Seahaven

by Raymond Cain

  The steering and propulsion were very different from other ships. When Flynn spun the steering globe clockwise, water was drawn into the two jets on the right side and the ship turned right. He pulled the Searunner into a tight circle and the water straps kept him secured to the chair. The vessel’s tail section moved like a shark’s tail, allowing for sharper turns.

  The ship’s maneuverability was amazing. He rolled back the orb and performed a loop-de-loop that ended so close to the ground, his wake tore up seaweed and sent seashells flying. A cluster of jellyfish hovered in front of Flynn and were he in any other ship, he would have gone around them. Gripping the steering globe tightly, he drove straight for them instead. He entered the cluster and performed a series of barrel rolls, avoiding each one of the delicate creatures.

  Flynn regarded the five crystal switches and flipped the second one. In response, the Searunner’s bright blue glow switched off, causing the hull to appear like ordinary glass. It was a remarkable change, and one that made perfect sense. The sheer power of the ship made it glow brighter than any other, and it was dangerous to attract attention to yourself in an ocean full of predators. He put his hand against the transparent hull, reassuring himself that the dense crystal still protected him.

  When Flynn flipped the third switch, a projectile launched from the base of the ship. A steel bolt the approximate size and shape of a javelin made a sshooo sound as it shot through the water. It sped through the depths, punched its way through a gulper eel, and kept going until it disappeared out of sight. Guilt gnawed at him as the eel fell slowly into the dirt with a line of dark blood trailing above it.

  Looking down through his liquid chair and the transparent floor, Flynn discovered three launch tubes built into the hull. They seemed to be of similar design to Stingray but of much larger scale. There were two more projectiles loaded in the remaining tubes and he reasoned the last three switches were designed to launch the three projectiles. There was no need to flip the remaining two switches and he left them alone.

  The Searunner sped over plains covered in glowing anemone plants and giant, spotted mushrooms. The plains gave way to broken terrain and with a gentle rotation on the steering globe, he dove the Searunner into a narrow trench. He followed the trench until it split into two and he flipped the ship on its side to slip through the narrow crevice. He swerved around corners so sharp that even sharks would have had a difficult time navigating between them.

  It was dark in the trenches and Flynn flipped a switch, turning the Searunner’s glow back on. The blue light from the powerful craft lit up the rocky terrain and he spotted a jagged pillar of stone up ahead. He leveled off the ship and rolled back the globe, pulling the Searunner up into a vertical climb. The vessel narrowly avoided the pillar and brought him back into the open sea.

  Flynn leveled off and sailed over a kelp forest. The leafy trees cast a blue-green glow and they stood taller than the highest buildings in Seahaven. Hundreds of crabs and worms lived in the forest and fed on the bases. Pinpoints of red and blue lights from their shells were visible as they crawled through the grainy soil.

  The acceleration lever was at one quarter speed and Flynn decided to see how fast the ship could go. He pushed it up to half and the increase in speed was enough to gently pull him back in his chair. Kelp trees swayed below him and his wake scattered grazing fish from its fronds.

  At half speed, the Searunner was already moving as fast as any ship he’d ever seen, but Flynn wanted to learn its full potential. The thought of doubling his speed made him nervous but he put his hand on the lever, gathering the nerve to push it all the way forward and leave the kelp forest behind.

  Flynn let out a big breath and found his resolve. “Let’s do this.”

  With gritted teeth, Flynn shoved the lever up to full speed and the world around him became a blur. The sudden acceleration yanked his head back and pulled his body deeper into the pilot’s chair. Nearby luminescent fish became streaks of light and rocky outcroppings ahead rushed toward him. Water roared through the jets in the hull with the force of a raging waterfall and four lines of turbulent water expelled behind him. As he flew low over the ocean floor, he ripped up dirt and vegetation, sent seashells flying, and created a towering wall of debris behind his ship.

