King Of The North (Book 3) (13 page)

Turin swallowed loudly, blood still trickling from his shattered nose. "What do you want to know?" he stammered.

"The Prince," Jhayla reminded him. "Who is he?"

"His name is Eogan," Turin explained. "He is the son of Queen Maebh."

"How do you know this?" Adder asked.

"I was his sword master when he was a child," Turin replied.

Jhayla laughed. "You were his sword master?" she repeated. "I knocked you down with one punch."

"And she's a girl," Adder said, prompting a sideways glance from his partner.

"How old is he?" Jhayla continued.

Turin coughed, sniffing to keep the blood flow stifled. "No more than sixteen, I think," he said. "I started teaching him when he was five. At seven, he was already better than me. I was relieved of duty and Queen Maebh saw to it that I would never work again."

"So now you're a mercenary," Jhayla said flatly. "A sword for hire."

"I tried to join the army," he said. "But my reputation was ruined."

Jhayla looked at Adder. The two of them silently acknowledged that they got what they wanted. Jhayla withdrew her dagger from Turin's crotch, and Adder withdrew his as well.

"Thank you, Turin," Jhayla said. "I'm sorry about your nose, and your pants."

She rose, allowing Turin to grasp his nose and collect himself. Adder helped him up, patting him on the back.

"Next time," Adder warned him. "Be more respectful and helpful. We are fighting on the same side."

Turin nodded, still pinching his nose. "Thanks for the good time," he said, turning to walk away.

"If you want to make some money," Adder advised him. "Go to Gaellos. Prince Eamon's army is always looking for experienced warriors."

Turin waved them away, disappearing back into the tavern. The two thieves laughed. "That was fun," Jhayla said. "But we should get this information to Eamon. He would interested to know that he has a cousin."

Adder nodded. "Right," he said. "And I promised Ceor I would report back to him. I should talk to my father, as well."

"Can we stop by and see Lucas again?" Jhayla asked.

"Why?"

"Well," Jhayla said, rubbing her hand. "Turin's face was a lot harder than it looks."

Jadhav's vessel, the
Sunjha,
drifted slowly underneath the waves. They were near the southern coast of Eirenoch, in pursuit of a Jindala ship that had, somehow, slipped past them earlier. The Captain watched his seer navigate them toward the enemy vessel, her third eye, located in the center of her forehead, was fully open and gleaming with life.

"What do you see, Sura?" he asked.

"It is difficult, Jadhav," she replied. "I cannot concentrate fully. Something is interfering with the energy of the sea."

"Show me."

Sura turned to the raised, round platform that stood in the center of the bridge. She projected her vision upon it in a transparent, real-life representation. Occasionally, it flickered and blurred as her energy stream was interrupted by the unknown force. Still, the Jindala ship was clearly visible, and appeared to be a medium-sized frigate. It could carry a few hundred men, possibly more, and a small amount of provisions.

"It's headed toward the wreckage of the Enkhatar's black vessel," Sura said.

"Then we follow it," Jadhav commanded. "The energy of the mysterious object is most likely the cause of your trouble. If they are after it, then it is important that we intercept them."

"The energy is definitely coming from that direction," Sura noted. "It is strong...and strange."

"How so?" Jadhav asked, leaning on the arm of her chair.

Sura shook her head, trying to find the words to explain what she was feeling. "I do not know, friend," she said. "I cannot describe it. It is the energy of...nothing."

Jadhav scowled. His first mate, Vedic, came to stand beside him, gazing at the projected image above the platform. "I have heard stories of things like this," Vedic said. "My father was an alchemist."

"What do you think, Vedic?" Jadhav asked, standing.

"My father spoke of strange objects that no one has ever seen, but according to the alchemists' equations, must exist. But this is too small to be such an object."

"Speak, man, speak."

"He called it a wormhole," Vedic said. "A product of something called a singularity. It is a means of traveling between dimensions, but can be used to travel to other places in our universe, or into the void."

"Space?" Jadhav asked.

"Outside of space," Vedic replied, scratching his chin. "I never quite understood the concept, but it sounded to me like there is an area between universes where only dark matter exists. All universes in existence are contained there, in bubbles."

"You are confusing me, my friend," Jadhav laughed. "But that is alright. Our major concern is destroying that ship. After that, we will investigate this wormhole, or whatever it may be."

Vedic nodded and took his place at the weapons station. He stood waiting for the order to extend the ship's spikes and surface. Jadhav watched Sura as she guided the ship underneath the Jindala vessel. Her concentration was constantly broken from the interference, but she managed to get the
Sunjha
into position.

"We are ready," she said.

"Prepare to attack, Vedic," Jadhav gave the order. Vedic pulled a lever, activating the spikes, extending them fully in preparation.

Sura nodded.

"Surface!"

Vedic pulled another lever
and the vessel rose quickly. Within seconds, the crew was jarred by the impact. They had struck the hull of the Jindala ship at just the right point. The spikes punctured her hull, ripping a gaping hole in the ship's hold.

"Guide us along the keel," Jadhav said.

Sura took the vessel along the bottom of the Jindala ship, ripping a larger hole that ran all along its length.

The ship was doomed.

"Prepare to go out," Jadhav commanded. "We will finish off those who try to swim to shore."

Faleen rushed to the deck of the Jindala ship in horror. He had felt the jarring impact, and the crunching of the ships hull. The sea had gushed in and washed away many of them, smashing them against the walls and drowning them in its salty grip.

On deck, the men were in a panic. The horrific storm was raging, and the sky had darkened and rolled with thunder and bright flashes of lightning. The lifeboats had been lowered, and men were pushing each other to get aboard. It was total chaos.

"Keep your wits, men!" Faleen commanded. "Stay together and get aboard the lifeboats! Mind the storm!"

