Word of Truth

by Rhett C. Bruno

  “Uhlvark, my friend, are you okay?” Torsten asked. “Where’s Dellbar?”

  The giant splashed a bit of water and stuck out his lower lip. “Friend Dellbar say he has to go to crypt alone. No Uhlvark.”

  “Then I’m sure he had a very good reason.” Torsten moved to his side and pointed back at the gate. “Do you see those doors? When the retreat is through, the enemy is going to try and break through them. You can help hold them closed. No matter what. Do this, and you’ll protect everyone.”

  The giant perked up. “Even friend Torsten?”

  “Especially me.” Torsten gave him a pat, and the giant seemed invigorated. Torsten didn’t even mind that the clumsy thing broke the fountain’s dragon statue as he used it to stand.

  If the age was truly ending, what was one more relic gone?

  XLV

  The Caleef

  With Babrak’s army charging into South Corner, Mahi was left in Dockside, surrounded by death and Current Eaters. There was no opportunity for ambush. Bit’rudam and Lord Jolly called for charges, and an all-out, bloody war between the now-equally-matched sides initiated.

  Out in the inlet, bodies floated, carried upon sloshing waves produced by flailing sea creatures. Ships burned, sending thick, black, and putrid-smelling smoke into a sky just as dark. Whale oil continued to burn with no regard for the water surrounding it. Even in Trader’s Strait, Mahi had never seen such an inferno dancing upon the sea.

  She closed her eyes. Is this what they’d become? Those were her people out there, even those belonging to Babrak. How could any of them have chosen to follow Nesilia? What could she have promised that was worth all this?

  No matter what she’d promised, death is all that’s been delivered, Mahi thought.

  She stood, back to a city on fire, looking out beyond the Current Eaters who continued to ravage the docks and surrounding buildings. Turning, she opened her eyes. The fires burned hot, but she didn’t feel them. Before her, Dockside was little more than smoking cinder. The death throes of the Shesaitju bombarded her from every direction. Sadness overwhelmed her, knowing that each voice, regardless of which side they were on, belonged to a Shesaitju brother.

  Yarrington in flames. It was what so many of her ancestors, including her father, had spent much of their lives dreaming of. Even the memories of the Caleefs within her mind echoed the sentiment. Now, seeing it in fruition, it made her sick.

  She took slow steps, eyes traveling the tragedy enveloping her. She wanted to jump back into the battle, join her people, embarrass Babrak with a loss, but she had a job to do. She needed to capture a Current Eater, and the ones rampaging into South Corner were surrounded by allies and enemies. Too many chances for it to go wrong. She needed one isolated. No chance for interference.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

  “Dijent!” came the cry in Saitjuese. Help.

  It called again, and Mahi followed the sound to a warrior lying on the stairs leading toward South Corner’s market district. He was surrounded by licking flames. His gray skin was charred and bloody. His hair, if he’d had any before the battle, was singed off. And his legs… they were shredded gore, torn off, one at the knee and one at the hip. As he bled, he cried, begging for help.

  It was one of the enemies, one of Babrak’s traitors. She stood over him, her face betraying no emotion.

  “Caleef, Saiduni’min feydlik, dijent,” he said. Please, help me, my Caleef.

  She continued to stare down, wondering how this man could have the audacity to call her that after what he’d just taken part in.

  “Please,” he said in common.

  She took one step forward, then knelt.

  “You’ve brought dishonor to our people,” she said.

  He didn’t answer. Just closed his eyes. Tears mingled with sweat, and he struggled to open them again.

  “You’ve brought dishonor to our people,” Mahi repeated, this time in Saitjuese.

  “And may the God of Sand and Sea forgive me,” he said with an effort.

  “Because of your actions, he may be unable to,” she answered as she drove her spear between his ribs and into his heart. She twisted as she removed it, his eyes going wide. She wondered what he’d see next. Blackness? Nothing at all? Or would he somehow float upon the Eternal Current, even without Caliphar or the Sirens to guide him?