  “Woohoo!” Flynn yelled, his heart pounding with excitement and fear. Marine creatures zipped past his windows and he weaved between a group of comb jellies, pulling their tendrils toward him as he cruised by. He gripped the steering globe tightly in both hands. It required all his concentration to avoid rocky outcroppings and towering vegetation in his path. When he looked back through the transparent hull, the wall of dirt and debris trailing behind his ship was as tall as a house. Starfish, lobsters, and other crawling creatures were sent flying high above the ocean floor.

  Marine animals in front of him swam in various directions but at the speed he was going, they seemed to be shooting by him like fish missiles. They behaved like projectiles as well; he was moving too fast to avoid all the eels, anglerfish, and needlefish in his path and some of them thudded off the hull. One gelatinous creature exploded on impact; its guts were transparent and he could not identify what kind of fish it was from the splat it made. After some practice, he became more adept at dodging creatures and there were no more accidental impacts on the hull.

  The miles flew by and before long, the hidden tunnel leading out of the Safe Zone came into view. Flynn eased back on the acceleration lever, slowing the vessel to a more manageable pace. His mother’s pendant flared, opening the hidden doors, and he dropped down into the tunnel. Dodging the stalactites was easy in the crystal ship and it only took a few moments to reach the tunnel exit.

  Once he was outside the Safe Zone, the colder, darker water served as a grim reminder of the dangers lurking there. The creatures outside the Safe Zone tended to be more aggressive and deadly than the ones that enjoyed the relative safety around Seahaven.

  But the radiant, colorful landscape was equally beautiful, and deadly. Distant smokers resembling deep sea volcanoes released plumes of hot, toxic gas. Valleys were lit up by lethal vegetation that writhed and snapped at unsuspecting creatures. Even some of the plants and rocks were camouflaged creatures.

  In the distance, the miles-long fissure known as The Abyss stretched out before him. Reputed to be home to evil spirits, the crevice had struck fear in the hearts of Seahaven’s citizens for centuries. Unruly children were compelled into obedience after parents threatened to throw them in there for bad behavior. Something about The Abyss prevented even the hardiest species of algae from growing there and discouraged the most powerful predators from entering.

  As he approached the edge of the fissure, Flynn pulled back on the lever, bringing the Searunner to a stop. He thought back to the vision and recalled the path Theoric took in his skeletal ship. Flynn desperately wanted to take the safer route and go around the crevice, but that would take too much time and he might lose the trail. To have any chance of finding his father, he would have to follow the same route the Azuran took in his vision.

  Flynn spent many moments at the edge of the chasm. The cliffs before him dropped down into blackness and his stomach felt queasy. His knuckles were white from his grip on the steering globe and as he stared into the Abyss, he had the uneasy feeling that it was staring right back.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  As Flynn floated at the edge of the Abyss, he nervously held his breath so long that it made him dizzy. He was accustomed to predators and other dangers but the sheer blackness below terrified him. It was as though all life were snuffed out and replaced by a bottomless void. He put a shaky hand on the acceleration lever and gathered the nerve to push it forward. His ship sailed over the edge and as the ground dropped away, it felt as though his stomach dropped with it.

  Flynn guided the Searunner in an arc over the enormous fissure and for the first time, he regretted the transparent hull. He tried not to look down but the crevice stretched out for mile
s. Entering the Abyss would surely spell his doom and his cursed brain chose that moment to remind him that the Searunner was untested. If it suddenly stopped working while he was sailing over. . .

  Flynn pushed those troubling thoughts aside and reminded himself that he was doing this for his father. He didn’t know if Galyn could be saved, or even if the man was still alive, but Flynn was determined to find out.

  Many nervous moments passed and Flynn was still over the dark fissure. He pushed the Searunner into top speed and soon, a familiar mountain range came into view. They looked the same as they did in his vision, bolstering his belief that it wasn’t just a hallucination.

  With a sigh of relief, Flynn made it past the Abyss and entered the mountain range. The mist surrounding the seamounts was a miles-long cloud of white, reflective dust particles. The dust reflected the light from the Searunner and the glare made it difficult to see far ahead. He switched off the ship’s glow, improving the visibility, but doing so made him feel more exposed in the dark depths.

