by BJ Hanlon
There was no birds nor life of any kind as they sailed through obstacles of the rock-strewn archipelago.
The gray clouds grew darker as the afternoon—which had been as dreary as a morning after drinking—was now disappearing. Soon, it’d be fully dark and they’d be blind.
Edin went to the quarterdeck and stood silently as the captain and Spider spoke through a metal tube that ran from the crow’s nest down to the captain. It was brass and ended in a horn-like opening. They were looking for a place to anchor.
Edin shivered.
“Get below,” the captain said. “Don’t need ya getting sick before we part ways.”
Down below, Henny was awake and watching Berka through the open door. The Por Fen’s legs and hands were free and he was scooping food into his mouth.
The big farmer nodded at Edin and went back to his duty as jailor. He was glad to have him and Dorset along as well as Arianne. To Edin, it showed they had character. They all probably guessed this trip could end poorly. Was almost assured to by his estimation.
Arianne was lying in her hammock nearest the stove. It was the warmest hammock and usually reserved for the first mate, but he offered it to her as a lady.
Edin picked up a bowl of soup and sat at the table pushing the maps and charts aside. Dorset poured him ale to help wash it down as the captain appeared at the ladder.
“We anchor here tonight, we’re too deep in this archipelago… too dangerous.” The rest of the crew appeared, burley men with bulging muscles for handling the masts.
Last to show was Spider, his first time down all day. He was a short weasel-faced man with a long mustache and near-set eyes. Even a slight overbite gave him the feeling of hybrid man and animal. But it was the way he handled himself on the masts and in the crow’s nests that completed the feeling. He could climb up and down the riggings with all four limbs. Spider, monkey… it all worked.
The captain, the first mate and the two crewmen went to the kitchen and began chatting loudly. It was cramped and hard to get any sort of privacy, even for the captain.
Edin laid in the hammock nearest Arianne.
“Edin?” Arianne asked, her voice barely audible over the rocking and splashing of the waves outside. “Are you sure we’re doing the right thing? What if he was needed back on the isles? What if the Por Fen and their navy attacked again?”
The questions rattled in his mind too.
Was he doing what he needed to? What if he was wrong? The contact from the elf on whatever the wave was and the journal of the fisherman said to go here.
Sure, they could be coincidences. Possibly were coincidences, but did that mean they were wrong or right? Inside he felt he was doing what he needed to. Heck, maybe it was preordained like the prophecy.
Edin didn’t know if he liked that or not. How much of the prophecy was still muddled up somewhere in his mind and why didn’t it just unfurl before him like a giant banner that says, ‘Edin, you do this, find that, bad things are coming so get up and follow what I say and everything will be alright.’
For some reason, maybe it was his pessimistic side, Edin knew that wasn’t what it said. Especially the part about everything being alright. But at this point, he had to follow his gut. The dematians were coming and what could he do against a horde of them? Maybe the Isles would follow him but not the nobles of Resholt and Dunbilston.
The Inquisitor, Diophin Gray, was either dead or dying and his successor certainly wouldn’t want to help. Why rid the world of one evil by helping another?
The prophecy line, ‘Those who have once before, must again be allied.’ Who was it talking about? Mundane and magi?
“I don’t know if it’s the right thing,” Edin whispered back to Arianne, “but I think it is the what we must do.”
2
Oh So Cold This Dip Is
A storm came at them as the black night began to gray. The waves rocked the small boat so hard that it would have sent anything not tied down scampering across the deck like a rat being chased by a chef. Despite that, the anchor held.
To the north, they were shielded by a large black stone that rose like a right triangle from the sea and disappeared somewhere beneath the gray waves.
At daybreak they raised the anchor and Arianne used her talent, billowing the sails and pushing them forward while the captain steered as carefully as he could through the rocks.
There were many small gusts and a lot of rocking as the captain spun the wheel this way and that. So much so that Edin got sick over the rail twice.
The captain’s arms were strong, like the giant pythons that was said to live in the swamps around Carrow and the more eerie places in Bestoria.
The pythons were said to be able to kill a much larger beast like a deer or cow, and for a long time, Edin couldn’t imagine that.
Then he saw the Ponnoa, the elvish name for that giant scaly, snake-like beast in the valley. He pictured the glowing eyes and huge tail. Thinking about that, there was no doubt in his mind that giant creatures lurked in the hidden places of the world. The dark places.
No matter the strength of the captain, he grew tired and was losing his grip after a few hours of battle. The rocky islands, if you could even call them that, stood up like grave markers in the churning sea.
Henny took over for a while and soon, larger islands appeared over the port side like steps climbing into the air as if they were leading to a giant palace unseen in the sky.
Eventually, Spider spotted trees and a solid piece of land in the gray day.
Edin noticed the number of hazardous, rocky isles were lessening in number.
A cove appeared to the south and Edin could make out the remnants of an old dock, a long narrow stretch of something that could’ve been a stone pier was jutting out into the sea.
The ship angled toward it, the winds began howling louder and biting into him.
They were going faster again, a clear channel appeared between the deadly archipelago and what they hoped to be the northern coast of Bestoria when Edin saw the last crewman at the bow, frantically screaming and shouting, his arms gesticulating wildly pointing to the right.
