Chapter 17, the death of one held dear

Chapter … 17?

See Render’s “The Scepter of Time and the Tavern of Death!”

As Luna walked through the portal, her lungs compressed, the air was sucked away, and she felt she couldn’t breath. Dancing colors multiplied around her, blinding her from her friends. Just as she felt she would pass out from lack of breath, her feet felt wood, and her eyes snapped open to reveal a beautifully bright sky. She was standing on the deck of the Golden Dawn and as she looked around, her friends emerged from the portal behind her. A light breeze playfully tossed her light locks of hair about. The waves from below omitted a relaxing sound, for they were calm and tame. The dragons emerged and her thoughts turned toward the serious matter of Ancalagon’s injury.

“When is this?” asked Charity. They heard a sound from the other side of the deck, and turning, saw another portal…with them standing next to it. Then their twins disappeared into it.

“The day we left for Alagasia,” replied Render. The pirates began rushing around, hoisting the sails, yelling at the crew, and testing the wind. Charity climbed into the crow’s nest swiftly, spy glass in hand. Bonnie took the wheel and turned it in the right direction, immediately humming a familiar tune. Will turned to the remaining siblings.

“Would you like me to show you to your cabins?” he asked.

“No need,” said Cless, taking out a piece of cloth and moving it to a little unused corner of the ship. He placed it on the ground and Will watched as it unfolded into a tent.

“A tent?” he asked. “Honestly, Cless, we do have spare cabins—” he trailed off when Cless pulled on the flaps to reveal a magically enhanced interior with large marble columns, many drapes, couches, tables, a bed, and three large globes. “Ok…nevermind.”
The others made similar tents. Flint watched, choosing to go look at the cannons below deck.

The dragons chose to sleep, each kind of curled around Ancalagon protectively, as if that could keep the poison from spreading. Render sat nearby, his hood up, brooding over all that had happened. The minor dragons sat on Ancalagon, each trying to help in some way. It would take three days normally to get to the Isla De Murtagh. They hoped to cut that time in half. The sails were doing marvelously. Everyone was sure they would make it in time. In three days the poison might take its toll.

The day passed rapidly and the night began descending quickly, without warning upon the travelers. It was as if the sky were trying to drown them in its starry depths. The water swirling around the ship began to grow restless and fierce. Bonnie smiled a bit at this. Charity pulled out a long telescope and looked out over the dark waters. Will was helping with the sails again, for the wind had picked up and they had to re-adjust them. Luna walked over to the side of the ship, keeping her balance very well. She looked over the railing and into the watery depths. Her eyes opened wide. “There’s something in the water,” she said to Cless.

Flint overheard. “It’s called fish.”

“No, something bigger,” she said. Render got up and walked over to them. Cless and Levi stared into the darkness and told Luna to stay away from the edge of the ship. Their Elven eyes picked up movement. Something was there. Something very large, apparently, for a huge wave rose and fell that did not look at all like a sea wave. Render narrowed his eyes. Luna’s ears strained to pick up something in the silence. Charity had turned in her cramped compartment among the masts to try and see what they were looking at. Will, Render, and Cless drew their swords uncertainly and stood rigid on the deck. Bonnie’s grip around the wheel tightened and she struggled to keep her eyes on the sea ahead of her. Some of the crewmembers had drawn their weapons and stood, terrified. Levi tried to penetrate the mind {or minds} of whatever was in the water. His brow furrowed. He could sense nothing. He opened his eyes again. Slowly they edged close to the rail, their weapons stretched out uncertainly in front of them.

Another unnatural wave rippled in the sea. Everyone held their breaths. Charity leaned forward. She thought she saw something in her spyglass. She turned it to make it focus. There. A wave. A huge wave. She blinked. A very fast, large wave was coming straight toward them! She zoomed in and was speechless. She tried to utter a cry of warning.

“Crabs!” she shouted. Just then the wave struck the side of the ship and sent them all sprawling across the deck. As soon as the wave of crabs hit, they began scampering up the side of the ship. They made a sharp clicking sound with their claws, and soon they were swarming the deck. A few people nearest the rail weren’t fast enough and soon got covered in biting, scratching claws. Someone screamed. Bonnie tied the wheel down and joined in the fight. Render and Cless fought near their dragons, stomping on all the crabs they could see. The dragons {except Ancalagon} rolled on top of them, squishing as many crabs as they could. Will and Levi jumped on all crabs in sight. Flint took out his pistol and fired at the pesky creatures. Charity watched from her lookout place. She took out her glass. She saw something that made her face harden. The travelers were fighting on one side of the ship where the crabs were, but on the side they were blind to, something more hideous and dangerous than petty crabs was silently slithering up the ship.

