Sigmund must have sensed this too, because with a force of effort he controlled himself and quit struggling. Julake let go of his throat and there was a tense moment before Sigmund turned forward in his seat.
“Just get us there quickly, his blood is, distracting.” Sigmund growled.
“Why is everyone always fighting over little ole me?” I asked, hoping to get them fighting again, so I could figure out a way to get free.
They both just ignored me, which really hurt. I was about to say something else when the all too familiar voice of Neal came to me clearly.
My lord, are you safe?
I am near. Brace yourself.
“What the hell is that?”
“It is a deep dweller; they are not usually found this shallow.” Julake said.
“What is it doing?” Sigmund’s words were filled with real fear.
“I don’t know.” Julake said and turned to me glaring. “You are behind this somehow!”
He started to rise up, the look in his eyes were murderous. I knew if he reached me, I would be in deep trouble.
The force of impact knocked him back into the control panel and I was thrown forward, unable to protect myself. The loud sound of warning sirens filled the small cabin and red lights started blinking everywhere.
We were again rocked with a devastating impact and I heard metal groan as something squeezed on our vessel. Small streams of water began filling the cabin, its salty coolness washed over my face as I was unable to sit up.
A surge of electricity raced through the control panel and everything went dark, tendrils shot off and shocked Julake and Sigmund, both of them jumped in pain.
There was a loud wrenching sound as the back door began opening, water hit me like a sledgehammer and I fought to see what was happening. My suit quickly flowed over my mouth and nose and my vision adapted to the deep dark of the ocean floor. I was able to see subtle outlines of creatures as their nervous system created a small amount of electricity.
A large shark entered the cabin from the open door and I tried to scramble away from it, but my hands being bound hampered my efforts.
Quit struggling and make your way out, I will keep your friends busy.
No time for questions, I will explain later, go!
My ankle was grabbed by a powerful grip and my momentum ended abruptly. I looked down to see Julake holding on, his own suit covered his nose and mouth. I tried to kick at him, but I couldn’t get much power from my position. I saw as he began bringing a very sharp looking spear up and towards me, I feared he had decided my escape was worse than my death.
Neal thrust his tail and shot towards Julake, the small space made his presence overwhelming and Julake let go of me to bring both hands up to stop Neal from eating him.
I used the freedom Neal gave me to hurry out into the open water only to see a murderous looking Sigmund blocking my way. He looked different than normal creatures, his outline was darker, most living things gave off a brightness that represented the current their body created as they moved. Sigmund’s was the opposite, it wasn’t brighter than the surrounding darkness, it was darker, still allowing me to see it, but only for the opposite reason.
I got to within a few feet of him, unable to protect myself, when a large tentacled arm slammed into the vampire and he disappeared from the opening. I swam past where he was a second ago and hurried away from the Atlantean submarine.
I looked back and saw something out of a prehistoric nightmare. A giant squid the size of a school bus was attacking the submarine. Sigmund floated nearby, seemingly unconscious. The squid was massive, its tentacles wrapped around the vessel and it was squeezing it into an unrecognizable hunk of metal. I was stunned, but not stupid. I kept moving away from the creature, hoping it wouldn’t decide I was a perfect size snack.
I saw Neal, in the form of a shark, swim out of the opening and with a powerful thrust of his tail, slam the door shut, presumably on an angry or hopefully, dead, Julake.
He swam towards me and I saw my sword gripped in his dangerous looking maw.
Turn around, let me access to your bonds. Neal said.
I twisted around and a few seconds later felt a buzzing in the water as Neal sent a tight and focused electrical arc at my cuffs, breaking them. I brought my hands around and easily removed the destroyed metal from my wrists, the blood from my wounds staining the surrounding water red. I reached out and grabbed my sword and put it in its proper place.
Now is not the time, my lord. The squid will be confused when it realizes I tricked it and there are still your kidnappers to worry about, given they survive. We must get far from here. Your blood will attract other sharks.
I reached out and grabbed Neal’s dorsal fin. He moved from side to side, in an easy motion that still propelled us quickly through the water, away from the squid and submarine.
