Spellkeeper

by Courtney Privett

  Benny put her arm around Iefyr and urged both him and Kemi forward. Three sharp breaths later, they were on deck and looking up through the foggy morning at the spindly brown and gray legs of a reefwalker. The creature was directly over them, its six long legs and spiked knees surrounding the ship like a living cage. High above the masts and almost lost to the mist, the segmented body heaved.

  “Oh . . . my . . . sarding . . . gods,” Kemi gasped.

  Benny let go of her and spun around. All cannons were tended and Berra stood in the crow's nest, her hands raised as she held a warding shield against the uncountable snapping teeth of the beast.

  Benny dashed toward Urzal and aligned her sight with the orc's. More reefwalkers stalked the depths beyond the one harassing the Grace. The fog nearly obscured them, but she saw legs and the occasional carapace.

  “How many?” she asked, her heart slamming against her ribs. She had only seen a reefwalker once before, and that encounter necessitated Berra rebuilding the stern section of Brezva's Grace from scraps.

  “Sarding four, and they all wanna see what this one's so interested in,” Urzal grunted. “Lass, I hope you're as strong as your dad thinks you are.”

  “Why did she navigate us through the breeding grounds?”

  Urzal spat over the side. “She didn't. Seems we left too late to go around and we sailed right into them with this blasted fog. These ones are already mated and full of eggs. They're heading to the brooding waters and they're sarding pissed.”

  “Shit.”

  Kemi tugged Benny's arm. “There's a kelp forest beneath us. I can draw from it to bind its legs.”

  “And make the cockchewer fall on top of us?” Urzal shook her head and sighed. “Benny, you'd better help the Captain with her shield. Kemi, you wait on that snare until we're clear. How's your distance? Can you tangle up the ones over there?” She pointed toward the closest pair of reefwalkers, which were larger than the one above them.

  “I think so.”

  “Good lass.

  “I don't know what to do here,” Iefyr said, his blue eyes reflecting the gray underbelly of the beast.

  Urzal gestured toward a group of sailors. “Fire witch . . . turn those cannonballs into fireballs, will you? See if that gets them to back away. And make sure those girls shoot at the ones coming, not the one already here.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Benny looked over the handrail at the nearest leg. “Urzal, how tall do you think it is? I mean, beneath the surface. How deep are we?”

  Another round of cannon fire, strategically threaded between the looming creature's legs, did nothing to its target but make it roar louder.

  “This isn't deep ocean. Maybe thirty yards down. Much deeper than that and they'd be swimming.” Her hands trembling, she scratched at the back of her neck. Benny had never seen her stoic stepmother this anxious before. “What are you thinking?

  “Kemi, I need your help,” Benny said, drawing the elf close. “Urzal, when I give you the cue, signal to Mom to drop her shield. I'm going to throw this thing as far as I can manage, and Kemi I need you to give us a push. Wind or waves, doesn't matter since the sails are up. Can you do that?”

  “Wind. I can bring the wind,” Kemi whispered.

  “You're gonna what?” Urzal grumbled.

  “I'm gonna throw it.”

  Footsteps creaked behind them and Mordegan's voice assaulted Benny's ears. “Over there. Help them load the cannons.”

  “Gods damn it, Dad!” Benny growled. She rocked on her heels, then spun to scowl at him. Tessen tried to slink behind Mordegan, but she had already seen him. “Tessen, I told you–”

  “I'm not hiding while Kemi is out here.” Tessen narrowed his eyes and sneered.

  Benny recoiled. She had never seen him angry before and the determination in his odd eyes was alarming. She grit her teeth and said, “Go with Dad and help with the cannons. Stay out of the way of the magic users.”

  Tessen bared his teeth and gave a sharp nod. “You be careful with her, Benny.”

  Kemi dashed to him, then stood on her toes to kiss him. “Tessen, these creatures are trying to protect the babies they carry, and so are we. They don't know it, but we're fiercer than they are. Stay alert, and get out of our way. Go help Iefyr.”

  Berra held her shield as she descended from the main mast. She dropped to the deck in a crouch, then returned her hands to raised and watched Urzal.

  «Benny's going to do something stupid.» Urzal bared her tusks, then laughed. «Drop your shield on my signal so she can do this shit.»