“Quiss!!” she shouted to her friends. They turned and saw giant tentacles coming from mushy bodies reaching over the railing. The quiss were numerous and looked hungry by the speed they were approaching the friends, however it was very hard to tell because of their lack of mouths. A small quiss attached itself to a struggling crewmember. Will rushed to help as Flint screamed, the suction cups on the tentacles around his neck tightening. The quiss killed Flint to the resounding chorus of No’s arising from his friends. Luna drew an arrow and shot a nearby quiss. Levi killed one that had grabbed his leg. Render used Elven blades to kill several. Cless was still fighting the crabs, flying and flapping his wings to blow them over the side of the ship. The quiss kept coming. They never seemed to stop. Charity took out a blow gun acquired on a previous adventure and shot some. She could hardly tell where they landed; she was blided by tears for her brother. Cless joined them in slaying quiss now. Will sliced one open. His eyes narrowed and he bent down near the carcass. He rose and walked over to Bonnie, holding out two fingers dripping in quiss blood.

“Blue,” he said. Bonnie killed his quiss and looked at him.

“Blue blood?” she repeated with an astonished look. The quiss, as if at an unspoken signal, all stopped and slid over the side of the deck, gone as quickly as they had come. Render finished tying two quiss together and looked at what lay ahead. Levi glanced over the side of the ship also.
“Hey! Cliff!” he shouted. Bonnie rushed to take the wheel. Luna looked to where Levi was pointing. They were headed for a rock wall! A great cliff loomed up in front of them. “Steer away!” called Levi. But their course remained steady.

“You’re going to run into it!” called Luna. Will shook his head as they continued to head straight for it. Luna felt her heart beating two times faster than it should have been. They shut their eyes as they continued to hurl through the restless sea toward the unmoving rock. It was only a few inches away now. They were going to die. Darkness…
And yet…They could breathe. They opened their eyes. They were in a large cavern. Glancing behind them they saw a veil of moss covering the entrance to the cave they had just entered. Bonnie was smiling triumphantly. Will and Charity laughed. They all relaxed and continued down the river in the middle of the tunnel.

“The cave cannot be seen by day ~ it’s covered by water,” started Charity, “And by night it gets so dark that no one can tell the difference between the brown moss and the dark cliff.” Levi blinked and began chasing Will around the deck for not telling them. For about ten minutes they continued on their steady journey. Then the tunnel made a turn and they somehow began to sail upward. They came out of another cliff and into the open sea. Luna retired to her tent and fell asleep. Levi stayed with Will, who was showing him the different parts of the ship. Cless pulled out a book and read in his cabin, below deck. Render stayed close to Ancalagon, who was growing increasingly tired. Everyone was a bit edgy and no one had a good rest. Bonnie kept on the wheel, still humming a low song.

They drifted along the sea, the Golden Dawn creaking in sync with the waves. They were very close. An hour or two later they all woke up to lower the sails and the anchor. They climbed into small boats while it was still dark and rowed down a river. Dark trees lined the sides of the river. It was very peaceful and tranquil. Then they came to a house mounted on some trees. It was not overly fancy, nor was it shabby. They stopped and climbed up the ladder. Will knocked on the wooden door. There was a small sound from inside and the door opened.

Tia Dalma was a small, dark lady who wore a long dress and had many markings all over her body. She smiled at the sight of them and ushered them inside, her accented voice echoing in the room. They sat around a table. She walked around a corner, grabbed a tray with eight mugs, and sat down, distributing the warm mugs all around.

“I’ve been expecting you,” she said, a slow smile spreading over her features.

“Were the quiss really necessary?” asked Will. Her smile faded.

“The crabs were mine,” she said, “How da ye know de quiss are mine too?”

“Blue blood,” said Bonnie. Tia Dalma turned, as if seeing her for the first time.

“Safety precautions,” Tia Dalma explained. She looked at the Elves and Cless. “Ah…” She got up and looked out the window. “You ’ave a dragon.” She closed her eyes. “An’ ’im is dyin’…”

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner

Ok, so I admit this chapter isn't really ACCOMPLISHING anything new...So...your turn!


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