December 29th 4296

“What a wonderful day for a chase.”

Isen looked over at Esmerelda with a look of pure shock on her face. “You mean to chase after them?”

“Well and why no’?” the queen demanded, gazing out across the waves. A ship drifted across not very far ahead of them. “They’re pirates princess. And no’ the very nicest of people.” She turned and walked up to a higher deck for a better look.

“But weren’t your people persecuted for being pirates? I’d’ve thought that you would have more tolerance for pirates.”

“Oh we do, no doubt about it. But they’re flying the Agrona.”

“The what?”

“The Agrona. Tis the flag of the Harrows, the flag of the pirate lord in these waters. And the Lunine are fierce rivals with the Harrows. I canno’ no’ take up the chase after them.”

“I can’t believe this,” Isen said under her breath. “And what am I to do while you and your men are fighting?”

“I’d suggest you stay out of the way.” Esmerelda then turned her attention to a small, elaborate and securely locked box. She withdrew a key on a chain from under her tunic, and it sparkled in the sun, drawing Isen’s attention. It was large, and fashioned out of what appeared to be obsidian. And then it was tucked back and the box was opened. The queen took out a small horn, made of pure ivory and beautifully decorated.

She caught Isen staring. “See this? Tis a Vytautus. It announces the beginning of a chase. All the Lunine love sea chases. It’s in our blood you see. Now watch, and listen.” She raised the horn to her lips.

The richest, clearest and most distinct sound Isen had ever heard burst forth. For a second there was silence in its wake, and then she heard the loud cheers from her crew resounding through suddenly still air.

Smiling, Esmerelda lowered the horn. Then she raised her hand, and the men quieted. There were a few moments of tense silence where Isen wondered what was about to happen. Moments passed, but nothing happened that Isen could pinpoint. There was nothing but tension in the air as they all stood waiting for whatever was supposed to happen.

The queen leaned forward, her hands gripping the railing hard enough to cause her knuckles to turn white. “What’s going—“

But she was cut off by Isen’s scream as the ship they were watching exploded. Before what she had just seen could sink in, Esmerelda was dashing to the stairs.

“Get this ship moving now!” she yelled, her feet hitting the floor with a smack as she jumped down the stairs. She began yelling out orders left and right and chaos sprung up around Isen, who was still looking at the blazing hull in the sea.

Isen’s arm was suddenly grabbed and she looked up at Esmerelda. “What’s going on?”

“Never mind that,” the queen said quickly. “I need you to go down below deck and get everything you can find and stash in a wooden chest. Do you hear me?”

“Wait, what?” Isen demanded, completely confused.

“Go down below deck. Find anything that’ll catch fire easily and put it inside a wooden chest, box, anything made of wood. Do you understand me? There’s no time to explain. Go!”

Responding to the fear and panic in the air, Isen ran down and did as she was told. The ship jerked just as she rounded a corner and she almost went sprawling as she entered the first room. It was a bunking room, and she immediately began gathering up the sheets and blankets and bits of clothing littering around the room. She turned and opened the closet and threw it all inside. Then she went to the next rooms and repeated the process until she’d gone through every room. It wasn’t an easy job as the ship was sailing faster and faster every minute.

Neither was getting up to the deck where Esmerelda stood shouting out orders. The ship swayed back and forth as it practically flew across the water. By the time she made it up the stairs she had bumped into a dozen different sailors.

“What is going on, Esmerelda?” Isen demanded. “Tell me the truth. What happened to that ship?”

The queen’s eyes were fastened on the water behind them. “It exploded.”

“Obviously. But what has everyone all spooked and panicked?”

She sighed. “It’s an Hourdigen. A sea monster.”

“But they don’t exist!” Isen said, exasperated and annoyed. “They’re all just a bunch of old tales.”

“Are they?” Esmerelda demanded, turning her gaze to the princess. “And where did you hear that? In a book? Well here’s the reality of the situation, princess. Your books say that I don’ exist, that my people don’ exist. They say that your sister’s people don’ exist. That magic doesn’ exist. But they do. So if you want to get out of this alive then you’re going to have to open up your mind and accept what I’m telling you.”

A little stunned, Isen couldn’t think of anything to say for a moment. Then, “So how do you kill it?”

