Legends of Marithia: Book 3 - Talonsphere (10 page)

BOOK: Legends of Marithia: Book 3 - Talonsphere
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Adela reached out and touched the ship, pulling her hand back and staring at its surface. “That’s strange. It feels softer than I expected. So, why all the secrecy with never letting anyone come close to the ships, aye? I don’t see anything so scary here.”

Adela bumped into Raehar as he stared up at the giant figurehead. It was a carving of a fierce woman with scaled skin and large bare breasts. Her face had striking features with flowing hair, and she held a shining silver long-sword in her hands. Lucia’s eyes twinkled in the light. He turned to see his sister’s face paling and jaw dropping.

“Wow! This sculpture is amazing and so life like. It’s almost as if she was real.”

Raehar passed Adela a piece of bread and said, “My sister, Adela, please greet Lucia.”

Adela looked at him as if he was a mad man, but indulged him. She bowed and said, “A pleasure to meet you, Lucia.”

“Whatever is so odd about my appearance, young Adela? Do I frighten you?”

Adela near jumped out of her skin as she stumbled back and was caught by Raehar’s strong arms. “Bu, bu, but...”

Lucia smiled at Raehar as if they were old friends.

“Raehar, you never bring me visitors. Is this one a bit thick in the head?” Lucia said, cocking her large face as she stared at the girl before her.

Adela’s voice heightened. “I beg your pardon!”

Raehar roared with laughter as he steadied his sister and barely managed to form words before composing himself. “No, not at all. She has just never met anyone like ye before.”

His sister approached and stared at Lucia’s eyes. “You’re alive?”

He had rarely seen Adela shocked by something, and it brought Raehar great pleasure to see her like this. She always acted like she knew everything, and sometimes he wondered where she got her knowledge from, especially her sudden interest in history. She kept telling him she studied books taken from ships. Raehar had no interest in studying, so he just took her word for it.

What good does a book do for a pirate?
he thought.

A loud banging came from her deck. Lucia snapped around and snarled. “Watch it! You brutes don’t know how to treat a lady. Keep that up and I’ll roll you fools into waves. That’ll teach you some manners.”

Lucia turned back around and tapped the sword’s blade on her shoulder. “Alive is an interesting word, and it is one which young Raehar takes great pleasure in discussing with me. I don’t really know. What I do know is that I am the ship and the ship is I.”

“This is amazing! I can’t wait to tell,” she said, before Raehar placed his fingers over her lips.

“No, ye cannot speak a word of this to anyone in Grenlees, d’ye understand?”

She nodded slowly, returning her face to Lucia. “But this is extraordinary. I’ve seen nothing like her.”

“I am anchored right here you know. I can hear everything you’re saying.”

“My word! How many ships are like her?” Adela said.

“Most of the largest of our ships have been turned, but it is not a simple thing to create a ship like Lucia. Here, come with me.”

Raehar led her away from the ship and passed her some more bread. She had very little life experience, even if she was mature and educated for her age. He told himself that she didn’t know what she was doing. How could she? Bloodships were not written into any books, and sailors were sworn to uphold their secrets.

Adela called out to Lucia as she was led away. “Pleasure to meet you!”

“And you,” Lucia said, before barking at her deck hands dropping another box. “I said be careful, damn it!”

Raehar brought his sister close to him and whispered in her ear as they walked away from the docks. “Lucia can never learn who she was before she was quickened, or the spell will be undone.”

“Undone? And what does that mean exactly?”

“Sis, ye already know too much. It’s too dangerous to Lucia for anyone to know how to undo her. Ye must be more careful.”

She frowned and stopped walking. “Then why are you telling me and showing me everything then? It makes no sense.”

He kept walking, but she grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Why take such a risk to show me the ship? What’s going on?”

This is what I was afraid of.

Raehar knew the concern in her eyes. He ran his fingers through his hair and puffed out air. “It’s nothing, I just wanted ye to be happy. Aren’t ye?”

She squinted as she stared deep into his eyes. “Raehar, you make a terrible liar.”

He knew she was right. Ever since they were children, she could always knew when he made up stories, or told any lies. He took her to the edge of the forest and sat her down.

“All right, so ye got me.”

“Spit it out! What’s happening?” she said, rubbing his arm.

“Captain said we can’t talk about it, so ye better not blabber to anyone.”

Adela scowled. “Brother, I’m not ten years old anymore. I’m nearly eighteen. Out with it.”

“Little sister, why must ye need to grow up so fast? All right then. We know that the world’s changing, and it’s not natural for clouds to rain blood. There are strange things happening that nobody can explain.”

He pointed to the faint outline of Trahoterra on the horizon. “That island lays waste to our ships when we sail due south-east. Fire comes from nowhere. Captain often wonders what awaits us on the other side, and even worse, what horrors may be coming our way.”

“Aye, I’m sure he does. But what does it all mean then?”

“We don’t know, but Silvertongue is intent on finding out. He’s too bold and I fear he may be putting all of us in danger. There are
things
out there that’d scare ye half to death. The things I’ve seen, not to mention the things I’ve done.”

Her eyes widened. “Really? Like what?”

He knew he couldn’t tell her everything. If he did, she would never look at him the same way again. A pirate’s life was not glamorous and he had to resist the temptation to lift some weight off his shoulders.

