by Apryl Baker
“Yes.” Tobias crossed the platform and stood before Val. “You’re healing quickly, which is already a sign magic flows strongly with you. Now that we are close to our homeland, you’ll be able to feel it. It’s a sense of belonging, a calm that rests on your shoulders after a long day, the smile that tugs on your lips for no reason. But enough talk, let’s begin your tutelage.”
“How do we start?” Curiosity leaked out of the girl. It bled into his own eagerness and pulled a smile from him.
“It’s simple. We start with a demonstration.” Tobias relaxed his shoulders and took a long cleansing breath. He closed his eyes and looked deep within. It had been much too long since his last contact with the magic that set him apart, not only as an Atlantian but as the leader of the magicians in his brother’s court.
Like an old friend, it greeted him with open arms. The feeling of freedom in power took him and refused to let go. Tingling raced up and down his arms as the magic begged for an outlet. Tobias allowed the feeling to grow as he delved deeper into the source inside him. The closest thing Tobias could relate the channel of magic to was the searching and finding of an old memory. It was there. It was part of who he was. Now he only had to remember.
Once the magic had grown, Tobias commanded the energy to take physical form. His eyes opened as green flames erupted from his hands. The magical energy was quiet, contrasting the fire like tongues of emerald flames that grew in his palms.
“Turning your magic into a physical manifestation such as this is the first step,” Tobias said to a wide-eyed Valeria. “But the applications are endless. A master magician can command the magic to do what he wishes, limited only by his own imagination.”
Mirroring his words, Tobias ordered the magical energy in his hands to take on the form of blades then revert to licking flames. Then, pushing his hands forward in a motion that extended his arms, he shot the magic overhead in a beam of bright green light so intense it made Valeria wince. The light traveled up a hundred feet then dissipated into the darkness before ever reaching the ceiling of the cavern.
Tobias knew by Val’s expression he had her hooked. The thirst for knowledge she showed in her eyes was everything he hoped for.
“Teach me,” Val rasped, looking at Tobias with newfound respect.
Tobias could sense not only Val’s eyes on him but those of everyone else on the ship. He ignored them all. “Close your eyes. Search deep within you for what you know is there.”
Val took a long swallow then obeyed. Her face contorted with concentration, as Tobias continued to give her instruction. “Thinking you can do this will never be enough. Know you have the ability. When you find it, embrace it, and allow the feeling to grow. Touch the power as it races through your veins. It’s always been there. You’ve always been capable. When you’re ready, open your eyes, and force the power into the palms of your hands.”
Tobias held his breath as the last word of instruction left his lips. Few were able to channel their magic on the first try, but if Val was capable of such an act, it would mean Tobias still had a chance.
Silently, Tobias urged Val forward. This was a rite of passage she had to figure out on her own, but Tobias was screaming on the inside. You can do this. Your blood is of a royal line, my own blood. You are capable of wondrous things, Valeria. Now act!
Seconds ticked by, and still Val stood with her brow furrowed. Her lips pulled back in a snarl; perspiration began to show on her brow. Still nothing happened. Tobias’ hopes and dreams were evaporating by the second until at once everything changed.
A roar befitting a Dragon rather than a woman erupted from Val’s lips. Her head titled skyward, and her eyes snapped open. Her entire being burst with dark green magical energy as it raced across her body and gathered in force on each of her palms.
It was more than Tobias could ask for. It was everything he could have wished. Valeria stood, one part wonder, one part exhaustion as her shoulders heaved with the effort. “I…I didn’t know if I could do it.”
“This is only the beginning.” Tobias couldn’t stop the pride from shining in his voice. “And none too soon. The first test in the Crucible approaches.”
Val gave him a look of confusion then followed his eyes past her right shoulder and into the inky darkness of the cavern. “What…what is that?” she asked. “A light? Is that the sun? No, it can’t be. There’s no sky.”
Tobias shook his head. “It’s not the sun or the sky. The enemy approaches.”