A moment later, the hull crunched and shook and there was a ripping sound like a hundred trees being torn from their roots.
Edin lurched forward and barely caught the glimpse of the sailor tumbling over the bow and disappearing without a sound.
Not that he could hear much of anything. The captain cried out and Edin looked back to see blood running down from a broken nose. The captain was trying to wipe tears from his eyes.
Arianne stood just before the quarterdeck shaking.
“We’re taking on water!” A voice called from below and a few moments later, Dorset appeared with Henny. The ship lurched and the stern swayed and then they were floating again. From below the open hatch, he heard Berka screaming, he was the only one left below along with their gear, food, and any possible supplies they’d need for their travel. Mirage, the one possession he truly wanted to keep, was secured in a lockbox in the captain’s chambers.
“Abandon ship!” the captain called through the brass tube and Spider appeared as if out of nowhere next to Arianne. “Spider check to see…”
“He ain’t coming, his head cracked on the rock…” said Spider. The little man stared at the captain. A moment later, the captain nodded.
Edin dropped down the ladder and his feet landed in ankle deep water.
Berka was struggling with his feet shackles and shivering wildly, his legs were shaking trying to loosen the eyebolts that tied him in that vulnerable position. Edin fumbled through the pockets on his thick cloak before finally finding the key for the locks, quickly, he unbolted one, then the other.
“It’s going down,” Edin said helping Berka stand. He untied the hand irons and immediately felt something hard slam into the bridge of his nose.
Edin dropped back, his eyes watering as he splashed into the water butt first. The shockingly cold water stunned him for a m
oment and he could only see shapes. A giant wavering shape stood over him like an ogre from dark fairy tales.
A blurry foot came up at him, then both he and the ogre flew sideways as the ship was hit by a strong wave. Edin braced himself from crashing into the wall. He knew the wave was coming since he’d summoned it.
Edin wiped his eyes and felt the warm blood running down his nose and into his mouth. It was salty, the taste of seawater was overpowering anything else. Then the ship began to list.
He stood and stumbled past a struggling Berka throwing hammocks aside before he reached the captain’s quarters and threw open the door.
A pond of freezing black water grew before him like a spring. It rose and shifted the bed where the captain had slept.
With the talent, Edin could hold it back… but for how long? Could the ship still float? They weren’t far from land and there were lifeboats on the deck.
Locked in a standing cabinet on the slowly sinking port side of the ship were his and Arianne’s weapons and their supplies, five large packs filled with food, water, and more cold-weather gear.
Then he heard feet slapping water fast behind him and something strong slammed into the back of his skull, smacking him forward and sending him into the floating bed.
The mattress shifted and flew to the right, taking him toward the wall like a raft. Water poured through, gurgling and screaming in the wood.
“You killed Kes! You killed all of them! Abomination!” Berka screamed.
Edin twisted and saw Berka had raised his large fists and tried lunging at Edin.
Another wave hit and the boat tilted more. This time, it wasn’t Edin. The ship was at a forty-five-degree angle and more freezing water was pouring in. From somewhere behind Berka, he heard his name being called.
Edin’s head stung, his neck hurt, and his fur coat was soaked and covered in blood. A deep chill ran through him as Berka tried pushing himself up from the cabinet that held their weapons.
They needed those. A creak, soft at first, and then another. It was the shattering of wood. An explosion next to his head and the ship listed further. He saw the stone that they had crashed into now. It was black with water cascading off of it like a thin sheet of rain in a downpour. Berka stumbled. Edin pushed himself to his feet, standing awkwardly. He had one foot on the mattress and another on what had been the side of the hull.
He moved toward Berka, grabbed him by the lapel and pushed him off of the cabinet. The big boy splashed into the water.
Shivers ran through him and his fingers felt numb. In an instant, he summoned an ethereal blade and sliced the center of the cabinet and threw open the double doors. He grabbed a blanket and quickly wrapped up the weapons. Then glanced at Berka who was staring wide-eyed at him.
“How’d you…”
“Shut up.”
The water was rushing in faster now, the boat was almost completely on its side. Soon, it would tilt and sink into the depths. How deep, Edin had no idea. Maybe it was only thirty feet, but that didn’t matter. If he didn’t drown, he’d freeze to death with all of their stuff.
Edin glanced at the mattress still floating nearby then at Berka.
“You were my friend once, my only brother. You may hate me know, but if you want to live, want to see your family again, you do as I say.”
Berka turned his attention back to Edin. Outside, Edin could hear his voice being called very faintly but panicked. More water rushed in as Edin laid the bundle on the mattress. It stayed afloat but dipped an inch. Edin began throwing the packs on the mattress.
“What are you doing?” Berka yelled.
The water was now up to his waist. Then for some reason, the ship stopped sinking and rose slightly.
A slow crack came from above them and Edin glanced up. The hull timbers began to split and the stern of the ship began drooping like a sad old dog’s face.
The rock was holding up the ship… but not for long.
With all of the packs on the mattress, he looked at Berka. “Grab the mattress and get ready.”
“What?”
