~ ~ ~
4th Waning Flower Moon, Year 4369
The Slingstone flew over the waves again, the wind strong at her back, bearing her east across the open water between the islands. There was no need for the oars this time around, as the wind was more than sufficient to carry them to where they were going. A full complement of sea elves crewed her again, but this time, they were not warriors, but artisans.
Elias stood at the bow, as he tended to. His enormous blade was strapped to his back, though he didn't expect to have to use it. It was a symbol he carried with him at all times these days, and he knew that the warriors appreciated it.
On the deck of the ship lay hundreds upon hundreds of burlap and other fiber bags that had been treated with a type of glue that made them waterproof. Two large leaves on the inside kept the two sides of the container from being stuck together, and added to their resiliency. Each was almost large enough for one of the sea elves to climb inside of, but when they were empty, they lay quite flat. Nonetheless, the stacks were piled high on the deck, between the oar seats, taller than most of the elves on board, and ran from one end of the ship to the other.
It wasn't yet noon by the time they reached the site of the battle, the masts of the enormous galleon still visible over the water. She had settled almost flat on the bottom of the shallow water, the masts listing very slightly towards the open sea. Four other ships were anchored nearby, with multiple smaller craft rowing back and forth from the larger vessels to the wreckage.
The Iron Oar was there, the largest of the ships, which meant Delain would be present. As they drew close, they slacked their sails and dropped their oars into the water, hauling on them to create drag. Soon, they were able to drop their anchor, and Elias boarded a rowboat to the Iron Oar.
When he boarded, Delain greeted him warmly. “I am glad to see you, my boy! I knew you were strong, but to see you standing before me it is like you were never wounded!”
Elias shook his hand, smiling broadly. Despite the discussion last night and Coral storming away, being back out lifted his spirits. “It is good to see you as well, my friend! So tell me, what is your plan here? How will we bring this beast back to life?”
Delain was positively giddy, acting decades younger than he was. “I've had this idea for years and years, but no way to ever try it! The hole we put in the ship was relatively small, but large enough for the sea elf divers to get through. We have attached a pulley and a rope to the bow near the damage, and attached the ends to floats.” He held up a finger. “Here's where it gets interesting!”
He led Elias to the main deck, where several large bellows, like those used to fire forges, were set up. One elf would hold the open end of one of the burlap sacks over the bellows, while another would work the handle, inflating the sack until it was tight. A third elf took a thick plug dipped in pitch, stuffed it into the end of the bag, and tied it tightly with woven cord. The result was a sack filled with air that was almost the size of the elves making it.
“We load these on to the rowboats, and then, with the rope and pulley, we draw them down to the hole in the hull of the ship, and inside. The elves inside push them into the upper decks, and come back for another.” He shook his head. “I really don't know how they can stay underwater for so long. Maybe they do have gills...”
Some of the elves overheard the last comment and laughed heartily.
“No, old man, we just hold more of the wind in our chests than any mainlander ever could!”
Delain snapped back, “Then is that why you're such blowhards? Those sacks aren't inflated with bragging!”
Even Elias had to laugh at the feigned sternness from the elderly captain. Lending his considerable strength to the task, he worked the bellows two at a time while the sea elves scrambled to keep up with him. Once they had enough to fill a boat, they loaded them up, and Elias accompanied it to the floating ends of the rope.
They tied one end of the rope to an inflated sack, and two sea elves worked in tandem to haul on the other end, bringing it down slowly but surely. They were aided by workers that were down by the pulley, bracing themselves and hauling downward on the rope as well.
The sea was thankfully calm that day, but the work was grueling nonetheless. By the time the sun was setting, they had managed to get the masts standing straight up again, but the ship still lay on the bottom of the sea.
“Another day should do it,“ Delain reported over dinner. “The swimmers have filled the upper deck and half of the second deck. All that's left is to fill the second deck entirely, then the third. The bilges should be able to remain empty. With that, we should have enough of these waterproof sacks to bring her back to the surface.“
Delain was making notes on the sides of some drawings he had made of the front of the sunken ship. “Once we get her floating, we can patch her well enough to get her to dock at Wahine Rapa. There is a channel just deep enough for her at high tide, and if we moor her there, low tide will leave her beached enough to let us patch her proper. Then she'll be ours.” He looked up at Elias. “Have you given any thought as to her name?”
Elias shook his head as he ate, a mountain of ham and fruit biscuits on a platter next to him. “No, no I haven't. I want something suitably terrifying for our foes, but not dark, nothing that would be seen as a bad omen by the sea elves or the men at port.”
Delain pointed his feather pen at him. “I know just the name. Call her the Leviathan. The fury of the Sea. That will bring fear to the hearts of the superstitious pirates, and reassure the sea elves, who venerate the sea.”
Elias mulled that thought over. “What of the men at port?”
Delain scoffed. “You can do no wrong by them. They'll be impressed that you managed to raise her.”
Elias shook his head. “I can't be the one to take all the credit. You are the one bringing her back up, not me.”
Delain dropped his hands, looking hard at Elias. “Have you not yet grasped your position? You are a figurehead. You're the one everyone looks to. You get all of the credit and all of the blame. If it goes well, it's because you were there. If I do well, it's because you brought me here. If we are triumphant in battle, then it's because you planned it perfectly.”
