Viper's Creed (The Cat's Eye Chronicles) (34 page)

No... I have to... I have to help him somehow, that monster is far too large... but what can I do?
A slow, sinking fear crept over her. Nothing. She could do nothing. She would only get in the way.

Joan tugged at her and Sora realized she had stopped walking. With one last, desperate glance, she turned and ran the rest of the way to the plank, practically carrying the Dracian, her staff gripped hard in her hand.

Once on-board, a sailor lunged at her, one of the last of the crew trying to get off the ship. A Dracian, unrecognizable in the flickering firelight, kicked him down into the water.

Sora was too shaken to respond, even to the surprise attack. She stared at her rescuer for a long, stunned moment before she recognized Jacques. As though on cue, a large, dark crow fluttered down from the sky, landing awkwardly on his shoulder. A strip of flesh hung from its beak.

Tristan appeared too, standing slightly behind him. There were a few bruises on the younger Dracian's jaw, but other than that, he seemed to be in good shape. He was even grinning.

Sora let out a shuddering breath and shoved Joan into Tristan's arms. “Get her to the infirmary,” she said. “She was bitten by a Kraken.”

“Crikey!” Tristan exclaimed. “Crippled by a Kraken?” He grabbed Joan just as she began to collapse on the deck, and swung her up into his arms.

Jacques shook his head. “She'll be all right, Sora. Dracians are immune to the beast's poison.”

“Poison...?” Sora asked, surprised. Then she quickly scanned herself for wounds. Shockingly, there were none, except the slight graze to her chest, which wasn't even enough to draw blood. She checked her arms and legs twice. Her adrenaline was still surging and she doubted she would feel a small cut.

There was a high-pitched yowl from below, and she looked at the docks again, feeling another burst of concern. What if Crash was bitten?

No one asked what the noise had been. Tristan turned to walk away, carrying Joan in his arms, and Jacques waved to the Dracians who manned the rigging. “Unfurl the sails!” he called. “Prepare to cast off! We have a good wind behind us and a long voyage ahead.”

“Wait!” Sora cried, stopping Jacques from pulling up the boarding plank. “Crash is still down there!”

He frowned. “Are ye certain?” he asked, turning to look at her.

“Yes! Don't draw anchor yet!”

Jacques nodded to her, a grave expression in his eyes. Then he held up his hand. All of the Dracians stopped in their tracks. “Hold up!” he yelled. “One crew member is still on the docks!”

The crow squawked, as though echoing his command. Then it took off into the air, flying over the side of the boat into the darkness.

Sora nodded. She watched their small crew scramble to obey. Then she frowned. She wanted to ask where Jacques had been just a few minutes ago, and why she and Joan had been left alone on the docks with a Kraken in their midst. And why had no one helped them earlier, and why was no one going down to the docks to fight alongside Crash...?

But Jacques turned away from her, preoccupied. He cursed at one of the Dracians who was tangling up the ropes.

A sudden, shuddering roar rumbled across the docks, followed by the sound of a heavy body splashing into the water. Her insides quivered sickeningly, a horrible jolt rocking her chest, and she found herself peering desperately over the railing, trying to see through the darkness. Silence descended. Her heart lodged in her throat.

Come on, Crash.... come on.....

The rain lashed down. It thrummed against the wooden deck like a thousand jabbing fingers. It was impossible to hear anything else. Sora was drenched, shivering with cold. Her stomach felt like it would slide right out of her mouth.

She knew Crash was a skilled fighter... but the Kraken was a vicious, powerful beast that had torn the sailors to pieces. No man could have won that battle. The vision of Crash's body, floating still and cold in the murky water below, or perhaps dragged under the waves to some far-off den, stayed firm in her mind.

Sora wished something would move, even if it was the monster. She just wanted to know what was happening, to break the horrible tension. The rain continued to pound. She listened with all of her might; she felt as though her ears were slowly separating from her head, she was straining so hard.

