by Ronald Craft
Chapter 36
Ilian gritted his teeth, and struggled to hold onto the rope. His arms and legs strained with the weight and, behind him, Gram grunted and slipped on the wet deck as Amaren set about his task below.
Behind the ship, the sky had turned into a deep cavern filled with teeth. It edged closer to the ship, bit by bit, accompanied by the smell of a thousand rotting corpses from within its stomach. The monster's breath was overpowering, and if his stomach wasn't already empty, Ilian was sure he'd have lost the contents onto the deck by now.
Omus wasn't kidding, Ilian thought to himself. This thing is definitely capable of swallowing the ship whole. How do we fight such a thing?
Ilian glanced at Karena, and tightened his grip on the rope. I have no time to be thinking of ship wreckers. It's her I have to worry about.
Karena stood next to Omus, a grim expression on her face. Her gaze was fixed on the monster behind them, and never did her gaze wander to the rope, but Ilian kept his guard up all the same. A flick of the wrist was all it'd take for her to cut the rope in two.
He knew that all too well.
“Ilian,” Omus shouted over his shoulder, “how's Amaren coming below?”
“Not sure,” Ilian yelled back. “Maybe we should send Karena below to check on him.”
Karena snorted. “We'd all be better off if that man was swallowed up by the sea.”
There was a tug on the rope, and Ilian signaled Gram to haul it up with him. A few moments later Amaren appeared at the edge of the deck. He wore a sour look on his face.
“I don't suppose you have something sharper than steel, eh?” He tossed the axe onto the deck in front of Ilian, and rolled onto the boards next to it. The blade was destroyed, and the shaft was cracked. “That monster has scales stronger than any blade I've ever seen. I hacked, and slashed at the blasted tentacle, but it didn't do a damn thing.”
What will Karena do now that she's missed her opportunity? Ilian asked himself. I have to make sure she doesn't have time to throw Amaren overboard.
“Mayhap Karena's blades would be more effective, Captain Omus.”
Omus shrugged. “If you think a pair of butter knives can drive the beast off, I say do it. I don't care what you do at this point so long as you get this bloody thing off my ship.”
Karena continued to watch the beast. “It's practically impenetrable. Even Zephryos would be ineffective on such a creature.”
“That's reassuring,” Amaren said. He was on his feet now, and shook the water from his hair.
Gram doted over the remains of his poor axe. It was useless for anything more than a paper weight now.
If I was back in Lochden father could have easily fixed that for him. Perhaps with practice, I could have forged him a better one. He drove the thought of home from his mind. Now wasn't the time, or the place for idle fantasies.
“I don't care what you do,” Omus shouted. “Just do something.”
The monster gained on them, the stench of its breath overwhelming. Some of the crew members stopped to stare at it, but Omus would bark an order and they'd scurry off again. It may not have been a fast creature, but the added weight on the ship slowed their speed down significantly. Whenever the tentacle tightened, the creature edged a little closer.
Soon, they'd be down that pink, fleshy throat, and there'd be no going back.
An idea hit Ilian all at once. “We can't hurt it from the outside, but what about the inside?”
Karena and Amaren shifted their gaze to him.
Amaren was the first to speak, his voice coming out in mocking tones. “Oh, that's a bloody brilliant idea. Next thing you're going to tell us is that we should let the creature swallow us, right?”
A thin smile turned Karena's lips upwards. “Perhaps this plan will work. However, it would be folly for us to let the creature swallow the ship. Those teeth would split it in half in one bite. No, all we need to do is get someone inside. A few swipes in the creatures belly and it should lose its appetite.”
As if daring them to challenge it, the great sea creature let out another roar from behind them, its foul stench hanging heavy in the air.
Amaren pointed a thumb at Karena. “It's your turn. Time to make yourself useful, rather than running your mouth. If I go in that thing, I'm not coming out.”
Karena pursed her lips, a look of disappointment on her face. “You do have a point. Some might see your not coming back as a bonus, though. We'd be rid of two monsters at once.” She smiled. “How nice that would be.”
