There was a subdued silence among all the crew. They were all exhausted yet grateful to have made it through, somehow unscathed. Nathaniel and Grolt sat with Mutt on the deck, resting their weary bodies. Quite unexpectedly a squawk came from above. Everyone on deck froze and looked round at each other. The squawk came again and everyone looked up to see a gull perched up at the masthead. A raucous cheer went up from every man on deck and they started dancing. The crew from below came rushing up to see what the commotion was about, only to join in the celebrations too. It was an emotional sign after such a night of terror, though for Nathaniel it was marred by the corpses floating in their wake. A few hours later, land could clearly be sighted ahead of them and the celebrations among the crew were reignited. The look of amazement on Bortak's face was a sight to behold.
Spirits were lifted with the sight of land, but there was still that unspoken feeling between everyone from the ordeal of the storm. All of the crew had survived the night, but those tossing the dead overboard knew it could well have been them too. Especially those who had remained on deck watching every wave wash over the ship, knowing one lapse of concentration and they would have gone with it. The seas remained calm for the rest of the day as they followed the coastline northward. Bortak kept several miles of sea room between the ship and the land, to avoid the risk of reefs and shallows. No one spoke to each other but Nathaniel could see the tired look in every man's eyes, including the indomitable Bortak. This voyage had truly tested the old sea dog.
Nathaniel kept to the top deck until well past sunset. He was starting to see signs that he was warming to the captain. He would never change his opinion on the foul trade which Bortak plied, but he could see some traits that he found mildly respectable. The nightmare of storm had deepened the bond between all aboard that ship, apart from the doomed souls of the slaves below. The evening air was fresh and the cool breeze pleasant on Nathaniel's face as the ship gently rocked with the lapping waves. He soon became aware the ship had mysteriously slowed, as if towing a huge weight behind it. Bortak had noticed it too and shared a look of confusion and worry with Nathaniel.
The next thing they noticed was a drawn out creak and groan from the ship's timbers, like it was in pain. Suddenly there was a loud crash and the gunwales on the starboard side caved in at a point. The whole sheep jolted and shuddered, bringing Nathaniel to his knees. He then saw the look of worry on Bortak's face turn to pure terror. When he was back on his feet he rushed to the side and looked down to the waters below. The sea swirled and gurgled as if it was boiling. "SEA MONSTER!" Bortak bellowed with all the strength his lungs could muster. "Fetch the harpoons!" he commanded. Nathaniel spun round and instantly ducked, narrowly avoiding the huge tentacle which whipped through the air. He had never seen anything like it before. It was as thick as a burly man in width and longer than the ship's mast. Another tentacle whipped up, curled round and latched itself onto the side of the ship with its enormous suckers.
Crewmen arrived carrying harpoons and one was thrust into Nathaniel's hand. He followed the rush of men to the stern of the ship, where Bortak was trying to keep some smaller, flailing tentacles at bay with his cutlass. A dozen more of the smaller tentacles flicked up and latched onto the stern of the ship, which then began to sink downwards, tilting the deck steeply. Nathaniel stumped rearwards, only just managing to keep his balance. As the stern tipped towards the sea, the beast revealed itself to him. A giant kraken was slowly wrapping itself around the ship and pulling it inward. Its two main tentacles were large enough to reach the bow of the ship and the others flailed round to find places to grip onto. Most of its body was still underwater but the part of its head that was not submerged was nearly as wide as the ship. The kraken opened its mouth, revealing the huge, razor sharp beak within. The timbers would smash like matchwood if it managed to chomp down on the ship.
Nathaniel steadied himself on the sloping deck and got a foothold so that he would not slide into the beast's mouth. Others were not so lucky and when thrown off their feet or knocked over by a flailing tentacle, they slid headlong into the terrifying mouth below. The stench of salt and rotting seaweed was almost enough to overcome the ship's own stink. Some of the crew saw the end that awaited them and instead chose to abandon ship. With a tight grip on his medallion and a deep breath, Nathaniel readied himself. Other sailors had launched their six foot harpoons at the beast, bricking its slimy flesh like little needles. Nathaniel watched carefully, taking his time then launched it with all his strength. The harpoon shot away like a ballista bolt, striking the kraken in the eye. It let out an unearthly shriek of pain, but this only seemed to anger the beast more.
