To say that a whaling ship having a next onboard was unexpected would be an understatement. Wherefore a whaling ship would even have a net onboard was a question worth wondering, but alas, there was little time for such wonderings.
Down from the Abenaki the net had come and trapped in it was Melusine. Cormac was quick to draw his brand from its case, but the crew of the Abenaki was quicker. With speed worthy of Lugh, they pulled the net up, requiring Cormac to swim up after it if he had any hope of rescuing the Surface-Born Merrow-Maiden.
Alas, as quick as Cormac was, the crew of the Abenaki were quicker still. As they pulled the net holding the captive Melusine out of the water, Cormac surfaced and saw Captain Abimelech staring down at him.
With a curious expression, the modern pseudo-Captain Ahab inquired: "Does this little mermaid have the same time limit that ye do, boy?"
Immediately, Cormac gave a panicked: "No!" Melusine did not suffer from the same time limit as he did. She could be out in the air as long as possible, sun herself on a rock, but he couldn't let Captain Abimelech know that! He had to let her go! She had to be let go!
"I don't believe ye!" Captain Abimelech returned. "Now I've got a proposition for ye, lad. You claimed kinship to Ronemun, now ye are going to lead us to him!"
"I've never met him before and where he dwells is somewhere far deeper than murderers such as yourselves can go!" stated Cormac.
Stroking his beard, Captain Abimelech turned to his crew and said: "Change of plans, men. We'll just take this little mermaid here to the next port and sell her."
Staring in disbelief, Cormac had no idea what he was going to do. The rope-ladder wasn't hanging over the side, there was no way he would be able to jump out of the water and onto the deck of the Abenaki, what was he going to do? How was he going to rescue Melusine? She and him had begun this journey to Pacific together and they would reach it together, but how on earth was he going to rescue her?
Alas, he knew not, but he wished he did.
Sighing, Cormac lowered his head for a moment. What was he going to do? Challenge Captain Abimelech to a fight?
Well, wherefore not?
Looking upward to the Abenaki as the modern pseudo-Captain Ahab began to turn away, Cormac uttered: "Captain Abimelech, I challenge you to a duel! If I win, then you let Melusine go!"
Turning once more to look down at Cormac, Captain Abimelech had a most perplexed expression upon his countenance. "Challenge me, lad? Ye're mad! A harpoon has a better reach on it than a sword like ye've got!"
"I'm not leaving without her! I won't abandon Melusine to a fate at being gawked at in some aquarium!"
Shaking his head, Captain Abimelech muttered "The boy wants to die", before loudly replying to Cormac: "Have it your way then!"
Down came the rope ladder and up went Cormac. Once up on deck, he glanced at Melusine, fear in her large, reddish-brown eyes, fear for both him and herself. The Helena of the Deep did not wish to see her friend, her companion, the one she cared for most in their new world killed, but the fact remained that she very well might have. Shivering, not from the cold that she did not feel, but from fear of what the outcome could have been, she watched as Captain Abimelech stepped forward with a harpoon in hand, his prosthetic leg hitting the deck like a hammer on an anvil.
Turning to his first mate, the Modern Starbuck, Captain Abimelech whispered something that neither Cormac or Melusine could hear. The Young Egan knew not wherefore, but he believed that Abimelech had told his first mate to order Cormac killed if he won the duel.
Raising his brand aloft, Cormac watched as Captain Abimelech did the same with his harpoon. The latter had fought in a war, he was older and larger, the only possible flaws with Captain Abimelech were possibly that he was missing a leg and that he was past sixty.
His eyes upon Captain Abimelech's prosthetic leg, the entire pant leg around it cut off so it could be shown to all, like some kind of medal that the modern pseudo-Captain Ahab was proud of, Cormac wondered which would move first: the prosthetic right leg, or the left leg of flesh and bone?