  Then another thought struck her. Would he see Iam—the God of the Glass to whom so many of her people had feigned worship of for all these years?

  She rose, letting the blade drag across the man’s tunic, cleaning it of blood as if it wouldn’t just get sullied again.

  With the number of dying warriors littering the docks, she could have spent all day there, bringing ease to their agony. The battle, however, continued to rage just beyond the flames. She could hear it all over the city, and as more enemies swam ashore throughout the docks, they would gain an advantage. Her people were engaged in mortal warfare, fighting for lives where the future was a question mark. All while Babrak remained with his honor guard at the rear, issuing orders but too cowardly to join the fight.

  A part of her still begged her to charge in and take him on alone. But her job here wasn’t done. And as more and more of the exposed Current Eaters disappeared below the waters, she knew she needed to move quickly. If her allies managed to trap Nesilia, they weren’t sure if one of the monsters would be willing to devour her. She needed to leave one without that choice.

  Finding a spot on the docks least affected by the fires, she struck down an enemy climbing up, then dove headfirst. She hit the water and felt it against her skin, one of the few sensations she could experience. Like she was one with the sea. Eyes open, she searched, but it was dark. The fires burning on the surface created eerie, disorienting shadows.

  First, she was looking for any Current Eaters that would pose a threat. Secondly, she needed one alive… and trapped. If they all escaped, there’d be precious little hope of defeating Nesilia. The entire plan now rested upon her shoulders.

  She heard everything underwater with such clarity, as if the Current itself spoke to her. What she didn’t hear was the voice of her God. He remained silent, missing, dead. More bodies hovered below the surface. Some swam for land. Others were riddled with arrows or had the weight of armor dragging them downward. Eyes were stuck open, accusing, staring at her like this was all her fault.

  Something brushed against her leg, startling her and forcing her to breathe sharply. Coughing, she pushed toward the surface. She grasped for anything, finding a dead Glass soldier. She used him to float until he began to sink. Water evacuated her lungs, and she returned her focus to whatever touched her. Diving again, her head swiveled but saw nothing but darkness. Until…

  Everything lit up like the brightest noonday sun, except it was bright green. Suddenly, swooping all around her were nigh’jels. She reached out, let her hand brush one of the jelly-like creatures. It was a piece of home in this foreign place, and somehow, confirmation that she was right where she needed to be.

  Her elation was immediately cut short as two giant orbs glinted in the distance. A plume of bubbles rose, and with it, eight massive tentacles. She could also see her target—a ship she knew to have one of Babrak’s hunting ballistae on board.

  She kicked with a fury, zipping around floating bodies and chains. At the same time, the Current Eater shoved off, and it covered the distance much quicker. At this rate, there was no chance of her reaching the ship before becoming entangled with the beast. If it came to that, there was no chance she’d survive.

  She saw the surface, but was afraid to break through, knowing that as soon as she did, she’d lose sight of the thing… but she would eventually need to breathe. She swam, fast as she could, growing ever closer to the ship. At first, she didn’t see it, but she felt it. The gentle ripples coming from beside her, just outside of her peripherals. Another Current Eater approached from her right, this one even closer. She spun, tore her spear from its pla
ce upon her back, and readied for an in-water battle.

  Darkness overwhelmed her, disorienting her until she realized the nigh’jels had rushed from her side. They were swarming the Current Eaters, disrupting their charge, and buying Mahi the time she needed. She couldn’t hesitate. She wouldn’t waste this opportunity.

  Her hand grasped the wood of the ship, smooth and unclimbable. But then, she saw a hole in its hull, water rushing in. She swam for it, following the rip of the tide. Just as she was about to enter, a giant, slippery head broke the surface beneath her, lifting her high above the waters. Tentacles slapped and slashed, barely missing her in a vain attempt to remove her skull. Like the practiced warrior she was, she regained her composure and used the attack to her advantage. She needed to board the ship, and this thing was taking her right to its deck.