The queen turned her attention back to the water with a nod. “The tip of the tail. Most of the old creatures had to have their heads hacked clean off in order to die. With this one it’s just the opposite. At the tip of the tail is a symbol of the sorcerer who summoned it. If you cut it off then the creature will return to the depths from which it was brought.”

At that moment, one of her sailors raced up carting a number of sheathed swords. He handed one to the queen and one to Isen before racing off to deliver more.

“You’ll need that,” was all Esmerelda said as she secured it to her side.

“You want me to fight?”

“What a life you people must lead. Of course you’re going to fight. Now take this,” she said, and began to show the princess how to put on the sword.

“But why did she the ship explode?” Isen asked. “I don’t understand.”

“They must have been carrying black powder. It’s no’ commonly used around here anymore, but can be found on the black markets. You see, an Hourdigen is a snake-like creature, only it’s about three stories high and can wrap itself multiple times around the ship. It oozes an odd slime that will catch almost anything on fire. It doesn’ work on wood, because we found an old spell that can make it resistant.”

“So how are we supposed to fight it? If it wraps around it’ll just squeeze until the ship breaks.”

“You’ve a fast mind. The trick is to try and outrun it. If you can do that, you’re fine,” Esmerelda said. “If not—“

She was cut off as something enormous hit the ship beneath the water. Isen barely caught sight of the long, narrow shadow as it hit. It knocked the ship to its side, almost tipping it over. She grabbed hold of the rail and hung on for dear life, even as the ship slammed upright again, and the adrenaline began pounding in her blood.

Esmerelda was already up on her feet, shouting at her men to clear the main deck. They scattered at that point, not needing any extra encouragement. Eerily, the moment the last sailor scrambled onto either the quarterdeck or forecastle a large rumble came from the water beneath the boat, chilling Isen’s blood. She cautiously looked over the side of the railing, and saw the enormous dark patch of water peaking out from beneath the ship before she was wrenched back.

“Are you crazy? Get back,” Esmerelda yelled. She grabbed Isen and pulled her away from the railing.

The boat was hit again, this time more to the front, causing the boat to rock violently, and begin to turn in the water. Isen lost her balance and landed hard against the closed door to below deck. The boat was still rocking as she stood up again.

She’d never felt so afraid in her life. Never had she been put in a situation that was dangerous in the least little way. Now, she was on a boat, in the middle of the ocean, and the boat, her only lifeline, was being attacked by an enormous sea monster. The disbelief was in there, and she thought wildly that perhaps it was all just a dream and she would wake up any moment on Roarke’s ship.

The men grew quiet, and suddenly the air was still and silent, filled with tension thick enough to cut through with a knife. The boat rocked, and gradually leveled out, and Isen stood on the deck, her breath coming in gasps and her heart beating fiercely in her chest. Nothing moved; nothing made a sound.

And then the most frightening noise reached her ears. It was coming from the side of the ship. It was a deep, overwhelming moan that grew until it blocked out any other sound and her mind was wrapped fully around it.

Isen’s gaze flew to Esmerelda, who looked calm and cool despite the horrible situation. She had unsheathed her sword and gripped it with two hands and looked as if she was waiting for the next move. The queen caught the princess’s look and nodded solemnly, and Isen felt her resolve harden. She took out her own sword and gripped it hard, and waited.

The moaning stopped, and for a few nerve wracking moments there was silence. When Isen looked back to the side of the ship she nearly screamed, but found that her voice had disappeared. An enormous, scaly and slimy purple head, nearly the size of a horse, was staring back at her. Its body was slick with odd looking ooze that sizzled in the sunlight. Its mouth was slightly open, and she could see the glinting fangs as long as her arms.

“Oh. My. God,” Isen said to herself, slowly backing up. The hourdigen just continued to look down at the ship.

Quick as lightning it shot over the ship, barely missing the mast. Isen didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. All she knew at that point was that Esmerelda had slammed her back against the door to below deck, out of the way of that long, oozing purple body that now lay across the deck. It was sliding, and Isen knew that it was going to try to loop around the ship again.

“What do we do now?” she demanded of the queen.

“We attack.” With that she, along with all the other men, rushed forward with their swords, leaving Isen standing there, staring in disbelief. She watched as the first sword cut into the hourdigen’s body, as first blood was shed. And she heard the outraged roar from the creature as it made its way back around.

“Are you crazy? You’re just making it angrier!” Isen screamed over the noise.

