Wicked Warlock

by K. C. Hughes

  Taking belly-button deep breaths, he fixated on his power. He accepted that he’d become a warlock. The water reached his lips. He opened his mouth and let the water fill it. Because he was dehydrated, his instincts told him to swallow the quenching water. Instead, he swirled it around his mouth like it was Listerine. The water had covered his face, and he elevated his head to stave off drowning. He allowed the water time to mix with his saliva. He opened his mouth and released the water. Seconds later, that’s when it happened.

  The water swirled in a spool of choreographed motion. It gurgled as if it was coming to life. His face was no longer submerged. The water had starting draining. But where? Then he saw it. Miraculously, unbelievably, it began flowing up into the nozzles. He watched in amazement as the water flowed out of the death chamber. He knew he only had couple of minutes to act before Jon checked on him again. Suddenly, a wave slammed into the ship.

  The impact nearly caused the vessel to capsize. He immediately felt weightless as his stomach raised to his chin. Deakon swallowed hard, struggling to keep his seasickness from making him vomit. He knew that if nothing counteracted the movement, the ship would fall flat on her side. And when that happened, there was no way to correct it. Then, as if reading his mind, another wave smashed into the boat from the other side.

  His eyes rolled in relief as the ship was returned to the upright position. But his relief was short lived when he saw that the water began spewing back into the chamber. Even though his body shivered uncontrollably, he need to stay calm. He knew he could stop the flow. As he cleared his mind, he heard a clanging noise but he couldn’t make it out. The water quick than before, it seemed. He closed his eyes to focus, but then he heard gunshots. A thousand scenarios flashed through his mind. Who was shooting and who were they shooting at. He didn’t have time to guess what was going on around him. He needed to focus.

  Deakon clenched his fist, frustrated by the distractions. The water had risen to just below his ears and getting was higher by the second. He went through the meditation that he’d done. When the water covered his lips, he opened his mouth and repeated the swishing. He released it from his mouth but, nothing happened. He did it again, thinking he could get the water to go back in the nozzles. It now covered his face. He panicked and flogged in the chamber. His lungs burned. He wanted to inhale so bad. He fought off the urge with every ounce of strength that he had. Deakon had almost given up and drowned, but through the pale water, he saw someone open the small window.

  The pink water gushed out with great force. His eyes ballooned with fear. He couldn’t hold his breath any longer His lungs demanded oxygen. Suddenly, he felt the ship tilt. It allowed his to get oxygen from the air pocket. It was as if the ship was trying to help the water escape faster. He closed his eyes and gulped a lungful of oxygen and coughed hysterically. It was the most wonderful feeling.

  He opened his eyes and saw Zelda. His eyebrows drew together in astonishment. She bent over and unlatched the chamber. The dome lid let out a hiss when she opened it. The remaining water escaped the chamber. Deakon tried to sit up, but when he did, the pain from his bleeding wrist shot through him. He settled back down.

  “Can you unfasten me?” he asked, breathing hard.

  After she unfastened the straps, he jumped out of the chamber. His mouth had just opened to ask what she was doing there when he heard a gunshot. He blinked and looked down. He knew that Jon had shot him. But when he saw Zelda’s pinched face, he’d knew the bullet had hit her. He looked up and saw Jon pointing the gun at his head.

  In the instant he squeezed the trigger, another wave hit the boat. Deakon lost his balance and stumbled backwards into the chamber as the bullet whizzed past his ear. At the same moment, Jon's lost his sea legs. The wave knocked him sideways, and his head banged into a low hanging iron beam. Deakon heard a loud crack.

  Jon died instantly.

  Deakon knelt next to Zelda. He had a zillion questions to ask her but there was no time. He had to save Zelda and find Karri. She was still breathing but losing too much blood. He touched her body, searching for the bullet wound when she smiled at him. Then she closed her eyes. Deakon tensed. He couldn't let her die. She had saved his life.

  He gently grabbed her face. "Look at me!

  When her eyes fluttered open, her grin widened.

  He leaned closer to her face. "You're going to be okay, I promise".

  Her head lolled to one side, grinning like a cheesy online emoticon. He touched her face, grateful that she saved him. He wasn't going to let her die.

  Deakon searched her body and found the wound. It had entered the trapezius muscle and exited below her collarbone. The blood loss made her loopy. He searched around the huge cargo area until he found a cloth. It was a heavy linen material that made him tremble. It was meant to wrap around his severed head.

  He rushed back to Zelda and placed the cloth on the pressure point where her shoulder and neck met. He looked in her eyes. “You’re going to be alright,” he said "Just a superficial wound". He grabbed her hand and placed it over the cloth. “Keep your hand pressed here at all times.”