“But the planning is done by all of us! You, me, Jonas, Jenna, Marl, all of us.”
Delain pointed at him. “And -you- brought us together. We work for -you-.”
Elias shook his head, taking a bite out of a thick slice of ham. Washing it down with water from a carafe, he grunted. “I'm not sure that I deserve the position.”
“Deserve it or not, you have it, and you're well on your way to earning it. All we have to do is get the Leviathan above water and put back together.”
“What about the Papaya?”
Delain shook his head, waving his pen back and forth dismissively. “She came apart, two pieces as she fell, and lay on her side. There's no bringing her back, much to Jonas's regret.” Delain chuckled for a moment. “I seriously think he mourns her like a woman lost.”
Elias laughed. “Where is Jonas, anyway? Normally he's present for things such as this.”
Delain shook his head again. “Bah, he's found a woman and a drink to drown his sorrows, no doubt. He hasn't been back on a ship since you woke up. He said he was waiting for his esteemed, glorious leader to tell him what to do.”
Elias slumped a bit. “I don't know what I've said that has him upset with me. When we last parted, he seemed to disapprove.”
Delain nodded slowly. “He does, lad. He doesn't like taking orders, and he doesn't like taking them from someone who seems as young as you do. But he does, because he knows it's the right thing to do, and you're the right one to follow. He'll keep doing so, but rest assured he'll make his voice heard.”
Elias thumped his fist on the table. “Good! And you make sure you do the same! I'm not the only one spearheading this, and I can't do it without your help!”
Delain reached across the table and clapped him on the shoulder. “Be assure
d of that too. I plan on living my last years making a lot of noise, you can count on that!”
He looked over his sketches, and nodded. “I think that'll do it. Tomorrow we'll have her floating again, and then we'll put her back together. Until then, this old man needs some sleep. You should get some rest too.“
Elias stood, holding out a hand to help the old man to his feet. “I will. I'm just going to get some air first, then I'll bed down for the night.”
Delain grunted, stretching his back. “See that you do. You young folk need more sleep than we elders.”
After Delain took his leave, Elias climbed to the aft castle, on the eastern side of the ship, and looked out to sea. Each of the five boats had lookouts stationed, and he could see their torches in the clear night. Several miles to the north, he could see light from the coastal village there, on Wahine Rapa, where they would be bringing Leviathan.
He had to admit, the name was growing on him, the more he thought about it.
~ ~ ~
5th Waning Flower Moon, Year 4369
By noon, the hull started to pull free of the sand. The workers redoubled their efforts, and Elias himself manned the rope that hauled the airbags down to the ship. By the time the last load of airbags had been inflated, the top of the deck had broken the surface. Her lower decks still remained underwater, but the Leviathan had risen from the depths. A resounding cheer came from all present at the momentous task they had achieved. The remaining airbags were loaded into her hull, and the damage was covered with thick sailcloth to keep them in. She rode low in the water, but she floated.
Every boat with oars was tied to the giant warship, and they began the arduous task of towing the behemoth towards land. A skeleton crew boarded and unfurled what sails they could, which were in surprisingly good shape. The rudder needed some repairs, as settling to the seabed had jammed it slightly to the left of straight, but beyond that, the vessel was mostly intact.
By the time they reached the mainland, the tide was high, which was perfect. They floated the Leviathan into the channel until she ran aground, and used great timbers to prop her up, so she wouldn't lay on her side when the tide receded.
The supplies to repair the ship were already present, as were shipwrights, both men and elves from the mainland, and a small army of sea elves. Planks were already being prepared to replace the shattered ones on near the bow, and cauldrons of pitch were being warmed over low fires. As soon as the water was low enough, and the Leviathan was settled in the sand, the workers started stripping off the parts of the hull that needed to be replaced.
“Thank the gods you didn't hit her keel. I don't think that we'd have been able to replace that without a proper dry dock. But this... this will work for repairing her hull.” Delain seemed to be in his prime here, directing groups of workers in their tasks.
“How did you learn so much about building ships?” Elias asked, marveling at the older man's knowledge. “I've met plenty of sailors who couldn't do this as well as you do.”
Delain was studying a chart, and looked up. “Oh, I was raised down in Greatport, a stone's throw from the shipyards there, My father built cargo ships for the merchants there, and war galleys for the king. I learned to read so that I could read the schematics to him.”
“Why didn't you build ships for a living then? Why not follow in your father's steps?”
Delain waved his hand. “My father was an abusive man. As soon as I was old enough to sail away, I did, but my experience at the shipyards made me more valuable for repairs than for scrubbing decks. Once I got a ship of my own, I took care of her well enough that she didn't need repairs.”
Elias nodded. “That makes sense, I suppose.”
Delain shouted to a group of elves who were sitting around a cauldron chatting. “Hoi there! Don't let that fire die down too low, or that pitch will go hard! Don't build it up too high, or it'll catch fire!”
