Laugh of Destruction (Book 3 of the Death Incarnate Saga)

by Jr H. Lee Morgan

  Just as he added spells to not allow the gems to absorb more than their allotment Daku fluttered to sit on the bow of the boat no larger than a hawk. He didn’t say anything as Cage had a look of deep focus evident in his expression.

  Then Cage, when he felt the crystals were prepped, he dropped them into the bucket of saltwater and sand in a rough circle and watched them settle down and sit just below the water’s surface. He then began a complex series of spells he’s been imagining up recently and put them in practice.

  Sometimes Daku would watch his partner working and saw how from time to time the water in the bucket would writhe differently than the waves that undulated the boat. The only time he stopped testing was when he took a break around noon to take a drink and munch on a small piece of flat bread.

  He then went right back to work.

  Chapter 5

  Making it to about three quarters of the way to the island and in the oppressive early afternoon sunlight, Cage stopped actively testing out different magical ideas when he sensed something not quite right.

  Out over open water where anything could be laying in wait, Cage turned to find those aboard with him still paddling hard and breaking only when needed. The other boats also seemed to be keeping pace and a dull tingle of magic spoke of Megdline doing something to keep the cumbersome ferry from falling behind.

  “Something wrong, Cage Love?” Brooke asked curiously after noticing how he scanned the area through narrow eyes.

  “Don’t know.” He admitted, barely audible and stood up for a better vantage.

  Alert for something amiss, every adult on his boat drew a knife, or in Brooke’s case, her tomahawks. Meeka even drew her faithful knife from a new thigh-sheathe someone offered before departing yesterday. Rowing stopped as every set of eyes looked for trouble. They stayed ready for nearly a minute as another boat came closer to shout what the problem is. Cage responded “Must be my imagina…”

  A brief flash of movement beneath the clear azure water caught Cage’s peripheral attention. He turned to where he saw the flicker and the eyes of others turned to look in the same direction. Even Daku went on alert and took to the air.

  Seconds after the griffin lifted off, something huge slammed into the boat.

  Being the only one who stood, Cage’s precarious position suddenly lost footing and slipped. The violent hit knocked Cage overboard and into the water. He quickly recovered beneath the boat and tried resurfacing. Just as he was about to break the surface for a fresh breath came the frighteningly unexpected.

  Rows and rows of triangular, razor sharp teeth in a monstrous mouth consumed Cage’s already blurry underwater vision. Cage threw his arms forward with all the explosive strength he could muster and managed to move out of range of the maw, but not before getting hit in the face by a hard fin moving fast. A large tail smacked Cage violently again, sending him tumbling.

  Cage fought through the pain to watch as a gigantic tiger shark went ahead before jerking around effortlessly for another pass. More movement caught his eye as another huge tiger shark rushed in.

  Lungs burning and starved for needed oxygen, Cage knew he had only seconds to remain lucid so he tore for the surface. His wits returned thanks to the always welcome jolt of adrenaline battle creates. With his mind returned, he focused and willed the magic to shoot him faster, using water as an aid.

  The next thing he knew, he shot nearly twenty feet out of the water thanks to magical properties. With a huge gulp of air, excitement filled him.

  A grin spread as Cage found battle.

  The whole tribe watched their chief explode out of the ocean before hearing a frightening laugh of pure enjoyment. It was then followed by “Hell yeah!” before everyone saw their chieftain dive right back into the water without pause.

  Back beneath the surface, Cage knew the sharks had the advantage of being equipped for aquatic life, especially as a third joined in all the fun. Their advantage also was more due to their eyes more adapted to life underwater. He knew these sharks hunted alone back on Earth, but didn’t rightly care at the moment why three were here. Especially since he’d never fought a shark before.

