Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God

by Barry Gibbons

  For the first time in her four centuries of life, she left the safety of the highland temples, and journeyed out into the world, determined to carry out the tasks laid out for her by the spirits.

  Her journey was not one without its dangers. Just the act of leaving the highlands was a danger in itself. The stories of the dark rituals and vile acts preformed by her coven were well known throughout her homeland, and therefore most would flee from her presence. Only the most foolhardy of warriors would attempt to bar her passage, but it would still occasionally happen. During those occasions, Boris stepped in.

  She glanced at the enormous warrior, who looked ridiculously out of place attempting to tend to the petulant child. Boris had been the fiercest warrior among the primitive Oroni. He had been the leader of a clan who attacked her coven, seeking to wipe the abomination that was the highland witches. He had actually managed to kill three of her sisters before she was finally able to subdue him using magic.

  Seeing his potential, instead of feeding upon him, she chose to ensnare his soul and use him as her khalkan. Ever since that day, he had served as her bodyguard, and her voice among the commoners who ventured to the highlands to make a plea with the elder spirits.

  She smiled to herself. It was a fitting punishment for the murder of her sisters. He would serve her until the end of his days, or until she grew tired of him, then she would feast upon him, as she had countless others before him.

  Using the immense warrior to bully her way across the continent, they set off on their quest, taking what they needed from those unfortunate enough to cross their path.

  After acquiring a ship, she undertook her very first sea voyage, which she found distinctly unsettling. The constant rocking of the ship as it crested each wave soon had her feeling violently ill, and she had spent a great deal of her time trying valiantly not to vomit.

  When they finally reached the shores of the southern continent, they spent several months learning as much as they could about the man who had become a legend. What they learned astonished her, forcing her to take immediate counsel with the elder spirits. Though she trusted in them to guide her footsteps, she found the stories of the Dragon Lord's nearly limitless power and invincible magic unsettling. If only half of the stories of his power were true, he would rip the entire world apart in search of his daughter. Even the powers given to her by the elder spirits might not be enough to weather his fury.

  She was shrewd enough to use this fact to her advantage, convincing the elder spirits to grant her additional power, enabling her to extend the reach of her magic into the world of the spirits, though her new found abilities had come with a price. She now had to feed more often to fuel her power, requiring many more sacrifices than before. Even the once simple task of communing with the spirits required enormous effort since she now delved into their realm, instead of the spirits coming into the physical world to communicate their demands. But she had gladly paid that price to possess the powers that were now at her disposal.

  She settled down once again and tried to clear her mind. After what seemed like an eternity, Boris somehow managed to get the child to settle down to sleep, and she was finally able to slip off into the netherworld where the elder spirits dwelt. Once she had taken counsel with the spirits, she could decide their next course of action.

  Boris watched in silence as his mistress fell into a trance, his mind completely void of emotion or desire. His only purpose in life was to watch over the one who possessed his soul, until the day she freed him, or fed upon his very essence.

  A young deckhand stumbled into the room, his eyes wide with apprehension. "Y-You sent for me, Captain?"

  He slowly turned and looked the boy up and down. He was a bit young, but he should be adequate for his mistress's needs, and he was the most expendable of the rapidly dwindling crew. "You will see to the child while I go oversee the crew. Make sure you do not interrupt the lady while she is... asking the gods to hear her prayers."

  "Aye, Captain." The young man hurried over to the sleeping child's side.

  Boris immediately turned to leave, securing the door firmly behind him as he went, leaving the unsuspecting boy to his fate.

  When his mistress called him to her quarters later that evening, there was no longer any trace of the young deckhand he had left to watch over the child. "Our plans have changed." Her expression was one of concern. "The spirits have revealed that the Dragon Lord has discovered our trail, and is already in pursuit."

  "That was to be expected, was it not?" The huge man asked in an emotionless voice.

  "He is much closer than I would like." The robed woman stalked over to stare at the sleeping child with a speculative expression. "I had never expected him to discover our trail so quickly. The elder spirits and I both underestimated him, and that in itself troubles me. The spirits are having difficulty foreseeing his next move, making him far more dangerous than I had realized."

  "What are your orders, Mistress?"

  She was quiet for several long moments while she continued to gaze down at the slumbering young girl. "Continue east until sundown, then cast anchor and clear the deck." She whispered to him finally, turning her burning eyes upon her khalkan. "It's time to test this Dragon Lord, and find out if he is truly as powerful as the legends say he is."

  ************

  "It's been a beautiful day." Damion remarked to Raven as they strolled about the deck, trying to draw the young woman into a conversation. After two weeks at sea, and the fate of her only child still undetermined, she had grown increasingly impatient as they bobbed along the surface of the seemingly endless expanse of water.

  She had spent the first several days raging about the ship impatiently, then she had slowly slipped from a hysterical anger, into a soul crushing guilt that she had not remained behind to watch after her daughter. Damion had spent the entire time at her side, trying to keep her from completely shutting herself off from the world.

