The tide of unmaking, p.15
The Tide of Unmaking, page 15
part #3 of Berinfell Prophesies Series
“How exactly do you propose we dive in the dark then, Guardmaster Grimwarden?” asked Taeva.
“With this,” he said, producing a small chunk of dremask. “We Elves have been using it for generations, mined from deep within the Nightwish Caverns.”
“A bit of rock?”
“You’ll see,” said Johnny. “It’s pretty cool stuff. But not quite as cool as the light I make, and my flames always works underwater too.” He opened his palm, revealing a rotating ball of fire.
“Impressive,” said Taeva with an odd, knowing grin. It seemed almost as if she and Johnny shared a secret.
A few minutes later, Tommy took Johnny aside and asked, “What’s that about? All the grins?”
Johnny blushed and shrugged. “Not sure,” he said. “Must be she likes me.”
Just as the sun began its evening decent, Taeva rose suddenly from her late afternoon nap and stared intently at the horizon.
Tommy and the others had seen her jump up.
“What is it?” Regis asked. “What do you see?”
Taeva looked to the heavens, then back down to the South. And finally out to the East to confirm her suspicions.
“We’ve come to Taladair,” she said. “My homeland.”
“What?” The others leaped to their feet.
“I can feel it,” Taeva said, her voice strained and cracking. “We’ve arrived.”
“Already?” said Mr. Charlie, stretching. His eyes were puffy and half open. “Dang gum it, I was about on to my third nap of the day.”
A young Nightstalker laughed nearby. He and Charlie both had missed the grim reality in Taeva’s words.
Grimwarden made her look at him. “You’re sure?” he demanded.
“Without question,” Taeva said, suddenly holding her hands to her heart. Her eyes were looking somewhere off.
“She really does feel it,” Kat whispered to Grimwarden.
“Oh, no,” Kiri Lee whispered through her fingers. She gazed at the open water. “Does this mean? The city…an entire city cannot just vanish beneath the waters…can it?”
“Admiral!” Grimwarden shouted. The Admiral looked to him from the helm. Grimwarden made a circular motion with his fist. Before the Admiral could even give an order, the Elves had already read the Guardmaster’s communication, and the ship became a bustle of activity.
Admiral Cuth shouted routine orders down the ranks of his commanding officers. All but two of the main sails were doused and stowed, unused lines were secured, and the anchor and anchor lines were readied.
“Princess Taeva, we’ll need you at the helm to guide us in,” said Grimwarden.
“Yes,” she replied, her eyes coming back to here and now on the boat. “I can manage. We’ll have to sail through the reef. Once we’re through, we’ll be in shallower waters and within range of the—” she cleared her throat, “—the bottom of the city inside the old walls.”
Grimwarden escorted her aft while the Six, Goldarrow, Regis, and Mr. Charlie followed. Arriving at the helm, Taeva asked the Admiral, “Do you mind?”
Glancing from her to the wheel and back to her, he looked surprised. “Uh, no, Princess, not at all.” To his First Mate, he announced, “Princess Taeva has the ship.”
“THE Princess HAS THE SHIP,” repeated the First Mate, followed by a third echo of the announcement further down the vessel.
Taeva grasped the wheel with two hands and planted her feet on the deck. “Signal the boats to follow me in single file. Do exactly as I do. The channel through the reef is quite narrow.”
“Understood,” said the Admiral, then relayed a message up the mast to the lookout.
Taeva narrowed her eyes, then sent the ship hard to starboard. At once the men trimmed the sails to match and waited for Taeva’s next move. One by one the fleet slowed and then came in line with the lead ship, following Taeva’s eager course. Meanwhile Taeva watched the waters of the port bow with keen interest.
“You see there,” she pointed.
“Where?” Kiri Lee asked. “I see only waves.
“No, she’s right,” said Jimmy. “About a hundred yards out, there’s a slight change in the water. Almost…almost like it’s shallow.”
“I see it,” said the Admiral.