  Flynn kept an eye out for Theoric’s ship and after circling around the first mountain, he discovered a feeding frenzy. Sharks, rays, and giant squid were attacking each other and clouds of blood darkened the water around them. More sharks circled above, waiting for the right moment to enter the fray. He turned the ship around to look elsewhere for the pirate.

  The Searunner bumped into something massive. With his attention focused on the predators above, Flynn failed to notice a fifty-foot-long colossal squid in front of him. Tentacles as long as trees reached for the Searunner and he shoved the acceleration lever forward, firing up the jets. Four lines of turbulent water ejected out the back, blinding the squid and pushing it back as he sped away.

  Visibility was low in the mist and Flynn spent the next few hours looking for Theoric’s ship and dodging predators. In time, his neck was sore from spending so much time peering through the hull in every direction. He wondered if the vision was just a hallucination until a large object came around one of the mountains. It emitted a purple glow and it was surrounded by electrical energy that crackled in the water. He couldn’t see it clearly in the mist but he could never forget the sizzling sound of Theoric’s ship.

  Through the haze there were purple flashes and glimpses of bone. The silhouette of a two-masted frigate moved toward him and before long, the dragonskull bowsprit burst from the mist. Sparks flew between the dragonskull’s teeth and the heart of the ship throbbed with pulses of purple electricity that danced from bone to bone within the rib cage hull. The skull’s eyes blazed with power and streaks of electricity trailed behind the eye sockets as the ship sailed through the gloom.

  Flynn’s heart jumped into his throat when the dragonskull’s eyes leveled at him. But neither the frigate, nor the Azurans that manned her, made a move against him. The vessel veered toward one of the mountains, curving slightly as it turned, and the shifting bones made popping sounds like a spine that was brought in and out of alignment. The curving vessel appeared much like a skeletal dragon swimming through the water.

  Careful to keep his presence a secret, Flynn remained motionless as the skeletal ship approached. It was nerve-wracking to remain still and listen to the creaking bones, the groan of stretching ropes, and the grumblings of restless pirates. But the inferno of electrical energy raging in the heart of the deathly ship gave him goosebumps and made the hair on his arms stand on end.

  The frigate was on a collision course with the Searunner. Its forward hull was once a dragon’s sternum and sharp, bony blades as tall as a man protruded from it. Flynn cringed as those bony blades drew nearer. He held one hand on the acceleration levers, debating whether he should risk drawing attention to himself by sailing out of the way. Hesitation made the decision for him and one of the skeletal blades struck his Searunner, sending it tumbling into the depths.

  The crystal ship was enchanted to slip easily through water and it spun end over end with little resistance. The spinning made Flynn nauseous and he fired up the jets, regaining control of the Searunner. Careful to keep the glow turned off to avoid detection, he rose above the skeletal ship and followed as far behind it as he could and still see it. Unfortunately, visibility was low in the mist and he kept his ship uncomfortably close to Theoric’s vessel.

  Many Azurans leaned over the edge of the deck with crossbows in hand. Four-man crews were stationed at double-ballistae on each end of the ship. They swivelled the ballistae around on enormous socket joints that afforded the weapons the ability to fire in any direction. The double-ballistae looked powerful enough to fire rounds that could smash through his crystalline hull.

  A hammerhead shark approached the Searunner. It was one of the most feared shark species due to its taste for humans and its ability to smash ships open with its hammer-shaped head. Its body cast a green glow but its flat, laterally extended head was dark blue. It nudged his ship and the tink sound it made on the hull revealed a skull as hard as stone. It seemed to be testing whether his ship was worth trying to break open.

  The shark was likely capable of smashing through the Searunner but Flynn did not want to speed away from it and risk losing sight of Theoric’s ship. Below him, one of the Azuran crewmen was staring in his direction. Flynn had assumed the Azurans would not notice the Searunner in the misty water, but it seemed he was wrong.

  The crewman grabbed the double-ballistae handles on the stern and swiveled the weapon toward the Searunner. Before Flynn could react, the man fired. A pair of bolts tore through the water and he tucked into a ball, bracing for impact. When none came, he unfurled himself and saw the hammerhead shark floating listlessly in front of him, impaled by one of the bolts.