  A tentacle came at her, and she stabbed, drawing thick, black blood. It screamed, primal, raw. Another raced toward her from behind, and she ducked just before it could do its damage. She slashed again. Then, looking over her shoulder, she found the ship wreckage. Shaky and rocking back and forth upon the thing’s head, she steadied herself and pushed off, landing hard on the wood deck. After a roll, she came back up with her spear poised for battle. But she saw nothing.

  Then, all at once, the ship rose, thrusting Mahraveh to the ground. She slid from one side of the deck to the other, shoulder slamming into the center mast on the way. The vessel came down hard, and Mahi went airborne. Her stomach flipped, and then she plummeted until she slammed the deck, her face leading the way. She tasted fresh blood in her mouth and knew she’d lost at least one tooth.

  Scrambling to her feet, she brandished her spear this way and that, guarding against any unseen attack. When she was sure none was coming, she rushed to the side of the ship where the Current Eater would be and drove her spear into one of the tentacles that still draped over the railing. Hot blood gushed out. She pulled it free and pierced the creature again and again. But it didn’t stop. It barely slowed down as, now, its head appeared over the railing. Those eyes—giant globes that begged her to cast herself into their depths—looked like bottomless pits. Spit-coated teeth like scythes spread apart, stained with blood. A stench like rotten fish and fetid beer assaulted her, and the sound of thunder threatened to deafen her.

  Another tentacle rose, this one with a chain attached to it, wrapped around it and digging in with many barbs. The chain swung, crashing through the main mast and scraping across the deck.

  Mahi turned and ran toward the prow where she knew the ballista would be. The ship lurched, and it took all her focus to stay upright, but she managed. Reaching the ballista, she slid on her knees to a halt. The weapon was empty, a body slumped over it, and she saw no munitions of any kind nearby.

  Swearing, she spun. The ship lurched again, and she heard a clatter. Her head snapped toward the noise, and she spotted the ballista missiles sliding around, a couple dangling through the railings on the port side. Fighting to stay upright, she rushed over, and as she reached them, one fell through, leaving only three.

  Mahi swore. She could achieve her goals with three, but it would be a tight victory if one at all. Right now, however, she had one focus, to end this Current Eater before it ended her.

  With that thought lingering, a second head popped up behind her and slammed into the ship on the other side. Suddenly, she was caught between two Current Eaters like two dogs fighting over one bone, and she was the bone. The ship rocked back and forth and sent her stumbling toward the middle.

  She snatched up a ballista bolt before getting tossed away and used the momentum to bring her with force toward the first Current Eater. She jumped, letting the missile lead the way. It glanced the creature’s head, causing quite a large gash. It wouldn’t be enough. Her feet landed on the railing, and she teetered, trying to find balance. Before she could, her solar plexus was met by a wet, slapping tentacle. She skidded across the ship before a backward summersault allowed her to regain her footing.

  The Current Eater retreated, but she knew it wouldn’t be for long. She broke into a sprint, still carrying the missile. It was heavier than she’d expected.

  Waves swelled high, soaking the deck, but Mahraveh’s bare feet had no trouble on the blackwood deck. It felt natural. It felt like home.

  She reached the ballista, pushed the body off, and cranked the wheel until the string was taut. Then, placing the bolt in the slit, she rotated, aiming it at the second Current Eater. Its maw opened wide as it roared. Three tentacles, large enough to be monsters all on their own, ascended into the dark sky and slammed down with authority, breaking the deck in half.

  Mahi held steady. She took aim, and just as she was about to fire, she felt a tentacle wrap her ankle, and she was upside down a second later.

  The first monster had recovered and was now back on the offensive.

  You are the snake, she heard in her head as she was heaved up into the air. It was her own voice, but it sounded so much like her father. My sand mouse…

  “For Muskigo!” Mahi shouted, letting out her rage.

  She tucked her belly and bent at the waist. Grasping the beast’s appendage with one hand, she redrew her spear from her back and whipped it around. The tip of the tentacle sheared off, and Mahi fell. She landed hard on her back. Air rushed from her lungs, but she didn’t stop. She stood, stabbed, and stabbed again. The deck was now saturated with black ichor, slippery and sticky at the same time.

