Lilly's wings pulled long strokes to keep them aloft as they flew over the deep blue water. Lacey watched as the waves swelled and crashed far beneath them. She caught her breath as a whale jumped from the ocean and majestically dived back in. "Hey look!" She shouted to the others pointing at the group of whales far beneath them.
The others turned to look where she pointed. They watched the whales as Lilly slowly drew closer to them. "I don't think that's a whale." Ray shouted in astonishment the others strained to see.
Silvia stirred Lilly Towards the monster that looked like a massive eel with two heads. It had its tale around a big Merchant ship that looks small in comparison. The men on the ship held up swords in defense, there were cries from men that had fallen into the water that was pulsing with electricity. "What's that?" Said Tim gulping.
Silvia stopped Lilly with a touch of her hand, now she flew in place hovering just out of reach of the eel. "We have got to help them, that looks like a monster." Lacey worriedly shouted. Reaching for her spear. "Let's fly down there." Silvia told Lilly.
Lilly landed on the slanted deck of the ship, in front of the men with the swords. The men looked at Lilly and the group on her back in surprise. They tightened their hold on their swords. Seeing them the monster picked up the ship and threw it.
It sent everyone flying. As Lacey fell, she noticed Ray suspended in the air stunned for a moment. As she twisted through the air her dress turning a bright yellow, she saw Lilly in the air with Silvia still on her back. Twisting around again, she noticed that Ray was beginning to move.
He spread his arms out wide and closed his eyes. She felt herself slowing down in her descent towards the ocean and soon came to a complete stop. She looked around to see the others and noticed everybody else was stopped too, suspended in the air covered with a light golden glow which started from Rays hands and suspended out around him encircling everyone including the ship and its crew. Ray opened his eyes then looked towards the monster. Lacey followed his gaze.
The monster writhed in the water, quick as a flash the eel shot out its tail towards Ray. Lilly came over Lacey's head with Silvia on her back. She had Lacey's spear in her hand. Silvia stabbed the eel's massive tail. It pulled back and another tail shot towards Silvia this time. But was stopped with a golden shield of Ray's magic. It smashed into it then pulled back as another one shot towards Ray and Silvia again.
Ray held his hand out to hold the shield, before turning towards Lacey. She stared at him as mixed emotions flashed across her face. He smirked then moved his other hand. She started moving as the ship and crew did too. The ship was set back into the water. Lightly she was set on her feet on the wooden deck of the ship. Rough men of all shapes and sizes were set down around her.
Lacey looked up to see Ray and Silvia now fighting the three headed eel. Gold flashed across the sky as Ray continued his fight with the eel. Lacey looked around to see that a dark storm cloud had covered the sky. The sky was dim, she could hardly see the men's faces around her. Shouts filled the deck. "Where is Tim?" She looked around the deck. She could not see him anywhere, she looked from side to side but she could not see through the sea of men's bodies.
Heavy rain started, she looked up wondering where the sudden storm had come from. In seconds she was soaked, the sky got darker than before, she glanced up but she could not see Ray and Silvia. She looked around again for Tim, the crew were now moving as a man shouted orders over the wind. She stepped out of the way as two men carrying a coil of big rope passed her. She stood not knowing what to do.
"Lacey!" Her name was shouted over the wind and pounding rain, she turned to see Tim as soaked as she was, pushing his way towards her. When Tim reached her, she could see the worry and panic in his face, he grabbed her hand just as the ship lurched to the side sending them flying. Tim caught a rope and was able to keep ahold of her hand[LB1] . The ship tipped until the side rail touched the water, sending a wave of water over the deck of the ship[LB2] , it rocked back and forth before it steadied.
Thunder crashed and lightning flashed around them as the storm raged on. Lacey looked up and saw Ray and Silvia still up in the air. Tim was carrying his sword in the other hand that was not clinging to Lacey. "What is happening?" shouted Tim. "I think I did something.
I lost my sword when We were flung around and it was still there when we got set back down, but when I picked it up I lost my balance and caught it and as I did this the handle turned and the storm immediately began to gather." He held out the sword, worried.
"I don't know how to stop it!" Lacey reached out to take the sword from Tim's hand, but before she could grab it, someone else grabbed it and quickly twisted the hilt to the left. Her eyes snapped up to Ray's face.
The storm parted and disappeared as fast as it had come. Ray handed the sword back to Tim. "Be more careful when calling the elements." He sighed. Lilly landed on the deck. Men had to move to not get crushed. Silvia slipped off, dragging the spear behind her as she walked towards them. Lilly slowly followed her. Lilly looked around curiously at the men who now had all eyes and sword points on the big white bird and wet tired children.
