by Jack Crosby
The time for tough talk was over. Jormungandr snapped twice at me, each with the intent to break me in half. I avoided the first and saber parried the second. Asunder was channeling his divine power into me, boosting my strength. I slashed out at his face on his next attack attempt and caught him well. More of the green blood entered the water.
I didn’t see his tail whipping around, not until it crashed into my body and shot me upward. The force sent me out of the water for a moment before I splashed back in. I was headed for his mouth when a blonde streak grabbed me and rushed me to safety. It was another mermaid. “I can’t let my sister’s chosen become snake food, can I?”
Another cryptic mermaid. “I appreciate you saving me.”
She swam off, back into the ocean. I still had Asunder in my hand, so I focused on him. “Any ideas? Mine was hopefully to lure him into shallow water and have the advantage of speed.”
“He is staying just out of the danger zone. He is a very accomplished warrior.”
Another strike was the timing. High tide was coming in making the water even deeper. Any advantage I may have had was slowly drifting away. He approached again, slowly. “You have done well to survive this long Captain.” The last line was more patronizing than anything. “I will remember this day for a long time, as no other human has ever wounded me that way you have.”
“The day isn’t over yet.” This time I went on the attack first, propelling my body like a bullet through the water. I pointed Asunder straight ahead, hoping to be true to an attack to the eye. It was broken up when he flicked his tongue and snapped my wrist. Asunder fell to the bottom and he snapped me closer.
The closer I was pulled to his mouth, the farther my only chance drifted away. As I was about to join a legion of pirates in Davey Jones’ Locker, the sounds of cannons from the surface broke free. It was the Cat’s Tail, a sound I knew anywhere. A large iron cannonball fell into the water and rushed on to Jormungandr’s head. His tongue let me go as he thrashed in pain.
Two more shots were true and distracted the large lizard from me. I looked around for Asunder, but couldn’t see it. What I did see was the blonde swimming towards me with something glowing in her hand. She handed me back Asunder, “Finish him off, quickly!”
I needed no more prying. As the serpent was fending off the cannonballs falling on him, my next attack was unhindered. Asunder ripped into his forehead and his eyes rolled back in his head. I held it there for a moment or two until the sword told me it was okay. “We’ve won the day Argus. The Jormungandr has fallen.”
Chapter 10 – Fletcher the Merciless
Darina, or as I had been calling her the red head, was in the middle of her heat. We were in the captain’s quarters, but I had no doubt everyone within the Royal Waters couldn’t her hear. As I continued to pound myself into her, her legs wrapped around me like her tail would. I fired every bit of myself deep into her pussy, hoping for another batch of mermaids.
The funny thing about being mated to a mermaid is one becomes immortal. When I began my career as a pirate, the seas were just beginning to be explored. Half the fun was discovering new places to go or even new treasures to steal. Now the world is pretty well explored, nothing new to see.
The Black Cat still strikes fear in the hearts of men, but Darina tells me that the days of piracy are coming to a close. I don’t want to believe her but I can see it too.
The final act of my adventure with the Jormungandr was a quiet one. Roxanne, he originally wanted me to herself saw how the mermaid had taken to me. She couldn’t bring herself to separate what was meant to be. Darina told her that one day she’d find the right man and stay by his side forever. I found it hard to believe the Lust demon hadn’t already.
No one outside the island of Lost Haven would ever hear my story. After returning the Jormungandr to its place of rest, Asunder disappeared. Well not the sword, just the spirit inside. The sword is still on my hip to this day. It’s my sign as the King of Lost Haven.
To be honest, King is an unofficial title. Most pirates of the island know me for my mermaid bride or my long list of ships I’ve plundered. As the years have gone on, any stories regarding my exploits with Roxanne have dissolved into myth. I’m on my third crew since then and each time it gets a bit tougher.
What does the future hold for me? I can’t answer that. Just know my name is Argus Fletcher; I once saved the world from a horrible fate and in the process became the Father of the Modern Mermaid Clans. All that aside, you can just call me Merciless.
****
Roxanne closed the book to a round of applause. To be honest, I was surprised the denizens of Eden enjoyed that story. It was a bit raunchy and I knew they were all prudes.