“We’ve sailed in almost all directions and found some amazing things. When the captain first took me on-board, when I was just a young boy, we found a small island and heard the most beautiful voices. It was like honey to be devoured by our ears. When our ships approached, we found them.”

“Found who?”

“Half woman, half fish. Captain called them mermaids, and they were fierce fighters. So fierce in fact, that when a captured sorcerer told Captain that he could turn the ships by sacrificing mermaids into them, we lost many good sailors to catch them alive.”

Adela looked to Lucia’s large form floating on the water. “Raehar... what have you done? Lucia is trapped inside the ship?”

He shook his head. “No, sis. She
is
the ship. Ye need worry not about Lucia as she remembers nothing. She’s happy with what she is. May the gods help us if she discovers what she went through to become one with the ship. I witnessed the horror with my own eyes. But there are no ships like ours, and we rule the seas. That comes at a heavy price.”

He sunk his head, realising the truth in his words. Speaking them allowed him to alleviate some of the guilt, for but a moment. He didn’t sleep well at night with what they had done, and he hoped this would help him heal.

“Is that what was going on?”

“Not quite. We have a mermaid held captive in another ship, and a new bloodship will be created again. We need to travel where the island can’t touch us, and it’s a long trip through the fog and around to the large mountain, where magic is strongest.”

Adela scrunched her brow. “Why do you need to go there?”

“Because that’s the only place where bloodships can be made. But with the changes in the far land of Marithia, I just don’t know if we’ll return alive this time.”

There, I said it.

Tears formed in his eyes and he looked away from her. “I fear I may be truly gone this time, and I won’t see you again.”

Adela turned his head back with her hand and frowned. “Stop being ridiculous. I’m sure you’ll be fine. Did you ever see the vampire sorceress I told you about?”

He knew she had changed the subject, but in a way, he was glad she did.

Raehar shook his head. “No, me eyes have never seen her. How did ye know about her anyway?”

“People talk, and when I work the tavern, I hear so many stories.”

He shook the dirt off his pants and gave her a warm hug before staring seriously into her eyes. “Worry not. Nobody would ever come near Grenlees. We live on an island of pirates, and that’s not where most people want to go. Any ships that have come near us have all been sunk. Here, I want ye to look after this for me. If anything happens to us, we may never be able to open our treasure room.”

Raehar pulled a silver chain over his neck and handed her the shiny key. “Guard it with yer life, and make sure ye keep it hidden.”

Adela’s eyes widened for a moment, then she wiped the smile from her face, nodded and kissed his cheek as she put it down her underwear. “Nobody would dare look for it there.”

He stared at her and laughed. “Ye sure are my sister to do something like that. Strange, but clever. I have to go now to Lucia and get ready. I love ye.”

“Me too,” she said, waving him goodbye.

 

 

Adela adjusted her underwear as she made her way past the town centre and back through the forest, constantly checking behind her to make sure she wasn’t being followed. The crashing of waves made her smile as she rushed from the forest edge and made her way toward the giant skull cavern. She worked her way down the cliff edge, and climbed down into the same eye socket that Raehar was resting on earlier.

That was too easy
, she thought.

A tinge of guilt tugged at her, but knew that everything she was doing was for a greater purpose. It may be a selfish purpose, but she cared not. These pirates kept women on the shores, never letting them see the world. It wasn’t fair, and she wasn’t about to just sit by and let it continue; at least not for her.

She took a moment to admire her brother’s favourite view before waiting for the next wave to crash in. Breathing deep, she leapt into the cool water and swam into the cavern. The reflection from the water lit up the cavern’s ceiling.

She soon reached a section that had a large, flat section of rock, and climbed out. Taking a moment to wring out her clothing, she observed the giant belly of the cave.

A loud voice echoed around her, “Looking for me?”

Adela smiled as she said, “Of course. Why else would I be here?”

The sound of heavy footsteps reverberated around the cavern as the ground shook beneath her.

“Well I am glad to see you, Adela. Are you sure you weren’t followed?”

Adela took one cautionary look behind her, then spoke with confidence. “Of course, and before you ask, he hasn’t seen her yet.”

The dragon transformed her scales to reveal her huge form inside the cavern, and nudged Adela with her face. The room rattled as she pulled on her silver chains.

“Niesha, you were right there the whole time?”

She reached into her underwear and produced the silver key and watched as the dragon’s eyes lit up. The key, the one that would give them both freedom from this damn island.

“He gave you
the
key. But how?” the dragon said.

Adela grinned. “He doesn’t even know what he had. He thinks this only opens their treasure room. But what happens when I free you?”

Niesha cocked her head. “You tease my freedom with your key? What is it that you desire the most, Adela?”

“My sweet dragon, of course not. I do not hold you ransom, but I have always wanted to leave this island and you know that.”

“As have I, Adela. We can leave this island together. Now free me, and we can fly away from here.”

 

Chapter 7 : A Lost Message

 

“Evil is hard to judge. Dark acts can be committed for the greater good. But if one discovers they’re walking down a path of endless shadows: are they not redeemable? Do we not retain the ability to love, nurture, and to do something kind?

BOOK: Legends of Marithia: Book 3 - Talonsphere
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