“Well,” Vanx shrugged honestly, “both, but I never said treasure map, just a map.”
“But there might be treasure,” Chelda said to help keep the crew in agreement. “If there is, I say we give the ship a share, and split the rest ‘tween us all.”
“Aye,” Zirk agreed, watching Chelda’s tits bounce through her blouse, with her hopping, semi-mock glee. Even though she was putting on a show, Vanx could tell she was interested in the island, too, and she would do anything for Poops.
“She’s good,” Castavonti said to Vanx and Zeezle, a little later. “I want two full shares.”
“If you get them to agree, that is fine,” Vanx shrugged.
“Just give him my share,” Zeezle grinned. “I don’t need it, and it avoids an issue. But if there is only a single prize the wizard left for you, we will have a problem.”
“Aye,” Vanx forced a knowing smile. “Nothing a stop by Pyra’s place won’t fix. It’s on the way to Orendyn, too.”
“So we are guaranteed payment, even if there is just a single item you claim?” the sea mage asked.
“You’ll get paid the extra shares, within reason, if there isn’t even that much,” Zeezle gave the man a piercing look, as if to say the discussion was over.
Ronzon had replaced Zirk in the rigging, for Zirk had been falling asleep in the ropes. With full dawn directly ahead of them, it was Vanx’s and Chelda’s turn to rest.
Vanx wasn’t in the hard bunk with his eyes closed for more than half a glass when he heard some commotion from above. Something had Zeezle and Master Ruuk excited, and now the ship lurched ahead, as if a new wind had found them; only Vanx knew it wasn’t wind, and he was up and running, his head just poking out the doorway onto the deck when he heard the call from the crow’s nest above.
“’Tis as big as the ship, Capt’n,” Ronzon yelled down. “Swimming just under the surface.”
“What is?” Vanx asked Zeezle, who had one of the looking glasses out and was standing beside Castavonti, looking behind them.
“Something is following us,” Zeezle said, not pulling his concentration away from what he was seeing.
“Hunting us, is more likely,” the sea mage said. “These waters are known for leviathan.”
“Why didn’t you tell us that?” Zeezle asked. “When we were talking about changing courses? Is it going to attack?”
“If we slow enough it will,” the sea mage defended. “We would have passed through this territory either route.” Then he looked at Vanx. “I know you are full of raw power, Zythian, but try asking us the next time you change the plan. We could have skirted this area entirely if you’d have told it true from the start.”
“Can we skirt it now?” Zeezle asked, offering the looking glass to Vanx, and pointing to the shadow swimming along behind them.
“We are in the heart of their breeding grounds, as we speak,” Castavonti grumbled. “It’s about the same distance out in any direction.”
“It’s diving,” came the call from the rigging. “Should I wake Zirk, and the woman?”
“I think we are going too fast for it to attack,” the sea mage said, but his look betrayed his fear. “I will see if I can get us going any faster.”
Vanx never found the shadow of the thing in the looking glass, and after a full turn of the glass, everyone was starting to relax. Nothing had showed itself behind them again, and Castavonti had the ship moving faster than the wind. If they were going any faster, the sails would be catching wind the wrong way and slowing them.
Vanx knew a few ship captain’s spells. He knew one that would help them go even faster if the need came. He began reciting the words to that one, saving the final word for the moment that may or may not come, but then Ronzon called out from above. This time when they looked up at him, he was pointing in front of the ship, not behind it.
Vanx turned and saw the glory of the morning. Bright blue sky, deep blue water, rolling and dipping with the huge, slow-moving swells.
As they topped a wave, Vanx saw what Ronzon was pointing at. Up ahead the sea was boiling, in an isolated area the ship was headed right toward.
“Leviathan!” he heard Ronzon scream as he half fell, half climbed down from above.
“Don’t just stand there!” Castavonti yelled. “Grab a harpoon!”
Poops appeared on the deck, barking at the sight before them. Then came Chelda, her blond hair a tangled mess, but her expression that of a woken bear. Zirk came up behind them and went straight to a compartment near the front of the ship.
“Help,” he pulled Chelda, who was staring stupidly at the beast rising out of the sea right in their ship’s path. “Hand me that,” Zirk ordered her, and she obeyed absently, trying not to show the fear that Vanx could sense was dripping from her every pore.
