“You lot are goin’ to stay here, in my cabin,” he said, gesturing to the plush furniture he had. “We don’t know what kind of people are on the island right now. Diana didn’t tell me much, but what she did tell me is reason enough to keep you all hidden until we’re clear of this place. I can’t guarantee there aren’t any Circle members here.”
“That’s reason enough for me,” Dusk replied, taking a seat in the armchair.
Tara nodded to the captain. “We’ll stay here. How long will you be?”
“We only need to purchase food and water for the rest of the trip. Once we make it to Watersedge we can restock again for the long journey back home.” He looked around to everyone, nodding, then stopped at Cyrilo. “You, however, are coming with me.”
“And why is that?” Cyrilo asked suspiciously. “I’m not going to be sold off so you can buy more supplies. You’ll be dead before you finish the deal.”
“Nothin’ like that at all,” the captain laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “I jus’ wanted to take yeh for a drink.”
Lex gave Dusk a sideways glance, perking up one eyebrow. Dusk had noticed the captain’s continued attempts to catch Cyrilo’s eye over the past weeks. So far nothing had worked. Cyrilo didn’t look convinced as he stared at Duillearga.
“On my honor as a captain,” Duillearga swore, taking his hat off and bending into a low bow. “You shall return safe and unmolested if that is what you wish.”
Cyrilo’s tail gave a single twitch before he stepped forward. “I’ll let you take me for a drink,” he reached out and plucked the hat out of the captain’s hands, placing it on his own head. “But I get to wear your hat. And,” he lifted a finger to the tip of Duillearga’s nose, “If there’s any funny business, you’ll be charged my premium rate.”
For a moment the captain looked surprised, but his face quickly melted in a giant smile as he began to laugh. “You little sleeven!” When he finally straightened back up. “Fine, you can wear my hat. But I’m not responsible for what happens when people see it. I’m kind of a big deal around here.”
“I think I can handle myself,” Cyrilo replied coolly. He reached out a hand, extending his razor sharp claws.
“Well this is goin’ to be a whale of a time.” The captain turned back to the other three. “We’ll be back in an hour or two. Don’t get too comfortable.”
Duillearga held a hand out for Cyrilo who took it gently and they exited the cabin, pulling the door closed behind them.
“I’m starting to notice a pattern in the men I become friends with,” Tara said, looking at Dusk and Lex. “None of them seem to prefer women.”
“You just don’t like having competition,” Lex scoffed, flopping himself into another one of the stuffed chairs with his legs hanging over the arm.
“I don’t really care about that kind of thing,” Dusk added. “I just like kindness and honesty above all else.”
“Oh my gods,” Tara gagged. “That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Dusk shot her a dirty look, but he could see the smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth. Lex however was avoiding his gaze and continued to stare across the room.
For the first half hour the three of them chatted quietly while they listened to the sounds of barrels being unloaded by the sailors. By the time they had all gone mostly silent, so had the rest of the ship. Dusk began to wander around the room, eventually finding three books tucked into a shelf. Two were about sailing, but the third was titled ‘Star of the Fallen’. The gold foil pressed into the leather cover was tarnished and flaking away. Dusk couldn’t make out the author’s name, but the large seven pointed star still shone in the center surrounded by lovely filigree. He flipped it open to the first page and began to read. It didn’t take long before he was caught up in the adventure of a young Rhykan man named Jax who stood at the edge of a great cliff over the ocean, contemplating joining his fellow villagers that had recently fallen to a savage attack.
He hadn’t made it more than twenty pages before there were shouts from above. The three of them perked up, looking to the doorway. The shouting continued as they heard barrels hit the wooden deck and roll across along with the pounding of feet. It seemed as if the ship were being stocked in a hurry and much sooner than they’d expected. True to their word, they didn’t leave the cabin to ask, but Tara did remove her sword from the sheath, resting the tip of it on the floor in front of her. She ran her hands over the hilt of the blade nervously, glancing to the door every minute or so. Dusk tried to go back to his book, but he found it hard to concentrate.
