Into the Unknown (The Djinn Kingdom Book 4)

by LJ Andrews

  The second ship copied and rowed against the strong current, but soon lost momentum. Nova gasped as their cries echoed through the starry sky when their ship tumbled over the edge into the darkness.

  “Keep holdin’. We be losin’ her,” Briggs’s rumble came through.

  Nova clenched her jaw, feeling her oar bend with each row, until her feet swayed as the ship tilted precariously over the edge of the starry waterfall.

  “Hang on!” Hadwin cried out. And the ship fell.

  Nova wasn’t sure if she screamed or held her breath. All she knew was Kale had wrapped his arms around hers as they both clutched to the rail. It seemed they were falling into a never-ending abyss, the wind whipping her hair against her face.

  Finally, the sky fell into a stillness again as the ship rocked, tipping violently so it nearly capsized. Atlas cried in exertion as he wrenched the helm to the opposite side, hoping the ship would right itself.

  Nova was flung from the rail, landing face down on the main deck with Kale toppled on her when the ship finally did right. Kale helped her to her feet but said nothing as they both looked around speechless.

  It was as if they were in a glass bowl filled with stars. Some glittering specks seemed so close Nova could feel the heat of their light on her face. Infinite colors sparkled in the dark sky, some bright blue, others a shiny black hue.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

  Everyone seemed captivated by the remarkable sight until shouts brought their attention to the second ship. Varick reached across the rail, tossing a long piece of rope to the other deck. Quickly, they tied the ships together so they wouldn’t lose one another again.

  “Look at that,” a woman said, pointing.

  Nova followed her finger and smiled. A school of strange creatures swam lazily through the stars. Their long legs jiggled like strands of ribbon blowing in the wind. Their tops reminded Nova of wild mushrooms, but it was their translucent skin which was the true marvel. They could see straight to the creatures’ small beating hearts as they glowed in the darkness.

  “They’re beautiful,” the woman said, reaching up as one bobbed above their heads.

  “No, don’t touch them,” Hadwin shouted, but it was too late.

  With a loud buzzing sound and a flash of light, the woman recoiled from the ribbon-like leg, crying in pain. Cradling her hand, she rocked back in forth in the lap of a bearded man who had broken her fall. Nova’s stomach sunk into her feet when she saw the wrinkled, charred burn covering the entire surface of her hand.

  Sabryn bolted into action, rubbing a brown paste over the woman’s blackened hand. The woman’s cries subdued, and Nova was certain she could hear a faint hissing beneath the paste.

  “This will help,” Sabryn said, wrapping the woman’s hand in a linen cloth. “You must keep this tight around your hand for at least one day.”

  “They are called Kwaleen,” Hadwin said. “Harmless in most cases, unless you touch their tentacles. Stay alert, some have long ones.”

  “Will she be all right?” Nova asked, following Hadwin to the stern.

  “She will recover, though the nerves in her hand most likely will be damaged for life,” he said softly. “Let us hope the Kwaleen are the worst encounter we have.”

  Varick tapped Hadwin on the shoulder. “The sky is quiet for now,” he said. “It would be wise to rest and eat. I’ll take the first watch.”

  Nova smiled when her father gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Several others took watch at different angles on the ship. Nova watched as the second ship lit lanterns in their lower decks, following suit and resting. Atlas rushed down to the lower deck, leaving Captain Tucker to guide the ship in quieter skies.

  “I never thanked you for saving my life,” Kale said, watching her coyly as they rested against two burlap sacks.

  Nova flushed when he brushed his hand gently along her neck and shoulder. “Don’t be getting any ideas, Mr. Tucker. We need to be on high alert.”

  Kale sighed, rolling his eyes. “There you go having to remind me we’re in a sky filled with monsters who want to swallow us whole.” He kissed her low on the jaw. “Way to ruin the mood.”

  She pulled him in for a quick kiss, laughing as she pulled back. “Don’t pretend you’d have it any other way.”

  “Oh stop, I’m joining you,” Atlas’s voice tore them apart. He plopped down, slurping a thin broth from a plaster mug. “Did you catch a glimpse of that woman’s hand after Sabryn checked the dressing?”