Amaren snarled. “You'd call me a monster? Ever look in the mirror? You know nothing about me.”
The smile on Karena's face seemed frozen in place. “I know all I need to know,” she said with a shrug.
Ilian shook his head. These two were giving him a headache. “Hey, if you two are quite done calling each other monsters, we have a real monster behind us about to eat the bloody ship.”
They all stared at Ilian as Omus roared with laughter. “Getting told off by the kid,” he said. “He has it right, though. Do something useful instead of squabbling amongst yourselves, you damn kids.”
Karena threw up her hands. “You owe me for this.”
As she drew her daggers, the wind seemed to swirl around her body. She laid the blades flat against one another, and mumbled something under her breath. There was a bright flash and the wind burst forth from around Karena.
Where there had been two blades there was now one, longer and sharper looking. The same one she had used to fight Amaren back in the Crystal Mountains. It glowed a sickly pale-green, and crackled noisily.
Karena eyed Amaren as she spoke. “If I'm not back in five minutes, you'd best hope you can come up with another plan.” She walked to the edge of the deck and jumped off.
They watched her fall expecting her to crash, and tumble in the sea, but her feet never touched the water. A gust of wind came from behind them, and Karena skimmed across the top of the sea. She flew with an unnatural speed, and a moment later, vanished inside the sea monster's great cavern of a mouth.
“Now what do we do?” Ilian asked.
Amaren placed a hand on his shoulder. “We wait. We wait, and pray.”
To what gods'? Ilian thought.
—
Fool, Karena thought. She had intended on doing everything she could to avoid having to take the creature on herself. Amaren had failed, and the boy was unreliable at best. If the beast hadn't grown so much in such a short time they'd have had no problem removing it from the ship.
And then I'd have set that oaf a man free of the ship as well. I need to get him away from Ilian.
The ship-eater was a creature that Valnoth had nurtured and thrown in the sea. It was a natural protector of the island, and had prevented many attacks out of fear alone. Courage means nothing against a monster that can swallow a ship whole.
She hacked and slashed at the thick skin in the creature's throat. It was a seal against sea water getting in, but right now it served no other purpose than impeding her progress. Blood vessels burst, thick pieces of skin fell to shreds around her, and soon she was covered in blubber and blood.
Karena focused her power, and sent a wave of air piercing through the skin ahead of her. She crawled through the remaining layers, her stomach roiling at the sights around her.
Even this is a bit much for me. I'm used to seeing blood, but being inside of a creature's stomach... it's surreal.
Inside the creatures belly, the stench was even worse. The bloated bodies of dead sea creatures, men, and broken ships greeted her. It would be easy enough to damage the monster from within, but it was the escape she was worried about.
Karena hovered in the air above the remains of a ship with Lucky Lisa painted on it. Not so lucky after all, she thought.
She gathered her power about her. The water stirred below, and a vortex formed around Karena's body. It howled and screamed as it grew in stren
gth. When she was satisfied, Karena sent the power outward and the vortex exploded around her sending bits of wood and invisible blades of wind through the creatures stomach.
She focused her power into a single spot at the bottom of the stomach lining. The thick tissue stretched, but resisted her attempts to tear through it.
Karena gritted her teeth, and drew upon more of the wind. The tissue stretched further, stomach acid spurting in the air around her. She did her best to deflect it, but some of it got on her clothes. Where it touched, it sizzled, eating a hole through the material.
Break, damn you!
She pushed harder, and harder. At last, the creature's stomach lining tore with a loud ripping sound, and stomach acid poured from the hole.
The creature shuddered, and moaned. A gush of sea water came pouring in, splashing across Karena's face, and soaking her hair.
It's going to dive. I need to be out of here before it weakens, lest I find myself drowned in sea water.
Karena tightened her grip on Zephryos, and summoned more of its power. The weapon drained more of her strength with each use.
I don't have much time left.
