The Balance of Power (Godsland Series: Books Four, Five, and Six) (19 page)

"Hold on!" she shouted.

"Now you tell us to hold on? How can it get any worse?"

Catrin didn't bother to answer Kenward. She let the port-side wing dissolve into nothingness, just as the feral attacked, which sent the ship rolling aside. A mighty crash resounded and sent the ship careening as the dragon planted its claws on the hull and thrust itself away from the
Eel.
Catrin tried to reestablish the port wing, but the spinning of the ship made it difficult to do anything but hold on. After several tries, she managed to right the ship. Soon after, Pelivor joined her and did his best to secure himself in a similar fashion. With his help, the ship regained stable flight.

"Watch for the feral!" Catrin shouted.

It wasn't long until someone cried out, "Here it comes!"

The information wasn't all that helpful in the sense that Catrin had no idea from what direction the attack would come, only that it would come soon. With a sharp turn to starboard, Catrin hoped she'd guessed correctly.

A muffled roar that sounded like a snake moving over rawhide, only a thousand times louder, shook the
Slippery Eel,
but the ship maintained stable flight. Momentarily allowing her concentration to waver, Catrin looked around, trying to figure out what was going on in the air around them, but once again, clouds had engulfed them, and she could see almost nothing. Even sound was dampened by the wet air, and the cries that rang out seemed distant.

Grubb brought a thick soup that sat heavily in Catrin's stomach and made her eyelids feel as if they weighed as much as a pair of hams. Nimsy braced her and took more of her weight as she swayed on her feet. It was simply too much to ask of her exhausted body. She needed rest more than anything. Vaguely she thought she heard someone calling her name. Wanting to tell the person to go away and just give her a little more time to sleep, Catrin realized she was falling; everything was falling.

Trying desperately to clear the sleep from her mind, Catrin lent energy to Pelivor, who looked as if he, too, would drop at any moment.

"We need to get the ship back in the water," Catrin managed to say between gasps.

Pelivor just nodded without fully lifting his head.

Darkness crowded Catrin's vision, and she remained conscious only by the sheer force of her will. Nothing mattered in that instant except getting the
Eel
back in the water. If it killed her, then so be it. None of this seemed worth it anymore. How could anything be worth the pain and suffering she endured? How could anything make up for the anguish of loss or the frustration of failure? Catrin howled in spite of it and guided the ship lower.

"First we need to get clear of that!" Kenward shouted as the feral soared straight toward the prow of the ship at incredible speed. At the last instant, the dragon reached out and grabbed a crewman as it passed. The man's screams pounded against Catrin's resolve, trying to convince her that she could not win; they would not survive.

Buffeted by the wind, the ship angled toward the waves, and Catrin stood, trembling, ready to release the energy and collapse the instant they hit the waves. Farsy's support appeared to be the only thing keeping Pelivor upright, and she knew he felt the same.

"Get down!" someone shouted.

Catrin saw it then, approaching for another pass, its eyes gleaming with hatred and purpose. Like a giant snake, it undulated in the air, as if swimming through the clouds. Folding its wings, it raced toward the
Slippery Eel,
aiming for Kenward. Catrin could not allow it to take him from the deck--not Kenward or any other member of the crew.

"I'm sorry!" Catrin cried out, not having time to warn anyone or ask permission. Instead she did something she wished she didn't know how to do. Reaching out to all those aboard, she borrowed their energy. None could resist and had no chance to avoid her embrace. As quick as lightning, her power locked on to them all, and they were hers to do with as she pleased. With the flick of her wrist, she could drain them all. It was so beautiful, and Catrin wanted more. How could she not? It was the most glorious thing she'd ever experienced, yet she knew the consequences, and it took only an instant to regain her composure.

Pelivor stared at her with the widest eyes she'd ever seen, and Catrin loosed a single, white-hot bolt of energy that left the air crackling and smelling of charcoal. The crew, still locked in a frozen rictus, was illuminated in morbid detail as the bolt flashed over the deck. Then they were lost in a conflagration that burned into Catrin's soul. She felt the dragon reaching for her spirit even as it died, as if its energy stretched beyond its mortal shell and sought to burn Catrin alive with its last reserve. Releasing the crew as quickly as she could, Catrin threw her arms up before her. There was no time to use the energy to shield herself, and she was suddenly awash with flame and lightning. It lasted only an instant; then it was gone.