After ten minutes they heard the shouting of Captain Duillearga outside the cabin. They could just make out that he was telling the men to cast off. They didn’t have to wait long for him and Cyrilo to burst through the cabin door, the hat now returned to its rightful owner. They’d only been gone an hour.
“Get your weapons and be ready to defend yourselves,” the captain called from the doorway before heading back out onto the deck of the ship.
Cyrilo stayed behind, his tail nervously twitching from side to side and his ears laying low.
“What happened? What’s going on?” Tara asked, bringing herself to her feet, the sword now in her dominant hand.
“The port is under Inahandrian control,” he replied.
“I thought Duillearga said it was neutral?” Lex added, pushing himself to a normal sitting position.
“Not anymore. And they know this is a Ditanian ship.” Cyrilo’s ears swiveled back, listening to a round of orders shouted by the captain. “One of the drunk sailors in town tipped us off by accident. They know we’re here and they’re coming for us.”
“What’s the plan?” Tara lifted her sword up over her head, driving it into the scabbard strapped to her back.
“We’re going to try to outrun them. Their boat is on the other side of the island, the side we’re heading towards.”
“So it’s going to be a fight then.” Tara cracked her knuckles. “Good. I’ve been itching to hurt someone for a while now.”
Tara stepped past Cyrilo and through the door, leaving the rest of them in the cabin. Dusk closed his book and got up from the chair, placing it on the desk. The three of them nodded to one another and dashed out of the room to the stairway. They weaved their way through the panicked sailors, heading for their cabin. Once inside Dusk strapped on his quiver and took up his bow while Lex belted on his sword. Dusk glanced over to Cyrilo to see him pull a small cloth wrapped item out of his bag. He unfolded the cloth gently revealing two silver colored pieces of metal with four holes in them. Cyrilo stood up and slipped each onto his fingers, as if they were four rings fused together. The topside came down to his knuckles and were topped with a sharp spike on each finger.
Cyrilo flared out his fingers, watching the metal flash from side to side. “It’s been a long time,” he said under his breath. “But they still fit.” He glanced up to see Dusk and Lex both staring. “You don’t recover from a punch with these,” Cyrilo chuckled. “I never told you about my time as a fighter before I was sold to the brothel. I made those fools a lot of money while I was there.”
“I’m significantly more scared of you now,” Lex laughed nervously.
“You were a stupid not to fear me to begin with.”
There was a new look in Cyrilo’s eyes, a bloodlust that Dusk had seen in Tara on more than one occasion. Cyrilo nodded and darted out of the room, leaving the other two alone. Dusk glanced at Lex before he began to make his way for the door.
“Dusk,” Lex said gently. Dusk turned around to face him. “Don’t lose control, okay?”
The question irritated him for some reason. “Lose control over what?”
“When we were in Emerald Deep you almost used the crystal’s power.” Lex shifted side to side, picking at his arm. “Don’t use it anymore.”
“I thought we were going to die. I didn’t think we had a choice.”
“I know, and I don�
�t blame you, but…” Lex took a deep breath. “If anyone sees what you can do, that could put the Circle back on our trail. I don’t think either of us want that.”
The irritation melted away. “You’re right. I didn’t think about it that way.”
“For all we know, the Circle could think you’re dead. At the very least we can hope they don’t know where you are.” Lex stepped up, taking Dusk’s hand. “I just don’t want to see you hurt again.”
Dusk leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss. “I know. Don’t worry, I won’t use it unless we have no other choice. And if I do, you’ll have to catch me. Since they removed it from my chest, the magic comes at a price.”
Lex lifted a hand and cupped the side of Dusk’s face. “I’ll always catch you.”
Dusk felt his cheeks burning and his chest fluttering, but he couldn’t turn away. “Thank you.”
Lex nodded and stared at him for a moment longer.
There was a loud crashing above them and the sound of wood splintering. The boat lurched violently, throwing the pair of them to the floor. Dusk rolled to his side, rubbing his elbow where it had struck the hard decking. Lex was holding the back of his head. Shouts and the pounding of feet filled the air around them. With no small amount of effort they pushed themselves to their feet and made for the stairs.