Bortak continued to slash nearby tentacles with his cutlass and others had got axes to hack at the tentacles which had already suckered onto the ship. It was a difficult task, like fighting a hundred foe all bound in harmony to one purpose. Nathaniel launched a second harpoon into the same eye, hoping to deter the beast, but still it continued to try and ensnare the ship, dragging it ever closer to its horrifying beak. There was a sudden bump at the bow of the ship knocking Nathaniel to the ground. His body slid down the deck and it took all his strength to fumble around and grab onto the nearest piece of rope. One of the crew slid right past him and although he reached out to grab the man, he could not stop him. He screamed as he dropped off the end of the ship into the kraken's mouth.
The next thing Nathaniel knew he was drenched from a cascade of water dowsing him. Then there was the terrifying feeling in the pit of his stomach as his body entered freefall. In the next instant he was slammed into the deck, knocking all the air out of his lungs and leaving him gasping for breath. Just as he caught his breath back the moonlight was blocked from view by an enormous creature. At first glance it appeared like a giant merman. Once his eyes had adjusted to the dimmed light, its features became more clear. The head was similar in shape to a snake with two eyes on either side. Its jaws were laces with sharp, pointed teeth, which had closed around the body of the kraken. Its body was smooth and pale blue in colour, with a muscular frame. The body blended down into a tailfin like an enormous whale. Below the head were two slender arms with fins down the back. The arms almost reached the length of the tail and ended in four long fingers with sharp talons on the ends, connected to the adjacent fingers with thick webbing, almost like duck foot.
There was stunned silence among all as they watched the huge beast gracefully leaping up from the sea. The enormity of the creature was mind boggling. The kraken had been huge - easily as big as the ship in body, doubled in length by its tentacles. To put this new creature into perspective, it had locked its jaws around the middle of the kraken's body. The tail of the kraken hung down to the creature's shoulders. The tentacles hung down to what would have been its waist. This creature was over three times the length and twice the width of the ship. Once it reached the peak of its leap, the creature began to fall, dropping over onto its side. They all anticipated what was to come and scrambled to find something to hold onto. As the body smashed into the sea, a huge wave rose, kicking up under the ship and thrusting it forwards. The stern lifted up as the wave rushed under the ship and Nathaniel gripped on tight.
The wave eventually settled out and the creature was nowhere to be seen, gone back to the murky depths. Everyone was stunned and did not know what to say. This had been their second brush with death in such a short space of time. It was truly exhausting. Nathaniel approached Bortak, whose jaw had not closed since the creature first shot up from below. "I'll be damned," he muttered finally. "I never believed the tales to be true. Certainly never imagined I'd ever see one with my own eyes."
"See what?" Nathaniel asked, intrigued by what his answer would be.
"A sea titan, a leviathan," he mumbled, shaking his head as if he did not believe his own eyes.
It was easy sailing from then on, but there was still an air of tension among the crew, as if they were trying to anticipate what horrors this new land would throw at them. Two days later Nathaniel spotted mountains, which must have been the Yuros Mountains Torstein had told him about. Their course turned east again from there. They picked up water again, finding springs and fresh mountain run-off to replenish their supplies. After a further week of sailing east, a new coast appeared ahead of them. The two coasts came together and Nathaniel guessed that this must have been what Torstein called the Straits of Yoruna. He stood on deck with Mutt and Grolt, enjoying the fresh breeze and a peaceful evening, content that their journey to the elves was nearing its end. Bortak approached them tentatively, requesting a quiet word with Nathaniel and Grolt in his cabin.