“It won’t show its tail unless it’s fighting!” Esmerelda yelled back. “It’s the most vulnerable part of its body!”

The ship continued to rock wildly, and Isen stared on in disbelief as chaos whirled around her. She screamed when the hourdigen’s head suddenly burst out of the water. It let out an ear shattering roar, and Isen let go of her death grip on the doorway to cover her ears. She lost her balance then and went rolling across the deck. Her sword went flying, landing with a thud on the other side of the deck.

Her head hit against the wood railing and she blacked out for a few moments. When she came back, she looked up, dazed, in time to see the creature make another dart across the deck. But this time it took one of the crew with it, snatching it in its enormous jaws. She heard the sickening crunch as it went by.

One of the sailors suddenly appeared in front of her and pulled her roughly to her feet. “If you canno’ fight, princess, get to your cabin! Stay out of the way!” he said, then shoving her towards the door.

She was halfway through the doorway when she heard another scream of a sailor. Something in her mind clicked. “To hell with it all,” she muttered and dashed back outside.

In the short minute that had passed, the hourdigen had made another loop across the deck. The men were fiercely hacking away at the body, and a sickening river of blood had begun to flow. She stumbled her way over to where she’d last seen her sword, picked it up and suddenly began swinging it at the purple coil nearest her. She didn’t even notice when the hot blood poured out onto her dress and face.

The hourdigen shot once more out of the water, and the part of the body she’d been hacking slid over the side and into the water. This time its bellow was even louder. Its fangs were glinting in the sunlight and slightly smeared red. She hadn’t noticed its eyes, which were a bright, vicious red.

But what caught her attention was that it was simply bobbing there in the water, not attacking or anything. What did that mean? Was it getting ready to—

“HOLD TIGHT!” Esmerelda screamed, and then she dropped down low on the deck, right in a puddle of blood. All the sailors followed suit.

Isen didn’t, so when the hourdigen rammed the front of the ship, she fell hard to the floor and rolled. Trying to find purchase, her left hand brushed the body of the creature. The second the ooze touched her fingers, an intense heat sprang up, leaving deep red welts. The cry of pain escaped her as she continued to roll.

Her hand landed in a pool of blood and immediately the ooze disappeared, although the burning sensation remained. Isen stood, grabbed her sword and began hacking away at the body again as the sailors were doing.

The coil was getting slimmer, she noticed vaguely. And it was easier to slice away at. She lost track of time for a while, lost in the constant, battering of the ship and the blood and the roars of the hourdigen. There was nothing else for her but the ongoing fight for their lives.

Eventually, after much slipping and sliding along the bloody deck, she was beside Esmerelda on the very side of the ship. The queen was covered in dripping red blood, her hair long ago fallen out of its braid. Isen didn’t even notice that she was in the same state. She didn’t think at all.

The hourdigen, after a time of nothing but ramming the ship, suddenly decided to make another loop around the ship. The head went across the front end of the ship and the coil that the two women had been hacking at flew forward. Isen saw the tail for a split second before it dashed by. And then Esmerelda was flying past, having grabbed onto it.

Not even thinking, Isen dropped her sword, raced to the other side of the deck and hopped over the rail, somehow grabbing hold of both the rail and Esmerelda. The tail was just floating in the water now. Esmerelda had let go of the tail and was dangling off the side of the ship. She looked back up at the princess.

“You have to let me go!” she screamed up at her.

“And leave you to die?” Isen bellowed down.

“Climb back up, go inside and find a rope. Hurry!”

Isen reluctantly let go, and Esmerelda fell into the sea with barely a splash. She then turned her attention to climbing back up, a task made all the more difficult because of her blood slicked hands. But she finally made it up onto the ship, and was down inside the ship by the next ram of the hourdigen.

She dashed into a room and looked frantically around for a rope. The realization that she’d put everything into wooden boxes struck and then she was dashing over to the trunk, spilling out the contents. She grabbed the rope and bolted back outside just as the ship was rammed again. But this time she heard a loud crunching noise, and she knew that the wood had finally begun to break.

She ran back to the railing and looked down. Esmerelda was treading water a little distance from the ship. Isen tossed down one end of the rope and watched as the queen tied it securely around her waist.

“The second I start sawing at it,” she yelled up, “it’ll become furious and start thrashing around. Keep tight hold on that rope!”

