Terry W. Ervin (42 page)

“Thy ship is strong,” said Roos. “Thou must have iron backing the keel.”

Lilly leaned over the side. “No, Crusader. She surrounded the hull with ice. That’s what stopped us.”

“If we can’t move,” I said, “we can’t escape.” First Mate nodded in agreement. Slowly the bow began to shift starboard. First Mate noticed it too. We looked to Belinda, who stood with eyes closed. She shook, leaning on her staff. Her wrinkled face contorted into a wicked sneer as she chanted, summoning more magic.

First Mate motioned for Roos to back further away. The snake-faced sailor looked from his captain, out to the mermaids and serpent four hundred yards away. Sweat broke out across Belinda’s brow and her cheeks began twitching. Still, the Sunset Siren continued to spin, faster.

Hax signaled with his hands. First Mate agreed. “A whirlpool. Crusader, can you do anything?”

Roos shook his head.

Belinda’s eyes snapped open. “That bitch! She’s channeling power directly from Uplersh.” The ship immediately began to spin faster. “She bars my elementals from reaching her priestess and sends more energy than I can counter.”

“One who the dead man named Iceheart,” said Roos. “Is thy foe upon the serpent?”

Belinda nodded. “Uplersh hasn’t won yet.”

Roos flipped up the rectangular sight on his rifle and adjusted the small crossbar. “Bide.” He marched to the bow, rested the muzzle of his rifle on the gunwale, and signaled for silence. It now took less than fifteen seconds for the ship to rotate a full circle.

I held my breath, wondering if Roos could hit the target, and if he did, could his bullet pierce the magical barriers Uplersh had erected to protect her priestess from Belinda.

The priestess on the serpent, her arms upraised and surrounded by circling mermaids, men and dolphins, rotated through the Crusader’s line of sight without him firing. The ocean level appeared to be rising in relation to the hull of our ship.

Lilly grabbed my arm, causing me to fire my crossbow into the water. I smiled at her, trying to disguise my fear. Drowning wouldn’t be as bad as being torn apart by zombies, but it wouldn’t be as fast as death by an ogre’s club. I was going to ask Lilly why she’d unbuttoned her shirt when the crack of Roos’ rifle sounded.

Roos looked up from his rifle’s sight. When the priestess toppled off the serpent’s head, he removed his forage cap and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Lord, thank ye for thy guidance.”

“Crusader,” warned Belinda. “Might want to withhold your gratitude.” As if to accent her words, the serpent emitted a screeching hiss before speeding toward us, mermaids, men and dolphins trailing in its wake. Belinda’s knees buckled, but First Mate caught and steadied her.

“We’re doomed,” said Lilly. She shed her clothes, stepped back and dropped to her hands and knees on the deck, her lips drawn back in pain. “Flank Hawk, look away.” I already had, reloading my crossbow.

“Oarsmen,” said Belinda with renewed vibrancy, “except for those on the ship right now, rend any creature that comes within your grasp.”

The wood golems stiffly rose to their feet and stood with their arms held high. They reminded me of dead trees whose smaller branches had been shorn off. Behind me, Lilly groaned. The reshaping of her bones and joints sounded like stalks of celery twisting and snapping. I didn’t dare turn to see Lilly change, afraid of what I might see.

“Leave the serpent to me,” hissed Belinda. The enemy closed to within one hundred yards. “Don’t let them snare you with their lassos or they’ll pull you overboard.”

“Thy foe closes,” warned Roos. He pulled the trigger, catching a mermaid in the shoulder. A line of red trailed where she dove. They were too far for my crossbow.

The serpent propelled itself forward by undulating its snake-like body laterally along the surface. It didn’t matter whether the serpent intended to ram above the ice line or surge out of the water and crash down upon our ship. Weakened as Belinda was, the Sunset Siren appeared doomed, and us with it.

I held my crossbow ready, watching the sea serpent grow nearer. The threat of lassos and javelins seemed insignificant. Maybe Roos and his rifle could make a difference, but my crossbow would be like flicking pebbles at a charging bull. Even Hax’s harpoon looked small.

Belinda stood defiantly at the prow of her ship. I grabbed hold of a rope strung along the gunwale and braced for the shattering impact.

