“Getback in the cabins now.”Myfeet were swinging wildly, as the king pulled me back.
“Isit really any safer in there?”Iasked.AsIsaid it, another great tentacle swept over the deck, crashing into the walls, ripping pieces off. “Whatis this thing?”Theking threw us back, dodging another swing, and we landed against a pile of barrels on the deck.
Ina soft voiceIbarely heard over the roar of the ocean, “Leviathan.”Onehadn’t been seen in centuries; it had been thought they might all be extinct.Itwas unimaginable.Theking’s eyes landed on mine, “Iwonder what has drawn this one out,” he said as he held my gaze in a way that made me turn away, before he leapt up again as another great arm crashed towards us.Helifted his sword and cut straight through it as if it were nothing.
Anothergreat howl from below the waves, andIsaw the beast release our ship, its arms writhing and spinning as they tried to slip off the deck.Butthis gave the crew the moment they needed, and they leapt.Spearsflew at the arms from every direction, andIsaw a pair of sailors run up and uncover something at the bow of the boat.Agreat harpoon mounted on a crossbow so large it needed both men to maneuver it.Isaw them swing it around and aim down at the ocean.Asthey swung,Isaw that the back was attached to a massive rope, thicker than my arm around.
“Whatare you going to do?”
Theking turned to me, with that cold look in his eye, “Whatwe have been doing through the ages.Captureit and kill it.”Mystomach plummeted, but it might have just been the boat shaking violently again asIfelt the beast crash into us.ThetentaclesIcould see had changed from a deep ocean grey to a bright red, and another ghostly howl pierced my ears.Theharpoon flew.
Itmust have found its target as the boat lurched, and everyone on board was pulled down as the beast tried to get away.Irolled to the railing and looked over the edge while clinging to the guide ropes.Hewas massive, far longer than our ship, and now his whole body was pinned up against the side of it.Heseemed to be flashing, his flesh changing from white to red in erratic waves.Tentaclestrailed up below a long body, covered in heavy armor and spikes.Icould see the huge suckers near his head had hooks larger than my whole body, and as he thrashed to get away.Icould see his great maw held rows and rows of teeth, each smaller than the next.Theyled down into a great gullet, deeper than the pits of hell.
Hespun his body, trying to free himself, but it only wound the rope around him tighter, tying him to us.AsIleaned over, one great eye turned to me.Theeye was bigger than my torso, and a demonic yellow iris with a square pupil bore into me.ButasIlooked at him,Ididn’t see rage, but the whites of his eyes around the sulfuric iris, as a long low bellow left him.Heheld me in his gaze, andImade a very stupid decision.
Ibolted from my place at the railing and ran across the deck.Swordsand spears had fallen everywhere in the chaos, andIgrabbed one and ran to the harpoon.Sailorswere shouting as they tried to pull the great wheel that would retract theLeviathan.Ileapt to where the rope was pulled taught near the edge of the railing and swung my sword down.Onlya few of the fibers came free, butIswung again, and again.Iheard shouts behind me, calling for me to stop, butIswung, andIswung, until the boat jolted, only a few strands remaining.Ipropped my leg up on the railing and swung one last time.
Thetension finally released, the creature lurched away, and the boat flew in the opposite direction.Unfortunately,Istayed whereIwas, which was now out over the open sea, andItumbled down into the water.
Theice-cold water of theSeaofSpiritsengulfed me, and a great rushing of waves and bubbles spun me round and around, my body completely lost for direction.Ithrew my arms out, slowing my spinning, and whenIfinally came to a stop,Inearly released the breath that kept me alive.
Thatgreat eye sat before me,Icould have reached out and touched it.Myreflection glared back at me over that black square pupil.Iwaited for tentacles to snake up around my legs, to drag me down into the abyss with it, but he just held me there in his gaze.ThenIheard more spears and harpoons breaching the surface above me.TheLeviathantook one last look and slowly sank down, never taking his eye off me until the darkness consumed him.
Ibeat my legs for the surface and breached to a great breath and the yelling of my name.Ilooked back toward the ship to see a rope being tossed to me.Igrabbed on and was yanked back to the ship.WhenIreached its side,Iplaced my feet against the wet boards and walked up the side as the rope was retracted.OnceIreached the railing, several sets of hands deposited me back on the deck.
Onceagain,Ilay soaking wet, looking up at the entire crew.Buta deadly silence lay over the scene as every single pair of eyes locked on me.Iconsidered throwing myself back to theLeviathan, for he seemed more friendly.Thenthe king stormed towards me, his anger so palpable he seemed to burn with it.Hegrabbed me and hauled me back to the cabins.Iwas in for it now.
Chapter11
Tori
Theking’s quarters were fine, a rich mahogany desk set with several golden instrumentsIrecognized for navigation filled the center of the space.Mapsand charts filled every inch of the nearby wall, and huge windows opened to the stern of the ship as the ocean seemed to trail away from us.Ikept my eyes very purposefully averted from the four-poster bed that lay on the side of the room.
Theking had his back to me, his hands on his hips, looking out at the sea.Isearched for any weapon in reach, but it seemed the only one available was the dagger at his hip.Ionce again wondered ifIwould have fared better staying in the sea with the beast.
“Itolerated your stupidity when it came to your own life, but today you put my entire crew at risk in your attempt to escape.”Heturned to me then, his face colder thanIhad ever seen it. “Icannot allow that.”
Hestepped towards me. “Iwasn’t trying to escape,”Imurmured.
Hepaused then, “Wellthen, do tell me, what the hell you were thinking?”Hisgaze bore into me.
Howto explain?Howdo you say that you saw the same feeling in the eye of an eldritch horror that you felt every night?Adeep, unending helplessness.
“Heseemed frightened.”
Theking’s face went completely blank, then took on a lookIknew all too well.Thelook of a teacher who just couldn’t deal with my antics anymore. “TheLeviathan, who attacked us—tried to destroy my ship, almost killed you, and did kill several members of my crew—looked frightened?”Helooked at me likeIwas the biggest imbecile he had ever seen.
Iwas used to that, had used it to my advantage my whole life.Justanother vapid princess who couldn’t be bothered to pay attention in her lessons.Tutorafter tutor had abandoned me, much preferring to work with my quiet and attentive brother.Allthe better for me, who had preferred to read about whatIliked in manic chunks and learn the rest from my interactions in court.AndlearnIhad, becoming very apt at reading people and their internal desires, at filling my mind with subject after subject from my father’s library.
ButIcould still see my father’s face, a mask of control over his disappointment.Controlyourself,Tori.Hisvoice still rang in my head all these years later.Allyou ever do is embarrass me.Seeingthat same look on the king’s face, it opened that pit in my stomachIfeared more than anything.Thatplace whereIhad shoved away all my shame and guilt.Hisrage and angerIcould handle, but not this.
“Itseems an awful waste to kill him if he was potentially the last of his kind.”Thistact seemed to work better, as the king’s lips thinned as if contemplating.
Heturned away from me again, and in a voice that was almost too low to hear, “Ifhe was the last of his kind, it would have been a kindness to free him from this world.”Heturned to me and saw my confusion. “Tobe alone… it breeds an anger that is worse than the deadliest poison.Itfesters in the soul, a corruption killing any goodness that remains.Betterto go out in a blaze of rage and fight than the slow death of all you were.”
“Howis rage any different from anger?”
Hiseyes flicked to me, full of that wicked laughter. “Oh,Princess, rage will set you free.”
