe and went to call the others Alex knelt before the defeated and heartbroken admiral. He wiped the blade clean on a nearby piece of cloth and spoke calmly, but commandingly as well because his Dominance wasn’t yet perfected. “Tell me, how did you know it was a trap? You cannot fool me or else you wouldn’t have used someone’s item to make a duplicate of yourself from manipulating water.”

  The man’s broken hands had been bound because some bones pierced through the skin and the healer on board wasn’t capable of healing or knitting bones. He’d have to wait until being docked to be properly healed. It was rare for a person to lose their item, but not unheard of. From what Jakz said one time, it was the only way to keep a certain set of eyes off him. The admiral’s tone was distant, but not uncommon. “We have been getting disturbing reports that our prized battleships have been disappearing in too great of numbers. I’ve also had six specialists send an emergency report saying they were under attack by Shadow Fangs out on the water and that it happened after boarding smaller ships. There was a pattern and I’ve gotten reports that in the battle with Alluan that they are using fiends and so it is safe to say it is Allahandra getting in the way again. She’s the one taking our ships so hers can safely cross into Point Lake.”

  Hearing this caused worry within Alex. “Have you told anyone else about the trap to take Water Guard battleships?”

  “Aye, all of them…” And then his chest started panting moments before he began convulsing. Th
en the admiral became still in death.

  Alex cursed as he remembered a similar incident with the Juguan priest. The admiral had taken poison. Most likely either the healer gave it to him or he took it himself when Alex threw the last attacker overboard.

  Only Shade remained on deck and watched the human die. He wanted to ask what happened, but stopped as Alex dug in his pocket and pulled out his last circular mirror.

  The mirror activated and Janken quickly appeared and stated “Lord Alex, you look distressed.”

  “Are you anywhere near Allahandra?” He asked while going down on a knee and slowing his breathing.

  “Aye, she is standing right next to me.” The three inch Janken answered and looked to his right. From the look on his small features he must be looking at Allahandra.

  “Good, now listen carefully. Tell her to contact all her people on the different boats and tell them to return immediately. The Water Guard captains all know our trap and are ready and waiting.” He then gave a quick version of what transpired and Janken’s features drew grim.

  A mast pulled alongside the battleship as Janken seemingly spoke to no one, but it was clear he was reiterating the report to the queen. While he quickly went over what was told to him Lily and the other warriors quickly boarded. She saw both Shade and him kneeling before Janken’s specialty item and rushed over to make sure he was alright. He nodded her silent question and saw the blood and gore on his arms and face weren’t his.

  While Janken remained occupied for the moment Alex took his sheathe back as she returned it. He swallowed painfully as he called one of his warriors over and told of the fate of his partner. He began to cry and walked over to her still body. Everyone gave him room to grieve for his partner and made sure the ship was secure.