by R. J. Batla
“ETA in one hour, Captain.”
The sudden intrusion in her mind almost made her fly off the whale. “Um, who was that? And how are you in my head?”
“Your friendly neighborhood sworca. Name’s Barnacles.”
Celeste laughed. “Glad to meet you, Barnacles. I thank you for your services.”
“Anytime, Guardian. To answer your question, I’m in your head because the scale Roma attached to the Wave Connection allows you to use Seaspeak, as you call it. As long as you have the scale, you will always be able to contact me and my brother Klausi. Or any other sea creature, actually.”
“Appreciated, Barnacles. Thank you for everything.”
“Anything for the safety of the ocean, ma’am. Now hang on, and tell the other Tempus to as well – we’re going to dive down and catch a current.”
Celeste smiled and shouted to Mate. He cocked his head in question to the new information but nodded that he understood. As soon as he had a tight hold on the seaweed harness, the great mammals leaped out of the water and rocketed downward, entering the current in a rush, doubling their speed. Celeste and Mate pulled bubbles over their heads as they rode the underwater river.
Seaspeak. She never thought she’d have the power. Incredible. To touch the mind of such an amazing animal as a sworca.
She reached out to Klausi, speaking with him as well, and she enjoyed the whale’s company for a time. She closed her eyes and reveled in it, even when she felt them rising to the surface. They broke the surface cleanly and continued along, Celeste’s eyes still closed.
“Captain!” Mate shouted above the wind. “I’d like to know what you think of this.”
When she looked up, all she saw was smoke and fire. “Good Lord! Watuaga! It’s under attack – we’re too late!”
“No, ma’am,” Barnacles said, “the attack has begun, but only just. Hang on tight and prepare yourselves. I’m picking up thousands of lifeforms up ahead with my echolocation.”
With some clicks and whistles, the sworcas poured on even more speed, something Celeste never thought possible. She and Mate tightened their grips on the seaweed ropes that kept them aboard the sworcas.
Less than ten minutes later, they neared the edge of the battle, finally able to see what was really happening. It was sheer chaos.
Blue water powers were being fired in every direction by Tempus, most of them on sinking vessels or already in the water. All manner of ocean animals, from the darker region of the depths, swarmed over the Tempus ships, many being speared by water blades or sliced by steel ones. But numerous others made it through – way too many for the Tempus to stand a chance. More reptilian monsters, some fishlike humanoids, others resembling a cross between a squid and a dog – and all of them attacked the Tempus with ferocity and overwhelming numbers. Additionally, there was a fleet of at least two dozen ships flying the Jolly Roger also attacking, though they stayed well away from the heart of the battle.
No. I will not let my people die needlessly.
Celeste raised her hand to direct the power of the Wave Connection, the blue sapphires pulsing as she reached within herself and connected with the necklace. Anger burned inside her faster than usual, accentuated by the power of the conduit. She drew the energy to her hand, ready to strike.
Mate yelled, “Captain, you’ll need to save your energy – these are just the little ones. Trust our people to defend Watuaga! You’ll need all your strength to take out Bogata and his monsters!”
Celeste slowed her breathing, part of her realizing Mate was right, but the other part straining to attack, to use the power to destroy those killing her comrades. The two sworcas sliced through the water, nimbly dodging obstacles. Mate was thrown a cutlass as they passed close to a Tempus vessel, and Celeste drew the one she’d won before this whole mission started. To their credit, and a testament to the chaos around them, none of the Tempus even blinked at the pair of their countrymen riding on the backs of whales. Celeste and Mate used their swords to slice through oversized crabs, lobsters, and urchins that launched themselves out of the water, blasting others out of the way to clear a path for their rides. The whole time, she searched for Bogata.
They headed into the harbor, through the same entrance the Ajax had exited mere weeks ago, where the main contingency of vessels would be moored and the heaviest fighting likely to take place. Where are you, Bogata?
