Healer (17 page)

Digging deep into his
memories, he conjured up images to fuel his inner energy.
Not too much.
Hatred
toward his past would take things to an uncontrollable level. Instead, he
focused on fusing aggravated energy to where a faint glow along the coils gave
it life. Motioning for the men to let go, the ropes dove into the water
themselves to secure the
Kha’lari’s
body to the boat’s side.

Three men stayed
onboard to help tow the
Kha’lari
back out to sea. The rest watched from
shore, though Mr. Phine kept an eye on its constant moving arms spilling over
the vessel’s side. The suction cups could be heard puckering over wood. Now and
then they gave off a loud
pop!

Wisdom saw one of the
men struggle to unwrap one of the tentacles.

“They ain’t gonna’
make it,” he heard the old shipbuilder mumble. He then ordered some of the men
over to another fishing vessel. As they prepared to join their comrades, the
sound of splintering wood drew everyone’s attention.

The boat had barely
made it out to open water when a jagged opening tore down the side. Water
gushed in. One man tripped over a loose line. As he struggled to find his
footing, the
Kha’lari’s
tentacle snagged his leg.

“Stay here!” Wisdom
ordered before leaping off the dock.

He shifted in mid-air.
Blood rushed the required forms to his ligaments, changing them to resemble a
dark
‘Keyarx
. Ignoring gasps of surprise, he focused on the
Kha’lari
.

The creature had
managed to drag the human halfway over the side. Now grasping the splintered
wood, he held on in a desperate attempt to keep away from the stingers. The
other men tried to help, but a tentacle slammed into the boat’s side. While the
men were tossed around like rag dolls, the vessel dipped sideways. Fishing
equipment washed overboard. A good majority already floated around the boat.

Another failed attempt
to reach their captured companion forced the two fishermen to abandon their
rescue. They swam for their lives as stingers washed in where they once stood.

The prince pumped his
wings harder, a dark reflection over the water’s rippling surface. He was
careful of flailing sails tangling with dislodged netting as he angled his
descent. A tentacle lashed upward, narrowly missing his left wing. He swiped a
taloned hand at the one around the man’s leg before climbing back up on air
currents. The effort was met with success, as the writhing tentacle loosed
enough for the fisherman to squirm out of its coils.

But he was far from
safe.

Stingers drifted
everywhere.
Diving, Wisdom grabbing a handful of netting on
his way back up.
Pulling hard, he began dragging the thing out to sea,
away from the damaged boat, away from the lone fisherman still clinging to its
side.

The prince marveled at
how long its trailing appendages wound into the depths. From this vantage
point, he counted at least six red strands of stingers. Compared to the
constant movement from its suction-plated arms, these merely drifted along the
currents.

And this is an
adolescent? Can only imagine what a fully grown one is like!

The sea foamed around
the half-submerged head. Now and then a tentacle slapped against the surface,
but Wisdom continued out. He was glad the water supported much of its weight.
It was only when he had gone out far enough to where the port of Trully dotted
the horizon did he release the
Kha’lari
, nets and all. It did not take
long for the thing to sink down, dark red wavering eerily beneath blue-green
waves.

A rumble of distant
thunder drew his attention to the cliffs of Sapphire. With the
Kha’lari
gone,
he studied the dark clouds draping just over the jagged rocks. Wisps of dark fog
seemed to roll down its bank, meeting the sea where it raged against land.

If I controlled the
sea, I’d raise it enough to drown out everything the horn touched!

You would destroy a
lot more than just territory,
a
warning pounded through his head, and he knew it was
Osha
.
His gaze trailed along the cliffs back to Trully.

Raising sea level
in one location would raise it in another,
he realized.
It wins no matter what.

The prince swallowed
back his anger and started flying toward port. He checked the area a final time
for signs of the
Kha’lari
; however, it was a wave of flag that drew his
eye. The dark wood of a lone ship matched that of the shadowed cliffs towering
above.

“Is that..?” But there
was no mistaking the one who called out from the top of the crow’s nest.
“Josephine?”

The Merionaus
bobbed along gentle waves in all her majestic glory.
Josephine had outdone
himself
, from the detail of her
finely crafted deck railings to the curved designs below. She seemed solidly
built with cream colored sails raised at full to catch the wind – except she
seemed to be neither coming nor going.
 

Deciding
against the dark
‘Keyarx
look, Wisdom shifted into a hawk to not scare
anyone as he approached.
He
allowed his thoughts to open to Josephine and crew, announcing his presence
before landing on deck.

“I can’t believe I
just witnessed an actual shape-shifter!” Josephine called down once the prince
had shifted to his true form. “Did you see that?
Ahoy, Master
Wisdom!”

“Josephine!” The
prince saluted back.

“So this
be
the new prince.” A stout man strode toward him, his right
side dipping in a stiff limp. As the prince noticed the knee incapable of
bending, the man introduced himself. “Welcome aboard
The
Merionaus!
Captain Easton, at yer service.”

“A
pleasure.”
The prince slightly
bowed in greeting. “I was taking care of a little business when I saw your
ship. Just thought I’d drop by and make sure everything was well.”

“As well as should
be,” the captain said, though he eyed some of the sailors tugging on lines secured
to the mast and sails.
“Though we do have...a slight
problem.”

“Let me guess; you’re
not moving.”

“Aye.
There
be
that.” Captain
Easton gestured to the sails. “Not a thing wrong with the
wind,
and Joseph’s eye for detail keeps us clear of the shallows. It’s a mystery why
we’re still in one spot.”