Singed and in some cases still smoking, the crew moved as if they were drunk, and Catrin hoped she hadn't taken too much from them. Aware that she could kill a person by drawing too much energy, she worried what would happen if she drew
almost
too much energy from them, and she feared permanent damage. The thought was yanked away as she was suddenly thrown forward against the ropes that bound her. Icy water surged over the bow, drenching her and everyone else on deck. Pelivor appeared dead as he floated toward the rail on the receding wave, his body limp and almost liquid in its movements.

Everyone aboard was silent, and Catrin watched in mute awe as crewman regained their feet and began checking the rigging. It was not long before shouts came from below. "We're taking on water, sir!"

Darkness once again crowded Catrin's vision, and she could no longer fight it. She felt like an empty and desiccated husk that would never be whole again. With a heavy sigh of resignation, she slumped toward the deck, only the ropes holding her upright. As the darkness claimed her, she heard Kenward shout, "Man the bilges and buckets!"

"It's too much, sir!" came the response from belowdecks. "We're sinking!"

* * *

Even complete exhaustion could not overcome the shouting of the crew and the complaints of the rigging. Her vision blurry at first, Catrin awoke barely able to make out the dark shapes that ambled past, seemingly standing at the wrong angle. It was then that she realized the ship was listing heavily to port and the water was creeping ever closer, ready to claim them in its cold embrace. Kenward's orders contained a note of panic she'd never heard from him before. Of all the trouble they'd been through, this was the worst. Kenward's voice and the efforts of the crew who were no less exhausted than she, especially after her abuse of them, motivated Catrin and drove her back to her feet.

Water streaked down her face after a wave broke over the deck. The surf was growing, and the sight of the endless crests and troughs, now white tipped and blowing in the wind, made Catrin's skin crawl. Hanging at her side, Catrin's left arm was numb and unresponsive. Her right arm trembled as she steadied herself against the rail, the angle of the deck making it difficult to stand.

"The bilge handles are submerged, Captain. We've got to get ahead of this or we're sunk!"

"More men to the bilges!" Kenward ordered in a shrill voice. "I'll bail the hold by myself if I have to. This ship
will not sink!
"

Catrin reached his side and used her right arm to take a full bucket from Kenward. Without a word, Kenward dipped back down for another. Pelivor appeared a moment later, holding his head and mumbling something too low for anyone to hear over the furor. As the waves grew, the work became more and more difficult, and Catrin was thrown to the deck when they crested a large wave. It was as if the deck had jumped out from underneath her only to come crashing back up with explosive force. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and when she put her weight on her left arm, it was too much. She collapsed back to the deck with a whimper.

Strong hands grabbed her by the buckles on her leather pants, pulled her upright, and left her standing there. The world moved in unexpected ways, even more than the high seas would account for, and Catrin took deep breaths while she searched for balance and calm. Death was close now. It would take only a little more time and all of them would be lost forever. Sinjin would be left without a mother, and Prios would be a widower. The thoughts made her weep, but still she helped bail, Pelivor now lending her strength. Where he had found his reserve, she did not know, but she loved him for it.

When Kenward met her eyes next, she could see the defeat in his visage. Even giving everything they had left would not be enough. The
Slippery Eel
had taken too much damage, and there was no way she could be mended on rough seas and nearly full of water. Catrin wasn't even sure what was keeping them afloat. To everyone's surprise, they began to make some progress, the water dropping back below the bilge arms. Catrin suspected a regent dragon was helping them, but her suspicion was based on feelings alone. Nonetheless, this sudden improvement gave Kenward pause.

"We're not going to be able to keep this up," Farsy shouted from belowdecks. "Even if we can get the bilge emptied, I'm not sure we can plug a hole that big. Not in the water at least, and we might as well be a lifetime from dry dock."

Kenward scowled. "Do you all want to face my mother in the afterlife when I tell her you gave up?" His words got them moving a little faster. "Would you prefer to face my sister? Or maybe you'd like to answer to Prios?" The words seemed aimed at himself, rather than the crew, but the effect was the same. "There, see? We can do this!"

The water level dropped enough that one could straddle the hole in the ship and still have his head above water.

"Bring me oakum and planks! Use the shelves if you have to! Farsy! You're a lanky sprite. Use your feet to get some oakum around the front of the hole and then get a board across it. Bryn, you can hold your breath a long time. Swim down there and secure the planks. Just make the hole smaller. That's all I'm askin'. Just make it smaller."