Her hands were shaking, but Isen nodded gravely and tightened her grip. “Just do it!”

Esmerelda had been right. The second the sword tip touched the tail, it started whipping around. The queen held on tight, trying hard to cut through the slimy skin. Isen felt the rope being pulled against the sensitive burned skin on her hand and winced, but held on tight as she watched the battle being waged down below.

And then, suddenly, to her right she saw the head of the hourdigen shoot over top the ship again. The rope went taut and she almost went over board from the sheer force on the rope. She looked down nervously and let out a quick breath when she saw that Esmerelda was still down there.

But the queen’s attention wasn’t on Isen, it was fully focused on the ferocious monster looming above her. The beast looked down at its prey with an intense, hungry stare. Isen vaguely noticed that Esmerelda still had hold on its tail. But she seemed frozen, paralyzed under the gaze of that enormous creature. She didn’t even notice when her grip slackened on the rope and it fell down to the water with hardly a sound.

The silence was huge. That’s what Isen noticed first. Slowly, keeping her gaze locked on the hourdigen, she reached down and grabbed hold of the sword she’d dropped earlier. Then, just as slowly, she rose up again. It was still watching the queen, who now looked increasingly more nervous, but still treading water in the same spot, her hand still gripping its tail.

Not even thinking about what she was doing, Isen lifted the sword, and chucked it straight at its head. Amazingly, it hit the hourdigen in the nose and then bounced right off. The beast roared its anger and then it looked around for the culprit. When its gaze landed on Isen, she felt as if she’d gone numb. And then it reared its head back and let out an ear shattering bellow to the sky.

It broke her out of the trance and she backed up immediately. The creature finished its bellow and the head came shooting across the deck, to the exact spot where Isen had been moments before. She screamed and ran up the stairs to the next deck. The hourdigen snaked its way up behind her, and she kept going.

And then there was nowhere else to run. She’d once heard that when you were about to face death your life flashed before your eyes. And she did, seeing all the good and the bad moments in such clarity it stunned her.

As it had been moments earlier, an eerie silence settled over the ship.

And then abruptly the hourdigen reared its head back and let out a roar that nearly deafened Isen and the sound was filled with pain. The princess looked to the side of the ship just in time to see the tail of the monster twitch upwards, sending Esmerelda flying overtop the ship. But what caught Isen’s eye was the thick piece of severed flesh she held tightly in her hands.

Before her astonished eyes, the creature roared its displeasure once more and then began to disappear. The hourdigen slowly faded until she could see clearly through it and then until there was nothing, absolutely nothing in front of her but open deck. There was silence for a moment and then cheering erupted from the crew.

Isen slowly walked to the steps leading down to the main deck. She saw the horrible mess and carnage that their fight with the hourdigen had created. The blood was everywhere and there were places where the wood was bent or broken. The men themselves were a mess as well, covered as they were in blood and ooze.

“Heave,” she heard, and turned to see a group of men pulling something onto the ship.

Puzzled, she moved closer until she caught sight of what the men were pulling. “Esmerelda!” she cried, looking down.

“Never fear,” the queen called up, helping the men by using her feet to climb. Then she turned back to the water. “Fingal, you may want to come out for a moment.”

The water below bubbled for a second, and then broke as a man’s head poked through. “If you say so, Elda.” At Isen’s gasp, Fingal sighed and rose further out of the water, exposing a strong chest and muscled arms. “I’m assuming she’s never seen one before?”

Esmerelda had just hopped onto the deck. “Of course she hasn’, she’s a human ain’t she?” To Isen, “That there’s Fingal, king of the merfolk in these waters. Believe it or no’ he was coming to help. He just don’ want no one to know.”

Isen looked back down at the king. He had a strong, stern face that was surrounded by strands of gold hair and he looked up at her out of hard gray eyes. “How do you do?”

Fingal rolled his eyes. “What human nonsense,” he said under his breath. “And who might you be?”

Esmerelda placed a hand on her shoulder. “He’s a very blunt one, to be sure.” Leaning over the rail she called down, “She’s one of the princesses from the New World. She was traveling with Roarke ‘til I stole her away. She’s the one I done told you about before.”