Celeste looked to the left, seeing many smaller ships being destroyed by enraged squids. Turning right, she found what she was looking for: the white Tempus waves on a blue backdrop. The flag flew high above anything else.
The king’s flagship – the Tempus Trident. A full thousand sailors could fight on her, and they seemed to be all there, attacking with blue water powers and hacking with steel as the creatures of the deep swarmed the ship. And one Tempus draped in shadows.
There you are. “Barnacles! Hard to starboard! To the flagship!”
Barnacles let loose a click and a whistle, and both sworcas turned on a dime and headed into the battle.
Mate yelled, “Captain! Tell Klausi to pull off and we’ll figure out the best way to help! We’ll find you after all this is over! Good luck!”
Celeste shouted to the other sworca using Seaspeak. Klausi and Mate veered to the right, and Celeste saw Mate deposited on a life raft, which he commandeered and then sped off into the smoke, propelled by his powers. Klausi disappeared below the waves as soon as his passenger was gone.
Suddenly a heavy wave of dark blue water surged out of the bay and heaved itself at the Trident, smashing against the large vessel. The wave crashed against wood and steel, and though she rocked violently, the Trident held firm for the moment.
Celeste saw Bogata readying for another attack. Anger and loathing welled up inside her. “Barnacles! Get me on that deck!”
”Aye, Captain!”
A quick dive and with a tremendous leap, the sworca was airborne. Celeste swung off at the apex of the jump, her effort enhanced by the Wave Connection, flying much higher than she should have been capable. Flipping once in midair, she landed on the deck of the Trident, sword in one hand, pulling power into the other, just as a sea serpent rose up behind her.
Black spines stuck out in all directions while white milky eyes stared blindly ahead. It was at least ten feet in diameter and who knew how long. Reaching its apex, it flexed its neck, flicked its tongue, then looked right at Celeste.
“Oh crap.” Serpents were legendary killers of ships and sailors. One hadn’t been seen in years. What in the world have you been doing, Boga? Sea serpents? She looked around and spied some harpoons, large ones the size of a tree that could be fired from the Trident’s main guns. That’ll work.
The Wave Connection pulsed and Celeste reached her hand out, the ocean obeying her command. The water took shape as a giant fist, then grabbed one of the massive spears out of the ship’s gun and hurled it at the now roaring serpent.
With a sickening squelch, the harpoon exploded through the creature’s skull, impaling itself in a monstrous crab that had emerged from the deep just behind it, both squealing and writhing in pain, sinking below the surface.
She grinned, but then was slammed from behind, rocketing her across the deck of the Trident. She caught a stray rope just as she flew off the deck, and angled her water powers with a jet of steam, powering her swing to propel herself back around as the rope became taut, swinging alongside the ship. She let go and used another steam blast to angle herself to the left. Celeste landed with a thud back in the center of the deck, facing the wheelhouse, almost in the same spot she had been standing. A ball of ice the size of a horse slowly rolled off the side of the ship. The Wave Connection must have shielded her – an impact of that size should have crushed her.
“Celeste Dumas. You just won’t stay dead, will you?” Bogata said from behind her, riding upwards on another large crab. He still had his black hat on, but he was no longer concealing his identity. He wanted everyone to know who was destroyi
ng them.
And Celeste hated him all the more for it.
Chapter 16
Once the crab rose to its full height, the traitor jumped onto the Trident. As soon as he hit the deck, Bogata slashed his arms from side to side and razor-thin sheets of ice rocketed towards Celeste. She pulled her arms in front of her defensively, bringing up her own wall of ice to match each of the strikes, scattering thousands of fragments across the deck as the two powers collided. He threw a few more ice attacks, Celeste batting away each one.
Bogata grinned. “Oh ho – you’ve found a power boost, have you? No matter. You always were better than me at blocking attacks. But you haven’t seen what I’m really capable of when I’m not holding back.” He stopped throwing ice, and Celeste stood in a fighting stance, taking deep breaths, trying to keep her guard up and think of a plan at the same time. She probably should have done that before she got up here.
