by LJ Andrews
Slowly, the ship righted and Nova fell back onto the deck, Kale holding her against him while shooting a dangerous glare up at Atlas. Atlas’s face was red as his arm muscles bulged against the pressure against the ship.
“I can’t breathe,” a woman screamed behind them.
Nova saw Sabryn slowly push her way through the mounting humid pressure toward the woman. Reaching into one of the vials, she shoved a sticky black leaf over the woman’s mouth. Her eyes widened, but as if falling asleep, the panicked woman closed her eyes. The leaf still covering her mouth, her chest rose with even, steady breaths.
Finally, as the wood beneath their feet groaned from the strain, the ship burst out of the hazy clouds and the pressure released. Sounds of people vomiting over the side rails and people gasping as their lungs expanded when the air normalized could be heard.
Nova held the sides of her head, rubbing away the painful jab shooting through her skull. Kale had his eyes closed and his head between his knees, breathing in and out deeply. Atlas leaned over the helm, his back rising in deep, heaving breaths.
Everyone seemed affected; even Sabryn was paler, but she quickly began handing out small blue seeds to those on the ship. Nova bit into the hard shell, and it released a smooth paste over her mouth. Almost immediately, she felt relief from the pressure sickness and watched as those around her bit into their seed, recovering within moments.
“Nova, look,” Kale said, standing at the rail by his father.
Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. The sky was twisted in purple, red, black, and blue. There was no telling what was up, down, sideways, or behind. Everything seemed the same. There were bright sparkling stone islands which floated next to jagged, black rocky islands. The entire firmament was filled with stars, but they seemed sliced in half. Half the color, half the brightness, and the other part of the star was hidden beneath a blanket of darkness.
There were several round orbs floating nearby, much like the moon in Launi. Some were green entangled with orange lines, others blue and glittering with diamond-like stones along the surface.
Nova marveled at the beauty. It was remarkable until a shrill cry echoed through the darkness, followed by blood-curdling screams and snarls.
“Stand at the ready, the Unknown won’t let us stay concealed for long,” Hadwin called to the deck, waving a golden candle toward the other two ships. They responded with two flickers of matching flames. Hadwin met Nova’s eye and smiled sadly. “Welcome to the Unknown. Your reality will never be the same.”
Chapter 16
Land of the Lost
Stillness surrounded them, so still, it seemed as if they were suspended in a frozen state. The cries of the wild had ceased as soon as they’d begun and the three ships sat unmoving as the half-stars glittered above them.
Atlas gripped the helm, his knuckles white from the eerie surroundings. Kale’s pistol was raised next to his face as he looked around waiting for something to pounce. Varick had taken out a coiled gun. It was clear the gun was one of Kobb’s masterpieces. Slowly, he cocked the hammer, which spurred the black copper to fire through the coil in reddish splashes. Hadwin’s golden eyes scanned the darkness, watching and waiting.
Nova took a deep breath, her hand on the jeweled hilt, never noticing it lacked the familiar burn of power. No one breathed; all the ships were cast in a foreboding silence that sent chills up her arms.
In the distance, a faint sound of rushing air came to their attention. Nova looked up (at least she thought it was up) as the air turned to deep, methodic flaps. The crew of her ship tensed, each person raising their weapons. Atlas took out an extra blunderbuss musket he’d tied to his back strap while handing the second helmsman a coiled pistol with triple barrels. The flapping seemed to echo in the silence but nowhere could they see what was approaching.
Sabryn faced one of the white stone islands in the distance just as a dark shadow passed over it. “There,” she hissed, pointing at the island.
Everyone followed her finger but could see nothing. They watched, everyone holding their breath as the flapping stopped and cast the land into deafening silence.
Without warning, a paralyzing screech screamed through the air. Nova’s mouth dropped open as a creature the size of three men swooped down upon the quarterdeck. Atlas fell back, his eyes wide as it looked at the beast. It stood on two legs with curved claws scratching against the wood and a jagged beak the color of charred wood. The creature watched them with an eyeless face and raised grotesque wings littered in holes and open wounds. It was a wonder how the creature even stayed in the air with such wings.