With a surge of speed, Karena flew upwards, dragging her blade along the creatures esophagus along the way. Blood spurted behind her, and the monster let out another cry.
More sea water came pouring in, and threatened to knock her back down inside the creature's belly. Karena gritted her teeth, and pressed forward. The muscles in her arms screamed, and her heart felt as if it would explode.
A great gush of water smashed into Karena, and knocked her back down into the abyss. She dug her blade deep into the pink flesh and gripped the hilt with both hands. Her breath was ragged, and the green glow of the blade had dimmed significantly.
I can't die yet.
“Let one become two,” she uttered, and the single blade in her hand split into daggers once more. Karena grabbed hold, and using the strength left to her, climbed upwards using the blades as hand holds.
Her hands were slippery with blood, and her eyes watered from the sweat that dripped into them. Karena's mouth tasted of acid, though she couldn't be sure if it was her own, or the creature's. She ripped the dagger from the thick tissue in its throat, and plunged her dagger back into it. More blood poured onto her, and a little more of strength drained away.
Not yet. I'm not done yet.
Then, her arms and legs quivering with the exertion, she pulled herself over a mass of thick flesh, not unlike a human's tongue.
A wall of sharp, jagged teeth greeted her.
Karena smashed the point of her blade into the nearest tooth, but it bounced off harmlessly.
I can't afford to wait for the creature to open its mouth again. The next time it does, I may drown. But what option do I have?
It was impossible to tell how deep the creature had dived, but there was little choice left to her. She held her sword above her head, and gathered her power for one last blow.
Just then, the great jaws parted and sea water came flooding in around her.
—
Ilian stared at the water beneath them. “I don't see the creature anymore.”
“Aye,” said Omus. “It looks like she succeeded. Doesn't look like she made it out, though.”
It's as much as she deserves, Ilian thought. I'd sooner lose her than Amaren.
Amaren had a stupid grin on his face. “I wonder what her last thoughts were. Mayhap it was, 'If only I were nicer to Amaren.'” He chuckled.
Or maybe she regretted killing my father.
Omus pointed to the right side of the boat. “See that island? The one you're going to lies on the other side of it. Now that the ship is freed from all that extra weight, we'll be there in no time. Tis a shame we lost such a fine woman to get there.”
“Fine woman?” Amaren asked. “You've always had poor taste in women, Omus. Especially with redheads.”
Omus shrugged, and smiled. “I could do worse for myself.”
Ilian gave one last look at the water behind them. I guess she's really gone. I'm finally free.
He made to turn away, but something caught his eye. He squinted, but couldn't make it out over the waves.
Ilian pointed towards the strange occurrence. “Is the water... spinning? What's a whirlpool doing out in the middle of the ocean?”
Amaren and Omus turned to where Ilian's gaze was fixed.
Suddenly, the ocean exploded outwards, and a dark shape flew up from the ocean, crimson hair trailing behind. Karena landed with a thud on the deck of the ship, and dropped to her hands and knees. Her breathing was ragged, her face pale. She broke into a fit of coughing, and vomited sea water onto the deck.
The entire crew gaped at her in silence. Even Omus stopped steering the boat, his mouth agape. He blinked his eyes, snapped himself out of it, and barking loud as ever at the crew.
Amaren stood over Karena, a look of annoyance on his face. “Even the sea spit you out, eh?”
Karena glared at him, but another coughing fit took her, and she choked out more water.
Omus shook his head, a look of disgust on his face. “You're cleaning that up, Missy.”
Seems like I'm stuck with her once again.
He sighed.
The ship passed around a bend, and their destination came into sight.
Amaren cleared his throat. “Is that your island, Karena?”
She climbed to her feet, looked and nodded. “That's it.”
“Looks like someone got here before us,” Amaren said.
Ilian could see it too. “It's on fire. The island is burning.”
“You're sure you still want to go there?” Omus asked.
Karena nodded. “Heads will roll when I find out who did this.” Her sea soaked hair hung limply about her face, the water darkening its color.
Looks like blood, Ilian thought.
