The PriZin of Zin

by Loretta Sinclair

  “Oh, ye’ll be seein’.” Ian caught a spark in Peg Leg’s eye, just as the world went dark. Once again, a canvas cloak was thrown over his head and he was slammed back down on to the deck.

  “Then, we’s be knowin’ if yer of evil or not. Lock him up!”

  Chapter 27: Again

  a·gain [uh-gen, uh-geyn] adverb

  once more; another time; anew; in addition; to the same place or person: to return again.

  Ian woke up in pitch blackness— again. Feeling around the room and the walls, he soon recognized it as the same room he’d been locked in before. Going straight for the door, he fumbled around until he found the handle. Locked.

  “Can you please open the door?”

  Nothing.

  He knocked.

  Nothing.

  Hey, it was worth a try.

  “Ok, Messenger, where are you to help me now?” Ian felt his way back over to the barrels of stinking whale blubber and sat down. There was nothing to do but wait.

  It didn’t take long. The scuffs and scuffles on the deck above him slowly made their way down the hallway and to the door of his prison cell. The lock turned, and candlelight flooded the dark space. Two large shadows graced the doorway. “Come.”

  Ian rose. At the door, both of his arms were grabbed and wrenched behind him. “Hey, ease up there. Where can I run?”

  A hard jerk was the response. Dragged down the darkened hallway and up the stairs, Ian was shoved through the hatch, onto the deck facing the remaining crew. Ian scanned the deck and found Ruben in the crowd. Ian got a wink from his friend, but no other outward show of support.

  “Ye say that ye’er no’ evil,” Peg Leg surprised him from behind, “and ye shall have the chance to prove it. Ruben feels it only fair bein’s ye took the oath of yer brethren.”

  Ian scanned the crowd again, only this time could not see his friend.

  “Aye, ye’ll not be seein’ him here to save ye, lad. He but took his place up thar,” a long finger pointed to the crow’s nest high above the deck. “Thar he’ll be seeing firs’ hand whether ye be’s evil or no.” He walked across the deck. The pirates gave way, allowing Peg Leg to lead Ian across the open deck. “Thar be only one way off the Wayfarer, laddie. Ye’ll be takin’ it. If’n ye survives it and does not be cavortin’ with evil, why then ye kin join again sure after ye saves yer friends. But, if’n ye does not survive, or if’n the evil takes ye again — weel, guess bein’ wit’ evil would be better fer ye than to be here on this here ship wit’ us.”

  Ian stood motionless, insides shaking, stoic and solid outside.

  Peg Leg shouted up to Ruben high above. “Ready up yonder?”

  “Aye, sir. Ready.”

  “Ready on deck?”

  The crew responded. “Aye, Cap’n.”

  “Steady to port?”

  “Steady to port, Cap’n.”

  Peg Leg calmed his voice and turned to Ian. His voice took on a tender tone of gentleness, almost caring. “Ready, then, lad?”

  “What do I have to do?”

  “Walk the plank.”

  Behind Peg Leg and Toothless was a plank jutting out from the side of the ship. The railing had been taken down immediately above the board and a small step stool was placed there.

  “If’n ye survives and does not cavort wit’ evil, then ye’s are welcome back after ye rescues yer friends,” Peg Leg whispered. “Remembers that.”

  Ian nodded, and stepped forward. He peered out over the ocean. Off in the distance, he could see the rocky mounds. If I can just swim that far, then I can get to some land and try to find Hunter.

  Apprehensive, but not scared, Ian stepped up. He raised a foot up to the step , but was jerked back by Toothless. “Not sae quick, thar. Ye’s not ready yet.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Peg Leg smiled. “Ye git yer hands tied first.” Reaching to the side rail, Peg Leg’s hand hovered over several various lengths of rope. He settled on a thin silvery strand which wiggled on its own. Ian was spun around and his hands wrenched behind him. The thin rope was strapped around his hands and secured with a knot. Shoved up on the stool and out onto the plank, Ian, for the first time in his life, felt a foreboding of death. Anger began to well up inside him at the situation he had gotten into. The anger dissolved into fear, and fear into doom.

