Screeching filled my ears as I arrived on deck. The sea monsters were still very present and eager for more warrior blood. I was determined not to give up mine for their malicious and ravenous hunger. I needed to get to the bridge, check on my First Mate, to see if he was really dead and to secure my vessel. Holding a weapon in each hand I hurried to the stairs leading to the bridge.
I was almost at the steps when the snake-like sea creature rose from the dark waters and loomed above me. I was certain it would strike, sink its teeth into my flesh, and I raised my sword in preparation.
A mighty gust of wind suddenly picked up and hurled me toward the starboard railing. Convinced that I’d be hurtled over the top and deposited into the inky, black sea, I dropped my weapons and grabbed unto the rail. My feet lifted from the deck but I managed to stop my forward motion as I hung on for dear life.
I watched as the sea creature was launched backwards and disappeared beneath the waves. As quickly as the wind had come, it died down again. I suspected that someone from Tarman Farrin was in the area, protecting me. At that moment I felt gratitude. Disengaging my hands from the rail, I backed up, picked up my weapons, keeping an eye for incoming danger, and hurried back to the steps.
I took the steps two at a time. Something slick on the stairs nearly cost me my life as I slipped and slid and almost hurtled back to the bottom. Letting go of my knife, I grabbed the stair railing, righted myself, picked up the dropped weapon and ascended the rest of the way more carefully. The warrior I’d sent earlier must have been attacked here because his blood covered the risers.
Reaching the top, I entered through the doorway into the bridge. The First Mate lay in a pool of blood at the base of the ship’s controls. Checking the glass facing the bow revealed that nothing had penetrated it. There was no evidence of violent entrance or any sign of how the man might have been killed. I didn’t have time to investigate.
I checked the controls for anything amiss. They all showed the ship was safe and secure, the anchor in place and doing its job. No warning signal beeped its foreboding of the ship entering shallow water. The absolute darkness of the night made it difficult to know for sure. For all I knew the ship might be running amuck and ready to smash against the rocks of the nearest farrin. There was no definite knowing of whether the ship was anchored securely and no way to ascertain if the controls had been damaged during the attack from the sea monsters.
The only way to be absolutely certain would be to check on the anchor personally. I knew the danger of my death was great but the peril of losing the ship was greater.
I walked to the door leading back down to the deck and opened it. Before descending I said, “Tarman Farrin. Suma. If you are around, I could really use your help.”
Holding my weapons battle ready, I descended the steps carefully and headed for the anchor at the bow. I knew I’d never be able to crank the windlass alone but if the anchor had been severed from the chain it should retract easily. The air was eerily quiet as I made my way across the deck. With every breath I was sure would be my last, I arrived at the anchor housing. There was little protection from a possible attack from the sea. I couldn’t check on the condition of the anchor without dropping my weapons and this fact terrified me.
Looking around at the darkness and the dangers that lurked there I decided to trust that Tarman Farrin was watching out for me. The notion felt utterly foolish. There was virtually no trust between anyone in Dwarkaa’s Domain. With terror riding my back, I turned toward the windlass, put all my strength and energy into the job and tried to turn the crank. The chain remained stiff and solid and did not budge. Hopefully it was the sign I needed that the anchor was still in place.
With a sigh of relief, I picked up my weapons from the floor at my feet. As I did, an unearthly roar filled the air around me. I crouched and backed up, watching for any sign of attack. Nothing appeared out of the sea, no snake-like or many-armed monster rose from the obsidian waves. Strange air gusts pushed against me, dissipated, and then came again.
A faint scream filtered to me on the stiff breeze. I left the minimal safety of the windlass behind and hurried toward the hatch. Reaching it, I crashed through the opening and raced down the ladder.
Andrei turned to look at me as though he were seeing a ghost. “You’re alive?”
“What’s happening?” I saw one man on the floor, writhing in the throes of death, an arrow thrust through his chest.
“Something or someone is shooting arrows through the gun ports.”
“Where are our shields? Get them!” I screamed.
Andrei went to retrieve them and came hurrying back, handing them to the few men who remained alive.
Another man grunted and fell to the floor dead, an arrow through his skull. Two more men, assigned to the one of the cannons, fell in quick succession, arrows extending through their foreheads. None of them were even given the chance to raise the shields in time.
