Ominous Odyssey (Overworld Chronicles Book 13) Page 16

  "Hope they got enough rest," Shelton said. "I wasn't sure we'd make it through that lightning field earlier."

  "I'm gonna tie myself down somewhere," Adam said. "My body is black and blue from being tossed around."

  Elyssa appeared on deck, fair skin flushed.

  "What have you been up to?" I asked.

  "While you were napping, I met with the Mzodi soldiers and asked if I could train with them in case of another dragon attack." She shrugged. "You know how I hate feeling left out."

  "How'd that go?" I asked.

  Elyssa grinned. "Let's just say I taught them a few Templar moves that will make their lives easier."

  The Falcheen eased into the narrow alley between the mountain and the wall of roiling aether to starboard. Wind gusted across the deck, blowing my hair straight back and tearing Shelton's wide-brimmed hat off his head. The leather strap around his neck was the only thing that kept it from flying away.

  The navigators eased the control rods forward and we began the next phase of the perilous journey. It took only moments to leave the relative calm of the landing zone and enter the next level of hell.

  The aether storm roiled and roared to starboard while the outer layer of volcanic fire and arctic ice churned to port. The Falcheen bucked and shuddered through the resulting turbulence while the navigators fought with the control rods to keep us from veering too far left or right where the elemental forces would tear us apart.

  Eor appeared on deck and began arguing with Illaena about something. After a time, she shook her head vehemently and stabbed a finger back toward the ramp. Face red and scrunched up with anger, Eor spun on his heel and stormed away.

  "I can guess what that was about," Adam said.

  "Crazy fool." Shelton clamped his hat back on his head but had to hold it down because of the wind. "He kept going on about how he wants to descend to ocean level and cast a net inside the storm."

  I stared at the beautiful but deadly display the massive storm and shook my head. "Even the most violent vortexes are nothing compared to that."

  "This ship could probably withstand a small hurricane," Adam said, "but that aether storm looks like it eats hurricanes for breakfast."

  The climate grew more humid as we sailed until it felt like I was breathing more moisture than air. Even without the oppressive heat, it was enough to make everyone miserably sweaty. A cool rush of air granted everyone a moment of relief and then it started to rain.

  Elyssa bound her long soaked hair into a ponytail and smoothed the sodden locks from my face. I leaned down and kissed her as the torrential downpour continued unabated.

  She nuzzled her nose against mine. "I like kissing in the rain."

  I pecked kisses up her cheeks. "I like kissing you, period."

  Shelton groaned and tilted his hat to ward off rain in his face. "I'm going back to my room."

  Adam shielded his hand with his face and looked into the gray gloom ahead. "Think I'll join you so we can analyze these rocks." He turned to me. "Just let us know if we're about to die, okay?"

  I chuckled. "You got it."

  The pair headed back to the aft ramp well, wobbling side-to-side as the swaying ship made for unsteady footing. Not long after they'd gone, the rain turned colder and then sleet slapped us in the face. I wrapped my arms around Elyssa and shivered.

  "Maybe we should go below too."

  She shook her head. "We need to be here in case they need help."

  I wanted to argue with her but considering how quickly things had taken a turn for the worse in the lightning tunnel, she was probably right.

  A chunk of hail smacked into my chest and surprised me more than it hurt. "That's not good."

  And it wasn't. The hail grew larger until fist-sized chunks crashed against the deck. The Mzodi soldiers raced from below and held crystal shields above the navigators to protect them from the deadly storm. Illaena channeled a shield over her and Tahlee while the backup navigators huddled beneath crystal shields like those the soldiers used.

  I threw up a shield of my own, using the ship as an anchor to make it easier to maintain the channel while moving. "I wonder why the backup crew aren't channeling shields."

  "Too much energy," Elyssa said. "They probably need everything they can get just to keep the ship flying without a stable aether stream."

  The hail stopped as abruptly as it had come, this time replaced by snow. The flurry turned into an all-out blizzard within seconds, blinding us to whatever lay ahead. Somehow, Illaena knew how to keep the ship on track and continued relaying commands through Tahlee. I released my shield and channeled a ball of Brilliance to keep me and Elyssa warm.

