Chapter Eight
Shipwrecked
Evangeline took a long swig from her waterskin. Salt permeated the sea air and she could do nothing to rid the taste from her mouth. The strong winds that had quickly carried them away from Breckenshire had ceased and left gentle breezes in their place. A voyage that should have taken them a mere day to reach Doctemptha now put them at three days at sea with no land in sight.
Precious time wasted away and while grateful that their trip on the ship had remained uneventful, the longer they drifted aimlessly with no wind for guidance, the more uneasy she grew with the situation. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, silently reminding herself to listen to the world around her.
Leaning over the rail, she caught sight of something moving in the water. She dismissed it at first as a large fish, but then noticed how quickly it was moving toward the surface. It was a creature she had never seen before. It was a dark blue figure with long arms and legs. Its webbed hands surfaced first then a mess of red stringy hair piled on top of its head.
Razor sharp teeth lined the wide-open mouth and Evangeline stepped back a bit from the rail. The creature began making a loud guttural noise and then several more creatures popped up onto the surface. She tried to get a sense of what they wanted but an alarm started sounding before she had time to think.
“NIXEN! Someone shouted behind her. Several men came forward armed with harpoons and bows. Evangeline noticed that they were not pointing their weapons at the creatures below; instead, they were actively searching the horizon.
Confused she asked the man closest to her, “What is happening?”
“Nixen.” He stated as if that explained everything.
“Well what is a Nixen?” She asked.
“Those are nixen.” He pointed at the blue creatures.
“If they are so bad why aren’t you shooting at them?” She asked.
“They aren’t bad.” He said irritated.
Evangeline rarely lost her temper, but she felt like clocking the guy upside his head. She was about to ask him more when a warm hand rested on hers. Ryhan nodded reassuringly. She had rarely come above deck, all the commotion must have made her curious.
“I heard a couple of the sailors talking. A nix is a fairly harmless creature and often warns of coming danger.” Ryhan exclaimed.
“What sort of danger?” Evangeline asked.
“I am not sure, but seeing one nix is bad enough, there are about seven down there now, I’d say it’s something big.” She said worried.
Evangeline looked back at the nixen and nodded her head in gratitude. They started disappearing back into the depths, which could only mean that whatever was coming was close.
“LAND!” Someone shouted.
Relieved she said, “Oh good, perhaps we will reach the shore before danger reaches us.”
She knew she was wrong before she even finished her sentence. Ryhan gripped her hand tightly and stared into the distance.
Evangeline faintly heard someone shout behind her, “IT’S THE TROGESS,” the world seemed to move in slow motion as several arrows were knocked and released at the monster.
She could barely believe what she was seeing. The thing was easily the size of their ship. Its body was similar to that of porpoise and two enormous heads on two very long necks growled loudly at them. Scales that glinted in the sun as if they were metallic covered its entire body. The Trogess moved quickly, far faster than they were going with such little wind to aid them.
Evangeline tried opening her mind to the monster but failed. They were going to have to think quickly if they were to survive.
“Ryhan, we are going to have to fight. I need you, I cannot do this alone.” Evangeline said.
Ryhan shook her head and stepped away. She was frightened, but Evangeline sensed it was more of her own powers than of the monster.
“I will help you, guide you. Just do as I say.” Evangeline told her calmly.
Ryhan nodded reluctantly.
The monster was a few hundred feet away from them and Evangeline could sense some powerful magic, but it was not really coming from the creature. The Trogess was an animal, instinctual, with no higher thought process. So where was the magic coming from? She spotted something around one of the necks. A collar made of black twine. That must be it, but what was its purpose? She asked herself.
Growling again, one of the heads breathed out a gust of snow and ice. It froze the top half of a mast and Evangeline watched as it broke off and shatter on the deck. Tiny shards of ice and woods went flying in every direction. Men scattered in every direction, yelling curses and directions aimlessly.
Stumbling to gain their footing, several of them sent another round of arrows sailing at the monster. Most of the arrows missed. A few hit their marks but bounced off the metallic scales leaving no sign of damage to the creature. If anything, the effort had annoyed it more. It shifted its weight and spun to the left raising an enormous tail out of the water.
Striking the starboard side of the ship with the flat of its tail, the Trogess howled and swept it across the deck. Ducking quickly, Evangeline pulled a stunned Ryhan down next to her. The monster dove under the water and everyone scrambled to their feet. Resurfacing it blew another icy blast at them. Barely missing the ship the water froze and cracked around the bottom, freezing them in place.
“When the sailors knock the next round of arrows, ignite them.” Evangeline said to Ryhan.