Topside they saw the cause of the commotion. A large boulder more than three feet across had crashed through part of the deck and railing on the port side. Men were trying to pry it out with long wooden poles. Dusk glanced back to the shore that was slowly pulling away. Against the glow of Gartha hanging in the sky he saw a small dark shape. It arced across the sky, growing bigger as it came in their direction. Missing the boat by mere feet, he saw another massive boulder strike the water, throwing up a giant geyser of water as it sunk down.
“Get us out of range of those catapults Mr. Useni,” the captain cried to the helmsman. “And you men, I want as much wind in those sails as you can muster!”
Dusk looked back to see the first boulder finally lifted free of the splintered wood and dropped into the ocean below. The men threw the poles to the ground and ran to the masts, securing the sails and making sure all the captain’s orders were obeyed quickly.
“Take us around the southern side of the island Mr. Useni, but be sure to keep us out of range.”
“Aye! It grows a bit shallow on that side, captain,” the helmsman called back.
“I’d rather brave a few reefs than look like a piece of swiss cheese. I suggest you take the same attitude. It’s all gone arseways now anyway.”
Mr. Useni did as he was told and led the ship in a south westerly direction. The boulders continued to fly every now and then, but fell far short of the ship. The sky was clear and Dusk could see each massive plume of water catching the moonlight as the boulders struck the surface. He stood at the starboard railing with his companions, all shivering in the cold night air and keeping their eyes on the port in the distance. None of them spoke, but Dusk knew they were all thinking the same thing. Like him, they just wanted to make it to Inahan alive.
A single sailor ran out to the bow of the ship, standing on the railing and leaning out of the water, a rope clutched in both hands and wrapped up his forearm so he wouldn’t fall. He began to cry out directions to the helmsman who did his best to steer the ship side to side. Dusk glanced over the edge to see the sandy bottom illuminated by the moonlight. Dark stones and reefs seemed to be everywhere, reaching up to the surface like jagged claws. He didn’t know how they were managing to avoid them.
After twenty harrowing minutes of the boat shifting back and forth to avoid underwater obstacles, the bottom of the ocean sunk back into darkness. Everyone on board breathed a sigh of relief in tandem. Dusk looked up to see the helmsman leaning against the wheel, seemingly entirely worn out. The boulders had stopped flying from the island and the other sailors were almost cheerful after their daring escapade. Only Captain Duillearga stood on the aftcastle with an eyeglass raised to his face. His expression grave as he pulled it away.
“Load the ballistae,” he cried out. “We’ve got company!”
Dusk whipped his head around, looking off to the northwest where the captain had been gazing. Halfway between the island and in their path was a lone ship whose dark sails blocked out the stars beyond. It was on a path to intercept them, and it was making good time.
Thirteen
The ship was gaining fast and no matter how many orders the captain shouted, they weren’t going to outrun it. The ballistae had been loaded and wheeled around to face the other ship. All the lanterns onboard had been doused to hide their movements on deck, but the moon was bright enough that they weren’t really needed. Captain Duillearga stayed on the aftcastle, alternating between his spyglass and the crew.
“Arm yourselves,” he called to them. “Keep a steady aim on that ship. Shoot below the waterline. I want her on the bottom of the ocean!”
The archers on the massive weapons tilted them into position. They were each armed with a long pole tipped in a triple-bladed arrowhead the size of a large watermelon. Dusk took one look at them and began to worry that the other ship would have them too. Nobody would see it racing across the water if they were fired in the dark. He just hoped that they’d be aiming for the body of the ship and not the people on deck. The only thing that would stop one of the bolts was a stone wall. There was no place to hide.
It was a harrowing few minutes as the two ships drew ever closer to one another, slicing through the moonlit waters. Dusk held his bow at the ready, an arrow already nocked on the string. He glanced to his right to see Tara and Lex, their swords hanging at their sides. Cyrilo was on his left, standing calmly with his arms crossed, ears blowing in the breeze. They all looked so calm and collected, but Dusk felt nothing but panic surging through his body. He wondered if they felt it too. However, he didn’t get a chance to ask.