By some unknown force, the water continued to drop lower, and Bryn was able to work with his head above the water line. Still, water surged sporadically through the remainder of the hole, the high pressure making it even more difficult to patch. Then even that flow lessened. There came a strange thump on the hull, and the timbers creaked. The deck rolled back to being almost level.

"What's happening?" someone asked.

"I don't care what's happening!" Kenward answered. "Get that hole fixed! We might live yet!"

There was a sound of relief in Kenward's voice, but Catrin knew his hope had the potential to be false. The damage to the
Eel
's hull was extensive. By her guess, the result of giant claws and the collision with a rough, scaled hide. Looking over the side of the ship, she could see nothing in the failing light.

A towering wave brought them high above the trough, and as they were about to race down the trailing edge, the timbers creaked again, only this time much louder. Shouts came from belowdecks as the ship took to the air. Catrin turned to Pelivor, who looked as shocked as she. Both knew there was no time to waste if they were going to capitalize on their good fortune. With practiced precision, Pelivor built his structures of energy, and the ship remained in the air, just barely clearing the whitecaps.

"You've done it!" Kenward shouted. "You've given us a fighting chance. Keep us in the air for another couple hours, and we might just be seaworthy again."

A couple hours--it might as well have been an eternity. Catrin knew they had no more than a few minutes. The world shifted between full color and a dull gray haze. Faraway voices called to her, and strong hands held her steady. In her dreams they flew across the desert, nightmarish creatures attacking from every side, and nowhere was safe. Dust curled up behind them as they flew, and Catrin could feel that this dream was different. This was a dream, yet it was real, and all of her senses were engaged. The battlefield was a maelstrom of aggression and pent-up rage, and all she could do was fly.

Chapter 16

Some of the most beautiful things in this world will kill you quick as death.

--Farsy, sailor

* * *

Black sands rose from the sea, and the Firstland looked much different to Catrin. The land had healed itself from the devastation of the tsunami, and now Catrin could see the lush forests in their true glory. Chillingly beautiful was this unforgiving land of her ancestors, with the blacks and browns of the shoreline opposite fertile greenery that blanketed the land like moss on a giant stone.

All on board kept their gazes skyward, watching for ferals, and in Catrin's case, for Kyrien. She knew he lived, knew he had helped get them airborne, yet she had not seen him, and until she saw him, the reality of his survival would not be assured to her.

The fact that the Firstland looked like a beatific and idyllic setting and all around them was still and peaceful only served to unnerve the crew further. All of them knew they had come here for a reason and they might never leave. The placid beauty seemed almost inappropriate and garish in the face of their impending doom.

It didn't help that Kenward was not speaking to Catrin. At first she'd thought him simply angry, but he had attempted to speak to her and had failed. Each time he had opened his mouth, nothing came out. Eventually he raised his arms in defeat and walked away, mumbling to himself about flying through Catrin's nightmares and holes in his deck. Catrin knew she couldn't control her dreams, especially when she was beyond exhaustion, but still she felt guilty for having traumatized Kenward and the crew. The thought of flying the ship while sleeping haunted her.

"I'm amazed you could do it at all," Pelivor had said. "How did you do it? No, wait. Don't answer that. I don't want to know."

Perhaps it was best that Catrin could not have explained it if she had tried. Somehow she had transitioned from waking to sleep without letting go of the power. She'd done it once before, in Pinook Harbor, but that was nothing as complex as keeping a ship in the air. And that seemed to be the rub. In her altered state, Catrin's mind had somehow overlaid reality with her dreams, and as she had been dodging monsters and attacks of power and fire, the
Slippery Eel
had been under her command. Kenward had insisted that Catrin and Pelivor sleep for at least two full nights before they attempted to fly the ship again, and even now they moved through the waves under the power of the wind alone.

Catrin knew she would need her strength for the battle ahead. Kyrien had brought her here for a reason. He'd shown her visions of pain and death, and she knew the calm would not remain. Not knowing when the darkness would come made Catrin want to climb out of her own skin, and not knowing Kyrien's true fate gnawed at her.

"You need to eat something," Pelivor insisted.

The acid in Catrin's stomach stole what appetite she had, and she shook her head. Even the smell of Grubb's fish stew did little to attract her. Kenward stood behind Pelivor, and though he still said nothing, she knew he was coming around. With his arms folded over his chest, he raised an eyebrow and tapped his foot.

Sighing, Catrin accepted the mug, thinking she would just sip it to satisfy Kenward. After a few tastes, though, her appetite returned enough to finish the mug.