  The bolt was tipped with a pronged hook that went clean through the shark. The shark convulsed for a few moments and went limp, a plume of blood trailing behind it. A steel cable connected the bolt to the ballista and the Azurans reeled the creature in. Flynn laid his head back and let out a big breath when he realized he was not the intended target.

  Flynn gasped when he noticed a man chained to one of the masts. He appeared to be a human male with long brown hair hanging in his face. He wore metal armor and his hands were tied together in front of him. Flynn could not make out the man’s features but he knew it had to be Galyn.

  One emotion after another swept through Flynn at the sight of his father on that skeletal ship. His hatred toward Theoric gave way to excitement at the possibility of being reunited with Galyn. He thought back to some of the things the two of them did together—sparring, seafaring, playing—and he couldn’t be more thrilled at the idea of having his dad back in his life. But first he needed to figure out how to get the man off Theoric’s ship.

  The mist parted around the bony hull and Flynn soared higher, above the masts. In time, the frigate came to a stop beside one of the larger peaks. The haze thickened and Flynn could not make out what was happening on the ship.

  In time, two members of the crew dove into the water. Bone helms obscured their faces but the first one wore a leather coat, identifying him as Theoric. The second figure wore black chain mail and carried a spiked mace at his hip.

  Boarding the ship to try to save his father would not work but with the element of surprise on his side, he might be able to take the two swimming pirates hostage. Surely the crew would trade his father for their two allies. It was a foolhardy plan, but he could not come up with a better one.

  Flynn parked the Searunner in a shadowy alcove below the Azuran ship. He removed a crystal breathing helm from a pair of hooks in the ceiling, donned it, and poked his brown hair under the brim to keep it out of his eyes. After picking up Stingray and a bandoleer, he flipped a switch to open the hatch doors. As expected, the Searunner was enchanted to prevent water from entering when the hatch doors were open.

  With weapons in hand, he pushed off from the ship and launched his body into the depths. The aquazite crystals in his swimming boots brightened as he kicked his way through the dense water. He used his fr
ee hand to pull himself up the mountainside to aid his kicking.

  An aquatic lizard emerged from an opening in the seamount. Its twenty-foot long body was covered in a scaly hide that glowed in ever-changing hues of blue and purple. It had wide, dark eyes and tight, scaly lips that pulled back to reveal narrow jaws filled with cone-shaped teeth. Flynn leveled Stingray at the creature and it stared at him for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, the lizard turned away and returned to its hole.

  Flynn looped Stingray and his bandoleer over his shoulder. The two pirates entered an opening not far above and Flynn hurried to catch up to them. He clung to the shadows along the mountainside but if he went any further, he would be in full view of everyone on the main deck.

  Luckily, a pair of hammerhead sharks threatened to smash into the skeletal frigate. The crew fired their crossbows and Flynn used the distraction to sneak by them. He reached the opening undetected.

  The opening was a few meters deep and it ended at a round stone door. To Flynn’s surprise, the door was surrounded by aquazite crystals and it had a large Seablade symbol carved into it. There was no latch and he saw no way to get inside.

  Two glowing orbs the size of fists were built into the door. Flynn identified one as aquazite, but the other orb was a type of crystal he did not recognize. It cast a red glow and it looked much like the red crystal he saw in the upper floors of the Sorcery Academy.

  Flynn cupped his chin and mulled over the two crystals. Hoping mightily that they weren’t trapped, he gently placed his hand on the aquazite orb. Nothing happened. He tried to push it in and pry it out but it resisted his efforts. He assumed his inability to connect with aquazite might render him unable to open the door.

  Next, Flynn studied the red orb. The instant his fingers touched the surface, it flashed bright red. A loud c-chnk noise followed by the scrape of steel on stone reverberated behind the door. It sounded like tumblers sliding away and, in moments, the door swung open. Beyond it was a stone hallway into the mountain. The aquazite crystals around the opening brightened, preventing seawater from entering the tunnel. Evidently, they were enchanted in much the same way that ships were.