by Rosie Scott
The kraken was too strong for the plague, for the disease was not spreading farther than the center of its underbelly. Only when I saw black tendrils racing from the ship and to the ocean below did I realize Cerin had released them.
It was a good idea. The ocean was full of life, so surely it was full of the dead. We must have been in shallower waters due to nearing the coast, because otherwise, the spell could have fizzled out if corpses were too far from us on the ocean floor.
An orb of emerald energy hit the kraken from the direction of the poop deck. I looked over to it, finding only Calder, one blue hand raised over the railing of his ship.
So he does know magic, I pondered, though I hadn't recognized the spell.
It was like everything had stopped. Though the rains still fell, the kraken had frozen so quickly it became like a statue, floating heavily in the waters with one tentacle still hugging the ship's center. Whatever Calder did, it gave us an immense advantage.
My friends were hacking at this tentacle now, too, all four of them sinking blades through flesh that was far thicker than it looked. I hurried over, shooting ice shards through it myself, finding that they broke the flesh quite easily. The winds and rains were so heavy upon us that I started to shiver. The ice I wielded only encouraged this, though I wanted to stick with what worked.
The cannons fired at the kraken continuously, and because it was still, the wounds built upon wounds, tearing through already injured flesh. Surely, at this rate, we could kill it. It was still, after all.
But then it wasn't. It came out of its slumber with a fury, multiple tentacles whipping through the air. One swiped horizontally through the masts over the ship like they were nothing, and the thick wood fell to the ship.
“Fuck!” Calder's voice rang out behind me, and I spun just in time to see his body get hit by a mast which collapsed through the wheel. He was knocked back toward the edge of the ship, where the slippery wood of the deck was yet another foe. He slipped backward, falling overboard.
“Calder!” I ran toward the steps, just for the ship beneath me to jolt again. I fell to the stairs, my head knocking off of the hard wood of one of them. A headache pounded in my temples right before I began to slide.
Slide? I forced myself to look toward my feet, and fear thickened in my chest like a poisonous fog. The kraken had surrounded the center of the ship with two tentacles, fed up with our meddling and determined to kill us all. The Galleon Stallion was completely cracked in half, and both ends of the ship were rising as the kraken attempted to pull it from its center underwater.
All of my friends had been at the center of the quarterdeck, but now, I only saw Jakan and Nyx. Nyx grasped a railing, and Jakan was hanging onto the remnants of a mast. Given that we were all sliding toward the broken center of the ship, where the wood cracked and separated, I figured I knew where Cerin and Anto had fallen. My heart raged against my chest with fear, and only when my headache worsened did I realize I was screaming.
My arms scrambled for a hold of anything. Anything. Finally, my hands caught on the railing of the ship, splinters slicing through my palm as I grasped at rough wood. I heard Nyx screaming, and I realized she was below me. The railing was now vertical, and I hung from it desperately, trying to avoid the inevitable.
“Kai! They're gone! All gone!”
I risked a glance, finding Nyx desperately hanging onto the railing on the other side, her legs and hips dangling toward the water as the ship sank. Jakan was no longer anywhere to be found.
“Where?” I screamed back, shaking, my hold on the railing slipping.
“Down!” She yelled back, saying no more.
My eyes fell between the two halves of the ship as they jolted toward the ocean, encouraged by tugs of the creature below us. The water between my best friend and I was littered with debris and furniture from the ship. The saltwater that lapped up against the sides of the wreckage was stained a deep red.
I focused on breathing, my eyes on Nyx as her body hung from the side of the ship, her arms shaking with the pressure of hanging on. If we had any chance of making it out of this alive, our lungs would need to be ready.
“Hold your breath, Nyx!” I yelled at her, despite it being obvious.
She did not follow my advice, because she couldn't. She slipped and fell toward the bloody ocean below, her screams rising in volume and urgency before they cut off abruptly as she disappeared beneath the waves.
Crrrk! The ship itself sounded as if it was groaning in pain, the other half slowly sinking into the waters below. My half was following, the ocean and various debris looming ever closer. I could hear nothing but the pouring rains, and all of the damn water was working against me. My arms were hot and shaking with the tremendous pressure. I could not see my friends, and I couldn't see any sailors. I couldn't hear them, either. Perhaps they were all dead. Perhaps there was hope. Either way, there was only one way for me to call any shots in this predicament I found myself in. No matter what, I would soon be in that ocean. I might as well have a full breath of air when I hit it.
I filled my lungs with air until it felt they would burst, and then I relieved my arms of their burden. The wind whipped against my ears as I fell toward the ocean, my heart tearing up my chest.
Then, there was no sound but rising bubbles, and the protests and screams of men underwater. I opened my eyes, and could see nothing. My eyes burned with the salt of the ocean and the contamination of blood, but I was determined to survive this. I swam as fast as I could, before I realized I didn't know which way was which.
Crack! The water around me vibrated, and the world lit up with white light, if only for a moment. The lightning from the storm above provided insight into the underwater world. I saw the kraken deep in the blue abyss, still pulling the ship underwater, multiple tentacles dragging the vessel like it was a heavy bag of loot. It was much larger than it had appeared during our battle, for an entire sack of body and head was attached to its belly, though much of that had remained underwater while we were still on the ship. There were broken bodies everywhere, surrounded by clouds of blood. I heard the desperate moans of someone drowning, but I could not see them to help, for the lightning was gone again.
