by Mark Boutros
Karl nodded. ‘Where’s Sabrinia?’
‘She’s having a snooze. Let’s head up. They’ll wanna see you, then maybe she’ll have woken up.’
The night sun shone on the ship’s deck. Water flowed around them for as far as Karl could see and the breeze cooled his skin.
Frong’s arms wrapped around Karl from behind. ‘It’s really you.’
Karl patted Frong’s wrists. ‘I think so.’
Frong released him and they shared a proper hug. ‘I was so worried. You kept making strained noises, but your breaths were so slow.’
Karl pulled away from the hug. ‘I’m not going anywhere until we get Sags back.’
Frong smiled. ‘We have a lot to catch up on, but for now I should probably steer the ship.’ Frong laughed and returned to his captain duties.
‘Has he been trouble?’ Karl asked Marlens about Arazod, who lay by the mast.
Marlens shook her head. ‘He just likes to lie out here and feel the wind on his feathers.’
‘Well, I’ll stay up here and watch him,’ Karl said.
Marlens shrugged. ‘Whatever you want. This ship is incredible. They kitted it out like they’d have to live on it a while. We got loads of water, and all the salt seeds in Hastovia.’ She offered him some.
He heaved them into his mouth. ‘Thanks. Can I ask you something?’
She nodded.
He gestured for them to walk to the stern. They were a world away from home. He took a breath and stared at Marlens’ friendly face. ‘Do you hate me?’
Even in the dark her face flushed.
Karl chuckled. ‘You’ve never been good at hiding it. It’s okay, though, I’ll hate me forever if we don’t get him back.’
She shook her head. ‘I did hate you. Of course I did. Then we nearly lost you and the hatred left. Our moments could all end in a flash and I have no time for hate. And it made me think. Sags made his choice. You didn’t stick the sword through him and I know I would’ve done exactly the same thing as you if I had a chance to resurrect the dead.’
‘Thanks.’ Karl smiled. ‘Who would you have brought back?’
Marlens scratched her nose and seemed uncomfortable. ‘Just someone I used to love who didn’t love me back.’
Karl nodded. Marlens had never shared much about her past.
She leaned back on the wood. ‘Even if he wouldn’t ever love me, I wanna give him another chance at life. He was gone young. So, yeah, I know it all went a bit wrong, but we can only do what we’re doing now, so best to get on wiv it.’
He was thankful to count such a kind person among his friends.
They joined Frong, the embodiment of determination, focused on the sea in front of them.
‘Want me to take over?’ Karl asked. ‘I’ve no idea what I’d be doing but I get the feeling you haven’t slept much.’
Frong chuckled. ‘I’m fine. It makes the sunsets go faster.’
Karl reached into the bucket of seeds by Frong and offered him some.
Frong opened his mouth and Karl poured them in.
‘I was thinking,’ Karl said. ‘If Illuminus is out of our reach, are there other ways to bring someone back from the… not being alive?’
Frong nodded. ‘There’s the Heart of Hastovia you saw before.’
Karl remembered the tree that granted wishes on days when beings weren’t cruel to each other. ‘But it’s a lifetime or so away from granting another wish.’
The wind blew stronger.
Frong tucked his beard into his shirt. ‘There are probably things we haven’t discovered, and there is alchemy that can do it, but the only alchemist to ever resurrect another vanished.’
‘Pagar,’ Marlens said. ‘He was the most powerful alchemist, but when he disappeared so did his knowledge of the alchemist clan that educated him. You see, a lot of potion making, it all comes from emotion.’ She looked down. ‘I failed Sags because I was scared.’
Karl offered her a reassuring smile. ‘You prolonged his life. You gave him a chance to say goodbye.’
‘Karl,’ Arazod’s whiny voice said. ‘I’m sorry.’