No sooner had the
thought of
Kha’lari
come to mind when the ship jolted as if running
aground. Both the captain and prince held to the side lines. Crew members
scrambled to keep their footing while the ship began tilting to one side.

From the crow’s net,
Josephine called down. “Tide’s out!”

“Impossible!” Easton
peered over the railing to the bubbling waters below. “Tide doesn’t go out for
several more hours!”

“It’s the storm!”
Wisdom eyed dark fog continuously rolling down the cliffs and dissipating at
the water’s edge. “It’s starting to affect other elements.”

“Do like you did with
the bottle!” Josephine called. “Lift the ship!”

“You
do
realize
there’s a considerable difference in weight!” Wisdom tried to keep his footing
as the ship teetered even further. He allowed himself to slide over to the edge
and cast a hand toward the water. Fear for his friend spurred a burst of power.

A ball of energy
bolted below the water’s surface, throwing up enough spray to douse a few
crewmen. They held their breaths as the ship seemed to creak back the other
way. Sand-churned water fizzled with large bubbles popping around the ship’s
hull. As the vessel stabilized, Wisdom felt the tightness of worry release in
his chest.

“I think that did it.”
He watched the water continue to swell.

“Red
Shells!
Portside!”

“What?!”
Wisdom whipped around with Captain Easton giving him
a quizzical stare.

“What did you do,
Prince?” he accused as he hobbled over to the opposite side. “Stir up a whole
colony, ye did!”

Wisdom followed suit
and peered over the railing. At least twenty melon-sized crabs scrambled
against the ship, their solid red tops tipped with thorny stubs. Dawning large
pairs of claws that snapped and bit into the wood, a few were able to get
footholds and start climbing.

“Hey,
now!”
Josephine
scolded,
a hint of jealous pride in his tone. “They’re wrecking all my work! Hit ‘em
again!”

“All hands on deck!”
Captain Easton commanded. “Grab a weapon, lads! Fend ‘em off!”

“Of all the luck
today,” Wisdom murmured under his breath as he withdrew the sapphire staff from
his travel necklace. Though he wished the staff’s tip still retained lightning,
the length was enough to start whacking a few of the Shells.

They climbed fast, and
with purpose. Wisdom was sure of that.
This is none of my doing. This is the
horn’s game.

In sudden realization
that the ship was tilting again, he called for the men to balance out the added
weight of the crabs. “We need to stand on the other side! We’re heading right
for them!”

“And if those things
get in the ship itself, we’re all in for a world of hurt!” Easton said. “See
what you can do, Prince! If ye can’t lift the ship, weigh it down!”

Wisdom nodded and dug
his staff into the deck to keep from slipping. As plots of water drained past,
he caught his reflection in one. Time seemed to slow as thoughts raced between
himself and
Osha
.

This isn’t my
element! Water won’t supply me the energy I need!
And the rocks aren’t close enough to summon any
foliage off of them! We need help!

There is another
who may be able to serve you,
came
the unicorn’s soft voice.
To summon him, you have
only to perform a single note.

Wisdom thought back to
the gift from his stepfather.
The pan flute!
He quickly dug around in
one of the pouches always carried on his belt.
How does it go?

Allow me,
and lifted the reed pipe to his lips.

Wisdom had never heard
such a sound, and from the looks of the others on board, neither had they. It
was a droning, solitary note that seemed to penetrate the depths of the waters.
Even the Red Shells momentarily halted their snapping claws to listen.

Osha
must have thrown in her own magic with it, for the
ship began to right itself.

“The bloody hell?”
followed by a string of captain swears.

Mesmerized, some of
the crew
were
lost in its trance. As though a Siren
had lulled them from the world into their own, they ignored the returning
sounds of snapping and splintering wood. From above, Josephine hollered and
pointed as several Shells flopped on deck.

“Watch it!” Wisdom
smacked a crab with his staff while stuffing the prized flute back in his
pouch. “Snap out of it!” Backhanding a sailor was one way to get attention. The
other came from a blood-curdling scream.

Crimson mixed with
seawater rolled about deck. One man dropped to his knees and crawled away from
a Shell, part of his pants-leg missing – as was his foot!

Wisdom cursed and cast
a hand in the crab’s direction. Anger fueled a clap of energy that smashed the
creature against the ship’s railing. It was just enough force to push a hole
through the wood, receiving a harsh word from Josephine.

One
gone.
Ten more to go!
Wisdom counted those crawling around deck. He noticed
the crew, having come out of their trance, desperately swinging buckets, mops,
anything they could grab. Yet, these were not trained warriors. They had not
come prepared to defend against sea creatures. As more crabs joined the first
set, a lot of men began retreating to higher locations.

“Wisdom!”
Josephine’s warning came too late as the prince’s
staff was wrenched from his grasp.

While the staff
clattered one way, Wisdom was thrown another. He hit the deck hard, pulling
himself up to the sound of pinchers thrusting toward his face. Defensive energy
instinctively threw the thing back. Thankful his magic was more alert than he,
Wisdom forced himself toward the ship’s bridge where the captain and others had
gathered.

As the ship continued
swaying, both men and crabs slid from one side to the other. At one point, he
could not retain his footing to pass a Shell. Grasping a loose line instead, he
swung overtop and dived for his staff rolling between two other Shells.

“Anytime
now, Osha!”
Wisdom cracked one
overtop when it took hold of his pants-leg.