Then, dimly, barely above the rain, she heard the sound of boots treading on hollow wood.
Thunk... thunk... thunk....

A figure formed out of the storm. A crow hovered above him, drifting in the rain like a strange banner. Swaying from side to side, bent almost double, Sora still thought he was the most beautiful sight in the world.

Crash stepped slowly and softly off the plank, into the light of the ship's lanterns. At first she thought he would walk right past her, without even sparing her a glance. But then he paused at her side. His eyes were trained on the wood beneath them, the expression on his face unreadable.

"It's dead," he said. His voice was cold, without inflection. It made the tiny hairs on her arms rise.

She gazed at him in silence, unsure of what to say. “Thank you” seemed close to ludicrous.

Crash let his head drop another notch and a shudder ran through his body. Then he closed the small gap between them. She stiffened, surprised. Slowly, unexpectedly, he laid his forehead against her shoulder. His breath was hot through the damp cloth of her shirt.

Neither moved for a long moment—a moment in which Sora thought she would completely crumble. She had never felt such worry, such panic, over another human being.

Then Crash said quietly, "You're shaking."

Of course I'm shaking!
she wanted to scream, but she didn't want to tell him why.
Dammit, Sora, be strong!

He stood up a little straighter, then slowly pulled her into his shirt and released a long, silent breath into her damp hair. Enveloped by his warmth, she couldn't think, stunned by the show of emotion.
Perhaps... perhaps I am finally seeing beneath the mask.

"Are you going to cry again?" he asked, and she could hear humor in his voice. Of all things!

"Warriors don't cry," she whispered brokenly. And if she did let a few tears slip out, it was purely from exhaustion, and well-hidden by the wind, rain, and Crash's thick shirt.

He held her like that, motionless, for what Sora felt was a long time, though it was probably more like five minutes. She didn't want to move away; she liked the strength of his arms, his height, his scent. He burned like a slow fire, hot-blooded.

"Well, we should tell Jacques to set sail," she finally whispered. It was a nice position to be in, but it couldn't last forever, and there were still many things to do. She started to pull away, then paused when he didn't move.

"Crash?" she said. His arms stayed tight around her, almost too tight. After listening to his shallow breathing, she knew something was wrong.
"Crash?"
she repeated, alarmed, and pulled her head out of his shirt. His eyes were half-closed and his breathing was far too shallow. "Hello?" Still no response.

She jerked backward in sudden fear. His grip loosened and his body slumped to one side, almost toppling them both. She gasped as she caught his weight. "Crash!"

Sora laid him down on the deck and stepped back. Disbelief crept over her face.
No, no, this isn't happening!
she thought desperately.
Crash can't be hurt, it's not possible!
The only other time she had seen him like this was ages ago, while they were crossing the swamp and he had almost drowned.

The wind picked up. Sora felt something warm and sticky on her shirt. Looking down, she stared in horror.

Blood.

The whole front of her shirt was soaked in blood, deep crimson, almost black in the firelight, and still warm. She didn't know what to do at first; her mind couldn't quite grasp what she was seeing. Then she opened her mouth in horror.

"Jacques!" she yelled. "Tristan, Joan, Laina!" Then, filling her lungs with an impossibly deep breath, she screamed,
"Burn!"

Now is no time to panic!
her inner voice screamed. She dropped to her knees and looked at the assassin's face. His eyes were closed, his skin pale. She ran her hands over his body and found the wound in his side, a shallow gash where the Kraken's teeth had snagged him. Without hesitation, she ripped his shirt open and gazed at the bloody skin. The area around the wound was red and puffy, tinged with black. Poison.

She heard the thrum of feet against wood. "Burn!” she called, recognizing his footsteps. “He's hurt!"

The giant Wolfy dropped down next to her. He took only a moment to gauge the situation. Then he grabbed the assassin and lifted him up, as easily as one would lift a child.

