Legends of Marithia: Book 3 - Talonsphere (22 page)

He liked the sound of being called her captain, but his choice had already been made.

Jasmine smiled as the seawater began to change her skin. Her pink flesh shone under the moonlight.

“Let us end this madness,” Raehar said.

He breathed deep to yell at the top of his lungs. “Grenlees crew! Put down yer weapons and follow Lucia out of here!”

The men continued fighting, and the only legible words Raehar could hear through the madness were cries for gold. The few bloodships heard Raehar’s call, and brought themselves toward them. There was nothing he could do for the other men. They had their own choices to make, and their own lives to risk.

Tusdar nodded and cried, “Listen up. We leave for Zhendur. This is no longer our battle.”

Vampires leapt back to their own ships and rowed toward Lucia. The pirates returned their attention to the promised castle, drawing swords and cheering as they set their sails and launched a fresh barrage of cannon fire on the castle.

Raehar picked up Jasmine in his arms, smiled at her and said, “I hope yer words be true.”

“Where are you going?” Lucia said.

Raehar stood over the edge, took and held a deep breath, and leapt into the cold water below. His body plummeted, and he held Jasmine tight as they descended further beneath the ocean’s surface, watching flashes light up the watery sky above. Water exploded violently on the surface above them as missiles hit the ocean. The pressure of the explosions thumped his body, but he was not hurt. He felt the softness of her skin shift, and her slippery legs joined together to form a tail. Jasmine pulled him deeper into the water, until they were far from the surface. Her long hair slithered as she hugged him and smiled to reveal her razor sharp teeth. His body tensed.

Is she going to eat me?

He suddenly wondered if he had made a grave mistake and should have stayed on Lucia’s deck. More flashes from the surface revealed hundreds of mermaids all around them, hovering in the water in a large circle. Their eyes were now all on him.

Raehar grabbed his throat as his need for air began to take hold of his body. He closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable.

This is the day I die.

His eyes widened and heart raced as Jasmine grabbed his shoulders, reeled back and opened her mouth wide. He braced himself for the worst pain imaginable, but she pulled his lips onto hers as she flooded his lungs with water. His body twitched. He began to relax as she slipped her tongue into his and kissed him deeply. His body glowed in the water as he enjoyed the kiss. Sharp pains dragged their way down his neck, as if someone was scratching through his skin on both sides.

His voice was muffled as he screamed under the water.

He hadn’t realised it, but he found that he was breathing again. He brought his hands to his neck and reeled back, feeling gills opening and shutting with every breath. A grin stretched across his face.

I live.

Jasmine turned to what appeared to be a mermaid royal, brandishing gold armour, a shiny pearl coloured trident, and wearing a tight crown of sparkling jewels. They spoke in a language that he could not understand. He heard muffles and shrieks as Jasmine and the mermaid spoke, but soon found that words formed in his mind.

“How can this be?” he said, watching as the mermaids surveyed him closely. When he spoke, there were no bubbles.

“Mother. He saved my life, and stopped men from defiling me. He has earned the right to come to Alyanti,” Jasmine said.

“We lost many lives in an effort to save you. Would he have saved you sooner, we would not have so many sisters dead,” the ornate mermaid said.

The royal mermaid swam over to him and stared into his eyes, her own eyes blinking vertically as she searched for something.

“He is not who we have been long expecting. I sense a kind heart and a history of regret. I suppose that everyone should be allowed a chance of redemption. I am Nathalia, and will allow you into our home. Know that if you break any of our laws, that there will be no mercy for you. You will be the first human we have ever taken into our trust, so don’t make me regret it.”

“Great queen, I will ne’er betray ye,” he said.

Nathalia laughed. “I see why you like this one. I am no queen, I am sister of sisters and have been chosen to lead them. Nothing more.”

Jasmine swam to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him to her back. “Hang on, this will be strange for you. My kiss allows you to breathe underwater and protects you from the pressure of the depths, but only for a short time.”

“Ye could always kiss me again, couldn’t ye?” he said, wrapping his hands under her arms and back over her shoulders.

“You always were a cheeky one, Raehar. Thank you for saving my life and trusting me,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I suppose that you have earned another kiss, but let’s save that for another time.”

Before he could answer, his body dragged with immense force as Jasmine sped through the water. She caught up to the school of mermaids heading deeper through the water, toward Marithian soil. The water warmed to him and he adjusted to this new world. He dug his head into her back as he strained to keep it upright, and lay a small kiss on her shoulder blade.

She slowed her descent through the depths of the Marithian Ocean. Raehar looked up to watch a giant sea serpent swimming through the water, its scales reflecting the moonlight through the water. Its size was alarming. He had never been so out of his element.

Jasmine put a hand on his and tapped it gently, stroking it.

The mythical creature continued through the water as if they did not exist. Its focus was elsewhere.

Karven sped through the sky as if he were a shard of lightning, with Greenhaven as its target. The roaring wind sped past the prince’s ears, making it impossible to communicate vocally. Vartan turned to the west and noticed the many black ships sailing away from the battle. Their silhouettes darkened the reflection of the Blood Red Moon,

Vampires are leaving. Should we engage them in battle?
Vartan thought.

Nymira
will be in the thick of it, as will your princess. Don’t forget that vampires can still see us, while pirates cannot.