"You know I love you," Kenward finally said. "But I have to admit that I'll be glad when you're off my ship. You're nothing but the worst kind of trouble, and you seem determined to kill me and sink my ship."

"It took you all this time to come up with that? You're no poet, Kenward, but I can understand you feeling that way. Still, I think you're just jealous because I've managed to endanger your crew more than you have."

Those words drove Kenward back into silence that was finally broken by Grubb's laughter. "I say we keep her on board just to shut him up!"

A look from Kenward silenced him, but his shoulders shook as he walked back to the galley.

Kenward just shook his head. "I suppose you'll want me to take you up the river toward Ri? You know, the place where the Gholgi nearly sank us the last time we were here?"

The memory was burned into Catrin's mind. She could recall every sight, smell, and sensation of that day. It was also the first time she'd been rescued by dragons.

"Yes. I suppose that is what I want. I had hoped for guidance from Kyrien, some sign as to what he needed from me, but no matter how I try, he will not respond. He's alive--I know it--but I think he is waiting for a reason, and until he's ready, we're on our own."

"It seems we face the same dilemma once again," Kenward said. "I don't have enough men to send with you and still be able to defend the ship."

"This time will be different," Catrin said. "This time I will go alone."

"But you could be facing dangers far worse than those in the past."

"True," Catrin said. "I am not as well prepared as I would have liked, but I have done everything within my power to get ready for this, and now I must simply let the bones fall where they may." Instantly Catrin regretted her choice of words. No one else seemed willing to speak in the silence that followed. "Please. Just take me to the place where you dropped me last time. I'll either be fine or I won't, but staying aboard this ship will not accomplish whatever it is I'm here to do. Now I just need to get on with it."

Members of the crew approached her one at a time, each in his or her own way and only when ready. Catrin had known them since she was a teenager; she loved them like family, and to many of them, she was an adopted daughter. To have their love and respect meant the world to Catrin, and their words bolstered her confidence. If these brave and talented men and women believed in her, then surely she could believe in herself, even if she did face an impossible task: win a battle that would take place at a time and place beyond her knowing. Her only choice was to surrender to fate and hope that her knowledge and power would sustain her. It must have shown in her eyes, given the respect she got from the crew. Even those who had nearly died for her cause in the past looked at her with new eyes, as if they only now saw her true potential and sacrifice.

It was good that these things propped up Catrin's confidence as the next moment brought pure chaos.

Like a flock of birds launched from a shaken tree, dragons appeared all at once and, within moments, filled the air around the ship. Battle centered on the
Slippery Eel.
Ferals dived in to attack, and regents flew in defense. It was impossible to believe the ferocity and power of their attacks; even one strike would likely kill the entire crew of the
Slippery Eel.
If not for the regent dragons, their greenish scales glinting in the sunlight, the
Eel
would have been lost.

Kyrien was nowhere to be seen. Catrin would have been able to pick him out of the chaos with her eyes closed, and she longed to find him and communicate with him, but her calls remained unanswered.

Crouching and shying away from another monstrous collision, Catrin thought the sound of dragons fighting might be the most frightening part of all. Not only did their growls make the air tremble and their screams inflict physical pain, the sound of their armored bodies slamming together was something Catrin thought no creature should ever have to hear.

"Full sail!" Kenward shouted. "Get this ship out of the water! We need to get out of here."

No one hesitated or questioned Kenward's words. His command gave them purpose and something to distract them from the horror that was taking place around them.

"Look out!" was all the warning anyone got before a pair of twined dragons struck the ship. Locked in a battle to the death, the two flailed and rolled, taking part of the rigging into the sea with them before disappearing under the waves. Had it not been a glancing blow, they'd already be sunk. Kenward was right; they needed to move.

Raising her arms to the sky, Catrin reached for the comets, and to her absolute shock, they felt a thousand years away, as if they had suddenly been flung back into the darkness. One look at Pelivor showed that he was experiencing a similar horror. Looking up, Catrin saw an unnaturally dark cloud blocking their views of the heavens. Like a stain on the sky, it roiled above them, sometimes lit from within by webs of lightning. The hair on Catrin's neck stood as she realized there was a filament of energy extending from her head and the ship and reaching up to the clouds above. Time was running out.