They followed him back, slightly apprehensive of what he would say next. "My friends," began Bortak, "I truly did not believe there was anything east of Skald. But you were adamant and did not think you were a madman. I have known many madmen in my years. I'm sure no one will believe my tale when I return to the west." He laughed. "But this is where my part in your venture ends. It has nearly cost me my ship and my heart yearns for home. I will give you a boat so that you may get ashore. We part company here." It was unexpected news but in honesty Nathaniel was not angry. Bortak had been more bearable lately but there was only a finite time they could remain on that ship. It felt right to leave at this time. They left the cabin and began to say their farewells to the rest of the crew. It was slightly emotional to leave behind people who had been their comrades through all the trials and tribulations of the voyage.
Once packed, Nathaniel and Grolt climbed in and made themselves steady in the small boat before Mutt got in. The giant clung onto the gunwales of the ship rather than use the ladder, then carefully lowered himself in. The front of the boat began to sink worryingly low into the water under Mutt's weight, but eventually recovered to a safe level. Mutt then pushed them away from the ship and Nathaniel and Grolt began to pull back on the oars, taking them into the straits. Bortak and the crew waved as they rowed away. The ship's sail unfurled and then carried them off back down the coast. The companions continued to row as they watched the ship disappear over the horizon. Despite the new ordeal they were dealing with, Nathaniel was glad to be rid of Bortak and the foul stench of the slave ship.
It was slow going in the little boat as they entered the straits. The cliffs on either side towered high above them, casting the narrow channel entirely in shadow. The water seemed to get unusually choppy and whipped up in the wind, making unusual sounds as if whispering to them in some foreign tongue. Nathaniel and Grolt began to row faster, eager to pass through the straits and make landfall. The whispering grew more intense and whistled round their ears the deeper in they got. Mutt was becoming unusually uneasy and covered his ears with his huge hands. This did not seem to work and so he began to swing his arms, as if trying to swat the voices away like flies. The boat began to sway violently with each swing of the giant's arms. Nathaniel called out to him, trying to calm him down. He had little success and one large swing brought the side of the boat under a wave.
A gulp of Water washed in and flooded the bottom of the boat. Thankfully Mutt was more scared of the water than he was the voices and he stopped swinging, returning his hands onto his ears instead. The waters calmed and the voices died as they rounded the headland and finally left the straits. The Sea of Yoruna now opened up to them and across it somewhere, the city of Mesolina. Nathaniel and Grolt rowed the boat to the western coast, where they found a beach to land. It would be easier to continue their journey on foot. The beach was golden and the sand soft like powder. Beyond it lay dense jungle, which stretched up to the mountain side. Nathaniel decided it would be easier going to follow the coast along the edge of the jungle.
Their first night ashore in weeks was spent camped beneath the stars with the soothing sound of waves nearby. Nathaniel noticed how much cleaner the air was away from the ship and his sense of smell began to return to normal. For three days they continued along the coast, pressing west then turning south and leaving the mountains and jungle behind. The terrain turned to meadows and hillsides, which was far easier going under foot. By the fifth day they came upon a strange ruin, built from a dark brown stone with arches and pillars, slowly eroded by time and the wind. They decided to make camp there, despite still having a few hours of sunlight remaining. It looked like a good place to stay, with shelter already available to them among the ruins. Nathaniel made a fire and they sat down to cook a hare he had caught earlier.
As if from nowhere, a dozen guards on horseback appeared in shining white armour and surrounded them, each pointing a long spear towards them. Nathaniel looked around to assess the situation, but there was not much hope, they were outnumbered. These must have been elves. Their appearance was similar to dark elves, only their skin was lighter and not dark grey. Another elf appeared who was clearly their captain, as his armour was ornamented with silver mantling. "Infiltrators," he exclaimed, closely examining Nathaniel's glaive. "Seize them!" he commanded. A few of the guards dismounted and approached them, binding their hands behind their backs and pushing them to their knees one by one. Nathaniel knew it was hopeless to resist. He could only hope he would be given a chance to explain himself. As he was pushed onto his knees his shirt popped open and his medallion swung out, dangling in the open, glinting in the sunlight. "Where did you get that!" snapped the captain with a fearsome tone to his voice. He dismounted, strode over and gripped it tightly in his hand. The medallion was ripped from around his neck and the last thing he saw was the butt of a spear before his world went black.