The other ship jerked to the side, swinging around to The Zephyr’s starboard side. It was speeding towards them faster than seemed possible. Dusk pulled the arrow a few inches back, ready to draw it fully when they were in range.
“Keep steady men!” Captain Duillearga cried out.
It seemed like the whole world had gone silent all of a sudden. Dusk heard nothing but the pounding of blood in his ears as the dark-canvased ship came closer and closer. When the deck came into view he saw many men aboard dressed in the same blue tunics that he’d seen at Windshear Pass. He could see the flash of metal as their weapons caught the starlight. On their starboard side there were two ballistae trained on The Zephyr. Dusk felt a surge of fear shoot through his body.
“Fire!” the captain screamed from above them
Many things happened simultaneously. The ballistae on both sides shot their bolts with loud snaps of heavy strings. The Inahandrian ship was aiming for the sails of The Zephyr, hoping to bring them to a halt. The shafts punched massive holes through them, shearing large parts completely off. However, the bolts that struck the Inahandrian ship were aiming to scuttle it, and they hit their mark. All three bolts sunk into the ship just below the waterline, their shafts sticking up past the surface. Men from the Inahandrian ship threw roped hooks over the booms and swung themselves across the closing gap. They fell upon the men of The Zephyr who had already drawn their swords. Cyrilo, Lex, and Tara turned to fight while Dusk looked across the gap and pulled his bow back, tucking a finger into the corner of his mouth. Holding his breath he let the arrow go only to watch the man in his sights crumple. He repeated the motion four times in quick succession before the ship had passed them completely, the boarding ropes snapping as they reached the end of their length and thus stranding the Inahandrian men aboard The Zephyr.
“Bring her about for another pass,” the captain shouted.
“She’s hardly movin’!” the helmsman cried back. “They took too much sail out of her!”
“Then get ready to be boarded! Give the dogs what they’ve been askin’ for!”
>
Dusk heard boots coming towards him and spun on his heel just in time to see Tara strike down a man that had been almost on top of him. His leather armor and blue tunic was crushed under the massive sword, blood spilling out over the deck. He crumpled to the ground, clutching at his wounds as he quickly bled out.
“Don’t turn your back on an enemy,” she yelled, turning around and heading for another soldier.
Dusk nodded and pulled another arrow up, drawing the bow back and sweeping his gaze across the deck to find another target. Lex was parrying back and forth with a man, keeping ahead of the fight. Cyrilo was dodging a blade side to side before the soldier swung wide, leaving and opening for the spiked metal knuckles that Cyrilo wore. With a hefty uppercut Dusk watched as the soldier was lifted off the ground and thrown backwards, the skin of his jaw torn completely away. As he landed it was plain that he was unconscious and his jaw was broken. Cyrilo stepped over and hauled the man up by his armor before tossing him overboard as if he were no more than a rag doll.
While Cyrilo had his back turned, another came dashing towards him, blade held aloft. Dusk saw his opening and took the shot. The arrow struck them in the back and they fell forward, hitting the railing at full speed. Without a second thought Cyrilo reached down and grabbed them by the belt, tossing them over the side. He turned back to Dusk and gave him a quick nod before running off to help Lex. Dusk nocked another arrow and scanned the deck, but most of the Inahandrian soldiers had already been dealt with. In less than a minute the last of them had been dispatched, while only a couple of the crewmen had fallen in the process.
“They’re comin’ around! Make ready!” Captain Duillearga yelled, standing next to the helmsman with both hands on his hips, his hat feather fluttering in the wind. “Anyone who comes aboard this ship without my permission is a dead man!”
The sailors lifted their weapons in the air and cried back to the captain just as the other ship came around their port side, its sails pulled up as it slowed down. There were no more than fifteen men left on the other ship as they coasted within a few feet of The Zephyr. There was a look of surprise on their faces to see none of their men left standing as they came to a stop, throwing hooks over to tie the two ships together.
The Crystal Key: An LGBTQ+ Fantasy Series (The Crystalline Chronicles Book 3) Page 10