  We sailed on through the endless blizzard, Tahlee's shouts ringing out every few seconds.

  "I don't see how she yells so much without losing her voice." Elyssa held up a hand to shield her eyes from the snow.

  I was about to reply when a shadow came out of nowhere and plowed right into me. At first I thought it was an accident, but the dagger aimed for my chest told me otherwise. I twisted out of the way and karate-chopped the wrist of the wielder. There was a cry of pain and the face of the figure became clear.

  It was one of Racha's soldiers—the seraph named Tator. I heard shouts and the clash of weapons, but couldn't make out anything except shadows and flashes of magic in the snowy gloom.

  Tator roared and lunged at me. Elyssa's foot intersected his face and sent him skidding away into the darkness. Brilliant sparks lit up the storm and the ship shuddered and bucked. Shouts and cries echoed and I just knew we were about to die.

  The snowstorm abruptly abated and we hit clear air. The ship lurched, tossing everyone on deck into the air like rag dolls. Elyssa landed on her feet like a cat. I twisted and caught myself, stumbled, and skidded on my knees.

  I immediately saw why the ship was bucking like a bronco. The starboard wing grazed the wall of the maelstrom and drifted closer and closer as Racha's soldiers fought with the crew. Several Mzodi soldiers lay dead. Tahlee lay prone on the deck, a bloody gash across her forehead. Illaena woozily pushed up off the deck, crimson trickling down her face.

  I charged across the deck and immediately busted my ass when the Falcheen lurched drunkenly to port as the navigators on that side tried to compensate. The fighters stumbled and went down as well, sending weapons clattering across the deck.

  I spotted Racha driving a dagger into the chest of a navigator and screaming, "Glory to the Empire!"

  "You stupid bitch!" I shouted above the roar of the storm. Ropes of Murk shot from my hands and I pulled myself across the deck to her. Tator leapt in front of me, a short sword in hand.

  Keeping myself tethered to the deck by the waist, I channeled a sword of Brilliance and held it in a defensive position. "Hello, my name is Justin Slade. You attacked my ship. Prepare to die."

  If Tator had seen The Princess Bride, he might have at least chuckled before trying to impale me on his sword. Instead, he yelled, "You will be the one dying today!" and charged me. Using the firm footing granted by the magical tether, I easily dodged his clumsy attempts to run while the deck shifted beneath his feet, and drove my sword of destructive energy through his back.

  Flesh sizzled and smoked, and Tator screamed his last as white heat cauterized his heart into a lump of ash. I released the channel on the sword and headed straight for Racha. The bodies of navigators and soldiers slid through crimson pools as the Falcheen listed hard to starboard. Even my tether wasn't enough to counter the sharp tilt when my feet were in slick blood. The port navigators did their best, tilting the ship back the other way and bodies crashed into me. One of them shrieked and bared her bloody teeth.

  Except it wasn't a body, it was Racha.

  Her sword chopped down on my arm and I screamed in pain. Thankfully, some of the protective charms in the armor still worked enough to keep her from amputating my limb. I rolled to the side and found my footing on a dry section of deck. Holding up my arm, I wiggled my fingers and tes
ted my wrist to make sure she hadn't broken any bones.

  A huge green gem hurtled from the maelstrom collided with the starboard wing. With a loud crack the crystal pinion shattered and the ship shuddered violently, launching me through the air and into the pool of blood coating the deck like some macabre impressionist painting. Another lurch to the right slammed me into the railing. I heard a loud scream and scooted out of the way just as Racha smashed into the place where I'd been.

  She pushed to her feet, covered in blood from head to toe and baring her teeth in a bloody smile. "I will die this day, but so will you, boy!" Racha wrapped her arms around me and flung us over the railing.

  It must have been sheer reflex, but I cast a strand of Murk at the railing and hung on for dear life while the madwoman clinging to my back tried to drag me into oblivion with her. I wriggled and elbowed the crazy bitch in the stomach. Racha slid down my torso and to my legs. Her feet grazed the outer edge of the maelstrom and a terrible scream tore from her throat.

