Page 81 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

“Oh, that’s true.” Maxie peered at both men’s legs, considering.

“It’s all the shapeshifting that does it for me.” Fenric had to wonder how they’d gotten on this topic. “Especially when I’m in cat form, I do a lot of jumping, so my thighs and calves just turned out like this.”

“For me, it’s the swimming.”

Maxie seemed quite intrigued. “I know you’re part merman, but do you shift or…?”

“I do, but it’s a conscious decision. I have a glorious tail fin, if I do say so myself.”

“It’s truly a sight,” Fenric said, his mind’s eye calling up the various times he’d seen Rain in mer form. “It’s all silver and gold.”

“Oh, I’d love to see that!”

Rain flashed Maxie a smile. “I’ll show you the next time we’re in port somewhere. I’d like to stretch out and swim some, anyway. It’s been several days since I’ve had the opportunity.”

Malfas walked toward the tub with his club balanced on his shoulder, and he was conferring with it as he approached. Him talking to the oversized stick was a normal enough sight, and Fenric would usually just ignore it, but Malfas looked concerned.

Fenric waved to get his attention. “What?”

Malfas started. “What, what?”

“You look worried. What is your god telling you?”

“Oh, glad you asked.” Malfas cast another glance at the club. “He said, ‘incoming.’”

Everyone paused the conversation and looked askance at him.

“What’s incoming?”

“I dunno.”

“Can you ask for clarification?”

Malfas’s attention turned back to the club, and from his expression, he was listening hard.

“Uh, all he said is Puppy, keep your pants on. Oh, he also said too late, it’s already here.”

What was here? The constellation had given them a heads-up like this before, and it had always been accurate, but Ezlan never gave details. Which they really had to talk to him about because this was getting ridiculous. Deep down, Fenric suspected the god was just being a prick.

Even as Fenric thought this, he threw his legs out of the tub and reached for the pants he’d discarded.

It was, however, indeed too late. From the depths of the still ocean came a large, dark shape, and as its head broke water, the wave it threw off rocked the boat to one side. The ship lurched wildly as bigger waves slammed into the hull and the creature let out a horrifying screech.

Fenric would have fallen if Lirion hadn’t caught him, and he would have thanked the man, except the sight in front of him wiped out any words.

A goddamn kraken had arrived, its bulging yellow eyes fixed on them.

As the monster loomed out of the sea, wrapping tentacles around one of the masts to anchor itself, Fenric abandoned his pants as a lost cause. He’d have to fight in his breeches. It wasn’t the first time; it was fine.

Everyone threw themselves out of the tub, even Rain. Belstrom called to Hapi still below deck, “KRAKEN! KRAKEN PORT SIDE!”

Lirion could feel the blood drain from his face and pour directly into his boots. A kraken. A fucking kraken had latched on to the ship. He’d been worried about storms, jagged rocks as they navigated Dead Man’s Curve, even pirates. Not a kraken!

“Bel! Fen! Get your asses on the harpoon. Spear that fucking calamari before he can break the mast and drag us under!” Rain bellowed as he tightened his grip on the wheel. “Malfas, attack spells. And someone find Hapi! He needs to keep these skeletons together as they’re knocked around. They have to do repairs as we fight this bastard!”

The words were barely out of Rain’s mouth and the men were jumping into action. Boots and pants were forgotten on the deck. Their bare feet pounded across the slick wooden deck as they ran to snatch up weapons.

Overhead, the sky darkened, and the wind picked up. Waves surged and crashed around them, creating a sickening dark cauldron of danger soup and adding to Rain’s fight to keep the ship from capsizing. Skelebabies that had been so cute in their simple actions now scurried here and there across the deck, securing lines and drawing in sails before the kraken’s tentacles could shred them. Cold water sprayed over the rails, soaking clothes and leaving hair sticking to their bodies.