***
Stephen had heard of magic being used by the Atlantians in stories mothers told their children before bed. To witness green energy being shot into the sky was something entirely different. Stephen’s mind grappled with what he knew was reality and what his eyes were telling him was possible.
He witnessed Valeria erupt in green magical flames that gathered at her palms. His jaw was still open when the shouts started. The first indication was from the lookout in the crow’s nest. Ya-You the medicine man was signaling the warning. Panic alien to the man’s easygoing nature made Stephen’s heart pound with adrenaline.
Stephen tore his eyes away from Val and ran to the bow of the ship. At first, there was nothing to see. Wind on his face, the only light given by the green flames set into the cavern walls every dozen yards.
Stephen squinted into the distance. Then he saw it. What “it” was was still impossible to tell. It looked like a massive light…no, many different smaller lights, like a gathering of fireflies. It twisted and turned in the wind and darkness.
More shouts came from the crew. Stephen tuned them all out as he craned his neck forward. His heart sank in his chest as he finally got a better look at what was coming toward them. Not fireflies—a swarm. A swarm of what, exactly, was still to be decided, but the intensity with which it was coming at them, and its direct path, there was no guessing at its intention.
Stephen ran from the bow, a mental checklist already going through his mind. They had moments, if that. His priority had to be making sure the crew was ready for the attack and obtaining a weapon for himself.
As Stephen ran across the deck, the first item on his list was already met. Valeria stalked across her ship, shouting orders. Any sign of the green magic she had created moments before was gone, but that did nothing to diminish her commanding presence. “Battle stations!” she screamed. “Rifles and pistols first until they are upon us. Then have your blades ready for them.”
“What’s happening?” Stephen heard a wide-eyed sailor ask. “What is it?”
“We’re under attack.” Valeria accepted a rifle from Lukas who appeared from somewhere below deck, shouldering an armful of weapons. “It doesn’t matter what it is. It bleeds—we kill it.”
“I need a weapon.” Stephen skidded to a halt beside Val and Lukas. The latter looked at him, distrust in his eyes.
“Still good with a blade and can’t hit the side of a ship with a pistol at two feet?” Val cocked her head questioningly.
“Better than you with a blade, and I can’t shoot to save my life.” Stephen flashed her a wicked grin.
“Give him a saber,” Val told Lukas. “Arm the rest of the crew with whatever they need. We’re all in this together now. We fight as one.”
***
Stephen had never been afraid in a fight before. When the green tongues of flame that had been illuminating the cavern went out completely, it sent the entire crew into a state of panic.
Fear was finding its victims in the dark, one by one. Shouts for light echoed in the cavern as the swarm approached. Stephen had been wrong. When he first saw the gathering lights moving toward them, it looked as though it would be on them in seconds. However, as the seconds ticked by, they were in no hurry to arrive.
Senses on overdrive, Stephen smelled the cool dampness of the air. His ear picked up the firm voice of Val over the commotion of the crew. “Jacoby, Marm, hold our forward progress. I can’t see my hand in front of my face out here. I don’t want to run into anything.
Speaking of light, Lukas, get as many lamps and torches lit as you can.”
Stephen heard booted feet slapping across the deck to carry out Val’s orders. The sudden fear that grabbed at the hearts of her sailors was subsiding as lamps were lit across the deck of The Emerald Queen.
“I swear by all that is holy, they’re demons,” a weathered sailor said to his comrade to Stephen’s right. “Look at the way those lights move. It’s not natural, I tell you.”
“Aye,” his companion agreed. “More like ghosts, they be. Look how they sway.”
It was indeed hypnotic. There had to be hundreds of lights all moving in tandem like a flock of birds. Slowly, they turned one way, then the next, but always forward, always closer.
A hush spread over the crew like a trance was being placed on each and every one of them. Stephen had to shake himself to remember that danger approached. His adrenaline was gone. All he wanted to do now was take a nap, just for a few minutes. His eyes felt so tired.