I felt a compression as something exploded within the submarine. A high pitched whine, that I knew came from the squid, assaulted my ears. It was full of pain and surprise. I’m glad Neal took me away from the owner of that noise, not wanting to be anywhere near the massive, hurt and angry giant squid.
After almost ten minutes of silence, I sent to Neal.
Yes, this form is quite effective in the water. I needed to be fast and the shark’s particular ability to follow even the smallest trail was invaluable.
It is not something that I do lightly. It takes massive amounts of energy and if I am not careful can drain my reserves, effectively shutting myself off.
Yes, my lord.
It was hard to tell, but it seemed as though we were moving in a very subtle circular direction.
In theory, yes.
Cool.
Once you were unconscious another group of Warlord Karakatos’s men took Arendiol and Kim. I watched as they carried them off, unable to do anything. They then took you and by the time they got to me, I had been able to channel enough electricity into the foam to free myself. I then fled, intent on freeing you when I was able. I followed all of your scents to the water’s edge, where your trails disappeared.
That would be an astute assessment, my lord.
I’ve always had Neal as my secret weapon; it was a little disconcerting to think that Karakatos knew about him.
If your current heading was to stay consistent, it would appear they were taking you towards Atlantis. I would assume they brought Kim and Arendiol there already.
The dark, oppressive pressure of being deep underwater was a constant companion, without my skin suit and its ability to allow me to see in this inky blackness, I would be royally freaking out. Yes, I was an Atlantean descendent of the king and queen, but I never swam at the bottom of the ocean before.
Of course not, my lord, but I believe you have already begun to realize we are not alone. My sensors indica
te that we have attracted the attention of a large great white shark, one that is currently following the miniscule blood trail your wounds have left. If we do not find shelter soon, we will have to deal with him.
The mental physiologies of both animals are not the same, sharks can be persuaded, but once they lock onto a blood scent, they become so singularly focused, it is impossible for me to dissuade them.
There is no doubt that we would prevail, however, the altercation would most likely result in more blood being spilt. That would attract more sharks, or something worse.
My records indicate an abandoned vessel nearby, we will try and seek shelter there, in order to reassess our situation.
A vessel? Hiding in an old ship wreck wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time, but if Neal thought it would work, it probably would.
We continued in silence, the sense that something was out there, and getting closer intensified. I knew I was detecting the shark advancing and this new ability was shocking, usually it was Neal who could sense our adversaries. It was like a nagging thought that just wouldn’t go away, as the shark got closer the intensity of the thought increased, if I wasn’t careful it could induce a sense of panic.
I focused my thoughts and controlled the rising emotions, channeling the insistent thoughts into something I could handle. Neal kept us moving, his body gliding back and forth in lazy motions that belied the speed at which we travelled.
Eventually we came to a large rip in the ocean floor, and began to descend into it. At the bottom my senses detected an object no bigger than a large SUV. Its structured lines and design differentiated it from the surrounding rock. I let go of Neal’s fin and approached the old wreck on my own power. I could tell that the shark had closed on us and wanted to be free to defend myself if he decided to make me his lunch.
I approached the spot Neal had indicated and soon realized my original assumptions about the wreck were all wrong. The ship looked like a two person scout vessel, it was sleek, its design reminded me of the latest stealth jet designs the military had developed. It looked like a large sting ray, with short, but wide wings sweeping away from a small cockpit. There was a small cargo door on the back that allowed entrance from the rear. It reminded me of a submarine’s transition chamber, where the space is flooded and then the door is opened to allow for water exploration.
It stood open, allowing me to swim into the small space. I pushed my way in, quickly looking around.
I may be able to jump start the power source, but it will take a few minutes to gather my resources. Neal sent back, he swam just outside the door, having to keep moving.
I was just about to answer, when I felt the great white shark make his move. He came from just outside my visible range and shot towards me, figuring I was unable to escape.
He was dead right.
I only had a split second to react. I pulled out my sword, intent on making him fight for his meal. I saw him come at me from the dark emptiness of the deep. His ancient, unchanged shape instantly sent uncontrollable spikes of fear down my spine. Large, unblinking eyes, locked on to me, while his sharp edges and smooth perfection sliced through the water, hundreds of razor sharp teeth arrayed in rows led the way.