“That’s because it is shallow,” said Taeva. “It’s the reef.”
Confirming her assessment from on high came the voice of the lookout: “REEF OFF THE PORT BOW, FIFTY FATHOM LENGTHS.”
“Well, I’ll be,” said Mr. Charlie. “And here we would have—”
“Been dashed to pieces,” said Admiral Cuth. “Fine sailing Princess. Fine sailing, indeed.”
“We’re not through yet,” said the Princess. “Taldrim ships aren’t this big.” She glanced down. Weren’t is the proper tense now. All those beautiful ships, gone, she thought. All those beautiful people...
“It’s all right,” said Kat as she placed a hand on Taeva’s back. “You can do this.”
Taeva was about as surprised as the others. But Kat had seen what she’d missed before. Her jealousy had shielded it from view. Taeva cared about her people, just as Kat cared about the Elves. It was no different.
“It’s the depth I’m worried about,” said the Princess. “When we pass through the channel up ahead, it’s narrow, but these ships should manage. It’s how much they draw that should concern us all.”
“Any chance we could anchor here outside the reef?” asked Jimmy.
“I’m afraid not. These waters are too deep, and we’d risk being smashed up against the reef even if we did have enough line. Plus I wouldn’t recommend swimming over the reef unless you like summoning sharks with the scent of your blood.”
“Inside the reef,” Jimmy said. “Inside the reef works.”
Taeva slowly brought the ship northward back into a broad reach. Then she gave the command.
“READY ABOUT!”
The crew sprang to action, holding lines and preparing for the second call to bring the ship about to port.
“HARD TO WIND!”
The ship lurched to port as Taeva spun the wheel to starboard. The crew shouted, and the sails billowed. Elves raced across the deck from starboard to port, scampering like mice in a room full of cats. The bow moved across the horizon until the sails filled with wind again, snapping their booms tight against the main sheets. They were heading straight for the reef.
The Six could feel the acceleration of the ship as it sped off toward the southwest. They marveled at Taeva’s sailing skills, as did the Admiral who was clearly pleased that his vessel was not so large and ungainly for the Princess in spite of her initial claims.
“Ensure they follow my course exactly,” Taeva reminded the Admiral. He had the First Mate holler up to the lookout once more.
Taeva read the water like a scribe reads parchment scrolls. Her eyes scanned the waves incessantly, and then moved from the horizon to her sails. She made constant adjustments to the wheel: three pegs to starboard, two to port, two more to port, six to starboard, and so on.
“She’s bringing us in by feel,” said Admiral Cuth to the group gathered behind him, never taking his eyes off the Princess. “Incredible. Never seen anything like it.”
“Hold on,” Taeva finally said.
“What? Why?” said Grimwarden.
“I said hold on. This might be a little rough. We need more sail!”
“MORE SAIL!” said the Admiral.
“MORE SAIL!” said the First Mate. “RAISE THE FORESTAYSAIL!”
The crew set to work, lines flying and fabric billowing. The sail flew up in mere seconds. Taeva hoped the burst of speed would be enough. She glanced behind their ship.
“Make sure they do the same!” She pointed to the vessels behind them. “AND TELL THAT ONE TO GET IN OUR LINE!”
A beat later, the Admiral’s ship lost enough momentum that everyone stumbled forward. A sickening sound ground across the keel from stem to stern. “Come on!” Taeva shouted to the ship. “Keep going!”
More grinding emanated from under the hull. Tommy and the others were beyond worry. They looked to the Admiral, but instead of concern the Admiral was smiling.
“Admiral?” Tommy inquired.
But the man waved him off and continued to glance between the sails and Taeva. To himself he muttered, “Fascinating.”
Finally the last scrape traveled the length of the ship, and a moment later the boat was free of the reef and moving through clean water.
Shouting went up from behind them. Everyone on the bridge looked aft. The third vessel back had foundered, striking the reef on the port side and listing to leeward.
“Admiral,” said Taeva, offering the helm back to him and with a wave of her hand. “She’s all yours.”