Karl turned to the broken Man-Hawk. ‘You don’t get to talk to me.’ Karl barged past him and returned to the stern of the ship. The cold air in his heart filled with anger, and the thoughts running through his mind scared him. He didn’t want to kill Arazod; he wanted to torture him. Karl remembered when he’d pushed the Soul Bleeder into Arazod’s back as a warning. Back then he had the strength to stop, but now… no. There was darkness in him and it grew and he’d dig the axe deeper until it cut through Arazod. People forgave simple things like stealing a meal, burning someone’s clothes, or accidentally losing a pet. For killing someone’s mother, though? There was no forgiveness for that; only revenge.
Marlens approached Karl. ‘You don’t have to be his friend, but we all need each other right now.’
‘What need do we have for a flightless bird?’ Karl said loud enough for Arazod to hear. ‘We should chuck him overboard.’
Marlens shook her head. ‘His wounds are the sort that don’t just stay on the surface.’
Karl didn’t care. ‘I’m sorry, Marlens. I see nothing but lies with him. He is pure evil, and that doesn’t disappear under suffering, it just waits, gathering energy until it’s ready to attack again.’
Marlens pulled on her hair. ‘Have you never had a dark thought?’ She pointed to Arazod. ‘He never had no one to stop him actin’ on them.’
It wasn’t the time for kindness. ‘I’m going back to bed.’ Karl went below deck to distract himself.
There were so many rooms, made for over a hundred people. The warm orange-brown colour of the wood was the same as a chest of drawers in Karl’s old room. It comforted him.
There were rooms for entertainment, with targets for bow and arrow practice, dummies to strike, and card tables. Three large dining halls boasted shelves stocked full of herbs, soaked beans, seeds and for some reason jars upon jars of powdered garlic.
Karl entered a weapons room, took a steel sword and sheathed it. He passed by worship rooms and baths.
If they didn’t have a mission they could live on this ship for years.
A map of Hastovia covered a wall. Jermalians had marked the places they knew of.
Their old home was a small island to the northeast of the Dead Lands, and Flowfornia was simply a small part of a giant world. Larger islands existed far to the north and even in the direction they were headed, while the far east was all sea, seemingly unexplored. Karl wanted to explore more of the world. He wondered if there were places untouched by conflict and horror.
He turned from the map and entered a tiled bathroom. Sags lay in a bath with sacks of sand tied to his feet and wrists to keep his body submerged. At least under there the insects couldn’t get to him.
Karl sat on the edge of the bath. Sags’ dark skin had more blisters and was looser. Karl bit his bottom lip and cried. ‘I’m sorry, Sags.’ He imagined them training and running around the castle grounds to keep fit. Sags always made Karl feel as if he could be special, even if he only communicated through grunts for most of their friendship. If anything, only being able to communicate through looks, gestures and grunts made their bond more honest. It was all in the eyes – no words to hide behind. Sags was a presence that inspired and gave people energy. Karl only had to think of the love Frong and Marlens felt for him. Karl smiled through the tears. ‘I can’t wait until you’re back.’
Karl turned to leave but Sabrinia stood there, crying. ‘I saw this black stuff come out of your eyes. I thought you’d never wake up.’ She threw her arms around him.
Karl took her hands. ‘I’m sorry. I had to stop her getting to Sags.’
She nodded. ‘I know. Just for now… be quiet.’
She pressed her lips to his. Karl’s heart lightened. Maybe things would work out and life could return to normal.
They returned to Sabrinia’s room and tore each other’s clothes off, releasing the
tension of all that had gone on. They lay in each other’s arms, hot and happy. The silence didn’t need filling; it was beautiful. Karl turned to sleep, but feared these moments would end when they got to their destination.
The sunsets passed without incident. The endless blue rolled on and became more boring than majestic. Were they even getting anywhere?
Frong assured Karl they were making progress and pointed out the movement of the stars when the night sun rose. Karl didn’t see any change but trusted him anyway.
Karl lay on the deck with Sabrinia and stared at the night sun.
Frong laughed in the face of choppy waters and ocean spray battering his face. The adventurous spirit Karl knew him for had returned.
Sabrinia turned to Karl. ‘Do you wish we could just stop?’
His fingers brushed hers. ‘Stop what?’
