Of Ancient Passages: Chapter 8: Unchained

I repeat it back, much quieter. I realize that was the longest we had spoken. She is a very curious person. I do not know why but it feels like I have known her forever. Maybe that is why I put up with her. Maybe that is why I could not kick her out of my home.

I go to bed a couple minutes later. Imagine what I found when I came into the room. D’ereen is lying in my bed. Was this an accident? Or is this something subtler. I crawl into her bed while she lies in mine the cool sheets feel nice.

Alunda wakes me early; I really wish he did not. We leave D’ereen and let her dream. Together we move to the deck. He makes me review what I have learned so far. As we wait for the night to end its wakeful bliss. Imagine my surprise when I remember what he taught me, and here I thought my brain was like a stone. It seems I am learning all of this better than I thought I would.

Once he is satisfied that I know what I am talking about he continues. By this time, there is a pinkish hue in the clouds as the sun rises in rejuvenation. He expands on the things I think I know. Giving me greater clarity of the unknown art of magic, and how I one day may use it. There is just so much to learn. I use to see magic as black and white, good spells and bad ones, know I see the rainbow.

I see a bird fly over us. “Can I learn anything about flight?” I point to the bird. “Can I do something like this?”

He looks at me and suddenly I feel stupid. I am the familiar hermit in the woods. “There is no spell I have ever heard of that gives one flight.”

There goes that idea. “It’s too bad because that would be interesting.”

‘Interesting’ listen to me. “There are certain spells that let one glide. Remember the laws of nature can be bent—“

“And sometimes broken. So can I learn this spell?”

“I don’t know it is pretty hard. Okay if you can answer one riddle correctly then I will teach you. If not then we will continue with the lessons.”

Oh, no I am not good with riddles. “…Okay, I will try.”

“Quiet are they in calm. Forever drowning, ever drinking. Who are they that wade in the surf and fare along the firths? Guess now this riddle, Sol.”

Uh oh, I do not know. I do not want any stuffy lessons today. It sounds like it lives in the water. Fish live in the water. Corral and seaweed do too. That does not sound like the right answer. I have it, I think.

“That is a good riddle. The answer is Merpeople. Isn’t it?”

He sighs. “Yes it is. Just remember that if you fail it is their roads you will be taking.”

He starts to teach me. It is not just a spell. It is much more. It is about something else, spiritual might be one word to use, a bond of sorts. This also marks the first time I will get to use magic. I am giddy and somewhat scared.

He gets on the railing. “Watch me.”

He catches his balance letting himself adjust. Extending his arms out and standing straighter. The fringes of his cloak hang from his arms. He jumps and for a moment, it seems like he might plunge into the water. I hurry to see. As soon as I reach the side of the ship, the wind shifts, and he comes gliding over my head. He makes a few more passes letting the wind carry him as he guides the direction.

“See it can be done.” He lands softly on the ship. Alunda’s hand raises to me. “It is your turn.”

“I will try.” I may kill myself in the process. Why does that not bother me?

It takes me a moment to get on the ledge. I never thought it would be so difficult to stand on. After a few tries here I stand. What a funny situation, I am trying to fly when only recently I tried to fall. I tell myself that the fall is the easy part; I know the gliding will be tricky. I recall how it should be done and I am eased.

Before I jump, I realize that the fall can kill me. A short chuckle escapes me. So what if it did. I dive through the air and my heart skips a beat. The sound of a waterfall quickens in my ears. It may not work and what then? Does that mean I am a failure, just as I had always thought?

I do the process just as he taught me. I spread my arms wide and slow my drop. I start to feel light. It is a freakish kind of feeling. I feel light not just in my body but in my head as well. It is a swelling kind of thing, if that makes sense.
I am doing it. It is working. I use my arms to take me in the direction of the ship. My sleeves flap about. When I want to go fast, I flap my arms. When I want to slow down, I use my arms against the wind. Weariness strikes me and I decide to land on the Bearded Lass.

Alunda slaps me on the back. “You will make a great wizard one day, truly. Your potential is limitless.”

I have to sit down. “I am tired.”

“Yes, that will happen. You are not use to gliding. It takes a lot out of you. It gets easier the more you do it.”

I have to rest. The sun comes up amidst the cloudy sky. The moons are still out. A short-lived time they will stay. The wind seems less chilled. The deck is covered with a fine layer of dew; I must have missed it before.

Either Alunda is excited to continue or time passed quick. “Okay how about a little race?”

“What kind of race?”

Alunda continues. “Whoever races around the ship three times without touching the ship wins. Try to keep up.”

