Chapter One

Leviathan

“LEVIATHAN!!”

The call came just before the creature struck against the side of the boat. It tipped dangerously and Cara had to grab hold of the railing to keep from being thrown over board.

The ship was alive with sailors and as it tipped back towards the monster Cara could see its great head looming in front of her.

Sailing high above the tail ship the creature plunged into the sea on the opposite side, the long body fell slowly to the deck.

“It’s going to squeeze the ship!” Cara cried over the storm that was rising fast.

“Hoist the sails! Turn us about!” Tryean yelled to the crew and then continued in Dari.

Kade grabbed Cara’s hand, “now would be a good time to write us out of something!”

The sky blackened, rain began to fall as the sails came down and the boat began to move. The creature surged out from the opposite side of the boat, planning to encircle it again.

“Quick Cara!” Kade yelled.

“There’s nothing I can do! My story ended in Kalerik!” Cara yelled back. She racked her brain for everything she knew about sea monsters and everything that she might have put into this creature.

The ship was moving faster, but the looped body was still coming down, they weren’t going to be able to get out in time.

“Captain!” Cara called suddenly.

“What is it?”

“This creature is intelligent, it knows that we are trying to escape.”

Tryean shock his head, “what does that change.”

“Drop the sails! Keep us from moving!” Cara said.

“Are you crazy?!” Kip said coming up to them.

“The Leviathan is smart, but it cannot see. It finds it ships by the movement in the water. If we can come to a complete halt it will be confused, not knowing where we went. It would be like we suddenly became invisible!” Cara said.

Tryean looked at her carefully for a moment.

“Alright, we will try your idea,” he said after a while. He began to yell orders in Dari. The boat slowed and Cara looked up into its large ugly face. The rain was pouring into her face but she could see that the creature had stopped. It was confused. The boat was coasting now, not making a lot of movement.

It blinked its blind eyes slowly; the ship stopped and someone threw an anchor to stop from drifting, but the waves were incredible like the wind and the lightening flashed violently.

The entire crew held it’s breath.

Then slowly, very slowly the creature un wound and dropped back into the sea and with one glance back at the ship as though it was sure that it had been there a moment ago it slithered away like a giant water snake into the distance, taking with it the fierce storm.

When the water around them was calm again there was a great cheer that rose from the crowds and Cara smiled relaxed. Kip came up to her.

“I love you,” he said with the close to death euphoria over him and kissed her.

Full on the lips and a little longer than needed and Cara was totally and completely caught off guard.

When he released smiled and laughed, Cara blushed.

“Drinks all around!” Kip cried and the sailors cheered.

Cara looked to where Kade had been standing but he was no longer there, stalking into the cabin looking thoroughly infuriated.

Cara turned and watched the water, it was very unexpected by unknowingly she smiled while watching BlackFox came up beside her holding a drink.

“That was quick thinking,” she said leaning against the rail.

Cara shrugged, “how are you feeling?” she asked.

“I’ll live,” BlackFox replied smiling slightly. Cara smiled. Tryean ran up to her.

“My Lady, I must inform you that we have gone off track.”

Cara frowned and turned to him, “what does that mean?”

“Well my Lady, we are lost until we can get our bearings,” Tryean replied.

Cara bit her lip, “that’s not good, specially with the sea creature around.”

“I do not think it will bother us again,” Tryean said, “Freya will talk to her father and we should be safe.”

Cara nodded, “alright, if we don’t find land soon though, we could be in trouble.”

“Do not worry My Lady, my men fill find themselves back on course,” Tryean said with a bow.

Cara nodded and he skipped down from the side to yell orders to his men. Cara sipped her drink carefully and turned back to BlackFox she was still looked sick.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? I can see if I can find anything for your sea sickness,” Cara said slightly worried.

BlackFox shook her head, “you can’t cure seasickness from the Raona people, we belong to the Land like the Dari belong to the sea, we are not meant to mix.”

Cara rubbed her back as she leaned over the side of the boat.

Cara watched the rising sea as they traveled in what they hoped was a direction that was going to lead them to land.

She sighed, where was this going to head next? The thing she’s wished the most was that she could ensure the safety of her beloved characters. If only there was a way.

“My Lady, the seas are rough and you did not sleep well,” a sailor had come up to her while she was thinking. “Please, if you follow me I can find you something to eat, then perhaps rest?”

Cara smiled, “if you sailors want me out of the way, you may just say so, I will take care of my friends, down below, as you see, Nomadics aren’t meant for sea travel.”

The sailor smiled and led Cara and the sea sick Nomadic back down below deck for them to catch some sleep.

0

Cara woke the next day feeling much more refreshed, the cabin was quiet when she woke, BlackFox was sitting against the wall she smiled at her.

“How are you feeling?” Cara asked.

“Better, but I don’t think that I’ll be eating anytime soon,” BlackFox replied.

Cara swung her feet off the bed; outside it seemed like the seas had calmed somewhat.

She stood up and stumbled a little bit, still not used to being on a boat.

“Shall we go up and check it out?” Cara asked.

“Sure.”

They walked up to the deck, the sea was not so rough and there were few sailors up right now, but Kade and Standing Feather was.

The girls walked to them.

“Good morning,” Cara said smiling when she got to them.

The boys smiled a hello and turned back to the open ocean.

“Do we know where we are yet?” BlackFox asked.

“Quite far out,” replied Kade.

Cara smiled, but the Nomadics didn’t.

“Tryean thinks that we might be close to the Lost Isles,” Standing Feather said.

Cara was startled, “aren’t they lost?”

“Yes, but he thinks that we are close to where they were last chartered,” Standing Feather explained.

Kade glanced at Cara, “are they like Atlantis? They float?”

“No, they’re bearings were lost and they never found them again, and the Islanders never came back to Lerien’yth,” Cara said.

“But they have visited my people.”

It was Tryean, he hoped with long strides to the four.

“They have visited your land?” Cara asked.

“Yes,” Tryean replied, “the last time that I know of was five years ago, but they never revealed the positions of the isles.”

“How did you know that they were islanders then?” Cara asked.

“They have certain traits,” Tryean said simply.

Cara smiled and looked out into the ocean, something caught her eye.

“How far out were we swept,” she asked.

“Quite far,” Tryean replied.

“Well,” Cara said pointing into the distance, “I think that we have just found the Lost Isles.”