  Raven did not reply to his comment, but instead, slowly made her way towards the bow of the ship, her keen eyes scanning the horizon. "How much farther is it until we reach Naquia?" She asked him several minutes later, finally breaking her silence.

  "About ten days." Captain Harper answered her question, stumping forward to join them as they stared out at the setting sun. "The Fearless Lady is the fastest ship afloat, milady, and we're making good time. The winds have been with us ever since we emerged from that little rainstorm." He assured her, ignoring the fact that the little rainstorm he referred to had been a full blown hurricane.

  "Have you made this trip many times?" Sly asked the captain as he lounged against a nearby rail with a tankard of ale in one hand, and a fishing pole in the other.

  "The Fearless Lady has been to the eastern shore a few times, yes." The extravagantly dressed man nodded, squinting out over open expanse of sea surrounding them. "They're a strange lot, easterners, and the people of Naquia are no exception. Travelers from all over the world journey there to make deals with those strange little gnomes. You have an intermingling of races there that you'll find no where else in the known world."

  "What kind of reception can we expect?" Damion asked curiously.

  "It's much like any large port city. They're used to seeing strangers in Naquia, so you shouldn't run into much trouble with the locals."

  "How do we even know this witch is taking Leia there?" Raven inquired, her brow furrowing in concern. "What if they decide to make port somewhere else?"

  Captain Harper shook his head. "They'll have to stop off in Naquia to resupply, if nothing else. It's three hundred leagues to the next closest port. After such a long voyage they're going to be running short on supplies. They'll not have any choice but to make port in Naquia. Once we reach port, I'll send my men out to scour the docks. If they've been there, we'll know within an hour."

  The young woman didn't seem very reassured, but didn't question the good captain further.

  The young couple stood together in silence un
til the sun had set, then carefully made their way to their quarters below decks.

  An hour or so later, just as they were sitting down for the evening meal, the sea suddenly began to grow rough, tossing the ship back and forth violently.

  "It looks like Captain Harper has managed to find himself another squall to sail through." Sly grumbled sourly, after attempting to take a drink from his tankard, and instead, winding up wearing the contents. He wiped the ale from his face and beard, then turned to stare at Damion accusingly. "You could have at least warned us that he was a complete maniac."

  "He isn't a maniac!" Raven told the little man, rising to the captain's defense. "He knows these seas better than anyone!"

  "All I'm saying is that he could try to avoid the storms once in a while, just for the sake of variety."

  A crash of thunder made them all jump in surprise, and a deep roar suddenly began in the distance, slowly growing louder, until it began to vibrate the entire ship.

  "This can't be good." Damarius groaned, stumbling to his feet after being tossed from his seat by an usually strong wave.

  They all rushed above deck to find to crew in a complete panic.

  "Man overboard!" One of the sailors roared, his eyes wild with panic.

  Several of the more disciplined deckhands were rushing towards rear of the ship, their eyes scanning the churning water.

  "Where's Captain Harper?" Damion asked a panicked sailor who was rushing passed.

  "He and the first mate were just washed overboard by a rogue wave!" The man cried, rushing to the rail to stare out into the darkness hopelessly. "The sea has claimed him, for sure!"

  Damion cursed violently, then rushed towards the stern of the ship. "Get on that wheel!" He bellowed to Sly, shoving several sailors aside to get a better view.

  "There!" One of the men suddenly shouted, pointing towards a figure struggling against the growing waves. "It's the captain!" The man shook his head. "He's too far away! There's no way we'll be able to reach him!"

  "Speak for yourself!" Damion growled, quickly drawing in his magic and focusing it on the churning water surrounding the struggling captain. He raised both of his hands, and an enormous wave suddenly rose beneath the drowning man, momentarily engulfing him.

  Everyone scattered as the massive wave crashed down over the rear of the ship, knocking several of the sailors from their feet, and sending them bouncing across the deck. Captain Harper suddenly appeared from amidst the crashing water, slamming down hard onto the deck, where lay he gasping, a dazed look in his eyes.

  Sly stumbled to his feet, coughing up sea water. "Dammit, Damion!" He roared. "Can't you be more careful when you do stuff like that? You could have killed us all!"

  Damion ignored him as he made his way over to Raven and Damarius, who were carefully helping the old sea captain to his feet.

  "I thought I was a goner for sure!" Captain Harper wheezed, still out of breath from his desperate attempts to fight the sea. "This storm materialized out of nowhere and started tossing the ship around as if it were a toy! The next thing I knew, my first mate and I was being washed overboard by the biggest rogue wave I have ever saw!" He shook his head. "In all of my years at sea, I've never seen anything like it before!"

  "That's because it's not natural!" Damarius exclaimed, clutching onto the rail as another huge wave crashed into the side of the ship. "Someone, or something, is using magic to cause this!"