  “This isn't how I wanted to wake up today,” Berra said aloud, startling Benny. In all of her twenty-three years, Benny had only heard her mother's voice a couple dozen times. “Night crew can't get their sarding shitdoodle asses together.”

  «I know, babe. Our girl has got this.» Urzal looked up at the heaving reefwalker abdomen. “Pick a good position for this, Benny. You've only got one chance.”

  “Stern,” Benny said, then stepped toward the rear of the ship. “Kemi, stay with me. As soon as we're clear of the legs, rile up the wind and push us away. Use that kelp forest if it helps with anything.”

  “What if I push us into a shoal or something?” Kemi asked, her voice trembling.

  “We've gotta take that chance,” Urzal replied.

  Urzal and Berra trailed them as they staggered to the stern. A new round of cannon fire, bolstered by Iefyr's magic, ignited the fog.

  “Get on with it, girls,” Urzal said, breathless. “That's not gonna hold them back long.”

  Benny stopped at the handrail and held up her arms. “When I lower my hands, drop the shield. Urzal, tell Mom.”

  “Told her, love. Watch for those trailing feet, will you? Spikes are the worst there.”

  Benny closed her eyes. She inhaled the brine and the tar and the jasmine scent of Kemi's hair. Within the familiar and new, she found herself able to ignore the drone and gnashing teeth of the reefwalkers to focus only on the water sloshing against the hull. This violent turbulence was no different from the storms that had brought her such elation as a child. The reefwalkers were the only problem here, and they needed to go.

  The mist around her transitioned from gray to glowing blue. She collected it, caressed it, let it flow though her body like a lover's warmth. More light. She needed more light. She lured in the reflections on the water, the sparkles in the eyes of those around her, the diffuse sunlight struggling to burn away the fog. Within that light, she created her own, a burning blue core more powerful than any gathered light. This was where her strength lay—manifestation. She didn't need any of this extra light to create the blue, but she could use its ambiance to solidify her manifestations from phantom to corporeal. This was the lesson she'd taught Juna during their journey. Where there was light, there was strength, and a mage could be just as adept as a lightbinder witch at manipulating illumination.

  “Holy shit,” Kemi whispered behind a raised hand.

  Benny ignored her and arched her back to look up. Beyond the glow and the fog, the reefwalker arched its segmented abdomen. A wide mouth overflowing with teeth snapped the foremast, splintering the yard and ripping away the topgallant. The rigging whipped and flailed as it toppled to the deck.

  “Your dragon's out of the way, right?” Benny asked, her jaw clenched.

  “She was sleeping in the cargo hold. I told her to stay there.”

  “Good.”

  Benny shaped the light to mimic her own hands, missing finger included. One deep breath and she lowered her arms.

  Berra's shield fell.

  And Benny swept her hands upward, letting them settle for a moment at chest level. The blue hands detached from each other and grew as they flew upward. They wrapped their lightning-boned fingers around the reefwalker's midsection. Benny squeezed her own fingers shut and the beast howled and thrashed in pain. Spiked knees rose, then fell above the waves.

  Benny raised her hands high over her head, lifti
ng the reefwalker clear of the water. Her muscles coiled, she released a slow exhale, and then she threw.

  Suction-bottomed feet flailing, the beast wailed as it tumbled through the fog. Benny didn't wait for it to collide with a second reefwalker before grunting, “Now, Kemi!”

  An unsteady wind arrived from the direction of the thrown reefwalker, reaching the sails just ahead of the ten yard tall wave caused by the creature's impact. Beneath the ship, thick ropes of kelp reached to give the keel a rough shove. Benny dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Kemi's legs to brace the casting elf against the brutal jerking of the Grace.

  A sharp crack sounded as the foremast splintered further. It was only a matter of wind before its remaining sails were lost, and sailors scrambled to secure the loose rigging.

  Behind them, the reefwalkers disappeared into the mist. Benny summoned a new round of strength and conjured light dolphins from the waves to further speed their escape.

  Benny pressed her hand against Kemi's thigh. “That's it, Kemi. Keep going, as long as you can. Their legs are long, but they don't move as fast as we can.”