I know you’re right. What worries me is that something feels wrong about all this
, Vartan thought.

I couldn’t agree more
.

Finn’s voice filled their minds.
We will soon join this battle. Do we have a plan, brother?

Stay alive, and protect Greenhaven at all costs
, Vartan thought.

His heart pounded and muscles tensed as he readied himself for battle.

I may already be far too late
, he thought.

Greenhaven neared as the ground rushed underneath them, and the sounds of battle intensified. Vartan drew his sword. He turned to the east, where Finn flew beside them and nodded. Yuski and Dryden looked to him, their faces grim.

Prepare yourselves!
Karven said, diving through the billowing clouds of smoke, toward the western parapets. He fanned out his wings to slow his descent and avoid the freshly launched missiles from within Greenhaven’s walls.

Vartan turned to Anakari and yelled, “Stay here!”

Jumping up to kneel on Karven’s back, he focused on the blurring landscape as the great dragon hovered above the castle. Vartan watched as the resulting wind disorientated Queen Andrielle and the many archers on the parapets.

Vartan somersaulted from Karven’s back and landed hard on the golden bricks of Greenhaven’s parapets. He stood to stare into Andrielle’s eyes as she ran to embrace him in a hug, her eyes bloodshot and face wet. Her face was grim, and his heart sank so low that he almost dropped to his knees. Helenia was nowhere to be seen.

“Vartan! Thank the gods you are here,” the queen said, “We cannot take much more of this.”

Vartan caught the sight of movement on the corner of his eye and he tackled the queen to the ground, the intense heat of the cannonball shocked him as it rocketed through the space where they stood.

That was too close.

As they recovered and stood once more, Vartan asked, “Where is Helenia, is she safe?”

Andrielle’s eyes watered and face contorted as she slowly shook her head. She went to speak, but her words broke into sobs.

His eyes narrowed and pain tore through his chest, as if his heart had been crushed in front of his eyes. Hunching over, he placed his hands over his face, tears dripping from between his fingers. Clutching at his chest, his hands formed fists as his eyes glowed blue. “No! Helenia... it can’t be true.”

Cannonballs flew near their heads, but he didn’t move. His body had hardened like stone.
They
took her from him. Images of her smiling face flashed in his mind and he sobbed.

He heard his name called out in the chaos, but he barely registered what was happening around him. It was as if he was drowning as he struggled to breathe. Gritting his teeth, he forced his stiff body to shift its position, fighting panic’s grip. He focused on channelling his pain into a power he could use, pure hate.

His voice was dark as he cried out, “They will all die for this!”

Turning toward the oceans, he focused on the water before him and raised his arms out wide. A cannonball flew past his aqua glowing eyes and cut through his long strands of hair blowing in the wind.

The sea had a giant hole suddenly cut out of the bottom of it, as the pirate ships spun, caught in the current. The water sank deeper as a funnel formed, pulling the ships deeper toward its centre.

Vartan was knocked back off his feet and slammed against the wall, shaking his head as he regained his senses, temporarily distracted from his anguish. He watched as a drenched Kassina climbed over the walls of Greenhaven, her swords dug into the cracks in the walls. She landed on the parapets and many vampires soon followed, engaging the ill equipped archers in hand to hand combat. Queen Andrielle swung her sword at Kassina’s head, but found the dark queen’s blade. Kassina booted her backward and ran toward Vartan.

“You always spoil
everything
!” Kassina said.

Having an outlet for the explosive emotions bottled up inside of him, he snarled, “It’s about time.”

Vartan leapt to his feet and ran at her with his sword drawn, ready to fight to the death. Kassina was snatched from the parapets, jerking as a dragon picked her up and dragged her away at high speed.

Vartan could do nothing but watch as his vengeance was robbed.

Chapter 13 : Mortal Chains

“What is the purpose of one who is truly evil? Are they redeemable and can find humanity in their lost souls?

I often wonder if evil could ever find an end, or if it would not stop quenching its thirst for blood until there is nothing left. It must be stopped; there is no such thing as surrendering to the mercy of darkness.

It would be nothing more than suicide.”

(Karven - King of Dragons)

V
artan watched the world around him crawl. He only heard his ragged breath. Queen Andrielle jerked the head of a vampire backwards and ripped its fangs out of a screaming elf’s neck. She twisted, slicing the vampire’s head off its body. Blood spurted from the elven warrior’s fresh wound and the he brought his soaked hands to his face. The elf screamed at the sight of them. Andrielle’s face hardened. She plunged her sword through the bitten warrior’s skull, before returning her attention to the onslaught of Kassina’s vampires.

“Snap out of it, Vartan!” the queen said, her urgent voice cutting through his head. Her face wore various splashes of dark and light blood.

He wiped his tears with his palms. He had never before been paralysed by panic. There was no time for this; he would have to deal with this news later.

Use the pain to destroy your enemies
, he thought.

The flood of chaotic sounds washed over his mind as the world resumed around him. Vartan slammed his Phoenix shield into an attacking vampire’s face, flames engulfing its armour. Vartan sneered as he swung his sword through the moonlit air, slicing through another vampire’s face. Succumbing to his anger, Vartan briefly forgot his pain while he slashed at his enemies. Hot blood splattered at his face and for just a moment, it felt good to bathe in death.