Russell felt something hit the back of his head. His eyes shot open, and he panicked. He had heard the stories of sea monsters and turned over, but his knees must have hit the beast also. A smile came over Russell as Lizeria stood next to him. They were on the sandy pebbles of an unknown land, but they had survived for now. His pounding chest and heavy panting were the only after effects of the ship wreck. Even his head had recovered fully and Lizeria looked no worse for wear. His excitement quickly died down when Russell couldn’t find any of his travel companions.
There were dead bodies scattered on the beach and more were washing in with each passing wave. The smell indicated that some of the unfortunate sea goers had been here for a while. The gulls and crows fought for fodder around the dismal graveyard. Russell saw up close and personal how unforgiving the Sea of Green could be. The two started a morbid search up the shores but they didn’t find anyone from their party. This created a good and bad scenario. Russell rejoiced that they hadn’t found any bodies from their group but he also knew that nobody could survive very much longer in the angry sea.
RICEROS
Dioneer inadvertently slapped Riceros’ leg as he tried to grab the boy before being thrown into the water. The giant’s hand caused Riceros to be tossed in as well. Riceros could barely move his leg and he used his black board to keep above the waves. He sank under occasionally but the flotation device always pulled him back up. Dioneer was the only person he could see and the giant was already running out of energy. The Cyclops wasted too much movement and kept dipping below. The two started to drift apart and they ended up on opposite sides of a wave. He couldn’t see anyone now and with the sun finally shining down, he was all alone.
He looked at the board for answers from the dragons. None came. He hoped one of the mermaids would show up to help out. None came. Riceros wondered if the noble dragons were watching and had already dispatched the water dragons to come help him. None came. With a dead leg and no swimming skills, Riceros wished the strongest swimmer he knew would magically show up. Jasper did not. He had found out that the air dragons were very susceptible to lightning and decided they must have lost track of the ship. He couldn’t see anyone in the vicinity.
A fifteen-foot-high wave threw him down with tremendous force and pushed him below. He struggled mightily to get back up while holding onto the black board. He finally got to the top and sucked in the sweet air. Just as he almost caught his breath, he felt the power of the ocean plunge him under, even deeper this time. He fought again to get to the top and when he saw light, he took a deep breath but swallowed more salty water. He emerged to find some air and a thought hit him.
He kicked his feet to get on his stomach. He pulled off his shirt and tucked it into his pants. With his back exposed to the air, he closed his eyes and concentrated. A bloody pearl emerged from his back and beat like a heart before giving birth to something else. Golden reptilian wings slowly spread out while Riceros kicked liked crazy despite the throbbing leg. He focused even more, and the wings began to flap. They started slowly, building up speed and sound. The loud whooshing sounds of the wings started to pull Riceros from the dangerous waters. He rose about ten feet and scanned the sea for Dioneer and the rest of his group. He didn’t see anyone and flew higher.
Riceros knew he had to be careful about who saw his wings, but his friends’ lives were on the line. He didn’t see anyone and after a few minutes, his hopes started to wane. Riceros suddenly spotted some bubbles on the surface and the Cyclops popped out of the water. Riceros zeroed in on his struggling friend and fought the gale force winds to get to Dioneer. The Cyclops had saved his life several times before and Riceros vowed to repay the favor. He slid the black board into his shirt and watched Dioneer sink back under. He flew over to the area but the giant came up about ten feet away. He went to that spot and fished for his friend as he hovered over the water, slowly flapping his wings. How could he miss the huge man? He should have been able to see some part of the Cyclops, but he bobbed up seven feet away this time.
Riceros couldn’t factor in the moving current before the big man went back under and became invisible. He floated up several feet higher in the air for a better view and when Dioneer surfaced this time, he sped over to grab his friend before he could go under again. Too late. He pulled Riceros under and both of them nervously fought the ocean to get back above. He emerged and mightily flapped the dragon wings to hold Dioneer above water. Riceros’ strength drained quickly due to the extreme weight. He told the one-eyed giant to swim on his back and hold his arms above the water. He held onto one of Dioneer’s arms while the big man paddled with the other. This offset some of the heavy mass, but they both kept plunging under the water occasionally. They rode down a huge wave and were thrown under again. It took every shred of his remaining power to keep Dioneer above water.
“Are you alright?” Riceros asked. The giant threw up a small sea of his own before he eventually nodded his weary head. “I can’t hold you up much longer. Let me know when you can swim for a few moments,” Riceros told him.
Dioneer gathered himself, spit out some green water, and said, “Go now. I can do it.”
“Take this, it will help you float,” Riceros said as he gave Dioneer the blackboard, but seeing how tiny it looked in the giant’s hand, he doubted his assertion.
He flew up a little bit and stretched out his numbing muscles. He went up even higher and a wonderful sight filled his vision. Pink sand lay a few hundred feet away. He looked back down at Dioneer who was struggling to stay afloat. Through the raging waves, Riceros worked with the giant man to beat the elements. Riceros flew above, dragging Dioneer, who kicked effectively to move toward their destination. Riceros wished his Colbert brothers were here to see this physical feat of strength. The wings empowered the unathletic boy and gave him a confidence he had never felt before. After several exhausting minutes, Dioneer’s hands scraped the small pebbles.