The serpent rose up, intent on smashing its bulk onto the deck. At the last second, Belinda shouted, “Rise and defend!” In response a huge wave with watery arms slammed into the serpent, engulfing its head and fanged maw. The water elemental knocked the serpent off course and both crashed into the ocean just off the portside. The resulting wave rocked the Sunset Siren, tipping her to within inches of taking on water. Whether the buoyancy of the ice encasing the hull saved or nearly foundered us, I couldn’t tell.

Lilly skidded next to me, her claws digging for traction on the wet deck. First Mate hurled his two javelins at mermaids, doing his best to ward the captain while she controlled the giant elemental battling the thrashing serpent.

The ship continued to rock wildly, enabling several mermen to grab hold and climb aboard. The serpent’s tale whipped wildly, smacking the mast before the elemental hauled it beneath the surface.

One of the unlucky mermen fell into the grasp of the enchanted oarsmen and in a tug-of-war they tore him screaming, limb from limb. Lilly charged one of the mermen, knocking him to the deck as he stabbed at her with his flint dagger. I stood and took aim at one of the four mermaids holding their torsos above the water with powerful tail strokes while twirling lassos over their heads. My aim was true and one alluring green-haired mermaid sank beneath the surface with a quarrel in her heart.

I ducked two lassos, but failed to see a third. It snagged my crossbow, and a mermaid yanked it from my unsuspecting hands. I reached for my spear on the deck only a few feet away.

From the stern, Hax hurled his harpoon. I didn’t see if the sailor hit his target, but two thin spears shot up, piercing his forearm and stomach. A pair of lassos followed, pulling the wounded man over the side.

Roos fired his revolver starboard, into the mermen and maids as they hurled spears and knives, and flung lassos. The whole time Roos belted out uneven lyrics to a song that held him steadfast in battle.

I drove my spear into the chest of a merman as he tried to board, and smashed a second across the face with the shaft, knocking him back into the water. Thrall hacked the fingers off another merman as he gripped the gunwale, trying to climb aboard. The sailor appeared unaware of his bloody shoulder wound as he spun and charged aft, seeking other foes.

The Crusader drew his saber. I shouted, “Roos, behind you!” but too late. From the port side a lasso’s noose found its mark, dropping over the Crusader’s head and tightening on his neck. Roos dropped his weapons and grabbed at the choking rope. In an instant the enemy hauled him backwards and over the side. In a flash of brown, Lilly scampered over the gunwale after Roos.

I charged to help, but a hurled spear caught me in the thigh just above the knee. I fell but climbed to my feet, only to have a lasso’s noose catch my left arm. I dropped my spear and pulled, trying to get slack to loosen the loop. The rope remained taught and I braced for what was to come. With pain shooting through my leg, the enemy dragged me toward the side like a child overpowered in a tug-of-war. I reached for Guzzy’s dirk in my boot as I tumbled toward the edge. Thrall appeared and hacked the seaweed rope, severing it against the gunwale six inches from my wrist.

Freed, I grabbed my spear while limping toward the port side and found a sight I’d never expected to see; Roos had freed himself from the rope, but he kicked and flailed, helpless and at the mercy of his foes. Splashing and spinning in a blur of fangs and fur, Lilly fought near the Crusader against dolphins darting in from all sides, ramming and snapping at her.

First Mate knocked me to the deck before I could dive in to help my friends. “Fool!” he shouted, brandishing his cutlass. “You can’t help them that way.”

I picked up a merman’s shark-tooth spear, and limped back to the side. First Mate ducked a thrown flint dagger and tossed a rope to Roos. Before the Crusader could grab it, a mermaid snagged Roos by the collar and plunged beneath the waves, dragging him with her.

The sudden realization that Roos was gone tore at my gut almost as much as seeing an ogre impale Guzzy with my spear. I couldn’t let it affect me now, not in battle with Lilly still in danger.

I knocked aside a mermaid’s thrown lasso and focused on a dolphin racing just beneath the surface toward Lilly. With a slap of her tail, she dove. Just as quickly the dolphin was gone with the others following, leaving no foes on the surface. I hurled the shark-tooth spear where the dolphin had disappeared anyway.