Ryhan looked at her as if she was crazy, “Are you nuts? I’ll probably set the whole ship on fire.”
“Just trust me.” Evangeline said.
Taking her hand, she allowed their powers to connect. As the men around them regrouped, Evangeline helped Ryhan focus her powers. She heard the arrows being knocked and felt Ryhan’s powers ignite, then and watched as the flaming arrows soared through the air toward the monster. Giving Ryhan a reassuring squeeze of her hand, Evangeline felt the comfort it gave her, even if it was short lived.
The Trogess roared with annoyance as the arrows bounced off its skin. It reared its heads back again and launched more snow and ice toward them. Evangeline shoved Ryhan aside just in time as the blast hit a portion of the upper deck behind them.
Recovering quickly Evangeline ran to Ryhan, “Listen, you need to shoot a fireball down its throat.”
“What? I have never done that before.” Ryhan exclaimed.
Evangeline looked into her eyes, “You can do it, have a little faith.”
Ryhan nodded slowly, “Okay, but how?”
“When it leans one of its heads back to release another gust of ice, aim for the roof of its mouth and shoot right as it starts to come forward. It should go straight down its throat.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Ryhan asked nervously.
Evangeline replied, “Then I guess we decorate the ocean floor as frozen statues.”
Ryhan paled.
“Don’t worry. You can do this. You won’t fail.” She reassured her.
Evangeline closed her eyes and reached out for Ryhan’s hand. She imagined their hands melting and becoming one, their arms fusing together as well as their heart and mind. Spiritual linking was not an easy thing to do; it required implicit trust from both people. Ryhan fought it at first but then allowed Evangeline in and finished the link.
Evangeline opened her eyes and concentrated on the roped collar as she felt the heat in Ryhan’s hand building. The monsters second head was busy eating whatever it could get into its mouth. People, wood, sails it did not really seem to have a preference. Arrows stuck out of its body everywhere but seemed to have no effect.
The collared head screeched and pulled its head back and came forward slightly, NOW she thought, and ripped the collar away with her mind just as Ryhan lobbed a fireball at its mouth. Evangeline focused on the fireball willing it to meet its target. It connected and the monster swallowed as it hit the back of its throat.
Steam poured out of its mouth enveloping the ship in a dense sticky
fog. It screeched louder and retreated under the water. The crew hollered victories but Evangeline could still sense the creature near.
“Guard yourselves!” She yelled at them.
They looked at her unsure of what to do. She was about to tell them to prepare for another attack when the ship was rocked hard, sounds of cracking wood filled the air and everyone was tossed over the side. Never letting go of Ryhan’s hand, Evangeline quickly swam to the surface.
“What now?” Ryhan asked.
She looked around, “The shore isn’t far. Let’s try to reach it before the Trogess reaches us.”
She willed the particles of water to help them, imagined the water moving them closer to the shore, it seemed to help. Once they were able to stand, they joined the few crewmembers that were already resting on the shore.
“Are we safe?” One of the young men asked nervously.
Evangeline saw a splash of a fin and heard a faded screech not too far off the coast, “I’d say we should move farther inland just to be sure.”
They all agreed and quickly moved away from the water.
“Shipwrecked again. Just great!” Ryhan muttered as she moved ahead of her.
Evangeline looked back. All that was left of their ship was a few pieces of wood drifting out to sea.
“We made it here, at least we are alive.” Evangeline responded.
Ryhan huffed and plopped down on the ground. Evangeline was not sure what else to say, she didn’t think that Ryhan wanted a pep talk, and anyway she wasn’t sure how much more optimism she could muster at that moment.
“First thing first, we need to figure out where we are on the island.” She said.
“How exactly do we do that?” Ryhan asked.
Evangeline paused. “Good question.”
She looked to the remaining crewmembers, “Any ideas?”
A small man with a wiry beard stepped forward, “Ay ma’am, we were headed toward the northwest tip of the island, judging from the curve of the coast and tide at this hour I would say we are a bit of a ways from our destination.”
“How close?” Ryhan asked.
“About a day and a half south of port and a day further from Volcaringuard.” He answered.
Contemplation filled the air, “That would put us about half way between Ferrentri and Volcaringuard?” Evangeline asked.
He nodded.
“Best we head south then I think, no reason to waste time traveling north then south then north again.” She said.
Evangeline smiled a bit as Ryhan seemed to perk up at the news. She told the crew to find what supplies they could and then took a few steps away from the others to gather her thoughts. When she did not take the time to center herself and sort through all the sensations she was feeling, she would become overwhelmed and that never turned out well for anyone.
