"They'll never see it coming," Fasha said. Nora remained silent, anxiously watching the Slippery Eel's daring approach. "Stand ready to repel!" she said as the Eel executed a turn that left it coming toward the Shark sideways, driving a wall of water before it. "Brace yourselves!"
Atop the Eel's wake, the Shark heaved and rolled, her decks thrown far from the Eel's.
"Hold!" Kenward's shout carried above the roaring water. As the Shark rolled on the receding wave, it came back closer to the Eel. Sliding down in the water, her decks dropped below the Eel's. "Now!" came Kenward's command.
Howling like animals, his crew attacked. Catrin and Chase moved toward Benjin, who looked up to see if Osbourne and Strom were in place. Taking a deep breath, he bent his knees. Fasha bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, swaying back and forth like a panther waiting to strike. She gave him a nod. The bait was ready, the trap set.
Catrin gained the Shark's deck before anyone else and ran, growling, at Benjin. His eyes met hers, daring her to take him. Chase caught up to her and charged alongside. Kenward roared like a madman as he charged Fasha and Nora. "Now!" he yelled only an instant before Benjin did the same.
Using all the quickness and agility she possessed, Catrin turned sharply and rolled. Rising up, she used her momentum to hurl her sword at Strom. Chase executed a similar maneuver, though all Catrin saw was a blur of limbs beside her. With a loud crack, Catrin's sword landed across the backs of Strom's hands, making him lose his grip on the net he held. Chase's sword struck Osbourne so violently, he fell from the rigging, cursing. Their net fell harmlessly to the deck, their trap sprung.
Kenward caught Benjin off his guard and smacked him across the chest with the flat of his blade. Fasha went down in a heap under Bryn, who dropped from the rigging. "Dead!" he yelled. Nora watched it all with an air of detachment, but that changed when Catrin slid across the deck into the backs of her knees. Grabbing Chase's sword as she passed it, Catrin rolled herself in position to stab Nora. "Dead!" she shouted.
"Dead!"
"Dead!" came the call across the deck, and nearly two-thirds of the Shark's crew was down.
"Advantage Kenward," Nora said as Catrin helped her rise. Kenward smiled as he helped his sister from the deck.
"Good fight, Sis."
"Good fight."
"You're a madman, Kenward," Nora said, "but somehow you inspire those around you to equal madness. I'd never have expected Catrin to take me down, nor Bryn Fasha, but you gave them heart and courage. I'm proud of you and your crew. Now get your ship away from the Shark before you sink us all."
Fasha made a disgusted sound in her throat and rolled her eyes.
"Aw, now don't be sore because you lost, Sis."
"Next time," she said. "No mercy. No prisoners."
"Next time," he said, grinning. "Thanks, Mom. See you soon!"
"Fool boy."
Victory greatly improved the mood aboard the Slippery Eel, and Kenward gathered everyone at the prow. "The words my mother said today were neither trivial nor easily earned. Today you made my mother proud of me, and I thank you for that," he said, a catch in his voice and a tear in his eye. "You made me proud, and you gave Fasha and my mother reason to respect and fear you. You're actually starting to frighten me a little."
Laughter helped ease the tension, and Catrin began to see the wisdom of Nora's drills. Rather than letting the crews consider the unlikelihood of finding the Firstland or worry over the shortage of food, she kept them busy, honing their skills, while developing teamwork and camaraderie.
Everyone turned when, across the water, sounds of celebration came from the Stealthy Shark. "Seafloor ahead!" the lookout called an instant later. "Land ho!"
Still distant on the horizon, a dark smudge rose above the waterline. Like a bastion of hope, it drew them on. Ahead, dark water suddenly changed to azure, and sandy, white bottom came into view. Mirror flashes flew between the ships, and Kenward paced impatiently. "Drop anchor."
"What?" Chase asked. "Why are we stopping?"
"Mother fears the shallows. She says we'll run aground if we enter now. These are tidal waters, and she wants to wait for the full moon."
"That'll be weeks from now," Chase said, dismayed.
"True, but there should be an abundance of sea life along the shelf. We'll fish and eat whatever we can catch. We can't load our holds; that would only put us lower in the water and increase the risk of running aground. We'll have to do that when we reach the other side."
"How far across is it?" Catrin asked.
"I wish I knew; that would make convincing Mother to move on much easier, but not knowing, I can't argue her logic. Waiting for the full moon will give us the greatest chance of survival. If we were to get caught by receding tides, we could get stuck, at the very least, but more likely, we'd be sunk. For now, we wait."
"I bet we can catch more fish than they can," Chase said, grinning. Kenward grinned back and used his mirror to issue the challenge.
"We'll eat good tonight," Chase whispered to Catrin with a wink.
In the darkness, Prios climbed. With no light to guide him, he could rely only on the senses his power provided. Climbing without sight, that most primal sense, was disorienting and more terrifying than anything he had ever imagined. The only consolation was that he could not perceive the heights from which he perilously hung.
On his back was an empty pack, meant only to secure his goal. He had no food or water to sustain him, and Prios knew that he could waste no time. Each moment his death became more likely, and he bit his lip as he continued to climb.
When at last he reached an opening in the face of the mountain, Prios was overcome by a sense of foreboding. The hairs on his arms and neck stood straight, and sweat began to seep into his eyes. Within the mountain, he sensed massive life, both vibrant and deadly. His life now hung on an assumption. If these beasts were not truly dormant at night, then he would most likely be dead within moments.
Before he lost his courage, he took a step into the massive stone chamber. Though he could not see its vastness, he could feel it. Pockets of life could be felt all around, but one in particular drew Prios closer. No attack came, but he wondered if he was simply being toyed with, being made to believe he could succeed in such an audacious theft only to be torn to shreds before he could make good his escape.
When he reached an area where the life force around him was divided into many smaller entities, he tried to ignore the fact that he sensed one massive entity behind all the smaller ones. Prios froze and remained as still as a stone, his hair, once again, standing on end. Overwhelmed by the sensation that something was watching him, waiting for him to make his fatal mistake, he waited and prayed.
Unable to bear the suspense any longer, he reached out and laid his hands on a warm and smooth shell. Perhaps it was his imagination that caused the shadows to shift and swirl, but it caused him to pause for a moment, and as he did, his senses perceived something. Amid all the small life forces around him, one stood out. Though it emitted no light, Prios could feel the power. A smile formed on his lips, as he realized that this was his opportunity to give Archmaster Belegra exactly what he had asked for and, at the same time, give him something that may be beyond his ability to control.
As soon as his hands touched the shell, he felt the shadows move again, and he could no longer deny his fear. With the speed of desperation, he put the egg in his pack and secured it on his back before running back to the cavern entrance. Without his sight, he was unprepared for such speed, and a protruding piece of rock sent him sprawling, nearly sending him tumbling into the open air. With only a hand's width of stone ledge behind him, Prios checked to be certain the egg was still whole. It could have been a freak wind, but he thought he felt hot breath on his neck, and he needed no urging to begin his descent. With his eyes squeezed shut, he lowered himself over the ledge and waited for powerful jaws to close around him.