Riceros let go and flew onto the beach before collapsing in the sand. He retracted his wings and the Pearl of Wisdom sank back under his skin. He put his shirt back on and tried to gather himself. He could barely breathe, every muscle throbbed in pain, his heart was on fire, and his skin felt icy. Dioneer stumbled over and fell down next to Riceros. The two lay there for a while until they had recovered from the epic struggle with the sea.
They searched up and down the beach, sorting through the washed-up bodies, but couldn’t find the others before sundown. They went to sleep hungry and with worry filling their hearts.
Riceros woke up before sunrise and paced around the snoring Dioneer. When the giant awoke from his slumber, Riceros said, “I have an idea, but it could be dangerous.”
Dioneer sat up, yawned, and said, “I’d expect nothing less from you. What’s this dangerous plan?”
“Much like yesterday, I could use my wings to scan the beach and look for our companions. Trouble is, if the wrong person sees me flying, we could all be in grave danger. What do you think?” Riceros asked.
“If I get to stay here and sleep while you fly around, I don’t care if it puts us in danger.” Dioneer’s statement shocked Riceros until he saw the goofy grin on the big man’s face. “Of course, I won’t allow you to fall into danger. Let’s find some fish to eat before we leave,” the giant said.
After eating some raw clams and sea trout, the two searched the entire day with no luck whatsoever. They slept on the beach again and repeated the search for two days. Riceros was ready to give up hope.
The dark and nasty day set an ominous tone but they kept walking around the dead, looking for signs of the living. In the distance, two shadowy figures appeared, one tall and the other tiny. As bodily details became defined, Riceros recognized Russell Seabrook and Lizeria. The foursome spent the rest of the day searching for Dragon Eyes and Shireez, but had to stop at nightfall.
They found a small school of red snapper and Dioneer started a fire to cook the fish. The giant ate the entire fish while the rest ripped at
the tender flesh and stuffed their mouths with the juicy morsels.
The next day, the search for the two missing group members continued, but they also started to collect supplies from the bodies. There were bloated bluish bodies scattered over the pink pebbles of sand. Riceros felt strange taking a knife from a dead man’s belt but practicality outweighed the morality of the situation. His belly was full from snapper and he had slept well on the soft sand. Another day ended with fruitless results.
The day after that, Riceros and Russell were the first to wake up. Riceros asked, “How long should we continue to look for Dragon-Eyes and Shireez?”
“There’s no right answer for that seeing as how he is the only one who knows where the School of the Learned Warrior is located, we need him desperately. Without him, we will be lost looking for a secret entrance to the School in the middle of a sea of sand. And if we found the School, there’s no guarantee we would be allowed entrance,” Russell explained.
A loud yelping that Riceros assumed was a seal caught their attention. They looked at the waves, expecting to see an animal, but instead saw a small woman on a broken plank of wood dragging another object behind her. Shireez was struggling with the harsh waves. Riceros scanned the area for other living people. He didn’t see anyone and unleashed his golden wings and used them to fly out and guide Shireez back to safety. He noticed Lizeria and Russells’s eyes looking like they were going to pop out of their heads as he rose into the air.
They got back to land and Russell asked frantically, “Is he still alive?”
Shireez’ unreassuring silence and nervous look didn’t instill hope for the best. Russell and Riceros inspected the still body. Riceros checked his neck and wrists for a pulse but couldn’t find any beating. He put his finger under the half-man’s nose and felt the tiniest wisp of warm air come out. Dragon-Eyes’ chest wasn’t moving but Russell managed to stand him up and pat him on the back. The young knight also got the wizard to bring up most of the water he had swallowed. Russell quickly swaddled his mentor in one of his shirts and they immediately moved inland. They tried to force-feed the Imp mashed fish, but he kept spitting it out. He did show signs of life though. Eventually, the discombobulated Imp Wizard recovered enough to direct them toward their destination again. However, the little man was so out of it, Riceros couldn’t be certain the directions were correct.
Five days later, Riceros swore they had passed this exact area one hundred times already. Everything looked the same out in the desert. They were nearly out of water and food. The group would die if it tried to get back to the Sea of Green and no one knew if they were anywhere near the School of the Learned Warrior.
SUNNY
Sunny looked at Muriel and still couldn’t figure out a way to tell her about Ollor. The musty training room that stunk like aged sweat consisted of a dirt floor and undecorated stone walls. Wall sconces held candles and torches to brighten the room. Simulating a night battle was never a problem, but they needed to fully light every wall to replicate a sunny brawl. Even in the glowing room, the effect wasn’t nearly the same as being outside. Sunny had only seen daylight for a few hours every fortnight for the past few months and had become used to fighting by firelight.
Muriel was besting a much larger man in combat, but Sunny contemplated whether he should tell her. She can defeat grown men in fights, yet I know this will tear her apart. What to do, what to do? She still thinks there’s a chance he’s alive. I will need to tell her eventually, but I don’t think that time is now.
