The Chronicles of Kale: Dawn of Retribution (Book 2) (29 page)

They crept up toward the deck, each with weapon or fist prepared to encounter what might be waiting. As they emerged from the cabin, a steady rain began to fall. Dark clouds rolled in, concealing any hint of the moon. The black ocean could hardly be distinguished from the night sky. The group waited in silence—listening.

Moments passed with no further commotion. Kale caught glimpse of Carver, who ducked low with his hands gripped upon the helm.

“Carver!” Kale called out, “What’s going on?”

With faster speed than Kale imagined the man to have, Carver rushed to his side. A cupped hand clapped against Kale’s face as Carver leaned near his ear.

“Shut yer mouth, if ya wish ta live,” Carver whispered. “
It
has found us.”

Chapter 28: Tortured Souls

A
n eerie moaning filled the air, causing the group to stiffen with uncertainties of what lay in wait off the side of the ship.

Carver placed a finger upon his lips and signaled to the others to remain in silence.

Despite the flapping of fabric as wind filled the sails, and the rolling of water as the ship moved forward, Kale’s breath filled his ears, nearly voiding all other sound. His heart hammered within his chest as he pulled Neelan protectively close.

The same agonized moan could be heard again—approaching. Two long, thin black fingers curled over the rail of the ship.

Kale closed his eyes and focused his energy as the black Sword of Vindication appeared within his grip. He glanced toward his comrades and nodded in agreement—they were prepared to ambush the intruder, should it attempt to board the ship.

Before Kale could advance forward, he felt a cold, clammy hand grip the back of his neck.

Carver narrowed his eyes and tugged Kale back while pointing toward a cluster of barrels.

Kale tightened his lips and shook his head before following. He recalled Illadar’s teachings;
the first one to appear onto the battlefield might be the strongest, but not always the wisest—sometimes, it is the one who strategically waits for the right opportunity to strike down their opponent who rises victorious
.

They ducked behind the wooden barrels and waited. Kale peeked out to find the same black, bony fingers gripped upon the rail. There was no movement; no further moaning—it was as though the creature was waiting—listening.

Kale chewed the rough skin on the side of his thumbnail, anxious for any sign of motion.

Then, they heard it—the groaning which sounded like a dozen anguished voices. A heavy
thud
told the group that the creature was on the deck. It searched . . . it hunted. There were no footsteps, only the smooth hissing of something dragging against the wood planks and the jingling of metal. It amplified, nearing where they hid. A loud moan rang out before silence consumed the ship.

Moments passed, and all grew quiet once again.

They waited until finally, Kale could no longer bear the unknown. With his heart racing, he inched toward the rounded side of the barrel. Holding his breath, he peered around. His eyes widened and body stiffened. The creature’s face was placed so close to his, that he could feel its breath upon his flesh.

The slits where a nose should be released a heavy gust of air as it tilted its monstrous head to the side. Two strips of steel crossed over where its eyes would be. The creature could not see—but it could hear. A ghoulish grin crossed its blackened mouth as the hideous being bared its teeth.

“Yesss. . .” Multiple voices escaped the creature’s mouth as it spoke in a whisper.

“Run!” Carver shouted as he shoved Kale to the side.

Kale gripped Neelan by the forearm and pulled her to his side as they hurried toward the opposite end of the ship.

The creature raised its body, now standing well above Illadar in height. It released another moan, filled with many sorrowed voices.

Kale glanced over a shoulder with enough time to see the long serpent tail, which took the place of legs. Dangling from the creature’s arms were thick, heavy chains.

“If rumor proves true, the touch of this foul being will stiffen yer limbs. You won’t have movement of your own body. It will then feed upon your very soul. The voices—they are the taken souls—tormented and bound within the creature for eternity.” Carver backed up until he hit the rail. “Never did I think the monster would cross paths with my ship. I thought the others who told rumors of this
thing
were no more than fools! I only used the tale to turn coin by scarin’ off the other sailors.” His legs trembled at the sight of the slowly approaching creature.