He bounds into the sky. I follow until we are neck to neck. He gains the lead several times, though I catch up eventually. I get around him for the first pass. He keeps a level head and passes me by. For a moment, I lose sight of him.

He disappeared. There is a cold feeling on my neck. I turn around in time to notice icy shards come rushing towards me. I turn out of there direction and they fall in the water. I turn around and around looking for Alunda. Finding no answer to the apparent danger but it is out there. It must be.

A long shadow casts over me. What is this? I find out instantly as my eyes meet it. A mouth full of razor teeth is what I see. Chomping and coming for me. Teeth, sharp and hungry with anticipation ready for a nice meal. They are long as spears but much more useful.

Its stalky neck extends out. Alunda pulls me back. It bites into air. It shall find this meal to be a tricky one. Not the easy morsel it thought. It will not catch me by surprise again. It splashes into the water, disappearing.

“Sorry I would have been here sooner but I got carried away in the race.” Alunda says.

“That was too close.”

Many stalky necks poke out from the water. I suppose they are rethinking their plans. This does not seem good. They let out their war cries. Ice drips from their chins, saliva icing as it leaves their mouths. More come as they cry out, sounding the dinner bell.

Alunda pushes me. “Get back to the ship! Warn everyone!”

I do not have time to think. I fluxure towards the ship and do well to do as he says. My feet hit steady boards and keep moving. I can hear Alunda’s roars; I stop for a second to look. It takes me a moment to find him. What I find is inexplicable.

I watch awestruck as another of those things jumps at him. It twirls through the air and about the wizard. It is experienced in this method of capture, freefalling and grumbly. A red barrier pulses out from him and pushes the sea monster back. It twipples and comes back for more. The ship rocks terribly and I go falling over.

D’ereen helps me up. “I oversleep and look what I wake up too. Better get to the Captain.”

She jumps to an unmanned ballista (most are all crowded). How she sets it up so fast is beyond me. Again and again, she fires and hits her mark; only they are stuck in the creatures hides. There are many more now. What else lurks under the water? A few start to come to the ship.  The cannons are ready.

I have to get moving. With a quick of my feet I get going. I bound up the flight of stairs. Cegemuht turns the wheel about and brings us around. I fall into the mast. One side of the Bearded Lass dips so far down it seems it shall take on water.
The sky grows dark and chaotic. We are in a battleground where even the gods may find curiosity. Thunder cries with all the power of nature at its command. Hatabis waves are angry and disturbed. I worry all the more for Alunda.

“Captain monsters!”

He waves his hand to me. “I can see, my boy. Leave this old hag to me. Do not worry the sea is my mother. She will not take me back into her murky womb.”

The creatures are close behind the ship. So close, one of the sea blights manages to bite into the midsection.  Crew and boards go flying everywhere. What a dreadful sight. Here I thought the trip was going so well. It has all turned disastrous and all of us are now running for our lives, from fear of being prey.

Cegemuht shakes his fist at the sea monster. “You will pay for that! The price will not come easy!”

Water and ice crash onto the ship. I find my eyes drawn up to Alunda. I see the black heart of all the trouble. I strain my eyes looking for him. A blue light illuminates from his staff. The spells are large and circular and connect with the creatures, knocking them back and away.

Each flash of light from thunder or his staff incites a frenzied nature in the denizens. What minds they may have had is shattered and the ice shards come faster. He has to work harder now to protect himself. Only any light offers no respite, just a target for the creatures. Every spell loosed brings more to him. He dodges as they snap.

They chomp. He jumps out of the way. Some shoot ice. Alunda shatters the ice. Cuts and scrapes are many on his skin. The smell brings more.

“Damn hydras!” Yells the Captain.

He is getting tired. He tries to conserve his strength. Many surround him. It gets harder for me to see him. The hydras start to fight each other. Alunda is nowhere to be seen.

Again, I feel a shadow on my back. The rain has stopped. Slowly do I turn about. I come to face one of them. It pulls its head back. Ferocious sharp teeth are exposed.

“CAPTAIN!!!” I scream out.

At a glance, he finds my problem. He sharply turns the wheel. The ship cuts left very hard. The Bearded Lady almost turns over. I nearly go over the railing. I hold on tightly. The creature takes a bite from the ship.

“Another hit like that and we are done for.” Says Cegemuht.

I am useless; I cannot help or do anything. What good am I? I cannot help my friends. Do I have any worth?  They will not want me as a wizard. How can I blame them?

I sink into the maggoty earth as I always have. It is where I belong. It knows me and embraces me. Who am I to reach so high? I am the lord of low. It has always been mine…since mother died.
My true abilities can only be wallow and sorrow. It is who I am. I cannot be anything else. I do not deserve it. Alunda is wrong about me. He has been wrong since the start. I cannot do this.