  To equalize the playing field, Cage sent his magic out to the abundance of water around him again to manipulate it as he would his arms. The first shark who knocked him out of the boat, streaked for the kill, but a sudden change in the water jerked Cage around the apex aquatic predator. Cage could see enough to locate the only weakness a shark with bone hard, sandpaper-like skin really had. Its large black eye. Cage balled his fist and like a spear, he punched unerringly for the eye and connected solidly. Though the beast couldn’t scream, it did learn a painful lesson as it swam off.

  Before Cage could react, the second shark rushed up from behind and chomped down hard on his exposed right arm. Unlucky for the shark, it was like biting down on steel. The permanently applied gauntlet didn’t allow penetration, but Cage felt teeth break. The shark pulled the grinning warlock without letting go. Its whole body jerked violently to rip off the limb. Cage’s excitement grew as he began painfully grabbing for the gills with his free arm while thrusting a knee in the jaw, breaking off more teeth in the process and leaving a trail of blood behind. There came a slack of pressure on his captured arm and Cage used the opportunity to jerk his right arm out along with a few fresh teeth for souvenirs.

  The second shark also seemed to have enough with this unsuspecting prey before it gills could be grasped and ripped wide open.

  Cage went to locate the third beast to find it using the same failed tactic as its brothers. Feeling he could hold his breath for a few more minutes, Cage swam with both his arms and magic, leading the shark into chase.

  It didn’t last long as a large body, twice that of the shark, dove into the water with tremendous force. Bubbles further blotted out weakened vision and when they cleared it was replaced by a tremendous cloud of bloody water as the huge shark had been quite literally ripped in half, barehanded by the powerful Daku. The griffin clutched the two halves of the once great predator in clawed hands as he used his wings and back legs to swim effortlessly.

  The rush of battle and a furiously beating heart consumed all of the contained air so Cage swam for the surface to exchange stale breath.

  As he caught his breath, Daku’s great head surfaced several feet away, his inner eyelid blinked the saltwater away.

  Then both laughed.

  “DAD, ARE YOU HURT?!!!” Their laugh ended as Sean sounded worried. The pair turned to see the paddling Utala boats giving their all to reach their chief.

  “No!” He returned and used a spell to escape the water’s grasp and walk on the surface. “I’m Fine!” He walked over as Daku swam leisurely beside him, chuckling. “That was an awesome fight.”

  “Indeed.” Daku chuckled again. “And we’ve got our first meal to celebrate our new nest.” He said and continued holding the shark halves.

  “I’m fine!” Cage said again when he reached the worried boats. “Those sharks didn’t know who they were up against.” To prove it, Cage opened a fistful of fresh teeth with chunks of meat clinging to the roots. “Here, start a collection. Thankfully he bit my arm. If I didn’t have these gauntlets I’d likely have lost it.” He handed the teeth down to his kids.

  Feeling exhilarated from the fight, Cage said “We need to get settled in, especially since Daku so kindly went fishing and caught a big one so you can celebrate your new home!”

  Cheers went up as Cage stepped into his canoe.

  “I will go ahead to put these in a safe place. You should arrive in two or three hours.” Daku estimated before taking a deep breath and disappearing deep beneath the water. He went so deep that his white coat disappeared. Then Cage noticed a whiteness rising. Daku’s wings pumped with immeasurable strength before eventually breaking the surface in an explosion that sent droplets in all directions. In his furry, wet hands were clutched the remnants of a once powerful predator. Daku soon found a rhythm and flew towards the island
with his prize like some great osprey.

  “Cage, are you sure you are alright?” Meeka asked.

  “Sure. That was a thrilling fight.” He grinned lazily as his eyes twinkled in delight before shaking his head to rid himself of the water. “We need to get going and I need to get back to work. Let me know if something else happens. I doubt we’ll be attacked again.”

  Rowing resumed as did Cage’s worked on wards in the bucket between his feet. He could feel the intentions finally beginning to work. The tribe couldn’t help being in awe and terror at who led them. He could feel their eyes, but didn’t let it distract him. Still, he couldn’t believe he fought sharks and it kept him smiling.