I swam in the opposite direction of the kraken. There was nothing but blackness and fear. I had not broken above water yet, and I didn't know up from down. My chest burned with the pain of holding so much air, and I released a bubble of it. It was so dark, I couldn't see which way the bubble went to inform me of which way to swim.
How far had I fallen? Where were the others? How far was land? I knew none of this. My arms kept swiping out before me, desperate for survival. My head pounded from a lack of fresh air, and I released another bubble of it, though now I felt panicked. I was low on air, and what little I had was stale.
Throb. Throb. Throb. I felt like tears were escaping my eyes, because they burned, but there was nothing but water, so I didn't know if my mind was simply playing tricks on me. Water. So much water.
My body fought me as I began to panic, and I released the rest of the air from my lungs, against my own will. My own moans of fear were muffled in the ocean around me as I realized I was about to drown. I begged for something, something that would tell me which way was up.
Crack! Another lightning bolt lit up the sky to my left. How was that possible? I desperately spun in the water to right myself, my chest feeling as if it was in the midst of collapsing. My eyes peered behind me into the abyss, and to make matters worse, I found I had a pursuer.
Its skin was reflective and smooth, but through my blurry vision I could see little detail. It swam much like a snake slithers, its body swaying from side to side rhythmically as its four legs hugged its sides. Its head was broad, with glowing red eyes and horns spiked out from around a wide jaw, which opened as it neared me, showcasing rows of sharp teeth.
I swam in a fury toward the top of the ocean, reaching toward the direction of the sky as if it would reach back and save me. I felt
the creature's mouth bite my leg, and I screamed in pain and panic, taking in a mouthful of saltwater instead of air.
Then, in the deep recesses of my mind came the flow of the Naharan music, muted and spotted with the inaccuracies of time and memory.
Thirteen
Ga-woo! Ga-woo!
I frowned, my head pounding so hard that I dared not open my eyes. I laid flat on my back. Beneath the palm of one hand, I felt wet earth. I curled my fingers downward, digging them into the ground, and pulled back heavy, wet sand.
Ga-woo! Ga-woo!
The soft lapping of waves met my ears, and I found I was only confused. I had no recollection of where I was, nor did I understand why I would be near the ocean. I was in Nahara.
Ga-woo! Ga-woo!
Nyx's face appeared in my mind. She was screaming, falling toward the ocean.
My eyes darted open, finding a galaxy of stars, blocked only by the fern-like leaves of a nearby tree which was determined to be the first to greet me. I sat up, glancing down at my chest when I felt something was missing. I was wearing an undershirt and pants, but little else. The armor Anto made for me was scattered across the sands, as if someone had ripped the pieces of it off in a frenzy. Footprints led from my side over to the right, where Calder slept.
I found myself grateful he had made it, and the memories of the battle with the kraken came back to me. Though then I panicked, for I remembered the creature that bit me. I reached down, feeling that the blood of its bite had since dried.
I then did a double take back to Calder. He was completely naked. Completely. And I was half-dressed.
“Calder,” I said, urgently. The captain stirred, but did not wake. “Calder!” I hissed.
“Mm?” The Alderi looked around, confused at first, before he found me and smiled. “Good! You're up!”
“Why are you naked?”
Calder stared at me a moment, before he burst into laughter, lying his head back on the sands to look at the stars. I frowned, watching him. I didn't find this amusing. “Ah. Everything has gone wrong, every person you love is missing, all of my people are dead, my ship is destroyed, you were two seconds away from drowning, and that is the question you ask?”
I hesitated, taking all of that information in. “Wha...” I snapped my head around, looking for the others. We were on a tiny island, and we were very much alone. “What? Where is everyone?”
“Probably dead, love. Maybe not. If they're lucky.”
“Are you serious?” I rolled over to my stomach, where I struggled to stand, my entire body shaking from both the recent events and the news.
“You act as if I would joke about such a thing.”
“You're acting like this is a joke!” I countered, stumbling over to the lone tree on the island. I leaned against it, in a state of panic and denial, which only left me confused.
“I have already lost everything, Kai. I have nothing left to lose. Life is but a joke to me at this point.” The captain hesitated, before he added, “Not that I'm complaining. Perhaps it's for the best. Maybe losing everything will do you some good as well. You can stop traveling the world and getting people killed.”
His words did little to make me feel better. I'd already been feeling self-conscious about all of that.
“Out of all the people who I am left with, it had to be you,” I breathed, tears burning my eyes. My mind wandered to thoughts of Cerin and the others, before I abruptly cut it short. I would not mourn. I refused to until I had proof I needed to.
“Ha! Great minds think alike,” Calder mused, behind me. “Meeting you was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Perhaps you could say the same?”
“Fuck you,” I spat, turning back to face him. “I was nothing but cordial to you after everything that happened with Koby. I offered you my help. I worked with everyone else to defend your ship and heal your men. Even if you feel no sympathy for me, could you not be humane?”