  “Where are you, Counselor?”

  “Ahhh! Aye! Call yer spirits, then.” Taunts and laughter stabbed him in the back as he stood on the plank.

  “Walk it, boy!”

  Ian looked up and saw Ruben looking down on him from above. He looked down to see large floating chunks of white, slimy stuff floating below.

  “What is that?”

  “Whale blubber,” Peg Leg answered. “Shark bait. Draws ‘em in close.”

  Doom descended again. The world seemed to darken around him. Ian looked back out overboard. There were, indeed, sharks circling beneath him. Out of the water, in their midst, appeared a flash of red. It would surface for a moment, then disappear. Swimming with the sharks, it seemed to be leading them. On one sweeping arc closing in on the ship, a red diamond-shaped head surfaced and glared up at Ian. Razor-sharp teeth glinted in the sun, and then submerged.

  Oh, no.

  “No,” Ian protested. “I changed my mind. I want to stay here.” He turned to go back onto the ship.

  “Nay, lad. Ye must walk.”

  “But that’s the serpent that took Mr. Welch.”

  “Aye. Be evil, sure.”

  “No, please,” Ian pleaded. He tried to push back but, with no hands, he could not get very far. He pushed harder until a pistol cocked and landed against the side of his skull.

  “Walk it, boy.” Toothless was no longer smiling. The gun barrel pushed him back the direction he was trying so desperately to get away from. The pirate climbed up the step stool and out onto the plank with Ian. Resigning himself to his fate, he turned toward the end of the plank.

  With each step, Ian made a mental note of his failings.

  I’m sorry, Hunter. I let you down.

  The gun prodded his shoulder blade from behind.

  Sorry, Mom and Dad. I won’t be able to say goodbye.

  His hands began to tingle from the ropes behind him.

  And whatever you were inside that dragon, I’m sorry I let you down, too.

  The ropes burned now against his skin. Ian could feel them moving. It wouldn’t be much longer now.

  Reaching the end of the plank, a hard shove hurtled Ian forward and into the waters below. Slamming into the water with a huge splash, Ian was sucked under the surface. Kicking his feet, he fought to get back to the surface. Thrashing back and forth, he wrestled to break free.

  The sharks came into view just as his world began to go dark. Oxygen cut off and quickly losing consciousness, Ian felt the ropes still tingling and burning, even though he was under water. His hands slipped free from their restraints. Surging forward, he spun around and found himself face-to-face with a red diamond head. Ian kicked away and swam for the surface.

  Bursting through the surface, Ian gasped and choked for air. Shattering the calm water, the serpent exploded up right in front of him. Rising up out of the water, the long neck hovered over Ian. Jaws open wide, saliva dropping from its jagged teeth, the thing looked just as it did the day they had first met.

  Please, help me.

  From the side, a green flash caught Ian’s eye.

  “Nestor!”

  The word was barely out of his mouth before the creature’s long tail shot out between Ian and the beast. Whipping back, it hurled Ian up onto its back and the two raced off, skeletal sharks and a red-headed beast hot on their tail.

  “Godspeed, yung’un,” Ruben yelled from the crow’s nest, smiling. “Be safe. Off wit’ ye.”

  “What is it?”

  “That is a waterhorse,” Nestor said.

  “I can see through it. Looks like glass.”

  “Creatures of the deep, they are but a sh
ell, holding on to that from where they come.”

  “It’s full of water?” Ian could see what looked like waves crashing inside the rib area of the horse. It glowed a combined bluish and silvery color. The mane looked like a wave cresting, white bubbles bursting as the hair waved back and forth in the wind.

  “Now listen close. There is not much time. You had only three days to find your friends, and that’s nearly gone.”

  How did you know that?

  “A waterhorse can run like the wind. There is no faster way to get you to where the others await you. But heed you this. On land it is but a horse, but if you smell water, then it is too late. The beast will drag you to the depths and you will be caught with the evil side forever.”

  “It’s evil? I can’t go, then.”