From across the gap between ships, loud blasts of guns fired to assist battling the attacking creature, but soon the other ships were crowded with black, eyeless birds.
“Fire!” Varick shouted. And the ship sprang into action.
Blasts of pistols and muskets powered with black copper whirred across the deck. One shot struck the bird in the leg. The copper reacted and a burst of deep red fired into the air. With a painful screech, the angry creature turned deadly. It flapped its decomposing wings, blasting them in a windstorm as the uninjured leg ripped its jagged talon through the chest of the second helmsman. Atlas cried out, rolling away from a second swing from the crippled talon. The second helmsman’s eyes widened to the size of small dinner plates as he gasped for air before the black beast pushed off the small deck, dragging his lifeless body into the dark corners of the Unknown.
His face angry, Varick blasted his weapons at the other ships as more eyeless birds attacked the decks. Nova joined Kale at the rail, firing a long musket. The kick beat against her shoulder and her skin burned from the endless firing. The black copper loaded in each of the weapons had certainly added an extra strength, but watching the bullets strike the flock of devilish birds was amazing.
If a shot was true, in a burst of red, the birds would fall into the heavy abyss of the Unknown. But with each death, a new bird seemed to appear out of nowhere. Time passed by slowly, and yet like a speeding bullet. It seemed they’d been battling the relentless swarm of beasts for weeks, but somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Nova knew they’d only just arrived.
The screams of her crew sent chills down her spine as a new bird attacked, grasping two women from the rope ladder along the mast. They fought back, stabbing and jabbing at the clawed feet. One sliced a long, scaly toe in a flash of red, forcing the bird to release her. She fell just shy of the deck. Nova reached out to catch her flailing hands, but she slipped away. It seemed Nova could see her terrified face falling for days until it finally disappeared into the black hole below them.
“Nova, take my hand,” Hadwin said. Without thinking Nova reached out for his palm. Immediately she felt a surge of power flow from his hand to hers. “Together, we must tell them to go. Focus, just as I taught you.”
Nova nodded, trying to block out the chaos surrounding them. She urged the dark power to destroy the beasts. Her chest tightened as she imagined them falling dead where they flew. No more lives would be lost, she would see to it.
“Kale! Look out,” Captain Tucker yelled.
Nova cracked her eye open, her heart pounding at the distressing cry. A black bird had ripped one of its claws across Kale’s arm, but he had rolled in time. The bird was not giving up on its prey and it swooped back again. Captain Tucker and her father fired, but the bird hissed and dodged their blasts. It pinned Kale by the shoulder with the point of its jagged beak.
Kale’s face was turned up in fear as he fired the coiled pistol, striking the bird on the top of its wing. The blast created another hole in its already destroyed wing. But it seemed the injury only angered the creature more.
“Nova, focus,” Hadwin demanded. “We must work together.”
Nova bit her lip. The others were trying to save Kale, but to no avail. The bird swung its wings, swatting them away. Looking victorious, the bird raised its long, thick neck high, readying to deliver the fatal bite with its beak.<
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“No,” she cried, tearing her hand away from Hadwin.
“Nova!” he called out after her, but she ignored him. Nova leapt high enough to catch hold of the rope ladder. Taking out a pistol on the opposite hip, she watched the coils spring to life with black copper as she fired. The bullet flew in slow motion, finally embedding deep into the skull of the hideous creature as it was about to bite into Kale’s chest.
The bird didn’t make a sound as it fell from the edge of the ship, falling to its final resting place. Nova jumped down, ready to rejoin Hadwin, but his focus was on a new challenger approaching their ship. It seemed a year had passed. Nova cursed. They would be locked in an eternal battle with the devil birds, and she had ruined the one opportunity they’d had to take them.