Almost as if on cue, one of the cauldrons closer to the water burst into flames, causing the men and elves nearby to back away, shouting. One of the men raked the coals away and threw a thick, burned leather hide over the top of it, smothering the flames. Delain shook his head, cursing under his breath.
“Damn amateurs... what did you say? Oh, yes. Yes, everything makes sense in the proper context. Just like it makes sense that a low-born old man is sitting next to a giant on a pirate infested beach in Greenreef, teaching sea elves how to fix a giant sunken ship. Makes perfect sense.“
Elias chuckled shaking his head.
~ ~ ~
7th Waning Flower Moon, Year 4369
Elias stood on the deck of the Leviathan as she sailed across the open water. The waves crashed on either side of the behemoth, but she didn't buck and roll like the smaller ships did. No, she pushed through the waves like a juggernaut, bending the tide to her will. Even though he had watched her sink, watched her come back to life, and aided in her repair, he still marveled at the sheer massive size of the vessel.
As wide as the Slingstone was long, she stretched twice the length of the Iron Oar. She had a total of four decks, with a two storied forecastle, and a three storied aft castle, and four masts. The sheer amount of rigging was staggering, and she used enough sails for three other vessels. The amount of cargo she could hold was staggering, as well as the amount of crew she required. This vessel truly was a wonder. The pirates must have been confident indeed if they were gambling this ship in an outright fight with Elias and his armada.
Though she was only on the sea floor for a week or so, she needed extensive repairs to her sails, so they were limping her to anchor offshore at Port Greenreef, where more permanent repairs could be made. The work of the men and elves in repairing the hull was complete, but the rigging would be better repaired nearer to port.
Though Delain was fond of the Iron Oar, Elias could see the excitement in his eyes when he suggested that the old man captain the Leviathan. He had said that he needed to think about it, but by the next morning, he had moved his quarters from the Iron Oar to the Leviathan.
Elias stood on the forecastle, watching Rapa Matomato grow in the distance. When they arrived at the port, his first plan was to go from there to the Seagate... he and Coral had many things to discuss, not the least of which being his inevitable departure from the islands. It would give him the opportunity to hunt down the demonic black knight, but he still didn't want to go. However, as the gods had foreseen, if he didn't leave, neither would the shadow, and great calamity would befall the island, and thus, Coral.
His stomach knotted. The very idea was enough to make him feel sick. Maybe she would come with him when he left... he could, at this point, only hope.
Chapter Nineteen
8th Waning Flower Moon, Year 4369
Elias and Coral sat on the edge of the platform of his small hut, his feet in the sand, hers dangling over the edge. His boots and sword sat on the planks behind him, next to his tunic. She was wearing her white leather skirt, though if it was a new one or not Elias was unsure. If it was the old one, it had been dressed up with new bead work. Her halter top was made of the same material, with a similar design in stitched beads.
She had come to the lean-to shortly after he had arrived, and sat next to him without speaking. Neither of them had said anything yet; they just sat together, watching the waves come through the Seagate.
“I don't want to leave,” he said, finally.
“I know.”
“I don't want you to be angry with me, either.”
“I know. I'm not.”
He looked down at her, her black tresses hiding her face from him. “Are you sure? It feels like you are.”
She shook her head, looking down. “No. I'm not angry. Just very sad.”
He reached out, setting his hand over the top of hers between them. “You could come with me.”
She didn't say anything for a while. Eventually, she turned to look up at him, her green eyes striking in the setting sun, as they always were. “Elias, I'm pregn
ant.”
He froze, looking down at her. “But... how? I mean, it's been almost three seasons since we... have been together.”
She leaned against him, looking down at their hands. “It happened before. Perhaps the time under the mango tree, perhaps later that night. I didn't know I was fertile at that time, but the gods have chosen to bless us with a child.”
He looked her over. She didn't show at all. She was still slender, with no sign of a tummy at all. “But... after nine months, why do you not show the signs?”
She sighed. “I forget that you were not raised with our people. Just as we live much longer than men do, it takes us much longer to create a life as well. Our child won't be born for another seven summers, at least.”
Elias nodded, still somewhat in shock. “This... this is good news!”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Good news? Now the prophecies give you no protection! You could be maimed, or killed in the process of striking the final blow!”
Elias shook his head. “Damn the prophecies! We will win this because we have to. We don't need any gods or spirits or prophecies to guarantee our victory. The fact that you and I are going to have a child makes me happy!“
Reaching over, he picked her up and set her on his lap. “Besides. Who's to say it is a boy? We may have a daughter.”
She leaned against him, wrapping an arm behind his neck. “Elias, it is not wise to defy the gods or their words.” She ran her fingers down his chest, from his collarbone to his sternum. “Those who ignore the gods do so at their own certain peril.”
“Then we shall go where the gods can't reach us. Your gods are the gods of the islands, not of the whole world. On the mainland, they hold no power.”
She shook her head. “You know I am to be the speaker for the gods here when my father can no longer do it. I cannot abandon my people.“
Elias ran his fingers through her raven hair. “And I cannot abandon you.”
She pressed her face against his chest. “My love, I don't know what the answer is.”
They sat for a moment, the sun dipping lower in the sky.
Rising Thunder (Dynasty of Storms Book 1) Page 23