I fall to my knees. The tears run down to the deck. They are meaningless, invisible in the world of rain. The rain is my tears. They show the true extent of my grief. I really am useless. How did I get this way? How did it come to this? I really am weak. A pitiful person, I do not deserve to live.
I hear a heart-wrenching cry. It is not from me. The sea monster is back. Would it be so bad if I let it kill me? They would not even know. I can be just a number in the list of the dead. It can be so easy.

It jumps on deck killing those in its path. All I have to do is be still. It eyes me with dripping jaws. It gives a twisted smile. How can physical pain be worse than what I am feeling? I just have to wait a few minutes longer, sweet release.

A boot enters my field of vision. It is D’ereen. Her hands transform into paws. The paws extend their claws. Why will she fight for me? I am not worth it. How can she continue with a wretch like me?

She stands in front of me now. The denizen screams at her. It knows the prey will not be easily taken. She will risk her life for me? Nothing makes sense. I do not get any of it.

She stands firm. “You will not touch him. Touch him and you will die.”

Its spikes stand up. It charges belly aching.  She cut its eyes making it scramble to the side. It spirals back twisting and dislocating its body, missing her claws.  Its tail swats her aside. Air forces out of her lungs and she goes flying. She makes a resounding thud. Boards and heavy objects pin her down.

“DON’T TOUCH HIM!!!” The threat is lost.

It turns to me, growling in its sickly watery voice. Its eyes are needy and predatorial. I look to D’ereen; something in her eyes is very familiar. Why can I not recall? For an instant, I fill with love but for whom I do not know.  My lip starts to quibber. The ball in my throat is tough and sore.

An unfamiliar feeling ripples through me. I do not know if I have ever felt this way. It is an unquestionable thing. The explosive feeling forces me in its angry embrace. It crushes me in pyromaniac waves. Directing me to what must be done.

The hate burns through my veins as a dark poison. My skin burns fiery red. Flames wrap around me. The rain that hits my skin turns to smoke. My eyes combust, the pain should be extreme but I feel nothing. Soon my eyes burn so iridescent that they melt into magma.

You would think that my hair should burn away. Nothing like that happens. The color is singed and it turns a chalky white. I grow with trepidity.  My footprints irritate in my wake. The brain in my head rattles and sizzles.

Again, the same blue aura surrounds me. It takes on that familiar form. Something is wrong my body shakes. My insides feel like they are going to burst. The aura seeps back into my skin. I can feel my teeth grow, my skin blackens (similar to a third degree burn all about).

It feels as if my skin is cracking. Out of the cracks comes green light. It spreads all about my body. What have I become? I wanted to change but not like this. Fiery emotions piss out of me.

Words flow easily from my lips. “Okay, creature, make this enjoyable for me. One hand shall suffice. That is all I need.” Did I say that? The fury pulsates.

I can hear a soft whisper in my ear. Kill! Show everyone there remiss. Let them all die! Give in! Did I imagine that?
The creature rushes towards me, mouth opened wide. The power feels good. The hydra gets closer and closer. I put my hand out at the last moment. My feet slide as the hydra stops under my hand. A rush of anger pulsates through me. My fingers strain through its flesh.

I can hear its bones crunch. It makes a sharp yelp. What am I doing? Blood oozes from the deadly wound. It continues to snap its jaws. My fingers reach deeper and slink out with one quick jerk. It drops dead.

I look at myself in the puddles. “What?”

I look up into the black skies. There is a quiet calm in all this madness. I am so tired I have to sleep. I…have…to…fight it. Alunda is still…fighting I cannot…sleep. I must…help.

I know what to do. It has come upon me. I do not know how I know but I do. I stretch my lips wide. My lungs fill with air. An ear-piercing scream escapes these lips.

The hydras screech. They claw at each other. They flee in panic. Soon all of them disappear under dark waters. My scream cuts to a slow halt. Did I do okay?

I collapse to my knees. My head aches terribly. The headache is as bad as when I was little. Unconsciousness stretches its hand. I keel onto my stomach. I extend my hand to D’ereen’s prone body. Even in victory, I fail.

Grief pulls on my emotions. “D’ereen I…I….”

I fall into the black for a moment. I force myself awake again. D’ereen stares down at me. We are in a wet embrace and I smile up to her. Steam rises from my body. I stare up at that irresistible face. I edge closer to her lips and she to mine, we hover there for a moment. Then the darkness pulls me back and steals me of my moment with her.