Seahaven

by Raymond Cain

  The luscas pounded away at the human ground troops. The battle moved to a seagrape orchard and each swing of the lusca tentacles tore up grape trees and sent humans flying. The human army fired bolts, threw spears, and fired ballistas into the luscas but the enormous creatures continued trudging forward on their tentacles.

  Flynn studied the monstrosity. It had shark fins to keep it afloat and a tail to propel it forward, but it did not have legs. Like sharks, it would have to swim constantly to stay afloat and if the tail stopped moving, it would sink.

  He had an idea.

  Flynn shoved the acceleration lever forward, pushing the Searunner up to full speed. The increase in momentum squished his body against the liquid chair and pulled his head back. He plunged through a cloud of glowing plankton and an electric eel rammed the ship hard enough to make its body rupture and sparks fly.

  Carnage was all around him. Men fired crossbows, squids crushed soldiers, and warships launched bolts by the dozen. A score of warriors swam up to the ballistae above the city and fired projectiles at the larger creatures but the wall of sea turtles blocked most of their projectiles. Luscas lashed out at every ship within their reach, and giant isopods trampled soldiers and attacked them with their mandibles.

  Flynn dodged and weaved over men, beside sharks, under squids, and through groups of eels. He glanced off the exoskeleton of a giant isopod, banked right to avoid a stargazer that leapt up from the ground, and steered under a leatherback sea turtle. Smaller sea creatures bounced off his ship so frequently, they created a beat like a drum.

  Peering through the floor of the craft, Flynn saw a great white shark swimming toward an unsuspecting soldier loading his crossbow. It opened its jaws and Flynn sped up to ram it. He turned hard left into the shark and smashed into it a split second before it would have caught the man in its jaws. The soldier turned to face them as the shark was knocked left and the ship was deflected right, resulting in the ship and shark parting a finger’s width on each side of the man’s head. After the near-death experience, the soldier’s face paled whiter than his chitin armor.

  Flynn chuckled at the terrified man. “I bet his water servant will have a hard time cleaning his shorts tonight.”

  When Flynn came within range of the luscas, they spun their bodies and swung their tentacles. He slowed his speed and performed a series of rolls, zig-zags, and sharp turns to avoid the appendages. The thousands of spiny sea urchins imbedded in each tentacle made him shudder at the thought of the unfortunate soldiers that were struck by them.

  Flynn cruised under the luscas and their tentacles became tangled in their efforts to smash his vessel. By the time they untangled themselves, he passed them by and sailed beneath the leviathan. He stared through the Searunner’s ceiling at the creature’s two-hundred-foot-long underbelly and shook his head in disbelief.

  The light from the Searunner illuminated the leviathan’s belly. Its underside was not as armored as the rest of the creature but it was still thick. Shooting it in the belly would have little effect; the crystal-tipped bolts would not go deep enough to do serious damage.

  Flynn had another idea. He dropped the Searunner low to the ground and then pulled up into a vertical climb. He pushed the ship up to top speed and he was rising so fast it was difficult to keep his hands on the steering globe.

  The Searunner flew up toward the base of the leviathan’s tail and Flynn flipped three crystal switches. Three missiles flew from their launch tubes, their crystal tips leaving blue streaks in the water as they sped toward their target. They struck the leviathan, burying themselves deep into the thick, leathery skin at the base of its tail.

  With a spin of the steering globe, the Searunner veered to the side and missed the leviathan’s tail by inches. The leviathan roared, scattering ships and creatures alike. Ice spread from the wounds and continued to spread until one-quarter of the appendage was frozen solid. The tail stopped swinging and the creature began to fall. It released another deafening groan that vibrated the Searunner and made Flynn’s ears ring. Sharks and squids below scurried to get out of the leviathan’s way as it plummeted toward the ocean floor.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  THOOOOM!

  The leviathan’s landing was twice as loud as the luscas’ tentacle strikes. Its body caused a tsunami-like wave that swept through the human and aquatic armies. The wave nearly dislodged Seahaven’s dome and the ensuing dust cloud swallowed both armies, temporarily pausing the battle.