They finished the single-combat portion of the day and went to their respective sleeping areas to rest for the night. Sunny lay awake as his stomach growled with hunger. He thought about every student’s bold proclamations about how the war against the demons would play out. Men bragged about how many demons they would kill and how long it would take to achieve victory. Sunny and Muriel were among the humble few to simply listen to everyone else’s boastful claims.
Sunny didn’t believe the stories anymore because numerous students had said that the battle would begin over a month ago. Yet, nothing happened. Others called for action a fortnight past. Yet, nothing happened. The students remained on high alert, which was the only certainty that Sunny could rely on. The warriors constantly cleaned and sharpened their personal weapons as they waited for the call. The School of mostly men and a few women chomped at the bit to test their skills against the ultimate opponent.
The next day, Sunny completed half of his classes and Master Kazu let him go outside. The leader of the School warned him that the demons would attack from the north shores of Gama Traka. He made Sunny promise not to go to the northern beaches. The twelve-year-old agreed and went straight to his usual spot on the northern beach. The dark day couldn’t hide hundreds of dead bodies or the rotting smell coming from them.
He normally watched the sun set over the water but the giant fire in the sky couldn’t be found today. The black clouds lined with silver had seemingly inhaled the fiery blaze and refused to exhale. He stood near the exact spot Dolpho had told him to return to. He waited. He waited longer. He grew very impatient as he waited frustratingly longer. Sunny started getting angry and decided to go back to the School of the Learned Warrior.
Before he turned to leave, a shady outline of a distorted mammoth creature rushed toward him with the oncoming waves. The huge mass began to take shape and an odd stomping sound accompanied this anomaly. An army of men-at-arms walked on the waves. The standard-bearer carried the flag Sunny had seen in his dreams. The wind gusts held the flags, pennons and pennants at attention as nearly five hundred men came to a stop as they hit dry land. Sunny wanted nothing more than to turn and run, but his frightened body remained still.
There was something wrong with these men but they looked to be from all different backgrounds. Sunny spotted choice weapons from various parts of the world. He had learned about the sword and sleeveless leather vests of the soldiers of Teredez and saw about twenty men carrying them.
He noticed several men with Irello wooden war shields. The connected vertical planks featured a golden eagle on a red field.
The men wearing mail jackets as long as hauberks with semi-hidden quillon daggers had to be the Black Jackets from Livingstone.
Men wielding decorated maces with wooden shafts covered in snakeskin were from Havasu.
The streaks of black ash under their eyes and around their mouths coupled with a trusty poleax indicated Kipissee had representation too.
A man in red and white armor walked up to Sunny and knelt down. The boy noticed the exposed areas of the men’s’ skin and it had a pale blue tint to it. The men had the look of death.
Before he could think about the skin any further, the warrior rose back to his feet and spoke, “Don’t concern your mind with trying to figure out if we are dead or not. We are. Well, maybe not as dead as those people over there.” The soldier pointed at a collection of beached bodies. Despite the joking nature of the comment, the dark, deep tones of the man’s voice scared Sunny.
He took off his fox shaped helm and Sunny thought it might be his own reflection.
They looked tremendously alike and the undead man spoke again, “We are the Noble Army of Undead Kings. We are a collection of rulers, once perished, and now banded together to help stop the demons. We are here to serve you. My name is Ali-Ster Wamhoff of Donegal. I’ve rounded up these great warrior kings to fall under your command in the final war. I know you’ve been told that you would lead a great army to defeat the demons, so how do we look?” Ali-Ster smiled.
“Well now, let’s see, you arrived by walking on water. How could I not be impressed?” he stumbled with the last word and smiled through his cleft palate.
Other than the ghastly facial scar, Ali-Ster looked like an older version of Sunny. The dead King said, “There is much more to discuss in our future meetings. Know this now, the demons have hit the Sea of Green on a course to land right where we stand. We will try to delay their progress but the ti
me has come to defend the world. I’ve been given a great deal of wisdom, so I know you better get back to the School before you are beaten again.”
The entire army knelt in unison, rose and turned back to the water. They seamlessly knifed straight through the waves to get back out to sea. Sunny sprinted back to the School. Out of breath, he found a strange crew outside the secret door. A Cyclops, one young man, two children and two dwarves were impatiently waiting as the giant desperately pounded on the entrance. The door opened and Master Kazu emerged with a look of concern. He took a closer look at a wrinkled dwarf and said hurriedly, “Get him in. Now.”
Everyone rushed inside and Kazu had the normal sized man carry the dwarf back to his private quarters. Sunny had never seen anyone but the Master of the School go in there. Kazu went inside for a few minutes and then reopened the door.
Everyone started to rush in but the Master put his bony fingers into Sunny’s chest and said, “You must stay on the outside, I am afraid.”
The door was shut in his face and he was left to wonder who the people were.
The Man with the Golden Sword
The Man sat at a table made of cherry wood and sharpened one of his daggers. He stared at fly walking around a dark knot on the tabletop. He continued to stroke his blade over the coarse side of a flat oilstone.
Six Heads One Crown (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 3) Page 16