“I see. Well ‘tis an honor to meet you princess,” he said, but in a tone that expressed hostility. “Since you are one of the royals, then I must request that you do something about the horrid lack of respect the sailors show towards my kind. It’s a disgrace to my people to be treated like hunted animals.”

“He’ll keep on ‘less someone interrupts him,” the queen whispered. Then she bellowed, “Quite frankly, Fin, I don’ go’ the time to really chat. I’m taking her to Glennovy.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so? Of course we all know that her vacation is far more important than the welfare of my people.”

“Now wait just a minute,” Isen sputtered, but Esmerelda shushed her.

“Now, Fin, you shouldn’ upset her. After all she’s both our guest as long as she’s on the sea. Did I no’ mention she was traveling with Roarke?”

“You might have,” he said grudgingly. “Where is the lad?”

“About a day or so behind us, now that we’ve had to stop for that hourdigen.”

Fingal’s face softened the slightest bit. “How bad’s the damage?”

“They’re still looking into it. From the sounds of things, though, I’d say that most of the damage was on the starboard side.”

“I’ll take care of it. So that you can get on out of my waters,” he added roughly. Then he disappeared beneath the water, showing Isen a glimpse of a bright green tail.

Esmerelda waited a few seconds and then let out a laugh. “He doesn’ want people thinking of him as a kind man, which is why he can be kind of gruff at times. But he’s actually quite a sweetheart, and he thinks of me as a daughter of sorts. He was just trying to rile you up, by the way.”

“Whatever you say,” Isen replied, still looking down at the waves. “How many of them are there?”

“Of the merfolk? Millions, I’d guess. From what I can gather, they inhabit all the oceans of the world. There are countries and cities and wonders, just like there are above the sea. I’ve always wanted to sea it for myself,” she ended wistfully. “There’s so much out there I’d love to see.”

Understanding completely, Isen nodded. “I guess even as queen you have restrictions.”

“You understand. Roarke told me that before this trip, you’d never been outside of your hometown.”

Isen grimaced. “Rose and I have never been allowed to travel. Not for lack of trying on my part. Rose… she’s always been content, or as content as she can be, in Mersis. Damon was the traveler, and then Lynn when she came of age. But Damon was the heir, so it was his duty to both his country and to the Rebellion. Lynn has earned her place and her job takes her all over the continent. But me, I’ve never been allowed to leave, when I want to see and do so much.”

“Why have you never gone out then?”

“My parents think me too naïve to be out on my own. And when Madame Sinclair made her prophecy about the war starting soon, my parents decided to keep us where we would be safe. In the castle, under their protection.”

Esmerelda sighed. “Can you blame them? A parent’s first and last concern is always for their children. If they knew a threat loomed, then they would naturally do all they could to protect.”

“How come you’ve never gone off then?” Isen asked bitterly. “You are a queen, with the power at your hands to do what you please.”

“If only it were that simple. I have a duty to my people before myself. There is little else I’d like to do than to journey to the Far Eastern lands, or north through the Caverns of to the land of the phoenixes. There is so much out there to see and to do, but I must stay in these waters and see to my people. Even if there was a choice, I would remain here.”

Fingal reappeared below them. “The damage was minimal. My men have taken care of what there was. Are you headed straight to Glennovy?”

“We are.”

The king nodded. “Then Godspeed,” he said before turning to Isen. “Perhaps, princess, we will meet again.” Then he disappeared once more beneath the churning waves.

“What did he mean by that?” Isen asked.

“He’ll meet us at Glennovy, most likely,” the queen replied. “Like I told Roarke, I’ve been speaking to the kings and queens of the magical lands on behalf of your sister. Fingal has so far refused to even consider aiding the Rebellion should the war turn to the seas. But now that he knows I’ve befriended you, he’ll talk.”

“To who? To me? But I don’t know anything about war or alliances or how this sort of thing is done.”

Esmerelda simply laughed. “Then learn.”

One of her men came running up. “Your highnesses,” he said with a stately bow. “The damage has been repaired and we have a strong wind. We can be underway in an hour, if it pleases you.”

She stretched and gave a sigh. “Guess it’s back to work. Why don’t you go on down and clean up some? Red’s not exactly the best color on you.”

“What are you… talking… about?” Isen looked down and saw the blood smeared all over her. Her voice disappeared and then the world blackened.

Sorry about the long wait, guys. Please leave a review. I can promise a sooner update, since I know where things are going from here.