Men rushed around him, cutting loose the tethers that held the many lifeboats to the side of the ship. Some were jumping overboard, desperate to escape the suction that would be created when the ship went under.

"Fools!" Faleen hissed under his breath.

He reached for a panicked soldier, grabbing him by the tunic and pulling him in face to face. "Stay calm!" he ordered. "The ship will stay afloat long enough for everyone to board the lifeboats. There is no reason to panic!"

"Forgive me, Sheikh," the soldier replied, breathlessly gathering his wits.

"Kill anyone who poses a danger to the others! I will do the same."

"Yes, my lord," The soldier responded, drawing his sword and entering the crowd.

Faleen looked among the men who rushed around him. Most were performing admirably, helping their comrades onto the lifeboats and encouraging each other to remain calm. Others were pushing their way through to the front, desperate to save their own lives. Faleen shouted at them to cooperate, and those who ignored him were pulled from the crowd and slain in front of the others.

"Keep order!" Faleen commanded. "Or you will suffer the same fate!"

As the lifeboats were lowered into the sea, those that jumped overboard began to swim toward them. Faleen watched them, hoping those aboard the boats would help them up to safety. Then, before Faleen's eyes, they began to disappear.

The men in the water were savagely pulled under to disappear in a spreading cloud of dark red. Faleen rushed from side to side, screaming at the men to pull the swimmers aboard.

"Get them up!" he shouted. "Sharks!"

One by one, the swimming soldiers were dragged under, only to reappear a few seconds later, floating lifeless on the choppy waves. Faleen backed away, moving to the center of the ship. He looked around in confusion, his mind reeling in horror. Then, the screams of his men brought him back to attention. As he watched, the lifeboats were overturned and their occupants dragged underwater to be slaughtered like fish. Within minutes, the only sounds he could hear were those of the raging storm.

Lightning flashed, revealing the dozens of corpses that littered the surface of the water. Even in the darkness, he could see that the water was saturated with blood. Yet the corpses of his men remained untouched, simply floating undisturbed. Sharks would be feeding upon them.

Something else was in the water.

Faleen approached the railing once more, peering into the water. He could see nothing but the glints of moonlight reflecting off of the large waves. The storm made things worse, obscuring his view as he struggled to find the mysterious killer. There was nothing in sight.

Shaking his head, he returned to the center of the deck. The ship was rapidly sinking, and there was little time for him to waste. There were no lifeboats left, and with the invisible killer in the water, Faleen was reluctant to swim for it. He would simply stay on board, and go down with the ship, hoping he could survive long enough to activate the portal that lie on the seabed below him. It was his duty.

Quickly, he turned to open the door to the galley, gathering his diving gear and weights. The journey down to the sea bed would be quick, and he would likely not survive, but at least he would be able to breathe on the way down. Satisfied that he had procured everything he needed, he exited and closed the door behind him.

Three men stood on deck, dressed in strange leather suits and diving gear, similar to his own. Faleen was startled, but maintained his calm.

"Greetings, Captain," the man in the lead said in Faleen's own language.

"Who are you?" Faleen demanded.

The man removed his face mask, revealing that he was an easterner of some sort: dark skinned, and bearded. "My name is Jadhav," he said. "And you are now my prisoner."

"I will be no one's prisoner," Faleen replied, donning his own mask and connecting the leather hoses to the air bladder that he placed over his shoulders.

"Fear not, Captain," Jadhav said. "I am an honorable man, as you are, and will treat you with honor."

"I have a duty to perform," Faleen insisted. "And I will do so without your interference."

"I cannot let you do that," Jadhav warned him. "What you seek to do will likely upset the balance. As a man of this world, surely you would not want to see it destroyed."

"My rewards," Faleen hissed, "will be in the afterlife."

With that, Faleen dashed toward the railing, avoiding Jadhav and his men. He dove head first into the black water, disappearing into the choppy waves.

"That didn't go as I had expected," Jadhav said calmly.

The three of them stood in silence, contemplating their next move. Jadhav smacked his lips, nodded his head, and turned back to his men. "Well," he said. "I have a feeling we should get as far away from here as possible."

Faleen sank rapidly. It didn't take long for the water to begin to grow colder and colder as he descended. Soon, he began breathing shallow, the coldness and pressure stunting his chest. The pressure was becoming unbearable. His ears popped, and he squinted his eyes to protect them. Still, the pain was growing, and he knew the end was near.

Below him, when he could open his eyes, he saw the glowing presence of the portal. It was a large sphere, glowing purple, with swirling black clouds of dark matter on its surface. The portal was now in a state of flux, and would soon become so unstable that it would destroy itself in a massive burst of dark energy. If this happened before the creature came through, it would be lost.

The creature.

Faleen knew the creature was awaiting the opening of the portal. The Lifegiver had promised it entry into this world full of life and energy to take as it pleased. More power than it could ever imagine. It could feed for an eternity before moving on to other worlds with its master. With this new weapon, The Lifegiver would gain mastery over all. Soon, the world would fall, and all would bow down before him.

And Faleen held the key.

As the pressure increased, Faleen could feel his ears crackling painfully. His fingers and toes began to ache, and he could no longer open his eyes. He struggled to breathe, but could only take in air in small gasps. This would be his last act of faith, and his last moments on Earth.

Finally, after an eternity, he landed atop the wreckage of the black ship on the edge of a large hole in her deck. The portal lay inside, shimmering with its purple magic and black swirling clouds. Somehow, the pressure was gone, as if the giant orb was pushing away the weight of the water. Faleen could open his eyes. He gazed upon the orb with awe. He could feel its energy pulsating throughout the water around him, and its warmth was comforting to him.