In a matter of heartbeats there was a well-braced stand erected over the ugly bowsprit, and a crossbow-like harpoon launcher connected to its top, so that it could be swiveled left and right and up and down to some degree.
“Harpoons are there,” Zirk pointed at a compartment nearby, and Chelda dropped three of the long, barbed shafts at Zirk’s feet, just as the ship met the first of the unnatural waves caused by the huge creature.
The Adventurer’s bow rose up, and then slapped down hard, causing Zirk to launch a stray harpoon as he was flung overboard.
Chelda grabbed the rail, staying in the boat, and managed to pick up another harpoon. When the ship was settled in the sea again, she took a forward step and threw the shaft at the creature’s mostly submerged head.
The wave that came when her harpoon stuck the thing nearly sent the Adventurer flipping over backward.
“Get Chel steadied, and then get Poops below!” Vanx yelled at Zeezle, as he dove for the harpoon launcher and began trying to re-cock it.
After heaving a float over the side to Zirk, Ronzon joined Vanx, situated himself to help crank back the launcher’s mechanism, and made ready to feed him harpoons.
Vanx looked at Castavonti, searching for advice, or a solution, but the man was slack-jawed. He was holding the wheel with white knuckles and his gaze was rising to the point that his head was craned back.
When Vanx turned, he saw why. The creature was at least thirty feet out of the water and its tentacles were already reaching for the Adventurer.
Without another thought, Vanx loosed a harpoon right at the thing’s head. He was disheartened when the shaft was just slapped away, and he began racking his brain for any sort of spell that would help.
To make things worse, he heard Zeezle’s splash when he dove over the side to go after Zirk.
“Two in the water!” Castavonti yelled, as if there were a full crew to hear him.
“Aye,” Vanx answered out of habit, and then trained the launcher on the creature again, not sure what good it would do to such a thing, even if he shafted it true.
Other titles by M.R. Mathias
The Legend of Vanx Malic
The Legend of Vanx Malic Book One - Through the Wildwood
The Legend of Vanx Malic Book Two - Dragon Isle
The Legend of Vanx Malic Book Three - Saint Elm’s Deep
The Legend of Vanx Malic Book Four - That Frigid Fargin’ Witch
The Legend of Vanx Malic Book Five - Trigon Daze
The Legend of Vanx Malic Book Six – Paragon Dracus
The Legend of Vanx Malic Book Seven – The Far Side of Creation
The Legend of Vanx Malic Book Eight – The Long Journey Home
The Legend of Vanx Malic – Foxwise (a short story)
Don’t miss the huge International Bestselling epic:
The Wardstone Trilogy
Book One - The Sword and the Dragon
Book Two - Kings, Queens, Heroes, & Fools
Book Three - The Wizard & the Warlord
Or the Locus Poll nominated, Bestselling, Dragon Rider Series:
The Dragoneer Saga
The First Dragoneer - Free Dragoneer intro novella
The Royal Dragoneers - Dragoneer Saga, Book One
Cold Hearted Son of a Witch - Dragoneer Saga, Book Two
The Confliction - Dragoneer Saga, Book Three
Confliction Compendium (Books 1-3 plus The First Dragoneer novella)
The Emerald Rider - Dragoneer Saga, Book Four
Rise of the Dragon King – Dragoneer, Saga Book Five
Blood and Royalty - Dragoneer Saga, Book Six
Dragoneer Saga, Royalty Trilogy, Boxed Set (Books, 4, 5, and 6)
The Crimzon & Clover Short Story Series
Crimzon & Clover I – Orphaned Dragon, Lucky girl
Crimzon & Clover II – The Tricky Wizard
Crimzon & Clover III - The Grog
Crimzon & Clover IV - The Wrath of Crimzon
Crimzon & Clover V - Killer of Giants
Crimzon & Clover VI - One Bad Bitch
Crimzon & Clover VII - The Fortune’s Fortune
Master Zarvin’s Action and Adventure Series (for kids)
#1 Dingo the Dragon Slayer
#2 Oonzil the Oathbreaker
#3 The Greatest Quest
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The Far Side of Creation (The Legend of Vanx Malic Book 7) Page 13