  The attack on the leviathan went exactly as planned but Flynn did not congratulate himself yet. The creature was immobilized for the moment but in time, the ice would melt and it would resume its attack on Seahaven. To stop the invasion, Flynn would have to kill Theoric and take the crown.

  Flynn soared higher to stay above the dust cloud. Angry comb jellies and a giant vampire squid reached for his craft but he performed a barrel roll and slipped between their reaching tendrils. Hundreds of tiger sharks, stingrays, and box jellyfish converged on the Searunner. The number of creatures under the Azuran’s control seemed endless. He weaved between the creatures and sped away. Once he was far enough away that there were no more creatures coming for him, he stopped the ship and popped open the hatch doors.

  Flynn mopped sweat from his brow and exited the Searunner. He loaded the spare crystal-tipped missiles into the launch tubes. Once he was done, he scanned his surroundings and noticed a purple light in the distance, behind the last wave of creatures.

  Theoric.

  Excitement surged through Flynn’s veins. He slid back into the pilot’s chair and cruised in a wide arc at full speed toward Theoric’s ship. He kept his distance and his breathing quickened when he came close enough to confirm it was the Azuran’s skeletal frigate. From his vantage point above the Dragon, Flynn clenched his teeth in anticipation when he spotted Theoric at the helm.

  Theoric’s ship hovered above and behind the leviathan, back far enough to stay out of the battle but close enough to see what was happening. When the creature recovered, the pirates would have a clear view as it fed on the magical barrier protecting Seahaven. Unless Flynn figured out a way to defeat Theoric and take the Emperor Crown, that outcome seemed inevitable.

  His heart racing in anticipation, Flynn took a deep breath and considered the best angle to shoot from. Reasoning that the best chance for a kill shot was to come down from above, Flynn rose high above the skeletal warship. With so much action going on in front of the frigate, the Azurans had little reason to look up. He would have one good chance to sneak in undetected, or Seahaven would be lost.

  The heart of the bone warship surged with power and lines of purple electricity danced between its ribs. The dragonwing sails were pulled in and secured to the masts with rope-like sinew, rendering the ship harder to see from a distance. Flynn had a full view of the main deck and everyone on it.

  On the ship’s bow, Theoric watched the battle unfold. The glow from the Emperor Crown’s blue and red jewels varied in intensity, as though different amounts of energy were radiating from it. The pirate had one foot up on a bony prominence and he held on to one of the rigging lines connecting the bowsprit to the mast. The pirate’s pale face was locked in an expression of concentration.

  None of the Azurans were looking in Flynn’s direction and his heart beat faster and faster. He set aside his fear as he placed a shaky hand on the acceleration lever. The longer he waited, the greater the chance he would be spotted. He exhaled nervously and pushed the lever forward, moving in for the kill.

  As Flynn came closer, he could see the Azuran crew staring ahead with looks of anticipation. Flynn had the same expression as he lined himself up with the pirate, and placed one hand on the missile switches. Just a little closer and the projectiles should tear right through the pirate.

  “SQUAWK!” screeched a red bird with blue and yellow wings that was perched on one of the masts. The entire Azuran crew looked up at the sound.

  Flynn cursed himself for his foolishness. He
was so focused on Theoric that he failed to notice the bird. He was not as close to his target as he wanted to be but if he waited any longer, the pirate would have time to run for cover. He flipped the switches and launched the missiles, hoping mightily that at least one of them would strike the pirate.

  Theoric made a downward gesture with his hands and the ship responded by unfurling the sails. The first missile was knocked down by a rapidly descending sail. It stabbed deep into the bone deck and a widening sheet of ice spread out from it. The next two punched through the sail but Flynn could not see if either of them struck his target.

  The Searunner was on a collision course with the frigate and Flynn spun the steering globe, turning sharply upward. He aimed the Searunner between the two masts and burst out the ocean water to soar through the air pocket over the frigate. The ship’s jets were useless in mid-air but he was confident he had enough momentum to fly between the masts and plunge back into the water on the opposite side.