I knew I really had no hope stuck in this death chamber, even if I landed a few good strikes, the sheer force of his momentum would drive his deadly maw into me. My suit may protect me from most of it, but even a small amount of damage from such a strong and powerful hunter would do untold damage, if I managed to kill the beast before it killed me, it would still leave me bleeding profusely and only attract more of his brothers.
I braced for impact when Neal’s smaller form slammed into the much larger animal and pushed him off to the side, out of my sight line.
There is no need to be so dramatic; I am faster and more agile than him. But, do to present circumstances, it may be difficult for me to facilitate the vessel’s recharge, I recommend you do it. He somehow seemed more calm than ever.
The power source is located under your present position. If you concentrate on gathering energy to yourself, then transfer it under you, it should give it the boost it needs.
Concentrate on gathering energy? Oh yeah, I could do that sort of thing now. I had no idea how to do what Neal suggested, but I knew if I didn’t, he would be hard pressed to keep the great white occupied long enough.
I closed my eyes, not sure if that would help, but I needed to shut out all distractions. I dipped inside myself, the way Neal had taught me to do when dealing with vampires. I rooted around, looking for what I had tapped into last night, looking for my new found talent. As soon as I thought about it, I felt a slight twinge, like contracting a muscle I had never used. It felt weak, but there. I flexed it again, only this time I concentrated on gathering energy, I don’t know how or what I was doing, but I felt an answer.
I immediately became aware of the concealed energy that was all around me. It was everywhere and occupied the spaces between particles. Its sheer volume almost overwhelmed me, but I managed to focus and keep my concentration. I soon felt as it began pouring into me, more than I ever intended on gathering. I felt as though I was going to explode, the sheer power was unbelievable. My head throbbed and my every being screamed with pain, I knew if I didn’t stop I would be unmade by it.
Focus! Push the power out of you and into the craft’s power cells! Neal’s voice came from far away, ringing in my head, vying for space amidst the endless power.
Somehow I was able to process what he said and shifted my thoughts away from gathering energy into being more of a conduit for it, driving it out of me and down, down into the floor. I opened my eyes and realized the entire compartment was filled with a bright blue radiance, a light that blazed from my eyes.
I felt a rush, like falling from a ledge, an almost chaotic pull as the power I had gathered left me and raced not only into the power cells but into the entire area in a large concussive blast, one that knocked me off my feet to go flying into the side of the vessel. My head slammed hard and darkness threatened to consume me. As the drain of my actions took its toll I began to fall into unconsciousness, seeing as every light on the instrument panel came to life and a comfortable hum came from the newly powered engines, then darkness took me.
Chapter thirteen
The first thing I noticed as I slowly came awake was that I was dry. The inside of our ship was no longer filled with water. The second thing was Neal, sitting next to me in his canine form.
Yes. He answered, turning back to look at the control panel.
You were sloppy in your actions. The energy you collected almost killed you, but you released it in time. The resulting effects reverberated for miles in all directions, it’s a good thing we were deep underwater and not amidst people.
It was, but you did stun the great white, which was helpful. I was also able to absorb a large amount of the energy, allowing me to shift back into this form. Not to mention you successfully restarted the scouting vessel. It should hold a charge for decades.
Sheesh, I had to be more careful.
Yes, my lord, that would be advisable.
If he thought we were doing anything other than rescuing Kim and Arendiol, he was sorely mistaken.
I am unable to operate the vessel in my current form, but if you take the controls, I can guide you through the process.
I stood up in the cramped space and groggily sat down in the pilot’s seat, it was surprisingly comfortable.
They looked simple enough; there was a steering wheel that reminded me of old video game controllers and a sliding throttle that obviously was the speed control.
I suppose I should have explained it all to you earlier, but my protocols, as programmed by the Seer’s did not allow me to. They did not want you knowing too much information until you were ready.
If you grab the directional controls and lift it up it will facilitate the vessels vertical ascension, however, I suggest gently pulling it back and increasing the throttle slightly, in order to break free of the surrounding ocean floor.
I reached out and did as he said, the engines humming increased as I gave them more power and I heard a loud scratching and grinding noise as we forced ourselves out from under thousands of years of accumulated sedimentation.
Lost Son Page 12