"We need to get him inside,” the Wolfy said firmly. “This cold weather won't do him any good."

“What about the poison? What if it spreads?”

“There has to be an antidote on board,” he replied. Sora couldn't tell how certain he was; his face was like stone. “If they went to the trouble of catching that creature, they must have come prepared....”

"What is
that?
" Jacques' voice rang out from somewhere above her, high on the rigging.

"It's Crash, he's hurt!" Sora choked, but the Dracian cut her off.

"No, those lights!" he pointed.

Sora glanced distractedly over the side of the ship, then stared. Several dozen golden lights had appeared silently on the docks below, bobbing up and down as if suspended in thin air.

Then Tristan appeared. He ran over to the plank, heaving the long slab of wood up onto the ship as though it were made of paper. Sora was stunned by his strength.

Suddenly, there was a massive burst of light from below. Sparks flew high into the sky as a large pyre was lit, illuminating the entire dock. What she saw in the new light was not reassuring.

The entire city guard force stood below, their flickering eyes trained on her and her friends. The Captain was in front. Sora breathed slowly in amazement. They must have arrived while the Kraken was loose and then hung back in the shadows, waiting for the chance to strike.
Cowards!

Somewhere behind her, she heard Jacques' exasperated voice. "Damn it all, do they ever sleep? Tristan, close the rail and get away from there, we're leaving! Hear that, boys? Raise anchor!"

"Jacques, I know you're up there," drifted the silky, arrogant voice of the Captain of the Guard. Sora recognized it from the previous day. "Why don't you surrender now and make it easy on yourself? I might even cut your sentence."

Jacques moved to the railing and yelled heartily, "Not a chance in hell, you pompous bastard!"

Then he threw a hard oval object at the docks below. Sora watched as it struck the dock, then exploded in a blast of mist and smoke. Jacques let out a loud whoop of triumph just as the ship groaned and rocked, floating away from the docks.

Then Tristan was standing at the rail. "Better luck next time, Cap'n!” he yelled. “We'll miss you!"

"We'll try to write!”

"Don't forget us!"

All of the Dracians began calling out, hanging from the deck and rigging alike, whistling and laughing. Smoke still covered the docks, and Sora doubted any of the soldiers could see them. She wanted to be amused, she truly did... but she bit her lip instead, irritated by all the noise.

Crash was injured. She turned away and looked around for Burn, but he had disappeared, taking the assassin with him. Fear raised its ugly head, and she began to look for them, trotting off into the darkness of the vessel.

The ship was massive. Sora scrambled down a staircase, below deck, out of the rain. It was lit by a few dim lanterns. The cabins stretched on and on, but it only took a minute before she bumped into the mercenary. He was exiting a room a few doors down the starboard side.

"How is he?" she said as she rushed up to him.

Burn looked at her for a long moment, then sighed. "I wouldn't worry your head about it. Crash is... very resilient." He gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Why don't you get some rest? I'm going to search through the supplies to see if there is an antidote."

Sora opened her mouth in protest.
Rest? How can I rest with Crash wounded?
It seemed careless, selfish, absolutely irresponsible.... “No,” she started, “I need to help!”

“You won't be any help if you can't even keep your eyes open,” Burn said. “You've had a long day... or have you forgotten the wraith?”

It seemed Burn knew her body better than she did. As if summoned by his words, a wave of exhaustion hit her, as forceful as the rolling ship. She staggered, the adrenaline draining out of her, and Burn caught her easily.

“Maybe... maybe you're right,” she said, her muscles suddenly weak and sore. He nodded, his eyes gentle and quietly sympathetic. Then she staggered towards the long row of cabins with his strong arms assisting her, barely able to move her own feet.

Chapter 18

Sora woke up in an incredibly small room; a patchwork quilt had been thrown over her. The room swayed back and forth in a disquieting manner, but that wasn't what had awakened her. There was a rather loud argument going on; it seemed to be coming from the deck above her room.