  As the Searunner soared, the pirates’ shouting was drowned out by the sound of popping and creaking bones. The bone masts spun with surprising speed, turning the leathery topsails into his path. A groan reverberated through the ship as the rigging tightened, as though readying the sails for a collision.

  The Searunner struck the sails and bounced off. The collision threw Flynn forward but the waterbelts kept him secured in his chair. The world around him spun as the Searunner fell onto the bone deck. The landing jarred him, and he found his ship surrounded by a score of cheering Azurans.

  The pirates were a gruesome lot. Most had scarred faces and their armor was scratched and dented from heavy use. They stared at him through the walls of his ship, their purple eyes hungry for blood. Their pale hands grasped the hilts of their swords and daggers in anticipation. They rocked the Searunner back and forth, their white faces reminiscent of the ghoulish images emblazoned on their skin and armor.

  The Azurans pounded the hatch doors with swords and axes. Flynn racked his brain for a way out but the Searunner couldn’t function out of water. In time, cracks appeared in the crystal. It was only a matter of time before they smashed their way through to him.

  Flynn threw his head back in defeat. “Might as well get on with it.”

  He flipped a switch, opening the hatch doors.

  Powerful arms yanked Flynn out and tossed him onto the deck. One of the crewmen booted him in the chest, knocking him flat on his back. A pair of broad-shouldered pirates held his arms while a third went through his clothing and removed all the weapons he had on him. The Azuran did a thorough job; he even found the throwing knife tucked in Flynn’s boot.

  Another pirate crouched down and held Flynn’s shoulders. The Azuran’s face was scarred from cheek to cheek and he smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow, broken teeth. He laughed, spraying spittle and assaulting Flynn’s face with hot, moist breath. Flynn gagged as spittle landed in his mouth and he tasted the Azuran’s previous meal—oysters. The breath was nearly ripe enough to overpower the stench of death and gore that clung to the ship.

  The crew pulled Flynn up to his feet and stood in a circle around him. The circle parted, allowing Theoric to step through. The pirate wore the Emperor Crown over a black bandana that was tied around the base of his pony tail. His thick leather coat had a tear in the left shoulder and the edges of the gash were covered in blood and ice. Theoric’s purple eyes narrowed dangerously when he looked at Flynn, but his mouth was curved upward slightly in an uncharacteristic smile. Flynn’s shoulders slumped when he saw the pirate was still alive but he smirked in satisfaction when he noticed the bloody gash in his coat. At least he wounded the man.

  The circle of Azurans parted again, that time to allow Galyn to step through. Desperate for any sign of emotion or recognition in his father’s face, Flynn looked deep into his father’s green eyes but there was nothing there. The man’s gaze passed briefly over him and resumed looking straight ahead. His father displayed no more emotion from looking at Flynn than he would from looking at a coral reef.

  The crewmen stood at arm’s length from Galyn and judging by the nervous looks on their faces, they feared him more than they feared Theoric. Flynn felt a swell of pride at the fear and respect his father’s presence created in the crew.

  “A fine attempt,” Theoric said, glancing at the wound in his shoulder. The ice on his coat melted, leaving only a bloody tear in the thick leather. “but you should have finished the job.”

  Theoric punched Flynn in the face, knocking him back. Two crewman caught Flynn as he fell and pushed him back up. His face throbbed and one of his teeth was loose. He spat out a mouthful of blood and pushed the tooth back into place with his tongue.

  “You’re a brave one,” Theoric continued, rubbing his knuckles. “I’ll give you that. But all your efforts are for nothing. I’m glade you’re here. I told you before that I wanted you to see your people get destroyed, and now is the time.”

  Theoric walked to the bow of the boat and the crew shoved Flynn along the deck, forcing him to join their captain at the base of the bowsprit. The jewels in the Emperor Crown flashed with power and he considered tackling Theoric, but he thought better of it. The crew would kill Flynn long before he could put the crown to good use.

