“The monster is gaining on us!” My-re shouted as she watched from the aft section of the Nightie as a wave of water caused by the unseen beast parting the fog. All sixty oars were in rhythm and it pushed the trireme through the Lake of Mists on the nighttime sea. The sails had been released, but while she could feel the wind on her face, they were not favorable and did little to help the ship’s speed.
Sheila Greywand and several of the Primus’ elite tower guards joined My-re. Captain Darien, and Lady Greywand’s military attaché, grabbed a torch and threw it towards the wave. It was indeed gaining, fast. Then for an instant, My-re saw it, or part of it. She didn’t see a body, but the blurred form of a large, circular mouth with what appeared as serrated teeth under the waves. Their purpose clear. The torchlight extinguished.
“Is that Grumpy?” My-re asked.
Sheila’s eyes grew wide. “No, that is not him,” she said with concern in her voice. She aimed her wand and a massive, blinding bolt of electricity shot out. A guesser of water exploded upwards upon impact.
Wincing from the brightness and clearing the stars from her eyes, My-re asked, “Did you hit it?”
They stared out to sea. All was quite.
The sea bulged again and the wave reemerged. It was much closer now.
“Get some Lord Protector archers up here!” Captain Phetmolge yelled.
Darien, My-re, and Sheila all looked to Phetmolge in perplexed confusion, like she had asked the warriors to come up and throw rocks.
“Gladiators aren’t taught to shoot,” Ssskah the tuxedo colored were-cat stable said wincing.
“By the nine hells!”
Lady Greywand aimed again, but it was too close to the water line and within moments it was under the Nightie again.
A dull echo came from underneath the water. Thud. Thud. Thud. CRACK!
“Breach!”
Rao of the Skull Squadron stable emerged from below deck. “Breach! It’s breaking through the hull!”
“My-re, assess the situation and report back!” Sheila ordered.
My-re broke out of her internal thoughts of drowning or worse being eaten by some monster. She was surprised and a little proud of Sheila’s confidence in her. She hoped--
“Go!”
My-re and Rao scrambled across the deck and down the short flight of steps to the hull below.
“We have to shake this thing! Hard to starboard!” Ssskah ordered. “Hang on!”
They both grabbed onto the stair’s railing and the ship’s wood creaked in protest as it turned right. My-re slammed against the wall. Her shoulder bore the brunt. It would likely leave a nasty bruise, if she lived long enough to see it. Proceeding down the stairs, the Lord Protector rowers were straining, as water was spouting from the side of the hull. One tried to cover it with both his hands. Ankle deep in water, she was impressed with their discipline.
“We’re taking on water, fast! We won’t make it to shore!”
Seeing looks of panic spread across the rower’s faces, My-re asked, “Can the hull be patched?”
“Uhh…maybe. It’d be temporary,” Rao said.
“Temporary will do. Get it patched. Everyone else, keep rowing, and if you want to live, don’t stop!”
Taking two steps at a time, My-re reemerged to the top deck. “The hull’s breached! We’re taking on water! We’re trying to patch it!”
“If we don’t shake it and continue taking on water, she’ll sink!” Ssskah yelled.
“Suggestions?” Sheila asked.
Ssskah said, “Turn the ship around, with our backs to the wind we can sail to the far western shore.”
Darien said, “No, stop the ship, half the crew patch the hull, and the rest fight to draw it up. Once the creature shows itself, Lady Greywand blasts it with her wand.”
My-re didn’t like either idea. Turning the ship to sail to the far shore would take time and allow the beast to do whatever it wanted. There was no certainty, even with the wind, they could outpace it in its natural habitat. Stopping the ship to fight would likely cause more casualties and the creature might not come up. It could easily stay underwater, safe, and sink the craft. They had to flee. She wanted to flee.
Looking to the stars in the nighttime sky, and taking in a deep breath, My-re said, “The light and noise drew the creature to us. We need to extinguish the lights and with the cover of dark and the lake’s mist try and lose the creature. Then run silent and sail back to the Isle of the Eye.”
“There’s no guarantee with your plan we’d lose the creature,” Darien said.
“I didn’t give one.”
“What do you know about fighting on a ship?” Darien asked scoffing his doubt.
“I’ve had some experience,” My-re retorted.
Sheila was silent for several heartbeats. “Follow My-re’s plan and extinguish the lights. Captain Phetmolge once completed, by the nine hells, lose this bloody creature!”