It slithered forward and the chains swayed from its dark grey body. The creature’s bound face continued to sniff the air, shifting in the direction where the group huddled. The top of its head fanned out like a slick, mucus-coated webbing. It parted its lips and the many voices spoke, “Fresh souls—sweet, young souls.” A slender tongue flicked upward and glided along thin, rough lips.

“Come no closer, monstrosity!” Reem leapt forward, followed by his men who squatted upon a knee; their dark eyes locked upon the creature—prepared to spring an attack.

“Return from the depths of damnation from which you have come!” Reem extended an arm, holding his staff tightly gripped within his fingers.

The creature paused, dropping its arms and allowing the heavy chains to fall upon the deck. Metal clanged against itself as the creature hunched toward the group. It drew a long whiff of air before pointing a long finger forward. The many voices spoke, “Different . . .” it moaned, moving in Reem’s direction. “Your soul is dry—old.”

Reem lifted his staff, defensively holding it before his chest. “You leave me no choice—we shall protect our Queen at all cost!” he shouted while running forward. He twirled his staff between both hands, moving quick and nimbly past the creature.

With a swift jab, Reem dug the base of his staff into the monster’s back.

Cries of pain rang out as it twisted its body.

The other sand-people made their move, charging toward the creature with powerful fists raised.

The creature hissed, coiling the metal ringlets around its hands. With a forceful thrust, it swung the chains out. Many of the sand-people were thrown back, while others had a significant amount of sand lost from the blow.

“Stand down!” Reem commanded to his men who he knew would need time to regenerate their form. With no sand in their immediate surroundings, they had to take great caution.

Thomas emerged from behind the protective stance of sand-people; his hand held to the sky. “Do not move.” He cast a stern look to his friends. “I will stay at range—the risk is too high for close combat.” He curled a fist. “
Unveraina
!”

A shard, resembling a glowing, transparent crystal, shot toward the creature’s chains. Upon impact, it flickered and flashed through each link until reaching the monster’s flesh.

The creature roared in fury as its skin sizzled. An open wound oozed a clear secretion. Its slithering body thrashed and it violently swung the long chains. Splinters of wood exploded into the air as the steel links crashed against the deck.

Reem charged forward, spinning the staff above his head as he leapt forward with the force of his right leg. He tucked his body and rolled in mid-air with his staff prepared to spear the creature. As Reem descended toward the creature’s gut, its voice rang out.

“Your soul I shall claim!” The creature slung the heavy chains in Reem’s direction. The steel links spiraled around Reem’s staff, flinging both he and his weapon across the ship.

Thomas seized the moment of distraction to summon a sphere a blue energy within his palm. Knowing he had to take great caution with his magic to not damage the ship, he positioned himself upon a knee. He thrust his hand forward, sending the sphere into the creature’s ribcage. The attack shot through the slimy flesh with ease, releasing through its backside, and barely missing the mast.

“Watch yourself! Destroy my ship and we’re all as good as dead in these waters,” Carver called out from behind.

The creature wailed and moved closer to where Thomas and his companions stood.

“
Alaria!
” Thomas shouted at the sight of the metal chains flying in his direction.

The attack bounced upon the invisible barrier as Thomas inched back toward his friends.

Carver, trembling in fear, sprinted out from hiding. “You can die first!” He called out to Thomas as he ran toward the cabin. “I won’t let it take me!” He cowardly continued onward without looking back.

As his hand touched the cabin door, steel chains twisted around his torso.

The creature had redirected its attention onto Carver and was directly behind in pursuit. It tugged the steel links, pulling the ship’s captain near.

“Weak,” it spoke. “But your soul smells succulent.” The creature inhaled.

With a swift motion, the creature’s long, dark fingers extended, grasping tightly across Carver’s face. It’s palm easily eclipsed the captain’s head as it inhaled heavily. Instantly, Carver’s body fell limp.

The captain’s skin turned pale, devoid of color. His eyes had sunken back into his skull and it was clear, no life remained.

The sand-people reassembled before Neelan and were prepared for combat.

“Stay here old friend and guard our Queen. We cannot risk the creature reaching her. We will handle things. This must end before it claims another soul and increases its strength,” Reem spoke to Thomas, who nodded in agreement.