Denied direct access to the comets, Catrin reached to the air around her. Pelivor did the same and was soon trying to generate enough lift to get them out of the water. Catrin did her best to focus on providing thrust. Farsy watched from nearby with a glint in his eye, and Catrin smiled at him despite their peril. Under her direction, he had modified the tube of wood, changing the shape of the inner surface so it opened more at the entrance and remained more constricted midway along its length. The changes reduced the strength and stability of the wood, and Catrin could now feel it trembling as she forced air through. A low whistle began, and as they moved faster, it grew in volume and pitch. Over a steeper wave, the hull left the water, lurching suddenly to one side as a feral came at them unblocked until the very last moment.

The whistling continued to grow louder, and Catrin applied as much energy as she thought was safe. Again the crew had to trim the sails as their speed increased. Before they were even finished, the rigging began to vibrate, and the wind tore at the crew. Staying low to the water, they skimmed along as fast as they were able. Above, the skies were far too dangerous, and the
Slippery Eel,
even with Catrin and Pelivor in control, was no match for a feral dragon in open air.

"At least the water makes it hurt really bad when they miss," Kenward said. "We need to get through the harbor and into the river valley. Then there won't be room for many of these beasts in the air above us."

"Sails ahead, sir-- What the--?
Sir!
"

It didn't take long for Catrin to see what the lookout had seen or for Kenward to start cursing. Thorakis's sailors seemed to be learning new things at an alarming rate. Hovering above the water came a formation of ships linked together by blood red lightning. The ships appeared equidistant from one another and flew as a single unit. Standing at the prow of the lead ship was a tall man in long robes, his arms cast out to the sides, lightning flowing from his hands and into the deck itself. Dark paint made him look like the demons that wandered his decks. Again these Gholgi-like abominations would haunt Catrin, and she watched in horror as similarly dressed men emerged on the prow of every ship in the array. When they raised their hands, a new web of power sprang into the air, joining over the lead ship, focusing, and splitting the air toward the
Slippery Eel.

Catrin banked the ship to the right, accelerated, then slowed. White heat seared the air but went wide.

"Higher!" Kenward ordered.

Catrin and Pelivor did as he said. No sooner had they gained open air than a feral locked on to them. A pair of regents gave chase, but this feral was bigger and faster than most of the others. Closing the gap to the
Slippery Eel
and leaving the regents behind, the feral made it clear it wasn't going to give up easily. Dividing her attention, Catrin reached back out to the comets, and as the
Eel
moved out from under the dread cloud, the comets answered, flooding her with energy. The ship whistled as she pushed for more speed, but she wasn't certain the
Eel
could take much more. Instead she focused part of her mind on building up a charge and sending a finger of lightning back at the charging feral. The lightning connected, and in that instant, she felt small and insignificant. The will of the feral washed over her. None of what was going on around her seemed to exist; all that mattered was avoiding the wrath of the lord of the night.

Lost in his rapidly approaching eyes, Catrin watched, entranced.

"Why are we slowing?"

The voices were distant and meaningless. Nothing could be more important than what she was doing, of that she was certain.

"Catrin! Wake up!" Kenward shouted as he shook her.

It took Catrin a moment to realize where she was and what was happening, but then it all rushed back at once and nearly caused her to swoon. In the meantime the feral had drawn closer, and the sight of him sent Catrin scrambling to get them moving fast again. What lead they had was now lost, and the dragon would almost certainly catch them. The regents in pursuit flew in what looked like desperation as they climbed higher and higher. Watching as they disappeared into the clouds, Catrin's hope faded.

At the fastest speed she felt the ship could handle, the feral continued to gain on them. Twice more she attacked, and twice more it seemed only to infuriate the beast. Standing near the stern became a liability as the dragon overtook them. It came all at once, as if it had been holding back and only making them think it had been at maximum speed. The sudden attack caught Catrin off her guard, and she scrambled to cast out energy in hopes of warding off certain death. Behind the feral Catrin noticed two dark shapes diving toward the surface at unbelievable speed. Then those shapes extended their wings and pulled up to skim over the waves, sending spray circling in the roiling wind behind them. They hit the feral hard and fast, knocking him off course and away from the ship. It was a costly victory, though, and Catrin cried out when the feral struck like a snake and sent one of the regents into a lifeless spin until it crashed into the water with a series of sickening pops and snaps. Afraid of going much higher, again in the shadow of the unnatural cloud, Catrin guided them closer to the harbor. Approaching the tall ring of stone that surrounded much of the harbor, Catrin looked up almost expecting to see a Zjhon warship still nestled among the peaks, but it was gone, lost to the ravages of time and weather, she guessed.