To my right, my son Oz was all worked up. “Damn dad, that Merciless guy sounds awesome.”
As the Horseman Death, I should’ve been the one to get this kind of a rise out of my boy. Though maybe he’d seen me too much and was used to my power. “Take everything your mother says with a grain of salt. She’s been known to exaggerate things.”
“Derrick Grim, how dare you accuse me of that?” Damnit, she heard me. “You’re not the only one with fucking good stories.”
Oh yeah, since we moved here, Eden’s gotten a little lighter on the swearing rule. We all try to be honest, but sometimes it’s hard to break old habits. “I never said that.”
“That’s what you implied.”
This was a losing battle. “Fine, it was an awesome story. I just wanted Oz to know that it might be a tad over the top.”
She folded her arms. They rested between her enormous boobs and her pregnant stomach. “Every word of it was truth and I can prove it.”
“Really?”
“Yes I can husband.” Her fiery eyes went from me to Oz. “When you return to Earth soon, should you need his help, you can find Merciless and Darina in a place called Key West. Just tell them I’m your mom.”
Oz’s face lit up like the stars on a summer’s night. “I’m totally seeking him out.”
She smiled. “When you do, tell them I did find my guy. Tell them I’m very much happy.”
The End
And now, Chapter 1 of this fall’s upcoming new series:
The Witch Wars:
Jacoby’s Revenge
Chapter 1 – The Zane Twins
I eyed the girl standing in my house. There was something definitely off with her. “You can help me find my brother? How?”
I don’t think she was purposefully using her sexuality, but as the child of a Lust demon, I tended to bring that out in girls. Her breasts were hovering right on the edge of popping out, not that she seemed to care. “All will be revealed soon enough Oz. I just need you to trust me.”
She used that word again – trust. “Why is it so important for me to trust you this minute?”
“I can’t tell you everything until I know I have your trust.” Her green eyes were pleading with me to say I did. “I promise you I mean you no harm. You’re the last person on Earth I’d harm.”
I let my celestial fire go and the sword disappeared. Taking a deep breath, I sat down with her. “Alright Cassandra, you’ve intrigued me enough to listen.”
She reached across with her hand, but I jerked mine away. Something still wasn’t right. She looked hurt by the movement, yet I needed to be cautious for my own good. Dad said I’d have lots of enemies here.
Hiding her expression, “The first thing you need to know if I’m a witch.”
Oh shit, witches. On the long list of things dad told me to avoid, witches were A number 1. His words were clear as day – “Don’t get messed up in any witch shit Oz. They aren’t to be trusted.”
And here I was sitting at our old kitchen table with a witch. I hadn’t even been here a half hour yet and I was already on a stellar track. “If you know who my dad is, then you know the family position on witches.”
“My master warned me about that. He said the Grimms weren’t especially fond of magic users.�
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“Who’s your master?” Curiosity got the better of me and I fired the question off before thinking. “Not that you need to tell me or anything.”
She took this as a sign of a trust building opportunity. “He’s part of the reason I’m here. You’ll get to meet him soon enough, so there’s no harm in telling you who he is.” Her purple lips turned up into a smile. “I train under the very best wizard the world’s ever seen. My master is none other than Merlin.”
“You’re shitting me?” There I went again, speaking before thinking. In an attempt to not destroy her feelings already, “Not that I don’t believe you, but he’s got to be like a thousand years old.”
She reached into her coat and pulled out something that looked like an old CD from back in the day. “He said you’d be skeptical, so we come up with a way to show proof.” She placed the disc on the table and waved her hand over it. The disc sparked red and then a grizzled old man’s face appeared.
Damnit, he looked just like a guy named Merlin should. Bushy white eyebrows, a long beard, with a face chiseled out of stone. “Young Reaper, my name is Merlin, royal magician to Arthur and well fuck it. If you don’t know who I am, go get a history book.”
I sat there in a state of shock. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
Cassandra shushed me. The crotchety old wizard continued. “Cassandra here has been given the task to find you and recruit you to our cause. After my little intro video ends, she’ll give you the details.” The image zoomed in close to his face. “You’ve been picked for a reason. There’s a war on the horizon, one that will change the world. I’ll see you soon young Reaper.”