With a quick throw of a large ethereal knife, Dephina sized ones, he struck the hull piercing the board and letting in the gray daylight. He threw again and a board snapped off with a timber dropping.
It glanced off Edin’s head causing a sharp pain. The rest of the timbers held though.
They were standing on the hull, what would’ve been the port side of the captain’s chambers. Edin summoned another ethereal knife and threw it just below the broken timber. There was a loud crack and the opening in the wood grew. Then it began spreading.
“Edin!” Came from outside. It was Arianne’s voice panicked and shrill. He could tell there was fear in it and she was on the verge of breaking down.
“Do you still know how to swim?” Edin shouted.
“Forget you.”
“You already tried,” Edin called back. “Be ready, it’s coming down.”
Berka grumbled something he couldn’t hear then started Berka swimming. The same weird stroke he’d had as a boy, a bobbing doggy paddle.
Edin began kicking, his feet leaving the hull. He grabbed the bundle in one hand and summoned a larger ethereal blade. He sent it up and through the ship.
A huge crack and the boat split like an egg. Suddenly there was open air behind and around him. The back half of the ship splashed down into the depths behind them. Edin glanced up, waiting for the bow to come down on their heads.
But it didn’t. It tilted the other way and disappeared over the rock.
A great wave hit him in the face, his eyes stung as he held on. A moment later, he saw the gunnel of a small craft and Berka paddling toward it.
The waves were coming in thick and fast and no boat could get near the black stone without the possibility of another crash. Edin tried kicking but his legs were numb… everything was numb. The world was dimming around him and he felt his body beginning to slip under the waves.
Something snagged him by the collar, another arm grabbed him under his arm. Edin felt the freezing air hit him. It was colder than the water.
Near his ear Arianne shrieked, “you are such an idiot. You could’ve died.”
He was slammed into the boat and glanced up. Henny was grabbing the packs. The weapons were still in his arm as if they’d been frozen there. He didn’t see Berka.
Did he get out of the ship? If he did, did they let him in the boat?
After a few moments, Edin pulled himself up and glanced at the sea. Somehow, the stone was gone.
In the distance, he saw the top half of a single pack bobbing on the water like one of those icebergs… or the rock that sunk their ship.
In the other boat, he saw the captain, Spider, the first mate and Berka.
He was alive and they were headed toward shore.
Edin sank back down into the boat and spoke through chattering teeth. “Fire… or a hot bath.”
“Sure thing idiot,” Arianne said. “How about a bottle of thousand-year-old Yaultan and a T-bone?”
“I’d much rather have a thousand-year-old princess.”
Arianne slapped his arm trying to muffle some fake horrified exclamation.
Henny laughed and began rowing. Near the back of the dingy, Dorset was lying down looking like a draugr.
The surf fought with them as they made for a stony shore. It took more than an hour and Henny ended up exhausted.
Edin, still nearly frozen, had to jump in and pull the rowboat ashore. He stumbled and fell into the water but barely felt it. The cloak felt like it weighed as much as a pregnant sow. He collapsed on a rock shelf letting a new stinging rain pound him. All the adrenaline that’d been flowing through him vanished like a morning mist in the hot sun. Edin wished a sun would come out right about now.
He watched as the mattress, a few hundred yards out, disappeared into the sea. The boat and the rock they’d hit were nowhere to be found.
Henny pulled the small boat further up onto the shelf and f
lipped it over.
“Get under,” he yelled over the battering rain.
The drops sounded like thunder on the hull above them. Edin was still shivering and frozen but somehow he fell asleep.
He woke, not sure of the time, feeling warmer. Arianne was curled up next to him, her hands, still rather cold, were under his shirt. Henny and Dorset were off to the left. The boat seemed to have kept in what little heat their bodies had offered.
Outside, the rain had faded to a drizzle, barely a tatter on the hull above him. From the small slit between the rocky beach and the gunnel, he saw only a shade of gray daylight and nothing moving.
Edin closed his eyes again, hoping next time to wake up in a tropical paradise.
It didn’t happen.
A stone that he hadn’t noticed before pushed into his shoulder in a constant ache and in a way that didn’t let him sleep again. Soon he moved it, trying not to wake Arianne. A moment later he heard the
crunch of foot on rock. It came from outside then there was another. Then more.
Edin craned his neck but could see nothing through the opening. He turned his head and saw a foot near his head. It was covered in what looked like deerskin.
Next to it, Edin saw the glint of steel.
His sword. They hadn’t taken their weapons inside with them. A tickle rose in his nose, he tried to stifle it, he clenched his nostrils but still it grew.
Edin sneezed.
It was loud and the sound reverberated beneath the hull. Edin glanced at the toe, it hadn’t moved. Slowly, he saw a hand bend down, its fingers reaching the hilt of his sword.
He shifted himself from beneath Arianne and pressed his feet against the bench above his hips.
Edin took a deep breath and pushed, the boat tilted up. He used a gust of wind to push it further up and he rolled out. In a moment, he twisted to his feet and stared.
An unknown man stood before him holding Edin’s sword. Around them, were others, dressed in dark animal hides and furs and holding nocked bows.
The dingy rocked back down over his companions. Arianne squealed.