  “Port! Port! Steer to port!” Urzal bellowed, but it was too late.

  The legs of a reefwalker appeared from the fog. Their speed was too fast, and Kemi's concentration was too unbreakable. Benny braced her feet against the wall and held fast to the elf as Brezva's Grace collided with the behemoth.

  With a sound like a legion of arrows striking a target, the creature's knee spikes smacked the starboard side of the ship. The broken foremast speared between body segments as the struggling creature toppled over the bow, then splintered free to follow it over the port side. Spindly legs thrashed, ripping sails and striking the deck. And striking people. Not all of those cries of pain came from female throats, but between her position on the floor and the heaving of the boat, Benny couldn't see which of the three men had been struck. It couldn't matter right now. She needed to funnel her remaining energy into a light blow to carry the reefwalker clear of the ship and into the water.

  The mast section protruding from the reefwalker's carapace ignited, then exploded as the creature hit the water. Gray goo rained upon the Grace, further slowing the ship's forward movement as it left the dying reefwalker behind in a turbulent wake.

  The wind slowed, the kelp and light dolphins stopped pushing, and Kemi sank into Benny's trembling arms.

  “I . . . I killed us,” Kemi panted, her chest heaving.

  “No. Don't go to that place. Nothing that just happened will ever be your fault. Ship didn't capsize. I don't think we're sinking.” Benny's eyes darted toward the starboard deck. Three bodies lay between the cannons, their blood trickling between the boards and pooling against the rails. “Oh, no. No, no, no.”

  Her skin tingling and heart pounding, Benny rose to her knees. Chaos. Chaos everywhere, as the sailors untangled each other from fallen rigging or fought to regain their balance. Berra pulled her to her feet, then embraced her.

  «My brilliant girl.» Berra kissed Benny's cheek, tears in her eyes.

  “Benny.” Urzal's voice was hoarse, choked. She tapped on Berra's shoulder and pointed at the starboard deck. «There. Now.»

  “Oh my gods.” Kemi dragged herself upright, then staggered toward the cannons.

  Benny followed, her fingers intertwined with Berra's.

  Two of the bodies belonged to sailors, but the third...

  “Dad. No.” She slid across the blood to kneel at his side. Tessen was already with him, sitting with his right leg tucked in an unnatural position behind him and a shard of splintered mast embedded in the front of his shoulder. Still, he desperately worked to staunch the flow of blood from Mordegan's three separate chest wounds.

  “Benny.” Mordegan reached for her, then dropped his hand. His ash-white skin told her he no longer had the strength to raise his arm.

  Benny crouched over him and lifted his hand to press it against her tear-covered face. “I'm here, Dad. Don't leave. Please.”

  He closed his eyes and smiled as he drew a strident breath. “Love you.”

  “Dad. No. Stay with me. I love you.” Benny's tears mingled with the blood on his face as he drew one last, shallow breath, then fell still.

  “Mordegan. No.” Berra was beside her, sobbing onto her shoulder, touching the bloodied hand of her old friend.

  “Dad...” Benny's body spasmed as she kissed his brow.

  And then Iefyr's hand was on her shoulder and Kemi wobbled behind Tessen.

  “Oh gods. Benny...” Iefyr squeezed her shoulder and she reached up to grab his hand.

  “You blew up a sarding reefwalker. Couldn't save him. None of us could save him,” Benny sobbed.

  “Tessen.” Kemi's voice was nothing but stern concern.

  With pain in his eyes, Tessen looked down at Mordegan's chest. If he was aware of the splinter in his shoulder, he gave no indication. “Too much blood. I couldn't do anything but watch him die. The others died instantly, no pain. His was excruciating, but he accepted it. He just wanted to know that Benny was safe.”

  “Gods damn it, Tessen. Your leg. You need the physician. Now.”

  “I think it went the wrong way when the boat tried to flip.” He tucked his chin to examine the wood in his shoulder. “I don't think that's supposed to be there.”

  Berra wiped her tears across her face. «He's in shock. Urzal, get him to Doc. She might be able to save his leg.»

  “Sarddamnit.” Tessen mumbled.

  “What? What did she say?” Kemi asked.