  “Love, we’re here.” Meeka said, leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t realize how hard he concentrated till he jerked and grabbed her hand in a painful, vice-like grip. She froze, understanding that any movement would result in greater pain. Then the grip slacked when he turned and realized the situation. He apologized. “Don’t be sorry. I forget you don’t like to be touched from behind when you are preoccupied. But we are here.”

  He scanned ahead to see the two pillars with hundreds of carved skulls not a half mile ahead. Their ominous positions oddly made Cage feel comfortable. It was around late afternoon and beyond the pillars, sitting on the beach was Daku and the bloody prize. “We made it… Good thing too. I think I’ve got the spells figured out.” He stood and turned around to find all the boats accounted for. “Let’s proceed to show how to enter.” He used a little magic to retrieve all six tiny crystals before upending the bucket of sand and seawater. Cage also took a paddle from one of the young mothers to give her a break.

  About a tenth of mile away from the pillars Cage said “Put your oars down. I feel the pillars activating.” He heard the constant paddle slapping of water cease and the hollow sound of wood hitting wood while the tingle of magic between his shoulders grew to the point it felt like his whole back itched.

  The boat jerked forcibly to a halt by a powerful, unseen influence. Unable to move further, the only thing to do was wait upon the water. It wasn’t long before a swirl appeared between the spaced pillars. A white human skull over teen feet in height appeared. To Cage, he could differentiate the illusion, but to others, it looked frighteningly real. Magic hummed in the air as the bottom jaw lowered to ask in a hollow voice “To enter, the answer must be known.”

  Cage shouted back “Blue Lagoon!”

  The lifeless, floating skull winked out and the unforgiving hold on the boat relaxed. The tingle of magic soon disappeared entirely.

  Password being accepted, Cage picked up his paddle and began rowing through the only safe passage to the island. Seeing their chief rowing, the others joined in to make the last push for shore. Unlike the last time he was here on the water, the murky effects had cleared after the pillars separated. The white sand about sixty feet from the shore looked to have settled somewhat.

  Nearly to shore, Cage turned around when he sensed magic. The skull appeared, but as the jaw moved, nothing could be heard from it or from a shouting elder. She sat down when the skull vanished. Cage was glad to see the original wards still effective, even after five thousand years of dormancy. He liked how Ceembura crafted the pillars and the wards, especially the one to protect the password from any form of eavesdropping. When the second boat passed safely, Cage sighed.

  The waves had calmed enough to push the boat close enough to shore so that Cage and the other adults safely exited into the water to drag the boat ashore. The six kids waited patiently while the rocking boat came to its final destination.

  “Any further problems?” Daku asked while approaching the size of a horse.

  “Nope.” Cage popped the p. “Alright kids, out of the boat. Start unpacking quickly to pull the boats up higher so we don’t mistakenly lose one.”

  “Go help the others, Cage Love.” Brooke said. He nodded and waded up to his waist to help bring in the next boat and the next.

  It took nearly an hour to get every boat to the island, the barge being last to approach the beach. Due to the sheer size and weight of the barge it would be too dangerous to use conventional methods to moor the boat. Cage shouted from shore “Granny, have everyone hold onto something!” he saw her wave and made gestures for everyone to do as he said.

  Realizing that there wasn’t much to think on, Cage extended his hands and focused on the calm waves constantly pushing and pulling. The magic flowed from him and into the water in a similar way that he used earlier against the sharks. Instead of allowing the water to pull the barge, he manipulated a narrow stream in a pushing wave. Water changed habits under the spell’s effects and began to push the cumbersome ship. The boat approached slowly, making the spell harder to maintain. Working all day had already taken its toll and now forcing a boat ashore took even more.

  The boat surged forward, thanks to Megdline who understood, by adding more power to the current. With one last push, Cage conjured a wave which rolled beneath and lifted the barge enough so that when the spell ended the boat firmly landed nearly halfway on the beach. The overuse of magic forced Cage to take a knee from the wariness and to fight against the spots from wanting to pass out. The ending of the spell allowed the water to wash downhill, leaving the barge full of animals and a half dozen villagers firmly secure on shore.