Calder was silent. He laid on his back, still, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the stars.
I turned back to the tree, looking beyond. I could not see other land, but if we were on an island, surely we were in the midst of the Western Isles. Because it was deep in the night, it was too dark to see very far. I did not want to call out for my friends, yet. I knew the wildlands got their reputation for a reason, and I figured that like other lands, they were most dangerous at night.
My body was still weak from the battle, so I eventually wandered back to where I'd started, and collapsed on the sands in the midst of my armor.
“So did you assault me?” I asked bluntly.
“Why would you ask that?” The tone of Calder's voice indicated the question offended him.
“You are naked, and you removed all of my armor. I was unconscious.”
“You must have forgotten everything I told you of the underground,” he mused dryly.
“I didn't,” I argued.
“Then you must believe me to be an asshole.”
“I do.”
Surprising me, Calder chuckled. “Perhaps there is hope for us yet. You do not waste your time before insulting me.”
“Neither do you.”
“I'm sorry, Kai.” He said it quickly, as if it was a burden to him.
“If you assaulted me and think an apology is going to fix it, I will promptly introduce you to some elements which will correct that mentality of yours.”
“Gods, woman, get your mind off of it! I didn't touch you other than what I needed to so you wouldn't die.” There was a hesitation. “You had water in your lungs. Armor is restrictive. I had to remove it. If I didn't, I couldn't have pumped it from your chest, and you wouldn't be alive.”
“Why save me at all? You could have left me to die.”
“Because I'm not like that, no matter how much you'd like to believe it.”
“So your talk is cheap,” I mused.
Calder sighed heavily. “I'm a wreck, Kai, much like my ship. I have lost everything. I'm bitter. That's what I was apologizing for. You don't deserve the brunt of it, but you're the only one here. I am ranting and raving, and the man who used to remind me to keep my attitude in check is no longer here.”
I glanced over, finding Koby's key necklace hanging from his neck to the sands. “You have his necklace. Let it calm you.”
Without saying a word, Calder reached to his neck, his fingers following the chain over to the sands, where he picked up the key. He brought it back to his chest, where he held it.
“Is that a real key?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied, simply.
“For a door? Chains?”
“For Koby's door, where he was kept.”
“Why did he keep it?” I questioned.
“He said he always wanted to remember where he came from. Freedom was better, he said, when he remembered how hard we fought to obtain it.” His blue thumb grazed over the key one way, before moving back in the other direction.
“You didn't keep your key?”
“No. I wanted to forget it all. Act like none of it ever happened. The key reminded me that I was once vulnerable to the cruel whims of others, and I am ashamed of that.”
“There's nothing to be ashamed of. You suffered at the hands of injustice, and you overcame it. That's something to be proud of, actually.”
“Says someone who grew up as royalty and speaks of freeing slaves as if it is some romantic notion.” Despite the words, he didn't say it cruelly, only somewhat distantly.
“I know more than you think. I have freed many slaves.”
“Have you?” He laughed dryly in disbelief.
“Yes. In Nahara.” I looked over to him. “You could stand to get to know people before judging them.”
Calder turned his head, letting his face rest sideways on the sand. “All right, then prove me wrong. Tell me of the slaves you freed.”
“Anto was the first.”
“The orc was a slave? They are usually the slavers.”
&nb
sp; “Yes, but he escaped his tribe. He was captured and sold into slavery in Nahara, where he fought in the coliseum for two years.”
“You bought him out of it?” Calder questioned.
“No, I fought so he didn't have to. That is when I killed Malgor.”
The Alderi's gaze softened in my own. “He was your friend, before this?”
“No. But Jakan was, and the two are in love. Cerin was once imprisoned, so I knew how that felt. I couldn't let Anto die.”
Calder sighed. “Okay, I am impressed. And of the others?”
“The others were slaves from the coliseum as well. I have worked extensively over the past year with Hasani to free them. His father is still king, so we couldn't override his rule, but between Hasani's bickering and my gold, we freed dozens up until the first of High Star this year. Once Hasani is king, he will do away with the coliseum, which will greatly lessen the slave trade by itself. Neither of us like slavery, so we worked together to bring an end to it.”
The Alderi was quiet for awhile, until my mind moved to other things. My eyes wandered around to the pieces of my armor, remembering how Calder had rescued me.
“Thank you for saving me,” I said, softly.
“You're welcome,” he replied.
“Did you kill the lizard?”
“Yes.”
“With what? I have heard you are not a weapons guy.”
There was a pause. “Do not concern yourself.”
“Why do you hide the fact that you are a mage?” I asked, bluntly.
“I don't...hide it. I just don't flaunt it around. It's not anyone's business most of the time.”
“It is my business now. If we're the only survivors, we'll have to work together.”
Calder chuckled. “Is that so?”
“Why is that funny to you?”
“Because you were cursing me out less than an hour ago, and here you are now, eager to work together.” He hesitated. “You must be impressed by the size of my—”
“Don't go there, Calder,” I warned, though I found myself amused by him. “I'm not looking there, anyway.”
“It's impossible to miss. It's gigantic.”