Looking at the harpoon in Captain Abimelech's grip, the Young Egan began to wonder if the old man was planning to wait five minutes before striking. That would do no good. If he was, then Cormac would have to strike first, but where?
His eyes returning to his opponent's prosthetic leg, a thing of wood and leather, Cormac knew what to do. He didn't want to kill Captain Abimelech, so he would have to incapacitate him.
Alas, Captain Abimelech was quick to catch on. With a thrust of his harpoon, Abimelech had every intention to end the fight quickly. Waiting for five minutes to be up was pointless, Cormac had a plan.
Quickly moving aside, Cormac backed away. Tightening the grip on the hilt on his brand, the Young Egan's mismatched eyes darted between the harpoon and the prosthetic leg. He had to be fast, if he didn't then Captain Abimelech would probably get him with the second strike.
Swinging his brand, Cormac soon found himself pulling back when Captain Abimelech brought his harpoon forward once again. He had to be quick, had to sever the prosthetic leg, get Captain Abimelech to yield!
Easier said than done! Cormac knew he hadn't much time and Captain Abimelech knew that as well. With every passing second the old man was growing bolder and bolder, getting closer and closer to giving Cormac something more than a mere scratch. How much longer did Cormac have? He wasn't exactly sure, but it was now or never!
Quickly, Cormac lunged forward with Captain Abimelech's harpoon grazing the back of his right shoulder. With a swing of his brand, Cormac completely severed the old man's prosthetic leg, sending his opponent falling back onto the deck with a half-angered, half-shocked scream.
How long had that taken? It felt longer than five minutes and yet Cormac was not collapsing to the deck from a lack of being able to breathe. It didn't matter, for all he knew he only had four minutes left.
Hastily, Cormac went over to Melusine and prepared to cut her loose from the net before Captain Abimelech could give an order that would result in his death. When Melusine exclaimed "Cormac, look out!" The Young Egan turned and hit a hurled harpoon to the side with his brand.
Captain Abimelech, sitting upon the deck with his prosthetic leg broken and now without his weapon, sighed, unsure what to do now. Turning to his mate, he said: "Mr. Andrews, my order was to kill the boy if he were to kill me. What do we do now?"
Mr. Andrews answered: "We let him go, captain. We let him and his mermaid go."
Thus did Cormac and Melusine return to the Deep. The former, covered in scratches, but nothing serious, found the latter fussing over him. Giving the Helena of the Deep a patient smile, Cormac told her: "I'm fine, Melusine."
Staring at her compeer, Melusine's expression of concern spoke volumes. She had feared for Cormac's life, perhaps even more than she had feared what her fate would have been if he had lost.
With her hands upon his shoulders, Melusine stared into Cormac's mismatched eyes. There was a small blush upon Cormac's countenance as he placed his free hand upon Melusine's waist, only to move it up to her back and pull her into a hug. The Surface-Born Merrow-Maiden might have been expecting something else, but a hug she liked all the same and so she returned it.
When they had emerged from the embrace, Cormac looked to the Surface to see the Abenaki continuing on its way. Would they ever see it again and so encounter once more Captain Abimelech and Mr. Andrews?
Who could say?
Sheathing his brand, Cormac lay down upon the sand of the seafloor with Melusine soon joining him. As he closed his eyes, the Young Egan felt the Helena of the Deep give him a kiss on the cheek. He then heard her whisper in his ear: "Cormac, you are my knight in shining armour."
Sighing, Cormac whispered back: "If only I had armour."
"Maybe there is someone in Pacifica who can make you some." Melusine suggested, gently stroking his cheek with her finger.
"It sounds fantastic, Melusine." Cormac answered, thinking of such armour. It probably would have been meant for a Profound One originally, so it would have to be modified to fit him, after all he was perfectly human, at least he thought he was, and he certainly didn't have spines running down his back.
Feeling sleep take his mind away, Cormac thought of times gone by. He thought of the age of Ivanhoe, Lancelot and Quentin Durward, the age of chivalry.