“With my enhancements, I control the monsters of the deep,” he said, raising his right hand and making an odd noise. One of the giant lizard-like leviathans rose from the depths right beside the king’s ship, its bulk pushing the Trident aside as it stood. “They obey me and I obey my master. After I crush this retched place, he has promised to give me more.” He raised his left hand, this time accompanied by clicking sounds, and an equally large octopus rose from the ocean, patiently awaiting orders.
“So, you see, Celeste, there’s no reason to fight me. It’s pointless. All who oppose me will be crushed. There was no reason for you to even come back here. Except to die.”
Celeste adjusted her grip on her sword and readied herself. “You’re going to make me kill you, aren’t you, Bogata? You’re not going to give up. You’re too far gone. I held out hope, a slim hope, that you hadn’t gone completely insane. But I can see inside you, Bogata. The madness has taken you…well, so be it.”
She flicked her sword and a duplicate blade twenty times the size, made of ice, shot out of the end toward Bogata, the power in the Wave Connection pulsing. Sprinting behind the speeding ice, Celeste followed the attack towards her enemy.
Bogata threw his arms forward and met the attack with a jet of water, breaking down the ice until it was nothing. Then he waved his hand, sending a pulse of sheer power rocketing towards Celeste.
Throwing her arms in front of her, she pulled again on the Connection and a shield appeared in front of her. The force slammed into it, and while her shield held, the concussion from collision threw her backwards. She slid across the deck for twenty yards.
Her hand brushed her belt, and she gasped – the knife he’d thrown at her when she first stepped on the Ajax was still there!
She hurled it at him with all her might, the blade whizzing through the air. “Here’s your knife back!”
Bogata deftly caught the handle midflight, turned and threw it back at her. He’d moved so fast! Celeste barely managed to dodge the blade as it passed, nicking her ear and then embedding in the side of the ship. He grinned and drew his sword, motioning her to come at him.
Celeste put her shield up, a half dome of blue water energy forming in front of her again as she charged. Bogata infused his sword with swirls of dark energy. They met midship, sending a blast of air and sparks in all directions. Bogata’s sword turned blue and he hacked at the barrier, each blow denting the shield. Three more strikes and Celeste encased her own sword in blue energy to block his attack as the barrier shattered, Bogata slicing at her head.
He was too fast, much faster than he’d ever been. She was barely able to parry the first two strikes, then countered with an ice spear aimed at his chest. He blocked at the last second, and this time, it was Bogata who was thrown back twenty yards by the force of the strike.
With a scream of rage, he launched into the air, sword held high. She jumped backwards, dodging the attack, as Bogata slammed into the deck, the impact of his blade splintering the wood and sending a ripple through the ship.
Before she could think, he was again raining blows upon her, his sword a blur. If not for the Connection, she would have been lost, its direction and shielding keeping her alive. She let it control her movements, the power in the necklace swirling water around her, somehow making her almost as fast as her enemy.
Bogata managed to cut her left arm just above the elbow with a glancing strike, then kicked her in the midsection, her breath leaving her as she flew backwards for the second time.
He came in for the killing blow, but Celeste threw her hand out, a jet of water colliding with his chest, throwing him back far enough that she could catch her breath.
In seconds, he came at her again. Celeste drew and threw every knife she had at her disposal, each one with deadly accuracy, but Bogata batted aside each one. The power around her hummed as she pulled more from the Connection, trusting its power and guidance. This only enraged Bogata more, his assaults becoming more erratic and unpredictable. After being matched strike for strike, he jumped back.
Bogata grimaced and flexed his muscles, clearly strained. Celeste watched as the blue energy around his sword turned black, an unearthly flame of darkness pulsing like a heartbeat and seeming to draw all the light from the area around it.