  I tried to think of a witty one-liner to impart before she went to the afterlife, but I was far too concerned with the fact that despite the maelstrom eating her alive, she wasn't letting go of me. The terrible pull of the mad energy jerked us sideways and the roaring storm ate the remains of the port wing and Racha along with it. I flailed like a caught fish but couldn't shake her free. Just as the gray clouds reached her waist, Racha fell silent and her grip went limp. Her remains fell silently away and vanished into the storm.

  I fought the wind and suction of the maelstrom, willing the Murk strand to shorten enough so I could grab the railing. Elyssa's face appeared over the side and she pulled me up and over.

  Illaena was back on her feet shouting commands to the remaining navigators, but from what I saw there weren't enough of them left standing to fly the ship. Two navigators remained port while one of them had rushed to the center control rod on the starboard side to keep the ship as level as possible.

  Instead of taking the proper time to thank my girlfriend for saving me, I skidded through blood and reached the starboard bow control rod. Putting my lessons to good use, I helped the others wrench the ruins of the starboard wing out of the maelstrom and back into the clear.

  "Rise forty," Illaena shouted.

  Groaning with strain, the other navigators and I followed her instructions, though I didn't know why she wanted to gain altitude. Then again, the volcanic mountains to port were covered in clouds of ice and ash and there was probably nowhere safe to land.

  "How are we supposed to keep this thing in the air?" I asked through clenched teeth.

  The weight of the ship seemed to bear down on me and I could only imagine what the other navigators felt, having somehow maintained control during the fighting. An instant later, my body felt light as air, as if a load of bricks I'd carried on my shoulders all day was gone.

  "All stop!" Illaena's shoulders slumped.

  The Falcheen glided to a halt in a section of calm air, a glimpse of serenity surrounded by chaos and death. I didn't have to switch to incubus vision to know why the ship could suddenly hold itself up. We'd reached an aether stream.

  The other navigators slumped with weariness, but rather than curl into balls and cry, they rushed to the bodies strewn about the deck and checked for signs of life.

  I staggered over to Illaena where she knelt next to Tahlee's body.

  Elyssa pressed her fingers to the redhead's neck and sighed with relief. "Her pulse is strong, Illaena. She'll be okay."

  "My crew," the captain whispered in a haunted voice. "My family." A tear trickled down her face.

  My throat knotted with grief. I didn't know what to say, but I knew what we had to do.

  Elyssa and I helped the others check each body for vitals. We found four surviving soldiers, and one navigator that had been knocked unconscious but was otherwise unharmed. Of the twelve deck crew, only five navigators, the captain, and first mate remained. Of the soldiers, nearly half were dead.

  All of Racha's people were dead but by the time we sorted them out, we realized there was one Brightling soldier none of us had previously seen.

  "There must have been another soldier we didn't know about," I said. "He must have hidden after we captured Racha." My heart froze with fear when I thought about what might have happened. "We need to check on the others."

  Elyssa's face wrinkled with worry. "Oh, god. I hope Adam and Shelton are okay."

  We treaded carefully aft across the blood-slicked deck and sprinted down the ramp to the lower decks. A lone Mzodi soldier lay dead at the end of the hall where his body had slid during the fight. Judging from the cauterized wound in his chest, he'd been stabbed with Brilliance. The doorway to the cell holding Racha and friends was open.

  "That other Brightling soldier must have forced the Mzodi to open the door," Elyssa said. "I'll bet when the other soldiers went to the top deck to help the navigators with the hail, they only left one guard here."

  I checked inside the cell and made sure it was empty then ran into the sorting room. Some of the sparkly nets had broken and spilled gems covered the floor. Several sorters nursed bruised body parts while others tended to them, but otherwise they all seemed clueless about what had happened on the top deck.

  "What are we going to do about this mess?" Eor wailed as he waded through a pile of stones.

  I gripped his arm. "We've got bigger problems." I told him what had happened.

  "No!" He shouted. "That can't be true."