  Tessen gasped. Wild-eyed, he grabbed Kemi's wrist. “Benny. Go to your cabin. Now.”

  “Radella.” Benny's heart screamed. She scrambled to her feet, then covered her mouth and looked back down at Mordegan. “I'm so sorry.”

  Iefyr took her hand and led her past bruised and struggling sailors to reach the closed door of their cabin. A faint dragon whimper emanated from within.

  “Radamar?” Benny called. Only Auna replied.

  Benny opened the door. Radella stood in the center of the small room, facing the wall. Her small shoulders trembled as she frantically signed, «Help him. Help him.»

  The wall was full of spikes, some as long as a yard from wall to tip. The reefwalker had left them behind when its knee collided with the hull, collided right into the cabin Benny shared with her family.

  “Benny.” Radamar's voice and panting breaths came from the floor next to the bed.

  Benny stepped to the side, letting Iefyr into the cabin to embrace Radella.

  Radamar knelt on the floor, hunched over the two blood-caked spikes that pierced his back to emerge through his right side and shoulder. His head bobbed as he looked up at her. “She's okay. I was holding her here. I pushed her out of the way. I wasn't fast enough for me.”

  “Iefyr. I need you. Now,” Benny said, her throat so tight she could hardly move the words through it. She crouched next to Radamar and reached between the spikes to touch his face. “Damn it. My dad just died. I'm not losing you, too.”

  “Mordegan?” Radamar's head lolled, then snapped upward to resume contact with Benny's face.

  “Yeah. It got him, too. You're not going to die, though. You can't.”

  Iefyr gingerly touched Radamar's abdomen above the lower spike. “I think we can get you off these, but it'll be tricky. I might need to cauterize anywhere that bleeds. We won't know what these went through until we get you off them.”

  Radamar smiled and stroked Iefyr's jaw. “Thank you. For loving me. Take care of my daughter, will you? And Benny?”

  “Damn it, Radamar. I'm not going to watch anyone else die today, especially not you.” He drew a sharp breath, then turned toward Benny. “You can't help me with this. I have some energy left, but taking on those things drained everything you had, and that was before your father... I need one of the orcs, maybe two. If you can get Doc and Urzal, that would be great, but if that scream I just heard is any indication, they're trying to put Tessen's bones back into hi
s leg. Take Radella and find me some help. She's already seen enough. She's terrified.”

  Her tears uncontrollable, she shook her head. “I need to be with him when he–”

  “He's not going to die,” Iefyr snapped. He startled, then lowered his voice. “Benny, if it looks like something is . . . going to change, we will get you. Radella needs you now. Please.”

  Benny rubbed both palms over her cheeks, then carefully leaned around the spines to kiss Radamar's dry and blood-splattered lips. “I love you. Listen to him, okay? You're not going to die like this. You still have a good hundred years of repentance left, at least. Radella needs you. Iefyr needs you. I need you. We'll always need you. You're about to be in a lot of pain. Keep us center in your thoughts, and don't give up. I'll see you shortly.”

  “Everything you've done has made me a better person,” Radamar whispered. His shoulders spasmed and his face twisted into an excruciated grimace. “Take her. Please. She doesn't need to see this.”

  Benny picked up Radella and kissed the little girl's face. Radamar held up his left hand and curled his trembling fingers into a single sign. «I love you.»

  Benny wept into Radella's sandy hair as she carried her out of the cabin, as she called for Urzal and explained what was needed, as she avoided looking at Mordegan's body or Berra and Belda crying over him, as she stumbled behind the toppled crates at the stern. She sat down between coils of rope and a discarded jacket and held Radella tight against her chest, felt her daughter's frantic heartbeat against hers. Somewhere, muffled by wood and torn sails, a young man screamed in agony while his exhausted wife tried to comfort him. Somewhere else, somewhere lower and darker, Radamar's screams echoed Tessen's.

  Radella's fingers fluttered in Benny's face. «Scared.»

  «I know. This will end. Daddy will be okay and we'll be on shore soon. No more monsters.»

  «Saw Grandpa. Is he okay?»

  «No, baby. Grandpa died fighting the monsters. The monsters are gone now and he helped get rid of them. He helped save everyone.»