Celeste sent more energy into her own sword, glowing brighter blue. She had a bad feeling about this.
Once composed, he attacked again, and this time, Celeste was outmatched. The dark energy sapped her strength from her, pulling energy from the contact with her blade, and in three quick strikes, her sword was knocked from her hand and sent spinning into the sea.
In one smooth motion, Bogata sheathed his sword and punched her in the stomach, all the air leaving her lungs. Bogata brought his knee up, shattering her nose and sending blood down her face. As Celeste fell backward, he pulled water from behind her to stand her back up, then he punched her in the face again with enough force to send her flying across the deck, crashing into some boxes and lying in a heap, breathing hard.
He laughed. “I told you. No match. Seize her!”
The giant octopus, who had remained motionless during their fight, reached out four tentacles. Celeste struggled to move, and attacked each one with an ice blast, but it did nothing except irritate the octopus as it grabbed her and raised her high in the air, each tentacle pulling an appendage in a different direction. She screamed in pain as she was stretched between the great arms.
Bogata spoke and the lizard leviathan lowered a hand. Bogata stepped on its palm and the lizard lifted him until he was even with Celeste. “Just look at this, Celeste. Oh, I’m sorry, your eyes are pretty swollen. Let me clear that for you.” Bogata froze water on one finger like a razor-sharp claw and drew it above her eye, clearing the blood that had pooled there.
She wished he hadn’t. Fire. Docks on fire, ships on fire, buildings on fire. The Tempus fought back against a horde of sea creatures, but she could tell it was a losing battle. Even with their fighting skills, numbers, and water powers, there were just too many enemies, and most were too big to attack properly without a ship or a platoon of soldiers.
“No,” she managed to eke out.
I’ve failed. This is my fault. All my fault.
“No?” Bogata said. “What, you think you could have stopped this? Stopped me? You give yourself too much credit.” He nodded at the octopus and it stretched her further, bringing a groan from Celeste. “This was going to happen, whether you were here or not. Malstrak wanted the Tempus Navy destroyed, and, what do you know…it is!” Bogata laughed and threw his arms wide, basking in the scene.
The pain from being stretched was almost too much for her to bear. Celeste longed to just pass out, for the pain to just go away.
Tha-thump.
Chapter 17
What was that?
Tha-thump.
The Connection?
Tha-thump.
It was like a beating heart against her chest, the tempo rising, bringing her attention to every invading monstrosity in the area. The wrongness of those Bogata had enhanced
with his powers. This wasn’t their natural state. Each one had been altered, twisted, mangled to make them more deadly and better able to carry out their orders.
But she had a connection to them. She could free them, if she could just move…
She heard a scream and turned toward the noise, seeing a monster attack a group of Tempus. One went down, and she heard him scream – she knew the voice. Looking closer, she confirmed it was her friend Jameson. She watched him breathe his last breath on the sand. A swell of emotions went through Celeste, and all her muscles tensed.
The Wave Connection behaved on its own, pouring power into her, more than she could possibly contain. She had to release it or it would kill her. Through the very pores of her skin, blue energy began to leak out, billowing around her.
Bogata has his back to her, watching the carnage, reveling in the mayhem. “Now watch, Celeste, before I kill you. Watch your people be destroyed. Watch everything you’ve ever known be crushed under the foot of my might. Watch me earn my glory and pave the way for Malstrak. Forward!”
A dozen of the large lizards rose from the harbor, making their way toward land. Hundreds of water and ice blasts shot their way, but they had no effect in slowing them down. Cannons boomed along the shore, some firing huge bolts, others massive spears of ice. A few hit their marks, taking down four of the creatures with squeals of pain and rivers of blood falling from the massive abominations. But eight was still too many, and they attacked the gun batteries first – the defenders never got a second shot off as the guns were crushed and scattered, their operators slaughtered by the rampaging giants.
That was it. She couldn’t contain this buildup of power any longer.