Sabryn tossed glass balls filled with clear liquid. When they hit the deck, a hissing gas floated up, causing the birds to choke and screech long enough for someone to slice their blades across their throats.
Maddox and Talia had teamed up, leaping head over heels, using one of them as bait while the other took the fatal shot. But the birds just replaced the dead. Nova fell to her knees, feeling the helplessness of the situation overwhelm her. On the deck of the other ship, a loud hum of voices interrupted the deadly battle of the Unknown birds.
The Three Brothers had emerged from the lower deck. They stood in a circle, hands connected, chanting some strange song. Together they created a ball of light in the center which floated above their heads. The light seemed to catch the birds’ attention and the creatures watched as the orb raised higher above the ships, until suddenly the ball exploded in a ring of light and the birds froze, tumbling off the decks of the ship, all of them dead and gone.
The silence returned. All three ships were in disarray from the monstrous attack. Finally, each ship took a silent inventory of those they had lost. Nova breathed a sigh of relief to see all those she loved unharmed and still on board.
She looked over her shoulder at the Three Brothers’ ship. Their empty eye sockets had found her and watched her, their faces sullen but a sinister glee painted on their lips.
“You could have saved the ships,” Patus shouted at her. “You chose not to. Check your feelings, young lady, or you will not survive.”
“Yes, well if you could have stopped the bloodshed all along, what took you so long?”
The brothers merely chuckled in her direction before going below deck once more.
“The brothers have great power. They create spells, Nova,” Varick said at her side. “They used a spell of some kind, love. They will not be able to do that every time.”
“They should have acted sooner.”
“Perhaps,” he agreed. “They are warped and do not care for us. They take sport in watching your abilities. My guess is they wanted to see what you would do.”
“Well, I failed,” Nova said, ignoring the glance she received from Maddox as he passed behind her. “I could have helped, but I let go.”
“Did you fail?” Varick questioned. “Or did you make a choice? You saved Kale’s life. It was clear none of us could have gotten to him in time.”
Nova nodded, her eyes burning with tears. “I couldn’t let him go, Father. I knew if I let go, other people would die, but I couldn’t let him go.” Varick wrapped an arm around her shoulders, as silent tears fell. “I can’t face Lurlina and stop her if it means losing someone I love. You included.”
“Nova, take me out of your worries.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Because that witch isn’t even going to get close to me,” Varick laughed.
Nova gave him a watery smile. “I can’t believe we’ve fought for so long without rest. I didn’t think I could stay awake for so many nights in a row,” she said looking up at the glittering half-stars.
“Love, we were only battling the Nachtkrapp for an hour. Stay clear-headed Nova, the Unknown can confuse you to the point you forget who you are. If you feel confused, ask one of us and we can try and guide you back to reality.”
Captain Tucker and Kale came up, Kale helping his father keep his balance. “I never imagined Nachtkrapp existed. They were just a scary story we told one another as children,” Captain Tucker said.
Varick nodded. “Here, the monsters of your stories are real. The Nachtkrapp will not be the only horrors we will face. But as I was explaining to Nova, the greatest risk is losing touch with our true reality. Many a ship have crossed through the borders only to suffer the fate of sailing in endless confusion forever. Stay focused and we will make it out of here alive.”
Captain Tucker nodded, glancing at Kale who looked at the deck. It was as if they each knew what the other was thinking. Everyone, even if for only a moment, had lost touch with reality during the attack. And their journey through the Unknown had just begun.
Later, after those who had been wounded and the lost had been honored by a time of silence and salute, those on Nova’s ship huddled around the center mast.
Varick had a yellowed scroll of parchment sprawled out on the table. The parchment was covered in scratches of writing and crude drawings.
“Where did you get a map of the Unknown?” Captain Tucker said, a tone of awe in his voice.
Without looking up, Varick replied while placing different weapons on the corners to hold the scroll open. “When I took Kamali from the mountain, one of my requests was she create a map so I could return.” Varick smiled at the memory. “Of course, she did this during the time we didn’t think much of one another, and she wrote it in the Djinn language hoping I would never be able to translate it. Luckily, on this trip we have two people who can translate for us.”