She took the time to steady her breathing, concentrating on her inhalations and exhalations, feeling every particle of air as it entered her mouth. As it hit her tongue, she tasted a mixture of sea and native wildlife. It was salty and bitter as well as sweet. The air smelled the same as it tasted and it awakened her spirit.
Listening to the sounds around her, past the chatter of the men and into the trees beyond the coast, her body relaxed. Her mind became more coordinated with the world around her. There were a few animals lurking in the forest she would not want to cross paths with, but the tension behind her eyes dissipated and she felt more in control of herself. Her abilities, though powerful, were difficult at times.
“Are you alright?” Ryhan asked behind her.
“Yes, I just needed a moment.” She replied.
“The captain says it’s probably best we make camp and travel first thing in the morning.” Ryhan said.
Evangeline nodded. “Night is fast approaching and I think we all could use some rest.”
Ryhan was quiet.
“Are YOU alright?” Evangeline asked her.
“How do you stay so calm? I get so overwhelmed I don’t know if I will be able to maintain my sanity at times.” Ryhan stated.
Giving it some thought, Evangeline proceeded carefully, “I find myself overwhelmed at times as well, I think that I just have a better understanding of my limits and how my powers affect me. That is a skill in and of itself and you will learn it with time.”
Ryhan stared at her as if she were expecting her to go on.
“Everything, from the sand on the beach to the leaves on a tree, emits energy. People do as well, but it is a little bit different, more complex. I sense all of that energy. It took me a long time to figure out how to process everything I was feeling.”
“What does it feel like?” Ryhan asked.
“It feels sort of like…vibrations. Some are stronger than others.” She replied.
Ryhan nodded her head and Evangeline was not sure, if she was agreeing or if she was simply trying to understand.
“All our powers work in a similar way, but mine functions on a much deeper level. Down to the tiniest parts that make something whole. That’s why I can sense when a creature is near us, or someone is dying, or even if there is edible food growing close.” Evangeline finished with a smile and nodded toward some fruit trees in the distance.
Ryhan grinned as she placed her hand on her stomach and raced off to the trees. It was obvious to Evangeline from the look on her face that it was not the end of the conversation. Explaining what her powers were was one thing, but how they work was different, she was not sure how to explain that.
Finding out she had powers was scary, and learning to control them took time, but they were always something she had accepted with complete faith. She never had the desire to figure out more than that. Evangeline had the time to become sure of herself, Ryhan did not, and she could see why Ryhan was so interested in discovering everything she could about the powers they possessed.
It would be so much easier for her if she would stop fighting and just accept who she is, Evangeline thought. Ryhan tossed a bumpy purple fruit at her and she caught it just before it sailed past her. It may have looked strange but it smelled heavenly. Juice flooded her mouth with the first bite. The texture was a bit strange, like chewing wet paper, but it was food and her stomach thanked her.
“This all you could find?” Evangeline inquired.
“I didn’t want to get too far from the group, so I only went just past the tree line.” She said, and then added, “I thought for a moment you had decided to come along but I guess I had imagined it.”
“What do you mean?” Evangeline asked quickly.
“Well I heard footsteps, they seemed to be heading in the same direction, I called out, and no one answered. I no longer heard footsteps after that.” Ryhan shrugged as if that were all there was to say and continued to stuff her mouth so full she could no longer converse.
Considering the unknown dangers of the forest and the possibility that someone might be following them, Evangeline thought that maybe they should stick close to the coast during their travels. She expressed her concerns to the crew and then added that it might make it easier to find the city of Aurora if they had the sea with in their sights. They laughed at her a bit before settling down for the night and agreed to take turns guarding the camp. Three awake while three slept.
Obviously, the legend of the underwater city was still very much a legend. She knew it existed, even if she had never seen it herself. Alexandra visited it quite often and lived with some of the merrowfolk of the area. She had told Evangeline of the splendorous city and her adventures there.
“Where is Aurora?” Ryhan whispered as Evangeline lay down next to her.
“It is a magnificent city under the sea, but no one knows where it is or how to get there. It is where a lot of the merrowfolk live.” She replied.
“Merrowfolk? Seriously?” Disbelief shown on her face even in the night sky.
“Is that really so hard to believe after everything that you have been through these past days?” Evangeline asked her.
Ryhan shook her head and absently stroked the right side of her face, as she seemed to think on things awhile.
“I suppose not, legends seem more real to me now than my simple life in Resteir ever did.” She did not ask any more questions and Evangeline felt herself drift off.
Rest was good. Relief washed over her like a warm bath with the absence of dreams and deep sleep. That was, until she was awakened by a scream.