Then the lights really did rush forward. One minute it seemed as though they were still yards off, and the next moment they were on The Emerald Queen. It wasn’t the lights they should have been fearing—it was the monsters holding them.
***
“Fight, you fools. Fight!” Tobias shouted somewhere behind Stephen.
His warning was enough to jolt Stephen out of his coma-like state. The former captain parried a blow from a wicked-looking blade as his eyes fought to take in the form of his attacker.
Although Lukas had lit all the lamps on the ship and placed them around the deck at varying intervals, it was still only enough to provide twisting shadows. Vision was limited at best. Stephen wasn’t sure if it was his own imagination coupled with the constant tug of dread that sought to undo him or if his eyes were really seeing these monsters.
The lights were actually bright flames coming from thick torches. Each creature held one in one of its fours hands. The monsters were more insect than human, with four wings, four arms sprouting from their torsos, and two legs they used to stand upright like a man. Their faces were macabre, with bulging eyes and drooping lips.
Stephen ducked a blow from his aggressor and parried another strike. All around, muskets were fired, and the familiar sound of steel on steel echoed through the chamber.
Narrowly missing a swipe for his head, Stephen ducked and struck out with his sword, severing one of the monster’s limbs. The creature seemed unfazed as it pressed the fight. Dull purple liquid dripped from the open wound.
Despite the many horrors of battle Stephen had witnessed, purple slime oozing from an insect man’s body made bile flow to his mouth. Stephen’s back hit someone. He turned, keeping one eye on his assailant, to take in Tobias’ form.
“Go for their eyes.” The magician sent bolts of emerald magical energy into a group of flying creatures to his left.
“Yeah, easier said than done when you can magic your way through a battle.” Stephen severed yet another limb that sent purple slime flying through the air.
“The swarm feels no pain.” Tobias grunted between bursts of jade magic from his hands. “But they cannot fight what they cannot see.”
“Sound logic.” Stephen sidestepped another attack and this time sent his blade across the monster’s face. The beast’s bug-like eyes popped like bursting balloons. The creature staggered back. Stephen planted his sword into the creature’s chest, sending it shaking in its death throes to the ground.
“Good call, old man.” Stephen pulled his blade free. It was covered with dark purple sludge. “Any other tips?”
“Yeah, don’t get killed.”
“You’re a beacon of enlightenment,” Stephen rumbled, turning as another burst of green magic caught his eye. This time it didn’t come from Tobias, but rather from somewhere near the helm.
“Atta girl,” Tobias said under his breath.
All around them, the fight was taking place in every corner of the ship. Crewmembers were being lifted into the air by the monsters, only to be dropped from deadly heights. Musket flashes exploded at a rapid rate, and red and purple blood bathed the main deck of The Emerald Queen.
The lights the monsters carried circled around the ship like a whirlwind of death. It was clear to Stephen they would not win this fight on pure strength alone. His mind wandered to the Dragon, Ryder, who was still below deck somewhere.
Was it worth it? Was it worth setting one monster free to kill another? She had been the reason they survived the Kraken. Stephen remembered how his best friend, Amil, had died during the escape from the Dragon island, and the thought was enough for him to push the idea far from his mind. Instead, he threw himself back into the battle.
Hacking his way toward Tobias, he had to yell to be heard over the roar of the fight. “Steel and lead aren’t going to get us through this. There are too many of them. I could kill a hundred and still be attacked by a hundred more.”
Bright green magic flames lit up Tobias’ eyes as he brought down another member of the attacking swarm. He nodded toward Stephen, acknowledging his words. “I agree. There is a way. I’ll need to get to Valeria, and we’ll need a few minutes to prepare.”
“You’ll get them,” Stephen screamed back. “Follow me.”
Stephen took the lead, maneuvering through the chaos of war. He struck out with his saber where he had to, but his goal was the helm and getting Tobias to Val to do whatever the magician had in mind.