  "Sweet Rana can't be dead," another gem sorter cried. "She was like a sister to me."

  I imagined it was like Illaena had said. These people were more than crew—they were family. Spending months or years aboard a ship together probably brought the crew together emotionally unless they were jackasses like Eor. Even though the Falcheen was a new ship, many of the crew had probably served together on other ships.

  Elyssa and I left the gem sorters and raced to Shelton's cabin where we found him and Adam lashed to the bed. I let a humorous observation die in my lips since nothing seemed funny right now.

  "Mother of pearl, what in the hell is going on up there?" Shelton said when we walked inside. "We had to tie ourselves down before the ship beat us to death."

  Adam massaged his temples. "Man, I have a headache. I need to find my potion pouch."

  I leaned against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut. "Racha and her soldiers escaped. They killed a lot of people and nearly dragged the ship into the maelstrom."

  Shelton's jaw fell open. "How many crew are left?"

  "Hardly enough to fly the ship," Elyssa said. "There aren't any backup navigators."

  Worry filled Adam's eyes. "How are we supposed to go on without backup crew? It was hard enough flying with a full complement."

  I couldn't answer his question, but we were stuck in the middle of crap creek without a paddle.

  Chapter 19

  "There must be a better solution," Eor complained. "We can't simply leave Voltis without fishing it!"

  Illaena folded her arms and stared daggers at the sorter. After the remaining crew pitched in to clean the top deck and arrange the fallen, she'd gathered everyone in the galley. "I will hear no more of fishing the maelstrom." She sighed. "It is my decision that we will turn back while we can."

  The remaining navigators looked down, some of them with tears in their eyes.

  "Why turn back?" I asked. "We're nearly halfway there. Going back is probably as dangerous as pushing on."

  "Yes, but how shall we leave if we even make it to the center?" Illaena said. "The odds are slim enough that we will last another day."

  Tahlee ran a hand over the healing gash in her forehead and cast a worried glance at Illaena. "You will not lose the Falcheen. I swear it."

  Some of the navigators murmured in agreement.

  "We will see her safely home," one of them said.

  Illaena swallowed hard. "I'm sure you will."

  This was the moment where I should have stood an
d argued with her that turning around was wrong, but really, it was the right decision. If a skilled Mzodi crew hadn't been able to make it to see the secret of Voltis, then how would Kaelissa manage it? Unless she knew something we didn't, there was no way to make it without the route Xalara had provided, and even then, it was exceedingly perilous.

  If we turned around now and survived the return trip, maybe we could still stop a civil war from engulfing Pjurna and fortify our defenses against possible Brightling attacks.

  And pray Kaelissa can't get any further into Voltis than we did.

  It was depressing to think about but what else could we do?

  One of the navigators, a short but sturdy looking seraph, stood and gazed at his captain. "I lost my best friend and lover. Nara died in my arms, and I will mourn her for with every passing day. But captain, I do not wish to turn back. I would rather die pushing forth into the heart of darkness than let the cowards who killed my love win."

  "Aye!" another navigator shouted. "None sail the skies like the Mzodi! No land dwellers can win a race against us!"

  Another spoke. "There is no sea, no storm, no force of nature that will stay our course." Other navigators joined her, chanting along as if this were some pledge they all knew by heart. "No enemy shall tear us from our ship, our home, our lives. By the captain's will, we go forward and never waver."

  A cheer went up from the other Mzodi—all but Illaena who looked with trembling lips at her crew.

  Tahlee put a hand on her captain's shoulder and squeezed it. "I know you fear the loss of the Falcheen more than death itself, Illaena, but we will see her through to the journey's end one way or the other."

  Illaena remained quiet for a long moment, as if fighting the inner demons of doubt I knew all too well. She had lost a ship and crew before. Risking everything in this hellish place was probably her worst nightmare. Her shoulders stiffened and a curt nod signaled her decision.

  "You are a brave crew," Illaena said in a quiet voice. "I could not have asked for better." She raised a fist. "Together we push on. Together we conquer nature's might. Nothing will stop us but death itself."