  “I only saw it after she was burned,” Nova said, making room for Atlas to sit against the wall.

  He shook his head, wiping his chin with one hand. “It was like wrinkled leather. Completely deformed, though the paste Sabryn used must have prevented infection. Nasty little things, those Kwaleen.”

  They were silent for a long moment as if thinking of what else they may face in the Sea of Stars. Finally, Atlas spoke, though his voice was soft and seemed distant. “Do you think we’ll find Raine?”

  “Yes, why wouldn’t we?” Nova said.

  Atlas scoffed. “Look at this place. We’ve already lost many skilled sailors and soldiers. How can one woman who had never stepped foot in this place survive?”

  “We have to keep hoping,” Kale said. “If we lose hope, we’ve lost every motivation to continue.”

  Atlas shrugged. “I just can’t imagine being in this place alone.”

  “Mind if I join you?” said Sabryn.

  “Of course, you should rest,” Nova said, scooting even more so she could lean against the last sack. “You’ve been brilliant, Sabryn. You helped rid us of the Nachtkrapp and you saved that woman’s hand.”

  “It is what I was brought here for,” Sabryn said.

  “May I ask you something?” Kale said.

  “Of course,” Sabryn responded.

  “Why have you stayed cut off from the Launi society? The Dachians were rumored to be extinct, and during my military service I traveled all over the kingdom, and I never heard a whisper of your tribe.”

  Sabryn brushed her beautiful ebony hair out of her face and sat up. “The Dachians were banished years ago. Beholders forced us out, calling us devils, full of dark magic. The people responded and we were forced into hiding.”

  “You couldn’t rise against Beholders? They are only healers and fortune tellers at heart,” Atlas said.

  Sabryn shook her head. “Not these Beholders. They are the Dachians’ enemy, but the promise from Hadwin that my people could finally emerge from our desolate caves is what brings me here. I would not have entered into their presence for anything less.”

  Nova’s lip curled. “Wait, whose presence? Don’t tell me the Beholders who banished you are who I think they are.”

  Sabryn nodded. “Those creatures you know as the Three Brothers destroyed my people’s way of life many years ago. Their crimes against the Dachians will not go unpunished. But for now, there are greater battles to fight.”

  Nova fell back against the wall of the ship. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “Those…fiends are disgusting. How can we let them get away with things like this?”

  “Only for a higher purpose,” Sabryn said. “They will not always keep the power they have now.”

  Nova watched Sabryn lean her head against the hull, closing her unique eyes. The pit in her stomach intensified the longer she mulled over the greed and wickedness of the Three Brothers. It was all she could do to keep the darkness from overtaking. Taking several deep breaths, Nova closed her eyes and allowed the pounding currents rock her into a fitful sleep.

  Atlas shuffled next to her, rousing her from dreams of darkness with blades clanging together. “Where are you going? It can’t be time for watch change?” she said, rubbing her swollen eyes.

  The ship rocked as something beat against the hull. Atlas gripped the side of the ship while buckling his belt with black copper coiled cutlasses on both sides.

  “Something is happening,” he said wh
en the ship pitched again. “Better get everyone on deck.”

  Kale propped himself on one elbow, his eyes wide and focused as if he’d never been asleep. “Did you hear that?”

  Atlas paused on the staircase leading up to the main deck, and Nova held her breath as the ship seemed to settle into a suffocating silence. Sabryn sat up, her shoulders stiff as she reached for her blade.

  “We are in grave danger,” she whispered.

  As soon as the words escaped her mouth, the ship pitched with dangerous creaks of wood splintering. Screams filled the lower deck as people roused and jumped to their feet. Atlas darted up the stairs, stumbling only once against the violent shaking.

  Nova followed close behind, but fell back off the staircase when the ship’s bow dipped backward.

  “I’ve got you,” Kale said, catching her before she fell on the ground. “Come on.”