Magic was something completely new to Stephen, but if Tobias said he had a plan, then by God, he believed him.
The two men reached the helm where Val had one hand on her steel sword. Her other was wrapped in a green glow where a saber made of magical energy was gripped firmly.
She was swearing as they approached. The head of one of the monsters fell at her feet as she severed its skull from its spine.
“I forgot how fast you learn.” Stephen nodded toward the magical saber.
“A girl’s gotta try.” Val looked from Stephen to Tobias. “If you have something to say, this is a good time. I’m kinda busy here.”
Stephen glanced over his shoulder at Tobias, who had a proud smile on his face.
“Oh, right.” Tobias shook himself from his sudden lapse in movement. “I have a plan, but I’ll need your strength to pull it off, Val.”
“Right.” Val nodded in agreement. “Well, let’s get at it.”
“We’ll have to be undisturbed for a few moments,” Tobias said to Stephen. “Do you think you can handle that?”
“Piece of cake.” Stephen scanned the area in search of who he could grab to form some kind of defense for Tobias and Val.
“What?” The confusion was plain on Tobias’ face. “This is no time for cake.”
“It’s an expression.” Val shook her head. “How do you not know that? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Stephen will handle it. What do you want me to do?”
Tobias’ explanation was lost to Stephen as he motioned for Jacoby and Marm, who were fighting near the helm, and Lukas, who was a few feet away firing into a thick mass of monsters with a rifle. “I need your help to protect Val and Tobias. Here, now!”
Jacoby and Marm ran over right away. Lukas was less inclined to obey, but when he saw Val and Tobias with their heads lowered, hand in hand, he realized this was not the time for a confrontation.
“Form a line in front of them.” Stephen batted away an attack. “We need to buy them a few minutes.”
Nods met his request. The four unlikely crewmembers formed a half circle around the magician and Val. Their backs were covered by the wall of the platform that rose behind the helm.
Sensing something was happening, the swarm of monsters zeroed in on Stephen’s location and attacked in force. The four holding the protective line fought like rabid animals. Stephen was covered in cuts, bruises, and disgusting purple blood, but he pressed on. Marm and Jacoby fought like a well-oiled machine, covering one another’s backs and blindsides. Lukas fired his rifle and reloaded the weapon i
n the blink of an eye. Whenever an enemy caught him without a round in the chamber, he used the firearm as a club.
Then, when Stephen’s arm began to tire, when sheer numbers overwhelmed the four defenders, the tables turned. A jade shockwave burst from Tobias and Val. The result was unbelievable.
Chapter Five
Corpses littered the deck in charred heaps. The crew looked around, confused and terrified. Valeria gazed down upon them, unaware of the green light burning within her eyes. She stood, feet braced apart on the deck, defiant. She felt truly alive for the first time in years. Her body hummed with energy that no longer felt foreign but like it belonged within her. She stopped fighting it, let it roll through her, conquering every cell.
She’d closed her eyes, listened to Tobias tell her what to do, and then she’d unleashed her magic upon the creatures attacking her crew. The key had been to focus only on the insect-like beings and not her crew. That was what had taken so long, to block everything from her mind except the buzz that came from them. She saw them in her mind’s eye, felt the energy that was all their own, and then let out a burst of energy that fanned out. It caught them all within its grasp and burned them to crisps.
Valeria should have been scared, repulsed at what she’d done. Oddly, the opposite held true. She felt empowered, alive. Power coursed through her. She felt unstoppable. Her fingers itched to release more of the substance bubbling just beneath the surface of her skin. A drug. The strange sensations felt like a drug running through her veins. She needed more, wanted it to make her feel this way all the time.
“Captain?”
She heard Lukas, but ignored him. She ghosted her fingers over the railing next to her. The wood spoke to her—the grains called out to her. The ship felt her as much as she felt it. They’d always been in tune with each other, but now on a much deeper level, something tangible.