Lacey took the spear Silvia handed her. "Who the @#$% are you rats?!" A man shouted at them, soon the other men were shouting too. Ray placed himself in front of Lacey as Silvia's eyebrows deepened. Lacey clenched her hand around the handle of her spear as the men continued to shout. Suddenly there was a bigger commotion at one side of the crowd as someone came pushing their way through the angry crowd.
"What are you cowardly bunch of dingdongs doing!?" Came a shout as a very tall gangly man came pushing his way to the center of the crowd to where the children were standing. "Can't you #%$& bunch of buffoons see that these!" He suddenly stopped as he noticed that it was children standing there. He quickly caught himself as he stammered in his sentence and continued "Er, Children are the ones that saved us from that @#$%^& sea creature!?"
The men stopped slowly lowering their weapons as the man walked to stand in front of Ray, he extended his hand to Ray. "I'm Captain Luker, from Tekarin on the isle Latallia." Ray stared at his hand. "Uhh. Hmm." Ray hesitated, Lacy pushed past him clasping the Captain's hand and shaking it firmly. "Nice to meet you Captain Luker. I'm Lacey Walela Toughton, and this is Ray, Tim and Silvia." She pointed to the others. The Captain's eyes widened. "Oh. Well thank you for saving my ship and crew, join me for a meal, we can talk then."
They followed the Captain into the cabin of the ship, the captain continued to send strange looks at the small group. When they entered he looked around then stopped to look at them and at their wet and ruffled appearance. "On second thought. DUSTIN!" 'A man that looked a lot like the Captain but different hair color'. Come from another door in the cabin. "Yes!" The Captain pointed at them. "Take them to cabins so they can change then come back we need to talk." Dustin nodded and motioned for them to follow.
When they reached the long hall that held all the ships cabins, Dustin motioned to two cabins side by side. "We don't have proper dresses for you girls, but we should have pants and shirts that will fit." Lacey nodded. "Thank you." Dustin turned and left without another word. Lacey followed Silvia into a cabin as Ray and Tim disappeared into the other.
There was two hammocks hanging from the ceiling, on a chair was two sets of pants and shirts neatly folded, they slipped out of their wet clothes and donned the clean clothing. Lacey hung her dress from the top hammock to dry before they left the room.
Tim and Ray already awaited them in the hall with a man, when they came out the man led them back up to the Captain's cabin. When they entered there was a table filled with food. The Captain was sitting at the head waiting for them. "Come sit." He greeted them. The group filed into the room and sat around the table. "I hope you found what you needed to make yourselves comfortable." He continued as they sat.
"Yes, thank you." Replied Lacey sitting to his right along the table. Ray sat across from her at the Captain's left side. Silvia sat next to Lacey and Tim beside Ray. "Again, I must express my thanks for your timely interference in our fight with that creature.
I have never seen the likes in all my days upon the sea." The captain said as he picked up a tray of meat and served himself some and then passed it on to Ray. "Lacey, are you by any chance the late king's daughter?" Lacey choked on her swallow of juice she had just taken and stared at the Captain. "What… He died?? When. How?"
The Captain nodded slowly. "Yes. You did not know?? Sorry to have to be the one to tell you." Lacey set down her fork, her appetite was gone. "I have been stranded on an island after a storm hit my family's ship, and just found a way off today." "So, you are headed home?" "Yes…" "Okay, you are tired and your bird. That I guess you guys were flying on is out cold on the deck, so let me take you the rest of the way on my ship. We will be there in a matter of hours." He said before standing up and bowing low to her.
She nodded and went back to her food but she could not eat much. Captain Luker sat back down and turned his attention to Silvia. "And you must be from Silinthia, your hair is a dead giveaway." Silvia looked up in surprise, her mouth full. "Well, I don't know I have never known where I come from. But I would like to go there just to maybe…" she stopped, looking down at her food.
The Captain smiled. "Well I could take you if you like, my next trip will be going past there." Silvia smiled. "Thanks, I would like that." She said before stuffing her mouth full. "Could I come with you? If you are going towards Silinthia then you should past Almaraei." Tim looked desperate.
The Captain nodded. "Sure, thing kid. Now you all should get some sleep. When you awake, we will be in Latallia." The Captain smiled, dipping his head to Lacey before standing and walking out of the room.
Lacey left the table soon after the Captain, telling the others good night, she made it down to the cabin's easy enough. She got into the bottom hammock and hugged her blue dress to her as the tears began to flow. Moments later Lacey was asleep clutching a midnight black dress, it was almost as if the blackness was writhing.