First Mate moved next to me, searching the water. Thrall stood perched aft, ready to continue the fight. The oarsmen stood stiff with merman limbs dangling from their hands. Belinda leaned against the mast, clutching her staff. Sweat glistened on her wrinkled face. Suddenly, a grin emerged from beneath her trembling lips.

A column of ocean water erupted off the port side, sending bodies and sheets of water onto the deck.

“Kill’em!” shouted First Mate.

Flopping ten feet from me, a stunned mermaid rolled about. Beyond her a second mermaid crawled across the deck. Ignoring the pain in my leg, I ran and drove the tip of my boar spear through the nearest mermaid’s breastbone. Shock registered in her turquoise eyes. I yanked my spear free and leapt over the dying mermaid as the spouting ocean water’s downpour stopped.

The second mermaid heard my footsteps pounding on the deck and crawled frantically for the gunwale, dragging her shimmering fish-tailed torso. Looking over her shoulder she cried, “No, please!”

I ignored her plea and thrust my spear, severing her spine just below the neck. She was the enemy. The sandy-blonde mermaid’s scream died with her, leaving a silent, twitching corpse.

“Here,” called First Mate, waving me over.

Thrall ran about with his bloody cutlass, zealously finishing off any mermaids and dolphins on the deck. His vicious snarl matched the ferocity of his hacking blade.

I limped past Belinda the Cursed who’d slid down to sit with her back against the mast. “Thanks,” I said to her, not knowing exactly why. I didn’t wait for a response.

First Mate rolled Roos on his stomach and pushed on his back, pressing water from his lungs. Then he rolled the Crusader back over, pinched his nose before breathing into his mouth. I didn’t sense any magic. Even if there was, it wouldn’t work on Roos. I leaned on my spear, wondering if Roos really was gone.

I scanned the deck and found Lilly aft. Even from a distance I saw the gash wounds across her hide. “Lilly, are you okay?”

She didn’t respond. Instead she curled into a ball. Within seconds she stretched out on the deck. Her body changed, bunching in places, stretching in others like an artist molding clay. Her skin absorbed the deep brown fur, and her face transformed back to that of the woman I knew. It was an unnatural scene, but not as horrific as I’d imagined it would be.

First Mate still worked on Roos, breathing into his mouth, causing his chest to rise. I was a healer. I reminded myself again that my magic was useless on the Crusader. Even deeper, I knew that my meager knowledge and skills would’ve been inadequate to the task at hand.

Lilly came up next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. Soaked, the green shirt clung to her body as she began buttoning it. “Your leg?”

I stared into her brown eyes. “I’ll be okay. How about you?” Bruises showed across her arms, legs and face. Already they were yellowed, showing signs of healing. Bite marks on her arm and leg had already scabbed over.

“I’ll be okay,” she said. “Changing speeds my healing. What about the Crusader?”

First Mate blew another breath into Roos. The Crusader coughed. At first weakly, then when First Mate rolled Roos on his side and allowed more water to drain from his mouth, the coughing strengthened. Increasing life and vigor followed.

Lilly and I knelt next to Roos. He flashed us a weak smile before sputtering and coughing some more.

“Stay with him,” said First Mate to me. “Lilly, climb up and check the mast. We’ve got to get under way.”

First Mate lifted Belinda in his arms and, stepping over carnage of dead mermen, mermaids, and dolphins, carried the weakened wizard to her cabin. She didn’t even have the strength to hold onto her staff. When it hit the deck, the ice encasing the hull cracked and broke away.

Thrall took the wheel as the oarsmen returned to their work.

Roos reached for my arm and whispered, “My time with thee has not yet ended.” He coughed again. “Friend Hawk.”

The night breeze sent ripples through the tarp sheltering Thrall, Roos and myself. Both men slept while I listened to the night wind. I’d become used to the sound of the sails as well, but with Lilly discovering a crack in the mast the Sunset Siren traveled under oar power alone.

Belinda had emerged from her cabin an hour before sundown to check on her ship and to give Roos an herbal brew to combat damage and possible infection in his lungs.

Earlier, First Mate had taken charge, ordering Thrall to shear the mermaid tails and hair, and collect their scales for sale to alchemists. Sharks made quick work of the remains dumped overboard. Now, at the wheel, First Mate’s conversation with Lilly carried over the steady breathing of Roos next to me, and above the rhythmic splash of the oars.