The Iron Pillars

Chapter 35

Without his helmet, Brant felt himself destined to the same fate as Aaron, only this time, Wendy was otherwise occupied. Sucking the sword and shield back into his gloves, he paddled to the shimmering water above him. Nearer the shore, he could see Cormorant bathing himself in the clear liquid that was his home, his refreshment, and his healing.

As he struggled to the top, Brant felt his chest tighten. An emptiness grew in his body, one that ironically filled him with pain. His body begged him to breathe just once, and give it some relief. But with tightened lips, he refused. For how long he could continue, he couldn't tell.

He felt ripples in the water beneath him, so he glanced down. A pod of dolphins swarmed down on the dead specimen of their kind that Cormorant had charred with his feet and the raven-ships had ripped into with their guns. They swam in circles around it, until a speckled bull noticed the god who had killed her. He darted upward, and the whole pod followed.

Brant refocused on his current task, survival. He was about ready to give up and submit to his fate. His muscles tired, chest burned, and heart seemed to grow angry at its increased workload. With nothing else to assist him, Brant closed his eyes and prayed.

Immediately, a pair of dolphins from the pod swerved off their intended course, sped for Brant, and bore him up. Once he broke the surface, he gasped in a mouthful of breath and thanked God. Reaching down, he rubbed the dolphins' rubbery backs in gratitude, releasing a shuddering breath as he did so.

As he leapt off onto the beach, he spotted Cormorant, who had just been flung out of the water by an angry dolphin. Its reddened snout opened as it shrieked at him. Meanwhile, he bled out onto the sand.

Brant stared with wonder at the scene before him. Whenever Cormorant attempted a retreat to the water, the dolphins would snap at him, battering him with their hard snouts. But the farther on land he travelled, the easier shots the raven-ships got on him. The dolphins and ravens are banded together again! he remarked inwardly, Well, let's help them out. Time to finish this.

As before, a shield materialized in his left hand. In his right, an axe weighed his arm down. He charged at Cormorant, leaping when he came into range and swinging a heavy blow down. Blood poured when his torn arm dropped from its socket.

Screaming, Cormorant ran toward the water. He waved his remaining hand, attempting to form a wave to push the dolphins back, but they supported one another and created a wall of impenetrable antagonism. Another bullet landed in his leg and grounded him.

Brant ran up and removed Cormorant's second arm. The return swing removed his head and sent it rolling into the water. It soon became mangled as the dolphins lunged at it.

Brant reached for the necklace and ripped it off Cormorant's stub of a neck. The vial of liquid, called the Primordial Mother of Waters, began to glow with demonic power, now that the spirit possessed by it had passed on. He tossed the container into the air, raised his weapon, and shattered it. A fiendish hiss accompanied the clink of breaking glass and the splash of liquid on the ground. After a demon's wail faded into silence, a refreshing silence followed.

Brant stepped to the edge of the beach and dropped to his knees with a sigh. He stroked the nearest dolphin's head, noticing that even they seemed relieved. It was as if despite their animalism, they had sensed the spiritual evil emanating from possessed Cormorant, and now felt a release from his bondage.

After retrieving the dead swordfish and bass pieces littering the sand, he tossed them into the water, smiling slightly as the creatures eagerly set themselves to devouring the meat. They vocalized their gratitude as he turned his back on them and headed to more solid ground.