  Flynn stood next to Theoric at the bow and watched the battle unfold. The leviathan was recovering from Flynn’s earlier attack and was thrashing in the dirt. Its tail was no longer frozen but without any legs to aid it, rising from the ground required a great deal of effort. It swished its tail back and forth, creating a dust cloud nearly as large as the city itself, and in time the creature rose from the soil. It resumed its course toward Seahaven, its round mouth open wide. In minutes, the city would be destroyed and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

  The gems on the Emperor Crown flickered and Flynn again considered the likelihood of getting the crown and making it off the boat alive. As though reading his thoughts, nearby crewmen clenched their fists around the hilts of their weapons and narrowed their gaze at Flynn. Galyn stood in front of the crewmen but behind Theoric, and there was no concern, anticipation, or any other emotion written on his face. The man stood as still, and as emotionless, as a statue.

  Losing hope, Flynn watched helplessly as the leviathan descended on Seahaven. But he was as startled as the pirates when a score of water golems burst from the ocean and boarded the ship. They flanked the unsuspecting crew, and wielded giant picks and oversized hammers in their blob-like hands. The weapons were unconventional, but the eight-foot-tall constructs used them to great effect against their much-smaller foes.

  The constructs tore into the crew, killing many pirates before they could clear swords from their scabbards. A single hammer blow sent a pair of Azurans flying off the deck to get crushed in the dense water. Without their bone helms, they had no protection against the intense pressure in the ocean depths. A few more were impaled by picks and tossed overboard.

  The golems’ unusual choice of weapons confused Flynn until he realized where the golems came from—they were from his family mine! He reasoned that his brother must have tracked him with the compass and led the constructs onto Theoric’s ship. Flynn scanned the deck for any sign of his brother but Tasker was nowhere to be found.

  The Azuran crew fought back with swords and axes. They moved with greater speed and skill than the golems, and many watery limbs were hacked off. The severed limbs were reduced to ordinary water that splashed against the deck. The constructs’ legs were severed, turning them into harmless puddles of aquazite-rich water. The golems attacked awkwardly with their makeshift weapons, but they soon killed most of the crew.

  The mining golems were not meant for war and before long, they were destroyed. The pirates hacked the last of them to pieces and stomped on the puddles left behind. Many crewmen scraped their feet along the deck to scoop golem-water back into the ocean. The pirates were victorious but they took heavy losses. Only ten pirates remained.

  “Another feeble attac
k from the humans,” Theoric commented, unsheathing his jeweled cutlasses so quickly that Flynn barely registered the motion. The pirate put one of his blades against Flynn’s throat. “Perhaps I should kill you before any more surprises arrive.”

  A grim voice traveled from the starboard side of the frigate. “They were just a distraction, Theoric.”

  Flynn was shocked to discover his brother had boarded the vessel during the attack. Tasker crouched at the edge of the ship with Stingray aimed at Theoric’s throat. Tasker looked terrible; messy black hair stuck out from under his crystal breathing helm, three days’ growth stubbled his cheeks, and his brown eyes were glossy. Despite his disheveled appearance, Flynn thought Tasker was as striking a figure as any of the heroes he read about in his parents’ book. Never in his wildest dreams did he think his brother would do something as heroic as storm The Dragon to save him.

  A flash of surprise passed over Tasker’s face as his eyes fell on Galyn, but it was quickly replaced with grim-faced determination. Tasker clenched his jaw and aimed his weapon at Theoric’s head.

  “Give Flynn the crown,” Tasker said, coldly.

  The deck shuddered as the Azuran survivors ran toward the bow of the ship. Theoric put his hand up to stop his men and the closest among them were only a few strides away from Tasker. Theoric’s sword remained pressed against Flynn’s throat and he felt a warm, wet trickle slide down his neck.

  “Put down your weapon or your brother dies,” Theoric said.

  “If I put down my weapon, we die anyway,” Tasker replied, evenly. “Your threat is worthless.”

  Flynn couldn’t help but smile. Tasker made a good point. If the leviathan breached the barrier, it would end their civilization. The only way to stop it would be to use the Emperor Crown to drive it away.

  One of the Azuran crewman stepped forward, a burly man in leather armor wielding a bone-handled greataxe in both hands. “He won’t shoot, Cap’n. Look at ‘im. He ain’t no warrior. He’s never killed nobody.”