Nova looked at the map, she could read the scratchy handwriting perfectly. “That’s written in a different language?” she asked her father.
Varick nodded. “Would you or Hadwin care to translate? I know over here is Dia, but if we are to find your lost friend we will have to take an alternate route.”
Nova scanned the map. Her father was correct. The path to Dia crossed through something named The Hills of Tod. It had a skull and crossbones symbol nearby which made her hesitate. There were two main routes to Dia. The Hills of Tod, and another which would pass them through places without crossbones—the Sea of Stars and the Jungle of Amissa. It would take longer, and there was no telling their dangers. As her father had said, her mother had drawn the map at a time she wanted to kill Varick. It could be they were the more dangerous route.
“There are two routes we can take. I don’t know which one is best,” she explained pointing to the two paths.
Hadwin took the map and studied it for a moment. “The Hills of Tod have taken many lives during our journeys to the temple. But it is shorter.”
Varick shuddered. “Half the crew of the Scarlet Moon fell victim to those hills. When I left Dia with Kamali, she sent us through a tunnel. It was dark and difficult to navigate, but it was safer. Do you see a description of such a place?”
Nova looked carefully over the map. Every space she scanned filled her with a sense of dread and anxiety. Her eyes stopped at a description of a bridge written in small letters. But the description made it clear going through from the Launi end of the Unknown would require passage through the Sea of Stars.
“There,” she said, pointing at the sea. “She wrote of a passageway, but insists coming at it from this angle will still provide plenty of danger.”
“It’s probably the best option,” Hadwin said. “The hills are quite impossible with the number of people we have.”
“Then it’s decided?” Varick asked. When Hadwin nodded, Varick took the half-melted candle and lit the wick. Covering the flame for a long pause, he flashed his hand in front of the flame four short times. Nova watched as the neighboring ships responded with two short flickers of their own flames. “Take her to the port side, Atlas. Due South to the Sea of Stars—at least, I think it’s South.” Varick cocked his head, holding the large compass in his hand. The ne
edle would jump between directions occasionally, creating an impossible feat to tell the true vectors.
Atlas ripped the helm and the ship groaned as it altered course. Kale took her hand and stood solemnly at her side. The ships’ sails billowed in a sudden breeze, pushing them onward to face their fate. But like the name of the place, everything seemed to be precariously unknown.
Chapter 17
Sea of Stars
The colors swirled together like a glittering, hazy soup. Nova held her breath as Atlas slowly eased the vessel through the foggy entrance. The second ship followed closely behind, but the ship with the Three Brothers remained a distance away. The arrogant brothers refused to join the small fleet into the Sea of Stars, forcing the ship to remain stationary. Hadwin hadn’t argued, even agreeing it would be wise to keep some of their group out of the dangers awaiting until they could find a clear path and send for them. The brothers had at least obliged them to take the seer stone to call for them when needed.
Once the ships disappeared into the beautiful, yet frightening mix of dust and shining sky debris, the currents picked up, rocking their ship dangerously.
“Hold her steady,” Varick shouted.
Captain Tucker had joined Atlas at the helm and helped him onehanded. The ship was pummeled with bursts of wind as it floated through the vibrant waves of stars and clouds.
“Hold tight now!” Captain Tucker shouted, bracing with Atlas on the quarterdeck.
Nova looked over her shoulder and gripped the rail of the ship tightly. Walls of stars, rocks, and broken bits of islands blocked them on either side. But the ship was caught in a raging current of furious strength which spilled over the edge of the walls, leading to what appeared to be an endless darkness below.
“Row back!” Atlas shouted.
“Row back!” Varick repeated on the lower deck.
Swiftly, the crew pulled the long oars, hooking them on small loops on the rails. Exerting all their strength, they rowed against the current, desperate to free their ship from the free fall.