  Damion stumbled over to the old wizard's side. "Are you sure?"

  Damarius nodded, then gestured to the sky. "When was the last time you saw something like that?"

  Damion looked up just as a streak of violet purple lightning streaked across the sky, followed immediately by an ear shattering crash of thunder which rattled the entire ship.

  "Captain!" One of the sailors near the bow suddenly called out in terror.

  Everyone rushed forward to stare out into the darkness. The dull roar began to echo in the distance, slowly growing louder as the winds began to grow stronger.

  "By the gods!" Captain Harper gasped as the source of the dull roar was revealed by another flash of lightning. Less than a thousand yards from the Fearless Lady swirled an enormous whirlpool measuring nearly a mile across. "Maelstrom!" He suddenly bellowed, rushing back towards the wheel of the ship.

  "It's starting to pull us in!" One of the sailors reported in a panicked voice. "We're done for, now!"

  "Damion!" Raven's voice was nearly lost in the roar of the looming whirlpool. "You have to do something or we're all dead!"

  Damion's mind raced as he looked about for a solution. "Get everyone below deck," He turned to look at the others. "and find something to grab a hold of. I have the feeling things may get a little bumpy!" He hurried to join Captain Harper, who was fighting to break his beloved ship from the maelstrom's deadly grip.

  "I don't think I can break her loose!" The captain reported with worried eyes. "It's already got too firm a grip on us!"

  "Then steer us straight towards it!"

  "Are you mad? It'll rip us to shreds!"

  "Didn't you once tell me that the gods couldn't spawn a storm that could sink the Fearless Lady?"

  The old sea captain blinked in surprise, then suddenly laughed. "That I did, my boy!" His expression changed to one of determination. "What's your plan?"

  Damion stared out at the looming whirlpool. "Our only chance is to allow the ship to ride the edge of the maelstrom, build us as much speed as we can, then use that momentum to slingshot free."

  Captain Harper laughed again. "That's so insane that it may just work!" He turned to look out over his panicked crew. "Get a grip on yourselves, you mangy bilge rats!"

  The crew of the Fearless Lady instinctively turned to stare up at their captain.

  "Hoist every inch of canvas we have!" He roared at them in a thunderous voice.

  The crew merely stared at him in disbelief.

  "Get moving, unless you want to dine tonight at the bottom of the briny depths!" He bellowed at them threateningly. "We're going to build up as much speed as we can, and slingshot ourselves loose!"

  Understanding suddenly overtook the crew, and they leapt to work, crowding on every inch of sail aboard the huge ship.

  The flamboyant old sea captain spun the wheel to guide the ship directly into the current of the swirling whirlpool. "I hope you have a back up plan!" He yelled to Damion with a laugh. "You know, just in case this doesn't work!"

  It was Damion's turn to laugh. "Back up plan? Let's just say that this had better work!"

  The Fearless Lady began to shudder violently as it rushed towards the brink of the churning abyss.

  "Keep us as far from the edge as you can!" Damion shouted, noticing the ship edging closer and closer to the brink of the roaring vortex.

  The timbers of the great ship began to groan under the pressure of the crashing waves, but continued to hold firm as it sliced through the water like a shark, gathering speed as it made several loops around the edge of the maelstrom.

  "Get ready!" Damion roared, gathering in his magic, and drawing the Dragon Sword from its sheath. "Now! Do it now!"

  Captain Harper spun the wheel as hard as he could, and the ship suddenly lurched to one side, nearly throwing Damion from his feet. The timber began to groan louder, and the Fearless Lady started to shudder even more violently as the ship struggled to break free from the vortex's grip.

  "We're not moving fast enough!" The old sea captain roared as they quickly began to lose speed.

  "Hang on to something!" Damion turned towards the rear of the ship, focusing his magic on the vessel itself, then he unleashed the force through the Dragon Sword and into the ship, which instantly lurched forward against the pull of the maelstrom, throwing most of the sailors to the deck.

  The ship's timber began to scream in protest as Damion continued to concentrate his magic, pouring every ounce of energy into fighting the raging torrent that was trying to draw them back into the raging vortex.

  "T
he ship's breaking up!" One of the sailors cried, pointing to the decking around the main mast, which had begun to buckle upward.

  The Fearless Lady shuddered violently once more, then suddenly broke free of the whirlpool's grip, limping away from the torrent, battered and bruised, but still in one piece.

  The crew let out a cheer of triumph as they sailed away from the vortex, which had suddenly began to shrink smaller and smaller, until it had disappeared entirely. As rapidly as the storm had appeared, it broke up, leaving them with a clear starry sky, and only a light breeze to propel them forward.

  "Now that was a storm!" Captain Harper was laughing uproariously, still dripping wet from his trip into the briny sea. He turned to stare at Damion proudly. "I told you there hasn't been a storm spawned that could best the Fearless Lady!"