  “The waterhorse has an evil side and a good side. Your kind struggles with this, too. Stay on the good side and there will be no problems. Stay on land. You must dismount before you can smell the water, and before she stops. You must jump while she still runs.”

  “How will I know?” Ian felt the sickening feeling creep back into the pit of his stomach.

  “When she smells water, she runs faster. At the instant her speed increases, you must dive off, or it will be too late. There is no time to think. You must pay close attention, and jump when you feel it. If not, you shall be stuck to her forever. If you smell the water, you will be glued to the horse for all of time. You will not be able to break free no matter how hard yo try. You will belong to the evil one, then. I cannot help you.”

  “Why can’t you take me? I promise I won’t cause you any more trouble.”

  “Nessie and I are not fast enough now, lad. Time is critical, and you must travel like the wind. The waterhorse is your only hope.”

  Ian stared at the beautiful watery shell. It whinnied and nodded its head toward him.

  “Go,” Nestor urged. “Your friends await.”

  “Are they…?”

  “They are well for now, but they need you with them. No one can break free on his own. It will take all of you to finish the race. Stay the course and you will triumph in the end. Do not stray. Fight the good fight, aye?”

  Ian nodded. He walked over to the waterhorse. He reached out a hand to pet her neck.

  “Nay!” Nestor yelled.

  Ian turned back.

  “At the moment you touch her, she will take off. Mount quickly and hold on tight. It’s the only way.”

  Ian looked back at the horse. Swallowing hard, he set his jaw and backed away about twenty feet. Lowering his head, he took off at a sprint toward the animal. Leaping at the last moment, he landed on the back of the waterhorse, grabbing its mane.

  Electricity surged through his veins as the animal bolted forward. Ian clenched his fists, closed his eyes, lowered his head, and held on tight.

  “Godspeen, young Ian,” Nessie whispered.

  Their screams became muffled and faint as they flew through absolute darkness, swallowed up in the pitch-black hole of this new world. Slamming into the dark, hard ground, three separate aftershocks rocked the earth beneath them, and then, nothing.

  Let go and fly!

  Chapter 28: Fly

  Fly [flahy] verb, (used without object)

  to move through the air using wings; to be carried through the air by the wind or any other force.

  Day 1

  She hit the ground hard. Without time or warning, Aeryn got slapped over and over again from all directions — hard. Her flesh stung. She gasped for breath. Aeryn tried to fight. Swinging her arms with all her might, she connected each time with hard, flying, creatures. All she could see was black. Pitch black.

  She found a split second to gasp for air, and belted out an earth-shattering scream. All motion around her stopped. The darkness parted. When light streamed in, she saw them. One by one they landed in a circle around her. Aeryn looked to see giant Black Widow spiders surrounding her. Actually ‘giant’ didn’t describe them well enough. These wicked things were enormous — bodies the size of her head. There were hundreds of them. The pincers on their jaws clacked loudly, even though they dripped with saliva. Each was staring at her with glowing red eyes. Aeryn screamed again and backed away. Without thinking, she backed right into one that lunged at her head with its hungry jaws. She screamed again and jerked away, the spider missing her face by only millimeters.

  Surrounded, the deadly creatures circled her, clacking, walking, stalking. There was no escape. When they moved, she screamed again, this time sending them back into flight. On each spider, black bat-like wings unfurled from each of the eight legs and flapped above its head. Wings spun, humming like a helicopter. One by one, they took off and hovered around her head, forcing her back to the ground. Aeryn started to cry. She knew she was going to die. They dive-bombed her again, slapping at her with their wings, keeping her crouched low, fighting them off with all her might.

  The sky darkened. The hum grew louder. In the distance, Aeryn could see a dark swarm of something headed their way.

  Oh, no. More.

  Trees and leaves around her shook with the deep intensity of vibrating air. One by one, the bat-spiders spun around, their backs to her, hovering. They, too, were waiting for yet another unseen enemy, one of greater importance than she at this moment. Aeryn sat breathless on the hard, cold ground. Fear within shook her from head to toe. Tears streamed down her face, yet she dared not move or scream. Who knew if what was coming was worse than what was already here.