I yelled for two more men to take their place at the cannon and instructed them to keep it firing, kill off whatever was attacking. The two warriors hauled their dead comrades out of the way and went to work loading the cannon.
Holding shields and working the cannon was more labor intensive than it was worth and soon the men discarded them in favor of working their weapons without protection. The decision proved to be fatal. I heard the arrow’s thud as it hit one of my men. He screamed as the arrow pierced his cheek and extended through to the base of his skull.
Andrei rushed toward him and cut through the shaft with his knife. The injured warrior grabbed the end of the arrow and, with a mutter of pain, pulled it out. The man was shaken but still alive. He grabbed a shield and went back to work.
Another whistle of an arrow shimmied through the sounds in the room and thudded as it connected with flesh. The man hit was dead on impact, the arrow through his eye and his brain beyond. He fell with a heavy thump, blood oozing from his pierced eyeball.
Besides me and Andrei only two warriors remained of my entire crew. I grabbed a bow and arrow and headed to a gun port. Andrei stared at me, shook his head and held out his hand.
“Give me the weapons. We can’t afford to lose you. You are the captain of this ship.”
“I will not surrender my vessel to this attack. If I die, I die!” I got into position and starting shooting arrows through the opening, hoping I’d take down whatever was killing my men. Suddenly an arrow sliced through the gun port and hit my arm. Withdrawing from the opening immediately, Andrei came toward me and helped break the shaft in two. I grabbed the end and pulled it free. Thankfully the arrow hadn’t pierced my bone or broken anything. My injury appeared to have damaged only my soft tissue and should heal quickly enough.
Another scream filled the space. Another man was down and wouldn’t live long. I ignored the sounds of death and the pain in my arm and kept shooting, arrow after arrow, hoping I was making some kind of difference in this absurd one-sided battle.
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Andrei standing to my side, still and quiet, watching my frantic attempts to keep the enemy at bay. “Get a weapon and help me, you fool!”
“It’s done.”
I prepared my bow, stood and turned to shoot him down. Andrei lifted a shield to stop my attack and took a step back. The arrow pinged off the shield and dropped to the floor.
“It’s done,” Andrei yelled, louder this time.
I looked over and saw the last man lying in his own blood. The arrow through his forehead rendered him dead to this world. Andrei and I were the only ones who’d survived.
Defeat flooded me in that moment and the weight of my failure pressed in from every side. I stumbled and went down on one knee.
“This is not your fault. This was the plan and it is now progressing as Tarman foretold.”
I couldn’t speak. How could all this death and destruction be Tarman’s plan? Didn’t they know the effect the death of all these fine warriors under my command would have on me? How it would break me?
“They’ll be waiting for us,” I heard Andrei say.
“On deck?” I asked, hoping to demand an answer immediately for what they did to my crew.
“I highly doubt that. Perhaps they’ll be waiting for us on Akoni Farrin.”
“We will wait and see.”
Andrei said, “What do we do with all the men? Should we throw them overboard?”
“Leave them for now. Our goal is to get to Akoni.”
“What is your plan? Do we travel immediately?”
“No. Not until daylight. Now go.” I wanted desperately to be left alone.
I heard Andrei leave while I wished for my own death to descend. I could never go back to Dwarkaa Farrin again. Casimer would demand my life for the lives of my men. Any sea captain who allows such destruction to befall his crew is deserving of the most horrific type of death. Beheading would be easy. But no, that would not be Casimer’s first choice for me. I’d likely be skinned alive, perhaps my fingers cut off one at a time. Then limbs would be the next to be severed from my body. Maybe he’d have my eyes plucked out or send birds of prey to do the job. Death would come slow and torturous. I shuddered at the vile death I would face.
Thoughts of Tarman Farrin and what they did to my men made me feel like vomiting. How could I have thought that Tarman would bring better than what Casimer dished out? The differences seemed miniscule and the risks I’d taken suddenly appeared monumental. What was I thinking to side with Tarman. Regret filled me at what I’d agreed to. Revenge roared in my veins and I suddenly felt justified in hating Tarman Farrin, the Dragons of the Mission, Suma and whoever else rides the skies with her.
I determined that the next time I would see her, I would kill her.