  They rushed to the deck, where blasts of powerful bullets burst through the sparkling sky. Varick and Hadwin were standing on the stern firing pistols and slicing their blades. Nova gasped as she saw thick, gray tentacles reaching over all sides of the rails. On each end of the monstrous tentacles was a long, jagged nail in the shape of a hook. The ivory hooks dug into the wood, lurching the ship down through the sky.

  A furious roar echoed in her ears, but she could see no head of the creature overtaking their ship. The sound of a cannon ripped her attention to the second ship. They remained unharmed and had come to their aid, firing blue cannon balls pulsing with red and gold veins of black copper. One ball slammed against one of the hooks embedded in the stern. In a blast, the hook shattered, and shredded bits of fleshy tentacle slithered off the deck, followed by an angry cry from the creature.

  “What is it!” Nova cried out, slicing her dagger against one of the searching tentacles. Oozing black blood spilled onto the deck but did not deter the searching arm.

  “A strake!” Sabryn yelled, engaged in battle against a deadly hooked tip. Her jagged blade ripped the flesh in two, sending it spilling off the edge of the ship. “A creature which will devour this entire ship if we give it the chance.”

  A gurgling roar shuddered the entire hull of the ship as another cannon flew through the dark sky. The Strake whipped two long tentacles toward the second ship raining the cannon assault. Nova screamed, feeling the burn of the Djinn power encompass her as she watched the ship tip on one side. Several people rolled along the slanted deck, desperately reaching for stray rigging or the rails as they tumbled.

  “Amoni!” Sabryn cried as she watched Amoni’s tall, dark legs flip over the rail of the ship.

  From the depths of the Sea of Stars, a horrid head appeared on the side of the ship, pulling the frantic people off the safety of their ship. Its head was made up of rolls of fleshy skin flapping around its huge orange eyes. But its mouth made it clear death would not be quick or painless. Two long tusks jutted out from each side of the circular mouth. Lines of serrated teeth spanned the entire inner cavity with two more tusks jabbing forward from the inside.

  Startled by the appearance of such a horrid creature, several crew from the second ship fell, satisfying the terrible bloodlust of the Strake for a moment.

  “Amoni,” Sabryn cried again, her voice cracking. “Someone help him.”

  Though she shouted it to the entire ship, she stared directly at Nova. Her fury raged; this creature would kill them all. The darkness burned her blood, but in the corner of her mind, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. A strong, burning warmth spread through her, and glancing over her shoulder, she saw Hadwin’s palm on her shoulder. His golden eyes blazed with power despite the numerous gashes from the Strake’s claws.

  Nova smiled at her uncle before they both darted to the rail, seemingly in sync with one another’s thoughts. Hadwin tossed her a coiled cutlass as she ran, and when they reached the rail of the ship, Hadwin knocked the side, sending a wooden plank shooting from the side of the ship. Nova pulled herself over the edge, stepping out on the narrow beam until the Strake was only a few feet off.

  Her power pulsed toward the creature, and she felt the strength of Hadwin buoy her against the fatigue which plagued her body. The Strake screamed as some unseen force seemed to pull back against its ugly head. Slowly, the second ship began tilting back until it was straight enough the crew could find their footing.

  Nova fell to her knees on the plank, clutching the cutlass, feeling the strength of her power diminish as small black dots formed in the corner of her eyes.

  “Nova,” Hadwin cried breathlessly. “Come back. The Strake, it is too strong. We must retreat.”

  Nova glanced across the small divide between the ships, her eyes slightly blurry as the torment inside tossed her stomach back and forth. Amoni was still struggling to get back on the side of the ship and the Strake could see it.

  “Just a little longer,” she whispered.

  The Djinn inside spread through what little strength she had left and pulsed toward the ship as the monstrous creature opened its terrifying jaws for Amoni. Closing her eyes, she pushed her desire as hard as she could toward the ship.

  The Strake screamed in frustration as its tentacles began rolling in on themselves, just below its prey. Amoni scrambled against the hull of his ship until he found his footing and pulled himself to the safety of the deck.