‘Everything. Go and live in a cave somewhere. Leave the needs of others behind.’
Karl nodded. ‘Have you been guzzling the ale?’
She chuckled. ‘No. I just want to imagine a different path sometimes.’
‘Well, yes. Of course. I’d love to do that. But we are the way we are and who we are. And we feel the way we do about each other because of our stupid impulsive need to help.’ He imagined them in a cave deep in a forest, surrounded by animals that didn’t want to eat them. ‘You’d get bored of me after a few sunsets, find a village and start building people huts or scrubbing their children.’
She laughed. ‘I think you’re right.’ She kissed his cheek. ‘I’m going to train.’ She got up and walked below deck.
Oaf and Arazod gazed at the ocean.
‘I… I’m sorry… for my part in what Lord Ragnus did to your people,’ Arazod said.
Oaf nodded. ‘I’ll never forget or forgive what you did. But I’m glad you’ve seen that what you did was wrong.’
Arazod nodded. ‘I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know—’ he wheezed. ‘I am sorry. And I’m grateful for your kindness.’
Oaf folded his arms. ‘Why do you conquer?’
Karl wished he could be like Oaf, always trying to understand.
Arazod shook water off his feathers. ‘It’s just how we are raised. My father was betrayed once—’ he wheezed. ‘And to stop ever being betrayed again, he decided the best thing to do would be to become the most powerful being in Hastovia. Power is security.’
Karl wanted to say something snide, but shifted his focus to the stars.
Oaf scratched his head. ‘But isn’t that something you can’t get? There’s no limit to power. It’s a dumb goal.’
Arazod shrugged. ‘I don’t have an argument against that—’ he coughed. ‘Where I grew up, we didn’t get to choose.’
Karl could get up, take a few steps and jam his sword into Arazod’s spine. It would be easy.
His mother bled in his arms all over again. Karl stood and stepped towards Arazod, his hand on his sword handle. One movement is all it would take.
His grip tightened around the handle, but he stopped himself. It would be better they use Arazod to get what they need and throw him to any monster they might encounter.
Karl turned back and removed his hand from his sword handle. The ship tipped and Karl slammed against the deck.
‘What in Hastovia is that?’ Frong yelled.
A World of its Own
A demonic rock spiral burst out of the sea like a stone tail reaching for the clouds.
Frong swerved the ship around it and another rock spiral shot out of the blue.
Sabrinia emerged from below deck and her eyes widened.
Karl pushed himself onto his feet. Over the edge of the ship, small blue circular shadows the size of his head appeared. ‘Erm… what are the weird little blue circles?’
‘What blue circles?’ Frong swerved away from another rock spiral.
‘There are more over here,’ Arazod said from the opposite side of the ship.
The shadows broke through the water. Blue, scaly, muscular people with sharp teeth and holes where their noses should be rode large grey-scaled, yellow-finned sharks with glowing tentacles.
Karl thought he’d be safe on the ship, but the sharks leapt high enough for the blue people to hop onto the deck
‘Turn your ship around!’ one of them commanded.
Karl unsheathed his sword and raised his shield. ‘You should turn around and get back on your… shark thing.’
The creature leapt at Karl, who bashed it into Oaf.
Oaf grabbed the creature and threw it into the ocean.
Another blue thing jumped at Sabrinia, who shot an arrow into its shoulder.
Arazod kicked a creature that tried to climb aboard, while Marlens protected Frong.
Each time a creature invaded, it was repelled, but they wouldn’t be able to keep it up. The creatures kept coming and they forced the group back towards Frong.
‘Turn your ship around!’ the creature commanded again.
‘We have to keep going that way.’ Karl pointed at the endless blue.
The scales on the creature’s forearms opened and a spike grew out of a hole. ‘Then you will die.’ The creatures edged forwards.
The boat tipped sideways, throwing them off balance, but it wasn’t enough.
Karl placed his sword and shield by his feet and raised his hands, hoping to avoid any bloodshed. ‘Please. Just let us get on with our journey.’
The creature retracted its spike and all the blue beings leapt off the ship.