“I have the helm.”
“ADMIRAL HAS THE SHIP,” called the First Mate.
“The good news is we made it through,” said Taeva.
“A formidable sailer you are,” said the Admiral. “And the bad news?”
“We’ll be the only ship through until that boat is burned,” she pointed backward.
“It can’t be salvaged?” asked Grimwarden.
“Sir, I’ve grown up in these waters; no ship has ever made it off the reef.”
“Then burning it will have to be handled by you, Admiral,” said Grimwarden. “We don’t have time. We’ll take a small team down and find what we can. You burn any ship that can’t be salvaged. Tell the rest of the fleet to steer clear of the reef. There’s no telling what or who we’ll find, so getting a clear and quick route out of here will be essential.”
“Understood, Guardmaster,” said the Admiral. “We’ll be ready.”
15: Diving on the Dead
THE RUINED REALM OF TALADAIR waited beneath the waters. On the surface, the sea was peaceful and calm, undisturbed, as if a great city had never been there at all. But just a glance into the depths would tell a far different story. Each of the Elves geared up for the dive, preparing the mind was another matter entirely.
It was decided that Tommy, Jimmy, Johnny, Kat, Grimwarden and Goldarrow would follow Taeva through the wreckage of Taladair and to the entrance of the catacombs. From there, the team would attempt to gain entry into an airlock that Taeva described as the entrance of the catacombs, and then see what hope there was to discover. If there were in fact survivors, as Grimwarden had projected, a second team would then come down to relieve the first and rotate through the night until all were rescued.
Admiral Cuth produced a chest of flippers and crude underwater breathing devices that fit over the head. Taeva looked at the strange apparatus. The bulbous, bronze helmet had a glass face and a protruding filter over the mouth.
“It’s filled with terrock moss,” the Admiral said. “Produces something similar to the air we breathe when it gets wet. Probably not as efficient as what you’re used to, Princess, but it will do the job.”
Taeva hefted the helmet over her head and secured the collar snuggly around her neck; it seemed counterintuitive, like being strangled, but she understood it’d keep the water out.
“You’ll get about twenty minutes out of the stuff before we need to pack it with new moss,” said the Admiral. “Remember, twenty minutes.” Taeva nodded. To the rest of the team, he continued: “And if you find anything worth saving down there, we’ll have plenty of these,” the Admiral produced a resilient material that the Six thought resembled a black garbage bag. “Open one up underwater and the moss inside will fill the bag with enough air for three adults to breathe and ascend to the surface. Like sticking your head inside a balloon and holding onto the sides.”
Once the team was outfitted, they jumped overboard and gathered for the dive. The water was warmer than the team expected, except for Taeva, of course. Upon contact with the water, each diver’s dremask torch sputtered to life. They plunged beneath the surface and breathed in the mossy air of their helmets.
The team descended slowly upon the remains of the island city, their torches casting a pale blue aura around each diver, like lightning bugs flying through a dark summer night.
When Taeva began to see the first signs of ruins, she could feel her heart quicken, the sights threatening to strangle her. To others, it might just seem like a random spread of rubble, but for Taeva, it was all that was left of her home. She realized she knew the street she was hovering above. She even knew the cottage. It belonged to Laurice’s, a dear childhood friend. Where had Laurice been when the walls came down?
Next door was the Thruvions’ home, a childless couple who always opened their doors—and larders—to the neighborhood children. And across the street was Taeva’s favorite bakery. And three doors down was the tannery, then the lower barracks, and…and…
Taeva coughed, bubbles engulfing her. She suddenly felt trapped, like the ocean was caving in on her. The surface was too far away. She couldn’t make it. She tried to fight the emotions rising in her chest, but they were too strong. Bile filled her mouth, and she forced herself to swallow it, thinking she might drown on her own spittle if she didn’t.
Suddenly a hand touched her. She wanted to shout, to kick and scream. But the hand seemed gentle. Authentic. Taeva turned to see Kat’s face covered in glass and the glow of blue light casting deep shadows over her features.