  The first one hit the ground at her feet; a long slender creature, resembling an arrow. Sleek, narrow, bright green in color, legs and wings tucked underneath for better aerodynamics. It stood and turned to face the enemy. Without warning, a second green arrow slammed down from the sky, this time knocking one of the spiders from the air at her feet. The two arrows maneuvered in on the spider. Their sleek green heads covered with eyes on all sides, they could watch for enemies from every direction. Brilliant purple eyes darted from side to side, as the eyes in front remained locked on their target.

  The bat-spider flinched, and the arrows pounced. Both arrows wrestled the winged creature down with their own six muscular legs. The first arrow reared back and bit the head from the spider, dropping the lifeless corpse to the ground. The remaining flying spiders scattered.

  Aeryn, eyes wide with terror, scooted back as far from these terrifying things as she could. The two green arrows clacked their mandibles toward the sky, and their waiting army. Arrows rained down around her, knocking down the bat-spiders as they came. As quickly as they hit the ground, black heads were bitten off and spat to the side, rolling alongside Aeryn as she fought to stay out of the way. Lifeless, blazing red eyes gazed upon her from the discarded heads. She tried to run, but again ran into the creatures continuing to rain down around her. Fighting for her freedom, she dodged each new enemy one at a time, swinging with all her might, and running when she could. The battle raging all around her, Aeryn zigged first one direction, then zagged another to get free from the carnage surrounding her. Breaking free, she ran as fast and as hard as she could into the forest where she was dumped. The hum of the attackers grew faint in the distance, yet still she ran on without slowing.

  She ran until she could run no more.

  Aeryn stopped to catch her breath. She turned back to see how far she’d gotten from the fight.

  Safety. She couldn’t see them, and she was pretty sure they couldn’t see her. Collapsing on the ground, Aeryn curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her own shoulders, she cried.

  Will I ever get out of here?

  Where am I?

  Will Hunter save me, like always?

  Where is Daddy?

  Did he get away from the monster yet?

  Aeryn waited for what seemed an eternity. The sounds of battle had long since waned, as had her tears and her strength. It was clear that no one else was going to come to her. No one could save her now. Wherever Ian and Hunter were, they were not able to help her.
She would have to find them, instead. She was on her own.

  Standing and brushing herself off, she looked around. Looking back from where she had come, she shook her head.

  Nope. Not that way.

  Aeryn looked the opposite direction. The forest was so dark and dense she was not able to see through the leaves.

  Nope. Not that way, either.

  Off to her side, there was a slight hum. Not the hum of battle wings that she’d heard before, though. This was musical. Straining her ears to hear, Aeryn was enchanted by the melody. She took her first step that direction, then froze. There was a familiar clacking sound that locked her in place. Turning back to see, Aeryn screamed.

  Two green arrows right behind her grabbed her by the arms and whisked her away toward the treetops.

  Bursting though the dense leafy cover and into the blue sky above, Aeryn was flown by the two long, green, angular creatures over the tops of the trees. Kicking and screaming, squirming and wiggling, all did no good. The things held tight to each of her arms. Sweeping across the forest’s roof, they slowed very close to the edge of the tree line, dove sharply down, thrusting back through the dense cover, making an abrupt landing on top of the highest tree. Her arms released, Aeryn fell against the branches, clutching them with both arms and legs to keep from falling straight through. Steadying herself, she rose to see the green arrows shoot back up to the treetops in the forest around her. There, they took their place with the others; on guard, surrounding her. Pushing up to a sitting position, Aeryn spun to see that they were all around her, hundreds of them, all high above her head. But something was odd. If they were guarding her, they should be facing her. They were all facing outward. She wasn’t being guarded— she was being protected.

  From what?

  Chapter 29: Feather

  feath·er [feth-er] noun

  One of the horny structures forming the principal covering of birds, consisting typically of a hard, tubular portion attached to the body and tapering into a thinner, stem-like portion bearing a series of slender, barbed processes that interlock to form a flat structure on each side.