Karl and Oaf exchanged a confused glance.
‘So I guess sometimes all we need to do is be polite.’ Karl shrugged.
‘I don’t think manners had anything to do with it,’ Frong said.
Karl turned around. ‘Oh.’
A grey, slimy round sheet twice the size of the ship moved through the water. Eight barbed tentacles stretched out around it.
‘I hope my eyes are toying with me,’ Karl said.
‘If they are, mine are doing the same,’ Oaf replied.
Frong swung the ship around to avoid whatever it was and it moved in the opposite direction.
Its tentacles shot around to point at the ship and it sped towards them.
‘Hold on, everyone,’ Frong said.
The creature’s tentacles slapped the side of the vessel as though trying to figure out what it was.
Marlens took a jar from her belt. ‘Let’s try something.’ She opened the jar, poured its contents into another and threw it as far as she could. ‘Cover your ears.’
The jar exploded into a plume of smoke.
The tentacles turned and the sheet moved to the smoke.
‘I reckon those tentacles feel for movement,’ Marlens said.
A tentacle rose up to the sky and its tip pointed towards the ship.
Marlens put her finger to her lips. The tentacle lowered and she whispered. ‘I reckon it can hear with them too.’
Karl nodded and whispered back. ‘But how do we avoid it when we’re in a moving vessel?’
She shrugged. ‘Let’s just stay quiet. It might go away.’
The others all stood at the back of the ship. Beyond the tentacles, the blue creatures waited on their shark mounts.
The tentacles stroked the water’s surface and one by one they pointed towards the ship, but this time the sheet moved slower until it was next to them.
Karl held his breath.
Marlens took another jar and whispered. ‘I don’t have enough of these, so we have a choice. Keep distracting it and hope it gets bored, or go for the kill.’
They agreed. Marlens mixed the potions, tossed them onto the grey sheet and pointed for everyone to drop to the deck.
Karl hit the deck and hoped.
‘Frong, turn!’ Marlens yelled.
The ship swerved and an explosion rocked it.
Karl slid to the far side of the vessel. When it settled, he stood and inspected the damage.
The smoke cleared and he smiled. ‘You did it, M
arlens!’
Sabrinia pointed into the distance. ‘I guess it’s their cue to come back.’ The blue creatures approached again.
Karl readied his sword and shield.
A jet of water sprayed from the sea and covered everyone. A wave knocked the ship.
Karl’s heart battered his chest.
The grey sheet and barbed tentacles rose out of the blue. Like a slimy veil, it hung over the head of an armless giant with tusks and no eyes. Thousands of holes covered its face like stab wounds, and sea snakes fell out of them.
A tentacle swiped a blue creature along with its shark and tossed them into the beast’s toothless mouth.
Three tentacles grabbed the side of the ship and pulled the vessel towards the monster.
Sea snakes dropped to the deck and Karl whacked and sliced them.
Frong thrust his spear at a tentacle, but it dodged and wrapped around his chest.
Karl dropped his sword, lunged and grabbed Frong’s leg. He was in a tug of war with an opponent he could never beat.
‘Hold on!’ Marlens helped Karl, but it made no difference.
Sabrinia’s arrows stuck in the creature’s face, but a tentacle whipped her across her head.
‘Sabrinia!’ Karl yelled. She was out cold.
The tentacle yanked Frong out of Karl and Marlens’ grasp and pulled Frong towards its mouth.
Karl reached for his sword but it was gone.
Arazod had it. He jumped onto a tentacle, ran up to the creature’s shoulder and hacked at the tentacle holding Frong.
Frong dropped into the sea among the sea snakes.
Another tentacle swiped Arazod and raised him above the sea beast’s mouth.
Marlens tied several potion bottles around a ballista bolt. ‘Karl, quick!’
Karl took aim. He hesitated for a moment. He could let Arazod die and then fire the bolt.
‘Karl!’ Marlens yelled.
Arazod dangled, screaming, swiping the sword at nothing.
Karl fired and pierced the monster’s shoulder, setting it alight.