He blinked out, leaving the room dark again with just me and Cassandra. “Don’t mind him, he’s just antsy with Morgan Le Fey running around.”
I knew enough of my history to know she was the mother of all witches. Something big was brewing. “So Miss Cassandra, you’ve gone to great lengths to make a point to me. What’s really happening?”
“Le Fey is recruiting an army of witches and demons in an attempt to take over the world.” She laughed like it was nothing. “She tries this sort of thing once or twice a century. The problem is this time she’s recruited a lieutenant that actually gives her a chance.”
“Jacoby?”
I don’t know why his name came to me that quickly. And more disturbing was a brief mental image of my long lost brother dressed again in his black armor. That couldn’t be a coincidence.
She nodded at my question. “Yes Oz, your brother has been with Morgan ever since he abandoned Sabrina some years ago.” Talk about a day I’d never forget. “Together they have done quite well operating in the shadows, gaining power.”
Absent-mindedly, I was drawing circles with my finger on the table as my mind wandered. “Shit.” It was all I could say.
“Fear not, for Merlin has seen a way to avoid a catastrophe and that’s why I’m here.” She stood up and walked over to me, dropping to a knee so she could look at me closely. It was a little offsetting. “Two people have been chosen to take up arms against Morgan. Together they are stronger than they could ever been apart.”
Heat started building up around my neck. “Cassandra, what exactly do you mean?”
Her hand gripped mine. “In a dream I’ve had since I was fifteen, I’ve seen my chosen and at his side, the two of us defeat Morgan, ending The Witch Wars.” Uh oh, I had a bad feeling about this. “Oz Grimm, I’ve waited patiently for you to return from Eden so I could find you.”
This was too much too quick. “You’ve been dreaming about me?”
Her eyes told the story. “Almost every night for the past seven years. I can’t believe I’m here with you now, holding your hand…”
This just added to the surreal nature of what was quickly becoming the oddest day I’d ever dealt with. “That’s gre-” Before I could finish, someone else entered the house. The man, who looked a lot like Cassandra, casually entered the kitchen.
He looked jumpy. “Sis, you said it wouldn’t take this long. We gotta move, and fucking quickly.”
Cassandra saw my confusion. “Oz, this is my twin brother Caspian, but just call him Cas.” He gave a short wave. “Unlike me, he’s just a human with an extraordinary ability to act as a getaway driver.”
“Are we in some kinda trouble?”
Neither Cassandra nor her brother Cas answered that question. Nope, my question was sufficiently answered by loud yelling from outside the house. “All inside, come out with your hands up!”
Human police? “What the hell is going on?”
Cas pulled out a very unique looking pistol. When we weren’t under the threat of the law, I’d have to ask him about that. “Morgan has his claws everywhere. Maybe when you used your magic to activate Merlin’s message, it set off a warning or something.”
Another call from the cops echoed around. “This is your last chance before we come in hot. Surrender now or else.”
Cassandra closed her eyes and a low, blue light radiated off her hands. She took a short, sharp gasp. “This is most certainly Morgan’s magic at play.” When she reopened her eyes, she looked pissed. Fierce even.
Like a large cat walking towards prey, she strutted out of the kitchen and through the front door. Caspian and I were right behind her. “What’s she going to do?”
“She’s about to drop the bomb.”
Cassandra stopped on the stoop out front and all the cops who were there pointed their guns at her. The blue light I saw earlier exploded, sending out a concussive force towards our enemies. All the cops in the street were knocked back. And none of them were getting up.
I ran over to her. “Did you kill them?”
“No, they are merely knocked out.”
That was a relief. “We should probably get going, huh?”
Caspian had his keys out and parted between us. “Best idea I’ve heard tonight.” He pointed to the Camaro on the other side of the street. It was vintage, but it looked impeccable. “Quit ogling her and let’s go.”
I did as I was asked, wondering to myself if he was talking about the car or his sister?
To be continued this fall!
About the Author:
Jack lives in Chicago with his kegerator Jim. He owns an IT consulting firm which takes up a lot of time. Still, he finds time to write, though some wished he didn’t.
You can email him at [email protected]. Chances are he’ll answer, but it might be profane.