Upon consuming Carver’s soul, the creature had fully regained its stamina. The wound Thomas had inflicted was now healed without a trace.

Reem called out to his people in their native tongue. Instantly, the sand-people began to shift their bodies. Their arms bent and twisted until reshaping into spears which came to a deathly sharp point.

They marched forward in unison before Reem drummed his staff upon the deck. He raised a fist to the heavens and the sand-people fearlessly charged toward the creature.

Many blows landed, piercing through the creature’s skin as it flailed its long chains in anger.

The creature lowered its body, snatching one of the sand-people and suspending him in air. “What is this trickery?! You shall die for your deception!” It yelled as its fingers crushed down upon the sand warrior.

In an instant, the warrior’s body crumbled to the deck in thousands of grains. The head wrapping he wore drifted down from the creature’s palm.

The monstrous being raised itself in fury as it swiped out to claim another victim.

“I think it is time for you to get the hell off of our boat.” Neelan’s hair fluttered in all directions, licking against her defined jawline as she spoke.

Her footing remained sturdy upon the large, wooden crate while she raised her bow. Before the creature could react to her words, Neelan released an arrow. “I’ve got you.” She whispered as the projectile flew toward its chest.

The pile of the arrow dove deep into the creature’s flesh. With a firm grip, it withdrew the projectile and raced toward Neelan.

Thomas instantly reacted, casting an invisible barrier around them.

Kale wasted no more time; he hurried at the creature and forcefully thrust his blade up into its belly. He twisted the hilt and pinched his eyes shut as clear fluid sprayed across his face.

The sand-people dove upon the wounded creature, prodding it violently with speared appendages.

Kale wiped his face with a sleeve and could see Reem rushing at the creature. He flew into the air, crashing down on the monster’s head with full force. The staff sunk down into its skull and the creature staggered forward.

Within moments, it slumped over, motionless and without breath.

“We did it!” Neelan exclaimed as she ran toward Kale.

“Stay back, my Queen!” Reem held out an open palm.

“He is right,” Thomas added, “We do not know for certain if this creature is deceased. I have never heard of such a being, and am unsure of its abilities.”

As the words escaped Thomas’ lips, the creature’s body began to tremor.

Kale staggered back, his sword aimed in readiness. “What in Pan’s name . . .?” He whispered.

The creature’s flesh bubbled up in numerous areas, as though something was pushing from the inside.

“Fall back!” Reem shouted as he and his men hurried to barricade Neelan.

Foam erupted from the creature’s mouth, and the group watched intently as its chest began to rip open. With a sudden burst, its body blew open from the inside.

Hundreds of translucent bodies flew toward the dark, clouded sky. They moaned loudly—though, not in pain—but relief. Their souls were finally free to move on in peace, no longer trapped within the hungered body of the creature.

Through the mass of bodies, Kale could make out the familiar face of Carver as he glanced down from above. With a final smile, he disappeared into the darkness.

“It’s over . . .” Kale whispered, feeling a sense of sadness at the sight of so many victims.

“Indeed my friend.” Thomas stroked his beard. “Where is Illadar?”

Kale spun on his heels as he realized that he hadn’t seen his friend since early into the battle.

“Illadar—Illadar!”

“I’m here, kid,” Illadar’s voice called out from behind a crate.

The group hurried to where he knelt. Marg lay by his side.

“I couldn’t leave her. She fainted as soon as her eyes fell upon the sea creature.” Illadar added as he held Marg’s limp body.

“You left
us
, so that you could tend to someone you barely even know?! She was fine laying there. We could have been killed by that
thing
! Carver is dead you know.” Kale scowled at his friend. “You’re unbelievable.”  

As Kale turned his back to leave, he could hear Illadar’s voice calling from behind.

“You know kid, maybe one day you’ll learn to close that mouth of yours and realize you’re not so different from the ones you degrade. Had it been Neelan in this situation, you would have never left her side. Now get outta’ my sight before I
really
get angry.” Illadar shook his head before returning his attention to Marg. “It’ll be all right. I’m not gonna’ leave your side until you wake.”