  Nova smiled as the power succeeded, but felt her mind darkening. The screams of the Strake were growing distant, yet her breath caught in her throat as she fell from the plank. She knew she was falling, she knew she was going to meet her end upon the horrid creature. All she could hear were the cries of horror from those above. Her mind was foggy and lost when she struck something hard. This was the end; once the Strake realized someone had fallen so willingly on its back, it would devour her.

  But the wind rushed against her face as if she were moving up at a rate faster than the Strake. Nova groaned when the hard nudge of someone’s foot pushed her off whatever she’d been on. She landed with a heavy thud on a wooden deck. Her mind was still foggy, but as she scratched the wood, she knew she was once again on the deck of the ship.

  “Nova.” It was Hadwin. He clasped both hands on the sides of her head, bringing her mind to the clear. Her strength returned and she gently patted his hands letting him know she was restored.

  Varick pulled her against his chest fiercely when she opened her eyes. Kale was next to him, his face bloody from the fight but his eyes filled with relief.

  “I’m sorry, we pushed it too much,” Hadwin said, patting her shoulder.

  “I pushed. It wasn’t your fault. Who came after me?” she asked weakly, hearing the cries of the monster behind her.

  “We don’t know, but whatever they’re doing, it’s working,” Kale said.

  Nova furrowed her brow, slowly pulling herself up over the rail. Small skiffs buzzed about the Strake, pummeling the creature with slender spears. With each strike, bursts of white sparked off the creature’s head, filling the air with its furious cries.

  Each small boat was captained by one person. Well, she couldn’t be sure they were people. Their eyes glowed red, with some more orange and yellow. Their heads were veiled with shabby, thin cloth, only revealing the color of their strange eyes. They were shaped like humans, though their hands seemed to only have three dark fingers, with one shorter nail curving up from the bottom of their palms. They shouted at one another in a language Nova had never heard; it seemed primitive and lost.

  The Strake roared, widening its jaws. The spear throwers took the roar as their cue and pummeled the creature with their weapons. Bursts of burning light lit up the deep mouth before the Strake roared a final cry and slithered far below them into the darkness of the Unknown.

  A shrill cry sounded as the spear throwers shouted their victory. Nova’s head followed a high whistle. A lead skiff, complete with two sails, bobbed above them. It was clear this was their leader. The ominous figure wore a leafy headdress on top of the thin robe and a wooden mask covered their fe
atures. Their rescuers responded to the call and steered their skiffs after their leader.

  In perfect unison, they moved into a formation before darting through the Sea of Stars until it seemed they simply crossed behind a black curtain. One by one, their ships disappeared behind a blanket of stars, leaving the stunned survivors to wonder who had just saved them from the jaws of the Strake.

  Chapter 18

  Queen of Amissa

  “You told us the Strake was long extinct. This was one of the reasons we chose the Sea of Stars,” Varick shouted at Patus.

  After the two ships had recovered from the vicious attack of the Strake, they’d used the seer stone to call out to the Three Brothers. Now, all three ships bobbed, tethered together and determining how to move forward.

  Co sneered, his dark, empty sockets locked on Varick with disdain. “We never said anything of the sort. If you wish to go on without our guidance, we can find our own way.”

  “Ye yellow-bellied cowards. We could do just fine without ye lot,” Briggs snarled, gripping his cutlass. “Ye were supposed to steer us clear of danger, and we seems to be fallin’ in danger with or without ye.”

  “We told you it was possible the Strake was extinct, as we had no vision of the creature in our mind’s eye. You chose the Sea of Stars over the revenants of the Hills of Tod. Do not blame us for your decision.” Patus said calmly.

  Varick turned to Hadwin and Briggs and whispered under his breath. “Perhaps we should rid ourselves of them.”

  “I would not do that if you wish to find your daughter’s fallen companion,” Virtus said slowly, his dark sockets eerily finding Nova.

  “Raine? What do you know of her?”

  “Now, you wish to hear what we have to say?” Virtus responded arrogantly.

  Nova’s stomach clenched. How she wished she could rip the smirk from his pallid face.

  “Just speak what you know,” Atlas shouted from the helm, cursing the brothers under his breath though it was clear they’d heard.