“It’s okay, Taeva,” Kat spoke to Taeva’s heart. “I’m right here with you. Just breathe in and out. Slowly. Breathe…in and out. You cool?”
Taeva didn’t understand the last part.
“Ah, forgive me,” said Kat’s voice, now light…almost merry. “It’s an Earth expression. It means, are you all right?”
Taeva didn’t know if she could speak so clearly without using words like Kat could, so she nodded. Then tried one word: Thanks.
Kat nodded. “You’re welcome.”
The two turned and continued on, gliding over the city.
Homes had been decimated, buildings collapsed, and debris strewn in every possible locale. It wasn’t until the bodies started to appear that the rest of the team felt the same terror that Taeva had just experienced.
Any of the deceased from the initial explosions and resulting flooding were washed away to sea. But far more of the Taladrim were trapped beneath the wreckage. It was these unfortunate souls that the team saw now: arms protruding from underneath large stone fragments that had crushed their torsos; bloated fingers grasping for rescue that came too late; faces staring off into eternity with mouths gaping wide in horror. The sites were so disturbing that even Grimwarden, who had seen more death than any of the Elves, had to avert his eyes.
“Keep going,” Kat said to Taeva, even her thought-voice tremulous. “I’m right behind you. We’re all right behind you.”
Taeva swam on, now heading for the center of the island, descending to the lower-most portion of the upside-down shield that was her beloved homeland.
A tall spire rose in front of her…the remains of her tower. Where it had poked above the water when she left, it was half its size and fully submerged, presumably suffering more damage from the tireless onslaught of the ocean in just a few short days.
Taeva motioned the team onward, indicating the remains of a building on the backside of what appeared to be the palace. Swimming around the building, Taeva drew close to what had been the main entrance. But it was blocked by fragments of the spire, never to be moved by Taladrim hands again. She pointed down, indicating where they needed to go.
It was Grimwarden who began working at what he thought was a side window, or at least a hole that might be big enough for everyone to get through if he could just pry lose the column that lay against it. Tommy and Jimmy swam over and lent their backs to pushing away the pillar. Dust clouded their vision, but the column finally gave and fell away. Once the sediment cleared, Grimwarden held a torch up to a two-foot by two-foot hole just big enough to swim through. Bravely, Taeva swam over and entered first.
Once inside, the team found a very different scene. They hovered through a dimly-lit palatial vestibule, left almost entirely intact. A brilliantly colored rug rested on the marble floor while a golden chandelier swung above, still half-filled with candles. Though askew, large portraits hung on the walls, faces of the deceased. Taladrim flags draped over railings and curtain-rods fluttered, as if an eerie breeze still stirred their fated threads.
Taeva summoned everyone forward with a wave, urging them deeper into the building and through at least three sets of twin doors. Soon, however, the path became less obvious as she took turns away from what appeared to be the main corridors. They grimaced as they swam under more than a few bloated bodies, corpses still filled with air pockets that pressed them to the ceiling like macabre balloons.
Grimwarden busied his thoughts with practical matters. He touched the filter of moss in front of his mouth; he guessed it had another twelve. Probably less. They’d have to keep moving quickly.
Now Taeva was swimming down staircases, switching back and forth, plunging deeper and deeper into Taladrim’s core. Eventually, they spilled out into an ample sized room designated by two guards that lay against the ceiling, spears still in hand. Taeva seemed focused on them until Kat summoned her thoughts back.
“Is that the vault door?” Kat asked her.
Taeva looked over to Kat. Yes, that’s it.
Kat motioned to Tommy and the others. “Down there,” she told all of them. “It’s the entryway.”
The team approached the solid metal door and Grimwarden examined the large hand-wheel that sealed the cover shut. He was about to try it when he noticed a dial in the center of the wheel.
This is a most unfortunate development, he thought.
“What is it?” Kat swam up.
They locked the door. Grimwarden pointed to the deceased guards above.