  One of her strikes landed just above the creature’s mouth, the other just under its eye. While it was distracted, she rushed back to the ballista. The second Current Eater loomed over her, having ravaged through the other half of the ship, about to devour her. She fired the ballista straight through its still-open mouth, the teeth already closing in around her. The bolt burst through the back of its head in a fine spray of gore.

  She released the ballista and jumped, her back bashing against the ship’s railing as the thing’s teeth clamped inches away from her. The sound of it wheezing was like a winter storm. That hole, causing the creature to be unable to draw breath, would eventually be its demise. But it wasn’t going down easy.

  Thrashing, it shattered more of the ship, and one tentacle collided with the ballista. The weapon broke free from its foundation and was cast into the sea.

  “No!” Mahi shouted, grasping futilely as if she were strong enough to catch it.

  To make matters worse, the broken ship was sinking fast.

  The other Current Eater recovered, striking again with its chained tentacle, and Mahi dove, narrowly avoiding the barbed metal. It gave her an idea, but she knew it might kill her.

  As the tentacle whipped back around, she grabbed hold of it, letting it land against her belly, luckily finding a non-barbed length. More air rushed out of her, but she held on, wrapping both arms over the top of the appendage. The chain rattled at the end, and she rode the momentum.

  When the tentacle reached its zenith, she mounted it like a zhulong. Then, she waited, patient until the time was right. Spotting the last link in the chain, she thrust her spear through the hole and drew the chain to herself. Grasping it tightly, she then leaped into the depths of Autla’s Inlet right before the roaring monster could drop her into its mouth.

  The saltwater stung her many abrasions in a way she hadn’t expected, at least not since becoming Caleef. The waters burst with green light as the nigh’jels quickly rejoined her like a living shield.

  Mahi swam, still holding the end of the chain. She stayed close to the Current Eater’s gigantic, squishy frame, weaving in and out of undulating tentacles, doing her best to pull them together. Thanks to her Shesaitju origin, she was a good swimmer. But not good enough. A limb bashed her back, and she shot down toward the monster’s rising mouth.

  Its teeth snapped at her, but nigh’jels rushed in and veiled her movements, allowing her to escape before being sawed in half. She pushed off one, rising with the chain, then hit a floating chunk of wood and pushed back
down.

  The creature flailed wildly, slapping nigh’jels away. But it was too late. Mahi had half of its tentacles bound, and the other half were injured from battle.

  They reached and grabbed at her, but soon, with the nigh’jels still swarming it, disorienting it, confusing it, and blinding it to Mahi’s position, those too were disabled and caught up in the chain. The barbs dug in, staining the waters with inky blood. It looked like strings of yarn as it flowed through the green-washed waters.

  As soon as she could, she took the loose end of the chain and lugged it against her shoulder toward Babrak’s ship. She looped it around the prow, a carving of a large fish with a long, jagged nose.

  Nigh’jels lifted against her soles and helped her reach the deck. The ship was half-sunken but too large to be entirely submerged in the inlet. She retrieved another ballista bolt, dove, and used it to jam the chains around the stump of the foremast.

  Then she collapsed, lungs begging for air, stinging and heaving. From there, she watched as the Current Eater fought her web of chains. Unable to use its tentacles, its head was pinned against the prow. Wood creaked as it struggled, but the more it did, the more her makeshift pulley-system kept it in place. So long as the missile held, it couldn’t get leverage to pull free even with its incredible strength.

  Finally able to catch her breath, she rushed to grab anything else she could find to help keep the chains jammed. As she did, she looked back at the city. Many of the sea beasts had been caught in the inferno and lay screaming, a bloodcurdling sound. Others were torn apart by the chains and left dead. Others still fought with Babrak, rampaging through South Corner and her people. One could even be seen in the distance, climbing the southern walls of the Glass Castle.

  Between it and her, all her army and Babrak’s warred. She couldn’t help them, only watch; only hope that in that mess of smoke, fire, and killing, Bit’rudam was still holding steady. Buying time for the others.