  Deakon had to find Karri. He ripped off his wet clothes and rushed over to Jon’s body. He yanked off the dead man’s clothes and put them on. He was so cold that he even wore Jon’s full length black coat. He looked up and saw the door. He sprinted to it. The run turned into flight. He soared in the air to the door with the coat flapping in his wake. It was a narrow stairwell. With no time to climb the steps, he used his power of flight to ascend to the top.

  It was eerily quiet on the deck and Deakon moved stealthily. Something made him stop. His basic instinct told him to flee. He shot straight up like a human rocket. Suddenly he heard the burst of gunfire. His heart thundered as he dodged yet another bullet by milliseconds.

  Deakon hovered above the deck, counting three men with guns. In the darkness of the night, camouflaged with Jon’s black outfit, he was safe from being seen. Other than the soft patter from the men's footsteps who frantically searched for him, everything was chillingly quiet. He saw the bridge deck and knew at least one person was there; the captain. But he had to find a way to get in it without being shot. He needed time to think of a plan.

  He landed on the roof of the bridge deck and walked in circles, searching his mind. He was trapped on a ship in the middle of the ocean with the Catchers who wanted him dead. His eyes swept across the calm ocean. He stopped in midstride and looked again at the stillness of the water. Something was odd. He knew he felt at least three powerful waves hitting the ship, but the smooth seas that he saw didn't add up. And then there was Zelda, his next door neighbor. Something deep in his gut told him she was somehow involved. But he didn't have time to think about it. He had to find Karri and escape. But how? In a short time, he went from being a fragile, bullied kid to a six foot warlock with unbelievable powers. That's it. He needed to use his powers to escape and live. It took him seconds to formulate a plan.

  Deakon ran to the front of the bridge deck and dove off. In mid glide he did a 180 degree turn, like he'd done at the skateboard arena. When he faced the windows, he mustered all the force he had and rammed into it. A loud clang of broken glass exploded as he landed inside. He hurled to the door and locked it. Then he turned and saw Loro in the corner. His eyes popped wide with absolute fear.

  "Where is she?" Deakon bellowed. But before he could answer, a burst of bullets rang out from the deck.

  He froze and looked down at his body. He knew he had been hit. Why did he turn his back to the door? He raised his arms to check for oozing blood, but when he didn't see any he slowly turned to the door. Zelda stood behind three dead bodies, holding Jon's gun in one hand and clutching the cloth to her shoulder with the other hand.

  He unlocked the door and she ambled in. With no words spoken, he grabbed her in his arms and hugged her in silent gratitude for saving his life twice. He released her and walked to Loro.

  "I will only ask one more time," he said with c
onviction. "Where is Karri?"

  He lowered his head. "She's in the captain's quarters."

  Deakon searched the room for rope and noticed the captain at the helm. "Who are you?" he asked.

  "I'm just the captain," he said, shaking.

  Deakon squinted his eyes. "Are you a Catcher?"

  "You mean a fisherman?"

  Deakon lips formed into a smile. "Okay, I'll give you one time to prove yourself. Tie him up and change course to America."

  "Aye, aye, captain." He exhaled in relief and began working.

  Deakon walked past Zelda to the steps. She grabbed his arm.

  "There's something I need to tell you," she said.

  "I already know, I'm a warlock." And he jutted down the stairs.

  When he passed the tiny kitchen and entered the captain's bedroom, he saw Karri tied down on the bed. He rushed to her side and knelt beside the bed. Her face was covered in purplish bruises.

  "I'm so sorry they did this to you," he said, heartbroken.

  She looked into his eyes tenderly. "I knew you would save me."

  He buried his head on her stomach and wept. He shoulder raised and fell with body wracking sobs.

  "Umm, can you untie me now?" she asked and began laughing.

  He raised his head and looked at her beautiful face and started laughing too. Their laughter turned into uncontrollable belly aching giggles.

  During the voyage home, the three of then sat at the table in the kitchen. Zelda explained everything from the moment he'd been conceived to how she ended up on the ship. Deakon was too exhausted to ask questions so he let her go on. The little energy he had, he used it to hold Karri's hand the entire time. In fact, when she got up to go the bathroom, he followed her, holding her hand.

  Deakon and Karri slept together in the captain's twin bed. It was small but that suited him just fine. She cradled her head on his shoulder and rubbed his chest. As the motion of the gentle waves rocked the boat, he kissed her head. He knew that with her by his side, he could overcome all of life’s unfair blows, even being a warlock. Deakon reached over, gently lifted her chin and kissed her. It started slow and searching, teasing each other with their lip ballet. The acceptance from her velvety-soft lips felt like an invitation from her soul, welcoming his to join. After she closed her eyes, he held her face and a hunger was released within him. The kiss went from soft and tender to wild and wanting. As she exhaled, he inhaled and took in her breath and wanted more. He wanted to ravish her, to protect her, and to love her for the rest of his life.

  Later that evening when all was quiet, Zelda peeked in their room. As they snuggled together, she had a thought. No one knew, but that night, a pure blood warlock was conceived.

  THE END