The DeCadia Code (The DeCadia Series Book 1)

by Jonathan Yanez

  The limb, the width of a tree trunk, finally released its hold, flailing in every direction as it retreated. Stephen was knocked into the Captain standing beside him and together they were thrown across the deck.

  The sensation of air in his lungs was only a memory as Stephen struggled to breathe. A sheet of crimson fell down his forehead and obscured his vision. One swipe at the sticky, red liquid and Stephen knew it was blood. Pain from his fall and a stinging sensation from the gash on his head hit him at once.

  Oxygen reentered his gasping lungs as he struggled to his feet. The first thing he saw was Emerald, the mask knocked from her face. She looked at him with a grimace. “Not exactly how I wanted you to find out, Stephen, but today is not going my way.”

  ***

  Val forced herself up and back to her feet. Her mask and sword were both gone, knocked from her grasp in the collision. A dull soreness at her left elbow and ribs promised greater pains in the near future once the adrenaline wore off. All around her, her ship was falling apart—again. Her sailors were fighting a losing battle, yet still following her command. A smear of red across the deck showed where a poor soul had not escaped the embrace of the Kraken. Screams shattered the air, signaling another crew hand falling to an abysmal fate.

  If Val didn’t do something soon, her ship would be destroyed altogether and her crew dead. She only just heard Stephen’s questions, “How? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Val looked into Stephen’s blue eyes and immediately suppressed the sudden emotions. This was not the time. “I owe you an explanation, just not right now. I have to save my crew first.”

  Stephen nodded dumbly.

  Val steeled her nerves for what she knew was a necessary gamble. If she was to have any luck of entering the Crucible, then backing down was not an option. Val strode to the edge of the ship’s railing with her back straight and her head held high. She ignored the splintering wood around her and the Kraken’s searching limbs that ravaged her ship.

  If what Tobias said was true, then she would be allowed to enter the Crucible. She was an Atlantean and perhaps even something more. Her name encompassed that of royalty and that couldn’t be a coincidence. So many questions still needed to be answered, still something deep within Val spoke to her. It told her she was always destined for greatness and that her destiny would not allow her to die here.

  Val looked down at the Kraken. Since the battle had begun, the Kraken had caught the ship in mid-air and had slowly begun to drag it down toward the water’s surface. The ship was now only a few yards over the dead water and nearly level with the creature’s massive head.

  Ryder still darted to and fro, confusing the monster and annoying the giant with her peppered blasts of molten lava. However, the dragon was no longer the Kraken’s main focus. Yellow slits of eyes were trained on Val.

  “My name is Valeria Aurora Dendali Riverthorn. I am an Atlantean and you have no authority to keep me from attempting the journey to my home!”

  As if on command, the Kraken’s tentacles stopped shaking the ship. The crew stared wide-eyed, too frozen in fear to attempt anything. The Kraken rose from the water and pulled the ship closer, until its eyes were only feet away from where Valeria stood.

  Val consciously ordered every muscle in her body to stand ground. The sheer size of the Kraken looming over her would be enough to send anyone running in the opposite direction. The monster’s sole attention was on her. Val could feel it looking deep inside her.

  The feeling of prodding and poking at her actual consciousness rattled Val. Despite this intrusion, Val forced herself to return the stare. If she were to die, then she was going to do it with eyes open, fighting to her last breath. Death, however, would not find her this day.

  With one last penetrating gaze, the Kraken released the ship and sank back into the water.

  Val took a generous breath and looked to those remaining in her crew. After the battle, she knew she owed them answers. Among those she let her eyes linger on the least were Stephen and Ryder. Stephen’s eyes hadn’t left her since he had learned her true identity. What the future had in store for them was anyone’s guess; at the moment Val would rather face down another Kraken than share her feelings.

  Since her transformation to and from her dragon form, the crew had given Ryder a wide berth. Though Val knew it would take time, she had faith Ryder could one day be a valuable asset to the journey. She, like her crew, couldn’t bring herself to trust the morphling, but she respected the girl’s abilities.

  Her previous conversation with Tobias crossed her mind. It was clear the man wasn’t telling her everything. There would be time. If he wanted to live past the Crucible they would soon face, he would be honest—or face her wrath.

  She climbed up the ropes leading to the foremast of the ship. From here she could see everyone and her voice would carry into the wind. The faces below her were streaked with dirt and blood. Fear ruled many of them, yet there they stood, awaiting her orders. Some she’d only recently come to know; like those of the merchant ship and even the few from the Navy, but today, they were one band of motley men and women struggling to survive and looking to her for leadership.

  “I want to say first, how proud I am of each and every one of you for showing true courage in the face of the unknown. Most know me as Emerald, but not anymore. Today, I stand before you as Valeria, and I am by birth an Atlantean. Most of you have been with me as I searched for the lost city. As I said, we found the entrance, but the way is perilous. We lost some today, and truth be told, we’ll probably lose more, but I have faith in all of you. I am not ordering any of you to go with me. Anyone who is unwilling to travel through the Crucible may leave now. There are escape boats in the hold. You can take enough supplies to get you back to the island people. I cannot ask you to go with me, so I am giving you the choice here and now.”

  Val stood still waiting, almost expecting a sizeable portion of her crew to depart. Most were men and women Val had known for years, but even given their past together, she didn’t think all of them would stay. She was wrong.

  The first to take a step forward was Lukas. “I go where you go, Cap’n.”

  Murmurs of agreement echoed through the crowd. Yayou, the medicine man, also separated himself from the group, “You makah the Kraken run. I follow you.”

  More voices of affirmation rose. Val found herself looking to Stephen. Lost in his brilliant eyes, she scarcely noticed the slight twist of his mouth as he nodded as well. Whatever the Crucible held in store for them, whatever her name meant for her once they reached Atlantis, Val knew that with friends like this by her side, destiny was already watching over her.

  End Book One

  Val will be back in the second installment of the The DeCadia Series, coming soon.

  Until then, stay informed by visiting www.jonathan-yanez.com. Be sure to signup for the Readers Group, which will keep you updated on new releases, provide discounts on books, and allow you to preorder upcoming titles.

  Also be sure to stop by Apryl Baker’s website at www.aprylbaker.com and sign up for her newsletter that will keep you in the loop of all her latest projects and the release dates of her newest books.