  “Here, Cage.” Megdline said as she knelt beside him. In his slowly clearing vision he saw one of her delicious homemade energy bars made of oats, honey, wheat and molasses. “I made a fresh batch before Jumping to Kote.”

  “Thanks Granny.” He accepted the offer, sat down, spelled the food for dangers and found it clean before wolfing down the hearty snack. Food did help, especially when one of the children brought him a drink of water.

  In a few minutes he recovered enough to stand and put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. All heads turned to him before they walked over. He flourished his arms when the tribe all gathered. “I’d like to first say that I’m sorry. I know each of you miss your home back on the Tribal Plains, where the Utala name was well known to be respected and feared. This tribe had few who were a match to be a threat. I’m an outsider not even born to Raliea who became the chief, pulled you from your home and forced you to endure great hardship by making you go somewhere you’ve never been by the word of someone you don’t even know. All of you have shown me trust I didn’t earn and for that I’m thankful. Behind me is the island I was taken to and where I was granted use of my body again. Ceembura gave me this island because I was chosen by these.” He held up his black arms. “I first expected this island to be my lonely home for the rest of my days, but each one of you have made me feel like family. You’ve done the same for both Meeka and Sean. Such good qualities I never expected to see. So in return for all of your faith and generosity I welcome you to my island.

  “It will be a haven and a home, if you want it. I will not force any of you to live here and if you find you do not like the island and wish to return to the Tribal Plains one day, I’ll figure a way to get you there. I have many pressing matters I must learn to truly make the island safe from enemies so just wait till after winter passes before you reach a decision. As Chief, if you don’t find you like it here, tell me. Just know, this is my island and my home away from annoying individuals.”

  He paused to take a breath. “My island is very large, but not so large that we can be greedy with its resources. Last time I was here there were two packs of wolves, six cougars, sixty herds of deer, scattered boar and plenty of birds. I didn’t find any deadly snakes, but there could be. I ask that you refrain from overhunting since the ocean surrounds us. There is plenty of fish, crabs and all sorts of edibles around the island. I’ll have to figure a way to do something about the animal population so that they and we can thrive…” He thought the last part aloud before catching himself. “I will be busy the rest of the night and most of the morning, but in the afternoon I will take everyone to the two most important pla
ces of the island. Since it takes no more than a day to get from one side of the island to another, you’ll have to figure out how you wish to live. I already know where I’ll be making a home for me and my family. I don’t expect everyone to be making a home where I will. Again, the choice will be yours.

  “There should be enough supplies remaining for three more days… so in two, I’ll begin growing all that everyone will need to survive. Some have learned to spearfish so I doubt that anyone will go hungry. I’ll also make a smokehouse to make any extra food you catch preserve longer.

  “Lastly, I wish to say, Welcome to my island.”

  The Utala didn’t cheer for they could hear the complete truth in his words. He didn’t even try to sugarcoat the reality of his speech. Each adult knew he had more to deal with than any one of them and he had to make priorities. For the next few weeks each knew they would mostly be on their own.

  The silence ended as one of the larger male warriors asked “Chief, will you still be willing to teach us how you fight and be as deadly as you are?”

  In all seriousness Cage said “You bet I will. I promised to train the children three days a week and any willing adults twice a week. I will try to honor my commitment I made back on the plains. Just because we’ll mostly be isolated doesn’t men I’ll be making your lives leisurely. The Utala will grow to be renowned as the deadliest fighting force to live. That will be a promise, should you want to learn from me. I’ve made plenty of enemies recently and they will likely find me and use you to get to me as the wounded cowards they are. I’ll make damn sure they realize every Utala man, woman and child is not to be underestimated.”

  “Then I’m not planning to ever return to the plains.” The man stated confidently. “You are a great warrior, Chief. I want to be greater.”

  “So that you can become chief?” Cage asked.